White Wedding

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Author's Note: When I first posted chapter two only half of the chapter was uploaded. I quickly deleted this version of the chapter and put up the new version, but some of you may not have caught it. If the version of chapter two you read seemed on the short side (and if you didn't read an author's note) then you've read the first, incomplete version. If this is the case please go back and read the full version before reading this chapter. Thanks and sorry for the confusion!

Truth or Dare

The Ketchum house was positively bustling. As the house's rather small kitchen table could not fit all of the Pokemon trainers staying at the residence, the gang had to eat dinner in the living room, being extra careful not to spill drinks on Mrs. Ketchum's living room furniture. A Pokemon match was showing on the television set and everyone was giddy and happy, talking joyously and enjoying the good food. Everyone except for one person, that is.

Try as she might, Misty could not enjoy her meal. Although the food was good (as Mrs. Ketchum's food always was), Misty found that she had no appetite to enjoy it; in fact, she felt slightly sick to her stomach. While everyone around her laughed, she felt very much like crying. Sure, part of her had always warned her that she and Ash would never be a couple, but it still hurt to know that he was dating May; it hurt badly. What did May have that she didn't? Well, May was pretty, talented, nice...

"Misty, are you alright?"

Misty looked over at Max, who had addressed her. Max was such a sweet boy. (She and Max had sort of bonded when they had gotten separated from the others while traveling around Mt. Moon.) As much as she wanted to just scream at that moment, she couldn't yell at Max. After all, it wasn't his fault that his sister was dating Ash. He was completely innocent. It looked like it was time to lie.

"I'm fine, Max," Misty replied in what she hoped was a sincere voice.

Max didn't look like he believed Misty, but luckily he let the subject drop.

"So, May how have things been in Johto?" Dawn began. "Have you won any ribbons yet?"

"Oh, I've won three so far. I only need to win two more in order to go to the Johto Grand Festival!" May replied excitedly.

"Isn't that great?!" Ash exclaimed earnestly.

"How do you like being on your own?" Dawn asked her fellow coordinator. "Don't you get lonely being alone like that?"

"May's not alone! She's always got—"

Before Max could finish his statement, May, blushing a deep crimson hue, covered his mouth so he could say no more.

"Hehe, no, I don't get lonely traveling by myself. In fact, it's quite nice to be able to travel without this one tagging along." May glared at her younger brother, who proceeded to stick his tongue out at her.

So, that was that, Misty thought. Surely Max was referring to Ash when he said that May was never alone; of course May was never alone because, though he wasn't physically with her in Johto, she always had Ash, her boyfriend, so she was never really alone. Misty, however, felt like she was all alone. She didn't have anyone...even Ash.

It was funny, Misty realized, that Max would use such words. Hadn't she, Misty, told Melody that Ash would never be alone because he would always have her? How ironic that those very words were now being used against her!

Misty would keep her word, though; whether he was dating May or not, she would always try to be there for Ash. Right now that meant being happy for him, so that's what she would try to do. Misty could only imagine how happy she would have been if Ash had returned her feelings, and if Ash was feeling that good right now because of May, well, she was glad for him. After all, all she really wanted was for Ash to be happy. That was how much she loved him.

"Hello? Earth to Misty!"

Ash's words brought Misty back from her thoughts. She would have to put on a brave front and pretend she was happy. Still, she would rather spend the night alone instead of with everyone. She wasn't sure she could pull off the happy thing quite yet. She'd have to practice some.

"Oh, sorry, Ash. Listen, I think I'm going to go upstairs and get to bed. I'm really tired," Misty replied.

"Are you sure, Misty? It's still pretty early." Ash was a bit confused as to why Misty would want to go to bed so early.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Goodnight, everyone."

With that, Misty headed upstairs.

Misty sat alone in the guest room, crying quietly. Pretending to be happy was going to be harder than she had thought. Maybe if she got all of her tears out now she could better pretend later when she was with everyone...

Suddenly Misty heard someone coming up the stairs. Panicking, she hastily wiped her eyes and swallowed her tears. Who else would be coming to bed this early?

Dawn entered the room. Much to Misty's surprise, she had tears rolling down her cheeks as well.

"Dawn, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Misty, I'm sorry. I thought you would be asleep by now," Dawn replied, blushing slightly because she had been caught crying.

Feeling sorry for the coordinator (for she certainly knew what it felt like to be upset at the moment as well as how embarrassing it was to be caught crying), Misty motioned for Dawn to sit down next to her. The coordinator obeyed.

"Can you tell me what's bothering you, Dawn? I won't tell anyone else; I promise."

"Well, OK, as long as you promise not to tell Ash and the others. It's just that, after you left everyone down there kept congratulating May on how she had three ribbons and saying what a great coordinator she is and how talented she is and how she'll probably win the Johto Grand Festival and everything!" Dawn hastily explained.

