Their Relationship Through The Eyes Of Others
Pikachu
Pikachu was not a naïve Pokémon.
He understood how relationships worked. But Ash and Misty tended to confuse him, because they didn't really seem to follow the normal relationship rituals.
He wasn't sure if it was because they were humans, or because they were Ash and Misty.The two kinds of creatures were a lot more similar than people thought they were.
Pikachu could never help but to shift his beady black eyes between the two as they bickered, often letting out a tired sigh. Sometimes, if he got sick of hearing all of it, he'd thunderbolt them just to get some peace and quiet.
Other times, he wondered what on with those two behind closed doors, when he wasn't allowed to go with them…
Brock
Brock often felt like a babysitter.
Yes, Ash and Misty were younger than him, but they were still old enough to be Pokémon trainers. That should've meant enough maturity to not fight like rabid Growlithe on a near daily basis.
Should've was the key word there.
But there were the rare days were Ash and Misty actually got along without a single dust up. Brock liked those the best. Not only because he got to take a break from playing referee, but because he really did like to see Ash and Misty getting along. The two of them made good friends, and deep down, Brock could tell that they both really cared about one another.
Of course, if you asked either one, they'd deny it in a heartbeat.
Still, on those days where Ash and Misty chose to be civil, it was nice to see them just sitting and talking, or looking at the stars together. They were simple, mundane little things, but Brock could feel a much deeper meaning behind them.
And although it was hard to believe it now, Brock was certain that one day, Ash and Misty would see the beauty in it too.
Daisy
Daisy's first impression of Ash was that he was just a kid.
A kid who was dating her kid sister.
Misty had freaked out and denied it, blushing the whole way. Daisy was hardly affected by such a reaction. From then on, every time she saw Ash, she greeted him as "Misty's little boyfriend." It embarrassed Ash and ticked Misty off.
One day, a video phone call came in at the gym. Daisy was manning the front desk at the time and was the one to answer. The screen flickered to life, and she soon found herself staring at Ash through the screen.
Only…he looked a little different than he normally did.
A more defined jaw line, broader shoulders, stronger arms…
He was calling for Misty, of course, but Daisy couldn't stop staring at him. She was in literal shock, although Ash just thought the screen had frozen for a while. Misty finally showed up and shooed Daisy away, which the blonde did in a rather robotic fashion.
Not only was she going to have to drop the "little" part of Ash's nickname, but for once in her life, Daisy was going to have to ask her youngest sister for advice on how to find a guy like that.
Delia
Delia wanted grandchildren.
She had told Ash this for the first time when he was just 14. Needless to say, he'd spit out the water he'd been drinking and exclaimed that he was just a kid himself. Delia, of course, had laughed it off and insisted not at the very moment, but in the future. That hardly did anything to placate her son.
A year later, Ash and Misty finally got together. Delia was overjoyed. She loved Misty like a daughter, and although she would've continued to love Misty that way even if she and Ash had never gotten together, Delia had always (not so) secretly hoped the two would find their way together. She knew that Misty could handle her son perfectly, and that the two balanced one another out in a way that she really believed no one else could. Everything felt right in the world.
And then Brock informed her that Ash had been asking him about puberty and more…advanced romantic feelings.
Delia panicked.
She sat Ash down right away, much to his confusion. Without missing a beat, she informed her son that Brock had told her he'd been asking certain questions. Ash's confusion quickly melted away into horror. Delia was oblivious. She reminded Ash that the grandchildren were going to come in the future, not right away. Ash's entire face turned bright red as his mother laid out her expectations for how he was to treat Misty before going into explicit detail about "the Pidgey and the Beedrill."
Tracey
Tracey thought Ash and Misty were cute.
They were like the little brother and sister he never had. Except for the fact that it became pretty obvious to him fairly early on that the two liked one another.
That kind of threw the whole "brother/sister" idea out the window.
But as sure as Tracey was that the two liked each other, he wasn't quite sure if they realized it themselves. He watched two of the Orange Crew members fawn over Misty, and continued to watch as Ash broke out into bursts of unbridled jealousy. Yet…Ash didn't understand why he was jealous. It was so odd.
So Tracey took it upon himself to try and coerce the two into realizing their feelings. He'd bring it up casually, pointing out that the volatile behavior between two Pokémon who were in love's trainers was very similar to Ash and Misty. The two rounded on him, which actually brought Tracey some semblance of hope.
Maybe they realized they liked each other after all.
May
May had always loved romance.
It didn't matter what form it came in. Fairytales, movies, novels…May loved it all. From the time she was a little girl, May was in love with the idea of love. She would play matchmaker on the playground at school or create her very own characters who were simply meant to be. It could drive other people insane (namely her brother, who also enjoyed teasing her for it) but May didn't care. No one could ever tell her that love wasn't one of the most important, wonderful things in the whole entire world.
That's why Ash and Misty fascinated her so much.
From the time they'd first met, May just assumed Ash to be clueless about most things. Except, of course, for Pokémon. But even from the start, there was one person who Ash frequently mentioned: Misty.
He brought her up all the time. They could be doing something, and he would suddenly say that it reminded him of something Misty had done once. Other times, it could be a conversation, and Ash would mention something Misty had said once. Whenever they saw a water type, Ash exclaimed that Misty would love it.
May was convinced that Misty meant a little bit more to Ash than he realized.
The first time they'd met, May was in awe of her. Misty was beautiful, and such a strong trainer. May's admiration was no secret, and though it flattered Misty, it also unnerved her to an extent. That day, May offhandedly remarked that it was no wonder Ash talked about her all the time; that she was perfect for him.
Misty's response was to begin sputtering denials and flailing her arms. May had no idea why…her best guess was that a love that deep could just make you crazy.
Max
Max had a habit of walking into awkward situations.
It wasn't something he enjoyed, obviously. But he seemed to have a real talent for it. He'd seen almost everything: his parents arguing, May practicing her kissing with a pillow, Kenny the gym assistant singing into his broom stick and giving a full on performance…it happened so often that Max could've written an entire book about all of the things he had unintentionally seen.
Although Max teased Ash often about his shortcomings as a trainer, he really did respect the older boy. In many ways, Max wanted to be just like Ash when he was finally old enough to become a trainer. As soon as he turned 10 and got his first Pokémon, Max set off to work just as hard as Ash always had.
When Max was 13, he decided to finally take on the Kanto region. He hadn't given Ash a call before making that decision, and found out from the raven haired teen that he'd be staying at his home in Pallet for a little while, and he'd love it if Max came for a visit. Taking those words into consideration, Max chose to surprise him instead of informing him priorly. Needless to say, that was the first place Max headed. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to finally battle Ash, or see Professor Oak and his lab again!
When Max reached the house, it was the early evening. The lights inside of Ash's house were dimmed, and he couldn't see anyone inside. When Max approached the front door and knocked, no one came and answered. When he tried a second time, nothing.
But after that second knock, he could hear noises coming from inside. Max blinked and stepped away from the door, sneaking towards one of the front closed windows with curtains blowing, peering into the living room what he saw was two figures on the couch, both of them lying on top of one another. Something suddenly flew up in the air, and upon further inspection, Max realized that the person on top was Misty, her shirt now gone and her bra visible. Beneath her, it was still difficult to see, but as soon as Max saw a spring of pitch black hair, he screamed and wound up backing himself off the porch.
Max still respected Ash, and still wanted to be like him, but he sure was going to be looking at him a little differently from then on.
