Hey Everybody!
Well, here's chapter nineteen, and as you can guess from the title, it's a Christmas installment. Now I know it's pretty early still for a Christmas story, but unfortunately the timeline for the story demands this chapter be written in December, so I had to write this now. However, if you want to wait, then you can just skip this chapter and come back to it in December (though I don't suggest that, since a lot of stuff happens here). As usual, I can't give away details, but I'm going to burst anyone's bubble right now that thinks this chapter is going to have any battles…because it's not. This entire chapter is basically a shipping installment, but it's very essential to the plot. I'll explain why in the Author's Notes at the bottom.
Also, as is obvious, I've been slow with updates, which is why I'm no longer making promises to have chapters done for a while. I hate, and I mean HATE, going back on my word, and this fic has forced me to do so several times. I just told licoricejellybean in a PM the other day that I am sincerely working to get back to my weekly updates, so don't think that I'm an author who's given up, but writer's block has been really bad lately. I edited this chapter alone like ten times! However, and mind you this is not a promise, but I think I can (just maybe) have chapter twenty out by this Sunday. Please bare with me as I continue trying to get my mojo back with this story, because I truly love writing it and am just waiting for inspiration to strike.
Anyway, on with the fic!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Characters' Ages:
Ash: 17
Brock: 21
Misty: 17
Dawn: 14
Delia: 40
Oak: 55
Gary: 16
Tracey: 18
"Misty, hurry up!" Ash yelled at the young woman for the third time that hour.
"Tell me that again and I'll hurt you," Misty whispered, turning around so that she could prevent the car salesman from hearing her.
"But all their cars are great!" Ash cried, ignoring the fact that there were dozens of customers around him. "Just pick one already! We're gonna miss the Christmas party at this rate!"
"It's not until Christmas Eve," Misty replied. It was only the twenty-second of December, and Misty was sure they would have ample time to make the drive to the Ketchum household.
"Yeah, but it'll take us a full day to go see your sisters, and then driving from Cerulean to Pallet will be at least another day," Ash reminded. He was very worried about missing his mother's Christmas party for two reasons. The most prominent fear he had of being absent was that the party was in his honor. His mom wanted to celebrate his being home for Christmas for the first time in a few years. The other reason he did not wish to be late was that he had promised to visit Delia more often due to his having a quicker mean of transportation. However, before the car had broken down he'd only gone to see her once, and now that they had to travel by foot and bus he had been unable to spare any time for a quick trip to Pallet. He knew she would not only be furious, but also heartbroken, if the duo did not make it home for the celebration.
"Alright, alright," Misty said, understanding Ash's worry. She didn't want to make him late. "Just let me ask the guy a few more questions before I decide.
"Fine," Ash relented, rolling his eyes. He was sure if he complained anymore that Misty would mortally wound him.
"So this one has leather interior, seat warmers, and comes in red?" Misty asked the salesman, who had been waiting patiently for the two teenagers to quit their squabbling. Normally he would have been a little less patient. However, because Ash Ketchum was buying the car, he thought he could sell the F-2 Falcon to the teen. The car was the most expensive they had on the lot, and he desperately needed this sale for a Christmas bonus. Sales had not been so good this year with such a sluggish economy, and Corporate was refusing annual bonuses to several salespeople who had failed to get cars off the property.
"Absolutely!" the salesman replied in a more-than-upbeat tone. "Not to mention the forty miles to the gallon it gets in the city! You won't find a better car in all Saffron!"
"I believe it!" Ash agreed, sounding equally happy. He was hoping to sale Misty on the car quickly.
"Hmmmm," Misty said to herself, resting her chin on the back of her hand. "It does seem like an excellent car."
"Yeah, and it looks cool too!" Ash chimed in.
"Yeah, it looks cool too," Misty said, rolling her eyes to the car salesman.
"You'll have to excuse him," she explained. "He's got a first grade education." However, as she looked again at the automobile's sleek design, she inwardly admitted that it did look a little cool. Despite this, she tried her best to be mature about the situation, and focused on how well it would drive rather than how brilliant it appeared.
"Oh, it's no problem!" the salesman said, waving his hands at the minor scuffle. "Anything for the Pokémon Champion and his gorgeous friend!"
