Chapter 14 – All In Plain Sight
"Well, I guess it had a fifty-fifty chance of happening didn't it."
Ash and Dawn turned to the redheaded gym leader who had just spoken up. They had just witnessed the random match-ups being chosen by computer, and it had determined that Dawn and Misty would battle each other in the semi-finals. Dawn moved closer to Misty and smiled at her confidently, offering kind, but challenging words, "I was actually hoping I'd get to battle you Misty. I haven't gotten a proper battle with you for a long time, and I hoped that we would get to test one another like we did before. It's always a blast to battle against someone as skilled as you."
"Yeah, I remember our last battle. I just barely managed to beat you at the gym two years ago. You battled really hard, and I hope that we can top the last one today!" Misty stated boldly.
They locked eyes and sized each other up. The intensity of their gazes made even Ash nervous. He felt if had stepped between them, he might've been burned by the laser-like sight that linked them together. Ash himself was at a loss of what to think. Of course he knew it would be a great battle, and he relished that fact. However, he wanted both to win and neither to lose. He knew it wasn't possible, but it's what he wanted. The idea of cheering for one over the other made him feel ill. Yet he felt like he couldn't cheer for both because it felt like betraying the two at the same time. Initially, he felt like he might be obligated to cheer for his girlfriend; but that meant yanking Misty's supports away in a situation that was already stressful enough for the redhead. Every option had an absurdly bad taste that Ash did not agree with. His conscience still nibbled away at the back of his skull like a rabid Trapinch trying to make a sandpit. Still, he had to watch. This was a battle between two women that, as he recently discovered, both loved him; and he both loved.
As Ash came back from being lost in his little world, he found that Zoey's second round match was already coming to a close, with her opponent's Bellossom clearly on the ropes. He took his eyes away from the screen to see Dawn and Misty in a tight embrace. They were clearly going into this battle on good terms, but that wouldn't make either one of them go easy on their opponent. Of course the three of them expected nothing less than the best.
"Misty and Dawn," the usher spoke up, "You're up."
They released each other from the hug and walked side by side. Ash decided to follow them so that he could see them off to the battle and subsequently join the crowd to watch their match in person. As they came down the hallway, they met the cold face of Zoey who stared straight through Ash. Again, her face relaxed somewhat as she saw Dawn, but it turned more solemn than anything. None of them could gather why, but they knew that mystery would be solved soon enough.
"Congratulations Zoey! I knew you'd do well!" Dawn commended her rival.
"Thanks. And I know that either way, I'll be facing someone very powerful and very skilled in the finals! You've both done great, and I look forward to the battle," Zoey returned the kind words. Her voice spoke of great expectations and excitement, but her face was clearly forced into a happy expression. It was as though she couldn't bring up the emotions she wanted to and had to fake it. Knowing full well that Zoey wasn't willing to talk until later, the three chose to ignore this quirk and moved on to the stage entry. Dawn and Misty shook hands and then walked out together when the MC gave her cue.
"Good luck! Both of you!" Ash shouted to them enthusiastically. Ash turned to run up to the stairwell to get back to the upper stands when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his dress jacket.
"Ash. A minute, please," Zoey said in a very low and emotionally flat voice.
"We need to hurry, they'll start soon and want to see them both battle! It's gonna be a great one!" Ash told her excitedly, completely focused on his task.
"This is important, we need to talk. Let's go the stairwell. It's a bit more private there," she uttered in her now icy tone.
Ash grew slightly nervous as she pulled him along, not liking the sound of this one bit. He wasn't sure this was regarding. Maybe his performance in the festival, or something to do with Dawn, or maybe even Misty and her surprise talent at coordinating unveiled that day. Zoey led him to the side of the stairs and closed the door behind them. She listened briefly for footsteps on the stairs and heard none. So she finally dropped her facade, let her face grow into an angry expression complete with narrowed eyes and a scowl. She slapped Ash... hard.
"OWW!" he shouted, grasping his now reddening cheek, "What the heck was that for?"
Zoey snorted in disgust at Ash's blatant ignorance or attempt to lie – she couldn't tell which – and spat angrily, "You know damn well what you're doing! You lied to me! You lied to Misty! And worst of all, you're lying to your girlfriend!"
Ash's face changed emotions several times in the same second, unable to process what she was saying, partly because he didn't know what she was saying exactly, and was unable to determine what she actually knew. He finally settled on indignant and growled back, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You are scum, Ash Ketchum!" Zoey yelled now, her voice the loudest that Ash had ever heard it in all the time he had known her, "You are a two-timing bastard and you are playing them both! Men like you make me sick!"
