Hey Everybody! Well, it's that time again…update time! Believe it or not, I originally did not plan on having this chapter out on Valentine's, but when I saw the calendar, I knew that I had to have it ready at least by now. Pretty good timing, huh? Anyway, I would like to point out before you begin reading that this is officially my longest chapter ever, with the story itself over 12,000 written words! So I hope y'all enjoy this Valentine's gift!
By the way, in accordance with the contest I made last chapter, this installment is officially dedicated to snooper roofle, who provided the 300th, and 301st reviews of "A New Journey". Again, thank you to all my readers, who since my last update have given me 26 new reviews and have further propelled this story's popularity through word of mouth on the internet. Let's all keep up the great work guys!
Also, I have a confession to make. I was working till four this morning to complete this chapter; desperately staving off sleep so I could fulfill my commitment to you. However, the real hero here (and trust me, I say this with the deepest regret) is licoricejellybean. Honestly, if it hadn't been for that girl, this chapter would not be nearly as awesome as it is. I have a lot of dialogue between Misty and her sisters this chapter, and in the original copy of this story, I'll admit that the conversations were pretty bad. I mean, honestly I had no idea how to write for sisters, so when you read their discussions, though I obviously wrote some of it, the excellent character portrayal is due to LJB's writing skill. As I write this, I'm half-dead from lack of sleep, so please keep that in mind. This friendliness isn't going to be a regular thing LJB!
Alright, what are you waiting for? Enjoy the chapter!
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
"It sounds like Ash is very important to you dear," Johanna remarked, winking at her blushing daughter.
"Uh, no," Dawn refuted embarrassedly over the video phone. "We're just friends."
"Whatever you say," Johanna replied airily. She knew her daughter well, and could tell by the look on her face she had struck a nerve. "Well, since you don't like him, I guess you won't be buying him anything for Valentine's Day, huh?"
"V-Valentine's Day?" Dawn asked, suddenly aware of where the conversation was leading.
"Yes honey, you remember Valentine's Day, right?" Johanna asked humorously. "It's when you gave those little paper hearts to your classmates in Kindergarten."
"Oh, very funny mom," Dawn replied with slight sarcasm in her tone. "I remember the day, just…not that it's in three days."
"So are you gonna buy Ash something special?" Dawn's mother asked.
"No!" Dawn replied, still blushing from the inquisition of her mother. She loved her a lot, but the last thing she wished to do was discuss a crush with her parent. "We never got anything when we used to travel together, so I'm sure we won't now!"
"Alright then," Dawn's mother conceded without further discussion. She didn't want to aggravate her child before they said their goodbyes.
"So where are you guys now, anyway?" she asked, changing the subject quickly.
"We're in Ecruteak City," Dawn answered, silently thanking her mother for the change in conversation. "Ash has caught a lot of Pokémon here!"
"What about you?" Johanna asked. "How are your contests going?"
"Really well," Dawn answered. "I'm scheduled to participate in one in a place called Budsville City on Valentine's as a matter of fact."
"Has Ash seen you compete since you two started travelling together again?" Johanna asked. "Or have you guys just been searching for new Pokémon the entire time?"
"No, he hasn't seen me yet," answered Dawn. "I bet he'll be really impressed when he does though, since I've gotten a lot stronger since he last watched me like eight months ago!"
"I bet you have, darling," Johanna agreed. "Just remember though, I'll always be the better coordinator!" At this, both she and her daughter laughed.
"Hey! You only beat me once!" Dawn cried out jokingly. "I think we need to have a rematch."
"You're probably right," Johanna agreed.
"Hey Mrs. Dawn's mom!" Ash suddenly cried to the videophone over Dawn's shoulder. Startled, both women gasped at the sound of his voice.
"Ash!" Dawn cried. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, this is my hotel too, you know?" Ash replied with a smile on his lips. He wondered why they both seem so shocked to see him.
"How long have you been standing there?" Johanna asked the young champion. She sounded just as concerned as her daughter, and her tone was beginning to make Ash regret his little intrusion.
"I just got in from my workout," Ash explained, holding his hands up in innocence. "I saw you talking and thought that I'd say 'hi' really quick. Sorry if I scared you guys or something."
"Oh, it's no problem Ash," Johanna responded over the video. "You just surprised us is all."
"How'd your workout go?" Dawn asked, looking at the perspiration-drenched sweat clothes her travelling partner was wearing. It was obvious he had been training hard.
"Great!" Ash replied. "They have a nice weight set in the hotel's gym, so me and Croconaw worked out with those, and then me and Pikachu went outside to do some wind sprints."
"Pika, pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly cried happily atop Ash's left shoulder.
"Quit showing off!" Ash yelled playfully at his friend. "He's just being a jerk because he beat me in every race."
"That doesn't surprise me," Dawn said, laughing. "He's a very fast little guy!" With that, she rubbed the Pokémon's head and then turned to Ash.
"Are you ready to leave?"
"Well, not yet!" Ash said with a grin, looking down at his sweaty workout clothes. "But yeah, in an hour we can leave for Budsville. I can't wait to see how well your contest goes there!"
"Thanks, Ash," Dawn said, flushing happily.
"Dawn can't wait for you to see her in action!" Johanna added from behind her daughter. "She says she's improved a lot since her last contest with you in the audience!"
"Mom," Dawn grumbled under her breath, to the confusion of Ash.
Why does she seem aggravated with her mom? he wondered silently.
"What did I say?" Johanna asked innocently.
"Nothing," Dawn replied exasperatedly. "So Ash, I'll see you in an hour?"
"Yeah, we can make it to Budsville by this afternoon," Ash responded. "I'll see you later Mrs. Dawn's Mom!"
"Why does he always call me that?" Johanna asked her daughter as Ash ran over to the elevators and impatiently repeatedly pressed the "up" button. "He never calls me Johanna, or even Ms. Stone."
"I don't know why either," Dawn replied, equally perplexed. "Oh well. I better get packing if we're gonna leave in an hour."
"Okay, Dawn," Johanna said with a smile. "You be careful, and do your best at that contest! Win a ribbon for me!"
"I will Mom," Dawn chirped with a thumbs-up. "No need to worry!"
"I know there isn't," Johanna responded, giving her daughter a thumbs-up too. "Love ya!"
"Love you too," Dawn answered before hanging up the phone.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"What do you think Pikachu? Should I call her?" Ash asked his yellow companion for what seemed like the hundredth time since Misty left.
"Pika-pi, pikachu," Pikachu replied, exasperated. He had grown weary of listening to Ash debate himself over whether calling Misty or not was a wise decision. Ash would ask his advice, scorn the response he received, end the conversation - and then proceed to ask the same question the very next day. The cycle had been going on for weeks.
"Oh, sure, I mean, it would be easy for me to just pick up the phone and call her, but that would make it look like I had done something wrong…which I haven't," Ash reasoned as he paced the floor of his hotel room in clean jeans and a new black jacket with a white hood. His hair was currently matted down by the water of the shower he had just taken.
Misty had actually been on his mind quite a bit since Dawn confronted him about their spat at the Ketchum residence. After discussing it with Dawn, he had begun to think that maybe the fight had been, in truth, slightly over-exaggerated by both parties. Adding to these thoughts, he had started to experience an unexpected pang of regret in going to Johto without his redheaded friend. Though she could be moody and aggravating at times, Ash had realized that these traits were, however odd it may be, endearing in some way to him. Perhaps it was the allure of their childhood memories being reincarnated through petty arguments, or that he simply enjoyed aggravating the gym leader for his own amusement; but being with Misty in a bad mood was beginning to appear favorable compared to not being with Misty at all. In addition to this, Ash also noticed that with maturation he and Misty both seemed to get along a little easier now than they had in the past.
