ã€ŠMore than Meets the Eyeã€‹


 Part I

    Cerulean City¡­

    ¡°Oh Cerulean Blues, that¡¯s my blues¡­¡± Misty happily sang before her room¡¯s mirror, while she brushed her hair.

    Her red-orange locks had grown long enough to go past their shoulders, yet she still liked to wear that side ponytail just like over fourteen years ago. She had gained quite a few inches in height, and her figure had grown into the perfect mix between an Olympic swimmer and a swimsuit supermodel. Misty Waterflower was no longer a child: she had grown into a full-fledged woman, a talented Water-type Pok¨¦mon trainer de Agua and had been even considered as a potential member for Kanto¡¯s Elite Four.

    The best of all, though, she had the best boyfriend she could ever wish for.

    Years prior, at the idea of being in a relationship, Misty would have had only one person in mind, even if she wouldn¡¯t admit it then. However, Ash Ketchum had never been the most romantic person in the world. Sometimes she outright wondered if he never noticed the attraction he inspired in the females (herself included) or simply pretended not to notice, as a way to not to give them false hopes and hurt their feelings. Maybe it was a bit of both.

    It was saying a lot that the girl who gave him his first kiss (though arguably, Misty had beaten her to his lips by performing CPR on him that time he almost drowned) didn¡¯t have any luck with him. Eventually, everything came to a head the day she finally went upfront about her feelings, around three years ago. And his response was¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°No, Misty. Bad idea,verybad idea.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s a bad idea?¡± she asked. ¡°Were you listening to what I said?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard it perfectly,¡± he replied. ¡°And that¡¯s why I can¡¯t accept it.¡±

    Misty took a hand to her face and shook her head, not buying it. What was Ash playing at the time? She had decided to meet alone with him, to tell him she had been in love with him for quite a while and wanted to date each other. That definitely wasnotthe answer she was expecting.

    ¡°Misty, we¡¯re friends, right?¡± he asked in a serious tone. ¡°Bestfriends, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course we are,¡± she replied, still confused. ¡°And that¡¯s why I wish we could be something more. Don¡¯t you get it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I do get it. But something like that between us¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work out.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± the redhead inquired again.

    Ash sighed and let out a slight chuckle. ¡°Do you remember when we first met? How we got along when we began our journey together?¡±

    ¡°How could I forget?¡± she asked back. Those were her most precious memories, after all. All those adventures, misadventures, laughs and even sorrows they shared together.

    ¡°All of that is very important to me. And I don¡¯t wanna risk to lose it all,¡± Ash said.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be that way,¡± she replied. ¡°Things don¡¯t have to change between us. Well, maybe just a little bit, like¡­ I don¡¯t know, going out in dates, holding hands more often or¡­ kissing. And I meanrealkissing.¡±

    She said the last part with a slight blush, and she could see Ash had a similar reaction. She knew how delicate it was for both of them to remember that particular moment, so they preferred not to talk about it or even mention it, especially in front of their other friends (the only one who knew was Tracey, who kept it a secret out of respect for them). But at the time, she didn¡¯t know what else to say.

    ¡°Misty, things change. I¡¯ve changed, and so have you.¡± Ash held her by the shoulders. ¡°You¡¯ve grown into an amazing girl, beautiful and talented. You deserve someone better than me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want someone better, I want you. Why can¡¯t you understand,¡± she said, almost begging.

    She didn¡¯t get the ¡®someone better than him¡¯ part. He was her best friend, the kindest, most loyal and admirable guy she had ever met. True, he had his flaws: he could be headstrong and rash for many things, and more often than not he¡¯d rush headfirst into danger without a care for the consequences. But beyond that, his heart was always in the right place, and she admired his willpower and determination when it came to achieve his dreams.

    ¡°Come on, Misty. We¡¯ve been fighting each other for just about anything since we were ten,¡± he said in a faux mocking tone. ¡°Just think about it: one or two months in and we¡¯d probably drive each other crazy.¡±

    Misty wanted to argue that it was a thing of the past, and their ¡®fights¡¯ with each other were little more than small jokes, picking on or contradicting each other just for fun, for all times¡¯ sake. They both had matured and left behind those childish traits, at least for the most part. However, the words didn¡¯t come out.

