.

Gleefully Unapologetic

"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."

–Emily Dickinson

Misty never got to find out if Ash would actually save her from sleeping in too late because she was awoken the next morning by the persistent screaming of her private video phone. She was careful not to hit Pikachu, who was still resting in her bed, as she rolled out and stumbled to her chair. She put her hand over the camera and, just before the last ring, answered the call. The camera would start up right away anyway, but, just in case, she didn't need anyone seeing her like this. Her sisters' teasing didn't always hold a lot of truth, but Misty knew she wasn't the prettiest of pictures first thing in the morning, especially when someone else woke her up.

"Misty!" Brock exclaimed, popping up on the screen immediately. "Good morning."

Oh. Well, he deserved to see exactly what his phone call had done to her.

Misty dropped her hand and turned on the camera, letting Brock see her in all her morning glory. Her hair, the unconditioned, scraggly mess that it was, was tangled and sticking out in a way that would fall away if she even just brushed her fingers through it. She didn't bother.

"Hey, Brock," she said, letting her voice be as low and choleric as it wanted to be.

"Oh, Misty…" Brock recoiled from his screen, clearly experiencing the glare she was sneaking out from under her heavy eyelids. "I thought you would be awake by now."

"A little bout of poisoning," Misty said by means of dry explanation. "Ruined my sleep schedule."

"Yikes," Brock said, returning to the screen with genuine concern. "Are you okay?"

"I was until my body's healing process was interrupted by some idiot with my personal phone number."

Brock gave a perfect toothpaste commercial smile. "That's me!"

Misty rolled her eyes, unable to hold up the charade of being beleaguered. She was waking up more by the minute anyway. "What's up, Brock?"

"Well, I was just thinking of you—"

"Always dangerous."

"—because we had a guest lecturer yesterday who was talking to us about caring for Ghost Pokémon."

"So…you have advice for me about how to make Noir's coat nice and shiny?"

Misty was only half joking. She and Brock had grown up as young Gym Leaders together and had climbed the steep learning curve of Pokémon care hand in hand. But he knew as well as she did that Noir mostly took care of herself and otherwise communicated her needs consistently. Usually somewhat demandingly. Although, the reminder did make Misty's heart hurt and wonder how Noir was doing on her own.

"No," Brock said quickly. "I mean, there was interesting content to the lecture and we can talk about that another time, but I'm calling to talk to you about the guest."

"Who was it?"

"Morty, the Ecruteak Gym Leader."

Misty knew the name. Knew the face too, actually. Kanto and Johto Gym Leaders didn't have to do a lot together, but they did sometimes have large conferences together and generally attended each other's yearly League tournaments. That said, she didn't know him personally and, as far as she knew, Brock hadn't either.

"Alright…" she drawled, in want of more information.

"Well, my classes are starting soon, on April first, so if you come to Johto before then, we could hang out and then you could meet Morty."

"What do you mean classes are starting soon?" Misty asked. "What have you been doing there?"

Brock ticked off his fingers. "Move in, orientation, and there have been a lot of guest lectures and resources so we can begin to dip our toes in before the school year begins. But now I have a few days off. So? How's it sound?"

"I mean, it would be nice to see you, Brock," Misty started. "But I already have Phoebe, so I don't really need anyone else."

Brock sat up a little straighter. "Oh, neither do I," he said in a dreamy voice. "And tell me, how is dear Phoebe doing right now? In fact, would you like to bring her on the line so we can finally be introduced? Pretty please?"

"Brock," Misty warned, punching the 'k' in his name. "I'll have this number changed."

"Right, right," Brock said, shaking himself out of it. "Sorry."

Brock's return to sanity only lasted a moment though, because just then Phoebe came bursting in saying, "Good morning! I heard you talking and—oops, you're on a phone call?"

"Phoebe, my blessed angel, magical bridge to the Spirit World, it is so lovely to finally meet—"

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were talking to Ash…"

"—Fate has brought us together through my best friend, Misty—"

"…Misty? What's up with your friend?"

Misty's eyes had been flicking back and forth between her two friends as they talked over each other, waiting until their conversations with themselves devolved into perfect silence. Truth be told, it happened quicker than she'd thought. Then she gestured to the screen.

