White Wedding
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
"Misty, I Love You"
That was it, then. Ash and May were dating; Misty had confirmation. There was no denying it now. Misty would just have to face the facts and learn to deal with them.
"That's great, May." Misty, succeeding once again at putting up a front and disguising her true emotions, seemed genuinely happy for the Pokemon coordinator. "You're really lucky," the water Pokemon trainer added. You have no idea how lucky you are, Misty couldn't help thinking.
"Yeah, I know," May stated happily.
"Ash is really lucky, too," Dawn added as a way of congratulating May on obtaining Ash as a boyfriend.
"Huh? Why is Ash lucky?" May seemed thoroughly confused by Dawn's statement.
"Well, he's lucky to have such a great girlfriend," Dawn explained.
"Ash has a girlfriend?" May had a bit of trouble catching on to what Dawn was getting at.
"Well, yeah...you!" Dawn stated, as though she were explaining the obvious to a toddler.
"But I'm not Ash's girlfriend!"
Misty, who had been silently struggling with her feelings while May and Dawn were conversing, hadn't really heard much of the conversation between the two coordinators. When May stated this, however, he ears pricked up. Could it be true? What about all of the evidence, though?"
"Yes...yes, you are." Dawn was absolutely confused now.
"No, I'm not!"
Misty couldn't take it anymore! She had to find out what was going on!
"May, tell me: are you or are you not dating Ash?" Misty questioned.
"What? Me dating Ash? Of course not!" May could hardly believe what she was hearing. Why on Earth would they think that?
"But you said that Ash was your boyfriend," Dawn stated sheepishly.
"No, I said that I have a boyfriend; I never said it was Ash," May corrected. "My boyfriend's name is Drew."
"Drew? Who's that?" the other two girls stated in unison.
"He's another coordinator I first met while traveling in Hoenn. He also traveled through Kanto at the same time Ash and I did, and now he's also traveling through Johto. At first he was really mean to me, but he's really a very sweet guy and—"
"Wait a minute! You mean you're not dating Ash?" Misty interjected.
"No, Misty. I'm dating Drew. What made you think I was dating Ash?"
What made Misty think May was dating Ash? Oh, only about a million things! It was so obvious! Then again, May was saying that she wasn't dating Ash but was dating some Drew character. Could she believe her? Was there hope after all? What about all of the evidence, though?
"But May, Max said that you were never alone; wasn't he referring to Ash when he said that?" Misty asked.
"What? No, he was referring to Drew. You see, Drew travels with me throughout Johto, so I don't really travel alone," May explained.
"How come you didn't want Max to finish his statement, then?" Dawn questioned. "Why didn't you want everyone to know that you're traveling with Drew?"
"Because Ash and Brock don't know that Drew's my boyfriend, and if they find out that we're traveling together they might get suspicious. I don't want them to know because they'll tease me relentlessly. Before now, Max was the only one who knew about me and Drew."
Hope was growing inside Misty, but she couldn't let it become strong. There were still so many other unanswered questions...
"Why do you and Ash keep hugging, then? And why did Brock say that you and Ash have something between you that only you or Ash can tell me about?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, and why have you and Ash been talking on the phone so much lately?" Dawn added.
May suddenly looked sad, almost as if she were going to cry, in fact. Biting her lip, she tried desperately to hold back her tears.
"May, what's wrong?" Misty asked with genuine concern.
Still, May did not answer but only looked sadly at the floor.
"It's OK, May; you can tell us," Dawn stated kindly (though perhaps her motives had more to do with curiosity than kindness at the moment).
"Well, I didn't really want to tell anyone this, but I guess I can tell you guys. You see, my parents are getting divorced," May stated sadly.
"That's awful, May!" Dawn concluded. "What does that have to do with Ash, though?"