"Thank you," Misty mumbled, with a blush appearing on her cheeks. She tried not to be vain, but a compliment such as "gorgeous" always made her a little proud.
"So are you gonna get the car?" Ash asked, just wanting to get on the road. He was also a little annoyed at how Misty suddenly seemed so shy at the salesman's compliment.
Why is she getting so worked up about what a stranger said? he thought.
"Oh, uh, yeah!" Misty said, shaking her head slightly.
"Perfect!" the salesman replied, almost jumping in glee. "If you two will just follow me to the office, we can get you squared away and out of here within the hour."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Two hours later the car had been registered, the insurance had been dealt with, and the pair of teenagers were on the road to Cerulean City.
"That guy said it would only take an hour," Ash grumbled as he sat back in the plush, black-leather passenger seat.
"They always say that," Misty told him knowledgeably.
"Well they shouldn't lie!" Ash cried, aggravated at being even further behind in schedule.
"Relax, Ash," Misty told him calmly. Normally she would be fed up with his complaining, but she reasoned that the new car was enough to buy him a few minutes of whining. "It's only two o'clock. We'll be at my sisters' in four hours."
"Okay, but we have to leave first thing in the morning!" Ash warned her. He didn't want to waste half the day tomorrow waiting for Misty and her sisters to complete a teary goodbye. However, the last time he had seen them together, they hadn't appeared very close, so he was hoping that nothing had changed while she had been at the gym for the past few years.
"Of course!" Misty said. "I don't wanna miss the party either, y'know?"
"I know," Ash said. He turned up the heat and tried to take a nap in the comfortable car to pass time.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"There you are!" screamed Daisy, opening the door for the two teens who were waiting on the gym's doorstep. The Sensational Sisters had locked up the building for the holidays.
"Daisy!" squealed Misty, opening her arms to embrace her sister.
"Like, Lily, they're here!" squealed another sister as she approached her two siblings.
"Violet!" squealed Misty again, releasing her blond sister to hug the one with indigo-dyed hair.
"There they are!" cried a pink haired girl, entering the lobby of the gym to find Misty and Ash with the other two sisters. "C'mere you!" With that, all four of the sisters embraced, giggling like a group of schoolgirls.
"I guess things have gotten better between them," Ash remarked to Pikachu, who was standing at his master's feet.
"Pika," Pikachu replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"And there's, like, Mr. Pokémon Champ!" cried Daisy after the girls had group-hugged to their satisfaction. "Like, are you treating our little sis well?" As she asked, she placed her hands on her hips, trying to look serious.
"I think so," Ash replied timidly, placing a hand behind his head. He hated to admit it, because they were Misty's sisters, but he couldn't help finding his friend's siblings quite attractive. They had apparently been swimming in the indoor pool, and were all wearing bikinis as they talked to him and Misty.
"Are you, like, sure?" Lily asked, standing next to her sister. "You seem a little nervous."
"Oh, he's definitely been treating me good," Misty answered for Ash. "Just come outside and see what he bought for me!"
"Like, we can't do that in these!" Violet interjected, displaying her lack of clothing. "We'll die of, like, pneumonia in that snow outside!"
"Well get some clothes on and see what I got!" Misty said, pushing the girls towards the hallway where their bedrooms were located. "You'll definitely be surprised!"
"Like, okay, okay!" Violet replied, laughing at her sister's eagerness. "Just give us a sec!"
As the girls hurried down the hallway to their respective rooms, Misty looked over to Ash.
"So you guys seem to like each other a lot more," Ash noted, unsure of how things had changed so much. When they were younger, Misty couldn't wait to get away from her house, and had already left on her journey when Ash ran into her. Now, however, he was surprised she had been able to tear herself away to join him on this quest.
"Yeah, we got a lot closer when they came back from that world tour," Misty explained. "But-"
"We're like, ready!" announced Lily as the sisters left the bedroom in sweats and coats, both to Ash's relief and disappointment.
"Great!" Misty said, turning around and walking out the door. "Let me show you my new car!"
"A new car?" the three girls asked in unison. Their eyes wide, they quickly sprinted out of the door and ran to the parking lot, finding Misty's car sitting with a small pile of snow collecting on the hood.
