All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life
Got a feelin' your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life
Chapter 5: The Highs and Lows of Pining
The bottle spun a few times before landing on May.
We all did a loud, "Woo-hoo!" in excitement.
"Now, Miss Maybelline Maple," Gary said, evilly tapping his fingers like a classic movie villain. "Truth or dare?"
May thought for a moment. "Truth."
"But who's gonna ask her a question?" Lana asked.
"That would be me," Gary replied. "Now, let's start with something easy. What's your most embarrassing moment? And don't spare any details. "
May blushed.
Dawn laughed. "I think I know."
"Of course you know, you were there!" May cried. "We were in Lumiose City for a showcase, so we decided to celebrate with a night out. It was me, Dawn, Serena, and Serena's friends."
"Wait, is this the same night where you called me to bail you out of jail?" I asked, suddenly catching on.
May rolled her eyes. "It started with a harmless idea. We decided to hit up this new bar downtown, and Shauna managed to get us in. After a few rounds, I was feeling pretty invincible. Anyways, fast forward to midnight, and we're outside the bar watching the fireworks. After some more dancing, we decided to head back. We were walking towards our hotel, when I saw it. The holy grail of drunk escapades: a shopping cart. Now, in my intoxicated state, this seemed like the perfect mode of transportation. I could practically hear the mission impossible theme playing in my head as I hopped into the cart and convinced Dawn to push me down the street.
"Everything was going great," May said. "But then Dawn saw a speed bump and instead of stopping or slowing down, she decided to give it one last push. I flew out of that cart like a drunken superhero, landing in a bush right in front of a very unimpressed officer Jenny. So, there I am, sprawled out in the shrubbery, still giggling, when Officer Serious Business approaches. She gives me that look—the one that says 'Really?' I try to stand up and muster some dignity, but I end up stumbling and grabbing onto her arm for support. Not my brightest moment."
Dawn cracked up. "Then she tried flirting with Officer Jenny."
"I was drunk!" May cried. Then she cleared her throat. "Anyways. Yes, I tried flirting with her."
Dawn sat up on her knees, "Lemme show you guys." She brushed a strand away from her face and batted her eyelashes. "I swear I am very innocent, officer, don't punish me," she imitated May.
"Hey!" May protested. "I was way more charming!"
Dawn giggled. "Yes, that's why the officer asked in a stern tone, ma'am, have you been drinking?"
"And what did you say?" Gary asked May between chuckles.
May looked down, blushing. "The depth of your eyes is making me intoxicated," she murmured.
I winced. "Arceus, that's terrible, May. Like, Brock-level terrible."
"I know," May groaned, shaking her head. "Officer Jenny was not amused by my antics or my charming inebriated demeanor. She cuffed me, and said I had to spend the night in a holding cell, still in my party dress, mascara smeared, and leaves in my hair. The girls, of course, thought it was hilarious and took a ton of pictures of my glorious bush dive, which they lovingly showed me the next morning."
I remember May tried to make the officer speak with me over the phone. I remember it was morning in Kanto, while it was still night-time in Kalos. Like any normal person, I was asleep after the all-night New Year's party with Brock and Ash. The reason we had partied until five in the morning, and why May, Dawn, and Shauna took Serena to a bar in Lumiose City, was because Ash and Serena had just broken up right after Christmas, which Serena had spent in Pallet. She had been invited to a showcase in Lumiose City, so she left the day after Christmas, right after the breakup. May was already in Lumiose City, so we decided to split up as a friend group for a while—half of us staying with Ash, and the other half with Serena.
I took a quick glance at Ash, then at Serena. I couldn't figure out what was going on in either of their minds, so assuming they didn't remember the timeline. "I was so annoyed at being woken up early. I tried to make Ash talk on the phone, but we all know that was impossible." I giggled.
"Hence, the knight in shining armor, the one and only Clemont saved the day," May said.
"No need to butter him up," I snorted.
May grinned sheepishly. "Okay. Clemont tried reasoning with the officer at two in the morning- again, I'm sorry for that."
Clemont waved his hand. "Fun times."
"So," May concluded. "Moral of the story: leave the shopping carts alone, never flirt with officers, and don't try to run away. And also, don't get drunk."
May ignored us, choking with laughter, and spun the bottle, her face still red. I was just glad I didn't ruin anyone's mood.
"Goh!" Instantly forgetting about the previous topic, we all cheered at Goh when the bottle stopped at him.
He chuckled. "Truth."
May smirked. "Goh, out of all the people sitting here right now, who do you find the most attractive, so attractive that you might have a crush on them if given the opportunity."
We waited for his response, but Goh remained frozen. How funny would it be if he took Chloe's name? It wouldn't surprise me, to be honest.
Goh uttered a name barely above a whisper. Judging by everyone's expressions, it seemed like everyone was puzzled by his mysterious whisper too.
"A bit louder, buddy," Gary encouraged. "It can't be that embarrassing; all the girls here are perfect." He winked at me, earning a gagging face in return.
"No one's gonna fall for you, Oak," Ash grumbled, clearly unamused.
"I know! It's just…" Goh hesitated.
"Are you implying none of us are good enough for you?" Mallow raised an eyebrow skeptically at Goh. "Just spit it out."
"Just say any name, Goh." Chloe chimed in.
"Maybe he doesn't wanna say it," Clemont said slowly.
"No, Goh you have to-"
"It's you!" Goh suddenly blurted out, pointing dramatically. We all turned to see who he was pointing at.
What?
I glanced back at him, making sure I was seeing the right thing.
"Ash?!" We all exclaimed in disbelief.
Ash pointed at himself. "Me?"
Goh bowed his face, covering most of it with his hand. "Yes…" he muttered.
"Oh," Ash replied. His ears had turned pink. "OH. Thank you." Then he cleared his throat, "I thought you and Chloe liked each other…but…yeah, thanks for telling me," he mumbled.
"WHOA!" Chloe and Goh cried simultaneously.
