Chapter 6- "Double Date"

{A/N: Lonewolf- after reading your review I died. Then came back to life. Then almost screamed. Then started working on Chapter six with a big grin on my face. :D

Btw- Gail gets some sass…. But I still love her.

Disclaimer time! I don't own Pokémon! }

The sun rose on the next day. But no one guessed how big this day would end up being. No one even thought of the struggles and tears that would form. Yet it happened anyway.

Gail got up before Ash, learning the hard way he likes his sleep. She stepped onto the porch to see an envelope waiting for her on the porch. She scooped it up and walked back inside, reading it. "Hey Ash?" She called out, wondering if he'd wake up. She folded the letter back up and looked at him. "Ash?" Gail asked again, shaking his shoulder. Ash just moaned and rolled over. "Don't make me use an awakening on you. 'Cause I brought some, and I'm not afraid to use it." She threatened, sitting down on the edge of the couch. Her long brown hair cascaded down to her thighs.

"I'm up!" He said, instantly perking up. He'd known from past experience of 38 hours of being awake straight that awakening on a human wasn't pretty. He noticed the note in her hand. "What's that?" He asked, sitting up a little more.

"I found this outside." She said. "We are being summoned to a…" She looked at the letter again. "Dining hall." She read it off the paper. "At noon." She reported and put the letter down. "So wake up." She said, poking his shoulder. That's in 45 minutes." She got up and rifled through her bag. She grabbed a clean shirt and jean shorts and looked back at him. He had laid back down and his eyes were closed. "If I come out of this bathroom and you're still there, I'm using it!" She threatened and shut the bathroom door.

Ash hopped up and grabbed a black tee shirt. He didn't bother to change his jeans; he was too lazy to. He ran a hand through his matted hair and put on his League hat and his jacket. Gail came out in a t-shirt and the shorts he had grabbed. She must've also brushed through her hair, because there was no way that girl woke up with perfect hair. She had her purple bandanna from the day before as a headband again and smiled at him. "Good, lazy bones." She said, giggling.

Misty found a note at her doorstep. "Eric, we have to be at the dining hall at 1:30 this afternoon." She shouted to him since he was in the shower. She sat down on the bed and re-read the note. It called for all the odd numbered cabins to come at 1:30. Huh. I wonder what it could be if all the even cabins aren't there?

At noon, Gail and Ash walked to the dining hall, which was in the middle of all the cabins, next to the pool. They were talking when they walked in. "And after I got the Badge, I…" He was cut off by seeing the host of the show standing there, and three other couples in the dining hall. "What is this exactly again?" He whispered to Gail.

"She called all the even cabins here at 12. Otherwise, I don't know."

Ash and Gail walked to the dining hall at noon. Later, Misty and Eric went to the same place, to hear the same thing. Both times, the host addressed the couples by opening her arms. "Welcome, children. I'm here to tell you that tonight you will be having another challenge. But this one is different." She said, looking at them. "Not all challenges are physical challenges. Challenges are just to help your relationships grow and your love blossom."

At that, Ash balled up his fists and scrunched his face, but he quickly relaxed them so that he wouldn't offend Gail. Misty, however, found a heavy blush creep up into her cheeks when she heard that and covered her face with her hands with laughed to himself and pulled one of Misty's hands from her face. "Hey, stop covering that pretty face." He told her and smiled.

Misty smiled at him. That's sweet, but I don't really feel for him that way. Or at least not yet. She thought. But she definitely would admit that she was glad he was there. He knew how to comfort her in these kinds of situations.

"Today, you will be on a date." The host said to both groups. Misty felt another blush coming when she heard this, while Ash decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the benefit of others. He just pulled his cap down to hide his face from the cameras that were surrounding them. "But you're not going alone." The host added, looking for a reaction. Oh great, now I can make a fool of myself in front of MORE people? Ash thought as he looked up. In both sessions, couples looked at each other and made silent agreements like kids in school when a teacher tells them to partner up for a project. "But there is one more thing." After she said that, every eye was trained on her with anticipation. "The couple you are going out with is not in this room." Another dramatic pause. "They are over there." She said and pointed. With the even cabin group, she pointed to the odd cabins. To the odd cabins, she pointed to all the even cabins. That was why they were separated when told this. For drama purposes. "Good luck, have fun, and most important, bud your romances, my lovely doves!" The host said and walked out, dismissing them.