"Wow!" Violet said, peering inside as Misty pushed a button on the key to open the scissor door upward. "Look at the leather interior!"
"This is, like, the coolest car ever!" Daisy quickly conceded as she examined the car's sleek design. "I bet the steering wheel's worth more than all our cars combined!"
"And you, like, got her this for free?" Lily inquired from Ash as Misty gave a tour of her new luxurious automobile.
"Well, it was a sort of Christmas and make-up gift," Ash explained.
"I think it was more than a gift," Lily replied, winking. She was speaking at a lower decibel to avoid Misty's attention. "Do you, like, like my sister or something?"
"Like her?" Ash asked, looking mortified.
"Don't play dumb with me," Lily warned. Ash thought the statement slightly ironic. "I mean, like, we're all basically adults here, right? So can you just tell me if you like her or not. I'm not gonna go, like, blab it or something. I just wanna know."
Ash couldn't believe Misty's sister was being so forward, and serious, with him. They had barely arrived and he was already being asked about his feelings for Misty. He slightly expected something of this caliber to arise during their visit, due to the various rumors flying on the internet about the teenage duo. Despite this, he had hoped for at least a few minutes of peace before someone approached the subject.
However, what troubled him more was that the first answer in his mind was not "no". While he was certain it wasn't "yes", he just did not feel the blatant resentment that the inquiry usually drew from within him.
"Uh, no," he finally said, realizing it took him several seconds to give the reply.
"I see," Lily said, giving him a knowing glance before joining her sisters in admiring the vehicle.
They still can't get over it, Ash thought, remembering how when the two teens were younger, the trio of siblings would berate them for their "hidden feelings". Ash had usually found that idea laughable.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"So Misty," Daisy began, as she and her sister sat next to the fireplace in her room. Both were wrapped in blankets and had been talking for an hour about different things. However, Misty could tell by the change in Daisy's voice that a new subject was approaching.
"Yeah?" she asked, looking at the beautiful young woman.
"What's up with, like, you and Ash?" she asked bluntly.
"What about me and Ash?" Misty inquired, raising an eyebrow. The question seemed to come out of the blue considering the fact that they had just been discussing different battling strategies.
"You know, like, what I'm talking about," Daisy said, lightly elbowing Misty in her blanket-covered side. "Like, are the magazines telling us the truth?"
"O-of course not!" Misty cried, blushing slightly. She hoped Daisy would just suppose her red cheeks to be a product of the warm fire. "Th-that's ridiculous!" She desperately tried to emit a light chuckle in order to convince her sister, but unfortunately she made a sound more similar to gargling than laughing when she opened her mouth.
"Well, Lily told me she talked to him earlier today," Daisy informed her sister in a casual voice. "He had some interesting things to say."
"What???!!!" Misty screamed. She quickly covered her mouth, hoping not to have awoken all of Cerulean with her cry of shock.
Daisy simply looked at the young redhead with a smirk.
"You, like, heard me," she said. "He had some interesting things to say to Lily."
"Well, uh, like what?" Misty asked, barely able to contain her excitement.
Why do I care anyway? Misty suddenly wondered. Her heart was beating madly in her chest, and she realized that she was holding her breath as she awaited movement of her sister's lips.
"Why do you care?" Daisy asked, as if reading Misty's mind.
"Uh, I don't, I guess," Misty replied weakly, turning her attention to the fire. However, in her mind she was going insane over the possibilities.
What if he said he didn't like me at all? she wondered. Or what if he doesn't want to travel with me anymore? Or, what if…?
Misty stopped herself mid-thought, afraid of what Ash really may have said.
"Alright then," Daisy said after a minute of silence. "I won't tell you what he said if you're not interested."
"Well…" Misty began, biting her bottom lip. She desperately wanted to know what he said, of course, but she didn't want to admit that to Daisy.
"Listen," Daisy said, breaking Misty from her mental dilemma. "You don't even have to say whether or not you want to hear it. Just nod your head if you, like, wanna hear it, and, like, shake your head if you don't, 'kay?" The truth was that Daisy really wanted to relay her information to Misty.
Misty quickly nodded her head.
