Spitfire, Chapter 20: Light
Addressing Misty the way that she did might not have been the best idea... The look that flooded into the red-heads eyes was detrimental, and slightly terrifying. Had May not stepped in when she did, Serena wasn't sure that she wouldn't be sporting a black eye right now. Serena brushed her hair gently while looking at herself in the bathroom mirror. By traditional fashion, she had started to wear the blue ribbon that Ash gave her around her neck in a little bow. It clashed with her red shirt that she wore and her pleated black skirt; but she couldn't find the strength to remove it.
Her blue eyes were puffy because she spent long hours talking with Bonnie the night previously, and didn't have a restful sleep when she did finally. She couldn't stop thinking of Ash, but most importantly, how far was too far. Most importantly, she felt torn up inside because she wasn't sure that fighting for him was the right thing to do. What was that phrase "You can't make someone love you"? She winced outwardly, and breathed.
Serena wiped her eyes and pat her her cheeks to bring a rosy color to them. Smiling sadly, she hung her head, causing her hair to fall in front of her face while she thought about this morning's incident. Bonnie was only trying to be helpful, but it was pretty obvious that Misty blamed Serena for her hair getting cut; only making matters worse between the two females. For a brief moment, Serena thought that she was being silly, that fighting for Ash was a ridiculous idea; but she shook the negativity from her mind.
No, she was going to fight for Ash, even if she didn't get him in the end. He was the corner stone that started her pokemon journey, he was the reason she wanted to be so successful. He was her child hood crush, and her first love years later. Serena had to try.
She recalled the morning following after Dawn and May left to get dressed for breakfast. Serena was sitting up in her make-shift bed, combing her hair when Bonnie nervously approached her. The small girl shuffled her feet as she stuck out her hand, revealing a wad of red hair. Serena's face paled.
"What in the world did you do?" She hissed while taking the hair and shoving it into the trash bin beside the couch. Looking around to see if anyone saw them, Bonnie shook frantically.
"I don't know! I was coming back from the washroom late last night, and she was asleep on the stairs and I don't know what happened! I was just so angry about everything you told me and..and..! I feel so bad!" Bonnie wailed, tears poking at the sides of her eyes while she moved to wipe them with her arm. Serena pat the bright haired girl on the shoulders.
"Bonnie, calm down. It's okay." Serena whispered, though secretly she did not think it was okay. Misty would be livid. Any sane person would be livid after waking up with their hair cut; Serena would be. "We won't tell her it was you, okay? She will probably blame me, and that's okay." Serena pat her on the shoulder, trying to comfort her young friend.
Bonnie gazed at her shoes and sniffled, "I'm really sorry."
"Maybe you should apologize to Misty?" Serena said quietly and then smiled briefly, they both knew that wasn't an option, at least not yet.
"I was just so upset after you told me everything; how Misty feels about Ash; and how he feels about her. It just doesn't seem fair. She was gone for so long and now she can suddenly tear apart or family." Bonnie muttered, looking distraught. Serena exhaled slowly, and knelt before the girl.
"We can't help how we feel about people, Bonnie. That's why I have to keep trying for Ash, even if the odds are against me." She paused and stood up to grab her day clothes, "Don't do anything else to any of the other girls and let me take care of this." her soft tone of voice brought a panicked Bonnie to a stand still and she looked off to the side while twiddling her fingers.
"I really like Misty, too, though...I hope she doesn't hate me for this."
If possible, Serena's chest started to warm up, and she smiled happily at Bonnie, "Me, too."
And after breakfast, regardless of what Serena had said to Misty; it was true that she didn't want Misty to hate her. They may not get along at first, and Serena would love to see Misty leave Ash alone, but at the same time, Serena hoped regardless of who Ash chose, her and Misty could be friends in the end. It was that hope that tore at Serena's chest while she primped her nails and exited the washroom. Misty was a nice girl, and was friendly to Serena; just Serena couldn't help but blame her as a result. It was her fault that Ash's heart was occupied, whether Misty knew it or not. Serena only hoped that the reason Ash was so slow to notice his feelings, and Misty's negligence to tell Ash her own, was because secretly, their feelings fell short of what they were supposed to be. That it wasn't 'real love'. That it was just confusion at it's finest.
Both Ash and Misty were stubborn, and that was why Serena believed that she had a chance. Albeit a small chance, it was one that Serena had to take. She loved Ash, and she couldn't understand that if Misty loved Ash as much as she did; why wouldn't Misty fight for Ash the same way that Serena would? So, she might have pressed Misty's buttons a little, stirred the pot enough so that Misty would act, or do what she was so great at; running away.
According to Brock, Misty was supposed to stifle the quelling fire of the other girls so that Ash would be able to make peace with himself, but all Serena saw was Misty falling on her face. Her own feelings creating unnecessary bias. It was like watching the blind leading the blind—How could Misty tell other girls to move on, if she hadn't moved on yet herself?
