Hi again,
I'm really enjoying writing this fic. Hope you're enjoying reading it, too!
Let me know : )
Here's chapter four.
…..
"Go Starmie! Use water gun!" the challenger, a girl around 15 years of age, called out to her pokémon from her position on the red block she was standing on.
Ash smiled at the girl's determination. She had given Misty a run for her money, deciding the final pokemon she'd be throwing out, would be identical to that of Cerulean's leader. He regretted declining her invitation to yesterday's match. Misty had improved phenomenally and watching her battle actually helped distract him from his current situation, rather than remind him of it. She had beaten three out of her four opponents with ease, the final opponent lighting the competitive fire in her belly once more. Ash waited for her counter attack, eager to see what Misty's Starmie would do. Her purple star pokémon hadn't appeared in battle all day, its trainer winning her first three matches with the help of three pokemon, only. It was hard for Ash not to cast his mind back to his own battle for the cascade badge… she was definitely a different trainer now compared to the one she was then.
"Dive, Starmie!" Misty ordered, the pokémon dodging the attack of its opponent. The two seemed to share a connection, Misty smiling as the pokemon rose from the water, hitting the opposing Starmie square in the back with a powerful water gun attack.
It fell forward flattened against the block it formerly stood upon, soaked in water. Misty smirked, having the pokemon right where she wanted it, debilitated for a few seconds. Her Starmie dived under again, appearing on the other side of the block, Misty calling out in a haste.
"Now Starmie! Thunderbolt!"
Ash watched, mouth agape as the star spun rapidly, a bolt of lightning striking its foe. He did not see that coming, not at all. They may have been of the same species, but Misty's Starmie was much more powerful, in terms of experience. She was clever, deciding to teach it an electric move. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as the unnamed girl withdrew her fainted pokemon. Misty had won. Again.
Jumping from the block she was standing on, his friend walked towards the girl she had just claimed victory from. Ash watched with pride, as Misty extended her hand.
"That—" she shook the girl's hand, "— was a fantastic match."
The red head beamed as her opponent accepted the handshake. They spoke for a few moments, the girl asking Misty for some pointers which she gladly handed out. Then finally, after pledging to come back, 'stronger than ever', the girl left; leaving Ash and Misty alone in the arena.
He descended the few steps from the chair he filled during her battles, Misty meeting him at in front of the pool.
"So how did I do?" she called out to him.
Ash moved towards here, engulfing her in a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around; Misty giggling all the while.
"You were great!" Ash cheered, setting her back down onto the floor.
"Pika! Pikachu-pi!" his electric pal continued, clearly just as impressed with Misty's performance as his trainer. She scooped Pikachu up, scratching him under the chin, earning a satisfied chirp from the rodent.
"I did not see that thunderbolt coming! At all!" Ash enthused, Misty blushing slightly. It was nice to hear him talking so passionately about battling. He hadn't so much as mentioned the words 'thunderbolt' or 'pokeball' even, in the two days he had been there.
"Glad to see you were surprised…" she mumbled, more so to herself than to him. Giving Pikachu a squeeze, she turned her attention to the boy, once again. "So, wanna watch a movie or something?" she asked.
Ash nodded enthusiastically, picking up Eevee who was pawing at his shoelace from her place at his feet.
The pair walked out of the arena, towards their destination, the Waterflowers' living room.
On their way, Ash offered Eevee a scratch behind her ears, the little creature seeming to relax at his touch. He began to wonder why Misty hadn't evolved it; knowing how much she wanted a Vaporeon. Although, it seemed as though Eevee wasn't a pokémon Misty used for battle, more so a companion for the red head, like Togepi was to her all those years ago.
"Hey Mist..." Ash began, the red head's heart jumping into her throat as he used the nickname, he so kindly gave her long ago.
"Y-yeah?" she replied, caught off guard by the sound of his voice; stopping and facing him, when they finally made it to the lounge room. Pikachu jumped from her arms, moving onto the couch as nestling into a pillow in the corner.
"Why haven't you evolved Eevee?" he asked casually, the pokemon blissfully enjoying his touch as he continued to stroke her fur.
Misty shrugged. "I have a water stone… I'm just not sure yet. I guess I will eventually, but I don't want to be the one to make the decision, you know?"
