Depressed

It hurt like hell, and she wasn't sure why, because Ash couldn't have wished for this. He wouldn't have. Regardless, he couldn't have. She'd been with him for most of the day, and he would have been frantic if he'd made another stupid wish. He would have torn down the house if he had wished for this hollow, empty, world-on-her-shoulders feeling. It was a bad one. There was no way he wouldn't have realized it, at the very least Pikachu would have.

Sad wasn't the word for it, she thought. Sadness was different from this absolute pathetic feeling. Suddenly, she wasn't thinking of herself as uglier than her sisters, just ugly. She didn't feel smart anymore – she felt like a moron. She was worthless, pathetic, weak and cruel, and above all, she was so…so this. This feeling, this emotion, whatever it was. The idiot. What had he wished for?

"I don't want to die a virgin," wasn't a wish, "I wish she was normal" didn't work, because she definitely wasn't normal, but…"…like I'd wish she was depressed." That would do the trick. Depression would cover the symptoms. The idiot. The jerk. She was going to kill him the next moment she saw him, wringing his neck until he went blue. He had her life in his hands and he couldn't think to choose his words so carefully! And she couldn't even hate the moron for it because she was trapped inside her own body. Unable to scream or laugh or cry when she want.

She could see it all, too, feel it all, know that happened, feel the words she didn't want to say tumble out of her mouth. A prisoner in her own mind, and she hated it. She couldn't fight it. She didn't know how though she'd tried everything she could think of. Her body never trembled or twitched at her command. She might as well have been trying to control all of Ash's movements. Oh, and how she heard and remembered it all. She was saving it for when she got out of her bodily prison. Ooh, how she planned on killing that boy, making it bloody too. He was dead for what he was doing to her.

Her body was alone in Ash's closet (as a consequence, so was she), and now it had started to cry. She had to admit, whatever was controlling her body was much better at crying than she was. Her sobs were typically loud and hiccup filled, but this Misty hardly had more than a whimper, clogged nose and tears. She'd still get pretty red and blotchy, that was the price of being a redhead, but she wouldn't mind figuring out how to cry like this. It would be plenty easier to hide when she was having one of those once a month days.

Hiding. That reminded her of Daisy. She had stayed, her with all the others, and they all had a grand old time playing board games. Bored games, more like. Daisy should have gone home, so she wouldn't be stuck inside like everyone else, Daisy should have been hiding at least. She hadn't. She was asleep on the couch and there was no doubt she would have her memory changed by morning. So Ash had hurt her sister as well. Great. She would certainly have to make his murder extra bloody.

So, while her body continued to sob, she turned her attention to her hand. Just a twitch, like she could do the first couple of days. Struggling through to speak, or show her own feelings had become impossible, that was huge steps away. It was best to work on the hand for now. Maybe if she found a way to do that, everything else would become easy. Clench it…clench it. Don't open, clench tighter.

"Hey, Misty?" Ash whispered from the other side of the door.

You ass! she spat in her head. She could practically see him, imagining him on all fours, twisting his head so he could try to see through the small opening that ran along the bottom of the door. Once he got sick of that, she bet he would begin moving his head up and down along the side, looking through the slit on the side. She glared at that imaginary Ash, and continued, Tell me something stupid, just tell me one dumb thing and I'll kill you. I'll hit you so hard your kids will feel it.

"Go away!" her body shouted, curling up tighter. The words had unhooked her enough so the hiccupping sobs started, and Misty sighed that she definitely couldn't take lessons from the body controller now, not if they couldn't keep the crying quiet. "I don't want to talk to you!"

At least this one'll cause him trouble. Can't believe that last one kissed him, and he kissed back!

"Why not?" he asked. He sounded nervous, and it served him right.

Meanwhile, Misty was still going on her mental rampage. There wasn't much else to do but fume, because she definitely didn't want to pay attention to her sobbing counterpart. It's not even me, the jerk. That's molestation, I bet. I could probably get him tried in a court for that. First I'll sue him, spend all his money, and then I'll kill him for what he did to me. He deserves it. Hope he gets eaten by a pack of rabid bidoofs.

"Hey, Misty, you're…you're back to normal, right?"

Yes, Ash. It's so like me to cry in your closet. You're such a freaking moron.

