I bet you guys are excited with this, eh? Two chapters in four days!
Yeah, I really have nothing to do, so I wrote and wrote and wrote…until I started playing this cool game two days ago, which kind of hindered my writing.
So, I've decided to continue on this story and not make a sequel. ShadowHogzilla PM'ed me and your argument in the message kind of motivated me to do the opposite of what you voted for…sorry about that!
The kiss…I want to apologise for it. I didn't do my homework regarding that piece and after looking at it again; I think I agree that it was on the cheek, and not on the lips. I want to thank CharlieBoneFan as well as apologise to her…You were right dudette, sorry. I rectified it in this chapter.
Anyway, here's the next chapter!
Remember to review, tell me what you think of this story so far!
Enjoy!
I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.
Changing Ways: Chapter 19: What're sisters for? Screwing stuff up? Maybe not…:
"Misty, would you hurry up!" Ash yelled over his shoulder, irritation evident on his face as he glared behind him.
"Relax, Ash!" Misty screamed back at Ash, who was quite a few feet in front of her. "This isn't a marathon! There's no prize waiting for you at home!" she angrily added.
Ash, Misty and Pikachu were on their way back to Pallet Town and the two humans were once again engaged in one of their famous quarrels.
"Pika Pika…" Pikachu exclaimed from on top of Ash's shoulder, shaking his head in aggravation. His master and Misty continuously fought like this. It was like a rollercoaster ride travelling with the two of them: One moment they're ripping each other's heads off, and the next moment they casually talk to each other, as if nothing happened! It was way too complex for the yellow mouse to understand, so he merely sighed at the humans' bickering.
"But Misty!" Ash started complaining once more as he kept walking, but with his front side now facing Misty, so he was walking backwards. "The letter that came with the parcel said that we have to get in Pallet Town as soon as possible!" he moaned at the red-head.
The relationship between Ash and Misty, regarding love, was back to normal again. The two of them decided that, since neither one of them really knew much about dating and stuff like that, they would keep couple-stuff to the minimum for now. The awkwardness between was gone, but they were still very unsure about this love-thing. Ash, being who he is, was completely clueless to say the least. That kiss he gave Misty that night was completely instinctive. So, it was safe to say that he would not experiment with love. Misty on the other hand, would try to partake in a romantic gesture every now-and-then. The odd brushing of hands, that sort of thing. But it would always end one-sided.
On a more positive note; Ash had managed to convince the red-head that the kiss they shared was indeed his first one. He had managed to convince her that the kiss in Alto Mare was on his cheek, the left cheek to be precise, and since kisses on the cheek didn't count; Ash did indeed share his first kiss with Misty. It took a lot of convincing but, the truth was out and the situation cleared up…
"The parcel didn't say that you should kill yourself by walking too fast!" Misty furiously yelled back, her face starting to turn red because of anger. "Stupid parcel…" she mumbled to herself, irritated with the contents of the said parcel that arrived a few days ago.
Ah yes; the parcel…
[FLASHBACK…]
Ash had previously decided that he would wait until Misty felt that she was ready to leave before he left the Cerulean Gym. Since the Pokemon League would only be opening later in the season; Misty had a lot of free time on her hands. She used this free time to help Psyduck with its swimming. This also meant that Ash had a lot of free time on his hands. Some of that free time was now spent on serious pokemon training…
"Totodile: Use Water Gun!" Ash instructed Totodile. "Bayleef: Counter with Vine Whip!" he also ordered Bayleef, who was facing off against Totodile.
"Toto – Dile!" Totodile exclaimed as it fired a power stream of water towards Bayleef.
"Bay, Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as she shot two powerful vines out towards the oncoming attack.
The two attacks collided in mid-air which resulted in the Water Gun to splash in all directions as it connected with Bayleef's vines.
"That was great, you two!" Ash cheered for Totodile and Bayleef, who both cheered their gratitude at their trainer. "You two can take a rest." He said to the two of them.
Bayleef and Totodile both nodded and made their way over to the side of the pool.
"Next!" Ash yelled from where he was standing.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped to in front of Ash.
"Cookie!" Kingler exclaimed as it walked over to the opposite side of Pikachu and Ash.
"Alright, let's get started!" Ash declared with a determined fist-pump, to which Pikachu and Kingler both cheered out of anticipation…
Meanwhile, Misty was still busy with her mission of finally teaching Psyduck to swim..."Come on, Psyduck: Just kick with your feet!" she irritatedly yelled at the insolent yellow duck.