He dipped his head in understanding, knowing exactly what she meant. A while ago, while they journeyed together, Pikachu had chosen against evolution and Ash was proud of the fact that he had let his pokemon decide. Eevee seemed so little still, and without any proper battling experience, it was hard to tell whether or not the idea of becoming a Vaporeon ever even crossed its little mind.
Misty glanced at the little one in his arms, still amazed at how fond Eevee seemed to be, of Ash. She moved towards the sofa, sinking in, next to Pikachu, Ash following suit and joining her. Eevee was shifted comfortably to the pillow beside Ash, as Misty flicked the television on, by use of the remote control on the table in front of them. When she had found a movie they could agree on, the remote returned to the tabletop, the red head relaxing in her seat.
Ash draped his arm behind the back of her chair absentmindedly, Misty stiffening slightly as his arm brushed against her back. Something they had done a hundred times, she took a deep breath, leaning into him, his arm moving from the back of the chair to her shoulder, drawing her in closer to him.
He smiled to himself, enjoying the feeling of her head against his chest and the way she fit perfectly in his arms… like they were they were meant only for her. They had just gotten comfortable when Daisy waltzed into the room, a smug look on her face.
Misty jolted up straight, Ash's arm retreating to the back of the couch once again.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Misty your cell has been ringing…" Daisy voiced, giggling at the pair's red faces.
"I'll be right back," Misty turned to Ash, disappearing up the steps to her bedroom.
Daisy folded her arms, shooting the boy a complacent look, raising her eyebrow in question.
"What?" he asked, his tone sounding more defensive than enquiring.
"No, nothing…" she added, turning to walk out of the room. "Nothing at all!"
Ash blinked as he heard her laughter bounce up the staircase. Girls were weird, he decided, wanting Misty to hurry up and return so they could get back to watching their movie.
When she entered the room, Misty's face was pale, Ash beginning to grow panicked as she took a seat on the table adjacent to him.
"Are you alright, Mist?" Concern laced his tone, making Misty feel bad about the words she was about to let loose from her mouth.
"Well, yes. I'm fine, but I was supposed to meet someone for dinner tonight—" she glanced at the clock behind her which marked 4pm— "and completely forgot. That was them on the phone…"
Ash smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "That's okay, we can continue this later! Who are you meeting? What's her name?"
Misty bit her lip, pulling the lower one into her mouth. Should she tell him? It wasn't a date… well at least not in her eyes. Still, she felt awkward discussing boys with him. She was certain he would get the wrong message, maybe thinking she was a female version of Brock; which, she most certainly, was not.
"Well?" he asked again, a smile still plastered on his face; Misty mentally cursing his parents for giving him such a beautiful pair of brown eyes. They had the power to suck her in, in an instant.
Clearing her throat, Misty decided to tell him. "Actually…" she stuttered, "his name is Georgio…"
Georgio. Ash felt his stomach plummet. He thought he knew that name from somewhere, but he couldn't recall where.
"Oh." Was the only word he could manage to get out. A burning sensation hit his chest, travelling down to his stomach. He couldn't quite put a finger on why it had arrived.
"Yeah…" she uttered, "we were supposed to meet at seven… but he called to ask to meet me at five instead."
Ash glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. That was an hour away.
"That's okay, honestly!" Ash reassured her, a forced smile present on his face.
"Are you sure? It's not a date or anything—and I-I would cancel… but I can't on such short notice," Misty bit her lip, feeling awkward about leaving her best friend, who she hadn't seen in ages, for an ex-boyfriend. There was no way she was going to point out that detail, not to him.
"Go!" Ash laughed, Misty smiling uncomfortably as she exited the room.
"I'll make it up to you, I promise!" she called.
Ash sighed, looks like they wouldn't be watching that movie after all.
…..
Deciding to stay in front of the television, Ash's mind pondered over what Misty's plans would be for the evening. She had insisted it wasn't a date, but he wasn't entirely convinced, mainly considering how pale she had turned when she told him. He tried to focus on the screen before him, telling himself he didn't care about what she was doing or who she was meeting. They were only friends, who was he to tell her what to do about her own love life… especially because of the lack of success he had himself, in that area. But strangely enough, the television couldn't distract him from the emptiness he felt in the pit of stomach. Even his appetite had faded, which was not like him at all. Anger and hurt and frustration had built up in him and the longer he spent alone on the couch, the worse it got.
If only he could understand why.