"Well, Ash and Brock are the only people besides Max who know about my parents. Ash has been trying to help me through this difficult time. That's why we've been talking on the phone so much. That's also why he hugged me when I came to the house; it was his way of trying to comfort me. I hugged him because when he got hurt I got scared that I would lose him; I'm so afraid of losing people now that my parents are getting divorced. I guess I just want to get as close to people as possible. That's why I hugged you, too, Misty; I was just so happy to see you and to be your friend. I want to hold on to all of the relationships I can right now."
With this May began to get teary eyed and both girls dashed over to embrace her.
"I'm so sorry, May," Misty stated simply. "I suppose Brock didn't want to tell me because it was really your business and he thought you or Ash should be the one to break the news."
"That's right, Misty. He was just trying to protect my privacy."
"Wow, May! Misty and I thought you and Ash were dating," Dawn explained.
"No, I'm really dating Drew. Ash and I are just really good friends."
"Yes, Ash is a really good friend, isn't he?" Dawn mused. "It was really nice of him to help you out like that. We're all so lucky to have him as a friend."
Yes, they were really lucky to have Ash as a friend, Misty thought. Ash was a great friend to everyone, both people and Pokemon. If only he could be something more to her...
Misty couldn't sleep at all that night. The events of the evening kept flashing before her. Ash and May weren't dating after all; May was dating Drew, whoever that was. That meant that she still had a chance with Ash...maybe. He had hugged her after all, right? Still, Ash had been very upset then, and he could have just been looking for comfort the same way May had been. It was all too confusing.
What would Ash see in Misty, anyway? She was scrawny, ugly, and mean to him; May and Dawn were beautiful and nice. Why would he possibly choose her over them? Well, Misty supposed that he couldn't choose May even if he wanted to because she was, in effect, "taken." What about Dawn, though? Dawn was pretty and kind and talented. (OK, so maybe she wasn't that talented yet, but Misty truly believed that she would be someday soon.) Ash had also called Dawn his training partner; surely that meant something, right? He also said that Misty would never have nice hair like Dawn. Just when one mystery had been solved another reared its ugly head.
Why couldn't Misty just give up on Ash? Daisy had urged her to move on so many times, but it was easy for her to say; she had gotten the guy of her dreams and Misty had not. Misty knew rationally that Ash was probably too obsessed with Pokemon to take any interest in girls (although that hadn't stopped her from immediately coming to the conclusion that he and May were dating, had it?) and Misty wasn't good enough for him, anyway, but she couldn't help clinging onto hope that someday she and Ash would be a couple.
Misty sighed sadly. Why could May and Daisy get boyfriends they loved and who loved them back and Misty couldn't? Was she inherently flawed in some way? Was she really that ugly? Sure, she had a temper, but was she really that nasty? Perhaps she was.
When Misty finally did fall asleep, it was a fitful sleep, one completely devoid of pleasant dreams.
The wedding was only one day away and it was starting to show. Everyone in the Ketchum residence was feeling the stress of the wedding. The girls worried that their dresses looked bad and the guys thought that their suites didn't fit correctly. Mrs. Ketchum was completely frazzled as she tried to get things in order for the ceremony. It wasn't unusual for her to burst into tears at any moment and to need to be comforted by one of the girls.
Because Mrs. Ketchum was so very stressed and about to snap at any moment, the kids thought it would be best to leave the house for a while in case she did, in fact, lose it, leaving them on the receiving end of her wrath. Once again they spent the afternoon picnicking at Professor Oak's Pokemon reserve.
As was the case before, everyone was enjoying the meal except for Misty, who had hardly slept the night before. Bleary eyed, she attempted to engage in the conversations at hand but often found herself unable to do so. Of course, the fact that she was so tired was only one reason Misty had trouble concentrating that afternoon; there was also the fact that she had other things on her mind.
Suddenly, just like before, a voice interrupted the conversation and the picnic.
"Hello, everyone!"
"Daisy!?" Misty could hardly believe her eyes, but sure enough her eldest sister was there in the flesh, receiving a loving embrace from her boyfriend Tracey. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm, like, here for the wedding. Duh."
"You were invited to the wedding?" Misty couldn't help but wonder why on Earth Daisy would be invited to the wedding.