    ¡°Misty¡­¡° Ash raised her chin so as to look into her eyes. ¡°I mean it. I¡¯m happy that we¡¯re friends, and I don¡¯t want that to change. I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re an amazing girl, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find someone who can make you happy. I do love you, Misty, but notthatway. Not the way you deserve it.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± she said.

    For some reason, she didn¡¯t feel that Ash was being fully sincere with the last part. The fact that he said one moment that they both had changed, and then contradicted himself as if they still were those stubborn and short-tempered kids from years ago seemed to support that. They did have some leftovers of that, but not as much as before. Come to think about it, she could barely remember the last time they argued over something.

    Somehow she had the feeling Ash had other reasons to make that choice, reasons he didn¡¯t want or couldn¡¯t tell, but once he was fixated on something, it was virtually impossible to get him to change his mind. And if she tried to guilt-trip him to convince him otherwise, she¡¯d never forgive herself. She couldn¡¯t stoop to that level and betray that lifelong friendship they shared.

    ¡°So then¡­ we¡¯ll keep it that way?¡± she asked. ¡°Just best friends forever and nothing more?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be the best, I assure you,¡± he said with a big smile. One which both touched and crushed her at the same time. But he had made his choice, and she couldn¡¯t change that.

    She could only hope it was the right one.

    ¡­

    Even though she felt devastated at the time, in the long run Ash turned out to be right. Over time, she did find a wonderful man, one who shared many qualities with Ash, plus also covering the shortcomings that would have made a relationship difficult. Namely, on the romantic department.

    Admittedly, she did feel a little reluctant to accept at first, especially being fresh out of that heartbreak. Maybe it also helped that, from what he later told her, his former fianc¨¦e had died one year prior in a car crash, and thus he was looking for someone to fill that void once he recovered.

    But in the end, everything turned out well. The wait was worth it.

    ¡°Done,¡± she said once she finished combing her hair, glancing one last time. ¡°It about time. Let¡¯s turn in the Gym for today and then off to enjoy my day.¡±

    ¡°Stop, you can¡¯t come in!¡± she heard Daisy¡¯s voice across the door.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I came for a badge and I¡¯m not leaving without it!¡± another voice replied, this time male and unknown.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Leaving her hairbrush aside, Misty stood up and left her room, going to the gym¡¯s entrance lobby to check what was going on.

    Once she was there, she saw her older sister arguing with a boy around fifteen or sixteen, with spiky red hair dressed mostly in black, wearing leather pants, boots and vest. Under said vest was a sleeveless shirt just as red as his hair. A challenger for sure, but she had to explain why she wasn¡¯t available.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, like, you can¡¯t come in!¡± Daisy continued to shout.

    ¡°I go wherever I please!¡± the red-haired boy snapped, before turning towards Misty. ¡°Hey, this Gym¡¯s leader, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Who wants to know?¡± Misty replied, trying not to let his temper get to her.

    ¡°Someone who wants a badge,¡± he replied as he grabbed a Pok¨¦ball. ¡°I just need two more to compete in the Indigo League, and I decided I¡¯ll get one here, and now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not gonna be possible right now,¡± Misty said. ¡°I¡¯m about to go out on a date right now, so you can come later if you¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t hear any excuses! I want my badge right now!¡± the challenger insisted.

    ¡°Listen, the notice says the gym¡¯s closing time is at 17:00 hours,¡± Misty said.

    ¡°The clock on your wall says there¡¯s still one minute before that, so I¡¯m technically not late. Or are you just afraid of losing?¡±

    Misty clenched her fists. Once upon a time she would have exploded in anger, but she had learned to control her own temper and not to let it get the best of her at the wrong times. Not even Ash in his worst days had been that bad: he could be impatient and wanted to rush his gym battles more often than not, but at least he respected the basic courtesy rules from the challengers, and thinking about those times was fun to remember.

    Making an analogy, this trainer could probably embody him during his worst days, but without the funny aspect, and with the most irritating traits ramped up tenfold. For people like him, there was only one way to deal with them.