There were various date activities- dinner, movies, going to the park, etc. All couples were randomly paired with another and given a date activity. Gail checked outside where they were posted. "We're having dinner!" She called back to Ash. She walked back into the cabin to find Ash holding up a suit, purple dress shirt, and tie. "Oh. My. Lugia." She said as she fawned over it. "You're gonna look so adoreable!"

To that Ash laughed. "Your choices are over there." He pointed to the bed where Three purple dresses were laid out- varying lengths and styles. Gail snatched one up and ran into the bathroom. She had picked a strapless, knee-length dress adorned with a black bow around the waist and rhinestones studding the top. She then picked her bag up off the floor and opened it. "Hello, Makeup." She said and started digging.

Misty and Eric walked in to find clothing on the door and bed. A suit for Eric- with a red shirt and tie, and three dresses for Misty. They already knew what they were doing for the date, they just didn't know who they were going with. She grabbed one that went down to her calves and glittered in any light. "Be right back!" She shouted out to Eric as she walked into the bathroom.

Eric got changed quickly and ran a hand through his short hair. He tapped his fingers on the wall as he was waiting when Misty came out. Her hair was down, matching the color of the dress. Eric smiled at her and she smiled back. "Shall we?" He offered and held out his hand to her.

She laughed and took it. "We shall." Misty said and took his hand. They walked out to see that they got to be driven there in a sports car. "Awesome." Misty said and climbed in after Eric.

Gail brushed through her hair once more and opened the door a crack. "Is it clear to come out? You're all dressed?" She called out to Ash.

"All clear. No way I take that long." He teased her. She stepped out and he immediately bit his words. She looked stunning in the dress and make up.

"So… What do you think?" She asked and bit her bottom lip anxiously.

Ash could hardly force words from his mouth. With her hair parted to the side, she looked like a movie star. "Y-you look p-pretty Gail." He stammered with wide eyes.

"Not looking bad yourself." She said walking over to him. "And shut up about me taking long." She punched his arm and laughed. Together they walked out to realize that, since they came in first place for the challenge, their ride to and from their date was a limo.

Ash and Gail arrived at one of the entrances to the Italian restaurant they were having dinner at. They were informed by the limo driver that the other couple would arrive soon, so they went inside. Gail grabbed Ash's hand. "What if they're mean?" She asked nervously. Ash just laughed.

"I'm sure they won't be mean, Gail." He said and squeezed her hand. "So let's just go."

Together, they walked inside, ready to brace any couple- nice, mushy, or mean.

Eric got out of the car and helped Misty out. He held out his arm for her, which she promptly clung to. "Ready?" He asked.

She looked at him and said, "As I'll ever be."

Ash and Gail walked straight ahead, looking for their other couple when a boy and girl walked in, matching in red. When there was only ten feet between the two couples, all four of the teens stopped short.

All four shared a collective gasp as they recognized someone with in the other couple. "Eight years…" Gail mumbled to herself but loud enough for Ash to hear.

Without taking his eyes off the red head in the dress across from him, he wondered- How does Gail know I traveled with HER eight years ago?

Misty's stomach did a somersault, like it did at the pool when she had heard that voice. Only this was about ten times worse. She recognized the dashing young man staring at her; No, He does NOT look good Misty! She told herself, trying to believe it. The whole point of my sisters tricking me into coming here is so that I can start fresh, so I'm NOT going to end up with Ketchum…" She thought, but that last sentence accidently sent her into her deepest fantasy of the past eight years- the one where Ash returned the love she'd had for so long. No, snap out of it, Misty. You don't like him anymore. He was rude and cruel. And he didn't call *once*. She grumbled "Ketchum…" To make it obvious that she didn't want anything to do with him.

"Abbie?" Eric asked in a hopeful, yet bewildered voice. It was returned with a

"Is that you, Contest-Boy?"