The sound of her heels clacking against the tiles pulled him from his thoughts. Before he had a chance to collect his thoughts, she appeared in front of him, Eevee jumping from the couch and bounding over to her. Catching sight of her, his mouth fell open, mesmerised by how much she had transformed. Seeing her in a bikini, sure, it had reminded him that she wasn't the girl he travelled with… but seeing her in a dress, proved that she had outgrown most of her tomboyish qualities. Sweeping his eyes over her, he took in what she looked like, capturing her beauty, as if to snap a mental image for his brain. She wore a light blue skater dress, with thick straps and a square neckline. It fell just above her knees. Her legs were covered by sheer stockings, nude ballet flats adorning her feet. She held a thick, white cardigan in her hand. Winter was upon them and Ash knew without the jacket, she would freeze. Her long hair was out, in its natural waves. It framed her face nicely and even with a slight curl to it, it managed to fall half way down her back. The boy on the couch discovered himself thinking about how lovely it looked long, though he wasn't sure why he cared.
Misty cleared her throat, causing Ash to look up at her, a forced smile flashing across his face. "I'm sorry about this Ash… I really would cancel, but I can't," she said again.
"I understand," he stated rather bluntly. He had a feeling there was more to the outing, but he brushed it off, the sound of the doorbell cutting their conversation short.
"Well… that's my cue," she voiced, Ash swearing he could see a twinge of sadness in her aquamarine eyes. "Do you think you'll be okay?"
"I'll be fine… Have fun."
With a small smile and a wave, she left the room, Ash's stomach in knots as he watched her go.
With a heavy sigh, he heard the door close behind her, his head falling back against the couch.
Looks like he'd have to find his own way to stay entertained.
…..
Georgio had reserved a table at Belle, Cerulean's most expensive restaurant. They were only able to get a table for 5:30pm hence why he asked to pick her up earlier. Misty was flattered that he had tried to impress her with his choice of restaurant, but she didn't associate their meeting with any feelings of romance, so his plan to woo her went awry.
The had been walking in silence, when he finally decided to break the tension.
"You look beautiful…" he purred, Misty could tell he was trying to sound alluring, but that wouldn't work on her. Not anymore.
"Thanks," she threw back, not buying into his charm.
The restaurant was in eyeshot, Georgio deciding to save the small talk for when they reached their table. With a hand on the small of her back, he led her to the back of the restaurant, where their table had been dressed in a dimly-lit corner of the room. Misty attempted to relax, but this all felt so wrong and she was instantly regretting the run she had left Ash for yesterday. The boy pulled out her chair, gesturing for her to sit down, before he took his own.
A petite waitress with long, brown hair and thick, black glasses jotted down their drink orders, consisting of white wine and table water, before handing them two menus; Misty avoiding Georgio's eyes the whole time.
"Are you alright?" he asked, offering her his attempt at a sweet smile.
Was she alright? Well… apart from the fact that her stomach was in knots and she felt guilty leaving Ash alone at the Gym, yeah, she was fine.
"Mhmm," she replied with a nod, Georgio's smile widening.
"So, how's life at the Gym been?" he asked casually, trying to break the tension that was so incredibly thick, one could cut it with a knife.
"Fine…"
"And your sisters?"
"Good…"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine!" she barked, suddenly red-faced at her outburst. "Look… I guess I'm just confused why you begged me to have dinner with you… when… well, you left me, remember?"
Georgio's face fell. It was true. The pair had dated for close to a year when out of the blue, he left. Misty had fallen into a hole of depression, wondering what was so wrong with her, that caused the universe to pluck away any and every male she had a romantic connection with. It took weeks of intensive training, chick-flick marathons with her sisters, and more chocolate than she'd care to admit, to get over him.
"I know… I'm sorry about that."
The awkward silence returned between them, Misty sighing as if to tell him to go on.
"I got an offer, one I couldn't refuse. To run a battle seminar in the Sevii Islands, I couldn't refuse it."
"Well… what happened? Why are you back?" Misty asked, the competition season was in full swing, she found it odd that he'd be on vacation this early on.
"Well…" he scratched his cheek before continuing. "The opportunity fell through… It didn't exactly work out."
Misty stared at him, her mouth forming an 'o', her eyebrows knitted together.
"So, you're back for good?" she questioned him, meeting his eyes with her firm gaze.