    ¡°Alright, since you insist¡­ let¡¯s have the battle right now. But whether you win or lose, I want you to leave my gym and never return, got it?¡±

    ¡°As you wish! I won¡¯t have to come back after getting my badge anyway!¡± the challenger replied.

    ¡­

    Minutes later, they both were face to face in the opposite ends of the gym¡¯s battle arena. The large pool with a big rocky ground and some platforms to stand on was ready, and the oldest of the Sensational Sisters had already taken her place as the referee, albeit grudgingly.

    ¡°The gym battle between the leader Misty and the challenger Xavier Andrews is about to begin,¡± she said with annoyance. ¡°Each one of you is allowed to use two Pok¨¦mon but, like, only the challenger is allowed to switch Pok¨¦mon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you! Venusaur, let¡¯s give ¡¯em a lesson!¡± the challenger, whose name was Xavier, called out.

    ¡°Saur!¡± The Grass/Poison Pok¨¦mon appeared over the rocky part of the field.

    Misty gazed at the challenger¡¯s expression. He clearly was one of those guys full of themselves who thought they could handle anything thrown at them. She wouldn¡¯t usually start out this way, but since she was in a hurry to get to her date, it was better to bring out the big guns from the get go.

    The redhead knew who¡¯d be more than enough to do the job. ¡°Get him, Gyarados!¡±

    Gyarados appeared upright on the water, and he roared so loudly both the challenger and his Venusaur flinched upon seeing him. Daisy, for her part, muttered something that sounded. ¡°Oh my, you made my little sister pretty mad.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re gonna intimidate us! Venusaur, use Sunny Day!¡± the challenger called.

    ¡°Saur!¡± From the palm on his back, Venusaur fired a luminous sphere that exploded like an artificial sun, bathing the entire field in a bright light. Misty didn¡¯t even faze; she had seen this strategy enough times to know what came next.

    And indeed, it was just as she predicted. ¡°Now, Solar Beam!¡±

    Venusaur began storing up power, taking advantage of the quick charge granted by the Sunny Day. Then he leaned over his forelegs to aim at Gyarados, who remained where he was just staring back at him defiantly.

    Misty didn¡¯t make any move until he finished charging, and the solar-powered beam was fired. She then spoke her order in a dry tone. ¡°Fire Blast.¡±

    Gyarados roared and a large fireball formed between his jaws, then it was fired off and extended five points to create a fire kanji. Suddenly Xavier¡¯s previous confidence went downhill as he saw what happened: the Sunny Day powered up Gyarados¡¯ Fire Blast, allowing it to pierce and consume completely Venusaur¡¯s Solar Beam. The fiery explosion hit the Grass-type head on, making him groan in pain as he felt the burn.

    ¡°WHAT THE HELL?!¡±

    ¡°Gyarados, use Hurricane and send him flying,¡± Misty called.

    With another roar, Gyarados launched a powerful cyclone at Venusaur, who had just recovered from the initial attack. The challenger barely managed to call out for a Power Whip to hold on to something, but that didn¡¯t prevent him from being dragged when the Hurricane grew in power and speed, sending him careening through the air and slashing him with small wind blades all over. It held on for quite a bit until he fell back again, though instead of going for the kill immediately, she waited for him to get back up to grant him one last shot. She wasn¡¯t that cruel so as to attack a helpless opponent.

    ¡°Use Toxic, Venusaur!¡± Xavier called.

    ¡°Hydro Pump!¡± Misty countered.

    The venom fluid stream clashed against the water torrent, the former being easily dominated and washed out by the latter. The Hydro Pump continued forward until it hit Venusaur and slammed him against one of the rocks on the platforms, a testament of Gyarados high attack power.

    Having given him one last shot at defending himself, it was time to end the assault. ¡°Use Fire Blast and end this!¡±

    Said and done: Gyarados once again summoned the Fire-type in his mouth and shot it at Venusaur. Xavier tried to call again for a Solar Beam at full power to counter it, but just like the first it was useless, as the Fire Blast consumed it completely and hit Venusaur head on, this time with a bigger explosion.

    When the smoke and flames cleared out, Venusaur laid with his limbs spread out, and half-cooked, unable to get back up.