"Psy Jai Jai Jai!" Psyduck fearfully exclaimed as it squirmed with its entire body in the water, causing Misty to be splashed soaking wet and full of water.
Misty spit some water out of her mouth, before glaring at Psyduck. "Psyduck…" she calmly started. "You're a Water-type pokemon…and Water-type pokemon know HOW TO SWIM!" she exploded. "Now get back into that water!" she ordered.
"Psy Jai!" Psyduck negatively shook its head as it hung on to the side of the pool with all its might.
"I said get…into…that…pool!" Misty ordered in between tugs as she desperately tried to get Psyduck into the water, but the yellow duck stubbornly resisted the red-head's tugs and kept clinging to the side.
Misty's grip on Psyduck eventually weakened and she was sent packing backwards into the water accompanied by a big splash. She resurfaced a moment later, only to be met with the upside-down face of Ash looking down at her…
"AHHHH!" Misty screamed before falling back into the water again.
"Uhm…okay…" Ash exclaimed as he scratched his head and frowned down at the water in confusion.
Misty resurfaced once more. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ASH KETCHUM!?" she angrily yelled at Ash, who by now had returned to a straight-up position.
"Wow, calm down, Misty!" Ash said as he defensively waved his hands in front of him. "Well, Pikachu and the others are taking a break. I think they've had enough battling for the day." He explained. "So, I came over here to see what you're up to!" he innocently exclaimed.
"Oh, well that's very nice of you, Ash." Misty sarcastically said. "Now can you please give me a hand!" she ordered while holding her hand out to Ash.
Ash sighed at Misty's abusive behaviour and gently took her hand before pulling her up and out of the pool.
"Thanks." Misty said as she looked herself over and sighed. "Great, now my clothes are all wet…" she grumbled.
Ash shook his head at Misty's unfortunate circumstance. "So, how's it going with Psyduck's swimming lessons?" he asked as he glanced over towards Psyduck.
Misty growled at Psyduck's name. "Don't even mention that!" she scowled. "I mean, it's wearing water wings! But it still doesn't want to get in the water! How's Psyduck ever going to learn how to swim if it doesn't even try?" she exclaimed.
"Well, maybe it's just afraid?" Ash proposed. "You know, just like you're afraid of carrots and peppers and Bug pokemon?" he explained.
"Yeah yeah…" Misty unwillingly agreed. "Anyway, how's it going with the training?" she asked.
Ash immediately perked up at this question. "It's going great! Totodile and Kingler are getting stronger and stronger each day!" he declared. "I've got to admit that letting them battle against pokemon that have the advantage over them is sure building up their resistance!" he added with an excited fist-pump.
"That's fantastic!" Misty complemented. "I bet resistance like that will be very handle in a battle!" She added.
"Yeah." Ash agreed, but his expression then turned sad. "But now Totodile and Kingler feel bad about losing." He solemnly added as he looked over to where Totodile, Kingler, Pikachu and Bayleef stood.
"But they've got to realise that Bayleef and Pikachu have a huge advantage over them!" Misty protested. This situation really got to her. Seeing as she was a Water pokemon Trainer; she knew all about their weaknesses. She knew all too well how it felt to be almost completely powerless against their attacks.
"Yeah, I know that…" Ash answered. "To be honest; they should be proud of themselves!" he added as a genuine smile made its way onto his face. "I mean, when we started training a few days back; they got totally beaten. But they've really grown because of all the effort we put in. Totodile managed to draw a battle with Bayleef today!" he excitedly pronounced. "And Kingler almost managed to knock Pikachu out with its Crabhammer!" he added with the same excited vigour.
Misty smiled at Ash's unwavering determination. He really does care a lot about his pokemon…
"Little sis!" Misty heard an all-too-familiar voice call from the next room.
Misty groaned in aggravation. "Yes Daisy, what is it?" she asked in a fake, cheery tone.
"Like, where are the posters?" Daisy asked as she appeared in the doorway.
Misty aggravatedly sighed. "What posters, Daisy?" she asked in the most calm voice she could muster.
"The posters for our, like, water ballets!" Daisy answered with a slight scowl on her face. "We had them made before we went on our, like, cruise!" she explained.
Misty grinded her teeth together in absolute irritation. "I don't know, Daisy. Why don't you look where you left it?" She said through clenched teeth.
"We, like, forgot where we put it." Daisy replied as she threw her arms up in defeat.
