This was one of my favorite chapters since I did this part of the role play with my friend and we were up until 6 AM... On a school night! That was one of the oddest days of school... Anyways, this chapter has loads of Pokeshipping. Have fun and let me know what you think. :3
Warrior Pokemon Ch 5
"Hey Ash, guess what?" May called as she bounced over.
Ash glanced up from the vole he was devouring; none of the so-called "fresh kill" seemed to sustain his monstrous apatite. "What is it May?" he asked.
May leaned in close, her eyes narrowed as if she had juicy gossip, which she probably did, knowing her. "Brock has… pause for dramatic effect…" she said, "a girlfriend!"
Ash leaped back in surprise. "What? Never thought that'd happen in a million years…"
"I know right?" May giggled. "Guess who it is?"
"Nurse Joy?"
"Nope, Tigerpaw!" May said.
"Are you talking about me, Maypaw?" Tigerpaw suddenly appeared behind her and asked.
Horror overtook May's features at being caught gossiping. She spun around to face Tigerpaw with a sheepish smile. "Noooo…"
Ash hadn't gotten the memo yet. "Yeah we were. Wasn't Tigerpaw the one you said was Brock's girlfriend?"
May slapped her face with her paw.
Tigerpaw tipped her head to one side with a strange look. "Uh, I'm going to be Rockpaw's mate if that's what you're talking about…"
"Yeah, that's-" Ash cut himself off as his mistake finally slapped him over the back of the head like a brick. "Yeah I meant Rockpaw, eheheh," Ash stuttered. "Where is he anyway?"
"Just getting some fresh kill for my Sweet and I," Brock answered as he joined the group, gripping a large thrush. He set the prey down. "Did you tell them the news?" His silted eyes twinkled as he spoke.
"No, they found out on their own somehow," Tigerpaw shrugged.
Firestar leaped atop the rock. "All cats gather; it is time to announce who's going to tonight's gathering."
Tigerpaw moaned. "Aw, I almost forgot about the gathering! I can't go yet!"
"Why can't you go?" May asked. She had no idea what a gathering even was but she decided playing coy would seem less suspicious.
"Cats who have just been made apprentices can't go the gathering until later into their apprenticeship. You guys might be able to go though," Tigerpaw explained, still moping.
Firestar called some names; some were familiar while others entered one ear and flew out the other. Ash, May and Brock were called among them.
Tigerpaw's ears and tail drooped. Brock noticed this and was instantly at her side. "Don't worry Darling, I will tell you everything that happens and count every second until we are back together again," he said in a way that made the she-cat swoon.
Ash gagged at the romantic mush, disappointed that Max would no longer be allowed to pull his ear when he flirted. This will be a lot to get used to… "Come on Br- Rockpaw; they're waiting on us," Ash said and began pushing Brock toward the waiting cats at the entrance.
"Farewell my beautiful flower, we will be together again before you know it," Brock called as he was pushed away.
Ash and May rolled their eyes as they trudged out of camp.
"This isn't as great as I thought it would be," May said with a yawn. "What do you guys think?"
"I can't have any fun without my Tigerpaw here to enjoy it with me," Brock wailed.
"What're you talking about? This is great," Ash enthused and looked around at all the cats together at the gathering place. They had to cross a fallen tree to get to an island that floated near the center of the lake. A humongous tree proudly towered over the small clearing. "We might meet someone who's been turned into cats like us. We should meet some of the other clans."
"Okay..." May said but didn't sound at all thrilled by the idea.
Ash wandered around the island, taking in the unique scents of each mingled clan; water, forest, heather and pine trees combined in one. He was so enthralled in his exploration that he didn't notice until too late that a cat was in front of him and ended up crashing head first into it.
"Ow, watch where you're going!" The cat spat as they both fell backwards from the impact.
The hostility in the cat's voice sparked indignant feelings in Ash, evoking a challenge in his eyes. "Hey, you're the one who-" He had been ready to launch a full fledged argument but his breath hitched in his throat when he saw the cat he had ran into. 'It's the cat from before!' he realized and leaped to his paws.
The orange cat that he had seen at the river stood before him, her tail tip twitching and eyes narrowed. Upon being closer to her, Ash noticed that she looked even more familiar. The fur that lined her face stuck out on one side like spikes, much like his, and was smoothed down on the other side. Perhaps the most familiar was an unusual tuft of fur behind her ear that stuck up, looking almost like a ponytail. She stared at him impatiently.
"Have I met you somewhere before?" he asked. He knew that he had obviously seen her across the river but upon looking into her eyes, he felt as if he had known her all his life.
She gave him a strange look. "No..." But upon giving him closer inspection, her eyes widened slightly. "Wait..." Suddenly her face caught on fire, showing through the fur, and she averted her eyes. "Uhhh- I..." She stuttered.
Ash blinked. "Huh? You what? You seem kinda... Familiar to me."
The cat looked up at him, her alluring eyes sparkling. "Can you think of a name?" She asked in a voice that sounded as soft as her fur looked.
Ash's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he racked his brain for a name. "Hmm... I think you're... Mist...erious person, Mist...aken answer, Mis...guided cat...?"