"Phoebe, meet Brock. Brock," a sigh, "meet Phoebe."

"Phoebe!" Brock exclaimed. "How wonderful to finally meet you after weeks of only hearing the best about you from my dearest friend, Misty. I see that you're looking lovely and well rested this mo—"

Misty tapped the mute button on her monitor and turned to Phoebe with an exasperated smile. "Sorry about him. He'll cool off in five minutes. So, what's up?"

At that moment, Pikachu finally rose from the bed and floated over to Phoebe, who took him easily in her arms. "Hey, big boy!" she said before turning back to Misty. "I just thought that you were awake and talking to Ash, so I thought I was good to come in."

Misty fought a blush rising on her cheeks. "Why did you think I was talking to Ash?"

Phoebe let out a tinkling laugh. "Well, who else would you be talking to?"

"Ash and I don't talk all the time!" Misty defended, even as her mind settled back on the conversation they'd had the night before. Pikachu tossed Misty a look that she couldn't quite identify.

Phoebe's eyebrows scrunched as she eyed Misty strangely. "Um, okay, whatever you say, Misty. Wanna unmute your friend now?"

Misty had almost forgotten. She hastily unmuted Brock, and he noticed the renewed attention immediately.

"Finally," he moaned. "Can you hear me again?"

"Are you done being creepy?"

"I wasn't being—"

"Are you finished?"

Brock slouched in his seat, sulking. "I'm finished."

"Alright. So what is it you were saying?"

"Oh," Brock said, needing a moment to recall why he'd called in the first place. "Right, we were talking about Morty and whether you should meet him. I think it could be good for you to talk to him. He really knows his stuff and now that you're exploring this stuff more, I thought he could be a good resource."

"Right," Misty said. "But Phoebe's here and she has the Connection and she's been teaching me a lot."

"Aw," Phoebe cooed. "And here I thought you hated my lessons."

Misty thought back to how she'd reacted to most of Phoebe's efforts and—while most of it seemed fair in the face of Phoebe's antics—she also realized that she hadn't properly shown her appreciation.

"I…have definitely given that impression," Misty said, the words difficult to form. "And they haven't always been my favorite, but I am grateful."

"Aw!" Phoebe repeated, her voice higher and louder than the first time. "I'm so proud! And so pleased to hear that, Misty!" Then her voice dropped back into a normal register. "But in all seriousness, I think it would be good for you to meet with Morty."

"What?"

"Yeah," Phoebe said. "It's good to learn from as many different sources as you can. I'm sure he has ideas that would never even occur to me. Plus, he's a Gym Leader and that's relatable to you."

"And he's a good one too," Brock interjected. "He's about my age and he's ranked fourth in Johto."

"Most of Johto's Gym Leaders are young," Misty argued.

"Whataboutism argument," Phoebe commented.

"Just think about it is all I'm asking. I think it's a good idea, the lovely Phoebe thinks it's a good idea, and when I mentioned it to Morty, he thought it was a good idea."

"You mentioned this to Morty?"

"Well, I didn't divulge any sensitive information," Brock defended. "But he was open to helping you out."

Misty frowned. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I want! Now, Miss Phoebe, I'd love for you to think about—"

Misty hung up the call with a wave goodbye—which she was not at all sure Brock saw—and turned to Phoebe.

"That man deserves a prize for putting up with you."

Misty gasped. "What? I deserve a prize for putting up with him!"

Phoebe nodded. "Also true. Really, it's a miracle you have each other."

Misty blew a raspberry and stood up, finally running her fingers through her hair. Then she moved for the closet. If she was already awake, she might as well use it as an opportunity to get back on schedule and get on with the day instead of trying to go back to sleep.

"I think he has a point, though," Phoebe continued, following Misty with Pikachu still cradled in her arms. "It would be a missed opportunity not to at least try meeting with him."

"Right," Misty dismissed. "So why did you barge into my room first thing again?"

"Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed. Misty grabbed a random tank top and turned back to Phoebe, surprised that there actually seemed to be a reason. And surprised that Phoebe was letting the conversation go that easily. "I wanted to give you this."

From a pocket in the harem pants Phoebe had definitely borrowed from one of Misty's sisters, Phoebe presented what looked like a giant marble. Somewhat see-through but with curving veins of pink, gray, and yellow.