Misty slapped her palm against her forehead.
Yes, the three older sisters of Misty: Daisy, Lily and Violet, were back. They had returned from their cruise a couple of days ago and were doing what they did best: Ticking their little sister off. Misty had tried to get her three sisters back into the groove of Gym Leader duty, but it was in vain so far, as the three of them had shown little to no effort. So it currently looked as if Misty would have to stay at the Gym for quite some time to come.
"Like, Misty!" Violet, the second oldest of the four sisters, called out as she entered the room.
"WHAT!?" Misty viciously yelled as she turned towards Violet. She was starting to get very, very irritated with her bumbling, rude sisters.
"Misty, are you feeling okay?" Ash carefully asked from behind Misty.
"I'm fine!" Misty yelled at Ash after turning to face him.
"Alright alright!" Ash yelled as he back off a bit, frightened by Misty's now-furious temper.
"Now," Misty started as she turned her attention back to Violet. "What is it?" she asked.
"Like, chill out, little sis." Violet said as she held her arms up in front of her defensively. "I just, like, came to tell you that the two of you," she stopped, pointing to Misty and Ash. "Have like, a visitor!" she proclaimed before stepping out of the doorway.
"Hey, you guys!" A very familiar voice greeted the occupants of the room as he stepped into the doorway.
Ash and Misty both turned towards the source of the greeting.
"TRACEY?" the two of them simultaneously exclaimed as they stared in surprise.
"Hey Ash, Misty. Long time, no see!" Tracey greeted with a friendly wave of his hand.
"Hey there, Tracey." Ash uncertainly greeted. "Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it…" he agreed.
"Hey, Tracey." Misty also greeted from next to Ash. "Oh, where are my manners! These are my sisters:" she started, referring to two of her sisters present in the room. "You've probably already met Violet." She said as she turned to Violet. "And this is Daisy." She added as she turned to Daisy.
"Hey there, nice to meet you." Tracey friendly greeted Daisy.
"Like, same here." Daisy friendly replied.
"Hey, where's Lily?" Misty asked as she looked around for Lily.
"Oh, I already met Lily on my way out." Tracey informed Misty. "She said something about a beauty salon?" he asked with a slight frown of confusion on his face.
Misty aggravatedly sighed. "Yep, that about sounds like Lily…" she remarked.
Ash, Daisy and Violet all sighed at Lily's one-track mind.
"Anyway," Ash changed the subject as he turned to Tracey. "What're you doing here, Tracey? Aren't you supposed to be helping Professor Oak at the Lab?" he curiously asked.
"Oh right!" Tracey exclaimed, suddenly remembering why he came to Cerulean City. He then pulled his backpack off of his shoulders, put it on the ground and started rummaging through it. "I almost forgot!" he said as he continued searching through his backpack. "Aha! Here it is!" he exclaimed as he pulled something out of his backpack. "This is for you, Ash." He said as he held the object, which appeared to be an envelope of some sort with the words 'Ash Ketchum' written on it, out to Ash.
"For me?" Ash repeated as he took the envelope out of Tracey's hand. "What is it?" he curiously asked as he looked up from the envelope at Tracey.
"I don't know?" Tracey stated. "Why don't you open it?" he suggested.
"Well, okay." Ash agreed before he tore the top of the envelope off. He then pulled a small parcel out of the envelope. "What's this?" he asked out loud as he held the parcel in the air.
"It looks like a package." Misty stated as she took a closer look at the parcel.
"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Ash declared before he started opening the parcel.
Misty, Tracey, Daisy and Violet all stood around Ash, also curious to see what was in the parcel.
Ash finally removed the brown paper that covered the parcel and revealed a white little box. He then took the top lid off of the box and it revealed some shiny object. "What the heck is this?" he asked as he took the object out of the box and held it in the air in front of him.
"Ooooh, shiny!" Daisy and Violet simultaneously exclaimed as they came closer to Ash to examine the object, which looked like a gold coin.
"Why would someone send me a gold coin?" Ash asked out loud as he scratched his head in confusion while staring at the coin.
"Hey Ash;" Tracey started as he stepped closer to Ash. "Do you mind if I see that?" he asked as he held his hand out to Ash.
"Uh, sure, Tracey." Ash answered before putting the coin in Tracey's hand.
Tracey took the coin and started examining it on one side. "Hmmm…" he exclaimed as he flipped it over and started examining the other side. "I know what this is!" he finally announced after a while.