"I'll just call her really quick and see if she's home," he determined suddenly. He had been building the strength over the past few weeks, and now he felt ready to face the young woman who was so often in his thoughts. Though he wasn't sure what sort of a reception he would be greeted with, Ash knew he couldn't go on dwelling upon the matter without acting.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Three more days until you-know-who's Day!" Violet squealed to her sister's as she entered the kitchen for breakfast. The others were already sitting at the table eating various bagels and cereals, but they turned their attention away from their food as Violet came in.
"Why are you so happy about Valentine's?" Daisy asked her sister. "It's not like you have a boyfriend or anything."
"I'm not happy for me, Daisy," Violet retorted. "I'm happy for our little sister!"
"Why are you happy for me?" Misty asked blankly, turning in her seat to face her sister. "I don't have a boyfriend either."
"How depressing is that?" Lily suddenly interjected dejectedly, staring mournfully down into the depths of her cereal bowl. "Four gorgeous sisters, and we'll be stuck with nothing for Valentine's except a stack of creepy fan mail."
"Anyway," Misty continued as they turned their attention away for Lily's odd interlude in the conversation. "I don't have a boyfriend, so why are you excited?"
"Duh, Misty," Violet replied. "Because everyone knows that if a guy really likes you, then he'll call on Valentine's Day telling you about his feelings."
Misty snorted derisively. "Which movie was it where that happened?" she asked sarcastically. "Was it one of those films you guys sit around at midnight watching and crying over?"
"Hey, sometimes you watch with us," Lily reminded her sister defensively.
"Just one time," Misty shot back. "And it was only because your blubbering was keeping me awake upstairs. Besides, I already told you that I've forgotten about what's-his-name."
"You just watch, little sis," Violet continued, ignoring the argument brewing between her two siblings. "Between now and Valentine's, if he, like, really likes you, then he'll call."
"Yeah, right-"
Misty was instantly interrupted from making a snide remark by the ringing of the telephone on the wall, next to the refrigerator.
Slowly, she got up and placed her hand on the ringing communicator. As it continued to ring, she looked back at her sisters with wide eyes. All three of them were looking at her with appearances showing them to be equally surprised.
"A-answer it, Misty," Daisy ordered in a soft voice as the phone rang for the fifth time. If Misty did not answer the call soon, the answering machine might catch it.
Shakily picking the phone up, Misty stared intently at the blank video screen as she nervously greeted the caller with a shaky "H-hello?"
"Hello there young lady!" shouted a middle-aged balding man who suddenly appeared on the video screen. "I'm with Pok-é-surance, and I was wondering if I could discuss your Pokémon insurance rates for a brief moment?"
Sighing in relief, Misty smiled and replied, "No thanks. We don't have our Pokémon insured."
"But Miss!" the man replied, appearing appalled at the response. "If your Pokémon aren't insured, what will happen if-"
The man was silenced as Misty placed the phone back in its holster on the wall. Turning around, she smiled sadly.
"See guys? I told you he wouldn't-"
She was interrupted again by the phone as it started to ring. Aggravated at the telemarketer's poor timing, she picked up the phone with more confidence this time and, before registering who was on the screen, began to talk.
"Listen sir, we don't need your insurance here! We already - uh, um."
Misty stood dumbfounded as she stared at the screen to find a stunned Ash on the other side. His hair was drenched, but other than that and the scared look on his face, he looked normal.
"H-hey Mist," he greeted quietly. "What's up?"
"Um, n-nothing much," Misty replied timidly, unable to believe that she was actually facing her brown-eyed crush. An audible gasp escaped the lips of her three sisters as she tried to regain her breath.
"Oh," Ash remarked, his eyes darting around the room from which he was calling. It appeared that he was trying hard not to look directly at the screen in front of him. "Well, that's good, I guess. Uh, how's the gym doing?"
"It's good," Misty answered. After her rather brief response there was a long moment of silence, before the redhead heard someone hissing at her from behind. Turning around, she found Daisy on her knees, in order to avoid detection by Ash, trying to get her attention desperately.
She turned back to Ash so as not to arouse his suspicion, but she listened intently to her sister's words.
"Ask him why he called!" Daisy urged in a hushed scream.
"Why did you call?" Misty asked, rather bluntly after the break in dialogue.
"Why did I call?" Ash asked, appearing dazed by the question.
Why did I call? he questioned inwardly.
"Yeah," Misty said, the shock of the caller beginning to dissipate as curiosity set in. "Why are you suddenly calling me after six weeks?"
"It's been six weeks?"
"Oh, uh, well," Misty began, cursing herself for the slip of the tongue. "I mean, it's been almost that long I'm sure. We haven't talked since December, after all."
"I guess you're right," Ash said. He did not appear suspicious of her response.
"So why are you calling me now, all of a sudden?" Misty continued.
"I…I guess I don't really know," Ash said truthfully. "I mean, I just wanted to talk to you for some reason."
"You don't know why you called, but you did anyway?" Misty asked. She wasn't sure what to make of his confession. Was he trying to be coy? Or was he sincerely unsure of his reasons for contacting her after such a long lapse.
"Yeah, I know it sounds weird," Ash admitted. "I-I've just been thinking about you a lot since, well…you know."
Misty's heart skipped several beats as she heard his last statement. Ash Ketchum had just admitted to having thought about hera lot.
Is he trying to tell me something? she thought excitedly as her cheeks began to flush at the comment. Is he saying that he wants me to come back and travel with him…or is he saying something even more important?
"So, you've been thinking about me?" she asked aloud. As she asked, she realized what a dumb question it was.
He just said that to me!
"Uh, yeah," Ash admitted once again. "I was thinking about you and about our fight and everything."
"Ash," Misty began as she looked into his brown eyes on the video screen. As she watched him, in obvious discomfort, trying to gather the courage to carry on a conversation with her, she realized what she needed to do.
"Yeah Mist?"
"I'm sorry for being so angry with you back at your house," she apologized. Though she was hardly one for admitting mistakes, she had come to a quick realization. She realized how much Ash must have truly wanted to speak with her if he'd been willing to risk his own pride to call her. Despite the fact that she traced their fight to Ash's immaturity, it only seemed fair for her to humble herself after he had done the same.
"Really?" he asked, sounding incredulous. "You're saying that you're sorry?"
"Yeah," Misty affirmed quickly. Though she wanted to take some of the blame, it was still not fun apologizing.
"I'm sorry too then," Ash quickly ceded. Though Misty had been afraid he might take advantage of her uncharacteristic humility, Ash actually just wanted to reconcile with his friend as quickly as possible.
"You are?" Misty asked, touched that he was not taking advantage of her temporal vulnerability.
He must really be growing up, she thought as she looked at the young man, who was apparently staring at his shoes as he spoke to his friend.
"Uh-huh," he affirmed with a nod. Looking straight at her, he continued. "I didn't mean to get so upset when we were talking back then. I was just…I dunno." He honestly couldn't explain why he had gotten so upset that night.
In fact, he realized, I barely remember what the fight was about at all.
All he knew for sure of their conversation that evening was that it had changed the dynamic of their relationship for the worst.
"I know," Misty agreed. "I don't know why I got so mad at you that night either. I guess we were both just tired from that long drive."
"That's true," Ash said, appearing pensive. "Also, we'd both had a few glasses of eggnog." After he said this, he began to laugh a little as he saw Misty crack a grin.
After this, neither teen said anything for a few moments. Both seemed unsure of where to proceed from this point in the conversation.
Ash, for his part, certainly felt compelled to ask Misty if she wished to travel with him again. However, he was unsure of whether or not it was too soon to ask his friend to suddenly drop her life at the gym again just so she could travel around catching Pokémon with him.