"And that makes you feel bad because they're not saying those things about you," Misty reasoned.

"Well, it's not just that; it's also the fact that those things are true about May and they're not true about me." With this Dawn began crying again.

"Why do you say that, Dawn? I'm sure you're a good coordinator, too," Misty soothed.

"No, I'm not! Misty, the truth is I only have one ribbon...and I've entered five contests! In the last two contests I didn't even make it past the appeals round! I don't even know if I'm going to be able to make it to the Sinnoh Grand Festival, never mind win it!" At this point Dawn began sobbing.

"It's alright, Dawn," Misty stated while rubbing the coordinator's back. "You'll earn the ribbons eventually. Besides, May's much more experienced than you; she's been a coordinator longer than you have."

"I know, but she seems so perfect!" Dawn wailed.

"No one's perfect, Dawn, not even May," Misty reasoned, although she had a hard time believing it herself. If Ash liked May, she was certainly a lot closer to perfect than Misty, whom he didn't like, was.

"Do you really think so?" Dawn asked.

Biting her lip, Misty responded. "Of course! Don't you know that May got off to a rough start, too? I mean, she may have won contests more easily than you have, but May didn't even know she wanted to be a coordinator until she had traveled quite a bit. At first she didn't even like Pokemon and wasn't very good with them."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better. Now it's your turn, though. Why were you crying when I came up here, Misty?"

"Wha?" Misty wasn't expecting that. She thought she had successfully hidden her tears from Dawn.

"I told you why I was upset; now you have to tell me why you're upset," Dawn argued.

"Umm, well..." What was Misty going to say? If she told Dawn that she was upset that Ash was dating May, Dawn would wonder why she was upset instead of happy for Ash. Then she might jump to conclusions...the right conclusions.

"You can tell me, Misty. I promise I won't tell anyone else. You helped me a lot tonight, and I want to be able to help you, too."

There was something about how sincere Dawn looked that made Misty say what she said next. The coordinator seemed so kind and sweet and had, after all, explained to Misty why she herself had been upset. It was only fair...

Misty sighed. "Well, I guess I'm just upset because Ash and May are, you know, a couple."

"They are?! That's news to me! Ash never told me that," Dawn admitted.

"No, he didn't tell me, either," Misty stated sadly. "It's so obvious, though. I mean, they keep hugging, and now Max said that May is never really alone; it must be because she has Ash. Also, Brock said that May and Ash have something that only one of them could tell me."

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense. Ash has been talking to May on the telephone a bit more than usual," Dawn explained.

"See?! I knew it!" This was just more confirmation that Ash and May were dating, confirmation Misty did not need. A small part of her had hoped that Dawn would be able to prove her wrong somehow, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"Why does that upset you, though?" Dawn questioned.

"Umm, err, because, umm, because Ash never told me! Yeah, that's it! It's because Ash never even told me. I mean, I thought we were good friends and everything, but Ash didn't even tell me that he was dating May, and that hurt my feelings."

It wasn't a total lie. It was true that the fact that Ash didn't disclose his relationship with May had hurt Misty's feelings. Of course, that wasn't the main reason she was upset.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

"Positive," Misty replied emphatically. Suddenly an idea came to her.

"Will you help me out, Dawn? Will you look for signs that Ash and May are dating, and will you tell me if Ash admits to it?"

"Sure I'll help you out, Misty. I'll keep my eye on Ash and May for you," Dawn replied.

"Thanks. We should probably hit the sack. The others might be up soon and they'll expect us to be in bed."

Misty woke up in the middle of the night, feeling thirsty. Careful not to wake May and Dawn, who were staying in the guest room with her (Ash, Brock, and Max were in Ash's room), Misty crept out of the room and down the stairs to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Much to her surprise, however, she heard someone crying softly in the living room. "Not again," Misty couldn't help thinking. She quietly approached the living room to see who it was.

It was Ash.

Yet again, Misty could hardly believe her eyes. Was she really seeing this? Ash almost never cried. Misty couldn't help feeling sorry for her friend. She had to find out what was up.

"Ash?" She spoke very quietly.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Misty." Ash hastily wiped his eyes.

Sitting down next to the Pokemon trainer, Misty proceeded cautiously.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh? Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Ash lied.

"Don't be silly, Ash; of course something's wrong." Misty playfully punched Ash's shoulder.

Ash laughed, but quickly turned serious.

"Misty, can I talk to you?"

Misty was tempted by her current frustration to say "you should talk to your girlfriend" nastily, but she was overcome by how sad and helpless Ash looked at the moment; even she couldn't be mad at him when he was in such a state. Her love for him overcame any anger she might have been feeling. Besides, she wasn't supposed to know about Ash and May.

"Sure, Ash. What is it?"

"It's just that, well, I'm not sure how I'm feeling about Mom marrying the professor," Ash replied.