"What is this?" Misty asked as she took it from Phoebe's hand, rolling it and feeling its weight.

"It's called a Banettite. My grandparents found it on Mt. Pyre years ago and gave it to me. It's a Mega Stone that allows Banette to Mega-Evolve."

"Mega-Evolve?"

"Mhmm," Phoebe hummed through a smile. "It temporarily unleashes this new power from a Pokémon and changes its form, like when they Evolve normally."

"Pika?" Pikachu said, looking up at her curiously.

"Sorry, buddy, there don't seem to be ones for Pikachu yet."

Pikachu gave a little harumph and then burrowed back into Phoebe's arms.

"And then they unEvolve?"

"Yes," Phoebe answered. "I've used it on my Banette before in battle and it's truly extraordinary. Maybe you and Noir can use it to bond when you're ready."

"Yeah, whenever that is…" Misty trailed off.

"Aw, come on," Phoebe said, shifting Pikachu to one arm and draping the other around Misty's shoulders. "Oops, careful around your cut. But buck up! Just think of this as an incentive to making up with Noir. Something to look forward to."

"I don't think incentives are the problem," Misty said, ducking under Phoebe's arm. "I'm just…not sure how I can make up with her at this point. You should never go back to someone with abusive tendencies, right? So how are we supposed to be friends again?"

"Oh, Misty," Phoebe said, putting her serious voice on as she sat on the bed, pulling Pikachu into her lap. "That's what you've been thinking about? Look, your instincts are right. If you and Noir are to reconcile, your relationship can't be how it's been. And that means that you both will have to be very thoughtful as you try to rebuild that trust. But I don't think that this is exactly the same as being in an abusive relationship either."

"Yeah, that's what Lily was saying yesterday," Misty sighed.

"Oh, you were talking with Lily?" Phoebe asked brightly. "That's excellent! Okay, well, I don't know what she said, but my thoughts are that Noir wasn't trying to totally isolate and control you. She was targeting her enemies and that stands a chance of being rectified and I think it's something that can be proven, especially now that your sisters are in the loop."

That sounded good to Misty. She looked down at the Mega Stone in her hand and thought that Mega-Evolution sounded like something she really wanted to do with Noir. But Phoebe had a habit of always making things sound so easy when they weren't always like that in actuality.

"Okay, I see you thinking, so before you get all thinky," Phoebe tossed a pair of workout shorts at Misty and then snatched the Banettite back, "why don't we go see this baby in action?"

"You sure you're not supposed to be dealing with any Gym duties right now?" Phoebe asked as she and Misty made their way to the arena, Pikachu still in her arms.

Misty had gotten dressed in the basic tank and athletic shorts she and Phoebe picked, and scooped her hair up into a ponytail. Even though she was tired, she was feeling a lot better than she had the day before. Her arm still hurt a bit, but she was beginning to sink back into her normal self again.

The first thing Misty did in the arena was hit the switch to put the cover on the pool, making the battleground a solid metal sheet. Misty couldn't remember the last time they had used it for a Battle, if they ever had. But it was sturdy enough to support a Pokémon Battle—especially if those Pokémon were Ghosts.

"Hey, guys!" Ash called, sweeping into the room from the Pokémon enclosures. The sound of the mechanism unfurling the cover must have made it all the way over there. Pikachu immediately flew over to his Trainer, excited to be reunited, even if they'd only been separated for a few hours. "Misty! I thought you'd be asleep later than this."

"Yeah, well, things happen," Misty said, tossing a look Phoebe's way.

Phoebe, however, looked distracted. She was staring at Ash intently and Misty was at a loss as to why. Then a smile began slowly rising on Phoebe's face, starting with lips just barely staying closed and eyes growing ever wider and more crazed. Misty took a step back, as though preparing for a small detonation.

"Oh. My. God," Phoebe said. "Best. Idea. Ever."

"What?" Misty asked, immediately wary.

"Ash, Ash, Ash!" Phoebe called, bouncing up and down excitedly and waving him over to her.

Ash floated down to Phoebe with a similar look of concern to Misty's on his face. "What?"

"We should battle!" Phoebe blurted, gesturing between her and Ash. "You and me should battle!"