"Yeah, normal as ever." She sniffed and stifled her sobs, taking a second to bite down hard on a shaking hand before she had enough control to continue. "It's not as bad this morning, alright? I'll probably be fine by the afternoon, you know how it goes. Just go away, Ash. I already took my meds."

Fantastic! I need medication. You're going to make a crack out of that, aren't you? I don't think this me'll like that, but you're going to do it.

"I always knew you needed medication but-"

"You jerk! Get out!" she screamed, slamming her first against the door. Her sobs burst free again and she slid sideways to lay down on the floor.

She heard him jump, and she heard him creep away with his feet light on the floor, like he was trying not to upset her again. She wouldn't have heard his faithful Pikachu leave, but the mouse had just woken up and was a bit clumsy as she went.

They left her alone, crying in the closet. She went back to her hand twitching goal. They were shaking a lot more now, and the right one was a bit sore where she had struck out. The first goal would be to make a good twitch. No point in trying to stop the shaking. She couldn't do that if she had full control. A twitch, one little twitch, was that so much to ask? Apparently so. She was frustrated and frightened, and her mind pounded with the thought, Why can't I do this?

To switch from Misty's hand twitching goal to something a bit more interesting, Ash had stopped running about three fourths of the way down the stairs and curled up there, breathing fast. Though the perspectives have changed, Ash's thoughts were pretty identical. What had he wished for to make that? It couldn't be his fault, could it? No. He hoped not. It had to be because he hadn't wished for anything. They just chose the worst thing they could because of it. They just wanted to torture him, all of them. That was the only explanation. He would never have wished for that. Who would wish for a friend to be sad? And angry. And need medication. Not him.

(Ash, are you alright?) Pikachu asked sleepily. She sat a few stairs above him to rest by his head, almost as if she was sitting on his shoulder.

He blinked up at her then back down at his lap with a sullen whisper of: "It wasn't me."

She thought before speaking, choosing her words carefully though she knew he could barely translate what she was saying. (It's the Legendaries that did it, really, but you must have wished for it if it happened. It probably wasn't anything on purpose, and you didn't mean it I'm sure, but these things happen.)

"I wouldn't wish for this. Who would wish for this?"

(Who would do it, more like. Even if you had wished for this, and you had meant it, you would never build a machine to make it happen or catch a pokémon who could do it for you, even if you could. Most would know better than to take a fleeting comment and turn it into something terrible and semi-permanent, especially when it affects several innocent people.)

"It's all my fault," he moaned.

She licked his cheek. (It is your fault, but it's not all your fault, and there's a big difference in that.)

"I don't get what you said," he whispered.

(You can fix this. I know you'll be able to fix this. You might have been stubborn in the beginning, but there's no way that you don't want her back now. If you want it, you can do it. That's the way you've always been. I swear, they're just screwing with us now.)

"What do they want me to do? I said it, and even if I didn't say it right before I'm saying it right now and I mean it. I want Misty back. I wish I had the real Misty back and I don't want her all messed up. I don't want her changing every day. That's not fair. This isn't fair!"

There was a loud groan from downstairs as the blonde woke up, rubbing the heels of her hands against her eyes. "Life isn't fair. Gees, you really are a whiny teenager, all of you. I hope I wasn't this bad when I was your age. Like, what the hell are you moaning about now?"

He jumped to his feet and started shouting at the top of his lungs, not caring that his mother and friends would wake up and think he was crazy, not caring that no matter how much he yelled at them their memory wouldn't magically come floating back. "Your sister's still screwed up, that's why! You don't remember anything and she's crying in the stupid closet upstairs! All I want to do is just get this over with and it won't stop!

"But Misty doesn't cry…" she said wonderingly. "And…and I do remember. I swear, I remember everything! Misty was all, like, lovey dovey yesterday." She appeared, almost from nowhere, at the bottom of the stairs, practically falling down and gripping the railing like it was her life line. But she had a huge smile to combat Ash's frown, and it was a hopeful one to boot. "And if she's, like, like me, she isn't gone, Ash! She's still here She's stuck but she's still here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she's, like, really okay. We can get her back and I bet anything that she, like, knows what you have to do to get her back forever! I mean, Misty's smart, right? She knows all the useless stuff like what a greenhouse is made out of. It's not green bricks, it's glass, but who needs to know the answer to that stupid riddle anyway?" She shook her head. "Sorry, back on topic, I think I can, like, bring Misty back to normal!"