"Dude, no!" Chloe scrunched her nose. "Me and Goh? He's like an annoying cousin."
Goh shook his head, "Never! Like, no offense Chloe–"
"None taken."
"But, never ever," Goh said, a horrifying expression on his face.
Then Chloe laughed loudly. "I can't believe you thought that, when I'm very clearly into girls."
"WHAT?" Ash looked at all of us. "How am I just finding out?"
"She's literally dating me," Dawn jumped shrugged and looked at May and me. "It's about time you guys know."
"So that's who you were texting all night?" May asked.
Chloe giggled. "I hope so."
"I–" Ash looked at Dawn and Chloe, "I had no idea–wow. Guys…congrats. Umm…yeah, congrats, that's great."
"Wow, Ash…" Goh sighed, "I didn't know you were this blind."
"But, seriously Goh? Ash?" Gary questioned. "Out of all the guys?"
Chloe piped up, "Why? Do you have a problem?"
"I'm not homophobic, just a hater," Gary winked. "Besides, why Ash? When clearly there are better guys." He stroked his hair.
May rolled her eyes. "Leave him alone, Oak."
Gary shrugged nonchalantly. "Gotta shoot your shot, Maple."
Brock clicked his tongue. "Ash is out here pulling every person he encounters by being an oblivious idiot, that is so unfair."
We couldn't help but laugh before moving on with the game. After a few more rounds of spinning the bottle, Gary cracked open another bottle of vodka and generously poured it out.
A couple more rounds went by, revealing some hilarious truths and dares. We found out Brock has flirted with over a hundred girls in his lifetime and still hasn't landed a girlfriend. Dawn got a dare to play charades, and for losing, she had to draw something with a Sharpie on her face. She ended up looking like a doodle-covered art project.
"Ash!" We cheered when the bottle finally stopped at him for the first time in ages.
"Pick something!" Dawn demanded, her face a masterpiece of Sharpie sketches.
"Dare," he declared without a second thought.
We all exchanged mischievous grins. This was going to be good.
Dawn grinned. "So many fun things that a drunk Ash Ketchum can make more fun. What should I give you?" She tapped her chin.
"I... I'm not drunk," Ash chuckled nervously.
Dawn blinked in confusion. "What?"
"I've never been drunk," Ash explained.
"Never?" Dawn repeated, taken aback. "You mean to tell me, out of all the parties you've been to, not one of them had something so tempting to make you wanna drink a bunch of it?"
Ash shook his head firmly.
Most of his friends didn't know, but Ash hated alcohol. I was lucky enough to have witnessed his first-ever sip of beer when he was seventeen—his face contorted into a grimace so extreme, you'd think he'd just swallowed poison. Brock and I even tried introducing him to a very light and quite tasteful white rum, but again, it was a hard pass for him. Same with a sweet cocktail– he said it's still bitter because of the alcohol. And when he gagged at the wine, we knew he would be the soda guy at parties.
Ash tilted his head in confusion before he realized we were laughing at his innocent little weakness. Sheepishly, he answered everyone's inquiries. "First of all, alcohol tastes bad. It was the worst thing I ever put in my mouth." He pursed his lips and took a long pause. "Secondly, I was underage."
"Underage?" Dawn questioned.
Ash nodded, his cheeks flushing, which only made the group burst into laughter.
"Stop laughing, guys!" He whined. "I did not want to do something so illegal! Besides, being drunk doesn't make you any cooler."
"All these years," Mallow smirked at Ash, "you had no problems breaking rules. But you draw the line at fun?"
"You can say," Ash said, "I'm high on life?"
"Let's cut to the chase," Dawn said, rising to her knees and commanding our attention. "Ash needs to break his alcohol-free streak, pronto."
"Ugh," Ash groaned. "Alright, what do I drink?"
Dawn bit her lip in excitement. "Just do four shots and you're good to go, because something tells me that'll be enough for your tummy." Then she looked at Gary, "you have tequila, right?"
Gary nodded, "the kind where you won't even need lime and salt."
"Four?" I repeated. "It'll be a lot for him, Dawn, it's his first time doing this."
"That's what she said" Gary chuckled.
"Okay, now he gotta do a beer shotgun too," Dawn smirked.
I gasped. "What?! How's that-"
"Seriously, Misty, advocate for him one more time." Dawn puffed her chest, her hands on her waist. Girl is doing the power pose, I really can't help Ash now.
"Take it or get eliminated." Gary insisted, presenting the final offer with a devious smirk on his face.
"I'm not losing!" Ash swung his fist in the air, all fired up. "I'm in."
"Ash, you can't handle that. Your stomach is probably empty by now, that just makes it worse." I tried explaining to him.
As a guy with good muscle mass and great metabolism, he should be handling alcohol well, but I have a very strong gut feeling he can't.
"I'll handle it well." He pushed his argument.
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, do whatever you want. I was just trying to help, but since you're a grown up, I'm sure you can make the right decision." Well, that's as much as I could do. The rest is his problem.
"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill, Misty. It's okay." Brock assured me. Okay, whatever. But only because Brock said it. I knew Brock handled these things well, so if Ash was to do something utterly stupid, Brock would take care of it. Not me.
Then, Gary arranged four glasses in front of Ash and filled them with tequila that he fetched from inside his house. It seemed to me that he poured them a little more generously than necessary for a shot. Ash was in for a serious headache tomorrow.
"Go!" Everyone cheered, well, everyone except me. "Go! GO! GO!"
Ash drank the first one and made a gagging face, "this burns," then he coughed, "and it lingers." He cleared his throat.
Gary laughed, "That's the beauty of it."
"Go! GO! GO! GO!"
He drank the second one. He blinked briefly and shook his head. I know exactly what the tequila is doing to his brain right now. This never ends well.
Then he gulped the third, and then the last.
"Woo-hoo!" Everyone shouted in excitement.
"It was a bit strong, but nothing I can't handle!" Ash gave a lop-sided grin.