Ash's confusion didn't dissipate. "I mean, we can, but Pikachu can't really have a normal Pokémon Battle, even against Ghost Types."

"No, not Pikachu," Phoebe said. "Although, that's not a bad idea either. But no, you should use one of my Pokémon!"

Ash's eyes grew wide. "Are you serious?" he whispered.

Phoebe nodded ecstatically. "Deadly."

"Oh my God," Ash said, floating up and away from them, gloved hands up against his mouth and muffling his speech. He was turned away with Pikachu at eye level to him, the two of them communicating too quietly for Misty to hear. It seemed like a private moment, so Misty turned away too.

"That was a really good idea," Misty said to Phoebe. It should have occurred to Misty a long time ago.

"Thanks, Misty!" Phoebe said cheerily. "And you know what? Change of plans."

Phoebe plopped the Banettite back into Misty's hand. Misty looked down at Phoebe, forehead scrunched. "I thought that was the whole point of this Battle?"

"Ah, it still is. But not with this."

Ash floated back down to them, and Misty could see the sentiment in his face. He looked so much like he had looked after she'd helped him talk to his Pokémon at Oak's lab, like his emotions had been bottled up for thirty years and were finally allowed to spill over.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked breathlessly.

"You can use him," Phoebe said, taking a PokéBall out of her deep pockets and revealing her Dusknoir.

"Yes!" Ash cheered, throwing a fist into the air and spinning around. "Can I talk with him for a minute?"

Phoebe shrugged. "That's only fair. Dusknoir, Ash will be your Trainer for this Battle. Do whatever he says."

Dusknoir nodded and then went over to the side to confer with Ash. Misty could hear that Ash was throwing out some words in Dusknoir's language and wondered if he was going to make use of that talent during the match.

"And who are you gonna use, Phoebe? Not Banette, I assume?"

"Nope!"

Phoebe opened a second PokéBall and out came her Sableye, its toenails clicking on the metal platform as it materialized.

"Hey! Type advantage!" Ash called out.

Phoebe shrugged. "Them's the breaks, Ash."

"Okay, doesn't matter," Ash said as he flew to one of the Trainer's platforms. "We'll give it all we got."

Phoebe began walking to the other platform and looked over her shoulder saying, "Guess you're the ref, Misty."

It looked that way. Misty took the spot where Daisy had been yesterday and saw Pikachu following her. "Wanna hang with me instead of Ash?"

"Chaa!"

It seemed all the Pokémon switches were happening that morning. Pikachu crawled onto her shoulder just like he did with Ash and Misty looked to either side of the arena. Usually matches didn't start with both Pokémon already out. Then again, there was nothing 'usual' about this one. "Can I assume this will be one on one?"

"Definitely," Phoebe said.

"Great," Misty said. "In that case, let the match begin!"

"Feint Attack, Sableye!"

"Brace for it!"

All Dusknoir could do was sturdy itself and cover its most vulnerable spots as the Attack made contact, knowing it was useless to try and avoid an Attack with perfect Accuracy.

"Shadow Punch while it's close!"

Instead of falling back from the direct impact of the Feint Attack, Dusknoir looked like it had hardly been affected. So there was nothing stopping it from turning around and walloping Sableye right in the face with a Shadow Punch.

It wasn't super effective against Sableye like it would have been against any other Ghost Type, but still, the direct hit had to sting. Misty had seen firsthand how powerful Dusknoir was.

"Shadow Claw, then fall back, Sableye!"

Sableye took a swipe at Dusknoir, who jolted back with a grimace. Not a square hit, but the move was still super effective and left Dusknoir unsteady as Sableye scurried away. Dusknoir, strong as he was, wasn't quick enough to avoid Attacks without being able to use second plane to his advantage. Unfortunately, second plane wouldn't hide him from Sableye.

"Mega Evolve now, Sableye!"

Everyone watched in awe as Phoebe raised one arm, showing off a thick bracelet Misty hadn't realized she was wearing. A strange energy surrounded Sableye and it plucked the red gem on its chest straight out as it began to grow into a glorious shield. Even though Ash was the one currently disadvantaged, his excitement radiated through wide eyes and a grinning mouth as he watched Sableye taking on its new form.

"Shadow Ball," Ash called.