Let's face it, he thought silently. We just made up. She might not want to come all the way to Johto.
On the other end of the call, Misty was dealing with her own inner-turmoil. Though she certainly wanted to meet back up with her longtime friend and newly-discovered crush, she definitely did not want to be the one to breach the subject. Having just reconciled after a month and a half of not talking, she felt it would be presumptuous of her to simply insist that she rejoin her dark-haired companion.
If he would just give me a sign about what he wanted.
"So little sis," Lily said loudly as she came up behind Misty and placed a firm grip on her shoulders, while at the same time looking into the video screen at the startled Ash. "Does this mean you're gonna, like, be back on the road with Ash again?"
"Lily, what are you-"
"Like, yeah Misty," Daisy suddenly interrupted, standing to Misty's right and beaming down at the video screen. "You are gonna keep, like, catching more water Pokémon, right?"
"Why do you care?" Misty asked, jerking away from her sister's touch.
"Like, because we need more Pokémon Mist," Violet answered for her sisters as she used her height advantage to peer over Misty's head and smile down at Ash. "The gym battles have gotten a lot more exciting since you added all those new ones to our collection."
"You didn't, like, think we were just gonna let you stay here and battle beginning trainers did you?" Lily asked, looking surprised.
"Well, yeah, kinda," Misty replied sheepishly. She hadn't expected her sisters to intervene like this.
"Really?" Violet asked. "Then who did you think was gonna go get all our new Pokémon? Daisy?"
"Hey!" Daisy shouted, causing Misty to flinch due to the proximity of her sister. "I can catch, like, a thousand times more Pokémon than you could."
"Whatever," Lily said, quieting her two sisters. "The point is, we don't like capturing Pokémon." She looked at Ash as she explained the sisters' rationale.
"If you wanna go catch Pokémon, then you have to, like, go in forests and stuff," she continued, sticking her tongue out. "Not to mention walking for, like, a million miles and getting sweaty and everything." Misty could swear that at this point she felt a simultaneous shudder current through her sisters' bodies.
"That is so gross," Violet said.
"So anyway," Daisy continued, "we need Misty to, like, go back on the road and catch new Pokémon for us and stuff."
"Well, uh," Ash started, taken aback both by the sudden presence of Misty's sisters and their apparent desire for her to join him. "If you want, Mist, you could, uh, come to Johto and travel with me while you look for new Pokémon."
"I could?" Misty asked hopefully. Though she knew he would never do such a thing, she needed to make sure Ash wasn't simply playing a cruel joke on her.
"Sure!" Ash answered, instantly appearing chipper. "You could catch a ferry from Vermillion to Olivine City! We're gonna be in Budsville City on Valentine's Day, and that's only like a three hour drive from Olivine!"
"Wait a minute," Misty said, her elation suddenly replaced by confusion. "What do you mean 'we'?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Ash asked, realizing that Misty had had no way of discovering who Ash's new travelling partner was. "I met up with Dawn here in Johto as soon as I got off of the ferry. She's doing contests while I catch more Pokémon."
"Wow!" Misty said, surprised by the news. She hadn't even considered that Ash might travel with someone else while she was away, and the thought caused her a brief stab of jealousy. Surprised by the emotion, she shook it off quickly and smiled. "It sounds like everything's working out well for both of you."
"Yeah, it is," Ash replied. "Of course, it'll be even better when you get here! Do you wanna meet at the Contest Hall to watch Dawn?"
"Sure! I can't wait to see you again!" Misty answered with a large grin, relieved by his apparent desire for her return. She immediately covered her mouth after speaking, fearing she may have inadvertently betrayed her own thoughts. She'd meant to say that she couldn't wait to see them both again.
Ash looked at Misty with his eyebrow cocked for a moment, before asking her why she had suddenly covered her mouth. "You act like a little kid who just used a curse word," he joked as Misty embarrassedly removed her hand and worked to regain her composure.
"Oh, i-it's nothing," she lied. "Uh, I just remembered that I've got a bunch of stuff to do if I'm gonna leave, that's all."
"Well then I better let you get to it," Ash replied happily. "I can't wait to see you again either Mist!" With that, the phone screen went black, and Misty's siblings, who had left the two teens alone after their plan succeeded, were soon crowding their sister once more as they bombarded her with a flurry of giddy statements and questions.
"He asked you to meet him on Valentine's Day!" Violet cried happily as she jumped up and down.
"Is he gonna, like, propose do you think?" Daisy asked, eyes wide with excitement.
"Who's this Dawn girl he said he's, like, travelling with now?" Lily asked. This last inquiry immediately silenced the cries of joy as all three sisters suddenly looked serious, staring questioningly at Misty for details.
"She's just this girl Ash used to travel with in Sinnoh," Misty explained. "She was the one who was with him when he beat Cynthia last year."
"How old is this Dawn girl?" Violet asked, sounding as if she were beginning to panic.
"She's like fourteen or fifteen," Misty answered, wondering why the women seemed so interested suddenly in Ash's travelling companion. "Why do you care?"
"Don't you see Misty?" Daisy inquired in amazement. 'She just happened to meet Ash out in Johto - just after you guys argued, when he was all by himself. She altered her plans so that she could travel with him - and they've already traveled together before, so she knows him well!"
"So?" Misty questioned blankly.
Daisy rolled her eyes, baffled by Misty's obliviousness in the situation. "She could be trying to get Ash to like her."
"What?" Misty questioned in amazement. "You really think that a girl as nice as Dawn would try to seduce Ash?" At this, Misty began to laugh as she remembered the innocuous young coordinator whom she had met almost two years earlier. Dawn was so like Ash – spontaneous and determined, and totally obsessed with her Pokémon. There was no way she'd spare a moment to like Ash.
But even as she laughed, Misty remembered the pang of jealousy she'd experienced when Ash had mentioned his acquisition of a new companion. No, she told herself fiercely. You're being ridiculous. Ash and Dawn are just friends!
"I wouldn't laugh Misty," Daisy warned her gravely, not noticing how Misty's grin had vanished. "You think that just because she's nice, she can't like Ash too? I mean, they did travel together for a long time after you had left."
"Daisy, will you quit already?" Misty said determinedly. "Dawn does not like Ash!"
"If you say so," Daisy replied with a shrug. "Just remember to, like, keep your eyes open."
"What do you mean 'keep my eyes open'? If I see Dawn and Ash making out, should I take that as some kind of signal?"
"Ha, ha, little sis," Lily replied for her sister sarcastically. "I think what Daisy's talking about is to look for the, like, signs of a crush. Ya know, like if she's constantly laughing around him, or if she plays with her hair a lot when she talks to him, or-"
"I get the idea," Misty interrupted, rolling her eyes, suddenly keen to get away from her uncharacteristically intuitive sisters. "In case you forgot, I'm a girl too. Now, if you will all excuse me, I have to start packing."
Saying this, Misty turned on her heel and left the room almost in a sprint. After all, she couldn't wait to pack up.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Ash decided against telling Dawn about the good news of Misty's upcoming arrival. He thought it would be more fun to surprise both her and Pikachu when the redhead showed up for Dawn's contest on Valentine's.
In the meantime, the duo still had a full day of walking ahead of them in order to arrive in Budsville on time, so after Ash dressed, the teens made their way for the forest trail which, according to Ash's Pokénav, would lead them straight to the city.
"So Ash, you seem like you're in a really good mood today," Dawn noted over the crunch of dead leaves on the cold, winter soil. Since they left the hotel two hours earlier, Ash had noted the beauty of the day several times, and had broken into sporadic whistling of show tunes twice. "Did anything happen to make you so happy?"
Despite herself, Dawn hoped that Ash heard the conversation she'd had with her mother earlier and was acting peculiarly happy because of the news.
