A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this story! Life had gotten in the way for the past month or so and it has finally calmed down enough for me to devote enough time to this. It was a bit tedious to write the action taking place with the show, but c'est la vie.

Anyway, I hope that this update is at least worth the wait, and I'm going to try to post the next chapter as soon as I can.

- Sarah

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters.

Chapter Three: Kiss the Girl

"Misty what is your problem?" Daisy asked her, the irritation distinct in her voice.

It was a couple of days before the show was to go on. She and Ash were rehearsing their lines with Daisy at the pool one afternoon. It was raining outside, the sound of the raindrops pounding against the window filling in the silence. Ash was playing his part of the prince rather well. They could get through the show in its entirety, and had rehearsed it several times in fact. The only problem was the ending – Daisy had written in that the mermaid and her prince kiss. Misty suspected that it was her sister's own brand of matchmaking.

"Nothing, I just…" Misty trailed off, after the third attempt to kiss Ash had failed due to flustered nervousness. Ash chuckled at her, clearly not bothered by the thought of kissing her.

"What's the matter, Misty?" he taunted with a smirk. "You don't want to kiss me or something?"

"No, that's not it. I mean—" she stopped, the words rushing out of her mouth before she could stop them. "We're friends. It's a bit weird, don't you think?"

"Pretend I'm your last boyfriend then."

"Uh no that's okay."

"Misty, just do it already. The show is in two days and we're still not ready!"

"I'll be back," said Misty, ignoring her sister and turning to leave the pool. "I can't do this right now."

"But Misty—"

She did not respond as she left the area, and headed up to her room. Although Misty tried many times to get Daisy to change the script, she would not budge on the matter. It frustrated Misty. She was not even sure if she could go through with kissing Ash. She was too embarrassed, for one thing. She knew that she was in love with him now, which made it all the more complicated. Ash was oblivious to this, of course. To make matters worse, this kiss, which would technically be their first, would be seen by hundreds of people. No, it would be too much for Misty.

Misty reached her room, and was surprised to see Pikachu there, out on her veranda. She went outside to join him. She sighed as she plopped her head in her arms against the railing. Pikachu leapt from the floor gracefully onto the railing next to her. He gave her a pat in sympathy, and she responded with a scratch under his chin.

"Chaa!" the electric rodent said in glee.

"I don't know, Pikachu…" Misty said. "Part of me wants to kiss Ash, but that might bring us to the subject that we seem to be dancing around these days."

They seemed close to the subject a couple of weeks ago, the night Misty brought up Ash's dinner. Misty had a feeling that he may have told her something important, but she had fallen asleep on him at that point. The next morning, she had woken up to see the other side of the bed empty, but also unmade. Her cheeks turned pink as she thought of the idea of Ash sleeping next to her. There was no question about that, but she was too terrified to ask him. Additionally, he seemed to be more distant with her since that night. She rarely saw him other than for rehearsals and to help out with her matches.

"Pikachupi pikachu pi Pikapi."

"You think so?" she responded, even though she was not entirely sure of what he had just said.

"Chu!"

There was a knock at the door. Before she had a chance to respond, the door opened to reveal Ash. He had changed out of his costume into his normal clothes, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Misty looked down at her mermaid princess dress, and wish that she had done the same. The story was so elaborate this time that it required Misty to make a couple of quick-changes throughout the production.

"Oh there you are Pikachu," Ash said as he came to join them. "I was wondering where you were."

"Pikapi!"

"Ash, what are you doing here?" Misty demanded.

"Checking up on you…you left in such a huff, you know."

"Yeah well you would too if your sisters continued to torture you," she said stiffly, turning away from him.

"So by torture, you mean having to kiss me. I see how things are then," he said, dejected. He turned to leave her.

"Ash wait," she said, reaching her arm out to stop him. He halted, anxious for what she was about to say. "You know that's not what I meant."

"What then?" he demanded, coming close to her.

"Well uhh—I mean—" she said, acutely aware of their close proximity.