The move was an experiment. It was a medium-sized Shadow Ball that made its way quickly over to Mega Sableye. Phoebe didn't make a call, but Mega Sableye raised its new shield to protect it from the move, making no effort to dodge the Attack. It was clear just from appearance, without Misty knowing any actual numbers, that Mega Sableye's Defense stats had risen with its transformation. However, it seemed as though the tables had turned and now Dusknoir was the quicker one.

"Alright, try to get up behind it and use Thunder Punch!"

That was a surprise. Misty wouldn't have guessed that Dusknoir knew Thunder Punch, if she had been in Ash's position. Perhaps that had been what they'd conferred about before the Battle had started, so that Ash knew what he was working with. Usually, there were so many disadvantages to using Pokémon who weren't your own, but Ash had sidestepped some of those pitfalls already.

Phoebe waited, watching as Dusknoir approached and, at the last second, called out, "Will-O-Wisp!"

A bright light burst in Dusknoir's eyes just as he was about to swing, causing his head to reel back. He was persistent, though, and punched with the other arm. Mega Sableye wasn't able to dodge or manipulate the shield quickly enough, but it wasn't a direct hit anyway. Dusknoir, on the other hand, was smarting from the move, body now glowing telltale red with a lingering burn.

"Are you okay, Dusknoir?" Ash asked as the Pokémon fell back. He nodded and then Ash said something to him in Dusknoir's language, leaving Misty and Phoebe to just watch what would happen.

Dusknoir formed another Shadow Ball in his hands, this one bigger than the first, but he didn't release it. Instead, he held it in front of him as he approached, looking much like Mega Sableye with its giant gemstone shield. Once he was at close range, he released it and moved back away from the blast as quickly as he could. At the same time, Mega Sableye shifted its shield to take as much of the impact as possible, but Dusknoir was quicker. Both Pokémon were glanced by the Attack, but Mega Sableye was hit worse.

However, Dusknoir wasn't fairing well. The Pokémon bent over as his body glowed red from its burn, his health being rapidly depleted as the match stalled. Both Pokémon breathed heavily while Ash and Phoebe eyed each other. Ash's patience broke first.

"Not gonna call a move?"

"Not yet!"

"Fine!" Ash shouted. "Dusknoir, Earthquake!"

The pool's metal cover began rattling and Misty watched it nervously, wondering if the move was going to warp the metal or tear it open for both Pokémon to fall into the pool. Well, Dusknoir, likely wouldn't, since he hovered, but Mega Sableye wouldn't be so lucky. With the heavy gemstone it now carried, Misty was convinced that if the Pokémon fell in the water, it would sink.

For a moment, Mega Sableye's gemstone rattled out of its hands and Misty thought that would be the end. Ash called, "Shadow Ball," but Phoebe was quicker.

"Foul Play!"

Mega Sableye flipped its shield in front of the Shadow Ball and somehow deflected the move, attaching one hand to the sphere and sending it back to Dusknoir. The Attack turned from its sickening, swirling purples to pure black and crashed into Dusknoir with more potency than it had been sent with. And then Dusknoir was on the ground. Misty raised her hand.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle. Phoebe is the winner!"

"You had Foul Play the whole time?" Ash asked, immediately floating over while Sableye reverted out of its Mega form and Phoebe returned it and Dusknoir.

"Sure did," Phoebe said. "Mean trick, huh?"

"Very mean!" Ash exclaimed. "You could have taken us down with that the whole time—you were going easy on us!"

"Nah," Phoebe said, pocketing her deactivated PokéBalls. "I chose these two so that the match could be longer. I wanted to demonstrate to Misty the difference between Sableye when Mega-Evolved."

"I see that," Misty said. "Sableye could move freely at first and then was stuck in one spot after with that big shield."

"Exactly, and how I could use those things," Phoebe explained. "I would have tried to maximize its unMegaed Prankster Ability, but I wasn't sure if you guys knew it and I didn't want to give it away to Ash. But hopefully you saw some of the differences and how Mega-Evolution can work in Battle."

"Definitely!" Misty agreed.

"Good," Phoebe said, unlatching the bracelet she'd used when she'd Mega-Evolved Sableye and handing it to Misty. "This is a Key Stone. You need it plus a Mega Stone in order to use Mega-Evolution."