"You do?" Ash excitedly asked, curious as to what this coin is.
"Well, what is it?" Misty impatiently asked, curiosity also getting the better of her.
"This," Tracey started as he held the coin up to Misty and Ash. "Is an official Pokemon League memorabilia coin!" he declared. "Here's the official Pokemon League symbol, see?" he said as he showed them one side of the coin, on which the official Pokemon League symbol was engraved on.
"Wow," Ash started as he took the coin from Tracey. "So, this is a Pokemon League coin?" he clarified as he looked at the coin. "But, why would someone send me this?" he asked as he frowned in confusion.
"Hey, look at this!" Misty interrupted Ash's thoughts. "There's a letter attached to the back of the box!" she remarked as she held the bottom of the box up at Ash to see the small envelope glued to it. The envelope also had the official Pokemon League symbol printed on it. "Ash, I think this is an official letter from the Pokemon League!" she remarked.
"It's not impossible." Tracey cut in. "They usually send these coins along with official Pokemon League documents…" he informed them.
"You think so?" Ash asked as he looked from Tracey to Misty. "But, why would they send me a letter? It isn't as if I won my last league…" he solemnly remarked.
Misty sincerely smiled at Ash's comment. "Well, there's only one way to find out." She announced as she gently pushed the envelope into his hands.
Ash looked up at Misty, only to find her smiling at him. He sincerely smiled back before taking the envelope from her hands and nodded. He then slowly opened the envelope, folded the letter open and then started reading…
[…]
Misty sighed at the events that occurred about four days ago. 'I'll never forget that look on Ash's face when he looked up after he finished reading that letter…' she thought…
[FLASHBACK…]
Ash read the letter twice before he looked up from the paper. He looked directly at Misty, a hasty, scared expression on his face. "I-I…" he stuttered out.
"Ash?" Misty exclaimed. "What's wrong?" she hastily asked as she took a step towards Ash. "What does it say?" she asked as she gently placed her hand on the letter, her finger slightly touching Ash's. She gently tugged on the letter and looked him in the eye, searching for approval to take the letter.
Ash slowly let his grip on the letter falter, allowing Misty to take it out of his hand.
Misty stared at Ash a little while longer after she took the letter out if his hands, searching for an answer. She then averted her gaze from Ash to the letter now in her hand.
Tracey, Daisy and Violet all watched the scene unfold, all of them were beyond curious, but chose to stay out of it for the time being…
Misty slowly unfolded the letter. She then stopped and gave Ash one last look before she moved her eyes down to the letter and started reading its contents…
'Ash Ketchum
With this letter; I bring to your attention, a matter within the Pokemon League which involves you, as a Pokemon Trainer.
I hereby ask, with this letter, that you respond to our request and return to your hometown of Pallet immediately. It is very important that you take immediate action to get to Pallet Town without any hesitation. Further details about this issue will await you there.
Yours Truthfully
Charles Goodshow
President of the Pokemon League.'
Misty slowly let her drop to her side, but she kept her eyes where the letter was situated, staring at the ground for a few moments.
"Little sis?" Daisy cautiously asked.
Misty turned her face to Daisy.
Daisy saw the look on Misty's face, one of absolute shock and terror. "Here, give this to me." She said as she slowly and gently pulled the letter out of her little sister's hand.
Misty then turned her face back to Ash, and the two of them looked at each other for a moment.
"Ash," Misty said, barely above a whisper. "What're we going to do?" she desperately asked.
"I-I…I don't know, Misty…" Ash said in defeat as he looked at Misty in front of him.
"But…" Misty softly whispered. "You have to go…" she said after a while. "It looks like something important." She added.
"Yeah…" Ash replied while he nodded at Misty, sadness and disappointment clearly evident in his eyes.
Ash and Misty heard Daisy gasped, the two of them assuming that she had finished reading the letter.
"Come on," Misty started as she turned. "You've got to go and pack…" she informed Ash before she started walking towards the next room.
"Misty…" Daisy uncertainly said as Misty stopped in front of her when she heard her name. "I'm sorry…" she genuinely said.
Misty nodded with a fake smile. Yes, Ash leaving wasn't a big deal. But, it was a very, very big deal for her. It's true that the two of them sorted out their 'love issue' out a few days ago, but that doesn't mean that she didn't want to 'experiment', if you will. And for some reason; she felt that she would miss the goofy pokemon Trainer terribly. If she had left him at that fork near Viridian City; she was sure that it would have been much easier. But now…things were so different now. He saved her life, more than once. He kissed her! Normally, she would go with him, without a doubt. But she couldn't leave the Gym, especially not in the hands of her three sisters. So it was a lost cause.