"What the hell do you mean!? Two-timing? Playing them both?" Ash howled angrily at the accusations levied at him, "I'm Dawn's boyfriend! No one else's! You think I'm cheating on Dawn with Misty?!"
"YES!" she barked back at him, "I saw you two! In that hallway!" she jabbed a finger that pointed just beyond the door of the stairwell to the hallway beyond, "You two were a damn breeze away from kissing one another! I know how she feels about you! Dawn told me! So what? Now that you know you have a chance with Misty, you think you can just string Dawn along while you try to make a play?!"
"I! What?" Ash exclaimed, thinking the woman in front of him was absolutely ludicrous, he stammered trying to get his argument together, "I was not going to kiss her!" His mind scolded him, because he knew he 'wanted' to kiss her, but he reminded himself that he managed to stay his impulses, "She needed someone to hang onto after that battle! You know how hard it was for her out there! So many people watching her perform! Not to mention the whole bug thing! I was being a good friend!" Again his mind mentally whipped him for lying. He certainly wanted to be more than friends with her.
The result of his mind disciplining him must have had some sort of visible effect because Zoey capitalized on it, "No! NO! Don't lie to me anymore! I see that you like Misty more than a friend! If that's the case, you can't love Dawn as much as you say! What's the deal, then?! Do you really love Dawn!?" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him, her eyes fueled by pure rage as they bore into his, "Tell me the damned truth! Do you love Dawn?!"
Ash, with a forceful grip and incredibly steady, slow movements grabbed Zoey's arms by their wrists and removed her hands from his shoulders. He cautiously lowered them, not taking his eyes off of Zoey's for even a microsecond. His face softened from its enraged state to the caring one that he often wore when he was with friends and Pokémon. He spoke Zoey in a voice that carried all of his emotions, seemingly smashed together into one messy whole, "I love Dawn, with all of my heart. No force in this world or in any other will change that. Ever." His voice was unwavering and steady, despite his rapidly beating heart and over-heating brain.
Zoey stared at him, her rage-lined face unchanging, but her eyes seeming to flicker back and forth as they searched his face and body for evidence of a lie. Her ears and mind went over the words he just spoke several times over. They found no falsehoods.
Zoey's face relaxed, but only slightly. She was still quite livid, but now just a tad sympathetic. So he wasn't a cheating bastard... just a weak man with a fickle heart, she thought bitterly. She continued her line of questions, "Have you done anything with Misty?"
Ash's face grew hard once again at the idea of him committing such an act against Dawn, "No! Never!"
Again, she scanned him for signs of being untruthful. As with before, she found him, as far she could tell, to be honest. But that just meant one thing, "So you're having an emotional affair?"
Now Ash was just confused, "An emotional affair?"
Zoey sighed. There was the old Ash she once knew. He might not have been completely oblivious anymore, but he still was quite naive and inexperienced when it came to the subject of relationships. She briefly entertained the thought that he was just so out of the loop with what commitment entailed, that he didn't know any better. However, she quickly squashed that idea. She knew if a man knew well enough not to carry on a physical affair, he should damn well know not to carry on an emotional affair either. She explained, "I know you have feelings for Misty, that much is obvious. But are you in love with her?"
"I can't be in love with more than one woman can I? Isn't that impossible?" Ash asked incredulously. In his heart, he knew it was true, but really didn't want it to be. It made him feel like a horrible person that he could even do that Dawn.
Zoey heard the desperate tone that pervaded his words. For a moment, her anger faded completely. He 'wanted' to only be in love with Dawn. By the sounds of it, she could determine that it was hurting Ash as much as it would hurt Dawn when she found out; perhaps worse since he didn't want it. Still, that force inside her kept her determined to get to the bottom of this. She kept her voice stern, but put the anger aside for the moment, "So... are you having an emotional affair with Misty?"
Ash looked down to the tiled floor in apparent disgrace, heaved out a breath of resignation and uttered one word in the most depressed, pitiful voice he had ever managed croak out, "If that means that I love them both... then yes."
Zoey's brow furrowed in reflexive rage, but remembered his circumstances. He didn't want this. He loved Dawn. For Dawn's sake, he didn't want to love Misty. And yet, here he stood, admitting it. For what it was worth, Zoey felt a slight twinge of respect for Ash in being able to admit to something like this. But it made the crime no less heinous in her eyes.
"After the contest is done... we are going to get the two of them together, and you three are going to have a long talk," Zoey instructed him.
Ash looked up in horror and in a choked up voice pleaded, "But... that means me and Dawn will be over. We can't... I can't take that. I need her! I love her too much!"
"You can't keep lying to her like this! She doesn't deserve that! She deserves better!" Zoey shouted again, her anger rising once more.
The words echoed in his head.
She deserves better.