"Oh! Um, no," Ash answered, immediately quitting the incessant tune which he'd been whistling. "I-I guess I'm just excited to watch you in this new contest! It's been so long since I've seen you compete!"
"That's the truth," Dawn said. Though slightly disappointed by the root of his glee, Dawn nevertheless was glad to see her friend in such high spirits. Talking about his problem with Misty about three weeks earlier did seem to improve his attitude a little, but she could still tell that something was complicating her friend's emotions. Seeing him so happy was a rare event that she never took for granted.
The two continued walking through the woods for several hours, stopping only briefly for a light lunch, until they reached the end of the trail. Walking through the brush covering the end, the teens instantly saw Budsville City, a bustling metropolis, less than a mile ahead of them.
"I'm so glad I bought this Pokénav," Ash said as he put the small yellow device back in his pocket. "If we were using a map like I used to, then we'd still be in those woods for another five days!"
Dawn laughed at the comment. "I thought you said it was mostly Misty's fault for getting you guys lost all those times."
"Well, yeah," Ash affirmed. "Usually, it was her fault. Every once in a while though, I got us in trouble too."
"Don't worry. I always figured you must have made at least one mistake or two," Dawn replied with a wink. "Let's get to the city!"
"Alright, but be careful," Ash warned. "The highway starts right over there, and the Pokénav says that the city has really busy streets."
"I'm not a toddler, Ash," Dawn said with a smirk, placing both hands on her hips. "I know how to safely cross the street."
"I know, I know," Ash said, laughing.
"Of course, we wouldn't have to worry about crossing busy streets if we had just taken the train like I wanted in the first place," Dawn noted pointedly. She wasn't really mad at Ash, but she did resent having to walk for hours in the cold.
"But the Pokédex says that Stantler roam about these woods," Ash rebutted. "The only chance I have of catching one is in this area."
"Well, it was certainly worth that," Dawn mumbled grumpily. "Too bad we didn't see any."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
After they'd checked into a hotel and cleaned up a little, the trainer and coordinator decided to walk to the local contest stadium where Dawn would be competing. She said she wanted to scout out the area before she actually competed there.
Ash was curious to see it as well because the Budsville Contest Hall had grown quite popular as one of the up-and-coming centers for coordinators in Johto, according to most magazines he read. Though Champions did not have any responsibilities besides battling trainers who reached their level, Ash had begun making it a top priority to remain aware of new research and events occurring within the world of Pokémon. In his mind, a Champion should be an expert in all matters concerning their trade. Therefore he found himself reading a lot more, and the contest hall in the city had caught his attention more than once.
As they walked down the sidewalk, a large domed structure began to enter their sight through the mess of large corporate buildings and heavy evening traffic. Both teenagers immediately recognized the dome as the contest hall, and they picked up their pace.
Within five minutes, they were standing in front of a building which largely resembled the Indigo Plateau's stadium in size. To Ash, it seemed almost out of place in the middle of such a bustling city, especially considering the relative emptiness with which it was now plagued.
"It's huge!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly as she marveled at the metallic structure. She had, of course, been to large contest halls before, but this one in particular was unique due to its location and size.
Running in, the two found the lobby to have quite a few coordinators within it, all discussing strategy. In the middle of the expansive lobby, completely illuminated by large fluorescent lights from above, were a Nurse Joy and her Chansey, who patiently stood in the middle of an island waiting to be called upon. Behind her was a Pokémon healing machine.
Walking up to the Joy, Dawn asked why the coordinators were in the contest hall this evening.
"Is there a contest going on right now?" she asked, curious. If so, she'd love to go and watch in order to see the stadium and get a comprehensive idea of where she would be competing.
"Oh no," Nurse Joy answered back. "They're all here for the Valentine's Contest in three days. Do you wish to compete?"
"Uh, yes, please!" Dawn answered. She had originally planned on signing up tomorrow, but fortunately had her Johto Contest Pass with her.
Taking the small pamphlet from Dawn, Nurse Joy began talking to the young coordinator. "You're very lucky that you got here when you did. We only have three spots left for the Valentine's Day Contest. If you had shown up just a day later, you may not have been allowed to enter!"
"Really?" Dawn asked, stunned. Had she known there was a ceiling number of participants for the contest, she would have been in a greater hurry to arrive in Budsville. "How many people are allowed in this contest?"
"Only sixteen coordinators are permitted for the competition," Nurse Joy said as she entered the information from the Hall Pass into her computer. Looking away from the screen, she asked to see Dawn's Johto ribbons.
"Here they are," Dawn said, taking out a small pink case and revealing three ribbons.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Nurse Joy said, her smile fading. "You only have three Johto ribbons. In order to compete in this contest, a coordinator must have four or more. That's why the sign-up list isn't completely filled yet."
"I can't compete?" Dawn asked, heartbroken. She had been looking forward to this competition since she'd heard of it several weeks earlier. Though it didn't give ribbons for reward, it sounded like a great chance to show off her Pokémon to a large audience, and most importantly, show off her new skills to Ash.
"Not unless you have another Johto or international ribbon," Joy replied sadly. "I'm very sorry you found out after coming all this way."
"Wait," Dawn said, ignoring the nurse's last statement. "You mean I could use an international ribbon?"
"Why, yes," Nurse Joy answered. "We must accept those because they're not restricted to any region. However, they're very difficult to attain."
"I know," Dawn replied with a smirk. "I won one back in the Sinnoh region."
"You did?" Joy asked, sounding quite surprised.
"That's right!" Ash cheered happily. "You mean the Wallace Cup ribbon you won from beating May, right Dawn?"
"Yep," Dawn answered as she took off her backpack and placed it on the counter in front of the Nurse Joy. Rummaging through her things for a minute, she soon retrieved another small pink metallic container. Opening it, she showed the nurse a blue ribbon held together by a small golden pin. "Here it is!"
"Why, that's the Aqua Ribbon!" Nurse Joy exclaimed. "That's a very impressive prize."
"Thank you," Dawn said with a blush. "Does this mean that I get to compete?"
"It certainly does," the soft-spoken nurse replied. "Allow me to just put your Hall Pass number in the main database, and you will be an official participant."
"Awesome!" Dawn cried joyfully as she pumped her hand in the air.
After she was given back her pass, she asked if it was possible to view the stadium for a moment.
"I'm sorry, but you can't," the nurse answered. "The city is currently renovating the entire stadium for the special Valentine's Contest, and they don't want anyone to see it before the big day."
"That's okay," Dawn said, still pleased. "I'm just glad we came down here before all the spots were taken up."
"That was very lucky." Ash nodded his agreement as well.
"I guess we can go now, then," Dawn told her friend as they stepped away from the nurse's island and made their way towards the exit. "I'm sure the Pokémon are missing us in our rooms by now."
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Misty awoke early Thursday morning; five minutes before her alarm rang at six, in fact. She had barely slept the night before, but could not quell the excitement she felt at the thought of rejoining Ash in Johto. For the past two days, as she prepared for her departure by deciding which Pokémon to leave with her sisters and by packing all the essentials for a prolonged journey, all she could think about was her upcoming reunion. Though she hated to be overly-romantic like her sisters, she couldn't help but imagine her and Ash's meeting with a sweet melody playing in the background; not to mention a small confession pouring forth from her lips as they embraced.
However, despite her overactive imaginings, she did her best to remain pessimistic about their encounter while conversing with her siblings. As they cooed over how adorable the reunion was destined to be, she did her best to act disgusted by the thought. It seemed odd, even to her, that she would try to deny her feelings for Ash in front of the very people to whom she'd openly confessed them.
Still, it's better than act all gushy like they do when they like a guy, Misty reasoned. She knew if she acted too interested in their conversations about the champion, it would only lead to further patronizing remarks about teenage love, and eventually reminiscent tales of her sisters' own past love lives.