"Alrighty then!" Daisy cried, pleased. "Well, like, he said he didn't like you."
"What?" Misty asked, stunned. She had expected that after such a build-up, her sister would have given her different news.
Did I want her to say something different? Misty again thought to herself.
"But that's not the important part!" Daisy assured her sister, afraid that Misty would remember her temper and hurt her before she could give the good news.
"There's something more important than him saying he didn't like me?" Misty asked, skeptical.
"Like, yeah!" Daisy said, nodding happily. "He, like, took forever to answer according to Lily!" Daisy beamed at her younger sister happily, positive Misty would be overjoyed at the news.
However, Misty simply looked confused.
"So what?" she asked, unsure of how the tidbit of information related to Ash having feelings for her.
"Don't you, like, get it?" Daisy asked. "If a guy takes a long time saying whether or not he likes you, then that means that he does like you!"
"No it doesn't," Misty refuted while shaking her head. "It probably means he was trying to think of a nice way to tell Lily 'no'."
"Why are you so, like, negative?" Daisy asked.
"Because Ash Ketchum wouldn't like me," Misty explained, not enjoying the conversation, but feeling a strange tinge of excitement talking about the raven-haired teenage boy.
"I think he does," Daisy said. "And even more importantly, I think you want him to."
"What do you mean by that?" Misty asked, hoping to act innocent and prove to her sister she was not interested in Ash.
"You want him to like you because, like, you like him!" Daisy cried, aggravated. It was not often that she had to explain things to her younger sister, and she was finding it to be quite annoying. Now she understood why Misty got aggravated with her, Lily, and Violet when discussing advanced battle techniques which they would not understand.
"That's not the case at all!" Misty replied. "Trust me."
"Alright," Daisy said, holding her hands up innocently. "If that's what you say, then, like, I believe you. I'm going to bed now." As she said this, she stood up with Misty and walked her sister to the door.
"See you, like, in the morning li'l sis!" she exclaimed, closing the door on the retreating redhead.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The drive to Pallet was an especially long one. Not only was it a sixteen hour drive, but the tension between Ash and Misty was causing the time to go by slow. Both teenagers were thinking of what Misty's siblings had said to them the day before.
Though neither Lily nor Daisy had brought the subject of attraction between the two teens up again the night before or that morning, the subject preyed on their minds.
Ash had been wondering why he had taken so long to answer Lily the day before. He tried to trace his thought process during that conversation, but could not understand why he did not feel repulsed by the idea of a relationship with his best friend like he usually did.
Misty, for her part, was thinking about whether Daisy was right. Had she wanted Ash to say something different? Also, Misty was very upset when she realized that to know Ash's answer, Lily must have asked him about his feelings for her. She was concerned that he mistook her questioning as secret inquiries from her which she was simply too embarrassed to ask.
These factors led the drive to Pallet to be very quiet, and very uncomfortable.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"They're here everybody!" Delia shouted as she opened the door to find the two teenagers on her porch, eagerly waiting to get out of the snow and into the nice, warm home.
"Hey guys!" a half-dozen people welcomed as the two entered the house and took off their winter coats. Delia also asked them to remove their shoes so they would not get the rug wet.
"I'm gonna go see if there's something to eat," Ash said quietly, to no one in particular. "C'mon Pikachu!"
"Alright," Misty replied despondently. She was relieved to have a little time away from the boy after such a quiet trip. She was sure by his silence in the car that her worst fears were true, and that he thought she had put her sisters up to the task of asking about his feelings for her.
"Did you two have a good trip?" Delia inquired as she handed Misty a cup of egg nog. She of course did not encourage underage drinking, but never felt that a glass or two of the holiday concoction was inappropriate during the Christmas season.
"Oh, yes ma'am!" Misty said happily, hoping not to arouse suspicion. The last thing she needed was Ash's mother thinking she had a crush on her son.
"Good," Delia said with a smile. "How about you mingle with some of our guests? A few of them are neighbors and family, but some of your friends are here too!"
"Okay!" Misty responded eagerly, eyeing Tracey near the fireplace. He didn't seem busy and she needed someone to talk to after not having spoken in about twenty-four hours.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Hey Ash!" a familiar voice called out to the young man as he filled his appetite with Christmas cookies and milk alongside Pikachu.