Those were the same words he told her after the night they first made love. He had meant those words, but she had reassured him that he was good enough for her. That he was what she had wanted.
But that was before this happened. You might've been good enough for her then... you're not anymore. Not after what you've done, Ash's mind reasoned with his now aching heart.
But in truth, even as selfless as he wanted to be, he couldn't imagine a life without Dawn. She was his world. Every day and night was heaven with her. He didn't know how he lived without her before. Her cheery smile, her perky attitude, her way of always inspiring him in battles and helping to pick him back up after a bad loss or a massive failure, and the seemingly endless love she gave him: All of it was something Ash had become immersed in, and he couldn't bear to leave it all behind.
"She does... but I can't go on without her," Ash confessed, "She's perfect, and she gives me what I don't have when I need it the most. And I want to do the same for her! I want to help her finally get that title of Top Coordinator! I want to see her succeed, and I want to be the one to help her get there! Because she saved me... and I will never stop loving her for it."
Zoey wasn't heartless. She was touched by his devotion. But, ultimately, she was loyal to Dawn. And Dawn deserved the truth, and someone who was wholly devoted to her. Zoey put a gentle hand to Ash's shoulder and told him, "Regardless of what we do now, she'll find out eventually. Better after the contest than years down the road. Do you want a relationship that's the built upon years of lies?"
Ash let out a heavy sigh, "I... ugh." He put his head in his hands in sheer frustration, "Fine... but I'm telling her, and in my own way! No interference from you!"
"Agreed, as long as it's before you leave Cerulean. I'll be sticking around to make sure you do it," Zoey firmly enforced her conditions.
"Ok..." Ash ground out, "Let's go watch them... we've probably already missed half their match."
Ash turned to walk out of the stairwell, rather than up to the balcony seats. Zoey gave him a funny look and told him, "Ash... the seats are this way."
"I'm watching from down here. Penalty is disqualification, and I'm already out," Ash reasoned.
Zoey shrugged and relented, "Fine, I'll see you after."
Ash grunted in response as the two separated. Frankly, he didn't even want to even see the redheaded coordinator at the moment. He got to the stage entry. Thankfully no officials were guarding the threshold, so he stood there by the wall as the battle continued.
"Recover!" Misty shouted. The badly beaten Corsola began to glow a brilliant white, showing off its beautiful power, and at the same time restoring its appearance to its pristine form. Typhlosion huffed at this annoying trick which undid most of his work. The point totals spoke differently, however, as Misty was down to a third of her total points, while Dawn still held a sliver less than half. Only two and a half minutes remained on the clock.
The match thus far had been a grueling one for both Misty and Dawn. Misty had the advantage of typing on two fronts, with water and rock types severely limiting effectiveness of fire type moves, and the rock typing preventing Typhlosion's one electric move from being of any use other than for show. However, Dawn was no stranger to such situations, using crafty tactics to show off her ability to overcome the odds alongside her Pokémon. The experienced coordinator knew this battle was going to be won by points, and not a knockout. Typhlosion had performed marvellously all match, but he was irritated at how easily his efforts had been undone by Corsola.
"Hurry and use eruption while it's still!" Dawn quickly ordered. Typhlosion roared and stomped the ground with his feet, causing a rumbling and rise in temperature to occur beneath his pink opponent.
"Mirror coat! You need to before it happens!" Misty commanded, knowing full well that Corsola wouldn't be able to move fast enough after using recover. Sure enough, a rainbow coloured skin of light enveloped Corsola as soon as it was able. Just as the heat grew unbearable, the ground exploded upwards beneath the Coral Pokemon, and it wrapped by a pillar of flame. The core of the fire was deflected from Corsola, traveling in many directions, but most prominently upwards towards the rafters not far from the stage exit. It hit the support beams, but it appeared to cause little damage. Hardly anyone paid it any mind at any rate, as everyone was focused on the altered shape of the eruption caused by Corsola's counter-move. It was as though the pillar of flames was split into several smaller columns that rotated about an invisible center until, at last, it died down. It was quite the sight, and caused Dawn to lose quite a few points.
"Impressive, but that won't stop us!" Dawn shouted boldly, "Dig!" Typhlosion dug into the dirt field, which was now littered with several other holes from the rest of the match resulting from the use of the same move.
"Hurry and fill it with scald!" Misty commanded, not missing a beat. Corsola let loose a torrent of steaming water which hit its mark and began to flood the hole. Misty had used this strategy many times before in the current battle, and it had served her well.
"Now! Come up at an angle and duck!" Dawn instructed with precision.