Ash gave her a crooked smile as his face inched closer to hers. She could feel his warm breath envelope her lips. The pounding in her chest drowned out the sounds of the birds outside. She was trembling, even though the air was warm. Ash Ketchum made her weak in the knees, simple as that. He closed his eyes as their lips were on the precipice of touching.

Misty's knees buckled, and the next thing she knew was that she was on the floor. Everything was spinning. What was wrong with her? She had kissed a countless amount of boys before and never reacted like this. What was so different about the dark-haired beauty before her? It was hard enough to keep her breathing in check around him, let alone stand, especially when he had been so close to kissing her.

Ash's eyes fluttered open when he heard the thump of Misty's body hitting the veranda floor. Alarmed, he rushed to lift her back to her feet. Her face grew hot when he put his muscular arms around her. It was a struggle to steady herself around him. Once she was stable, she looked up into his concerned eyes. They were warm and inviting. She looked away, embarrassed.

"Are you okay?" he asked gruffly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I think I'm going to have a rest, if you don't mind."

"Oh sure," he said, sounding disappointed. "C'mon Pikachu."

"Pika."

The young man and his Pokemon exited the room. Misty closed the door behind then, emitting a sigh of relief. The latch on the door snapped, and Misty slid down against the door. She sat on the floor, her hand clutching against her chest. She lifted her other hand against her lips, thinking about Ash's lips that nearly came in contact with hers.

Misty looked around the corner of the opening behind the diving board. It was a sold-out crowd. There were many people who came to town just to see her and Ash perform. She was nervous, not for the performance, but for the daunting kiss that would end the show. She was not sure if she could truly go through with it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome to you to the Cerulean Gym's production of The Little Mermaid, starring Misty Waterflower and Ash Ketchum," Daisy's voice on the loudspeaker blared. "Please be seated as the show will begin in a few moments."

Misty stiffened in her mermaid costume, as the weight of was about to happen hit her hard. The lights dimmed until the gym had plunged into almost complete darkness, except for the lights over the large above ground tank, the same exact one that they had used for the first show, a decade ago. She walked out to the platform and stood poised on the diving board. The spotlight directed on her and the audience cheered in response. Misty, conforming to the part, waved her hand high above her head and smile. She did this until the cheers started to dissipate. Then, she took a giant leap and dove perfectly into the pool with ease.

"Once upon a time, there was a little mermaid. She was the youngest, but most beautiful of all the mermaids. Her name was Misty."

Misty started to swim around the pool. The crowd cheered and whistled, but she did not break her concentration for a second. The Pokemon began to come out from the bottom of the pool, and joined Misty.

"She spent her days playing with her water Pokemon. They loved to dance with the mermaid. She loved her friends and playing in the sea, but something was missing. She wanted more. Misty longed to be part of the human world."

Misty pulled herself out of the water onto a rock, and stared out into the crowd, wistfully. A large raft made to look like a ship came floating out from the backside of the pool. Ash was on the raft, sporting dark pants and a baggy white shirt. Misty hid behind the rock. There was a bolt of electricity and the raft caught on fire. Ash looked panicked and fell into the water. It looked as though he was drowning until Misty dove into the water to save him.

"One night a ship was passing along when a storm hit. The ship was struck by lightning, and got caught on fire. A young prince, named Ash, was aboard. Ash was knocked into the water, and nearly drowned. Misty came and saved him and brought him back to the shore."

She pulled him onto the rock. He coughed up the water, and as he was waking up, Misty fled into the water. Ash sat up on the rock in a daze. Pikachu ran out to him, happy to see that he was okay.

"Misty fell in love with this human. She watched him from afar every day. Soon she grew tired of longing to be with him, so she went to see the sea witch."

She popped out from the water, watching him from afar. The lights dimmed and ominous music began to play. Misty swam along to a cavern towards the bottom of the pool. The sea witch, played by Violet, appeared, wearing an elaborate costume. She looked Misty over as if she was a coveted prize.

"The sea witch granted her wish to be human, but it came at a price. In exchange, Misty had to give up her most precious possession – her voice. She would only have three days to have true love's kiss, which would make the change permanent. If she didn't, she would become the sea witch's slave."