Then May handed him a beer can and a sharp thingie. He poked a hole in the can and the liquid came out like Squirtle's water gun, hitting him on the face. He hurriedly stopped the flow by putting his mouth on the hole and everyone went wild with the hooting as he chugged the thing down. He was very messy as he drank, splattering around drops of beer, his shirt starting to get wet.
With a final gulp, Ash announced, "I'm fine!" He grinned, wiping his mouth. He threw his hands up in the air and made victory signs, "I did it guys! I drank the most horrible-tasting beverage in the world!"
"Yes you did," Gary laughed.
The celebration and laughter lasted for a minute before everyone settled back in their places for the game to carry on.
"Spin the bottle, Ash," I said.
But he stared at space, completely zoned out. Just stared and did nothing.
"Ash?" May nudged him.
"Huh?" He blinked. "Yeah?"
"You kinda spaced out." She wrinkled her nose. "You okay?"
He nodded. Then he kept nodding slowly. "Is it just me or does everything keep moving a little longer after I stop moving my head?" He asked.
Iris whistled. "The boy is tanked already."
I called this. Of course Ash isn't the type to handle alcohol gracefully. He's already tipsy.
I took the red cup–filled with more alcohol–away from his hands. "No more for you, Pallet town."
Dawn and Gary did a proud fist bump at the result of their scheming. I'm glad these two aren't usually in cahoots, or else the world will burn due to the chaos they'll create.
"Spin the bottle, Ash," Brock nudged him this time.
"Yeah, right," he muttered, spinning the bottle rather clumsily.
It landed on Serena.
Holy Mew.
"Serena!" Out of habit, everyone cheered her name.
"Truth or dare?" May asked on Ash's behalf, seeing he wasn't going to ask any sooner.
"Dare." She replied.
We waited for Ash to ask her to do something.
He stared at her, unblinking.
What was he thinking? What was going on in his head? Knowing him, he could be straightforward and make her do anything, or ask her anything. And people often did what their heart told them while drunk, so just imagine a drunk Ash.
But I didn't really care, he could do whatever pleased him.
"Serena..." Ash began, his tone implying seriousness. "I want you...I want you to..."
My heart raced, but I quickly reminded myself that it wasn't my business. Not my concern. I had nothing to do with it.
Ash continued, but this time giggling. "I want you to...sing a song in Pikachu language."
Dawn shook her head. "C'mon Ash."
Ash put on his best puppy-dog face. "I really can't think of anything else."
"Because you drank more than you can handle," I muttered.
"That is a very serious dare!" Ash insisted. "She sings well, and I'd like to hear her sing a song in Pika language!"
Serena giggled, "Okay."
What followed was two minutes of us choking on our laughter as Serena belted out a Pikachu rendition of "My Heart Will Go On." It was the funniest thing I had heard all night—one of those moments where you just had to be there.
Chloe snorted as Serena finished. "Never thought I'd ever hear that."
"It sounded like," Dawn chortled, "Pikachu was having a stroke!"
"No!" Gary added, laughing. "More like Pikachu was holding in a fart!"
"Here's another," Mallow said, "Pikachu if he was baked."
"Actually," Clemont said, "it was pretty decent."
"Thank you!" Serena said.
"She sounded like Pikachu choking on an apple," May laughed.
"That's a good one," Dawn nodded.
"I wanna hear it again for better judgment," Goh said.
"YES!"
"ONCE MORE!"
"No!" Serena whined, "I've humiliated myself enough, and the dare's over."
Calem kissed the top of her head. "You were adorable."
Serena smiled at him before giving the bottle a gentle spin. "Here goes the next person."
When the bottle landed on Ash, I thought to myself, I'm really being tested tonight.
Realizing I had a crush was one thing, but the universe seemed intent on tormenting me. Every time the bottle spun, I found myself silently begging that Ash wouldn't end up in a dare where he had to be in any kind of awkward situation with anyone– especially his ex-girlfriend. It was torture. I didn't want to witness that. The universe just kept increasing the chances of that happening.
"Ash," Serena half laughed. "Uh...you're left with the truth, right?"
He nodded.
Everyone else was silent, waiting with bated breath for her to ask that scandalous truth that might be the hot gossip for the next week. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease, hoping she would just go with something silly, like 'do you pick your nose?'
"What was the best moment of your twentieth birthday?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
Okay. This was actually good.
Ash tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The whole day was pretty good, so it's hard to choose," he said with a warm smile. "But it was pretty awesome when I found out most of my friends were gonna be here. That was so unexpected and surreal." He chuckled. "And then this party...I never thought I'd ever have such a cool party."
"So you agree this is cool." Gary grinned, nudging Ash playfully.
"Don't make me take that back." Ash laughed. "All of you taking time out of your hectic lives to be here for me, It's the best gift you could give me."
Dawn cooed. "We love you, Ash!"
"This is making me tear up," May fanned herself with her hand, giggling.
"And all the events that led to me finding out about this last night," as Ash spoke, his eyes drifted toward me, and I felt a sudden warmth spread through my chest. "I loved every second of them."
There was something about the way he looked at me when he said those last words that made my heart skip a beat. Was he talking about our drive around the town in his mom's old car? I couldn't help but wonder, as a faint smile crept across my face.
As the group erupted in cheers and laughter once more, I found myself captivated by Ash's words. He received such expensive presents today, and– it shouldn't be a surprise but– his best memory was just us showing up.
"Ash, you're out of options now," Gary grinned. "You picked both truth and dare. What do you wanna do next? Accept your defeat and leave the game or choose a kiss to revive both options again?"
"Don't fall for it, you can exit the game respectfully!" Brock warned.
I nodded. "Yes Ash."
Gary chuckled. "What are you advising him for, Red? Just wait for your turn. We're gonna make you do some fun stuff too."
"What's that supposed to mean, you weirdo?!" I yelled.