The cat looked to be getting angrier and angrier by the minute with her ears flattening to her head and her lip curling over her teeth. "Why I aughta..." She growled, her claws sliding out.
The wind suddenly blew Ash's fluffy dark gray pelt in a way that made him look sexy in the orange cat's eyes. The moon also beamed upon him in just the right position to where his chocolate brown eyes seemed to glow a honey gold.
The cat's hostility transformed into a love-drunk stare. "Oh wow..." She swooned.
The moment was over in an instant when the wind stopped blowing. Ash was still pondering. "Mis...cerulean?" He asked.
The cat's anger returned and reached its peak as she pulled a large tree branch out of seemingly nowhere and lifted it over her head with her paws. "That's not even a WORD," she screamed and slammed the branch down. Ash barely dodged it as it crashed down on a log, pelting him in a shower of splinters as the log exploded. "YOU IDIOT!"
Ash cowered down and stared up at the cat with eyes the size of Masterballs. "Misty?" He sputtered and stood up slowly on shaky legs.
Misty scoffed and turned away, putting the tree branch elsewhere. "Took you long enough."
Ash leaped up, forgetting his previous scare. "Wow, you knew who I was right away! It's great to see ya Misty!"
She glanced at him. "Great... How?"
Ash cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean? I'm just happy to see you. What clan are you in anyways?"
Misty sighed. "River."
"No wonder I've never met up with you before. It definitely fits you. I'm in Thunder with Brock, May and Max," he rambled. "Oh, speaking of Brock, this may shock you but he actually got a girlfriend!"
"Whaaaa?" Misty asked. 'Brock! BROCK! Before me?' She wondered in despair.
"Yeah, I was pretty amazed by that too," Ash continued, oblivious to her despair. "So how do you like it in Riverclan?"
"I don't really like anyone..." She said before catching herself. "I mean it's great and I like the sun." She sweat dropped, confusing Ash.
"Huh. I thought you would have liked all the water and stuff," Ash said.
"I do... Uh... How are you?" She scuffed her paws in the grass.
Ash gave her a strange look. She was acting weird. "I'm fine, I guess. But hey, if you don't like Riverclan then why don't you just come to Thunderclan?" His eyes lit up. "At least you know people there."
Misty sighed. "I don't know... Uh... Ash?" Her eyes fell to her paws.
"Yeah Mist?"
"Do you... Like anyone in Thunderclan?" She mumbled, her claws tearing up the grass below her paws.
"Like? Like how?" Ash blinked.
Misty glared at her paws, which tore into the grass more fiercely. "Like... Like like?"
"Like... Like like...?" He echoed. She watched as his expression changed while he went through his thought process, which finally stopped on realization. "Oh!" It then changed to suspicion. "Why?"
Misty's eyes widened and she took a nervous step back. "N-no reason. Your shoe's untied!"
"Oh, thanks," he said and looked down at his paws to tie his so-called shoes. It was about that time that he remembered he had turned into a cat. His head snapped up. "Hey wait a minute! Cats don't wear shoes!"
Horror overtook Misty's face at being caught. "Uh... I... Uh... Shinx," she stammered before falling over.
"Uh... Misty?" He poked her side with a paw and leaned over her. "Miiiiiiiiiisty, wake up." When she didn't respond, he started to become worried.
Misty's eyes opened slowly, accompanied by a groan. They shot open when she saw how close Ash was. "Ash!"
He leaped back in surprise. "You woke up," he sighed, "that's a relief." He gave her a strange look. "Why did you faint like that before?"
Her eyes threw daggers at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't faint!"
"But... You just did." Ash blinked. "You kinda scared me back there."
"Whatever," Misty huffed. "You've not answered my question."
"You asked me a question?" Ash lifted a paw to scratch behind his ear, eyes rolling back into his head again. "Oh yeah, I remember now. Um, no. I don't like like like anyone in Thunderclan. At least I don't... Think... So..."
Misty's tail tip twitched and her lip curled up. "You... Don't THINK so?!" She snarled, making Ash fall over.
"I- uh- no! I don't," Ash stammered, his fur bristling and back arched. "... Actually, I really don't now that I think about it." He shrugged. "Why do you care so much anyway?" He paused and stared at her as his mind finally began putting all of the pieces together. "Wait, do you-"
"The gathering's about to start," Misty interrupted in a haste.
"No! Answer MY question first," Ash said like a stubborn child, pouting to play the part.
"Yeah, Riverclan's great," Misty mumbled, avoiding his gaze and tearing up the grass again.
"Stop avoiding the question," Ash spat. "I answered your's so now you gotta answer mine!" He stared at her with a look that screamed "I won't stop asking until you tell me".
Misty's anxious eyes closed and her ears folded to her head. "Yes! Yes! I DO! I'VE LOVED YOU EVER SINCE I FIRST MET YOU! I LOVE EVERYTHING FROM YOUR INCREDIBLE BODY TO YOUR BRILLIANT PERSONALITY TO YOUR IGNORANT STUPIDITY! ALL I HAVE EVER WANTED WAS FOR YOU TO LOVE ME ASH KETCHUM," she screamed her confession, freezing when she noticed that every cat at the gathering, including the leaders, were staring at her. "Yeah, that's what my mom said that her sister's cousin said 'cause she was upset," Misty laughed nervously.