Lights and smoke filled the water as the music played. Misty grabbed at her throat as the transformation took place. She kicked hard against the water as she fought for air. She broke through the surface with a gasp as the lights dimmed.

The lights turned back on to show Misty lying on a rock. Her body was covered by discarded canvas. Ash and Pikachu were walking on the other side of the rock when Pikachu saw Misty and pointed it out to Ash. The two of them ran up to Misty. Ash approached her to shake her shoulder. Misty woke up with a start, startled to see Ash in front of her. She struggled to stand, a frightened expression on her face.

"It's okay," Ash said, taking a step forward. Girls in the crowd started swooning at the sound of his voice. "I'm here to help."

Misty did not relax at this, showing that she was nervous to be around the prince. She turned away, but he ignored her actions, moving around to get a good look at her face.

"Are you okay Miss?"

Misty moved to speak, but she remembered that she could not. She shook her head in response.

"You look familiar to me. Have we met before?"

Misty nodded her head enthusiastically to say yes. Ash grabbed her hands.

"I knew it! You must be the one who rescued me. What's your name?"

Misty mouthed her name and no sound came out. Ash dropped her hands, looking disappointed.

"You can't speak, can you? You can't be her then."

Misty looked at Ash, her expression sad. Pikachu pulled on Ash's pants, trying to tell him that he was wrong. Ash gazed at Misty, ignoring his friend. He gave her a small smile, and took her hand and began leading her away from the water.

"Well c'mon then," he said as the lights began to turn off. "Let's get you in some better clothes."

The lights come on again to show Misty and Ash the next morning, walking along the beach. The two of them give each other side-glances. Pikachu was in front of them, shaking his head at the situation. Ash picked up a seashell and gave it to Misty. She took it from him with a blush.

"You know, I feel kind of bad, not knowing your name. Maybe I could guess it. Is it Patricia?"

She made a face at him, showing her disgust.

"How about Rebecca? Rachel? Sabrina?"

She shook her head to all of them.

"I just feel weird calling you Miss all the time."

Misty perked up, pointing at him frantically.

"What? Does your name sound something like Miss?"

She nodded her head viciously.

"Oh okay…is it Missy?"

She shook her head and pointed out at the water. Ash stood there thinking for a minute before he finally spoke.

"Misty?"

She nodded her head with a bright smile. He grinned back at her.

"You know that's kind of pretty," he said as the lights dimmed again.

"Two days had passed and Misty had yet to accomplish her goal. To make matters worse, a mysterious woman appeared, captivating the prince. At the end of the third day, they would be wed."

Misty sat on the edge of the rock with her Dewgong swimming in the water. She looked depressed as she gazed at the new woman with Ash. He would not even look back at Misty, as he seemed entranced by this new beauty. She averted her gaze as the tears formed in her eyes. The new couple walked away, hand-in-hand.

"It was hopeless, until Misty's trusty Dewgong discovered that the other girl was really the sea witch in disguise. She had to go stop that wedding."

Misty jumped into the water, Dewgong pulling her to the small boat on the other side of the arena. Ash and Violet were on it with Lily playing the preacher. The other water Pokemon rock the boat as Misty climbs on board. The motion knocks over Violet. She fell on top of the seashell necklace, breaking it, thus breaking the spell on Misty. Lights and smoke billowed around her, as the voice travelled back into her body.

"My voice is back," Misty said.

"Misty?" Ash asked, approaching her timidly.

"Ash."

"You can talk," he said. "You're the one."

They had gotten to the part that Misty had been dreading—the big kiss. Trembling, Misty closed her eyes as Ash approached her. She shivered as she felt his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward, poised to plant his lips on hers. He was millimeters away from kissing her, the audience waiting with bated breath. The lights went out, stopping them short. The pair opened their eyes, confused.

"Prepare for trouble," said a voice.

"Oh no," groaned Ash.

"Make it double."

"You have got to be kidding me," said Misty.

Team Rocket appeared at the other end of the pool on the diving board. They were sporting the same outfits they had last time they had decided to crash on a Cerulean Gym production. Misty was surprised that they still had those costumes.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach from the stars above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Do you mind?" shouted Misty. "We're kind of trying to do a show here!"