"You look like you're all ready," Daisy said from behind Misty, causing the young gym leader to jump at the sound of her voice.
"Oh, Daisy," Misty said, turning around. "You surprised me!"
"Is your mind, like, on other things?" her blond sister asked with a grin. "Like a certain-"
"I already told you to quit talking about him!" Misty reminded her sister in a threatening voice. Despite her feelings about Ash, she was still tired, and did not feel like dealing with her sisters this early in the morning.
"Oh, don't be so grumpy," Daisy replied. She was acting surprisingly disinterested in Misty's bad mood. "You, like, are the one who told us you like him in the first place."
"I'm starting to regret that decision," muttered Misty as she went back to packing her suitcase.
"You shouldn't," Daisy said. "If you hadn't told us, then you, like, never would have gone back to travelling with Ash."
"Yes I would have," Misty shot back without turning around. "I was just about to talk to him about that when you guys so rudely interrupted!"
"Nuh-uh," Daisy replied. "We all saw how you were acting around him when you were on the phone. It was obvious that you had, like, no idea what you were gonna say. Of course, it was pretty obvious that he didn't either."
"You think he wanted to say something too?" Misty asked, her attention diverted once more from the packing. She was ignoring her sister's flippant attitude towards her warning for the moment.
Rolling her eyes, Daisy looked tiredly at Misty. "Of course! I think you two were the only ones who didn't realize that you were staring at each other for, like, a minute straight!"
"We did that?" A blank expression appeared on her face as she tried to remember the phone call. She had realized that there was a lull in their conversation, but didn't think it had been that long.
"Yep," Daisy said. "And we all could tell that he was thinking the same thing you were about going to see him."
After a moment, Misty shook her head. "Nah, I bet you're just saying that to make me feel better about myself." She turned once more towards her half-filled suitcase on her bed, deciding which items to pack next.
However, Daisy was not done talking. Walking up behind her, she jerked Misty around so that they were looking at each other eye-to-eye.
"Listen Misty," Daisy said. Her face looked so stern that Misty instantly dropped the idea of telling her sister to let go. "You are one of the most confident, fiery people I've, like, ever met. Most people respect you the second they meet you because of that. But for some reason, you're acting like a wimp with Ash; which is wrong. It's fine to have a crush, and act a little weird when you have one, but that doesn't mean you should stop being confident. Ash likes you, okay?"
"O-okay," Misty answered, a little stunned by the monologue. Hearing Daisy's speech, she realized how much her sisters really were looking out for her. Though she knew they loved her, she had assumed they'd only involved themselves in her love life out of boredom. Seeing how concerned Daisy was, she began to think maybe there was more to their involvement than met the eye.
"Thanks, Daisy."
"No problem little sis," Daisy replied, backing away from her sister. "We all want you and Ash to be happy. That's why I'm being, like, so mean."
"I know," Misty answered before doing something she rarely did; she reached out and hugged her older sister. It wasn't a long embrace, but it spoke volumes to Daisy about their relationship's development.
Just a few years ago, I barely talked to Misty, the blond thought as they pulled away from each other. Now we're hugging and acting like real sisters.
"Well, I better finish packing," Misty said, trying not to sound too emotional. She hated crying, but the moment almost seemed to demand it of her. She hoped to at least stave off the swell of tears until her sister left the room.
"Yeah, me and the girls will be waiting downstairs to say goodbye." Daisy walked out of the room, leaving Misty to release a few tears while packing.
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"Piplup, dodge and use Bubblebeam!" Dawn commanded as the crackle of electricity filled the air.
"Pikachu, quit Thunderbolt and use Iron Tail instead!" Ash ordered, understanding Dawn's plan of attack.
"Pika!" Pikachu responded, ending his electrical assault and sprinting towards Piplup. His tail began to glow as he neared the opponent.
The small penguin had rolled to the right to avoid the oncoming Thunderbolt, and was now recollecting his strength for yet another water attack. The battle had been raging for fifteen minutes, and Dawn's Pokémon was beginning to tire.
"Pip!" squealed the Pokémon as he took in a deep breath and released a torrent of bubbles upon Pikachu.
"Pi!" Pikachu was surrounded by the bright and bursting bubbles, forcing him to give up the Iron Tail attack.
"Shock Wave, Pikachu!" Ash responded to the crisis with little worry. He'd thought that Dawn might pull such a stunt and had planned accordingly.
At his command, Pikachu surrounded himself in a bright sphere of electrical energy, before, with a loud cry, opening his arms and propelling the energy forward in all directions; including Piplup's.
"Piplup!" With a cry and a thud, Piplup was found in a daze on the ground.
"Come on, Piplup!" Dawn encouraged from the sideline. "You can do it! Get back up one more time!"
However, despite her pleas to the contrary, Piplup remained on the ground, unwilling to continue battle with Ash's Pokémon.
"Looks like our battle's over," Ash remarked as he stepped onto the practice field to congratulate Pikachu. "Great job buddy!"
"I guess so," Dawn replied with a small smile. She looked at her Piplup, and then at Pikachu and recognized instantly how much lenience Ash had given her in the battle. He had been slow to attack throughout the fifteen minute period, and had probably finished it so that Piplup could finally rest. Perhaps the greatest sign of his mercy was the fact that while her Pokémon appeared battered and bruised from the affair, Pikachu did not appear in any way fazed.
In fact, Dawn thought, he looks happier now than before the battle.
Grateful that her muse had been so kind, Dawn went up to Ash and congratulated him on the victory, with a tired Piplup in her arms. "Great job, Ash," she said kindly as he allowed Pikachu to climb upon his shoulder. "That was a hard battle."
"Well, you did a really good job, Dawn," Ash replied. "And I wasn't even trying to earn style points like you were. I bet if you and Piplup had just battled regularly, he would've won."
"Pikachu-pi!" Pikachu affirmed with a thumbs-up.
"Yeah, maybe," Dawn answered, knowing that both the master and the Pokémon were lying through their teeth. The truth was, by the end of the battle she was trying so hard to simply win that she'd forgotten this was a contest battle practice.
"Anyway, you've gotten a lot better since we last battled," Ash remarked. "I bet this contest will be a cinch!"
"Let's hope so," Dawn said. "Let's go back to the lobby and have Nurse Joy take care of Piplup."
"Okay," Ash agreed. The two had been battling in the Budsville City Contest Hall's practice gym, and had been told by the nurse to come see her when they had completed their session.
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Misty settled into the bed aboard the S.S. Harper's Ferry. She was exhausted after almost a full day of driving from Cerulean to Vermillion. After she'd parked her car in the well-deck of the massive ferry, she'd gone straight to her reserved room and climbed under the covers. Unfortunately, now that she was in bed, her tired eyes refused to remain shut.
Looking out her window at the open sea and the dark, star-punctured sky, she thought about Ash once again.
Am I really gonna tell him the truth? she wondered. Though she wanted more than anything to do so, it was difficult summoning the courage to admit to a secret which she'd held on either a conscious or subconscious level for so many years.
What if he really doesn't feel the same? She quickly dismissed this thought as her sister's words came to the forefront of her mind. She knew Daisy, Lily, and Violet would not lie to her about something this serious. She still wasn't sure, however, that he would admit to reciprocating her feelings. In truth, Ash still seemed to be slightly immature, and Misty began to worry that this would be what prevented him from realizing his own feelings for the gym leader.
I didn't even know he liked me until Daisy pointed it out, she thought. How could I expect him to realize his feelings? Of course, the obvious answer that came to mind was to simply tell him the truth. To tell him the truth, though, was to risk having to come home broken-hearted once again.