"Yes… I am; and I—I guess I should tell you that I made the biggest mistake of my life, leaving you here…" Georgio's voice shook, as he attempted to reach out and grab her hand.
Shaking her head, Misty folded her arms, pinning her eyes firmly on the wall behind him.
"Say something, please…"
What did he expect her to say? Did he expect her to run into his arms and tell him it was all okay… that she wanted him back too?
"I can't do this…" she mumbled, standing up from her chair, her wine untouched in front of her. "This was a mistake, I should never have let you take me here."
"Misty… wait! Please listen—"
"No! You listen!" she exclaimed, warm tears pricking her eyes. She didn't care who heard her, as long as the message got to him. "You left me here—alone! And now because things haven't worked out for you, you want me back?! It took me months to get over the fact that I wasn't worth hanging around for—"
"But Misty—"
"Things are different now. I'm not doing this again!"
And with that, she was gone. Slamming her chair in, in a frenzy, she left him there, wide eyed and confused about what had just happened, her red hair fading from view as she exited the restaurant.
For Misty, seeing Georgio had brought up old memories. Sure, she liked the guy… they may have thrown the 'L' word around a few times, but to her it wasn't the intense romance she craved. His arrival only reminded her of how she felt when he left… perplexed, empty, lonely. Similar to the way she felt when she parted ways with Ash, all those years ago. She was furious at Georgio for leaving her so suddenly, but only because his actions forced her to think about how much she missed her best friend… and she hated that something that had nothing to do with him, was about him all along.
…..
Ash couldn't help himself. Hearing the door close, prompted him to jump from his seat and peer outside the window to see exactly who this Georgio character was. He felt tension in his jaw, as he clenched it, watching the duo walk arm in arm, in the opposite direction of the gym. Although he couldn't really see him that well, Ash knew Georgio was handsomer than he ever would be and for some reason that really made him mad.
"Stalking her, are we?" a voice sounded from across the living room, causing Ash to jump. It reminded him of a trashy reality television show, encompassing a typical 'valley-girl' accent.
Swiftly, Ash turned to face her, Daisy meeting his eyes with folded arms and raised eyebrows. She was sporting a short red dress and gold heels, leading Ash to think that she too was heading out for the evening.
"Who is he?" Ash asked, unsure of whether or not he was going to like the answer she gave him.
Daisy smiled, walking over to the couch where Eevee was sitting and plopping herself down beside the creature.
"His name's Georgio, they dated for a while—"
"Oh," Ash's face fell, his stomach twisting from beneath his shirt.
"He kind of like, broke her heart…"
"Oh." Clenching his fists, Ash felt his face grow warm. Why would she be going out with an asshole like that? Granted, Ash didn't know the whole story or anything about the man in question, but he still didn't like the sound of Misty being heartbroken… she was his best friend, after all.
Daisy stifled a giggle at the boy's reaction, knowing why at had appeared, even if he didn't know it himself. Offering him a warm smile, she stood up, turning to him once again. "There's a number to Cerulean Pizza Palace on the fridge if you're like, hungry…"
Ash nodded absent-mindedly, watching her disappear around the corner.
"And Ash…" she stuck her head back around the wall.
"Mmm."
"If you like her… you better hurry up and say it."
"Oh—it's not like that… at all!" he argued, lifting his hands in defence. Not that it was any use, Daisy didn't believe him.
"Whatever you say…" she teased, leaving Ash to sink back into the couch.
It was probably time to get back to Pallet. The last thing he wanted to listen to was Misty brag about her date, the whole idea of her dating made him feel weird.
Deciding to head upstairs, the raven-haired boy scooped up Eevee, promising he'd watch her while her trainer was gone; Pikachu at his heels as he climbed the timber staircase.