Misty looked at Phoebe in confusion. "Wait, Phoebe, I can't take this—"

"Oh, well, I have to go heal my 'mons!" Phoebe declared as she began to run away, a big grin on her face. "Ta ta!"

Phoebe was out of the arena before Misty could protest. While Misty watched the door swing, Ash was nearly dancing with joy. Pikachu jumped from Misty's shoulder over to Ash, the two of them celebrating in the air.

"That was the best ever!" Ash cheered. "I can't believe it's been so long since I've been able to do that! Did you see, Misty? Did you see what a good match that was?"

"Yeah, actually," Misty said, turning slowly back to Ash's celebration, "I saw how you tried to destroy my pool cover. Now I have to check to see that you didn't actually break it."

Misty walked to the same button on the wall she'd pressed to roll out the cover and listened as the mechanism clicked on, trying to hear for any sign that it was going to jam from some irregularity caused by Ash's Earthquake.

"I didn't even know that Dusknoir had Earthquake," Misty said over the sound of the cover slowly receding. "We were on the water when we battled, so I guess it wouldn't have come up then."

"Yeah, he got to tell me the moves that he knows!" Ash said, excitedly floating over to Misty. "That one surprised me too!"

Misty smiled as she watched Ash. He was all a-bubble—she'd never seen him so excited before. He must have really missed battling. And he'd really held his own, even while using a Pokémon against the person who'd trained it. No one would have been able to win a match like that. But he'd been game nevertheless and was handling a loss better than anyone she'd ever seen. She didn't think he could have been more excited if he'd won.

"Hey, Mist?"

Misty felt a twinge through her body at the sound of the nickname. Now that she'd thought about it, about how no one else used it, it hit her differently. "Yeah?"

"Watch out!"

Misty shrieked as she felt Ash picking her up by her armpits and carrying her towards the pool.

"Ash Ketchum, if you drop me in this pool, you're gonna be sor—"

Misty let out another squeal, but not because Ash dropped her into the pool. It wasn't yet completely uncovered, but he carried her over to the part that was, and skidded her feet across the water like she was water skiing. She laughed as the water splashed up onto her body, not caring in the least if her tank top and shorts got wet or not.

"Ash, my arms are starting to hurt!"

She gave a holler as Ash tossed her straight into the air and then caught her around her middle, squeezing her against his chest. Ash had held her a couple times in the past, but this was the first time Misty felt fully aware of his body. She suddenly realized that he couldn't touch her clothes, that they were just another thing that his hands went straight through.

Instead of feeling her tank top pressed against his black shirt, she felt the skin of her back against it. His gloved hands were on her torso as though she were topless. And she wasn't sure if he'd realized this. Misty certainly hadn't noticed back at the lab or on the boat or any other time they'd touched, but had he? Suddenly, her face was flushed again and she could only hope that Pikachu didn't notice and wasn't about to tease her for it. "This is just gonna make my ribs hurt," she complained instead.

"Oh, okay then."

And then she ended up in the water.

Misty came to the surface, sputtering and pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Ooh, you're a jerk."

Ash shrugged, looking gleefully unapologetic. "Too bad you can't get me back."

"No, but I always could call out Gyarados and have you see what the inside of his stomach looks like without feeling bad about it."

"That's playing dirty."

Misty smirked. "Yeah, and so's this!"

Misty pulled Pikachu suddenly out of the air and threw him at Ash's face, where he landed with a smack.

"Ow!" Ash rubbed his nose as Pikachu fell back onto Misty's head, giggling until he fell off that too and landed in her waiting arms.

"Whoops," Misty said, batting her lashes at Ash as she pet Pikachu's fur.

Ash just pouted. "I can't trust anyone anymore."

"No, you can't. Pikachu, fly!"

And the games continued.

A/N: It's so interesting to read this years later, because I was like omg, what's Phoebe's idea? Omg, that IS a great idea! I hope it hasn't seemed like too many Pokémon battles in this section. Tbh, I'm sure that I was trying to pad out this little arc, but also, I just love them! And, some important things have come into play in this chapter O.O Keep your eyes peeled! Also, like, Mega Evolution was new when I was writing this fic. I remember when I mentioned Solgaleo a number of chaps ago, gen 7 wasn't even out yet-that was promo info. Crazy.