Everyone shrugged and went back to what they were doing, bar Ash.
Ash was so red that it was showing through his pelt like a stain. "Uh..." He swallowed and ran her words over in his mind, his eyes slitted. "Y-you WHAT?! I said like," he stammered and began freaking out with incoherent squeaks.
Misty looked away, ears hot from embarrassment. "Yeah, it's out." The moon switched to her side and lent its glow upon her, making her glossy orange pelt and luscious aqua eyes shimmer. "I love you Ash. But... Do YOU love ME?" She whispered, the moon aiding in her plea by making her ten times more beautiful in every way.
"I... Uh..." Her beauty struck through him, encasing him in a mystified daze.
Her expression fell, stricken by hurt. "I understand," she said, her voice hardly a whisper. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll leave now." She turned away before he could see the tears that were forcing their way out of her eyes and ran toward the bushes.
Ash stared after her, frozen in his daze momentarily before snapping out of it with an abrupt shake of the head. "Wait, Misty," he called, racing after her. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why didn't I say anything?! ANYTHING would have been better than nothing,' he mentally cursed himself. "Misty, please come back!"
Ash came across Misty crouched behind a bush, tears streaming from her eyes, although Ash thought that cats couldn't cry. A vision of Misty's human form with her head in her knees, crying her eyes out, formulated next to the cat, striking Ash like a blow through his heart. It meant more seeing her cry as a human, although it was still painful seeing her cry as a cat. He couldn't stand seeing her like that and the thought of him being the cause for her pain hurt him beyond belief. The vision vanished almost instantly but the cat Misty was still weeping.
Why didn't I see it before? I feel exactly the same way she does, Ash realized and began remembering all the times they had spent together on his adventure; how happy she had made him and how devastated he was when she left. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he stepped forward uneasily. "Misty?" he asked softly.
Her head snapped up and broke her tear line, scattering droplets everywhere. "Ash," she whispered before looking away in an attempt to hide her tears. "What do you want?"
Ash's ears drooped. "Look Misty, what you just told me… I was just shocked, I needed time to think," he said and she looked at him, hopelessness swimming in her gaze. "I thought it through and realized that I feel exactly the same way; I just didn't realize it before. I've always cared a lot about you but I didn't know how much until the day you left. After that day I had missed you so much and couldn't stop thinking about you. It hurt more and more each time you had to leave again. What I'm trying to say is," he took a deep breath, "I l-love you too," he stuttered.
By the time he had finished speaking, she was crying again. She leaped into him, burying her face in his neck fur. "Oh Ash, I was so…" she paused, as if trying to find the right words, "scared; scared that I wouldn't be enough for you. I've felt this way for so long but I didn't want to lose you if you didn't feel the same way. You really mean what you say?"
Ash frowned, sadness pouring through his veins. He had no idea that she had kept that secret for so long, afraid of him rejecting her. He wasn't sure how he would have reacted when he was younger; he might have rejected her. He was too young and stupid back then. "Yes, I do mean it Mist. I'm not really familiar with the whole concept of love but I'm sure now that that's what I'm feeling. I had tried for so long to figure out why I feel so differently toward you than my other friends. I want you by my side forever; I don't want you to leave ever again."
She pulled away slightly to look at him, her eyes glittering beautifully in the shaft of moonlight. "Oh Ash," she purred and rubbed against him.
Ash closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of her warmth; the smell of fresh water in her fur. They may be cats but he still felt the same as he would if they were humans. It was still her and he could never think about being this close to anyone else.
After a few blissful moments in each other's company, Misty pulled away with a sad sigh. "How is this going to work? In this world cats from different clans aren't supposed to be together. It's just like me being stuck at the gym. We're forced to be apart again," she said, desperation in her voice.
"No," Ash said. "I won't let that happen. I don't want you to leave again; especially not now that I know how I feel about you."
"I don't want to leave you again either but what can we do?"
"Well you said you didn't like Riverclan that much so why not just join Thunderclan?" Ash asked, his claws digging into the ground.
She looked unsure. "I don't know Ash… I would really miss the water. Would I even be accepted into your clan?"
"The other two clans attacked us so yours would be more likely to be accepted than any other clan. I really don't know what to say about the water but at least you'll be with Brock, May and Max and of course me. Please Misty," he said, his eyes pleading.
Misty nodded slowly, her eyes softening. "Alright Ash, I'll come with you. We might have to fight to be together but it's a fight I'm willing to see to the end. I trust you to be there for me." She snuggled against him again. "We'll do this together."
A warm and light feeling danced inside Ash as he returned the affection, his tail twining with hers. This was the happiest moment of his life. He lay his head on top of hers. "Together."
They sat there together, entranced in their own world where they were the only inhabitants. Nothing else mattered, not even the fact that they may never turn back into humans again. They could face anything, as long as they were together.
Suddenly the bushes behind them rustled and a figure stepped out of the shadows. Ash and Misty spun around to see who had caught them together, fearing that they would be torn apart again.