Great plan, Brock, Serena thought gratefully, but it had a terrible execution. While rounding the corner, Serena listened to May and Misty leave through the front door while the boys did the dishes. Suddenly, a flash of blue bounced in front of her: Dawn.
"Serena!" Dawn chirped happily clasping her hands together in front of her. Serena smiled at the bright female companion.
"Hey, Dawn, how are you?" Serena answered her call while Dawn draped an arm around Serena's shoulders and started to lead her outside.
"Oh, I'm doing pretty well!" Dawn said elated while throwing open the back door, she and Serena stepped into the brisk morning air with Dawn rubbing her hands together, "I just, well, I had a question for you."
Serena looked around her and then shrugged, "Sure, what is it?"
"Will you battle me?" Dawn asked, turning on her heels suddenly, forcing Serena to blink awkwardly.
"Uhm...yeah, but why?" Serena muttered while feeling for her pokeballs, they were on her belt, as usual. Dawn leaned up against the railing, tilting her head down and crossing her arms with a sly grin tugging at her lips.
"Well, I heard you talking to Ash last night." Dawn's voice made Serena blush, recalling what she said to Ash previously. "And I deduced that you two are no longer dating, correct?" Dawn asked while using air quotes around the world 'dating'. Serena swallowed hard. She honestly had no idea that Dawn's feelings were anything other than platonic, but could she have been wrong?
"Well...It's more like a break..." Serena commented, causing Dawn to smile wider, she stuck out her hand; extended her index finger and then winked.
"Then it's okay for me to suggest that the winner of this match gets to take Ash on a date?"
Worry flood into Serena's eyes, "Well that's..."
"What, are you chicken?" Dawn asked skeptically as piplup emerged from it's pokeball on cue to fan itself, mocking Serena.
"No! Just," Serena narrowed her eyes, "Alright, I accept your challenge!"
XOXOXXOXOXOXOXOX
Brock and Ash were stuck finishing the dishes while Max, Clemont and Drew sulked off to complete their own business. Ash grumbled while drying several plates and tucking them away into the appropriate cupboards. Years ago, he could have been the one slacking off, but here he was, drying dishes instead of battling. Misty was off shopping with May, and he was stuck with Serena; he only hoped that he could actually get a few battles in today to make up for lost time. Battling cleared his head, so maybe he would be better able to face this Misty and Serena fandango that he got himself stuck into if he had time to think about something else. The problem was that he didn't want to think about something else. It entrapped ever fiber of his being. Misty had only briefly made contact with Ash's flesh, and that was all he could feel on his upper arm, even after he showered and changed his clothes. While Serena touched him all the time and it never bothered him. Not to mention that Mexican stand off between the two girls. He hoped that they weren't still arguing, and that what ever they were fighting about was solved with the conversation they had after break fast.
He grimaced, missing Brock yammering along at him. The way that Misty left in a huff, though, with her shoulders squared and her chest puffed up; she looked ready to punch someone, not make up peacefully in any shape. He sighed mentally while slipping a plate into he cupboard. Brock, finally tired of Ash's thoughtlessness, grabbed his shoulder and shook him.
"Have you listened to anything I've said?" Brock asked, laughing slightly while Ash looked forward at the mess he was creating. Plates were not stacked properly and he had to catch them to prevent them from breaking.
"Sorry!" Ash cheered after fixing his mistake, "I've just had a lot on my mind."
"I can tell, I didn't think you were the thoughtful type, Ash. Girl problems must be really getting to ya'" Brock grinned while he joked, but Ash wasn't seeing the humor behind his words.
"Are girls usually this crazy?" Ash asked skeptically, "I mean, I thought Serena would yell at me, anything. But instead she forgave me and fought with Misty. I really don't understand." He sighed while drying a few of the mugs from breakfast, pausing thoughtfully on the one that Misty had drank out of. Brock watched this action skeptically, of course, and shook his head. He truly felt sorry for Ash.
"I think there's a lot more to it, if you would just realize it yourself."
Ash rolled his eyes, "Yeah, like what?"
"Well, you did mention last night that you were upset about Gary and Misty, maybe Serena blames Misty, the same way you blame Gary?"
Ash scoffed, "That's not the same thing."
Brock tilted his head and raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. "You would be surprised." Brock suggested causing Ash to put the mug he was drying so carefully down against the counter.
"What does that mean?" Ash demanded, causing Brock to chuckle.
"You don't think it's strange at all that you're upset at Gary over all of this?" Brock questioned and Ash fidgeted uncomfortably. Of course he could have gotten angry at Misty, but she was the innocent one in all of this—why did it matter if he was mad at Gary.
"Why does it matter if I'm mad at Gary or not?" Ash asked and Brock sighed.