"How dare you interrupt the Team Rocket motto!" Jessie yelled back.

"Say," said James. "Isn't that the twerpette?"

"Hey, you're right, James."

"Except that she's not much of a twerp anymore."

"No I guess not…"

"Would you two focus!" shrieked Meowth. "We have a job to do."

"Oh right," said James.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light," said Jessie, continuing the motto.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right."

"Aren't you guys a bit old to be still doing this?" Misty asked.

"I've asked myself the same question every day I was in Kalos," commented Ash.

"Who are you calling old?" Jessie fired back, glaring at the redhead. "You'll pay for that comment. Now hand over all of your Pokemon!"

"No way," scoffed Misty. "If you think I am just going to hand them to you, you have another thing coming."

"Go get them Pumpkaboo!"

"You too, Inkay."

The two Pokemon jumped into action after being released from their Pokeballs. The crowd cheered in excitement at the thought of watching a Pokemon battle, thinking that this had to be part of the show. Sparks flew out of Pikachu's cheeks, the mouse anxious to battle. Misty gave Dewgong a silent look, and it sprung into action.

"Pumpkaboo, Leech Seed!"

"Avoid it Dewgong!"

Dewgong dodged the attack, but barely. Misty had to think fast if she wanted this battle end.

"Dewgong Ice Beam!"

Dewgong opened its mouth, letting a large beam of ice escape. Pumpkaboo and Inkay were frozen in their tracks.

"Awesome work Dewgong! Ready Ash?" Misty said, turning to her friend.

"Oh right. Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

"Thunderbolt!"

The electric mouse jumped into action, emitting electricity from its little body. Team Rocket's Pokemon went flying into them, sending them up into the air and through the roof of the gym.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again."

Pikachu landed gracefully, and the crowd cheered, wanting more. Misty smiled sheepishly, hoping that everyone would forget about the kiss that was supposed to happen. Ash smiled brightly at her before grabbing her hand. She blushed, but did not make any objections. The two stepped forward, taking their bow. To Misty's relief, the show had ended without her having to kiss Ash.

Later that night, Misty's sisters were throwing an after party for the show in the gym. It was a fairly small affair, by her sister's standards, which meant about a hundred people. Misty had no idea who half of these people were. A few of their friends were there, including Brock, much to Violet's chagrin as she remembered his behavior at Daisy Oak and Tracey's engagement party. In addition to their friends who live close, there were some fans of the three older sisters present. Misty mimed gagging in front of Ash as they walked by Daisy surrounded by a bunch of men fawning over her, causing him to laugh in response.

"Honestly," she said. "I don't understand how my sisters like attention like that. It's pretty disgusting if you ask me."

"Don't you have some fans like that though?" Ash asked.

"Well yeah, but I do my best to keep them at bay. Having them gawking at me is a bit disconcerting, you know?"

"I wouldn't really know. I don't have girls chasing after me like that."

"What?" said Misty, surprised. "I would have thought Mr. Hot-shot Pokemon Trainer would have had at least a few fangirls."

"Yeah, nothing of that sort," he said. "I'm not like Gary or anything."

"You talking about me?" said someone from behind them, coming between them, putting his arms around their shoulders.

"Gary! Who invited you?"

"Well, I did, Ash."

"What?"

"Relax, Ashy boy," said Gary. "Red and I are only friends, remember? Although you were looking fine in that mermaid costume…you sure that you don't want to go back to your room and we can—"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. I'm flattered, but no thanks."

"Well suit yourself," Gary said as he sauntered away. "If you change your mind, I'll be around."

Misty rolled her eyes, knowing full well that she would not be changing her mind about that. If there was any guy that she wanted to do that with, it was the guy standing next to her. Ash took no notice of Misty's annoyance, however. He was too preoccupied with giving Gary a death glare.

"He has some nerve."

"Ash, relax. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I don't like the way he talks to you."

"You know that he is only kidding right?"

"Yeah, well I still don't like it."