Misty bit her lip and then continued walking, eventually disappearing through the doorway.
Daisy then turned to Ash, who merely sighed and followed Misty's lead, also disappearing through the same doorway.
"Like, what's up with those two?" Violet asked as she frowned at Daisy in confusion.
"Yeah, did I miss something?" Tracey agreed, also frowning at the oldest Waterflower sister.
Daisy sighed. She and Misty got along way better than she did with Violet or Lily, so she knew everything about this situation. She knew about Ash kissing her little sister, about how Misty didn't really know that much about love and that she decided that she wanted to 'experiment' with Ash while they were at the Gym. Yes, she loved to tease Misty along with her other two sisters, but she was oldest. She had responsibility towards the Gym and all of her sisters, responsibility that she rarely showed in Misty's case. But seeing that look on Misty's face, that fake smile; she knew she had to do something!
"Like, Daisy? Hellooo?" Violet impatiently waved at Daisy. "Like, what's going on?" she asked.
Daisy sighed to herself again before she looked. "Like, look, all I know is that we have to, like, keep those two together!" she informed Violet and Tracey.
"Ash and Misty? But, why?" Tracey curiously asked.
"That, like, doesn't matter, okay?" Daisy said. "We've just, like, got to keep them together…" she said, more to herself than to anyone else.
"Why can't she just come with us, then?" Tracey asked.
Daisy sighed again. "Because Lily, Violet and me can't run the Gym on our own yet, so she has to stay here for Gym Leader duties." She explained.
"Hmmm…" Tracey exclaimed. "I think I can help…" he announced…
[…]
Misty smiled at what she found out after that. 'That was so nice of Daisy and Tracey…I'll never forget it, ever!' she thought as she relived the memory…
[FLASHBACK…]
Misty slowly walked back to the pool room in the Gym, where she left Daisy, Violet and Tracey to help Ash pack some food supplies. Ash walked a little bit in front of her. She sighed at this inevitable situation. Ash was going to leave…
Ash's mood wasn't any better than Misty's. He didn't want to just leave. His pokemon liked it here. HE liked it here! But the most important reason he came to Cerulean City…He looked back over his shoulder at the source of his reason: Misty. He sighed in defeat as he walked through the doorway, only to be greeted by three smiling humans: Tracey, Daisy and Violet along with Pikachu. "Hey guys, what's up?" he asked as he frowned at the three of them.
Misty also walked into the room. "Huh?" she exclaimed as she noticed the three of them standing in front of her and Ash. "What're you guys doing?" she suspiciously asked.
Daisy smiled and approached Misty. "Here," she said as she pushed something into her little sister's arms. "You're, like, going to need that." She informed Misty.
Misty looked down at the object that Daisy put in her arms. "This is my bag?" she asked as she looked up at her oldest sister in confusion.
Daisy nodded in approval.
Misty frowned at Daisy. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she inquired.
Daisy happily grinned at Misty. "Well, you can't, like, go with Ash without any, like, supplies!" she informed her youngest sister.
Ash and Misty's moods immediately perked up after hearing this, nut the red-head's mood fell again soon after that.
"But I can't go with him…" Misty informed Daisy with a sad expression on her face. "I have to take care of the Gym…" she explained.
Daisy smiled at Misty. "No, little sis. You don't." she informed the red-head.
"What do you mean 'I don't'?" Misty irritatedly asked. "Of course I do!" she added. "Are the three of you gonna do it?" she sarcastically asked.
"Yep." Daisy simply stated as she nodded at Misty.
"That's what I thoug-"Misty said on autopilot, before the words were processed by her brain. "Wait, what!?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yep," Daisy repeated. "Lily, Violet and me are gonna, like, look after the Gym." She announced.
"But, the three of you don't even like being here!" Misty incredulously remarked as she looked at Daisy in disbelief. "You never do anything to help out!" she added.
Daisy nodded in agreement. "That's true…" she agreed. "But, like, that's why Tracey here is gonna stay here and, like, make sure we do our bit!" she said as she turned to Tracey.
Misty turned to Tracey and gaped at him wide-eyed. "Is that true, Tracey?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yep." Tracey said as he nodded affirmatively at Misty. "I don't really have much to do at Professor Oak's lab, so I figured that I could keep an eye on your sisters to make sure they run the Gym correctly." He explained.