When he made it to his destination, he pushed open the door, taking in her bedroom before him. It hadn't changed much since his last visit. He hadn't thought about it that, last night, when he'd slept in his sleeping bag within its walls. Her bedroom walls were coloured white and a few photos of her pokemon decorated its otherwise bare surface; the carpet a periwinkle blue, the same as it had always been. To the left of the room, was a white door, separating the bedroom from the en suite. On the opposing wall from the bathroom, was her window seat, a timber desk to the right of it, a tattered notebook and her laptop decorating the tabletop, along with a photo of Misty and her sisters from the red-head's 18th birthday. His hat still sat atop it too, Ash barely noticing its existence as his eyes scanned the room. Her bed rested against the back wall, adorned with a cream bedspread and a few fluffy, blue cushions (and now Eevee and Pikachu, who had darted over the moment he had entered the space); she had upgraded that, since he was here last. The bed was a queen, the bedhead the same colour as the carpet beneath his feet. Opposite it, was a timber dresser, matching that of her desk. Ash made his way over to it slowly. The dresser held a few of her perfumes and her jewellery box, all neatly positioned on top of the blue coordinated runner, protecting the timber. The young man found himself, tracing across the top with his index finger, as he took in the placement of her belongings.
Three photo frames were also present on the surface. The first, was a photo of Misty and her parents. She would have been two or three. Her dad held her in one arm, the other slung around his wife, who held one of little Misty's hands in her own. The trio were beaming at the camera, a smile tugging at Ash's lips. If only they could see her now… how incredible she had become. Ash was proud to call Misty his best friend, he knew her parents would be proud to call her their daughter. The next photo was one of Brock, Misty and himself. They would've been around eleven, Brock about fifteen. It was at a party at Professor Oak's Lab, after Ash challenged the Indigo League. The three of them smiled, holding up their glasses to the camera in a sign of salute. His smile was replaced by a frown as he remembered the memory, and every failure after that moment.
His eyes found the last frame, the final photo, sending his pulse racing. It was the two of them; just Misty and him. It was the last time he came back home for a proper visit, two years ago at least. His mom had decided that because she hadn't had him home for his birthday and such a long time, she would throw him a quick welcome home party. Even though his birthday was long passed, Delia surprised Ash with a cake. The image captured the moment after he cut it. Misty held out her hands, frosting on her fingers as she tried to sweep it across Ash's face, obviously to pay him back for the vanilla icing decorating her cheeks and nose. They were both laughing, Ash holding her arms away from him as she tried desperately to get him back. The raven-haired man, picked up the frame smiling at it fondly. So much had changed in his life since then.
With a sigh, he placed it back down, deciding to finish the job he came up here to do. He had no idea why the thought of her with someone else annoyed him so. He didn't like her. Well he did, but not like that. Right? Shaking the notion from his thoughts, he continued to roll his sleeping bag, placing it, along with his spare clothes, back into his backpack. He had to leave, something inside of him was telling him to go.
"Ash?"
The voice from the door was soft and velvety, like music to his ears. There was no denying it, it was hers.
"Misty, w-what are you doing back so soon?" he asked, whipping his head up to face her, stumped as to why she stood before him rather than being out on her date.
Misty offered him a kind smile, leading him to think about how beautiful she looked, her face lit up by the fairy lights strung around her room. She wasn't about to answer his question, she didn't really want to.
"Going somewhere?" She gestured to his bag, neatly packed and swung over his shoulder.
Ash bit his lip, unsure if she'd be offended at his decision to leave in such a haste.
"Uh… yeah. I was thinking I'd head back home. You know, to surprise my mom…"
Misty's face fell. "Oh—" she said, leaning against the doorway. "When are you leaving?"
"Now… I—I mean, I was going to wait until you got back but now that you're here…"
"Are you sure you don't want to stay one more night? It's no trouble…"
There was nothing he wanted more. But the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach whenever she'd enter a room was making him reorganise his desires. He had no idea why, but the voice inside his head was telling him to run.
Ash shook his head, mirroring the smile her face once possessed. "That's okay, I'm going to get going. But, you'll visit me, right? I—I mean, I don't have any plans to leave Kanto anytime soon…"
Misty found herself nodding. She'd waited so long to have him back, there was no way she'd let him leave without saying goodbye.
"Well, I guess I better let you go, before it gets way too dark for Charizard to see…" she uttered, Ash moving towards the door.
"Hey Ash… aren't you forgetting something?" she added, tapping the top of her head.
Right. His hat. "You keep it," he announced, Misty taking a step back from the door. Keep the hat that he sent a million postcards in to get? The hat they had to pry from the hands of a Mankey… was she hearing things?
"You can't be serious?"
"Not forever… but at least I know one way or another I have to come back and get it."
Misty smiled, her inner romantic swooning before her head took over, reminding her this was Ash; he wouldn't know romance even if it slapped him in the face. With a nod and a smile, she led him down the steps, halting at her front door and turning to face him.