"I invited her. She's my date for the ceremony," Tracey stated, sounding a bit hurt that his girlfriend hadn't received the warm welcome he thought she deserved.
"But where are Violet and Lily, your beautiful sisters?" Brock asked sadly. Though Brock had given up chasing after Daisy because she was dating Tracey, he couldn't help but continue to pine over the remaining two beautiful Sensational Sisters.
"Why would they be here? They, like, don't have dates!" Daisy commented.
"Misty doesn't have a date, either, and she was invited to the wedding," Ash butted in, adding "not that anyone would ever date Misty" under his breath.
"I heard that!" Misty replied, embarrassed and a little hurt by Ash's statement. "Your mother invited me to the wedding, Ash; I don't need a date. You need to stop making fun of me. You're always being so mean and nasty!"
"I am not! You're the one who's always mean and nasty!"
"Am not!"
"Are so!"
"Am not!"
"Are so!"
"Am not!"
"Are so!"
"Will you guys cut it out?!" Brock interrupted. "We're all really getting sick of your arguing.
"He/she started it!" Both arguers blamed the other for the fight.
"I did not! You did!" Ash and Misty said in unison.
Only after a glare from Brock did Ash and Misty finally stop arguing.
The rest of the day went by relatively uneventfully. Everyone enjoyed walking around the Pokemon reserve (except for Daisy, who stated that her shoes were getting, like, totally ruined in the dirt and mud) and visiting with the Pokemon.
Anticipation was growing within the guys, for that night was to be Professor Oak's bachelor party, and they had all been invited (yes, even Max!). The girls prepared to head back to the house as the guys excitedly waited for the party to start.
"But Tracey, I want to stay with you," Daisy whined.
"I'm sorry, Daisy, but the party's for guys only. You'll have to go back to the Ketchum residence with the girls and wait there until the party's over. Then I'll come by and get you and bring you back here so we can catch up," Tracey explained.
"Oh, I can't wait to catch up!" Daisy then winked at her boyfriend, causing him to blush deeply.
The couple kissed goodbye (while Brock sobbed in the background, simply unaware as to why Tracey could get a beautiful girl and he still couldn't) and the girls headed back to the Ketchum residence.
Things were quite dull at the Ketchum house for the girls, who were eagerly waiting for the guys to come back so they could hear all about the party. The television was on, but no one was really watching it. Daisy was busy filing her nails while May and Dawn talked about Pokemon coordinating and Misty flipped through a book of crossword puzzles. Suddenly Daisy interrupted the monotony.
"Misty, can I, like, talk to you upstairs?" Daisy asked.
Misty wondered what was up, but did not refuse her sister's request. "Sure."
Daisy brought Misty up to guest room and, closing the door behind her, motioned for Misty to sit on the bed. Daisy then plopped down next to her.
"What's up, Daisy?"
"Well, Misty, I, like, wanted to talk to you about Ash," Daisy began.
"Ash? What about him?" Misty wasn't sure that she liked the direction this conversation was going in.
"Well, I think it's totally time that you, like, make your move," Daisy explained.
"Daisy! Be quiet; someone could hear you," Misty hissed, scared that the girls downstairs would overhear the conversation (even though there was no way they could). "What do you mean 'make my move'? You're always saying I should just move on from Ash!"
"Well, Tracey and I, like, talked it over, and he thinks you, like, actually have a chance with Ash, although I don't know why a runt like you would...not that he's a prize himself," Daisy finished.
"Daisy!"
Daisy could tell that her little sister's temper was flaring, so she decided to move onto what she viewed as the positives of the conversation.
"Like I said, Misty, Tracey thinks that Ash might actually, like, like you back."
"Oh, and you've been discussing my love life with Tracey?" Misty was about ready to pound her older sister.
"We just want to help you, Misty! Geeze, hold your Ponytas!"
"And since when do you want to help me?" Misty questioned.
"You're my baby sister and I, like, want you to be happy," Daisy replied, sounding a bit hurt that her sister felt that way about her.
"OK, OK...what did Tracey say?"
