Hi guys. I quite liked this chapter. I sort of took the idea of Pokemon school from licoricejellybean. So shoutout to her. I do not own Pokemon. I do however own the two Pokemon I made up in this chapter. Please don't hate. Ps: check out licoricejellybean's fanfic, it's called All For One.

Chapter Thirteen: The Matter Of Fate

Fate had done this to him. Fate had ruined his life. Fate had destroyed Misty.

Was he not meant for Misty? But they were so perfect together. Sparks in the air whenever they touched, their hearts pattering every time they looked at each other. How could they not be perfect together?

Six years of knowing each other. Six years of hidden hopes. Six years of unspoken confessions.

Ash slumped back into his chair. He shifted about in the hard wooden chair, until he was so frustrated that he stood up again. Misty was in the operation room. Without him. He paced down the corridor nervously. Then suddenly the door to the operating room creaked open and a nurse came hurrying out. Why was she hurrying? Unless…something had gone wrong.

No. Misty unconscious had already traumatised him enough. Ash leapt up. He trembled as he strode over to the nurse, who was looking around in the cupboard.

"Miss.. Can you tell me if.. If Misty Waterf-" he began.

"Ah. You must be that sweet boyfriend of hers. She's doing just fine. Pretty girl, isn't she? Anyway, she's about to come out any moment." The nurse glanced up to look at him as she said this, smiling.

Ash grinned and scurried off. He flopped into the chair again. 'Sweet boyfriend'? He wasn't her boyfriend! Well, actually he wouldn't have minded if he was.

Then something came into mind. What was a boyfriend? He murmured this aloud a few times, then suddenly there was the flat voice of his pokedex.

"Boyfriend- a grass Pokemon that lives by the beach in Unova. The pre-evolution of Fiancé. It eats fruit tha-"

Ash quickly closed his pokedex. He wasn't a Pokemon! He asked Siri, he looked it up on every search engine he knew and he still didn't get an acceptable answer. It was on his mind, until a nurse popped up and told him that Misty was finished in the operation room.

He ran up to the bed, where Misty lay. There were wires and tubes attached to her, but her scars and cuts were almost healed. Slowly he took her hand. He felt her move. He stared at her incredulously. Surely…surely she couldn't be waking up so soon!

Misty's eyes fluttered open and looked at Ash..and she smiled.

"Hi Ash." She grinned weakly and held onto Ash's hand tightly.

"Misty..what's a boyfriend?" He blurted out. No, he didn't just say that did he?

Luckily, Misty thought it was a joke, to his relief. She laughed and said that he made her feel the happiest she had been all year. And that, that made his day. Or should I say week. Maybe month.

"Fate brought us together." She had said, as they laughed about old stories, cringed about past tales.

And as Misty was leaving the hospital the very next week, they arranged another date, a proper date, at a small restaurant out of town. And by the end of the day, when visitors had to go, they could officially call themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. And Ash finally knew the meaning of boyfriend.

()()()()()

"I'm sorry, Kenny."

A petty girl with navy hair stood at the doorstep of small house, where a brown haired boy stood, looking crestfallen.

"I don't think we can be together. We can still be friends though." She smiled hopefully, but the boy didn't respond.

"No. We can't. It will break my heart, Dee Dee, if we're just friends. It won't work out." He turned away, only peering back, his voice a whisper, "What made you dump me?"

He slammed the door shut, not bothering to hear the answer. Dawn glanced down to her shoes, whispering:

"That's just it, Kenny. I don't know. It just seemed right."

She walked away, muttering to herself. It was an uneasy feeling, every time she met up with Kenny, every time he hugged her or flirted with her. It was as if there was someone else. Someone else blocking her. And she needed to find out who.

()()()()()

Perhaps it was his destiny, his fate, to have fallen for Dawn. To break his heart, to punish him for everything he had done wrong. But what had he done wrong? All he did was to form an affection for that troublesome girl, always wanting him to cheer up, move on from the past.

Paul stroked a photo of Dawn, it was tattered and torn, but it was still her. Maybe it was like reality, the Dawn he knew was still there, hiding behind a tattered and torn outside shell.

()()()()()

Was this a dream? A dream she had made up in her head? Her, May Maple, asleep in Andrew Hayden's arms. Many girls would die for this, she sighed. But she was the one Drew chose. The lucky one.

()()()()()

Drew smiled as May stirred from her sleep. Yes, she snored, but she looked so perfect lying there in his arms.

"What're you doing there smirking, Andrew?" She scowled, blushing.

"What're you doing in my arms blushing bright red, bandana girl?" He retorted.

May glared at him for a few moments, before going going back to sleep, still frowning. Drew kissed her on the cheek gently, and seeing her smile in her sleep made him smile too.

()()()()()

"No. You gotta be kidding me." Ash stared at the letter in Misty's hand. "But that's not fair! Gary's going to be able to compete in the Pokemon league just because he's five months older than me."

Misty glanced at her boyfriend warily, worried he was going to get angry.

"Shh Ash, the doctors might kick you out for acting like a madman in here."

Ash slumped onto the end if Misty's bed, before declaring:

"I can just lie about my age and not go to this ridiculous school!" He pumped his fist in the air, almost knocking out Misty. "Uh, sorry Mist."

"Watch where your hands are going. And your pokedex knows your age." Misty added. She opened up the booklet included in the envelope. "Hey Ash, it looks pretty cool."

The two of them pored over the booklet, Misty saying the pros and Ash pointing out the cons. There had been a new rule in the Pokemon league, pupils under seventeen had to go to the nearest Pokemon school before they could compete in any leagues or competitions. They had to stay there until they graduated after a year. Even Misty had to go. But it was only because the League had said she was 'underage' for a gym leader.

"It might be fun, Ash." Misty tried to cheer Ash up.

"Humph. Wait, there are weekly Pokemon battles?" Ash perked up, reading a page in the booklet. "Hey Mist cheer up about this school thing. At least one of us is optimistic. He gestured to himself and Misty rolled her eyes.

"Hey world, this is my amazing boyfriend." She announced to the hospital wing, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ash, not picking up on the sarcasm, grinned and waved to the patients, who were staring at him.

"Ooh, I wonder if the others have got a letter?" Misty asked, referring to Dawn, Paul, May, Drew and some other friends of theirs.

"Yeah, they're all younger than us." Ash's face darkened when he thought of Gary. "That pesky jerk, weaselling out of Pokemon School…"

Misty rolled her eyes yet again.

"Oh Gary Oak. You don't know what's coming for you." Ash flexed his fingers, stretched his legs and straightened up. "I don't usually get so much anger for someone, but for you I will."

()()()()()

A/N: so ash has anger problems now, does he? Btw the two Pokemon I referred to in this chapter, Boyfriend and Fiancé, are my inventions. Wish they were real. I could catch one for myself. Then the stage two evolution would be Husband. Geez, Game Freak are missing out on my invention. Please review, follow and favourite.

Catsaysmaw xxx