He laughed, shaky as the excitement began to take over. "It's that simple?"

The smile flickered for a bit, and she stood straighter, choosing to lean against the railing instead of hang off it. "Well, like, almost. There's a bit of a, like…See, for me it's really easy, and I, like, know what I need to do because it's sorta like what you do to meditate, but because it's Misty and Misty's like, complicated and stuff, there's a, uh, like kinda a glitch."

He gulped his stomach back down his throat. "What's the glitch?"

"To, like, uh…to, like, break out of this, like, control thing. Uh, like, you, uh…" She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay, don't make fun of me for it, but you have to get into like, this, relaxed state thingy. You sorta have to clear your mind and not really think about anything. Trance-like, y'know? Let your subconscious take over."

He glared. "So you want to throw in you have to eat a bowl of fried maggots?"

"Okay, so it's not Misty's cup of tea, but-"

"Not her cup of tea? It's like the opposite of Misty! Brock told me that my mom said she worries too much! She worries more than a mother and she's supposed to calm down and not think when she's already a crazy person to begin with, apparently a crazy person who knows what's going on, and a crazy person who knows what's going on and probably knows I'm the cause of it." He froze. "Oh, Mew, maybe I don't want her back if she remembers."

"Don't joke like that!" Daisy snapped. She jogged up the stairs and sat down beside him. "Listen, we've got to at least try, don't we? There's no way you'll figure this one out and I can't help you. I'm not going to pretend I'm smart, and you better not try either. We've got other things. I've got looks and you've got that saving the world thing going for you. Still. I mean, like, when's the last time you solved a riddle?"

His brow knit together, thinking furiously, before his face relaxed once more with a sigh. "I don't think I've ever solved a riddle. In fact, I think I've done the opposite of solve riddles. I looked up gullible in the dictionary because Gary told me it wasn't there. It was there. I didn't get what that meant until somebody told me. Being right wasn't so cool after that."

"And I, like, looked up when Misty said the sky was falling."

"Been there."

"I was inside."

"Ouch. You win."

"I always win stupid contests," she chirped, sticking out her chest with pride. "I win a lot of beauty pageants too. I bet I'd win more if I answered the way they want you to. I never do. I'm not going to lie and say that I want to win the pageant for the starving children. I want to win so boys will send me flowers."

Ash tapped her shoulder, stopping her ramble. "We're supposed to be talking about how to fix this."

"Right. Sorry. So it's, like, pretty obvious that there's no way we're going to solve this on our own. We can't even keep a conversation going straight. We just have to get Mist to calm down and the problem's solved!" She sighed and fell back against the stairs, sprawling her arms and legs out as far as she could. "I've been saying that since she was, like, two and it's never happened."

"That's great. I'm sure this'll all work out just perfect," he muttered, burying his head in his hands. "I don't think she really wants to talk to me, so you go do it. She's crying in my closet and she gets really mad if you try and talk to her. Apparently she needs medication, and she doesn't like it if you make jokes about it."

"You made a joke about her needing meds?"

"Yeah."

"You're a moron."

He glared over his shoulders. "So, I've heard that Tracey only likes girls that have brains in their heads instead of air. Bet you're out of luck."

"You are mean when you want to be. Misty was right," she grumbled, pushing up to her elbows. "It doesn't matter anyway. I know she doesn't want to talk to me. She has a freaky stalker crush on you, bike wrecker, so you better go tell her. She'll forgive you for anything."

"She doesn't like me, and she won't forgive me for anything." Everyone politely ignored the blush crawling up his cheeks. "She needs to talk to you. You have to apologize. She already knows that she got her stupid bike back and there's no way I'm going to pay for it. At least you know what you're doing with the whole remembering thing."

"And you don't? You remember too!"

"That's because they don't change my memory! I'm the hero, remember? Gees, you're dumb."

"Don't yell at me! I can't help being stupid, okay? You're not supposed to yell at me if I can't help it!" she cried, tugging at a long, loose curl.

"I can't help yelling! I'm upset!"

"I'm more upset! She's my sister!"

"She'd my friend!"

"She's your lover!" she sniggered.

"She is not!"

"Yeah, like, whatever, lover boy."