    ¡°Venusaur can¡¯t continue, Gyarados wins!¡± Daisy cheered.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Xavier cursed as he recalled his fallen Pok¨¦mon. ¡°What the hell was that, which part of the rules says you can start with Gyarados?!¡±

    ¡°As a gym leader, I¡¯m free to choose the order of my Pok¨¦mon,¡± Misty replied as she shrugged. ¡°If you have six badges, you should be able to handle him, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Argh! You won¡¯t get away with this! Electivire, let¡¯s blast her!¡± the challenger shouted.

    ¡°Electivire!¡± The Electric-type gave off sparks, ready for the challenge.

    Misty shrugged again. As he failed with his Grass-type strategy, he now intended to capitalize on Gyarados¡¯ double weakness to Electric-type attacks. Fortunately, she had more than one way to counter that handicap, and she¡¯d show him.

    ¡°Gyarados, Rain Dance!¡±

    Gyarados roared and summoned storm clouds over the battlefield, overshadowing the artificial sun from before. Misty immediately pulled out an umbrella to cover herself from the rain that started, while Xavier just felt annoyed by it.

    At least until he remembered something. ¡°Wait a minute, this gives us an advantage! Electivire, use Thunder!¡±

    How could she be so stupid? Rain Dance not only powered up Water-type attacks, but also Electric-type ones. She was asking out loud for Electivire to fry Gyarados. Well, if she was so bent on it, he¡¯d grant her wishes.

    ¡°Hurricane again!¡± Misty called.

    Gyarados created another windstorm, but this time instead of trying to blow Electivire away, instead caught him in a wind barrier that raised a large amount of water around. Above and through it they could see electric sparks, but they were too far away to represent a threat for Gyarados.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this!¡± Xavier gasped. ¡°How did you do that?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my defense against Electric-type attacks. No challenger has broken it yet, can you?¡±

    Actually, the part of no challenger being able to break it was not fully truth. Nobody had figured out how to do it in an official battle, but there was someone who did it in an unofficial capacity. Then again, he was one of a kind, and this guy would hardly be on the same league as him.

    ¡°Grrr, Electivire, use Thunder at full power and dispel that Hurricane!¡±

    Electivire kept on attacking, but other than sending more sparks flying, it didn¡¯t do anything to dispel the windstorm. Misty sighed, and now that she was getting impatient she decided to end this in one blow so she could leave. Sliding her fingers through the ribbon holding her hair, she pulled out her secret weapon.

    ¡°Strong, brave and beautiful! My sweet blue heart! Mega Evolution!¡±

    Gyarados roared again, drowning out the challenger¡¯s screams of ¡°What did she say?¡± as the Gyaradosite materialized on her Water-type¡¯s forehead and Misty struck a pose to touch her Key Stone. The energy tendrils in both gems interlinked with each other, engulfing Gyarados in a golden light, starting to change shape, his body becoming shorter and bulkier, and changing his cream-colored scales to black as his gills started to grow in size.

    ¡°Mega Evolution?! Nobody told me about this!¡± Xavier shouted.

    ¡°Gyarados, Hyper Beam!¡±

    The marine serpent roared even louder than before, as an orange energy accumulated between his fangs. The powerful beam was launched towards the water cyclone, and the resulting explosion raised a lot of smoke. Nobody saw what happened, until the Rain Dance¡¯s effect died out, returning the gym to normal.

    The result was evident: the Hyper Beam hit Electivire inside the cyclone and knocked him into the water, and now he was floating belly up on the surface, his eyes spiraling and giving off sparks.

    ¡°Electivire is unable to battle! The challenger has lost both Pok¨¦mon so, like, the Gym Leader wins the match!¡± Daisy declared.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡± Xavier¡¯s jaw almost dropped to the ground, returning his Electivire. Misty, folding her umbrella and putting it away, walked slowly towards him and stop in front of him.

    ¡°Well, if you were so kind, can you leave now and never return?¡± she asked politely.