"So, you're staying here with my sister and allowing me to go with Ash?" Misty hopefully concluded.
"Yep," Tracey nodded. "I'll stay here at the Gym until your sister get the hang of things." He explained, to which Misty responded as her expression saddened.
Daisy, noticing Misty's expression changed, stepped up. "But, like, the three of us will work hard. You don't have to, like, worry, little sis!" she assured the red-head. She tackled moments later, though, by a flash of red.
"Oh, Daisy!" Misty exclaimed, her arms locked tightly around Daisy's waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" she squealed in delight.
"I-It's, l-like, n-no problem, l-little sis!" Daisy managed to get, the air being squeezed out of her lungs.
"And thank to you too, Tracey!" Misty said as she loosened her grip on Daisy and picked her bag up off the floor. She then turned around and faced Ash. "Did you hear that, Ash?" she asked. "I'm coming with you!" she declared.
"Alright!" Ash cheered with a dramatic fist pump. Yes, he was beyond ecstatic. He could go home and avoid trouble, and Misty could come with him. He couldn't have planned it better!
"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed as he came standing in front of Ash, holding three pokeballs in his arms. "Pika Pika." He exclaimed as he held them out to his master.
Ash smiled at Pikachu's actions. "Thanks, buddy." He thanked the yellow mouse as he took the three pokeballs from him. "Bayleef," he said as he clipped the first pokeball onto his belt. "Kingler," he said as he clipped the next one on. "Totodile," he said as he clipped the last one on. "And, Pikachu." He finally finished as the yellow mouse jumped onto his shoulder. "Alright," he said as he turned to Misty. "Let's hit the road!" he announced with another excited fist pump…
[…]
Misty squealed on the inside. She was on the road again. On an adventure (There was always adventure when Ash was close by.). She wasn't stuck at the Gym. She was free and could only work on her dream. Nothing could spoil her mood…
"Misty…WALK FASTER!" Ash boomed over his shoulder at Misty.
Except that…
Misty clenched her fists in complete irritation, her teeth grinding and her face starting to redden.
"Uh, Misty?" Ash started. He had stopped and turned around to face Misty. "Are you okay?" he inquired. "Do you have a fever? You look kind of re-"
"ASH KETCHUM!" Misty exploded, which caused Ash to cower in fear. "If you yell at me one more time!" she warned. "And if you tell me to walk faster ONE more time!" she added, her voice rising in volume after each warning.
"But Misty," Ash started his protest.
"NO BUTS!" Misty yelled. "You will slow down, and walk at MY pace. Are we clear?" she inquired, glaring at Ash with her arms crossed.
"Bu-"
"ARE WE CLEAR, ASH?" Misty yelled at Ash, her teeth sharp and pointy out of irritation.
"Fine…" Ash mumbled in defeat as he turned back to the front and waited for Misty.
"That's better…" Misty remarked before she started walking again. She finally caught up to Ash, who now walked next to the red-head, and the two of them continued walking side-by-side down the road.
Ash was not very happy about this new speed at which he and Misty were traveling. They weren't even in Viridian City yet! And they had been traveling for almost 12 days now! Misty was walking way too slow for his liking. She was wasting time. Didn't she understand that the letter from the Pokemon League said that they had to return to Pallet Town immediately? And to top that off; he was starting to get hungry…
"Misty…?" Ash carefully asked. He didn't want an angry Misty to deal with right now.
"Yes Ash?" Misty calmly replied. She was in a much better mood now that Ash had finally slowed down to her pace.
"Do you think that we could stop and rest for a while…?" Ash uncertainly asked.
Misty turned her head to Ash and gave him a suspicious look. "Rest?" she repeated. "You complain to me just a few moments ago that I was walking too slowly and now you want to rest?" she quizzed the pokemon Trainer.
"Yeah, well," Ash started as he glared slightly at Misty. "Since you walked so slowly the most of the day so far; we won't get to Pallet Town today." He retorted. "And besides, I'm kind of hungry…" he softly added.
Misty glared at Ash, before she sighed when she realised that he was right. She then sighed. "Fine, we can take a break, then…" she gave in.
"Yes! Food!" Ash silently cheered to himself and Pikachu.
The three of them kept walking for a while until they found a nice, big tree that was surrounding by a small green field: A perfect place for lunch, as Ash described it. They sat down under the shade of the tree.