"I'm not-"

Pikachu flicked her tail and narrowed her eyes and made the fur on the back of her neck puff in hope she would catch Ash's attention, which she did. (Misty. She's supposed to talk to Misty. She's trying to avoid it. I swear I can feel my IQ dropping when I sit between you two.)

"That's right! You're just trying to avoid seeing Misty but you can't do that! You need to help me and you need to apologize for what you did! Go fix Misty so we don't get stuck in this stupid endless cycle where I make a stupid wish and Misty becomes it and no one remembers and the next day we do it again until I finally go crazy or something!"

"Why the hell isn't anyone waking up?" she shouted back, glaring up the stairs. "Helllloooo! It's morning! We're yelling! Get uh-up!"

"Just go talk to her!"

"Ugh," she muttered, jogging past him up the stairs. "You owe me big time."

"You're doing this for Misty, not me!"

"Still owe me," she retorted, slamming his door closed behind her. Her eyes did a quick sweep of the room, small, boyish, kiddish, with a bunk bed. Her little sister slept in here. Her little sister slept in here with a boy, and suddenly this didn't seem like a very good idea. "So, Misty, we need to talk."

"No! Go away!" her body shouted, no longer crying but simply sulking in the closet.

"I'm talking to Misty, not whatever the hell you are. I think you're a Legendary. I don't mean any disrespect if you're an important one. You're probably not anything we worship though. We're more of a Birds family, and none of them are really psychic, except Lugia, I guess. Don't think you're Lugia though."

Inside her little mind cage, Misty perked up. I can't believe you're okay! You're as ditzy as ever, but you're okay!

"I want to tell you how to come back, even if it's for a little while but…I think we should talk about this other thing first. How, uh…how you're in this tiny room with Ash. You better not be locking the door. You…no, dammit," she sighed and stared at the closed closet door. "I called you a mistake and I need to say I'm sorry."

Oh, great. If I could leave, I would. But I can't. Because Ash is a jerk.

She took a deep breath, thanked Mew for the door that hid her sisters face, and said, "See, I can't take it back, even though I really want to. You weren't, like, planned, and Mom and Dad really didn't want you, but Mom and Dad didn't want any of us. They didn't want kids and they didn't like kids and they had at least wanted a boy so dad would have someone to bond with, except you were a girl too, so they were really upset."

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel loads better. Just get the hell out."

"Not talking to you. I'm talking to Misty," Daisy snapped. "Misty, they didn't have much room or time for you, but that doesn't matter, because it's their loss. We were great kids, you're a great kid, and they were the ones who were stupid. They don't matter, we matter, me and Violet and Lily and you and we're a real family. Our parents were morons and better off dead." She paused. "Is that a little harsh?"

Yes. They weren't parents, is all. They weren't bad people. I could have told you that. I know that.

"I like that you were born, and so does Lily and Violet and all your friends. That's what matters."

Very inspirational. Now tell me how to get out of here.

"You're probably rolling your eyes and being sarcastic, but I really mean it. Just remember that you've got lots of people that care about you, so…yeah. Mom and Dad sucked, but that shouldn't matter. So…sorry. Hope you feel better. You were a mistake, but a really awesome one, like silly putty, y'know?"

Great. I'm silly putty. That makes me feel better, oh wait, no it doesn't! Because I'm depressed because Ash is a stupid moron. Now tell me how to get back into my own body.

"Okay, and if you want to get back to normal you…you need to stop thinking and stop worrying and just do. Don't plan anything out, just go, like Ash and me. Just let your autopilot take over. You can't get mad or anything because you'll get dragged back in. You're not good at not thinking. I am, so I can basically do whatever I want!" She laughed.

So, because I'm not an idiot, I'm stuck? That can't be right. You're just not thinking. As usual.

"It's the truth, Misty. I know it's hard to believe but I swear it is. If you just calm down and stop thinking or overthinking or whatever it is you do you'll manage to break out and tell us how to stop this. Just try and get relaxed, like when we go in for those massages from Ramon." She scooted closer to the door, lowering her voice. "And I think Ash really wants you back. I really think he likes you but, like, it's not doing anything. We don't know what to do. What does he have to say?"

He has to want me, really want me back. That's all I know, that's all I've heard.