"What do you mean, Ash? You love Professor Oak! I thought you would be happy for him and your mother."

"I am!" Ash stated hastily, adding, "it's just that, well, I don't know..."

Suddenly something clicked in Misty's mind. She didn't know a whole lot about the Ketchum family, for it was the one thing Ash never blabbed on about, but she could make some guesses.

"You're thinking about your dad, aren't you?" Misty asked.

Ash nodded, and the tears slowly began to fall again.

"I mean, I know he left long ago when I was only a little kid to go on a Pokemon journey and that he never came back and lost contact with us years ago, so I don't really blame Mom for wanting to move on, but a part of me couldn't help wishing that, as unrealistic as it may be, someday he'd come back and we'd be a family again. When Mom marries Professor Oak that hope will be gone."

Oh, how familiar that sounded! Hadn't a part of Misty always hoped against hope that Ash would fall in love with her, and now that he was dating May that hope was gone for good? If Ash was feeling the same way Misty was feeling at the moment, then that meant he was feeling pretty damn bad, and Misty couldn't help but feel her heart break a little. Whether Ash was dating May or not, she still loved him, and seeing him in pain hurt her, too.

"If Mom marries the professor it will be like Dad's been totally forgotten and erased," Ash continued.

"Oh, Ash, it doesn't work like that," Misty soothed, putting her arm around Ash. The Pokemon trainer flinched slightly, but soon relaxed against Misty's touch.

"Why not?" Ash questioned.

"Because, even if your mom's moving on, it doesn't mean that she's forgetting your dad, and it definitely doesn't mean that Professor Oak's going to replace your dad, either. It just means that you'll be getting a new member of the family, and what could be bad about that? I know it hurts, Ash, but you've got to try to find the good in every situation."

Ash didn't look convinced, so Misty continued.

"When my mom died I felt so angry whenever Dad would date a new woman. It felt like he was trying to replace Mom and that he had forgotten her. Then one night I found him in the living room crying over a picture of my mother. That's when I knew he wasn't trying to replace her or forget her but that he was just trying to be happy and, in a way, to make me and my sisters happy, too. Then, of course, Dad died, too..."

Misty hadn't meant to say that, but it had slipped out. She felt a lump in her throat, but there was no way she was going to cry in front of Ash.

"I'm so sorry, Misty," Ash stated sadly. He then reached over and rubbed Misty's arm gently.

"That's OK, Ash." There. Misty had successfully swallowed her tears. Good ol' Misty, she was always good for that! What was with Ash rubbing her arm, though? Misty wished he hadn't stopped.

Deciding to change the subject so she wouldn't have to think about her parents' deaths, Misty plowed on.

"Don't you see, Ash? Your mom isn't trying to get rid of something good; she's trying to add something good. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. Thanks, Misty."

The Ash did something Misty would never have dreamed he would do. He slowly wrapped his arms around her in an embrace and buried his head in her chest. Returning the embrace, which felt absolutely wonderful, Misty could only gasp in surprise and, perhaps more importantly, confusion.

The next day went on without a hitch. Misty, May, and Dawn went dress shopping with Mrs. Ketchum at Pallet's nicest dress shop while Brock took Ash, Tracey, and Max on the train to Viridian City to look for tuxedos.

Misty was still reeling from what had happened the night before. Why had Ash hugged her? Why had Ash hugged her when he was dating May? Was he dating May? Misty looked all day for signs from May that she was dating Ash but saw none, adding to her confusion. Surely the two were dating, though; there was so much evidence!

That night everyone settled into bed early, for the wedding was only in two days. As the girls prepared for bed, Dawn raised a question.

"How would you two like to play Truth or Dare?" Dawn asked.

Misty opened her mouth to object, for she hated that game (mainly because she was always afraid others would somehow find out about her feelings for Ash), but when she saw Dawn wink at her out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly understood Dawn's aim.

"Sure!" Misty cried happily.

"I don't know," May began. "I'm really tired."

"Oh, come on, May. It'll be fun!" Dawn promised.

"Well, OK, then, but I only want to play for a little while," May bargained.

"Deal!" Dawn replied and, wasting no time, began.

"May, truth or dare?" Dawn asked.

"Umm, err, truth I guess," May replied. She hadn't been expecting to be put on the spot so early.

"May, do you have a boyfriend?" Dawn questioned.

Blushing profusely, May closed her eyes and, upon opening them, answered.

"Yes."

Author's Note: A cliffhanger! Oh no! I'm sure you can all guess who May's boyfriend is (although you'll have to wait until the next chapter for confirmation), but that still doesn't explain the secret between Ash and May. That you'll have to work a little harder at.

In the current Japanese episodes of DP Dawn really does only have one ribbon and has entered five contests (I think) if you include the one in the movie. That's not something I made up, and I'm guessing she is feeling pretty down on herself at the moment.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I hope you're all enjoying the story:)