"So," Ash started. "What's for lunch?" he anxiously asked as he looked at Misty with big, excited eyes.
Misty sighed at Ash's sudden one-track mind. "The same as yesterday, Ash…" she informed him.
"Awh man…" Ash groaned. "Sandwiches again?" he asked Misty in disbelief.
"Yes Ash," Misty monophonically answered. "Sandwiches again." she repeated.
"Isn't there something else?" Ash hopefully asked. "We've had sandwiches every day since we left the Pokemon Center five days ago!" he informed the red-head.
"Well, sorry for trying, Ash!" Misty irritatedly yelled at Ash. "But, we don't really have many choices, since we can't really cook…" she informed the pokemon Trainer.
"Man, how I miss Brock right now." Ash remarked. "He could at least cook, and walk faster…" he said more to himself than to anyone else.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Misty angrily yelled into Ash's face.
"Nothing, nothing!" Ash quickly covered his tracks.
"Hmph." Misty exclaimed as she opened up her bag and pulled out a napkin-wrapped pile of sandwiches. She untied the napkin and placed in front of Ash. "Help yourself." She said as she took a sandwich from the top of the pile and slowly started nibbling on it.
"Just a sec." Ash answered as he got up onto his feet. "Come on out, everybody!" he yelled as he threw three pokeballs into the air.
Three figures appeared out of the giant flash of light which protruded out of the three pokeballs, revealing Bayleef, Totodile and Kingler.
Ash then started rummaging through his backpack. "Lunch time!" he called out as he put four bowls of food in front of his pokemon, with Pikachu now also included.
The four pokemon all cheered before digging into their lunch, which was canned pokemon food.
Misty smiled sincerely at Ash's actions. To be honest; it kind of made her feel bad…She only had Corsola with her, but she didn't think of bringing pokemon food along for it. So, she had to keep it in its pokeball. "Hey Ash…" she softly called out.
"Huh?" Ash exclaimed as he turned around to face Misty. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Uhm…" Misty exclaimed as she fiddled her fingers together. "You wouldn't happen to have some extra pokemon food, would you…?" she uncertainly asked as she looked down at the ground. "You see, I forgot to bring any food along for Corsola…" she shyly said.
"Of course, Misty." Ash said as he smiled at Misty. "It's fine. Corsola can have some of my pokemon food, no prob!" he assured the red-head.
Misty smiled at Ash. "Thanks, Ash…" she softly thanked the pokemon Trainer as she stood up. "Corsola: Come on out!" she yelled as she threw a pokeball into the air.
Corsola emerged out of the white light. "Corsola!" it greeted Misty.
"Corsola, you can go eat with Pikachu and the others." Misty said.
"Corsola Cors!" Corsola happily exclaimed as it walked off towards the other pokemon, where Ash had already put down another bowl full of pokemon food for the Coral pokemon. It happily greeted Bayleef, Totodile, Kingler and Pikachu before digging in.
Ash made his way back over to Misty and sat down against the tree. "Man, I'm hungry!" he declared as he took two sandwiches from the pile.
Misty sat down next to Ash against the tree and started nibbling on her sandwich again. She took a quick glance at Ash, who was devouring his second sandwich by now. 'Hmmm…' Misty thought in her head as she intently watched Ash eat. She then decided to try something. She slowly wiggled herself closer to Ash and finally sat with the right side of her body against the left side of Ash's body.
Yes, this is what Misty called 'experimenting' relationship stuff, but Ash wasn't on the ball with it that much…
"Uh, Misty…" Ash slowly said.
"Yeah?" Misty innocently asked as she tilted her head towards Ash.
"Uhm, what're you doing?" Ash asked as he lifted his brow at Misty.
"What do you mean?" Misty asked as she took another bite of her sandwich.
"Why are you sitting so close to me?" Ash asked while frowning at Misty. "You're kind of making me feel cramped…" he added.
Misty slapped her palm against her forehead. 'Typical Ash…' she thought before she sighed in slight annoyance. "Ash," she calmly started. "Remember when we talked about giving this relationship stuff a try?" she asked.
"Uhm, yeah?" Ash nodded as he frowned at Misty, remembering the occurrence.
"Well," Misty sang. "This is one of those 'stuff'." She informed Ash as she playfully grinded her arm against Ash's shoulder.
"Oh…" Ash exclaimed as he watched Misty's playful actions. "Okay," he shrugged. "I guess it's fine, then." He finally agreed before he took a huge bite out of his fourth sandwich.