    ¡°What? But I-¡°

    ¡°The deal was, win or lose, you leave the gym and never return,¡± Misty reminded him. ¡°You lost, so you¡¯ll have to win your remaining badges somewhere else. If you don¡¯t mind, my date¡¯s waiting for me.¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait! You can¡¯t just up and leave like that! Wait up you! NOBODY MAKES ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!¡±

    And without further words, completely ignoring the challengers protest screams, as well as her sister telling him ¡°leave now or we¡¯ll call the police ", Misty walked towards the entrance. Seeing the clock, she realized she¡¯d be five or ten minutes late, but she didn¡¯t think her date would be spoiled by something like that. Let alone once she explained herself; he was that understanding.

    <hr>

    Cerulean Aquarium¡­

    Misty hurried to the rendezvous point they had a greed as fast as she could. He¡¯d always be punctual for their dates, and she tried to do the same, so she hoped he wouldn¡¯t be too mad or believe she was standing him up.

    She frantically searched for him, and quickly managed to spot him. Tall, with well-combed navy blue hair and somewhat tanned skin, wearing sunshades, short-sleeved denim jacket over a black long-sleeved shirt, as well as matching pants and shoes. He was looking everywhere with an impatient expression, as if searching for him, so she quickly ran to him.

    ¡°Chris, over here!¡± she called out.

    The young man turned around as he heard her voice. His name was Christopher North, Chris for short. He was the heir of an important marine transport company called Northern Lights Shipment, and an excellent Water-type Pok¨¦mon trainer just like her, which only highlighted his attractiveness even more.

    As soon as he spotted her, he removed his glasses and walked up to her.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± she apologized, ¡°a troublesome challenger showed up when I was about to leave.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said as he offered his arm. ¡°So, you ready for today¡¯s date?¡±

    ¡°Always,¡± the girl replied as she held onto it, and both entered the building.

    The Cerulean Aquarium was a rather recent attraction, as it only had a couple months since its opening, but it was only surpassed by the Gym itself, thanks to the huge amount of aquatic Pok¨¦mon from all over the world it had for show.

    The couple first stopped near an icecap-like area, showing several Piplup and Prinplup, and on top of all of them a large Empoleon who looked like their leader.

    ¡°Aww, they¡¯re so cute,¡± Misty said, gushing at the sight of the Piplup babies playing with each other.

    ¡°Females usually leave their eggs to the males to watch over them, and they protect them until they hatch,¡± Chris said. ¡°And look at the Empoleon, do you see the horns over his head? They¡¯re the symbol of his power and leadership over them.¡±

    ¡°Amazing.¡± Misty tried to wave at a small bunch Piplups so they came closer to give them some snacks, but when they realized, they tried to splash her with Bubblebeam, forcing her to step back.

    ¡°Careful. Those little penguins are very prideful; they won¡¯t accept food from humans they don¡¯t trust,¡± Chris warned her.

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed.¡± Misty nodded. ¡°Come to think about it, a friend of mine has one of those. It was her starter Pok¨¦mon, and he was pretty proud of himself too.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Chris asked.

    ¡°Yeah, her name¡¯s Dawn. She¡¯s a Pok¨¦mon Coordinator from Sinnoh. Ash introduced us a few years back, when the Wallace Cup was held here in Cerulean.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Chris cleared his throat, and Misty quickly realized what he meant.

    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± Misty looked away, blushing slightly. It was her moment with her boyfriend, why ruin it bringing up her best friend out of the blue?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He shrugged it off. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s continue the tour.¡±

    The next stop was the underwater tunnel. It surrounded them in a manner that it almost seemed they were under the sea itself, and they would have believed it if they hadn¡¯t seem some of the staff feeding the Pok¨¦mon. The species they could spot included very exotic ones: some native to Kanto like Goldeen or Tentacool, others from Hoenn like Milotic, Gorebyss and Huntail, and even as far as Unova with Alomomola and Frillish.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Misty stared in awe at the sight. ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever seen so many different Water-types from all over the world in one place.¡±

    ¡°And you have yet to see the ones from Alola,¡± said Chris. ¡°When my father approves the request, you¡¯ll love them.¡±

    ¡°Your father pulls a lot of strings, huh?¡± Misty asked.