A smile played across Eric and Gail's lips as they let go of their dates and rushed forward for a hug. "I haven't seen you in SO long!" Gail exclaimed, hugging her old friend. Ash then understood why she preferred to be called 'Gail' rather than 'Abbie' when it came to nicknames. 'Abbie' was ERIC'S nickname for her; it was his and only his. She didn't want to be called it by anybody else. And with that Ash felt his first actually romantic feeling towards Gail- jealousy. Maybe It was because this was a competition. Maybe he was fooling himself.

He snapped out of it when he heard his last name spewed from Misty's mouth, full of venom. Why does she sound like she hates me? He wondered and only hoped Misty was joking with him and that they would soon rejoice like Gail and Eric were. He wasn't sure, so he just smiled at her. "Hey, Mist." He said with a huge grin. Misty's here! Oh, Mew she's actually here!

Misty looked away from Ash when he smiled. She had two reasons. First, she knew that it would help prove to his hard head that she really didn't want to see him. The other… well, although she would never admit it, Misty knew that she wouldn't be able to resist that goofy smile. It would be too much and she'd break her anger act. Misty! She yelled at herself. This is not an act! You are actually mad at him! In fact, you pretty much hate him! So stop blushing at his smile! She told herself when her cheeks grew hot.

Luckily for her, Eric and Gail both went back to their dates, though noticeably happier. Eric noticed that Misty was upset. "What's up, Mist?" He asked her.

"Don't call me Mist. Please don't call me Mist." She half-snapped, glaring daggers at Ash. She made sure to concentrate on his eyes rather than his smile, because his eyes, while not being an easy task either, weren't being adorable right now. Well, they were, but just normally adorable.

"Alright, MistY." He said, emphasizing the y. "So, is there any reason you are staring at Abbie's date?" He asked, grabbing the water trainer's hand.

Gail noticed this and grabbed Ash's hand as well. Everything WAS a competition to her, after all. "Shall we get a table?" She asked Ash and placed a peck on his cheek. That snapped him from his staring contest with Misty, as well as all the memories that he had just at the sight of the orange-haired girl.

He looked down at Gail and nodded slowly. "Yeah, let's go sit down." He said. Ash started walking with Gail and Eric slipped his arm around the frozen Misty's waist, helping her walk.

"So, You never answered me." He whispered to Misty. "Do you know that guy?" He tilted his head towards Ash in front of them.

"Unfortunately, I do. That's Ashton Ketchum." She said, nearly seething. "I made the mistake of enjoying spending a few years of my life traveling with him around the a few regions." Misty started to explain.

"And, you think it was them at the pool last night?" He asked. Eric didn't miss much. "Cause you said 'Ketchum', so that must be it." He continused, letting her calm down. "Well, surprisingly, I used to travel with Abbie too. I just haven't seen her in a while. It was probably eight years ago." At that Misty winced, like someone had punched her. "She came with me through Hoenn, entering contests with me. That's why she calls me Contest-Boy. It was the nickname she used to tease me with." Eric smiled, thinking back on his childhood. Misty looked calmer now, so he decided to ask- "So what happened between you and Ash that makes you so mad at him? He seems pretty happy you're here. Eric prodded gently.

Misty huffed. "We had to part, after a few years. But honestly, traveling with him was awesome. We went all over Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Archipelago together. Sometimes another person accompanied us, other times it was just me and him. And I loved every second of it. We caught new Pokémon, battled trainers, fought, made up, and started the cycle again. But we were total best friends. Nearly inseparable.

"But I'm the Cerulean City gym leader, and my sisters decided they just couldn't cover for me anymore. They called me back just as I was about to go to a new region with Ash." She bit her lip, which was quivering. "He said he would call. Everyday if he had to. He promised to keep in touch. But since the day I left him, this is the first time I've seen him or heard his voice. And I'm just not sure if I can forgive that. He forgot about me. And I don't want anything to do with him anymore." Misty looked down, stopping the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"I get it." Eric said, grabbing her hand again. He didn't want to flaunt the fact that, even though they were separated, He and Gail called each other once a week, two weeks at the most. "At least this will be one of the only times you'll see him, right?" Eric told her and she just nodded.