Misty sighed at Ash. 'Great. The perfect moment and Ash is clueless about it…' she thought as she irritatedly took a huge bite out of her sandwich. She then turned her body so that she was leaning a bit on Ash and looked up at the sky in thought.
Ash, being Ash; merely kept stuffing sandwich after sandwich into his mouth, but he also unconsciously leaned towards Misty, actually subconsciously enjoying the sensation of touching the red-head.
The group's small lunch went by without much action. The pokemon all happily ate their bowls of pokemon food, while Ash and Misty ate their sandwiches while sitting against each other. They finished lunch a while later, recalled all the pokemon (Save for Pikachu.), and hit the road again. They got to Viridian City a while after that. Misty had decided to stop there for a while to pick up some supplies for the last phase of their journey to Pallet Town. They were currently somewhere between Viridian City and Pallet Town, with the sun slowly-but-surely starting to set over Mt. Silver.
"You know, Ash; we should probably stop and set up camp." Misty suggested as she looked at the darkening skies above them. "It's getting kind of late." She added.
"But Misty!" Ash started a protest once more. "We've got to make as much ground as possible!" he complained. "The letter said to get to Pallet Town as soon as pos-"
"I KNOW WHAT THE LETTER SAID!" Misty yelled back at him. "I read it too, you know." She added. "But we can't travel in the dark! We need our rest and it's too dangerous anyway!" she informed Ash.
Ash sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He gave in. "Let's set up camp before it gets too dark." He suggested as he stopped and pulled his backpack off of his back.
Misty followed Ash's lead and Ash collected some fire wood in the area. Misty, being the clover girl she is; had bought some instant noodles and soup in a can which she intended making them for dinner in a small pot she also bought for the cause. So, noodle soup was on the cards for dinner, and it was pretty delicious for Ash. He didn't if it was because of the fact that he was hungry, or the fact that it was pretty easy to make, so Misty couldn't mess it up, or because of the fact that she made it in the first place. He had become pretty appreciative of the red-head over the past couple of days. She took over the cooking duties from Brock, even though it wasn't even a completion for the pokemon Breeder's delicious delicacies; it was adequate for him, mainly because she tried. They got into their respective sleeping bags a while later, with Pikachu sleeping next to his master's head.
"Goodnight, Misty! Goodnight, Pikachu!" Ash said while looking at the stars above them.
"Pika Pika, Pikachupi. Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu said goodnight to the two humans before curling into a ball next to Ash's head before falling asleep.
"Goodnight, Pikachu." Misty responded as she watched the two occupants of the sleeping bag next to hers. "Goodnight…Ash." She said with a sincere smile on her face as she looked at Ash, before she too succumbed to sleep.
Ash, on the other hand, stared the beautiful sky above them for a little while longer with his head resting on his hands behind him. He then turned his attention to his right-hand side, where Misty's sleeping bag was situated. He bit his lip as he stared at the red-head. And then he decided to do something, something that he hadn't ever tried and probably wouldn't have dared trying if Misty was awake now.
Misty was now peacefully sleeping on her side, facing Ash's sleeping bag. Their sleeping bag was a lot closer to each other than it normally would have been, mainly because of Misty's 'weird experiments of love', as Ash called it.
Ash slowly got onto his side, making sure not to bother Pikachu. He then took a deep breath, and held it, as he slowly reached out towards Misty. He stopped when his hand hovered over the red-head's. He then slowly lowered his hand and rested it on the top of Misty's. He slowly let out the breath he was holding in, and then sighed in relief. 'That wasn't so bad…' he thought, until Misty started stirring...
Misty subconsciously moved closer to the warmth that was Ash's hand. She slowly wrapped her two arms around Ash's forearm and gave a content sigh as she snuggled against it, a content smile on her face.
Ash, however; was panicking inside. He did not see this coming, but now his arm was being clenched by Misty and he would surely wake her up if he moved. His heart was pounding in his throat and his cheeks were red in embarrassment. He noticed after a while however. That it wasn't so bad, and that he kind of liked this physical with the red-head. He slowly started calming down and smiled at Misty after a while, before they fell asleep in that position…
So, Ash and Misty are on their way to Pallet Town, eh?
What did you guys think of Daisy's actions? I know it's a bit non-canon, but yeah, this is a fan fiction!
What do you guys think the reason is for the Pokemon League requesting Ash to return to Pallet Town? Tell me in your reviews!
Until next chapter.
Cheers!