Turning, he saw his cousin Molly.
"Hey Mawy!" he cried through the full mouth of cookies. He went over and gave her a hug.
"It's been a long time!" he said, swallowing the food. "I haven't seen you since the, uh-"
"Incident?" Molly assisted. She was sure that discussing their history in Greenfield, Johto was just as difficult for Ash as it was for her.
"Yeah!" he agreed, smiling. "Since the incident."
"I saw you win the Championship on television a few months ago!" Molly said, quickly changing the subject. "I thought that was one of the most awesome battles I'd ever seen! Not to mention all the new Pokémon I got to witness."
"Thanks!" Ash said gratefully. "So you haven't been to Sinnoh yet?" He knew the thirteen year old girl had begun her journey two years earlier, but he had not kept track of her progress as a trainer.
"Nope," Molly said, slightly dejected. "I've only gotten seven of my Johto badges so far."
"Really?" Ash asked, shocked. He had gotten his eight Johto badges in only a little over a year. However, he realized her embarrassment concerning the confession, and tried to make up for the surprise in his voice. "I mean, uh, that's really awesome!"
"No it's not," Molly replied. "I know I've been slow while on the road, but it's been so hard keeping track of everything. I mean, I don't know how you managed to keep track of where you were going, and what Pokémon you had, and what schoolwork you needed to complete, and all that other stuff back when you were travelling."
"I know how I did it," Ash replied knowingly.
"How?" Molly asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Friends," Ash replied simply. "I had Misty, Brock, May, Max, or Dawn on the road with me to keep me focused and to help out with all that stuff you mentioned. Have you been travelling with anyone Molly?"
"Uh, no," Molly replied, again embarrassed. "I was afraid that travelling partners might slow me down more than help."
"Then that's definitely the problem!" Ash cried, excited to have found the source of Molly's dilemma so quickly. "You need to find some people who you can go on your journey with. It'll help you get more organized, and it'll be a lot more fun than being out by yourself."
"It would be nice to spend nights in the forest without constantly worrying about someone waiting for me to sleep so they could kill me," Molly joked. "If I had someone with me, then I'd be a lot less scared. My fear of going through forests is actually one of the things that has slowed me down during my journey."
"So do you know anyone you could ask?" Ash inquired, handing a cookie to Pikachu, who had been patiently waiting for his master to finish the discussion with his cousin.
"Well, I have a couple of friends on the road," Molly contemplated. "I suppose one of them might still need a partner. I just hope I'm not too far behind them in badges!"
"You already have seven," Ash said with a shrug. "I've met people who are a lot older than you who are just starting out on their journey. You probably won't have any trouble finding someone to go with."
"Hopefully I'll find a friend as good as Misty to travel with."
"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked suspiciously. Normally, he wouldn't think twice about the statement, but after the events at the Waterflower residence he was nervous that others shared the view that he and Misty were more than friends.
"Oh, just that you two are really good friends and are also travelling partners," Molly explained. "I wouldn't wanna travel with someone who wasn't a good friend of mine!"
"Oh," Ash said in response, a little shocked at his own reaction to her earlier statement. "Yeah. If you're lucky, you'll find someone like Misty."
"Well, I better get back and talk to some other people," Molly said, turning to leave the kitchen. "You never know who'll challenge you to an impromptu battle at a Christmas party!"
"That's true," Ash said with a smile. "See ya around!"
"See ya!" she called back before closing the kitchen door.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"So they thought that Ash and I liked each other or something," Misty finished explaining. "Isn't that one of the most ridiculous things you've ever heard?"
"Uh, yeah," Tracey replied timidly. The truth was that during their time in the Orange Archipelago, he had often thought that the two pre-adolescents had feelings for each other, but were just too young to understand it. As he listened to Misty ramble aimlessly about her and Ash's lack of attraction for each other, he began to sense that same form of denial Misty had when she was only twelve.
"So how's everything going for you?" she suddenly asked, realizing that she had been hogging the conversation to herself the entire time.