Typhlosion shot out of the ground at a forty-five degree angle not far from Corsola, who still was pumping water into the new tunnel the badger has just dug. The pressure was still going strong and the result was a pressurized canon of water that spurted from the ground, sailing harmlessly over the crouched fire-type, and hitting Corsola dead-center with its own powerful attack. Misty was aghast at this newest counter by Dawn. She never imagined dig being used like that, and felt a twinge of irritation at seeing her own attack being used against her. Now she realized her winning strategy was now a liability rather than a boon.
But that wasn't going to stop Misty. She wasn't going to let her advantage slip away. She retaliated, "Earth power!"
"Dig again!" Dawn gleamed at her opportunity. The fire-type dug away before the glowing cracks of earth enveloped his previous position.
Misty called out yet again, "Scald into the hole!"
"Then we'll come out at an angle again!" Dawn smirked at the repeat that she saw coming. Typhlosion emerged once again, creating the pathway for the water to streak towards the Coral Pokémon.
The water was just about to impact when Misty made her surprise counter, "Mirror coat!" The dual type shimmered with a blinding rainbow coloured light which enveloped it completely. The jet of water struck Corsola, but was instantly turned back right towards the unsuspecting Volcano Pokémon. Even Dawn was taken aback by this sudden turn of events and couldn't manage to call an order before the fire-type was struck by the boiling-hot stream. Typhlosion managed to stay on his feet for a moment, but soon fell to one knee and placed one arm on the ground to support himself as the fire-type growled in pain and anger.
"No! Typhlosion! Stay strong! I know you can do this! I believe in you!" Dawn encouraged. The fire-type, though shaking, managed to pull himself to his feet. Typhlosion let out a monstrous roar and began to glow a mighty red as his flaming neck-wreath grew to double its size.
"Blaze..." Misty murmured quietly. She knew exactly what this meant. She was close to a knockout, but victory would be all the more difficult.
"Alright! You've got the strength to pull this off now! Flame wheel!" Dawn yelled excitedly. Letting out yet another ear-splitting roar, the now furious Typhlosion spun himself into a massive ball of fire which propelled itself across the field at a frightening pace.
"Scald! Head on!" Misty cried desperately. Corsola, with absolutely no fear of the charging beast, let loose another torrent of streaming-hot water. The force of empowered fire met the high pressure torrent. For a moment, they were locked in place. However, the empowered fire managed to evaporate the water little by little and the rotating blaze kept pressing forward until it was upon Corsola. The water-rock type's beady eyes widened in fear as the fire finally overwhelmed its long-held water attack and it was knocked back almost all the way to Misty.
"Now! Combine flame wheel and wild charge and let's finish this!" Dawn instructed, pointing her finger towards Corsola for good measure. Typhlosion, though giving heaving breaths, was all too eager to comply and first began to run towards Corsola as he sheathed himself in lightning. Then he began to spin himself into a raging inferno. Sparks of electricity and licks of flame danced along his wake as he carved a searing path towards Misty's contender.
"Use earth power to intercept it!" Misty thundered. Corsola watched the approaching attacker as it glowed in a shimmering yellow light. It raised itself from the ground and then slammed back down, causing the appearance of rifts whose light matched the glow of the Pokémon that had created them.
"Use eruption to hop over!" Dawn interceded, knowing that an attack from earth power could throw her fire-type off balance in this last bid for the match victory. Even as Typhlosion rolled in his searing ball of fire and crackling layer of electricity, he managed to hop lightly into the air, only to come down in a shattering thud which caused a small jet of smoke to emerge from a spot on the ground not far ahead. Typhlosion continued on its trajectory before he finally rolled over the smoking jet. As if on cue, the smoke exploded into a geyser of flame which carried the fusion of lightning and flame high into the air. Not only did the flame wheel soak in the excess fire from the eruption, the attack caused the badger to soar safely over the earth power attack and bear down on Corsola with intense speed and power.
The resulting impact shook the stadium, causing everything from the seats to the ceiling to quake. A huge cloud of smoke could be seen near Misty's end of the field where Corsola had been. When the obscuring vapours cleared, everyone was surprised to see that neither competitor was unconscious. Instead, Corsola was resisting with its calcified horns against the bare-pawed efforts of a still near-berserking Typhlosion attempting to wrestle his contender into the ground. From the scorch marks on Corsola, it had taken the hit of the incredible combination attack, but had endured and now was fighting off the efforts its taller opponent with equal vigour.
"Great! Now use scald!" Misty cried with new hope in seeing her chance at a comeback.
That was until a loud buzzer sounded. Misty looked up to the board in surprise to see the timer had hit zero. She had grown so involved in the match, she never even thought about the timer. Both girls quickly assessed the point totals. Misty's point total was down to barely a sliver above zero remaining, while Dawn's was barely a tenth of the starting total.