"The better question is why are you mad at Gary at all?" Ash opened his mouth to reply to Brock's comment, and then shut it quickly. His heart raced in his chest the same way that it had the night before when he and Misty were talking on the deck; but didn't understand the association. Instead, he clammed up, and suddenly felt ill and slightly anxious.
"Well, aren't you upset that Gary would think it's okay to kiss Misty?" Ash suggested while pursing his lips. Brock chuckled,
"No, because I only have platonic feelings for Misty." with Brock's reply came euphoric embarrassment trickling onto Ash's cheeks. He spun to stare at Brock.
"What is that supposed to mean!?" He yelped childishly while Brock buckled forward from laughter. Ash stared for a long moment, chest and cheeks puffed out in humiliation while he grumbled.
"I don't like Misty." he retorted defensively, though he could feel a burning sensation in his stomach that screamed otherwise. The same one he got every other time he was accused of said feeling—though, those times were so many years ago now, he hardly remembered them.
Brock chuckled at Ash's words, but shook his head instead of offering a reply as they wrapped up the dishes calmly with little to no conversation starting between the two of them after Brock's comment. Ash's cheeks remained red while he toyed with the idea of dating Misty. It seemed crazy to him, but the more he thought about it, the tighter his throat became. Perhaps it was the grip of her warm, slender hands wrapping around his neck, but it was most likely because he hadn't inhaled for a little over a minute. His lungs started to hurt when by the time he exhaled and then inhaled sharply, trying to drain the image from his mind.
Sure, he liked Misty; they were best friends, but did he love Misty? No! that was crazy! Simply crazy! A ludicrous idea! Especially because Misty definitely didn't like him. Ash's face scrunched up while he thought and bit the inside of his cheek. His heart threatened to burst out of his chest, and when Brock realized that he wasn't breathing properly, he pat his friend on the back and looked worriedly at Ash.
"Dude, I was just kidding. Calm down." Brock offered carefully, watching the color return to Ash's face while he exhaled. Of course, Brock was joking. It was just a joke.
...Wasn't it?
"Right, sorry. Anyways, I wonder if we should try to call Iris or Cilan today?" Ash mumbled, changing the subject. Brock shook his head at Ash's stubborn personality, but smiled regardless.
"Sure thing." Brock replied weakly. On the table behind the boys, Brock spared a glance at Pikachu who sighed dramatically at their conversation and face-palmed at his dense trainer.
The kitchen was quiet while Ash and Brock finished the dishes; and even quieter when Ash moved to dial the number his mom had written down as Iris's contact information. He reached her voice mail, left a quick message, and then called Cilan.
"I wonder why they're not here yet?" Ash spun on the bar-stool that sat beside the raised phone. Brock shrugged,
"Maybe something came up? Unova is pretty far away from here, after all." Brock suggested, while Ash slumped his shoulders sadly. Behind Brock, Dawn came around the corner and entered the kitchen, beaming. Ash smiled at her.
"Hey Dawn."
"Hey Ash, hey Brock, did you finish your chores?" She hummed while snacking on the remaining food platter left on the table. Ash perked up upon seeing Dawn and he hopped down from the stool.
"We just finished," Glancing at Brock, Ash paused, "What's up?"
"Well, I just beat Serena in a battle," Dawn pursed her lips and bat her eyes at Ash, he immediately felt uncomfortable. "Winner gets to take Ash on a date." She grinned at her own devious plan, but Ash wasn't so clever.
"Don't I get a say in this?" Ash called wide-eyed, but Dawn simply shook her head, while Brock face-palmed at her brashness.
"I sure wish go through this many hoops for me." He grumbled. Ash pointed desperately at his long time friend and had to stop himself from shrieking.
"See, Brock wants to go, take Brock!" Ash whined to Dawn, but the coordinator wasn't hearing it. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
"But we never get to hang out Ash, just the two of us!" She whined, stomping her foot playfully on the ground. In the background, a slightly charred Piplup hopped onto the kitchen table with the intention of eating the left overs, "pip lup pip!" it agreed with it's trainer, and Ash staggered. After a brief moment of hesitation; he exhaled timidly.
"Okay, just...nothing weird, okay?" He offered and Dawn looked horrified.
"Me, weird? Never." She grinned and then latched her arm around Ash's and dragged him out of the kitchen. Pikachu and Piplup followed after, though the latter of which held an amount of food between it's feathers while waddling through the house to the front door.
"And what did Serena say about this?" Ash suddenly asked, but Dawn shrugged her shoulders.
"What can she say, I won?" Dawn threw back and Ash had to sigh while tugging on his cap. He could have sworn that he saw Serena watching from the stairs, looking at the two of them leaving with a defeated, bored look—but he didn't stop to say anything. It was just Dawn, Serena had nothing to worry about. Of course, he could have said the same about May.