Gary shrugged, "I don't know. Anything. Making you dance, or touch a bug type, or…" He snickered. "kiss a guy who's still in the game." He stroked his hair.
"I'll stay in the game!" Ash said urgently, his ears red.
"Oh…kay?" Gary raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, you are acting very weird in this drunk state, Ashy boy."
"What do I do?" Ash asked, ignoring Gary's remark.
"Just spin the bottle, kiss whoever it lands on and you're back in the game," Gary said.
Brock whistled. "Who wants another Ash and Gary kiss?!" He cheered.
Everyone cheered in unison, "Us!"
Ash curled his upper lip, "let's hope that doesn't happen." He spun the bottle.
We stared at the bottle with anticipation as it spun a few times before slowing down. I was trying not to make a big deal out of it in my head, but I involuntarily held my breath. There were so many people here, what were the chances of the bottle stopping at Gary? Or Goh? Or even worse, Serena? I hoped it was zero.
And it was as if the universe took my plea as a challenge, because the bottle started slowing down near Serena.
I could feel my heart pounding.
It landed on Serena. Very well, dear legendaries. I asked for one thing. We stared at the bottle for a few moments.
I looked up at Serena, she was staring at Ash with a horrified look. Then I traced her gaze and looked at Ash who was just equally terrified. While Calem looked calm and collected, I could clearly see his jaw clenched.
Then there was me. Hypocritical and flaky. What was I thinking? I didn't care about him? Didn't like him? My decision of not worrying about this was flushed down in a second. I definitely didn't want Ash to kiss anyone who was not me. This couldn't be happening.
I gulped all the vodka in my glass in one go, hoping it would do some magic and help my brain dissipate this strong feeling that was somewhere between anger, anxiety, sadness and frustration.
Everyone just awkwardly stared at them.
I filled my glass again, this time not using any kind of beverage to dilute the drink. Serena cleared her throat. None of them made a move yet, but then Serena twitched a bit before looking apologetically at Calem, who stuck his lower lip out in defense. They were having some eye-to-eye talk that I couldn't understand.
Was she for real? Was she really considering it? Was Calem fine with it? Was this some Kalos cultural thing? Was kissing not a big deal there?
I gulped down my drink again, shivering a bit due to its strongness.
Dawn cleared her throat, making Serena stop before she could actually move any further towards Ash, "spin again."
"You can't do that!," Gary fumed, "that's against the rules! You gotta kiss the person the bottle lands on! No. Matter. What."
"Are you a fool?" Dawn yelled.
"God forbid a guy likes his rules."
"How about you learn some societal rules, you hobo!"
"Don't say that, it's offensive!" Gary screeched.
"I'll offend you more when I kick you on your crotch if you don't shut up, Gary Oak!"
"Look, if there's anyone else who has an objection, I'll consider it," he said, emphasizing 'anyone'.
"I do! I have an objection because I care about my friends!" Dawn fired back.
"No! Not enough. Isn't there anyone else who objects? Anyone?! You can say it right now!" He said, looking at me.
Why was he acting so weird?
Dawn groaned. "Why are you so stubborn, Oak!?"
I didn't think the screaming match would end soon. Maybe they would forget about the kiss and we could go home, but until then, I refilled my glass, taking smaller sips this time. I was already starting to feel light-headed and relaxed.
"Guys, it's just a game!" Brock interrupted.
Gary smirked. "Exactly, Brock-o. So it shouldn't be a big deal, right? For Ash, Serena or anyone else in this circle. Anyone who doesn't want them to kiss? Because if the bottle landed on Serena, that's who he's kissing." Gary was nowhere near giving up, and Dawn looked pretty defeated too.
"But-"
"Ash, do you really feel conflicted over a peck? Just kiss her and move on," Gary concluded.
Ash looked taken aback, almost offended.
"It's not a big deal, right guys?" Gary looked at the rest of us, his eyes suspiciously lingering on me a second longer.
I clenched my jaw. I had lost my sense of judgment. Not happening today. "Grow a new pair of eyes, Oak," I spat before chugging down my drink.
I didn't know how I managed to shove aside my embarrassment at that moment, but anger overtook any thoughts of consequences. I leaned forward, and nudged the bottle with my finger, angling it toward Gary. "It's clearly pointed towards you," I declared.
Gary stared at me and smirked, but then he frowned. "No, you just nudged it," Gary protested.
"It's the wind, everyone saw it," I insisted, as the others nodded and snickered.
"So everyone is in on this huh?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes!" We said in unison.
Gary groaned in defeat. "Pathetic." He knew better than to try to win against me. "Twisting my own game's rules against me, and for what? Just to watch two hot guys kiss for some disgusting fetish, Red." he muttered.
With a dramatic flair, Gary sat up, leaned forward, and made a disgusted face before quickly planting a kiss on Ash's lips. Pulling away abruptly, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and slumped back into his seat, as everyone erupted in laughter.
After a moment, the tension eased, and the conversation flowed as if nothing unusual had occurred. Gary and Ash eventually joined in the laughter, though Gary's cheeks remained slightly flushed.
Among everyone talking about the kiss and laughing about it, I caught Serena's smile directed at me, and she mouthed a quiet "thank you." I returned the smile, playing along as if I had done them a favor, though my motives were far from altruistic.
Then I peeked at Ash, who was looking somewhere far away, like he was looking at nothing, but his ears were a bright shade of red. Then he suddenly looked at me and the blush on his ears spreaded further to his neck and cheeks. I instantly looked away, feeling the heat rise up on my own face too.
Continuing the game, Ash spun the bottle and it landed on Iris. But I couldn't care less about everything except for the fact that I was screwed. These sudden feelings were going to be the death of me.
Let's see what could go wrong. I could live pretending to not have this attraction towards Ash and watch him go on dates, while I could go on dates myself. Or maybe I could wait a bit, maybe these feelings would go away as quickly as they came. Maybe this was some sort of coping mechanism. I was living a pretty comfortable life now that my gym was in the top three, so maybe there was no more adrenaline and fear, that was why this dangerous crush. Wow, I should've been a therapist.