"What an incredible match!" Lilian's voice rang out in adoration, "These two slugged it out for the whole five minutes, and it was a real squeaker! But the winner of this match is Dawn!" Just as before, the winner's portrait and that of their Pokémon contender took up the screen; this time it was Dawn and Typhlosion.
Typhlosion and Corsola both relented, even though they had continued to struggle somewhat after the buzzer sounded. They too, were wholly invested in the battle and almost didn't realize it was over. Typhlosion nodded curtly to his opponent while Corsola returned its gesture with a quick hop and a bright smile. Both Misty and Dawn ran up to their respective Pokémon to make sure they were in good health. Typhlosion nearly collapsed onto Dawn as she reached him. She hugged the tall badger tightly and told it caringly, "Don't worry; I'll get Nurse Joy to take good care of you before the finals! You were wonderful out there. I knew you could do it!" Typhlosion gave a satisfied grunt of his name before Dawn returned him to the pokéball.
"You fought with everything you had! Definitely the hardest fire-type I've ever seen out there. And you were beautiful out there too! Have a good rest!" Misty complimented her cheery, if somewhat tired Pokémon. Dawn and Misty walked up to one another in the center of the now badly beaten-up battlefield. Rather than shaking hands, they immediately hugged. They felt like no other gesture would have been appropriate for such a great battle between best friends.
"That was such a great battle Misty! I'm honored to have been able to fight such a powerful opponent in a contest! You really made Corsola shine out there!" Dawn praised her friend in a whisper that was only barely loud enough to be heard over the ruckus of the crowd.
"You and your Typhlosion are amazing! Easily one of the hardest battles I've ever fought! I'll always remember it!" Misty whispered back with just as much respect and happiness.
They both waved to the crowd briefly and began to walk over to the stage exit to make way for the crew that had to fix the field for the finals. As Dawn walked behind Misty, one of the Pokémon medical staff, presumably the one filling in for the Nurse Joy who was busy acting as a judge, requested that Dawn submit her Typhlosion for a checkup prior to the finals. He led Dawn away from the stage exit to another that led directly to clinic in the building.
Dawn didn't get far from Misty when the unthinkable happened.
Misty continued to walk towards the stage exit that led to the coordinators' waiting room. That was when a loud shearing noise made itself known to the entire room. Everyone looked up to the sound and quickly identified it. The support beams that had earlier taken the brunt of the deflected eruption in the battle were now rapidly dislodging themselves from their places, causing an abhorrent scraping sound. It was happening directly above Misty.
The redheaded gym leader looked up and saw the now falling fragments of metal hurdling towards her. She wanted to move, but for some incomprehensible reason, she froze. Her eyes widened in terror and she couldn't do or say anything. Dawn moved towards her but she was too far to help her in time. Despite it all happening in the span of seconds, the whole event seemed to occur in slow motion for both of them.
It was only then that Misty felt something impact her. But it wasn't from above her. It was from her side instead. Misty had barely the time to level her head to see what force had driven her from beneath the deadly beams of steel when she saw the ceiling once again as she hit the ground. The sudden movement and the force of landing on the floor of the main arena were disorienting, but she knew she was safe. She knew she had avoided something far worse. That clattered crash of metal on the stage floor moments later only served to remind her of that. She managed to crane her neck up to see a black sleeve wrapped around her midsection. She looked further to see it connect to its torso, and then to a head of tangled black hair. As soon as she saw it, the figure that lay partly atop her moved and looked at her intently.
"Misty! Are you ok!?" he nearly screamed at her. It was the face of Ash. He had saved her.
"Misty!" Another cry made itself known as Misty saw the face of Dawn soon join Ash's as she knelt beside the gym leader. Misty barely registered her though, as she remained transfixed on Ash's gleaming face. His face was almost agape in horror and his eyes were shimmering, almost on the verge of tears. He quickly pulled Misty partway up so that he could hug her tightly. Misty eagerly accepted the hug. It had taken a moment to hit her entirely, but she soon came to the realization that she almost died just moments ago. She suddenly felt afraid. She gripped Ash tighter. Ash made her feel safe. Ash made her feel loved.
Ash was awash in both relief and horror still. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Misty was nearly crushed to death in front of him. He was almost too late. He almost lost one of the women he loved; and it terrified him. He held her more tightly as she did him. Even as the hug continued, the feelings of dread nearly ate him alive. Though her death was averted, it was only just. For both his sake and hers, he kept mumbling to her in a tone that he could only hope conveyed a calming effect, "It's ok, Misty. You're fine. You'll be alright. You're ok now." He kept repeating these varied, short phrases of comfort, but in his mind he kept adding the words, I love you, to the end of every sentence. He so desperately wanted to let the words slip his lips. But he couldn't. He was unsure if it was merely because Dawn was right beside him, or if because he was unable to say it due to his love for the aqua-haired coordinator in its entirety.