"Oh, things are going great!" Tracey exclaimed happily. He was more than happy to shift the focus of the conversation away from the awkward topic Misty had been discussing. "I've had the opportunity to enhance my skills both as a Pokémon field researcher and sketch artist at the lab!"
"I'm so happy for you!" Misty replied, sounding equally joyous. It had been a while since Tracey and she had seen each other at the Cerulean Gym due to his breaking up with Daisy almost a year earlier.
"Yeah, it's pretty fun," Tracey continued. "I'm also studying at the research institute with Gary, and I'm trying to get my degree in art."
"Because of your drawing Pokémon?" Misty asked presumably.
"Yep," he affirmed. "Since it's a natural science university, I get to learn about different drawing techniques and patterns depending upon a Pokémon's movements and position. And the best part is that Professor Oak's paying for the whole thing with his scholarship fund!"
"Wow! That is great," Misty agreed. She was happy to hear that Tracey had won the Oak Achievement Scholarship, but not surprised. The money for a full-ride to college went to whoever applied and was seen as most qualified to study in the field they held interest in. Though many young people competed for the award annually, Tracey's continuing service to the Professor over the years all but guaranteed the young artist the money.
"So how are your and Ash's travels going?" Tracey asked. "You having fun going around Kanto again?"
"Yeah," Misty said with a smile. "It's been a lot of fun catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances. Not to mention all the water Pokémon I've caught since we've hit the road!"
"That's cool," Tracey said.
Misty was not sure if Tracey understood why Ash was travelling around catching so many Pokémon. She knew he and the Professor were close, but was unsure of whether or not something as random as the qualifications for Pokémon Masters ever entered their realm of discussion. Just in case, she decided to play it safe and not mention her friend's goals to Tracey.
"It sure is!" she agreed with a nod. "Well, I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat. Do you wanna come with me?" The reason behind her change of subjects was two-fold. First, she wanted to avoid discussing Ash's aspirations in Kanto anymore than necessary. Second, she had grown very hungry since her determination to not stay in the car any longer than necessary with her travelling partner forced her to avoid stopping even for a brief snack along the way to Pallet.
"Nah, I better not," Tracey replied politely. "I already had a thousand cookies!"
"Okay," Misty said, waving to her friend. "I'll talk to you in a little while!" With that, she walked towards the kitchen, and felt her pulse race upon entering the white-tiled room to find Ash and Pikachu feasting on a plate of cookies near the sink.
"Oh, hey Mity," Ash mumbled through the mouthful of cookies.
I need to stop talking with my mouth full, he thought, remembering Molly's entrance earlier. He saw several crumbs drop from his mouth to the floor as he spoke to the redhead, and felt oddly embarrassed at being caught in such a predicament.
Misty giggled a little at the sight of Ash. Seeing him looking as clueless and innocent as ever made her feel more comfortable with her friend. However, she knew if they were to overcome this "glitch" in their friendship that they needed to discuss what happened at her sisters' gym.
"Uh, Ash," she began, waiting for the boy to choke down the pastries with some egg nog quickly.
"Yeah?" he finally replied, catching his breath.
"Uh, I just wanted to ask about what-"
"Hey Ashy-boy!" Gary suddenly called from the entrance, turning into the kitchen upon seeing his rival. He took off his snow-covered winter coat and hat as he came toward the young champion and his friend.
"Hey Gary!" Ash called back.
"You practicing for our little battle?" Gary asked, smiling confidently at his friend.
"I don't need to practice to beat you Gary!" Ash yelled playfully. Though he was joking, he couldn't help but feel that the statement was somewhat true. Both of the boys were much older than they were during their rivalry, but neither had completely given up their desire to best each other in competition.
"We'll see about that Ash!" Gary yelled back playfully.
"Gary, Ash, Misty, come in here!" Delia called from somewhere in the living room. "We're about to open presents!"
Delia had set up a Secret Santa system where all fifty of the guests would buy a gift for someone who would be chosen by the hostess. She was very proud of the system, though Ash and Misty had already agreed to get each other gifts and were thereby excluded from the activity.
As Misty and Ash sat next to each other on the floor by the couch, they watched as their family and friends opened gift after gift, sometimes appearing surprised, sometimes amused, but always happy.