"Yeah, let's hope he isn't annoying and ruining our dinner date." She said, sliding in Next to Eric in the booth. Ash slid in across from her. Great, now I'll be forced to talk to him.

Eric smiled at Gail and looked at Ash. He hadn't introduced himself yet. "Hi, I'm Eric." He said. "This is Misty." Eric said, gesturing to the red head.

Ash chuckled. "I know. Mist and I used to travel together. 'Member Mist?" He asked, looking at her with hope in his eyes. He was getting to the point where he was pretty desperate to say she was joking with the hating.

"Just shut up, Ketchum. It'll make our lives easier." She spat, and Eric squeezed her hand as if to say be nice. Ash looked almost as genuinely hurt as he was. He looked down at the table, keeping quiet and heeding Misty's words. Gail looked at him, then at Misty.

"I'm Gail." Gail said, glaring at Misty. She looked back at Eric as if to say 'Control Your Date.' Eric nodded and tried to patch things.

"So, what's your name?" Eric asked Ash, trying to get him to talk.

When Ash still didn't talk, Gail intervened. "He's Ash." She turned to face him. "Ash?" She whispered quietly. He wasn't receptive. "Ash?" She asked again, shaking his shoulder.

"I think it's better this way." Misty said, crossing her arms.

"Do you KNOW when to stop?!" Gail burst. "Look at what you have done to him! And You still go on!" She said angrily.

"You know what…" Misty started to snap back when she was interrupted.

"Stop, Misty."

A male's voice. But it wasn't Eric. Misty looked to find Ash looking up at her, with hurt and sadness written all over his eyes. "I don't know what's gotten into you, the past eight years, but it's nothing good. What happened to the old Misty, my best friend?" He asked, looking at her as if he could find it if he searched hard enough.

"Well, if you bothered to call, you would know!" Misty shouted. They were the only ones in the diner, so it didn't matter.

"You really don't think I tried, huh?" He asked, matching her volume. "Well, If this is how you act, I'm GLAD the calls never went through!" Ash said, looking at her.

"Stop lying! You're so stupid! I can't believe you'd even TRY the 'Calls Never Went Through' Card! That's low, even for you!" Misty yelled back.

"You're sisters did a crappy job raising you." He said in disgust.

"Your dad must've really sucked. Poor Delia got stuck with a devil child!" Misty knew she stepped over the line BIG TIME by bringing up Ash's dad. But she was to angry to put a filter over her mouth.

"Do you find it AMUSING that my father left me? That he didn't have the guts to tell my mom and me that he found someone else? That he left and Married a woman in Unova and then died of cancer? Is that humorous to you?!" Ash asked, his face hot. Tears stung his eyes. "All I have is pictures. I was too young to remember anything. Yet you find that funny!"

Misty wasn't sure how to react to that. It was a deep secret she was sure Ash hadn't told anyone but her and Brock. "I don't find it funny, you moron!" She yelled, which probably didn't help.

"Just shut up. You wouldn't be calling me a moron if I brought up your mom! Are car accidents just as funny as abandonment and cancer stories?!" He said and stormed out. Tears were rolling down his face by the bucket-load. "I can't believe she's changed this much…" He muttered sadly to himself and covered his face.

Inside, Misty was gaping in horror as she watched Ash run out. She saw the tears in his eyes. I caused that, She thought to herself and felt her own tears forming. He had brought up her mom. She stood up and ran out the other exit; no way she was going to run out the door Ash had. She climbed into the convertible and cried into her knees, which she pulled into her chest.

Eric and Gail sat in the booth, stunned at what had just happened. "Oh Mew." They both muttered, staring at the exits. Eric stood up and was soon followed by Gail. "Well, good seeing you again." They both said and shared one last hug before chasing after their respective dates.

The waitress walked up to the table, furiously scratching something in her notepad. "Have you all decided yet…" Her last word dropped as she found herself staring at an empty table.

{A/N: Hi! I loved writing this one, it was so heated. Thanks for reading!

PS: How would you guys feel if, after this, I wrote about Gail and Eric's adventures when they were younger? Tell me what ya think in the reviews :D }