Dawn continued to give small reassurances to Misty to comfort her between Ash's own utterances. She told her it was going to be ok, that she was going to be safe, and that Ash had saved her. She expected no less of him either. She felt incredibly ill at the fact that she wouldn't have been able to make it in time to save her best friend. She pushed away the selfish thought of the fact that she could have very well been in the same situation had she not been called away. The nearly tragic events had befallen Misty, and she was the one who needed the soothing words. She saw as Ash pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. She knew Ash cared deeply for Misty, the two having been friends for longer than she had even known Ash. She thought nothing of the gesture, even thinking it kind of Ash to give her that physical comfort.
But then Dawn saw something that nearly made her turn to ice. She saw Ash's withdraw his head from Misty's shoulder and turned his gaze to her tear-stricken face. He held her closely and firmly, his face the picture of concern and fear. He rubbed her back gingerly, trying to soothe her pain. But it wasn't the way he held Misty that caused Dawn to tremble in fear, nor was it his repeated soothing words. It was his eyes. His eyes glimmered with yet unshed tears, locked with Misty's own, and in his orbs she saw a look she recognized. It was a look of abject terror, sorrow and longing that she knew well. She had seen it earlier that week in fact.
It was the exact same look he gave Dawn before he ran out into the storm.
It was the look of his heart tearing apart for fear of losing his love.
It was the confirmation of her greatest fear that she never knew existed.
Ash loved Misty.
Though he had managed to restrain himself from speaking the words aloud, his gaze conveyed his feelings with a volume that was just as obvious to her as it would if he had simply shouted it from a mountaintop. She had to restrain herself with almost every fiber of her being to not recoil in shock and alarm. She managed to allow herself to slowly pick herself up, even though her legs threatened to buckle under the weight. She managed to trudge of in the direction she was being led earlier, but was intercepted by Zoey at partition between the hall and the stage area.
"Dawn! Is Misty ok? Did she get hurt?" Zoey quickly inquired. She was clearly worried for the gym leader with whom she had bonded over the last few days. However, Dawn was unable to answer before tears escaped her eyes. She collapsed into Zoey's chest and began crying as the redheaded coordinator held her tight.
Zoey did not expect this reaction. Her thoughts began ticking off possibilities, I saw Ash save Misty. Was Misty been hurt in the process? Whatever it was, it couldn't have been that traumatic. Not so much to make Dawn cry this much. Then again they are really good friends. I'd better just ask.
"Is Misty ok? I thought Ash saved her! She didn't look hurt when I saw her from the balcony seats!" Zoey persisted. Dawn just unleashed more tears into Zoey's jacket. She was about to continue on the tangent of questions when Dawn finally mumbled something into her bosom. She couldn't hear the blunette's words, so she asked, "What did you say?"
Dawn slowly pulled herself from Zoey's embrace and looked at her with quickly reddening eyes, "Ash loves her..."
Zoey's eyes widened in surprise. She knew this information already, but she didn't know Ash would tell her. She thought about all the ways it could've come out in the short time between when she saw them there, and the time it took to reach Dawn. Suddenly, she grew angry. Her mind raged, Why would he tell her that now?! She nearly had her friend die in front of her eyes! And there's still the rest of the contest to consider! The inconsiderate little...
She halted her internal rant and realized she still didn't have all the information. She needed clarification. She gave her a moment to calm herself and asked Dawn, "How do you know?"
Dawn continued to sob and threw herself back onto Zoey, this time putting her head on her rival's right shoulder. Dawn whispered through sniffles, "I saw it in his eyes. He was holding her, trying to make her feel better. But I saw his eyes. The fear, the sadness, the love. It was all there. He's given me the exact same look!"
Zoey considered this information. Her anger abated at the realization that Ash hadn't intended to tell her. It came out involuntarily during a moment of extreme duress. This still annoyed her greatly though. This was the kind of thing that would adversely affect Dawn. She had nearly given up coordinating before for much less before. It took the combined efforts of both herself and Ash to get her back on the saddle, so to speak. But this was far worse. This was a problem in the field of love, and Ash was the cause.
She honestly almost wanted to lie to the poor girl and tell her she must have misread him. But she knew it to be all too horribly true. Her knowledge of this would come out later, and just compound the girl's problem. Not only would her boyfriend betray her, but so would her friend and rival. It would be a dark pit from which she would never be able to climb.
"He must've sto-... stopped...lo-," Dawn couldn't even finish the sentence before she cringed in revulsion to the idea, "I don't know when it happened. I don't understand. Even today I saw the way he looked at me. Maybe it wasn't love anymore..."