"My fantasy," Brock said, "included nurse Joy and officer Jenny for the longest period of time."
What were they even talking about? I started paying attention to the conversation again.
"Eww!" May wrinkled her nose. "Why did you tell us that!"
"My fantasy," Ash said very quickly, "is to make out with a mermaid."
We turned to him.
Then it took me a while to realize that everyone was staring at me now, with a creepy smile. Of course, Magical mermaid would still haunt me after all these years. Of Course the curse of being the Sensation sisters' free underwater actress would haunt me till I died. And of course Ash suddenly had a thing for mermaids and just had to declare it in front of everyone. But no one said a word to me. They diverted their attention back to Ash.
"Oh really, Ash?" Brock inquired.
Ash nodded.
"Why a mermaid, though?" Lana questioned.
Ash didn't hesitate for a second before replying, "they are beautiful." He sighed dreamily, the familiar blush making a return on his cheeks. "They're just so damn beautiful and strong and soft. I love their athletic physique and red hair. I love that they love water Pokemon. I love that they're so fiery and strong." He said dreamily, his each word sending a sharp tickle in my stomach. "And did I mention they're gorgeous?"
"He doesn't realize, does he?" Clemont whispered.
"Nope," Iris giggled.
Mallow said, "very specific details, Ash."
"He's probably talking about 'The little mermaid', you know, the movie?" Brock laughed.
"No, not the movie mermaid. Real life mermaid," Ash replied.
"Just spin the bottle already!" I protested.
"You know what?" Ash ignored my protest. "I wish mermaids were real."
"They could be." Lana winked at me.
"Absolutely." Gary laughed. "Do you know anyone who resembles your dream mermaid?"
I blushed. Ash was looking at me. Oh goodness.
He started to respond, "I…" Ash said. "I wish…" He gazed at me. I could not decide whether to look at my leg or at the sky. "I wish Paris was real, too. Like, Kalos is cool, but imagine Paris, the fictional city." Ash finished his sentence.
Of course.
Of course you wished for that, you goof.
"Brock, I think he needs water," I suggested, but Brock was too busy downing his drink. With his legendary tolerance, I knew he'd be fine. That left me to take Ash to the kitchen myself.
"C'mon," I grabbed Ash's arm and led him toward the kitchen. "Let's get you some water."
"I'm not drunk, Misty," Ash insisted as we stepped into the kitchen.
"Right. The first sign someone's not sober is them insisting they're not drunk." I grabbed a mug and filled it with water.
"Misty…" Ash muttered, watching me.
"Yeah?" I handed him the mug. "Drink this, okay?"
He nodded but hesitated. "Actually, there's something I wanted to—"
I rummaged through the fridge until I found a lemon. "Ah, here it is!" I placed it on the counter, knife in hand. "What were you saying, Ash?"
He gulped the water he was holding. "The thing is…"
I cut the lemon in half and walked closer to him. As I squeezed the lemon in his mug, I realized he was very silent, so I looked up at his face. "Ash, why do you look so red?" I leaned closer toward his face.
He instantly took a step back. "I'm fine!" he said, and drank the lemon water.
I shrugged.
While Ash sorted himself out, I hydrated myself too. We drank our water silently, then walked back outside to rejoin the game. When we returned, we found out Iris was brave enough to walk to the forest all alone with a candle to try to summon a spirit. It didn't work but bravery still counts.
As the game progressed, some people decided it was time to call it a night. I watched a few of them leave. This felt like an appropriate time to take a leave myself, so I decided to bid goodbyes.
"I think I should leave too," I expressed.
"Red, you and I both know that's not happening tonight," Gary shrugged. "You're kinda wasted."
"No, I'm not, and I gotta open the gym early tomorrow anyway." I sighed. "I wanna stay too, but I can't."
"C'mon Misty," Brock said. "Maybe ask your sisters to watch the gym tomorrow. Daisy has been training with you, so she can test herself out with the opportunity. Besides, thanks to our birthday boy, I didn't get to play much. At least stay for my turn. Or yours. And then if you still wanna leave, the buses are active all night, you can just catch one."
I bit my lip. "I mean…"
"You mean you're staying." Ash looked at me. Here goes his stupid puppy eyes again, I really need to learn to resist them. "Please," he added.
This right here sealed the deal. What kind of a miserable being am I? I can't even say no to him. I sighed for the millionth time today. "Okay, I'll just text Daisy." I picked up my phone to send a quick text.
"That's my girl!" May chuckled.
"Alright, folks," Gary announced, taking charge. "The esteemed players still in the game are: Ash, Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Chloe, Mallow, and yours truly. And let's give a shoutout to Misty—she's dodged the bottle every single time, riding high on her luck tonight." He chuckled. "So, shall we keep the party rolling?"
Everyone yelled a loud 'Yes' in unison, and Gary spun the bottle.
And just like that, Gary jinxed my streak and the bottle landed on me.
"So, Red." He joined his hands and drummed his fingers in a villain-like pose. "You're finally down. Truth or Dare?"
I gulped. What if they make me do something scary like they did with Iris? I definitely don't want to summon spirits, but I'm not in the right state of mind to answer if they ask something weird. I really don't want to accidentally embarrass myself by admitting to something weird.
Gary groaned. "It's not rocket science, just choose something."
"Dare." I uttered after thinking for another few seconds. It's better to do something stupid than to confess my undying attraction towards Ash– which doesn't exist by the way, cause it's wrong. So not my undying attraction towards him, but any other embarrassing truth. Ok no embarrassing truths, maybe some normal truths, like what's my favorite color. Oh wait, I already picked dare.
"Perfect," Gary smiled in the ugliest way possible. "Kiss," here comes another kiss, "the hottest guy in the circle."