    ¡°One of the perks of being the CEO of his company. Water-type Pok¨¦mon de Agua are never unreachable to me. But we still haven¡¯t seen the best part. Let¡¯s go to the prehistoric Pok¨¦mon wing.¡±

    With how much the fossil resurrection had spread, partly thanks to the Pewter Museum being nearby with their own lab to do so, many formerly extinct Pok¨¦mon species had been added to the exhibit. And of course, Chris¡¯ father would use his influences to bring more and more to increase variety. The resurrected Pok¨¦mon wing had three separate tanks: one with Omanyte and Omastar specimen, the second with Kabuto and Kabutops, and the last with specimens brought directly from Unova, Tirtouga and Carracosta.

    ¡°Awesome,¡± Misty said at the sight of these.

    ¡°You like them?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I could get a few of them for us if you want.¡±

    ¡°Tempting as it sounds, I don¡¯t want to be a bother,¡± she replied. ¡°But thanks for the offer.¡±

    The boy smiled at her, but then a beeping went off in his pocket. He pulled his cellphone and made an annoyance gesture, but nonetheless pressed the answering button and took it to his ear.

    ¡°Hello? I¡¯m a little busy now. No, I¡¯m on a date with Misty, but¡­ what, does it have to be right now? *Sigh*, alright, if we have to. I¡¯m on my way,¡± he said before hanging up.

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Bad news?¡± Misty asked.

    ¡°My sister¡¯s coming to town,¡± Chris said. ¡°She says we need to talk about something important and it can¡¯t wait. Sorry I have to leave you like this, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re not the only one whose family can give headaches at times,¡± Misty assured.

    ¡°Thanks for understanding.¡± He put his cellphone away, and then pulled something out of his other pocket. ¡°¡±In any case¡­ I wanted to ask you something else before I leave.¡±

    Opening the hand, Chris revealed a small velvet box. Filled with curiosity, but having a feeling of what it could be, Misty grabbed it and opened it. Just like she imagined, it was an engagement ring, and she knew exactly what came next.

    ¡°Misty Waterflower,¡± Chris said as he kneeled and grabbed her hand. ¡°We¡¯ve been together for a long time, and you¡¯ve made me the happiest man in the world. Would you honor me by marrying me?¡±

    Misty looked at the ring, and then at Chris. Her heart seemed ready to burst out of her chest; she was excited like never before in her life. Having no more words, she just placed her hand forward so he could slide the ring into her finger, not daring to open them before he was done due to the excitement she felt.

    Chris then stood up and held her hands. ¡°Alright, since you accept, do you mind if we make it public? I want the whole world to know that I¡¯ll share my life with the most wonderful girl ever.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to,¡± Misty said. ¡°Everybody needs to know. And well, I don¡¯t have a ring for you, but¡­¡±

    The girl searched through her bag, and pulled out a hand-made plastic mini-figurine. Not to brag about it, but so many years of crafting her fishing lures on her own image made her develop a knack for this handy work. The figurine was a miniature version of Chris, coincidentally with the same clothes he was wearing now, up to the sunshades. It also had a small ring to be used as a keychain.

    ¡°I made it for you. I hope you like it.¡± She handed it over to him. Chris examined it for a few seconds, as if checking the details, and finally smiled.

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll treasure it,¡± he said as he put it in his pocket. ¡°Well, I better go now. How about a little kiss goodbye?¡±

    ¡°Always,¡± the redhead declared before jumping to his neck and kissing him.

    Chris bid his farewell, and Misty decided to stay at the aquarium just a little bit longer, even alone. She didn¡¯t mind anyway, as she was too excited to be mad. She couldn¡¯t believe Chris had finally asked her to marry him.

    At long last she could make their relationship something definitive. Nothing could make her happier.

    <hr>

    Two weeks later¡­

    News of Misty¡¯s engagement spread like wildfire. It quickly became the talk of the media: TV, radio, internet¡­ there was nobody who didn¡¯t know about it. Reactions were varied: many cheered it, others wept for the fact the Cerulean Gym leader had been taken, and the tabloids were having a feast spreading rumors about the couple.

    And in the middle of all, there washim.

    Ash Ketchum had never been the biggest expert on romantic stuff, and he sincerely didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. On the one hand, he wanted to be happy for his best friend, as she had found someone who loved her. On the other hand¡­ he was too self-conscious about the fact thathewasn¡¯t said person.