Zoey knew this train of thought was carrying Dawn away in a very dark direction. She knew she had to act fast. Zoey knew that Ash still loved her; or at least she determined that was the case. She was unsure if Ash had become an incredibly good liar, though she suspected not. So there was no harm in offering her at least a portion of the truth to keep her together until the end of the contest when they could hash it all out. So the redheaded coordinator told Dawn in the most caring voice she could muster, "Dawn, I don't think Ash stopped loving you. Based on the way he looks at you and treats you... I can't believe he would. There must be some other explanation!"
"I saw-," Dawn began, but Zoey cut in immediately to stay that idea for now.
"You were both troubled by what nearly happened to Misty. If you feel this way... fine. You can talk to Ash about it later and find out for sure. But right now, you can't let suspicions draw your attention away from the contest. I know what happens to you when you get distracted! You need to focus right now; then I'll help you straighten this out! I promise we'll get to the bottom of it. Believe me, Ash isn't going anywhere!" Zoey's lecture came out stern, but still carried the notes of someone who was caring. Dawn must have picked up that because she embraced Zoey once again, finding comfort in the arms of her long-time friend and rival.
Man... I hope I got through. I really don't want her to lose this on account of that jerk. I know he really loves her, but Dawn doesn't deserve someone who will split their attention and affections between two people. And then of course, when Misty finds out, she might shut Dawn out and even end their friendship. I know the two are close and it will crush her even more. I really don't wa-
Dawn pulled herself from the hug, while Zoey suddenly became aware of just long she had held the blunette for. While buried deep in her thoughts, Zoey had lost track of time. Dawn sulkily told the redhead, "I need to have Typhlosion checked up on." She quickly paced away from the top coordinator, leaving her in a very grim mood. Zoey heard footsteps from behind her, and whipped around to see the source of Dawn's problem. Ash was walking with his arm around Misty's shoulder as a sign of support. She very badly wanted to go up and punch the damned boy, but Misty knew nothing of this whole debacle and after a near-death experience, she really couldn't be forced to handle it at that point in time.
Forcing herself to look at Misty, and only Misty, Zoey's face turned from its grim shape of smoldering anger to one of concern. She approached the two and asked the gym leader, "Are you ok?"
Misty found herself able to speak for the first time since the accident and replied weakly, "Yeah... I'm... alive."
"Well, that much is certain, but you're not hurt?" Zoey reiterated.
"Well, I'm fine, except maybe a bump on the head from my clumsy hero here," Misty managed to make a small joke. Despite this though, Misty's face did not change from its current emotionless state. Her tears had passed, but now she could barely smile or frown. Though her face failed to show it, Zoey could see a flurry of emotions parading through her eyes. The mixture was too muddled to distinguish them all, but most prominent were fear, shock, and whenever they flickered towards Ash, love.
"Well, that's good at least. Let's get you to the first aid station to make sure you're ok," Zoey suggested. She led them, making sure to get Misty into a different medical bay than the one currently occupied by Dawn and her Typhlosion. Zoey knew that confrontation would only sow more problems that they all didn't need at the moment. A doctor soon came to tend to Misty, causing both Ash and Zoey to be asked to leave temporarily.
Zoey took this opportunity to grab Ash by the arm roughly and pulled him from the medical facility. She roughly tossed him ahead of her and unleashed yet another slap to his already sore face.
"GAH! Again! What the hell! Two times in one day?" Ash protested.
Zoey wouldn't have any of it. She knew he truly wasn't at fault for the latest development. But right now, she didn't care. When she saw Ash, she could only see flashes of the weeping Dawn in her eyes. And that alone seemed to warrant her actions in her mind. She scolded him harshly, "You blew it!"
"Huh?" came Ash's befuddled reply.
"She knows! She saw it when you held her!" Zoey explained angrily.
Ash remained in the dark as he restated himself, "I don't follow."
Zoey groaned in exasperation, "After you saved Misty, gave her comfort by holding her, Dawn saw a look in your eyes. She saw your love for her. She knows now without a doubt!"
"What! I was doing only what a friend would do!" Ash grew irritated as he rejected her argument.
Zoey berated him, growing louder with every word, "She says she saw it in your eyes, and I believe her! She knows you love Misty, and now she's crushed. Not only will she be able to not concentrate on this contest, it will affect her overall perceived self-worth! She might quit coordinating! She might do worse! She's going to fall into a deep depression... and it's all your fault!"
Ash's face screwed up into a combination of sheer anger, frustration, and regret. He turned around and stepped a few paces from Zoey before punching the wall in a rage. He jammed his fist back in pain after the hard impact, leaving him cradling it remorsefully. In truth though, Ash barely felt the pain of his hand over the pain in his chest. He looked back at Zoey in apparent sadness, but found no reprieve in the top coordinator's scowl.