I gasped. "You little piece of shit." There's clearly only one hot guy here, and I won't even think of his name. Wait, does Gary know and that's why he gave the dare? Does Gary think Ash is hot too? Are they DATING?!
"Smoochie smooch!" Dawn said, pouting dramatically to imply kissing.
"But…" I stuttered. "There are just three guys here?!" And one hot one.
"Isn't that perfect?" Gary smirked.
"And Brock's like a brother to me," I pointed out, leaning away. I can't even imagine kissing Brock.
"That doesn't mean I'm not hot," Brock rubbed his chin.
"Really Brock? Do you want to kiss me?" I asked angrily.
"No," Brock replied, making an ugly face.
"Exactly."
"Just choose," May smirked
"Gary or Ash. Ash or Gary?" Mallow giggled.
"What in the cringey teenage world is this…" I muttered. I started to feel the tickling in my chest again. Like a wild butterfree trapped in my stomach, trying to fly out. I was terrified of this feeling. It was like my chest would burst and thousands of butterfrees would fly out of it and everyone would find out how much of a hopeless romantic I was.
"Aww, she's blushing!" Dawn cooed.
I covered my ears with my hands. "I'm not!"
Brock laughed, "It's on your face."
I groaned, "okay, I choose truth instead!"
"Nice try, but it's not happening," Gary refuted.
"Why are you so passionate about the rules!?"
"Trust me, Red. I'm doing you a favor." Gary grinned.
I could feel the heat creeping up on my face. "Just let me change it!"
But by the looks on their faces, it was clear they weren't just going to let me off the hook; they were determined to make sure I kissed a guy tonight. It was like we were teenagers again, which I suppose was the whole point of this game—to give Ash that nostalgic teenage party experience—but it was still annoying. I didn't wanna kiss Ash because I was dared to do so. Actually, I didn't wanna kiss him at all, I was not allowed to. What the heck was I even thinking?
"It's just a kiss, Red, how many times do I have to say it tonight?" Gary insisted. "Why are you guys so hesitant to just give a quick peck? You were pretty persuasive to make me kiss Ash. Karma, Red. Karma."
Dawn and May chuckled. Then Dawn said something barely above a whisper which sounded like, "she was too eager..."
"But that was differe– I did it becau–Ugh!" I huffed, blowing a strand of my hair out of my face.
They chuckled at my miserable attempts to explain how that was different. In their defense, I was doing a shitty job explaining it. It was not like I enjoyed watching them kiss. That was an unspoken sacrifice to save my sanity. It was selfish, yet incredibly brave of me to make them kiss. I was like a knight in shining armor. I was practically a war hero.
"Okay," I announced. "Just a kiss."
I looked at Ash, Gary and Brock one by one. My gaze lingered at Ash, who was unusually quiet the whole time. He stared at me with the biggest, most innocent puppy eyes I'd ever seen on his face. I wanted to pinch his cheeks.
Meanwhile, Gary and Brock exchanged glances, their smug expressions evident as they wiggled their eyebrows at me. Gathering my resolve, I edged closer to the guys, desperately hoping to gather enough strength to kiss either Brock or Gary to avoid kissing Ash. But as I found myself face to face with the trio, indecision washed over me. Nervously nibbling on my lip, I couldn't tear my eyes away from Ash. The cool air was suddenly hot and thick. My heart was pounding so fast I could feel it in my throat.
What if I just kissed Ash? Yeah it's because of a dare but just what if? Is he a good kisser? He smells nice most of the time, like sunshine and dust and a forest and detergent. Are his lips soft? Is the skin under his shirt soft? Or is it like the skin on his arms? What if I just held his face and kissed him? Dear legendaries, give me strength.
But the universe just loved toying with me.
I heard this loud heaving noise from behind me, snapping me back to reality. Ash, Brock, and Gary looked completely horrified, so I turned around to see what the commotion was about. The sight made me wanna throw up too– there was Chloe, puking her guts out by the bushes. Watching someone else throw up triggered me to throw up too. It almost made me sober. I looked away and wondered how she managed to crawl all the way there just to hurl, but at least she spared Gary's lawn from getting trashed. Not that I cared much about the grass, though I must agree it was very well maintained.
Dawn hurried over to her girlfriend, May not far behind her. The guys and I quickly joined them, concerned looks on our faces, I tried not looking at the puke that much. Dawn held Chloe's hair back while giving her a comforting rub on the back, and May jogged inside to grab some water. She came back with a bottle in a flash, and we all pitched in to help Chloe up and onto the nearest chair. Once she was settled, she took a few swigs of water to help settle her stomach.
"Why don't you two go inside?" Gary suggested. "Stay over tonight, I have a spare room."
"Oh, no," Dawn replied. "We don't wanna cause trouble. Maybe we can book a Motel room."
" Just stay at my place," Ash said. "You are my guests, after all. And don't worry about Chloe being sick, I'll clean it up tomorrow. Just let her rest as much as she wants in my room."
Dawn nodded, "Thanks for the offer, Ash, but that'll be too much trouble for everyone else sleeping in your house. I'd rather clean up the Motel bathroom where no one else will be disturbed." She smiled at the guys before turning towards Chloe. "Let's take you in Brock's car, Chlo," she said sweetly, caressing Chloe's hair.
"Wait, let me at least get you some medicine," Gary said, and hurried inside to provide them with whatever medication he had to help with the sickness.
With Gary's departure, the party came to an end, the others taking this as a cue to head home or to bed.
The rest of us followed Brock outside to his car where Dawn and Chloe were already passed out in the backseat. May sat in front while Mallow squeezed herself in the small amount of space Dawn and Chloe left unoccupied.
Seeing no space left in the car, Ash and I exchanged a look. "So, I guess we're walking back?"
Ash shrugged. "Looks like it. You go ahead, Brock," he said, clumsily leaning on the car window, holding the roof for support.
"I can make another trip and pick you up?" Brock suggested.
