Chapter 11- "The Struggles Along With It"

{A/N: Woo! Back to long, drama-filled chapters! Yay! Thanks to all my new story followers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon }

Misty woke up from one of her best and worst sleeping experiences ever. What is happening to me? She asked as she took inventory of the room around her. She was back in her cabin. She didn't remember how she got there. All she remembered was that she had twistedly imagined a scene where Ash had cared about her, and that he soothed her when she was upset. But she knew that was all fake. Imagined. It had to be. Never, ever, even in a parallel universe would Ash put his arms around her and sit with her as the sun set. Never would he help her back if she was struggling emotionally, never would he comfort her like that. It just wasn't him. At least it wasn't the old him. He may have changed, but Misty was sure he wouldn't ever seem considerate. Always just a hard-head. Misty touched her forehead to see if she was real, but she wasn't sure that she could trust her sense of touch anymore. Everything she had imagined the night before… It felt so real.

Her life had been spiraling everywhere lately; she was totally unpredictable. Sometimes she loved Ash, sometimes she hated him. That was the main problem. So, technically this is all HIS fault. She concluded and got up. She saw Ash's peacefully sleeping body laying on the couch, a little yellow rodent curled at the boy's feet. Instead of smiling at this, however, Misty scoffed. "Idiot…" She muttered and grabbed her bag. She didn't know where she was going, or for how long. She didn't know if she was coming back. Yet Misty opened the door quietly and sneaked out, shutting the door behind her.

Inside, Pikachu raised his ears at the small sound, and his head soon followed. "pika?" He called out with curiosity before disregarding the sound and falling back asleep.

Misty walked out into the quiet morning air, which was thick with swirling fog. The only sounds were the wind and gravel crunching beneath her own feet. With her bag slung over her shoulder, Misty was prepared for anything. Except for exactly what she encountered.

"Misty!" a voice called out behind her. Behind the water trainer, rocks were being crunched in the pattern of someone running. Misty's head was too deep in her ocean of thoughts to realize it was a female voice, not Ash's. Without turning, she started to sprint away, not wanting to be near the boy. She heard the familiar sound of a pokeball opening, and knew she was in trouble. Yet she still didn't look back.

"Bulbasaur, use vine whip and grab hold of Misty!" The voice shouted, and Misty soon found herself entangled in the fresh green vines. She was lifted off the ground.

"Let Me Go!" She shouted, wriggling to try to get free of the grass Pokémon's grip.

"I can't let a fellow Gym Leader go into emotional uncertainty. Especially considering our close friendship." The voice said. "Bulbasaur, turn her around to face me." The obedient Pokémon did, revealing a girl with a bob haircut to Misty.

"Erika?" Misty asked. "Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be in your cabin?"

"I always take walks in the early morning." Erika began to explain. "I like to see nature at its finest, when the dew is still fresh and the grass is still pristine and I just love morning fog." She said, appreciating the fresh smells around them. "The real question is why are YOU out here? And why so you look so troubled, child?" the grass queen asked, motioning for her pet to release the water trainer.

"That's exactly it…" Misty began with a sudden interest in her shoes. "I'm… Troubled." She said, shaking slightly. She stepped closer to Erika, showing that she had no intentions of fleeing anymore.

"Poor thing. You look as if you've been stuck in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town for weeks." Erika sympathized, pulling Misty into a hug. "May I ask what happened?" She questioned softly.

"It's HIS fault!" Misty cried out, hugging Erika back.

"The boy you were with in the challenge?" The older Gym leader asked, pulling back a bit to see Misty's face. "Did he hurt you or something? Or did you actually fall for him and now you're torn between him and Ash?"

"No!" Misty shouted, even though they were inches away from each other. "He's history. He left me… For Ash's date. So now that stupid boy and I are on here together…" She started in disgrace, swallowing her tears. "But I hate him!"

"Misty, Dear, You're not making much sense. You've called me ever since you became a gym leader, about these gentlemen who give you all their attention that you can't return because your heart belongs with Ash. And now you're talking about how terrible it is that you two are together?" Erika asked, confused.

"Now you see. I'm troubled. I don't want to be me. I hate myself. I love him. I hate him. It's not fair. I don't know what to think. I think I hate him." Misty said, trying to sort her thoughts. "It's his fault I'm like this."

"Things will get better, and you can hold me to saying that. Just don't do anything major." Erika said, picking up Misty's bag, which was on the ground, and handing it to her.

"I won't anymore. Thanks Erika." She said before starting to head back to her cabin anxiously. She quickly turned on her heels, and twiddled her thumbs as she addressed her friend yet again. "Erika?"

Erika just turned to Misty, addressing her.

"Do you possibly think… that I could maybe… Stay in your cabin for a little while though? Just while things cool down?" Misty asked, biting her lip. Erika just smiled at her. "You're welcome anytime, Misty." She said before continuing her nature walk.

Ash woke up to find himself alone in an empty cabin. Last time that had happened, Gail was on a walk and had left him a note. He searched for one this time, but there was nothing around. "Misty?" He called out, worried for his fragile friend he had seen break down in front of him the night before. There was no response to his calls. He got up and Pikachu scampered across the room, trying to sniff out the redhead.