As the evening progressed, Misty felt a growing urge to talk with Ash. She knew that he was enjoying the party, but she noticed he hadn't talked to her the entire time they had been sitting together, and she felt as if he was staring at her every time her head was turned away. Although she couldn't remove paranoia as a possibility for her suspicions, she reasoned that even if she was only imagining Ash's relatively odd behavior, it meant she was not comfortable with the status quo.
As Gary unwrapped his present from one of Ash's aunts, Misty decided to take action. Lightly jabbing the teenager in the side, she whispered, "Can we talk for a minute?"
"What?" Ash asked back in a whisper, looking surprised. "But they're not done with the presents yet!"
"I know that," Misty replied rolling her eyes. Maybe Ash really didn't care about what happened at Cerulean. "I just wanted to talk for a sec."
"Alright," he relented, still looking suspicious. Misty also seemed to note a tinge of discomfort in his voice. "Let's go in the kitchen."
As the two stood up, Delia enquired quietly as to where the two were going. Ash simply remarked that they would return in a matter of minutes and they were going to refill their drinks.
"Alright, but not too much more," Delia warned. "You've already had two glasses."
"Yeah Ma," Ash replied. He turned from his mother and rolled his eyes at Misty, earning him a small snigger from the young woman.
As the two neared the kitchen, they were surprised to see several people who had already received their gifts mingling amongst each other while consuming the remaining cookies from Delia's platter.
"Oh man!" Ash cried, almost hysterically.
"What is it?" Misty asked, surprised that the champion would be so upset that they could not talk in the kitchen.
"No more cookies!" he cried, upset.
"Come on," Misty ordered, aggravated. She grabbed Ash by the sleeve of his grey sweater towards the front door. "We'll talk outside."
"But…it's really dark and cold out there!" Ash whined as Misty shoved her right foot into her sneaker and simultaneously zipped her pink winter coat.
"We've done worse," Misty replied, throwing Ash's blue coat at him. Once again, she felt she heard a small amount of worry plague Ash's tone as he spoke.
After Ash had zipped up and put on his shoes, they quietly opened the door and stepped out. Though Ash was sure his mother was going to emerge at any second to inquire as to why they were leaving the party, especially since the Living Room was connected to the entrance, no one came outside to see what the two teens were doing.
Walking down the small walkway from the Ketchum front door to the main road, Misty quietly thought of what she wanted to say with bated breath.
Reaching the end of the walkway, the two stood together under a small tarp, held up by two poles extending from the white picket fence surrounding the front yard.. The tarp had been put out by Delia both as a way to keep people from getting wet from the snow, but more importantly to indicate her house as the meeting place of the party. The thin plastic covering was holding a sign up that read "Ketchum Christmas Bash" in bold letters. As the snow began to fall in heavy flakes around them, Misty felt her pulse quicken as Ash stared into her eyes. She had not expected the subject to be so difficult to discuss.
"So what'd you wanna talk about Mist?" Ash asked, sounding nervous once again. However, Misty could tell that he was sincerely interested in what she was about to say.
"Uh, well, uh, I just wanted to, um, ask about what happened at the gym a couple of days ago," Misty began. As she thought of what to say next, she realized that she was unsure of what she wanted to know.
I already know he doesn't like me, she realized. What else do I need to know?
This thought brought a sinking feeling to her stomach, and at that moment she realized she had indeedwanted something more from Ash's answer. However, she refused to allow her mind to ponder the desired response. The timing of this realization was, in her opinion, terrible.
"I just wanted you to know that I didn't ask Lily to ask you that or anything," Misty quickly said, remembering the main concern she had about her sisters' intrusion into her personal life. Though she had just experienced an epiphany, she needed time to sort her feelings, and now wanted to simply escape to the guestroom of the Ketchum household so she could think in silence.
"You mean about if I, um, li-like you or not?" Ash asked with a small gulp. He knew the subject would eventually be brought up by his best friend.
"Y-yeah," Misty affirmed. It was weird to hear Ash use the word "like" in connection with her.
"Why would you, uh, think I would think you asked her?" Ash asked curiously. The thought had never crossed his mind.
"Oh, well, uh, I dunno," Misty replied, surprised to hear that he hadn't believed her to be the instigator of the questioning. "I just thought you, uh, might assume I wanted to know because you've been acting so quiet since we left there."