After an hour of back-and-forth in her mind, Misty finally decided to simply wait until she arrived.
Hopefully the right moment will just come along. With that thought, she looked to the sea once more as she drifted into sleep.
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"Ladies and gentlemen! Please take your seats! The Budsville City Valentine's Contest is about to begin!" boomed the voice of the battle announcer throughout the domed stadium. Due to the size, and the covering, the announcer's voice sounded ten times louder there than in any Pokémon stadium Ash had ever battled in.
Quickly finding his seat near the front and center of the battlefield, Ash sat down with a soda in his right hand and popcorn in his left. Pikachu took the seat beside him, holding several unopened ketchup packets which he'd found scattered across the ground of the crowded stadium. Why anyone would throw away such a prized commodity was beyond his comprehension.
"Do you see Misty anywhere, Pikachu?" Ash asked excitedly as the lights began to dim, and the noisy crowd began speaking in hushed whispers.
Pikachu did not answer as he used all his energy and attention to decipher the meaning of the directions upon the ketchup packet on how to open the small container. After a minute, he gave up and decided to instead simply chew through the plastic, which, though messy, awarded him with his desired treat.
"I hope she gets here soon," Ash remarked quietly to no one in particular. "I don't think they let Pokémon have their own seats usually, Pikachu."
"Pikachu-pika," Pikachu replied happily as he tore into the second packet with gusto.
Ash sighed as he realized why Pikachu seemed so happy. "That's not gonna be fun to clean off your fur," he muttered, annoyed. However, his companion didn't seem to mind his frustration at all.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"You ready Buneary?" Dawn asked with a shaky voice as she stood in a long hallway leading to the contest hall. She was waiting for her turn in the appeals round, and was quite nervous. Though she'd become a significantly better coordinator, she still had terrible memories of her first appeal rounds in Sinnoh, and she could never shake the fear that she would mess up once again.
"Buneary!" cried her Pokémon from her arms. She looked determined, and as Dawn examined the creature, she realized that she mustn't worry.
It's hard to relax with such a big audience though, she thought as the roar of the crowd outside filled the empty hallway. She'd seen the filled stadium for a moment as the contestant before her opened the door with a Chikorita at his side. The arena was completely packed, and Dawn estimated the crowd to number in the tens of thousands. She'd never had such a large live audience before.
"And now will you all give a big round of applause for our final contestant, who came all the way from Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh to compete…Ms. Dawn Stone!"
Hearing her name from above, Dawn took a deep breath, returned Buneary to her pokéball, and walked through the sliding door to the wild cheers of the crowd. Knowing that she couldn't stand in awe of the size of the arena, the coordinator's mind immediately went to the routine which she laid out for her Pokémon. She walked to the coordinator's box of the contest field in her scarlet dress with hearts imprinted upon it and called out her Pokémon, who flashed onto the center of the field in a dazzling array of red hearts.
"Buneary, use Ice Beam on the ground!" Dawn ordered, hoping all went according to plan.
"Bun!" cried the rabbit Pokémon as she jumped high in the air, hung upside down, and shot the ground with a large amount of ice. The force of the attack managed to keep her in the air long enough to draw a large heart in the center of the stadium made completely of ice.
"Wow!" cried the announcer in her typical excitement. "Buneary has made a literal heart of ice! That's certainly going to impress the judges!"
"Now use Fire Punch!" Dawn continued, ignoring the woman's voice.
Appearing focused, Buneary quit her Ice Beam attack and formed her fist into a small fireball as she spun headfirst towards the icy ground, which she hit with a loud "crack". Steam arose from the combination of fire and ice, but it was thin, and throughout the stadium there was a general gasp as everyone saw that the fire type attack had resulted in a smaller, smoldering heart shape being formed in the middle of the large, icy one.
"What a spectacle! This is a rare combination of fire and ice; and its coming from only one Pokémon!"
"Now use Attract!" Dawn commanded, hoping to finish strong.
"Buneary!" cried the Pokémon as hearts flew from the tips of her ears, which began to spin in order to create a tornado of hearts. After a minute, the attack stopped, and Dawn and her Pokémon completed the Appeal round with a bow.
Following a moment, of silence, the crowd burst into applause. Ash stood up and whistled happily for Dawn.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"I can't believe how wrong Ash was," Misty said to herself as she sped down the highway. Ash had said Budsville was no more than three hours from Olivine, but Misty had been driving since nine and was already a half-hour late for the contest. According to the signs she passed, she was drawing rapidly near to the city, but she hated to be late at all for Dawn's contest.
She hated even more to be late for her and Ash's reunion.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"For his first opponent of the battle round, Mark Smith of Goldenrod will be facing off against Dawn Stone of Twinleaf," announced the woman.
"I can't believe Misty still isn't here," Ash told Pikachu, who had finished the ketchup packets during the Appeals round and was now laying comfortably upon the woman's reserved seat. "She'll miss the entire contest at this rate!"
Realizing there was nothing he could do, Ash turned his attention back to the battlefield where Dawn was about to start. Each battle was given a time limit of ten minutes, but Ash was sure Dawn wouldn't need that much time.
"Go Quilava!" Dawn said, throwing a pokéball onto her side of the field. It also erupted in a shower of hearts as the fire type emerged, his head and back covered in flames.
"Wow, her Cyndaquil evolved," Ash noted quietly as he observed the powerful Pokémon.
"Go Hitmonlee!" ordered the opposing trainer, sending his fighting type Pokémon out in a flash of rainbow colors.
The timer began to tick away, and both coordinators quickly implemented their strategies.
"Hitmonlee, Hi Jump Kick now!" commanded Mark from the opposing side of the field.
"Quilava, Dig!" Dawn countered.
As the long-legged Pokémon propelled itself forward at high speed, Quilava swiftly burrowed underground. Because of the move, Hitmonlee couldn't stop itself from consequently flying, and hitting, the partisan wall separating the audience from the battlefield.
"Oh no!" cried the announcer. "Not only will that mistake cost Mark several style points, but his Pokémon looks like it took some damage from that collision as well!"
Sure enough, the large scoreboard reflecting the status of the coordinators and their Pokémon showed the opposing trainer's style points cut by a full quarter.
He really paid for that mistake, Ash thought happily.
"Now Quilava, come up with a Fire Spin attack!" Dawn continued quickly. She saw her opportunity to attack while Hitmonlee was still struggling to stand up, and she didn't wish to miss it.
The ground beneath Hitmonlee began to glow a dark red, before suddenly the fighting Pokémon was entirely surrounded by a large whirlwind of fire. The attack was very close to the audience, and extracted a few yelps of surprise from people sitting near Ash. However, the champion was more intent on seeing the outcome of the attack than the attack itself.
After a moment, the fire dissipated, and through the smoke Quilava could be seen jumping out of the hole. Amazingly, though, Hitmonlee managed to stand up to face its opponent. Now both Pokémon were staring each other down along the horizontal middle of the battlefield.
Despite its resilience, Hitmonlee lost two more quarters of its style points left on the board, and after less than two minutes had almost been completely knocked out of the battle.
"Uh, Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!"
Following its master's orders, Hitmonlee jumped on one leg and quickly headed for Dawn's Pokémon in a blurry spin. Before Dawn could declare an attack, the move hit Quilava head on, forcing him back several feet.
"Oh, it looks like this may be the start of a comeback, folks!"
Dawn's style points were reduced by about a fifth. However, this did not calm Dawn, because she knew that comebacks were a real possibility; especially considering how much time was left in the battle.
"Quilava, time for your finishing move!" Dawn announced. She needed this battle to end quickly before more points could be taken from her.
"Hitmonlee, use Rolling Kick again!" ordered Mark as he heard Dawn.