"Tracey thinks that Ash might have a crush on you."
"And what makes him think that?" Misty couldn't help but feel hopeful, but she couldn't let Daisy know that. Besides, she knew not to get her hope up too much; this was only Tracey's opinion, and she hadn't even heard the reasons why he thought Ash liked her. She knew Ash best and knew that he couldn't possibly like a scrawny loud-mouth like herself. It was best not to get excited so she wouldn't get hurt later.
"Well, Tracey didn't exactly say, but he, like, knows Ash pretty well, and when I insisted that you didn't have a chance with him, he, like, said that he had a feeling that you did."
That was the evidence? Tracey didn't even say why he felt like Ash had a crush on Misty? There was definitely no way she was getting her hopes up now.
"I don't know, Daisy..."
"Well, I do, Misty. I think you should, like, go for it at the wedding tomorrow," Daisy replied.
"Why tomorrow?" Misty questioned.
"Because you'll be looking beautiful in your blue dress and with your hair down and makeup on. Ash won't be able to resist."
"Do you really think so?" Again, Misty didn't want to get her hopes up, but a part of her couldn't help drinking in Daisy's words and believing that maybe, just maybe, things would work out.
"Sure...I mean, you'll be as pretty as, like, a runt like yourself can be. Obviously you'll never look like me," Daisy teased, but quieted when she received a Look of Death from Misty.
"Do you really mean it?" Misty asked.
"Yes, I do. I think you should go for it. I mean, Tracey's, like, never wrong."
"Right..." Misty had a hard time believing that Tracey was never wrong; she knew that her sister was biased when it came to her boyfriend.
Just then, Misty and Daisy heard one of the girls downstairs shriek.
"What was that?" Misty asked in alarm.
"We'd, like, better check it out," Daisy replied, adding as they went downstairs, "think about what I said."
What the two girls came upon downstairs was quite a sight. May looked extremely nervous and Dawn looked like she was about the burst out laughing, while the guys just looked around sheepishly. There, in the middle of the room, stood Ash. He was obviously drunk and smelled of vomit.
"Eww, Ash, don't come near me!" Dawn cried.
"What's going on?!" Misty questioned in horror.
"Ash, err, had a little too much to drink. We told him not to drink so much, especially because he's never really drank before, but he insisted that he could 'hold his alcohol'," Brock explained.
"I didn't drink anything!" Max boasted.
"Well, good for you!" May replied sarcastically.
"Misty, I don't feel so good." Ash swayed on the spot and Misty had to rush over to prevent him from falling.
"It's OK, Ash; I've got you," she reassured the drunk boy.
"No, Misty, I feel really sick." With that Ash threw up again, much of his vomit landing on Misty.
As grossed out as she was, Misty knew that Ash was really sick and that she had to get him to bed. She also knew that his mother would be furious if she found out that her young son was drunk. She helped him up the stairs and into bed, which was quite a task considering how drunk Ash was.
Once safely up the stairs and in Ash's room, Misty tucked Ash into bed.
"Just try to rest now, OK? I'm here if you need me," Misty comforted.
"Misty, I love you," Ash slurred.
Shocked, all Misty could do was stare as a single tear made its way down her cheek.
Author's Note: I'm sorry that it took a little bit longer than expected for me to post this chapter. I've been really busy getting ready to go back to school. I hope to get the next chapter done before I go back next Tuesday, and after that there's only one more chapter.
Yes, you were all right; May's boyfriend was Drew. No surprise there!
I'm not sure that I like how this chapter came out. It seems too dialogue intensive or something. In fact, I've haven't really liked where this story has gone since the first chapter. I'm definitely going to finish it, so you don't have to worry about that, but I'm not feeling that great about it right now. I also wish I could write longer chapters and stories, but I just can't seem to. Any advice?
I don't want anyone to think I'm encouraging underage drinking here because I made Ash drunk. Drinking in excess is bad, especially if you're underage.
Thanks to everyone who's been reading this. I hope you're all enjoying it. Don't forget to review. :)