"Oh," Ash remarked, beginning to worry, himself.
"If that wasn't the reason, then why were you so quiet on the way over here?" Misty asked. She felt as if both their questions had backfired upon them.
Ash was silent. He knew he couldn't tell the truth; that he had been contemplating his inability to find Lily's question repugnant, or even unpleasant. He couldn't simply tell her that the idea of liking her no longer made him physically ill, but her question demanded an answer, and as he looked into her green eyes he knew that he could not lie to her.
The snow began to fall even swifter and with more strength than before.
"I was just thinking about stuff," he responded, praying that the answer would suffice for the redhead.
"What stuff?" Misty asked in a whisper, intuitively knowing she had struck a nerve within the teenage boy's heart.
Now Ash knew he was in trouble. He felt a surge of emotion as he looked into his childhood friend's now-beautiful green eyes; so clear and longing for an answer. He felt an almost spiritual connection with her for a moment. At this second in time, he knew that anything less than the truth would be immediately recognized by the gym leader as fallacious.
"This is so stupid!" he cried, suddenly breaking eye contact with the teenage girl, and immediately losing the spiritual bond they had shared for so brief a moment.
Taken aback, Misty flinched a little at the outburst.
"W-what?" she asked, hurt obvious in her tone. However, at this point Ash was too confused and too embarrassed to act rationally to her disappointed appearance.
"This entire conversation!" he almost yelled back. "We both don't like each other, so why does it matter what I was thinking?"
Misty simply gaped at the boy as he ranted.
"I mean, can't I have a few private thoughts?" As he asked her this, Misty felt the momentary shock of his outburst replaced by a seething anger for him yelling at her.
"I'm surprised you can have any thoughts at all!" she shot back, her cheeks flushed.
"That's another reason why this conversation is so stupid!" Ash responded, almost seeming to not have heard his counterpart. "How could I like a person who's constantly making fun of me? I'd really be an idiot if I did that!"
"Who said anything about you liking me?" Misty asked angrily. "I just wanted to know what you were thinking about!"
Ash blushed a deep red as he realized she was correct. He had brought up him liking her.
"You know what?" he asked, feeling upset at the turnaround of the argument. "If you don't think I'm smart, then why don't we just quit travelling together?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Misty shouted back, wishing she could find the will to slap the boy in front of her. She was too upset to note that he had changed the topic of controversy.
"Good!" he yelled, turning back towards the house and storming back. "I don't need you holding me back in Johto anyway!" With that, he opened the door and slammed it shut, as Misty stood underneath the tarp, looking in his direction with mixed feelings.
"Fine," she whispered to herself. "I won't go."
With that, she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands as she began to cry.
The snowstorm had died down, and only a few flakes continued to fall from the sky.
Author's Notes: There it is ladies and gents! I hoped this chapter was worth waiting for, though I sincerely doubt that myself. However, as I said before, this chapter was very necessary in order to progress the shipping side of the story (since it has been dominated by the Pokémon Master tale till now).
I would also like to take a quick moment to thank licoricejellybean, because we have agreed to beta each other's chapters from now on before sending them off. This is a big deal for me actually, because it means I will take less time editing my own fic, and will hopefully be able to publish chapters quicker. Like I said earlier, I am making every effort to return to weekly updates, even if that means I have to join forces with the dark side, a.k.a. LJB.
Recommendations:
None. Really sorry, but as little time as I've had to work on my story, I've had even less to search for new ones. I have read a couple of newer pokeshipping fics, but frankly none of them were worth mentioning and I didn't just want to recommend them so I could fill up space on this section.
As I always say, please read and REVIEW! I know I've lost several reviewers the past couple of months due to my tardiness, but I am sincerely asking for my remaining readers' support as I move forward with this fic. I'm not even close to done, but if I don't get encouragement (or criticism) then my motivation to finish will seriously diminish. While I understand I have probably lost many of my fans' respect for failing to keep promises for updates (which is why I'm not making anymore), it is my wish that y'all can give me one more chance and show your support for this ongoing project of a fic that I have on my hands. You are the reason I am writing this.