"He's really, really wants you back. I swear. He's really beat up about this. He's practically crying. Sure, he cries easy but he's not a total crier. It still means something when he does." She groaned and sprawled out on Ash's floor. "I know you're in there, and you can hear me. You have to be, because if you're not then none of this matters, and it's got to matter because it's, like, really hard."

It's got to matter because it's, like, really hard. Wow.

"And once you figure out what he needs to do, calm down and tell us what's happening. If you just calm down it'll work."

How am I supposed to calm down when I could kill myself as any given moment? I can't control my body at all and it's all his fault! I'm going to wind up dead because of him! That kiss-stealing, no good, dirty, rotten, little bast-

"You're probably getting riled up now and getting mad at Ash because it's kinda his fault, but, please, just try to calm down once you've got the answer. It's better than nothing and it's working for me. You trust me enough to believe me, don't you?"

Hey, Misty, have you ever licked your finger before touching an outlet? Do it! It's fun! Yeah, Daisy, those were good times. Sure I trust you.

She shrugged. "You think too much to begin with anyway."

"I hate you." Her body echoed her mind's sentiments for once, though she was positive she hadn't controlled the words.

"Love you, really." She pushed to her feet and rapped her knuckles twice on the door. "So, like, try not to think so much. Well, except to, like, you know…get the answer, I guess."

You've got such a way with words. But, as awkward as they had been, the words stuck. Ash wanted her back, said he wanted her back, and it wasn't doing anything, so there had to be something else. She couldn't imagine what it would be though. They were doing this to teach Ash a lesson of sorts, the whole "be careful what you wish for" spiel, she bet. Realizing he had wished for the wrong thing should have instantly brought him back to normal.

What could they be after? He already said he liked her, that he wanted her back. Well, not that he liked her like that, but…but…her thoughts came crashing down to one phrase, and she slammed her mental head against a mental wall: Mewdammit.

(Hey, Ash?) Pikachu asked while Ash made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (What's going on with everyone? They haven't left yet and they should have woken up with all the screaming. I'm starting to get worried.)

"Nothing to worry about, they're probably just really heavy sleepers today."

Daisy skipped down the stairs a moment later, flashing her wallet out to him as she went. "Listen, I'm not heading back to Cerulean until Misty's better and you are the only person who won't be a total downer to hang around with. I have lots of money from beauty contests winnings, so what do you say we ditch the creepy Misty upstairs and we go have a grand old night on the town? There's stuff to do in Pallet, isn't there?"

"Movies and minigolf," Ash said around a mouthful of sandwich.

"I like movies."

"I saw all the movies."

She scowled. "I'm not playing minigolf. Do you have a mall?"

"I'm not going to the mall," he cried. "I hate that place! Once a year is my limit, and that's been used up! I don't know what you like to do, because you're a weird girly girl and you're not anything like Misty. It's not like you battle or anything."

She laughed. "I don't battle? Whoever told you that? I'll have you know that I battle just, like, fine thank you. I don't go anywhere without a pokémon, and if you'd like, like, want to spend the whole day embarrassing yourself while I kick your butt across the yard, that's cool for me. I haven't met anyone worth embarrassing since you and your group of Pallet Townies came to the gym."

He looked at her suspiciously from the corner of his eye. "And you're so good?"

"Who do you think taught Misty how to battle?"

He finished up his sandwich and rushed outside, already thinking about what pokémon to use against his new opponent. And, while he did so, Brock, Delia and Dawn stayed sleeping in their beds for the whole day, for the whole night. The trio had thought it best to simply keep the others out of the way. No more distractions from them, he simply had to focus on finishing his goal. Daisy would prove to be awfully distracting too.

They were impatient.

Things needed speeding up.

Alright, two more chapters left! Everyone excited? I've read this chapter over eight zillion times, but I feel like I'm missing a lot. Guess my brain's frazzled, but next chapter should come out smoother.

This Week's Episode: If you didn't see it, watch it on youtube or something, because there's a part where I think Ash was starting to believe he was psychic, honestly. "I knew he was going to do that! I knew he was going to do that too!" I was waiting for him to go, "Do you guys know what this means? I can see the future!" I had to pause it for laughing. Oh, and Paul's character got developed, which we kinda already knew, but it got more specific, which was fun. I'm glad he's a jerk with a cause now, instead of generic jerk number one.