"Pika pi." Pikachu reported to his master, informing the boy that he had found nothing.

"C'mon Pikachu, We gotta find her." He said, grabbing his jacket and hat as he headed for the door. He reached for the handle as the door flew open, revealing the one person he wanted to see. The girl, who was now inches from his face, seemed to wear no facial expression; she didn't have a reaction to their noses nearly touching. Ash, on the other hand, started blushing a heavy shade of scarlet. "Heh… Misty!" He laughed nervously. "Pikachu and I were just about to come looking for you." Ash told her and Pikachu jumped up on the stuttering boy.

"Chu!" He cried in agreement, smiling at the girl.

"Don't lie to me. Don't you think you've done that enough?" She asked coldly as she pushed the boy out of her way and began to gather her things.

"Lie? Why would we lie?" Ash asked, confused and somewhat upset at her harsh reaction.

"Because you're a dirty liar who I happened to get stuck with- AGAIN! For once, in a batch of guys, I'd like to meet a nice one, and not always 'Take One For the Team!'"

Ash looked down at that, feeling worse than he would've had she pulled out a pocket knife and dragged it down his face. "So I'm… a bad guy?" He asked, worry filling his voice.

"You say that as if you're asking a question! You're a TERRIBLE guy, Ash Ketchum! I can't believe you'd even ask that. In fact, I'm going to be staying in Erika's cabin for a while, so I can get away from you. I just came back to grab my things. Have fun living alone." She saidn and promptly left shutting the door in a hurt Ash's face.

Once the door was shut, Misty leaned against it, starting to cry. "Why do I push him away? I can't keep doing this. But I hate him. I just hate this life in general!" She said to herself and ran to find some peace.

Ash fell back onto the couch, feeling completely alone. "What have I done?" He asked himself and thought back to all the times they traveled together. He relived all the times he called her stupid, or scrawny, or when he blamed her for things she didn't do. "I'm a monster. I broke my own prized and fragile person." He concluded. Ash thought ne now knew what depression felt like. "Pikachu, let's go find some Pokémon on the beach." He said sullen, wanting to be cheered up.

All morning, Ash couldn't win a single battle. Pikachu was getting tired. They soon found yet another Krabby, which gave Pikachu the clear type advantage. But Ash commanded Pikachu to use agility and quick attack, not even touching the electric moves that would knock the wild Pokémon out. The Krabby dodged Pikachu's quick attack, and quickly used Mud Shot, spraying the yellow rodent. "Chaaa!" It squealed in pain from the super effective move as the Krabby fled. That left Ash in an even more upset mood than before as he sat down on the set. It was around noon.

"I'm sorry Pikachu." The rodent shook itself off and hopped into its forlorn master's lap. Ash turned around as he heard voice behind them.

"Shannon, I'll be right back." He could make out a male voice saying and spotted a couple. The boy was talking to a blonde girl, before making his way over to Ash. "Hey Ash! What are ya doin' here alone?" He asked, and Ash looked over to find Ritchie smiling at him. The clone sat down next to him, Sparky running up behind him and engaging Pikachu in a game of tag. Ritchie laughed as the Pokémon tapped each other with their tails before running in the other direction.

"She hates me, Ritchie. I hate me too." Ash said, sifting sand through his fingers.

"Ash, You can't go beating yourself up." Ritchie had already heard about Gail and Eric leaving, and how Ash was paired with Misty now. "And, I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure, that Misty only fights with you and says she hates you so she doesn't have to spill her real feelings." Ritchie told him. "Trust me. You aren't a bad guy. Everyone slips up every once in a while, but you are one of the nicest people I've met. I'm surprised no girl's snatched you up before this." He said, looking at his old friend.

"But I'm not." Ash said, looking almost as upset as he was. "Thanks, Ritchie, but I'm not going to be able to snap out of this that easily. Sorry." Ash said, looking down. "I think I'm going to go back and be alone; she left and is living with Erika right now." Ash said and stood. "Come on, Pikachu." He said softly and started walking back to his empty cabin sadly.

"Wow, he's got it bad. He pretty much head-over-heels." Ritchie muttered before standing and returning to his date on the beach.

That night, Ash slept in one of the cabin's beds for the first time. And he hated it. The bed was comfortable and the pillows were perfect, but it made him feel sick inside. He wished back to the simpler times, when he would sleep on the couch and the girl in his partnership would sleep on the bed. But now there seemingly was no girl. He wasn't even sure if Misty would participate with him in challenges. It made him feel worse as he sunk his head down into the pillows, falling deeper into his depression with it. Ash grabbed a pillow and covered his face, hoping that if he couldn't see anything, nothing would exist. That simple. However, when he stuffed his face into the pillow, a fragrance filled his nostrils, sending him reeling back. He sniffed it again to confirm what he smelled. The scent was one he recognized as a perfect combo of Misty's perfume and shampoo, a mix of tropical flowers and fresh ocean air. He fell asleep peacefully clutching that pillow, subconsciously enjoying it before the scent faded. It was one of the last things he had of her that he didn't hate.

{Aww, poor depressed Ash… Left to clutch a pillow. Meanwhile- Misty's become very confused with herself- both of them are just emotionally unstable. Is the only cure each other? If it is, will they realize it? Please review!}