Propelling itself into another cycle of rapid kicks, Hitmonlee quickly made its way towards Quilava. However, the Volcano Pokémon countered by dodging with an Agility attack and moving himself to the opposite end of the battlefield. Hitmonlee stopped its assault when it realized the absence of its opponent; and though Mark quickly identified where Quilava was, it was too late to stop the inevitable.
Quilava curled into a ball and began to charge toward the fighting Pokémon while covering his body in flames and stars.
"What a combo! Dawn's Quilava is using a Swift attack, Flamethrower, and Rollout attack all at the same time!
"Watch out Hitmonlee!" Mark cried, though even he seemed to know it was in vain to do so. Hitmonlee began to run, but was soon intercepted as the trio of attacks came into contact with its body, ramming it once again into the partisan wall with great force.
As Quilava ended his attack, and subsequently unfurled his body, the remaining style points vanished from Hitmonlee's side of the scoreboard, and the Pokémon did not stand again.
"It looks like Dawn of Twinleaf has proven herself to be quite the battler!" announced the woman happily. "What a wise combination of strength and style. Of course, everyone has to be wondering if she'll be able to keep this up!"
"That was great Dawn!" Ash cheered from the sideline as Dawn returned her fire Pokémon to its pokéball. She didn't seem able to hear him, but that was no surprise considering the general noise of the audience as everyone cheered and discussed the battle in-depth.
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"What do you mean I can't enter?" Misty asked angrily. She was an hour late for the contest and knew Ash was wondering about where she was. "I told you my friend bought me a seat."
"I'm sorry ma'am," replied the security guard who was not allowing her to pass from the lobby into the main stadium. "I'm not allowed to permit anyone entrance without a pass."
"But can I just tell him that I'm here and ask him for my ticket?" Misty asked nicely. "I promise to be just a minute."
"Sorry miss, but I can't do it," replied the burly, middle-aged man in uniform.
"Yeah, you are sorry," Misty retorted angrily before turning around and stomping off towards a bench in the middle of the expansive lobby.
Maybe I'll luck out and they'll see me when they're exiting, she reasoned unhappily.
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"What a spectacle!" cried the announcer once again as Dawn finished off yet another opponent. This was the third, and she had been much more difficult than the first two. However, through elegant precision, Dawn's Pachirisu tactfully took down the young woman's Furret with less than a minute remaining.
"Ms. Stone will now be advancing to the final battle of the contest," continued the announcer, "which will be starting in five minutes."
At this news, many in the audience, including Ash and Pikachu got up from their seats and began to head for the exits to purchase more snacks.
"Maybe she got stuck in traffic," Ash said sadly to the yellow Pokémon on his shoulder as they walked out the doors of the stadium into the general lobby. However, someone caught his attention as he made his way towards the food corner: it was a girl with long red hair.
"Hey, Pikachu, it's Misty!" Ash cried excitedly, as he caught a glimpse of the girl sitting at a bench before one of the hundreds of people flooding the lobby blocked his eye's path. "Let's go see her!"
With that, Ash hurriedly pushed through the crowd with quick apologies. After what felt like several minutes, he finally broke through to the bench, where several people were now scrunched together upon the cushioned seats. Ash quickly examined them before realizing that Misty was not there.
"I could've sworn I saw her," he said, scratching the back of his head. Looking to Pikachu, he shrugged and sighed. "I guess my imagination's just playing tricks on me."
Trudging back through the crowd to the snack corner he replayed the instant in his head again and again. Unfortunately, he did not see her at the snack line, and as he returned to the inside of the stadium with nachos in tow, he checked the bench once more to find it empty. However, when he went to sit back in his seat, his heart rapidly sped up in his chest. Standing near the railing was Misty. In fact, she was standing directly in front of Ash's seat.
Ash ran to greet her, and in the process dropped his nachos.
"Misty!" he cried happily as he came within a few feet of his best friend.
"Ash!" she cried, sounding equally, if not more, happy at the sight of him.
He quickly brought her into his arms and gave her a tight hug. Misty couldn't help but feel a little differently as she hugged him back.
Drawing away from the hug, Ash held her at arm's length. "What took you so long to get here, Mist?"
"I couldn't get in because I didn't have my ticket with me," Misty explained.
"I forgot about that!" Ash said, slapping his forehead in frustration. It was no wonder then why Misty was so late in her arrival. "So how did you get in now?"
"Well, when everybody went out to take a break, I quietly snuck in with a group of people who had their tickets checked," Misty explained. "I decided to stand down here so I could maybe see you as you came in."
"Well, you chose a great place to wait," Ash said excitedly. "I'm sitting right here." He gestured towards the two seats directly behind the gym leader.
"Oh, wow!" Misty said with a laugh. "I did make a good choice, didn't I?"
As they sat down, Misty felt her stomach crawl into her throat as she tried to decide whether or not to talk to Ash about her revelation now or later.
If I wait until later, I may never do it, she worried. But is this really the appropriate time in such a crowded place?
As she heard the one-minute bell sound before the final battle began, she decided to wait; a decision which had the consequent effect of relaxing her stomach. Sitting back in her seat, she looked over at her best friend with new eyes.
The last time they'd been together, she couldn't appreciate her true feelings for him, but now that she'd realized how she felt, she had an entirely new admiration for everything about him. She studied his face, which appeared determined even as it watched the battlefield for the upcoming match; she also noted how strong and tall he really appeared to be. Though he had told her he'd been working out with his Pokémon for a while, for some reason, the actual physical effects of these workouts had not made themselves known to Misty until now. However, what she couldn't help but admire most about him was his personality. Though it wasn't showing itself now, Ash's perky attitude towards life and confidence in all he did made him so appealing to her for an unknown reason.
Unfortunately, she couldn't continue admiring her friend because the announcer's thunderous voice began to roar overhead once more.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Please take your seats as the final match for the Budsville City Valentine's Contest takes place."
As the lights dimmed once more, two spotlights shown on the opposite sides of the battlefield; revealing Dawn on one side, and her opponent on the other. Her opponent was a young woman in her older teens named Audrey Ingalls.
"Coordinators, for this battle there will be no time limit," instructed the woman. "Whoever runs out of style points, or has the least amount of style points after a Pokémon faints, will lose this battle."
Both coordinators nodded their understanding, and a moment later a loud buzzer rang through the stadium.
"Go Bellossom!" shouted Audrey, as her grass Pokémon came out amongst a shower of leaves.
"I choose you, Piplup!" announced Dawn as Piplup emerged in a throng of bubbles.
"Use Sunny Day!" ordered Audrey quickly.
"Bell," responded her Pokémon as the two flowers emerging from her head produced large rays of light, reaching to the top of the stadium's dome.
"Piplup, use Bubblebeam," Dawn commanded, hoping to interrupt whatever plans Audrey had in store for the battle.
Piplup quickly gathered his breath and shot several dozen bubbles at his opponent, who waited patiently for her master's remarks.
"Magical Leaf," the older trainer responded.
Bellossom began to spin back and forth, swaying her petal skirt and sending out a large number of multi-colored leaves at Piplup's attack. The leaves caused the bubbles to burst in mid-air, which forced Dawn's points to fall slightly.
"It looks like Dawn's plan of attack wasn't effective," commented the woman from above upon seeing the decline of the young coordinator's points. "She'll have to try something else!"
"Piplup, use Water Gun on the ground!" Dawn commanded.
Using the powerful water attack, Piplup forced himself into the air.
"Now use Peck on Bellossom!"
Piplup used his small wings to propel himself forward in a spiral as his small beak began to glow. Unfortunately, Audrey seemed prepared for this stylish offensive as well.
"Bellossom, Solarbeam now!"
