Chapter 5
Misty awoke just after sunrise. Her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun that was pouring in through the blinds of the Pokemon center. Ash and Tracey were still asleep in their top bunk beds and Togepi was still curled up in his shell, peacefully fast asleep.
She looked over at the bottom bunk next to her, the one where Tracey was sleeping at the top. She had gotten so used to waking up in Pokemon centers and seeing Brock over there sleeping, or just waking up, but now it was just empty. Her mind drifted back to the dream she just had.
She had been dreaming about Brock for the last three months, since he had left. Sometimes they were just dreams that he was still around, and that she felt happy. Sometimes they were dreams about him leaving again, and she would try to get him to stay but would always fail. Sometimes they were hot, erotic dreams that left her feeling aroused and restless when she awoke from them.
Last night had been one of those erotic dreams. She turned over to face the wall, and closed her eyes again. It felt so painfully good that she almost wished she could go back to sleep and continue her dream.
She tried to go back to sleep, but it just wasn't working. She got up out of bed and decided to take a walk on the beach. Hopefully the boys wouldn't worry too much about her, espeically Tracey, he seemed to always be the one who wanted to look out for her.
The beach was quiet this time of day, just as the sun was rising. The ocean sparkled in the morning light and there was a cool breeze coming off of the ocean. The wind rustled the palm leaves and whipped through her long, red hair as she settled by the pier.
The sunrise was beautiful, and she often wondered if Brock was watching the same sunrise or sunset that she was looking at. Then she painfully thought that maybe he was watching it with Professor Ivy. She missed him so much that it hurt, physically. She had held in so many tears for the past few months, she just couldn't do it anymore.
She sobbed quietly, leaning her back against the posts of the pier, she let the ocean waves drown her sobs out. The water splashed against her bare legs, and she remembered how Brock held her in his arms to keep her from falling, and how he kissed her and touched her. That look in his eyes, the one that said he loved her, it was all nothing but a lie.
She wiped her tears away, but more came and she felt like she might cry forever.
"Excuse me, Miss?" A voice said from over the loud crash of the ocean waves.
Misty opened her eyes and looked up to see a handsome man, about Brock's age, with dark red hair and blue-green eyes. She blushed and stood up straight.
"Oh, uhm, Hi," She responded, trying to act like she wasn't crying, even though it was futile.
"Why are you crying, Beautiful?" He asked. "It better not be because of a broken heart. No man in his right mind would break the heart of a woman as pretty as you are. My name's Rudy! May I ask you your name, Miss?"
"My name is Misty," she said, and he grabbed her hand.
"Misty, I promise you, whatever you are upset about, I can make it better. I can cheer you up," Rudy exclaimed. "Why don't you and I have dinner together this evening? I'm a good cook!"
"Oh, Rudy...I-" She started, but he cut her off.
"No expectations, just dinner," he said, smiling. "I can show you my gym. I'm the Trovita Island gym leader, you know?"
"You are? My friend...he wants to battle you in a match," Misty told him.
"Great. You have dinner with me tonight and I'll battle your friend tomorrow," Rudy kissed the back of her hand. "I'll see you tonight at 8:00?"
"S-sure," she agreed hesitantly. OK, So now she had a date with a complete stranger who just saw her bawling her eyes out over her crush...or ex-crush, or whatever Brock was to her now.
...
Brock stood outside on the balcony that overlooked Valencia beach from Professor Ivy's house. This was such a beautiful place. It was warm and sunny every single day. Palm trees, crystal clear water and white sand for as far as the eye could see. Fascinating and mysterious islands were all around, as well as unusal Pokemon. This place was paradise.
But with each passing day, he felt more empty. He felt sad, defeated, isolated, and even lonely. He couldn't really talk to Felina. They would have sex, and then have more sex, and then after a while Brock just wanted someone he could sit and talk to, and he couldn't talk to her. She was always rushing off to work, or too tired to talk, and she would often be frustrated with him when he would make a stupid joke.
Misty would always laugh at him.
He took a sip of his coffee and looked at the sunrise. It was gorgeous out here. The sky made the ocean look like a sea of gold in the mornings, and tons of different water Pokemon would come up to shore to feed every day. He smiled when he thought about how much Misty would have liked to see that.
The sliding glass door opened, and Brock turned around to find Hope looking at him through tired eyes. She adjusted her glasses and walked over to him.
"You're up early," she said, leaning on the balcony rail next to him.
"Yea, I couldn't sleep too well," he said, taking another sip of coffee. "Do you want a cup? There is plenty."
"No thanks," she said, in her nasily rough voice. "I don't really like coffee."
"Are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast? I can make pancakes, or omlettes," Brock offered.
"You are always desparately trying to take care of us," Hope said, smiling. "I feel like we kind of take advantage of you. You don't ever ask for anything in return."
"I'm the oldest of 10 children," Brock told her. "I took care of all of them. It's kind of just what I have always known. My dad is a drunk, and my mother isn't exactly the motherly type. My brothers and sisters relied on me. I feel strange when I don't have someone I can take care of."