Ash waved him off. "No, you must be tired too. We'll manage." Manage how? There were no cabs in Pallet this late at night. We were better off just sleeping outside on the grass. Ash continued. "Okay, then. So you are out, Misty's leaving too. Clemont and Iris are already asleep on Gary's two couches, Dawn and Chloe are staying at the Motel. Serena is also at the Motel with Calem and Goh left earlier. So that leaves May, Lana and Mallow that are staying at my house." Ash looked at Mallow through the window, "You guys should use my room."
"Okay!" Mallow replied.
"So, I'll manage going home, please don't worry about me," Ash smiled. "I can walk, really."
"I'll come back with Delia's car and pick you up," May said, "I didn't drink a lot, I can drive."
Ash smiled, "okay!"
Gary smirked, "So everything's sorted."
"You need to catch the bus right?" Brock asked me, and I nodded in response, he continued, "I'll bring your bag with me from Ash's house after dropping everyone off and I'll drop you at the bus stop because it's in our way."
"You're my savior," I smiled at him.
"I'll be back in fifteen to twenty minutes," Brock said before he hit the gas and they left for the Ketchum's.
Gary led the way, closing the main gate behind us. We followed him to the patio of the house, where he paused to impart a crucial detail. "Your Pokémon are in the shed at the back of the backyard," Gary informed us. "It's pretty spacious since I designed it specifically for Pokémon, so they're comfy, you can call them back from there.
"You can check it out while you wait for Brock and May to pick you up. Goodbye Red, as I said, I won't stay till Brock arrives, and Ash, see you tomorrow for that thing at Grandpa's. Now, goodnight." With a wave, he disappeared inside the house.
Deciding to take a look at the shed, we ventured out back. To our surprise, it was even larger than expected, easily occupying half of the backyard.
We peeked inside the shed to find our Pokemon sleeping soundly. We called them back in their Pokeballs.
Then I noticed the beautiful pool in the middle of the backyard, so clean and blue. It has a unique shape, like an asymmetrical heart. I walked towards its tiled edge and dipped the tip of my toes to check the water. "Not that cold."
Ash followed me and stood beside me on the edge of the pool, "careful," he whispered.
I started strolling along the edge, going around the pool, the breeze cooling me off and carrying the scent of those night-blooming flowers. My ponytail was dancing in the wind, and there was this tingling excitement in my stomach that just made me want to hum as I walked.
I slightly turned my head to find Ash closely following me behind. We walked on the tiled edge carefully, trying not to step out of it as if everything else was lava. It felt so dangerous to walk like this when my vision was shaky and fuzzy, when I had no sense of balance, but I still kept walking.
"Did you have fun tonight?" Ash asked suddenly.
As I spun on my toes to face Ash, I stumbled on my own feet, nearly losing my balance. He quickly grabbed my hands, steadying me just in time to prevent me from falling into the pool. I looked up at him gratefully. He tugged me closer. I felt those damn butterfrees in my stomach again. "What did you just say?"
"I asked, did you have fun tonight?" He repeated himself.
I shrugged, "If we ignore the whole bit of having to see you kiss Gary against my will-"
"Against your will?" He smirked. "Didn't seem like it."
I rolled my eyes, "Thank you, Misty," I imitated him in a heavier voice, "for saving me from getting embarrassed because I had to kiss my ex. I owe you my honor along with a bike."
Ash laughed, "I don't sound like that."
"The important thing is, did you have fun tonight?" I asked.
He nodded, "a lot."
"Then that's all that matters." I turned away and took a step forward to continue walking around the pool, but he didn't let my hand go and pulled me closer so I was facing him again, standing even closer to him than before. I raised my eyebrows at him and he quickly let go of my hand. Then he nervously scratched the back of his neck.
"Ash?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "Didn't I tell you it was too much alcohol for you? You're drunk, right?"
"Not yet. I've heard people spit honest facts and act crazy. Then they puke and pass out. I don't think I'm there yet." He shrugged.
"No, you are quite there, actually. You just admitted to secretly being a Mankey in a human costume, I don't think you remember."
"The peak of comedy," he deadpanned.
I giggled, turning away, but this time he didn't pull me back, though I kinda wished he did.
"You never got to finish your dare," he said, balancing himself as he walked, his arms spread wide like a human airplane.
I walked a little faster so he couldn't catch me blushing. "I didn't?"
"Nope. I'm curious, you know."
"Well, guess we'll never find out," I shrugged.
"We can, if you tell me who you would've kissed."
"No one." I shook my head. "I would've closed my eyes and crashed my lips on the nearest person."
"Like you would ever kiss Gary." He snickered, then paused. "You wouldn't, would you? You can tell me if you would, I'll suppo-"
"No! Very respectfully, I'd rather eat dirt!" I said. My hands formed tight fists, trying to control the urge to just yell at him. To scream at him for not knowing it would've been him. Why couldn't he just read my mind? Actually, it's good he couldn't. Because friends shouldn't date- is it just me or this phrase has gotten more annoying everytime I repeat it in my head?
"Then Brock?" He asked again.
I started walking faster, leaving him so far behind that we were now on the opposite ends of the pool. As if it'll help me in any way. "Are you kidding me?"
"So not Brock," he confirmed.
"No, Ash. Not the guy who's like a brother to me."
"But then the only option left is…"
The air around me started to get hot. I started breathing heavily as my relaxing stroll around the pool became angry stomps.
"Misty…" Ash said again.
I attempted to spin towards him, but as I did, my feet slid on the wet tiles. I struggled to regain my balance, but Ash wasn't there to catch me this time. I reached out, grasping at empty air, but there was nothing to hold onto. And before I knew it, I tumbled right into the pool.
As I sank into the water, the world around me went silent. I closed my mouth tightly to conserve whatever air I have in my lungs before I resurface. I opened my eyes, and thanks to the lights inside the pool casting a soft glow, I could see the bubbles dancing around me in the crystal-clear water. Touching the pool floor, I gently propelled myself back up. It was nothing new, I'd done this a hundred times before. Actually, I found it more peaceful inside the water than outside. So I took my time, swam across the pool for a bit before swimming towards the surface to catch my breath.