"He does it to get under your skin…but I don't understand why you are so worked up about him cracking jokes like that when you know he doesn't mean any harm by it."

"Well, I…"

"Yes?"

"I mean, you know that I care about you right? You're my best friend, and I don't want anyone to hurt you."

"Thanks," Misty said, giving him a warm smile. "That's kind of sweet actually."

Ash grinned back at her as the DJ started playing music. He grabbed her hand and yanked her body close to his. He dragged her along in his stupid dance, making her laugh. They were dancing when Brock approached them. Ash gave him a wave and the two paused in their movements. Brock gave Misty a quick hug before putting an arm around Ash, beginning to take him away from her.

"C'mon Ash we're totally going to get wasted tonight!" Brock shouted over the music.

"Uhh I'm not sure if I should…"

"Aww c'mon. I need you as my wingman. There are too many beautiful women here for me to just sit around and do nothing."

"Oh all right. I guess I'm not going anywhere else tonight. No harm then. You okay here on your own Misty?"

"Yeah sure…"

"K. I'll catch up with you later, I promise," he said as he and Brock disappeared into the dancing crowd.

Misty stood there shaking her head. "Boys," she grumbled under her breath.

Several hours had passed and she had not seen either Ash or Brock. She went around the room, looking for him with Pikachu on her shoulder. She searched almost everywhere she could think of in the place. She was about to give up and go to bed when she spotted Lily chatting to a handsome stranger.

"Misty!" shouted her sister, motioning for her to come over. "There's our little star."

"Hey Lily," she said as she came up to them.

"This is Rick," she said motioning the man. "Rick, this is of course, my little sister Misty."

"Hey Misty."

"Uh, nice to meet you...Lily, have you seen Ash?"

"Ash? Yeah, he's right behind you."

"Huh?" Misty said, turning around.

Sure enough, Ash was standing right behind her—rather, swaying back and forth behind her. He had gone overboard, like she knew he would. Brock was not the best influence on him, especially when it came to alcohol. Misty groaned, smacking her palm against her face before grabbing Ash's arm and leading him away. The two kept going, past all of the people dancing and drinking, until they reached a quiet spot in the hall.

"Mist, where are you taking me?"

"Upstairs to bed."

"Whoa," he said dazed. "I don't think I want to go that far yet…I mean it's kind of early for that, don't you think?"

"Up to bed to sleep, you moron," said Misty, her cheeks gaining a little color. "Get your head out of the gutter."

"Well it can't help but live in the gutter when I'm around you, Mist."

"What are you saying?"

"You…are beautiful," he said, pulling her close to him. In his arms, she could smell the strong odor of alcohol on his breath and clothes.

"You are so drunk right now," she said, trying to suppress a laugh.

"No I mean it. I've always thought that. You are gorgeous."

"Thanks, I guess," she said, blushing profusely.

"So," he said, backing her against the wall. "We never did get to have our kiss today. I think now would be a good time to make up for it."

"Ash, stop fooling around," she laughed nervously. "We don't have to do that now."

"Aw c'mon. No one is watching," he said putting his face inches from hers.

"Ash, be serious."

"I am. I want to kiss you."

"What? Ash, don't be silly—" Misty began to say, but she was cut off by Ash's lips crashing onto hers like a tidal wave, sending a spark down her spine.

Once the initial shock of it had worn off, Misty could enjoy it. He tasted strongly of alcohol, but that did not matter to her in that moment. She was kissing him, something she had dreamed about for years. As Ash moved his lips against her mouth, he ran his fingers through her long hair, taking in her scent. His mind was hazy, desire taking over any rational thought left in him. He wanted her more than anything in that moment. This kiss was what he had needed all along. After what felt like an eternity, they broke apart, leaving Misty breathless.

"Now that that business is taken care of," said Ash. "I'm going to go find Brock. If I don't see you again, have a good night."

Misty said nothing, still stunned by the experience. Before he left, he gave her a swift peck on her forehead, as to say that this would be continued at a later time. Misty felt weightless as she watched him walk away, disappearing from her sight. She stood there for a long time, the memory of the moment lingering on her lips.