Hope smiled up at him. "That's really sweet, Brock. You're so nice!"
"Just doing my job," he responded, looking at the ocean. It always reminded him of Misty. So unpredictable, full of energy and life and so amazingly beautiful.
"Brock," Hope said, feeling nervous. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course," he responded.
"That girl, the one with the red hair," she said, tugging at her own hair. "Do you still love her?"
Brock snapped his gaze at her, surprised. "Hope, I-I-I didn't love her, I've never loved her." He stammered.
"Look, I may be a nerd, and I may not have much experience with boys, and I may even have a really, really bad crush on you, but I know a lie when hear one," she said. "I saw the way she looked at you that day when she was here. You were too interested in the Professor to notice, but she looked at you like you were the only guy in the world. I overheard you and the Professor talking about what she saw on the beach the night before she and that other kid left. And I've noticed the way you come out here in the mornings and watch the sunset by yourself, like you are thinking about something. Even now, when I mention her, you get this distant look in your eyes like you can't get her off your mind."
Brock took a sip of his coffee while he formulated an answer in his mind. "You're very observant."
"I observe Pokemon mating habits," she said, matter-of-factly. "Human mating habits really aren't much different. A male is going to go with the female who he is most likely to pass his genes along with to offspring. However, it has been observed in some Pokemon, that even if that female is not able or is not sexually mature enough to produce offspring, the male will try to pursue her if those Pokemon are familiar with eachother. In your case, you went with the Professor because you knew you could sleep with her, while the other girl was not quite ready to take it that far. It's only natural. But since you two are comfortable and familiar with eachother, you can't seem to get her off your mind. Also, I found this in your sock drawer."
She handed him a picture that was taken back in Celedon city at the mall. Ash had gone off to get some food, and the two of them had found a photobooth. They decided to keep some goofy pictures together, and for some reason, Brock never threw the strip away.
"Why were you in my sock drawer?" Brock asked, feeling a little violated.
"The Professor is becoming suspicious of your feelings, and she will start to snoop around later and use evidence against you," Hope adjusted her glasses. "I saw you looking at this the other night when I was on my way to bed while the Professor was working late. I figured you wouldn't want the Professor to see that you had this. I don't want you two to break up. I like having you around."
"Well, I like being here," he said, looking down at the picture. One picture Misty had kissed him on the cheek, and she was so damn beautiful. "It's just..."
"You still love Misty," Hope said, nodding her head. "I get it, Brock. I'll let you in on a little secret...I'm not exactly as innocent as my sisters."
Brock laughed and put the picture strip in his pocket. "Oh, really?"
She nodded. "I fooled around with the Professor's last boyfriend about 6 months ago. We had sex a couple of times, and then they broke up and so he stopped seeing me. I had feelings for him, but I don't think he returned them. I can't get an attractive guy like you to ever have any feelings for me."
"Hey, hey," Brock said, touching her shoulder. "Don't say that. You're pretty, and you're smart. You're still young, there is plenty of time.
She blushed and looked at his hand on her shoulder. "You really think so?"
"I know so," he kissed her forehead. "Cheer up and get your sisters up for breakfast. I'll make something before you four go off to the lab for the day."
...
"A date?" Tracey asked. A sinking feeling began his chest as he watched his pretty female companion search through her backpack for something to wear.
"Yea, I went out walking on the beach the Gym Leader of this island came up to and asked me if Id like to go on a date with him," Misty told him. "I agreed to it and told him I knew a freind who wanted to challenge him."
"You have a date with the Trovita Island gym leader?" Ash asked, raising his head up from this bowl of rice. "You're actually going to go?"
"Yes, I'm going to go," she pulled out a short white dress that she hadn't worn since Ash's celebration dinner back at Pallet Town. It was the only thing she had that she felt looked nice enough to go on a date in. "I went on that date with Danny back on Naval Island, and we really liked eachother. Maybe I'll have a nice time with Rudy, too."
"Rudy?" Tracey asked, rolling his eyes. "What kind of a name is that?"
"It's a nice name," Misty replied, absently, straightening out her dress, then she searched for her make up.
"What kind of a guy just goes up to a girl on a beach and asks her out?" Tracey asked, sitting on the unused bottom bunk bed.
"Brock would," Ash mentioned, casually and Misty froze.
"No, Brock is a jerk!" She yelled, causing Ash to recoil in fear. "Rudy is very polite and charming. He is the complete opposite of Brock!"
"Well, I don't care what you do, as long as I get to battle him tomorrow," Ash said, opening the door to their room. "C'mon Tracey. Let's go get some food. I'm straving."
Tracey watched as Misty emerged from the bathroom a moment later in her short, white dress. He just stood and stared at her as she fixed her hair in the mirror, his mouth hanging open.
"Tracey, are you coming?" Ash asked.
"Uh...y-yea, I'm coming," his throat was suddenly very dry. "You look fantastic, Misty." He stepped towards her, his eyes glued to her body.
"You really think so?" She asked, running a brush through her long hair once again.