I found Ash bending down, holding on his knees and laughing uncontrollably. "And I'm the drunk one." He said between giggles.
"You distracted me!" I replied loudly, splashing some water at him. I swam closer to the side of the pool where he was standing and mounted my palms on the tiles to push myself out of the water. But apparently, I couldn't even push myself out of the pool when I'm flustered.
Ash offered his hand, but had a smug look on his face. "Am I a distraction?"
A sharp tickle ran through my chest. I slapped his hand away and pushed myself harder, and I was finally out of the water and sitting on the edge. He continued to laugh, standing right behind me.
I squeezed my ponytail to rinse water out of it.
"Just untie your hair," Ash suggested.
"And let it stick all over my face?
"No just," he slipped my hair tie out of the ponytail, letting my hair fall on my back and face. I knew they looked bad because they were tied up in a ponytail all day so they're definitely still in that shape and now they were wet and sticky. "See." He smiled at me.
I stood up to look at him face to face. "How is this better?" I asked pushing my hair back on my head to have a clear vision of him.
"You look beautiful like this," he answered.
I was at a loss for words. It took all my strength to gather myself and say something like, "It's still on my face." I fumed, rubbing my cheeks so he could think that was the reason they're so red.
He stepped closer and tucked the hair on both sides behind my ears. "See?" He smiled. "Not a problem anymore, right?"
My chest formed a tight knot, as if all the frustration and desire is compressed there, ready to burst any moment now. I bit my lip. His face was right in front of mine, closer than it's ever been.
A shiver went through my body when the cool wind touched me. I rubbed my palms, looking down at my feet to avoid his eyes, but my eyes flicked up to Ash for a millisecond and I found his gaze fixed at my wet clothes, he instantly looked away when he realized he was staring. I looked down to find out that my shirt had become translucent revealing some details that I'd rather have covered.
I stepped back and walked towards the window on the backyard that opens to Gary's living room. There's a wooden step in front of it, so not wanting to go inside with my clothes dripping wet and ruin his carpet, I sat on it and wrapped my arms around my chest to hide whatever I could.
As I was sitting there, I saw him taking his shirt off from the corner of my eyes. What the hell?
"Ash…?" I questioned.
He took off his shirt and handed it to me, "wear this. You can't go out like that."
I took the shirt from his hands and nodded slowly. Then he turned away so I could change. It was already so dark so I quickly took off my wet shirt and put on his dry shirt.
"All done," I said.
He turned towards me and smiled as I sat again on the wooden step.
"Aren't you cold without your shirt?" I asked, my eyes tracing his toned arms, then his bare chest, then downwards where I could see light traces of abs. His low-rise Jeans did justice to his physique as he walked closer to me.
"Not really," he shrugged.
I breathed, fighting to take my eyes away from him. Okay, I can't. He's the only awake person in a five mile radius, it would look so weird if I was looking at the tree instead. So I let myself watch him as he stretched his body.
"I love this kind of weather," he smiled and sat beside me.
I nodded.
"So, you were telling me," he asked, "about who were you going to kiss?"
"Right. The kiss." I folded my hands tightly around my chest. "As I said, I really don't know."
"That's not what you were implying back there."
"I wasn't implying anything."
"I'm not that drunk, Mist."
"It was a stupid dare, it doesn't mean anything," I sighed.
"It matters to me," he retorted.
I looked at him. He had shifted closer to me.
I scooted closer to him, pressing my thigh against his. "Why?" I asked gently. "Is everything okay?"
"It just does." He turns his face away. "So, tell me," he breathed, "who would you kiss?"
I wanted to cup his face, kiss him, and tell him that there is no one else I would've kissed. It's him. I could feel my face inevitably inching closer to him, and the hopeful part of me thought he's inching closer to me too. My eyes were fixed into his, but for a small moment, they flicked towards his parted lips and it felt like my heart was being taken away from me when I reminded myself that I couldn't have this. I couldn't have him and he couldn't have me. Friends were off limits, always have been and always will be.
But…but this one tiny part of me wanted to tell him the truth. The truth that I didn't even know myself until twenty hours ago. Just like I told him about everything else on the phone, about my new pokeball, about my recent win, recent date, recent breakup, recent argument with the league manager, everything. Just like that, I wanted to tell him how painful it felt to find out you like the person you shouldn't like. The way he was looking at me, with so much trust and hope, I wanted to be honest with him. Maybe I could. Maybe I could tell him that it was heartbreaking to find out you fell for your friend and apologize for making fun of him when he fell for one of his friends and warn him that he must never fall for a friend again because it was soul crushing.
"Misty!" A loud noise came from far away, followed by a car horn. Brock was at the gate.
The little moment we were having, or I was having, was disrupted by Brock. Like he always did by being the responsible big brother, once again he reminded me how dramatic I was for a brand-new crush– that I probably got because of a dream– that just so happened to be one of my childhood friends.
I stood up. "Time to go home. Thanks for the shirt, birthday boy."
He stood up too. "Seems like I'll never find out."
I stepped closer to him, cupped his cheek with one hand, he looked at me, surprised, and I stood on my tip-toes and kissed on his cheek. "You'll never find out." I quickly turned away, "good night." And when the tiny spark of courage was gone with the kiss, I stormed out of Gary's place– leaving him behind– and sat in Brock's car, avoiding suspicious looks from Brock on me wearing Ash's shirt.
When Ash took his first shot of tequila tonight, he said, 'this burns,' then he said, 'and it lingers.' And that is exactly how I felt right now.
I've been left in the rain lost and pining
I'm tryin' hard not to look like I'm trying
'Cause every time I tried hard for love, it fell apart
I've gotten used to no one callin' my phone
I've grown accustomed to sleeping' alone
Still, I know that all it takes is to get it right
Just one time, just one time
– Electric Touch