"I guess this is good bye," she said, looking up at him. Observing him now, one would never have believed that he was once the shorter one of the two of them.
"No. It's see you soon… promise?" he threw back.
"Promise…" In an instant, Misty threw her arms around him, catching him off guard, similar to the embrace he received from her when he first arrived here yesterday; but Ash didn't remember feeling a jolt of electricity pass through his body back then. Pulling away from her, he pulled Pikachu into his arms, the electric mouse hopping onto his shoulder, Misty reaching out to scratch the creature beneath the chin. Preoccupied with Pikachu, she neglected to notice the blush on Ash's cheeks.
Deciding it was time to go, he pulled open the door, insisting it was too cold for Misty to come outside. Stepping over the threshold he released the orange dragon from its pokeball, leaping onto its back. With a final glance in her direction, Ash instructed Charizard to fly, the pokemon lifting off instantaneously.
Misty watched them lift off, waiting until he was out of sight until finally closing the door and leaving the Winter night behind her.
…..
Get up, eat, work, sleep, work, eat, flirt, work, sleep, repeat. This seemed to be the life of a pokemon doctor. It was for this reason, that Brock yearned for his days off. He had finally finished a forty-five-hour work week, and as of 5pm today, he was off for two sweet days filled with… absolutely nothing. Working such crazy hours had turned the man into somewhat of a Noctowl, meaning he was wide awake, well into the early hours of the morning.
On this particular evening, Brock had decided that he'd catch up on the latest episodes of 'Breeder Today', a television program highlighting the world's most successful pokémon breeders. Although he had finally made it as a pokemon doctor, Misty basically threatening him through five years of medical school so he would not quit on his dream, Brock still held Pokemon Breeding in high esteem, hoping to open a breeding and treatment centre in his native Pewter City, one day. Today's episode was one he had been looking forward to immensely. The breeder in focus was Suzie, of Scissor Street, her Vulpix just as important in today's episode as she was. Brock watched on proudly, remembering the time he spent caring for the little fox pokemon on his own journey.
Coffee in hand, he stood up to close the curtains separating the living room and the balcony of his Pewter City apartment, when something rather peculiar caught his eye. Heading towards him, was a flaming, orange dragon, a mop of black hair the only characteristic Brock seemed to notice of its trainer on its back.
"No way…" the pokémon doctor muttered to himself, reopening his curtains and stepping out onto the balcony. The pokemon, Brock now able to accurately identify as Charizard, was slowing down, hovering right in front of him.
"Hey Brocko," the boy on his back called out, "fancy a visitor?"
Brock laughed, watching as the raven-haired trainer jumped swiftly from Charizard's back, landing on the balcony, Pikachu still attached to his shoulder.
"Thanks Charizard! Return." Extending his arm, Ash called his partner back into its pokeball, turning and facing one of his oldest friends. Reaching out for a handshake, Ash jumped in surprise as Brock engulfed him in bear hug.
"How are you here?" Brock asked, clapping Ash on the back. "It's great to see you—you too Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
"Likewise Brock! But can we continue this conversation inside? I'm freezing my ass off out here!"
Brock chuckled, inviting Ash in. Pikachu bounded across the room, nibbling on a cookie from a packet Brock had left out on the coffee table in front of the tv.
"So… fill me in! How's training going?" the older man enthused, gesturing for Ash to sit down.
"Well… it's not really happening right now…" Ash replied, scratching his head with a sigh.
"I knew you sounded off on the phone… what is it?"
Ash took a deep breath. Brock was the closest to a brother he had and unlike Misty he'd be happy to sit there and listen… even if it meant telling him he'd quit. That was something she'd never let him do.
"I'm done, man. I'm all washed up."
Brock gaped at him, a perplexed look on his face.
"What are you talking about—washed up? Start at the beginning Ash," he ordered, placing his coffee cup on the table before gesturing for Ash to continue.
"Well you see… I was travelling around with a few friends in Kalos and I don't know… I guess I just lost my touch. It was a lot harder there, than I thought it would be… At first it was great and they all thought I was great… especially Serena—"
"Wait, who's Serena?"
"A girl I travelled with… that…"
"That?"
"Well, we may have hooked up a few times…"
"Ash!"