"Damn it... this is all going so wrong in so many ways," Ash muttered quietly to himself.
"That better not be self-sympathy I hear in your words, Ash! Dawn is going to go through so much worse, and I don't even know how Misty will react, especially after this whole near-death experience today!" Zoey reprimanded.
Ash had it. He stormed over to the slightly shorter coordinator and loomed over her, a visage of pain and anger front and center. He bellowed at her, "And how do you think I feel! I love Dawn more than you'll ever know! And I'm sure Misty will find out and hate me for it, so she'll reject me too! So I'll be left with nothing! I didn't want this! I wanted to have a happy life with Dawn! She is perfect to me in every way! I wanted to give everything I am to her! I never wanted to hurt her! I don't understand why or how I could love another woman, but I do! That doesn't mean it won't kill me to lose Dawn! I love her too damn much and I don't think you can appreciate that!"
Ash's words struck Zoey in a painful way and she lashed back out at the man who now seemed to tower over her, "I DO APPRECIATE IT! I know about it more than you would believe!"
"What? How could you-," Ash stammered before Zoey realized what she said and completely sidestepped the raven-haired man.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
"To check up on two people who deserve more attention than you!" she answered forcefully and with some venom in her words.
Ash let out a growl of exasperation and followed her back into the medical wing of the contest hall, trying his best to swallow his rage before he encountered the two traumatized women. However, he returned to find that Dawn's medical bay was empty. He looked to the local TV screen on one of the walls of the common area to see that Dawn was already emerging onto the field which had now been cleared of the debris. Zoey was already leaving the wing via the stage entrance on the opposite side from where Ash currently stood. He took the opportunity and entered the small bay in which Misty resided. She sat on the bed, still not quite herself. Her face was no longer the introspective and emotionally devoid form it was minutes ago, but didn't seem to have the full emotional depth that she normally possessed. Ash immediately tapped her shoulder to get the girl's attention.
"Hey. Did the Doctor give you a clean bill of health?" Ash asked her.
Misty merely nodded and looked at him, a small smile crawling onto her face. The appearance of a positive emotion on her face eased the weight in Ash's chest slightly.
"Great, let's go watch the finals, that should cheer you up," Ash suggested tenderly.
Misty nodded once more, and took the hand that Ash offered gingerly. She pulled herself off the patient bed and followed Ash into the side hall that connected to the now blocked off main hallway. They stepped into the stairwell that branched off from it and ascended to the upper balcony where they took their seats and leaned forward expectantly to watch the final round of the contest. They arrived just in time for the MC's announcements.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience and delays! I assure you, we've had people check out the rest of the building structure and can assure you that no further danger is present. With the stage cleared of the mess, we can continue on with the finals! It's going to be a fiery one folks! First, a three-time Top Coordinator and legend in the contest community: please put your hands together for Zoey of Snowpoint City!"
A loud cheer went up and the stadium and it seemed to almost shake in response. Misty apprehensively looked above her. Ash noticed this and wrapped his arm around the shaky woman and whispered to her soothingly, "It's ok, nothing's going to fall anymore. I'm here to keep you safe."
Misty cooed into his shoulder and gripped the arm he was holding her with tightly, almost to the point of cutting off circulation. Ash withstood it though, knowing she needed the security the gesture offered.
Lilian finished her introductions in short order, "And her opponent is her constant challenger! Always keeping pace, and always dazzling us with her spectacular combinations! Three-time grand festival runner-up and two time winner of the Wallace Cup! It's Dawn of Twinleaf Town!"
Another massive cheer resounded through the building at her introduction, just as loud as it was for Zoey. Most here were avid fans of the contest circuit, no matter the location. Dawn and Zoey were both big names, and any opportunity to see either of them was considered a guarantee of a great show. Seeing them together was a portent of a grand spectacle without a doubt.
Ash didn't cheer for a number of reasons. Firstly, because Misty was still in a state of semi-shock and he didn't want to jostle her unnecessarily. Secondly, and most important to him was the fact that Dawn knew he loved Misty. He was absolutely crushed that she found out now of all times and he couldn't muster the outward enthusiasm he normally possessed. If he had to tell her, he wanted it to have been done more gently, and in a less stressful environment. He knew this meant hard times ahead for him, but he was most concerned for Dawn's well-being. He knew it was going to take a toll on the coming battle for her. But he believed in her. He might not have been cheering for Dawn vocally, but his mind and heart were with her. He only wished she knew it.
And with Ash, Misty, and all in attendance watching with rapt attention, Lilian Meridian announced the words that everyone had been waiting for, "Let the final contest battle begin!"