Because Bellossom was attracting light with her Sunny Day attack, the Solarbeam took no time to charge. As the ray of solar energy emitted from the grass Pokémon's mouth made contact with Dawn's starting Pokémon, the penguin cried in pain as he fell from the air onto his back.
"Piplup!" yelled Dawn. "Are you okay?" She was afraid that such a strong grass attack would spell the end of her battle.
Luckily, Piplup managed to regain his balance and stood up. However, his points on the board fell by about a third, while Bellossom's bar remained full.
"Now use Hyper Beam!" yelled Audrey quickly. It was clear she wanted this battle over before Dawn could reorganize her strategy.
"Piplup, use Water Gun on the ground again!" Dawn ordered, sending her Piplup flying above the mark of the Hyper Beam attack. Knowing that the attack would leave the grass type tired and in need of a quick break, Dawn decided to take advantage and reuse her strategy from before. "Use Peck again!"
Once more the penguin Pokémon began to spin forward, his beak glowing, but this time the attack made direct contact with the tired Bellossom's cranium, causing her to fly backwards.
The points on the board reacted poorly both to Bellossom's failed Hyper Beam and her direct hit, and fell to almost half.
"Now use Whirlpool!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly. She knew the balance of power was shifting her way.
Looking upwards, Piplup created a whirlpool of water which was then ejected from the Pokémon's beak toward the tired grass Pokémon.
"Ingrain, Bellossom!" ordered Audrey immediately before the attack made contact.
As the swirling water surrounded her Pokémon, Audrey looked on in curiosity as to whether or not her strategy would be effective. As the attack came to an end, and the water dissipated to a puddle, Bellossom was seen still standing, with her petals, glowing and gathering nutrients from the ground below. It appeared as if Dawn's attack was completely ineffective, causing her points to drop further. She now had about a third of her style points remaining on the board.
"It's okay Piplup!" Dawn remarked cheerily to her disappointed Pokémon. "It's not over yet!"
"It will be soon, though," Audrey replied with a smirk. "Use Grass Knot!"
"Piplup!" cried Dawn Pokémon as he suddenly fell over from a root which protruded from the ground. The fall caused Dawn's points to fall to a quarter of their original proportion.
"Piplup, get up and use Hydro Pump!" Dawn ordered.
Standing up, Piplup gathered all his strength and quickly shot a high pressure of water towards his opponent with effective results. The ingrained grass Pokémon was pushed out of the ground and off the battlefield. It was also quite obvious that she'd taken a large amount of damage; which was reflected in her points falling to about the same amount as Piplup's.
"They're almost tied, folks," the announcer boasted. "What will the coordinators do now to wrap up this battle with a victory?"
"Let's show 'em what we'll do Piplup," Dawn told her Pokémon, who was wheezing slightly after such a hard attack. "Give me one last attack. Use Bubblebeam Spin!"
Recognizing the attack which Dawn had created specifically for him, Piplup shot himself into the air one last time. However, instead of a Peck attack, he used Bubblebeam instead as he spun rapidly forward.
"Use Leaf Storm!" responded Audrey as Piplup came dangerously near to her Pokémon. Though she didn't like using the powerful grass attack often because of its deleterious effects on the Pokémon using it, she needed to stop the Piplup's assault.
"Bell-ossom!" cried the small grass Pokémon as the flowers upon her head began to spin, and instantly hundreds of razor-sharp leaves emerged to not only block Piplup's attack, but also to cause severe damage to the penguin Pokémon.
"Piplup, watch out!" cried Dawn; but she was too late. With a small thud, the blue Pokémon hit the ground once again. However, this time he remained on the ground.
"It looks like Ms. Stone's Pokémon is too weak to battle," announced the woman. "Ms. Ingalls is the winner!"
On the scoreboard above the battlefield, Audrey's picture was enlarged, and the word "Winner" appeared underneath it.
Dawn gracefully withdrew her loyal companion back to his pokéball and shook hands with the winner. After that, she briskly walked towards the competitor's exit, which led to the hallway where she had originally waited to enter.
"We better go check up on her," Ash said knowingly. He certainly understood how it felt to lose a big match.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Dawn, you did awesome!" Ash cried loudly to the young teenager as he approached her. She was sitting alone on a bench outside the locker room of the stadium. Her fancy contest dress had vanished in favor of jeans and a sweatshirt, and her bright, confident smile had disappeared with it. But when she looked up and saw him approach, she couldn't resist a small, grateful grin.
"Thanks Ash," she said sweetly. "It really means a- who's this?" Dawn asked as she looked up to find a familiar face besides Ash's.
"This is Misty, remember?" Ash asked. "We met her back in Sinnoh."
"Of course I remember her," Dawn said, standing up. You've only spent the last six weeks bringing her up in conversations.
"How are you Misty?" she asked, keeping a cheerful tone.
"I'm fine, thank you," Misty replied equally cheerful."And Ash was right, by the way. You did a great job out there. That was one of the most exciting contest battles I've ever seen!"
"Thanks," Dawn said, her heart softened by the compliment. "So are you just travelling through town, or…"
"Oh no," Ash answered for the redhead, grinning. "I wanted it to be a surprise. I called Misty a few days ago and apologized for our little fight, and she said she wanted to travel with me again!"
Dawn blinked rapidly, stunned. "Sh-she does?" she asked, her voice faltering.
"Yeah," Misty answered happily. "I know you and Ash have been working on attaining your dreams together, so I thought I'd come back and keep working on my dream of becoming a Water Pokémon Master."
"How - how nice," Dawn said, smiling painfully as she fought to conceal the resentment brewing inside her.
Who does Misty think she is, barging back into Ash's life like this? Dawn fumed inwardly. And why did Ash have to apologize to her anyway? She was clearly wrong. And how come she gets to travel with Ash whenever she wants to?
Dawn's thoughts raged as she followed the two older teens out of the stadium, watching them carefully. They talked incessantly, Ash recanting various adventures from the last few weeks and Misty excitedly describing her Dratini's improving performance in her many Gym battles. They each hung on the other's words, smiling and laughing, as if this entire six week long dispute had been nothing but their usual quarrel over who got them lost.
Dawn stared at Misty with resentful eyes, sure that Misty was taking advantage of Ash's kindheartedness and easy, forgiving attitude. And perhaps more importantly, she couldn't help dwelling on how Misty's presence was sure to force itself between her and Ash.
Author's Notes: Did you like this chapter? Then REVIEW PLEASE! Did you hate it and wish I had never been born? Then REVIEW PLEASE! I don't care what you think, as long as you tell me.
Anyway, I am fairly proud of this chapter. Like I said, with LJB's unwanted help, I think this has certainly become one of my best installments yet, and though I don't want to write something this long regularly (it takes forever), there certainly is an amount of pride you feel when a chapter of this length is completed.
Moving on, as was commanded of me by my ancestors in a dream once, here are this weeks reviews:
"The Language of Mistynese" by Warlordess – Though I haven't read it yet, I was just so happy to see that one of my favorite authors published something new for Valentine's, that I had to recommend it. The only part I have read so far is her author's notes at the beginning, where she says that the story is for "any pokeshippers left out there". If you're a pokeshipper and have not already done so, please just go review her story really quick and reassure her that these great stories she writes are still very much appreciated. I intend to do so as well right after I publish this chapter.
Okay, that's it for this week. Sorry, but again I've been busy. But hey, at least I got you one great fic to look at! Due to my hectic schedule at the moment, if anyone has a great story which I haven't recommended yet, and they think I should, please tell me about it in your review or in a PM. It could be your story, or someone else's, but the only rule is it must be a Pokémon fic. I'd be happy to recommend it over the next few chapters!
Alright, well, I'll talk to y'all later. Hopefully, everyone has a great Valentine's Day, and with any luck you'll hear from me again within the month!