"I know, I know…" he groaned, "but she would complement me all the time and tell me how good I was, and I don't know… it was nice…"
"Wait! So you're telling me, you got distracted from training… because of a girl?"
"Well—when you put it like that… But anyway that was ages ago! I started losing more and before I knew it, they had left me because of it and I was well… done."
Brock offered him a sympathetic expression. This wasn't like Ash; giving up was a foreign concept to him. He wished there was something he could say to his friend to get him out of such a funk. A moment of silence fell upon them, before Ash opened his mouth to speak again.
"And Brock…" he mumbled, almost inaudible, "there's something else…"
Brock raised his eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I sort of showed up at Misty's yesterday—"
"Wait, what?! You went to Cerulean City?"
"Yes Brock, pay attention—Anyway, tonight, she had a date with some guy—"
"Who?!"
"Augh! Some stupid guy named Georgina or something, who cares!" Ash snapped, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Georgio?" Brock smirked, Ash's pouty face being too funny for him to ignore.
"Yeah… whatever. I just couldn't handle staying there. I didn't want to hear anything about her date. Apparently, the guy broke her heart, what a loser…"
Brock chuckled, Ash glaring at him in response. He couldn't understand why the older boy wasn't as annoyed about this as he was.
"Why the fuck are you laughing?" Ash spat, which only caused Brock to chuckle harder.
"If I didn't know any better—" he folded his arms, a satisfied smile on his face, "—I'd say you were jealous!"
Ash's face turned scarlet in colour, the boy's eyes darting to the floor.
"I am not jealous," he grumbled, avoiding Brock's eyes.
"I wouldn't blame you if you were, Misty's an attractive girl—"
"Augh, Isn't she…" Ash interrupted, suddenly aware of his words, "Uh-oh."
"I knew it!" Brock exclaimed, jumping from his chair and pumping his fist into the air. Ash suddenly wished he had his hat with him, at least he'd be able to shield his face from Brock's view. "You like her!" he continued, earning a groan from Ash.
"It's not like that… we haven't seen each other in a while, I just wanted to spend some more time with her—that's all!"
"Sure Ash… I've known you both for what—twelve, thirteen years—I've seen the way you look at her, the way you've always looked at her."
Ash furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. Brock had a point, much to his chagrin. Misty always had an allure about her, he always found her somewhat endearing, even back then he was drawn to her.
"Don't worry though… she's the same."
"Wha-what?" Ash stuttered. What was he implying? There was no way Misty liked him.
"You are both in denial!" Brock announced, his face displaying an expression that screamed 'I'm right'.
"You can't possibly know what she's thinking… even a guy as girl-obsessed as you can't tell what's in their heads!" Ash argued, Brock standing firm.
"Whatever you say Ash! One day you'll see how right I am…"
"Brock… let's just say I was to maybe—" Ash raised his arms in defence, "—and this is totally hypothetical, but if I was to feel something… how do I make it go away?"
"I think you already know that you can't make it go away…"
Ash huffed, bringing his hands to his face. "But we have such a great friendship… I don't want that disappear…"
"Have you ever thought that it may actually make it better?" Brock suggested, Ash shrugging. That was a risk he was NOT willing to take. He wasn't even sure what he was feeling, he wasn't about to risk it all now.
"All I know is I don't want to feel like there are butterfree in my stomach every time I see her. I want things to go back to normal…"
Brock knew that was a complete lie. Ash wanted one thing and she had red hair, blue eyes and went by the name Misty. Brock shrugged, sinking in to the couch and folding his arms.
"So, how did she react to the whole giving up thing?" Brock asked nonchalantly, rolling his eyes when Ash rubbed the back of his neck shamefully. "You didn't tell her, did you?"
"Why, so she could kick my ass?" Ash uttered, rolling his eyes too.
"Maybe that's exactly what you need."
The raven-haired boy groaned for what seemed like the fifth time this conversation. Meeting Brock's gaze, he spoke again; "please just promise me you won't tell her yet Brock, I'll tell her eventually, but not yet!"
"I won't, don't sweat it—"
A gurgle interrupted their discussion, Ash's hand flying up to rub his belly.
"Hey Brocko—" he laughed, "—I don't suppose you've got anything to eat around here…"
"C'mon," Brock sighed, "Let's order a pizza."
"Alright!" Ash cried, resulting in a laugh to pass Brock's lips.
"Some things never change…"
…..