"Oh, yea," he wanted to reach out and touch her pefectly smooth legs. He wanted to push her against the wall and kiss her and tell her he was the guy she was supposed to be with, but he didn't have the boldness to do it. "You must really like this Rudy guy to get all dressed up for him like this."
"He's cute," she replied, spraying herself with perfume she had gotten in Celedon City. "I don't really know him well enough to like him yet, but that's what the date is for." She smiled at Tracey, and looked back at the mirror.
He turned around and left the room to join Ash down in the lobby for dinner.
A half an hour later, Misty met Rudy down by the pier where he had first seen her that morning. He was dressed in a light blue polo shirt and shorts. His hair was perfect, his skin was tanned, his eyes sparkled a deep wintry blue.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. "Wow, you look incredible. Very sexy." He pulled out a bouquet of roses from behind his back. "For you."
"Oh, Rudy! Thank you!" She said, smelling the roses. He put his arm casually behind her back and walked her to his gym. It was a huge place, almost like a palace.
"Welcome to the Trovita Island Gym," He led her down a hallway into a dining room with lowlighting and a dinner set out for two. He pulled out her chair and she sat down, and he sat down across from her.
"I made a salad and nice cheese ravioli. It's my family's secret recipe," he said. They talked about everything from their families, to their goals and aspirations. Misty had mentioned she was the youngest of the sensational sisters at Cerulean City Gym.
"Well, you are far more beautiful than your sisters will ever be," Rudy said, taking her hands into his and kissing the back of them. "I hope you don't have a curfew with your friends."
"I don't," she said.
"Good," he took one last sip of his wine and stood up. "Let me take you up to the roof to have a dance with me."
His eyes sparkled in the dim light and she took his offered hand. He led her up to the roof. Christmas lights were string up around the area, giving it a soft, romantic glow. Soft music came out of two large speakers, and the view was absolutely gorgeous from up here. She could see so far out in the ocean, lights from boats softly glistened in the distance and the city below them sparkled with street lights.
The stars were clear and the moon was illuminating the sky. This night was perfect, and the man holding her in his arms was right now was extremely attractive, charming, and romantic. There was no way she was going to let the thought of Brock ruin this date for her.
"Misty," he said, sweeping her hair from her eyes. "I'd be extremely honored if you would stay here with me. With your experience as a gym leader, and mine, we could be the most powerful gym in all of the Orange Islands. I certainly wouldn't mind having a beautiful girl like you around."
"Rudy," She said, blushing.
"Don't reject me just yet, Sweetheart," he whispered softly, his lips hovering just inches away from hers.
Sweetheart? She really wished he wouldn't call her that. That's what Brock called her.
He pulled her into him, and pressed his lips firmly against hers. She kissed him back, fluttering her eyes shut and wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up and placed her on a futon he had over by the wall. He smiled down at her, and she nervously awaited to see what he was going to do next.
"You are so damn beautiful," he said, slowly reaching his hand underneath her dress. "Has anyone ever made you feel beautiful before, Sweetheart?"
She looked up at him, as his fingers brushed the inside of her thigh, playfully. He was so much like Brock. His confidence, his demeanor, the way he spoke, but yet, he wasn't Brock and he never would be Brock.
"Once," she replied, feeling the tears sting her eyes. Oh god, she was NOT going to cry! No way!
"I bet I can make you feel better than he ever did," Rudy kissed her softly and ran his hands over her smooth legs. His hands eventually settled in between her thighs and she tensed up. The last time she was touched there was with Brock, and the fimiliairty of the feeling he gave her made her want to cry.
"Don't be afraid, Sweetheart," Rudy whispered, and Misty closed her eyes and she couldn't help but picture Brock, hovering over her, expertly coaxing her body into orgasm again. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do."
"OK," she timidly agreed, and he rubbed his fingers on the silk material of her panties. He started to kiss her neck and apply his weight on top of her. She felt the tears spill from her eyes, and she tried to not make a noise, but Rudy must have seen her, because he stopped.
"Hey, hey," he said, looking down at her. "What's wrong, Baby? Am I hurting you?"
"No," she replied, sitting up, swinging her legs over and wiping her eyes. "I just...I'm still a virgin and..."
"Oh," Rudy said, sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry. I went too far too fast. I thought when you said you had been with someone before you actually had sex."
"No, I didn't," she said, feeling stupid. She wasn't crying out of fear, she was crying because she missed Brock and she wanted nothing more than for him to be the one who was touching her like that.
"I didn't mean to scare you," he said, sincerely, putting his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm not scared," Misty said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "That's not why I'm crying. Honestly, Rudy, I'm in love with someone else."
"Really?" Rudy felt his heart sink. "Well, does he love you back?"
"No," she shook her head, feeling the tears coming again. "I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. It's been months since we have spoken and I'm still so very much in love with him. Everytime I go out on a date with a guy, I end up thinking about him and it just depresses me."
"You have to learn to move on, Honey," he said softly, kissing her cheek. "How about I walk you back to your hotel and you think about my offer about staying here and helping me run the gym? You can give me you answer tomorrow after my gym battle with your friend."
"Alright," she nodded, standing up. He smiled at her and led her down to the beach.