    But he had nobody to blame but himself: he had his chance, and ended up letting it go without even seeing it. Or rather, he completelyblewit:

    "I do love you, Misty, but notthatway. Not the way you deserve it.¡±

    Those were his exact words. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the heartbroken look in Misty¡¯s eyes at the time he said it, and it also broke his own heart to do it. Maybe he was too blunt with his choice of words, but it was the right thing to do. He¡¯d never be able to make her happy.

    While it had been years since he made that choice, he sometimes wondered if it had been for the best. Not for Misty, obviously; he was fully certain that it was the best for her. But on his own side¡­ had he made the right choice? Was it alright for him, to reject her feelings even knowing he reciprocated them on the same level?

    That doubt continued to haunt him, but the promise of always being there to support Misty as her best friend quickly silenced it, sending it to the back of his mind to sleep with ease.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He suddenly stopped as he heard his stomach¡¯s groaning, and exchanged a look with his faithful partner over his shoulder. ¡°I think the walk made me hungry. Shall we go eat something before we go to the Gym?¡±

    ¡°Pikapika.¡± The rodent nodded.

    Looking around, Ash saw a little fast food cafeteria across the street. A twenty-minute stop to eat something wouldn¡¯t do any harm. The Cerulean Gym wouldn¡¯t go anywhere, and Misty wouldn¡¯t mind. After all, he hadn¡¯t told her he¡¯d stop by for a visit. And a good meal was the best to forget a broken heart, at least for a moment.

    As they picked an empty table, Ash ordered a jumbo burger with extra cheese and bacon and a soda for himself, and an extra-large ketchup bowl for Pikachu. As they awaited their order, the Pallet trainer reclined over his seat, taking a look around. The place was relatively empty: aside from them, there was an older couple eating with their children, and a girl on a corner having some coffee.

    Shortly after Ash, in came a guy around his same age, with navy blue hair and sunshades, wearing expensive-looking clothes, and he went to sit at the same table as the girl. He asked for a coffee himself and shortly after, Ash began to hear some bits of their chat.

    ¡°So then, sis, what news do you have?¡± the guy asked in a low voice, as if he didn¡¯t want to be heard.

    ¡°Not much,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Dad still has his doubts if you¡¯re up to the task.¡±

    ¡°Aw, come on. I was able to take care of the company in his absence, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Yeah but¡­ this is a much riskier business, more than the stock market going up or down. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Ash turned around to look over his shoulder. Now that he looked closer, he noticed the girl¡¯s clothes also looked rather expensive. He assumed they were just a pair or rich kids, discussing something about a company they¡¯d inherit one day. Nothing he was interested in.

    ¡°Your order, sir,¡± the waitress said as she brought him the tray with his food and placed it on the table.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said as he grabbed the burger and handed Pikachu the ketchup bowl. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in!¡±

    He took a large bite of his burger while Pikachu began licking the sauce. Quite good, though it wouldn¡¯t compare to his mom¡¯s cooking, or Brock¡¯s, or Cilan¡¯s. But it made a good substitute when they were away from home and their friends.

    While they continued to eat, however, they overheard more bits of the chat between the siblings, and their tone suddenly began to shift.

    ¡°Hey, we did this twice and everything went just fine, right?¡± the brother said. ¡°We just need to be patient, these things take time. In business you need to plan everything carefully long and short term.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± the girl said. ¡°But hey, the Cerulean Gym of all places? That¡¯s nothing to sneeze at.¡±

    Those words caused Ash to stop mid-chomp, and still having the mouthful he turned around to glance at them, paying more attention. What were they talking about the Cerulean Gym?

    ¡°You know a Pok¨¦mon League Gym gives a lot of power and prestige,¡± the guy continued. ¡°But it¡¯s not easy to knock off a Gym Leader, let alone one as strong as the current one. That¡¯s why we have to plan carefully.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± the girl replied. ¡°I heard her win rate this year was over 90%.¡±

    ¡°Exactly my point. She¡¯s like water itself: flexible and adaptive. She¡¯s not someone you can beat just attacking or being stronger. We need to be like her, so we can beat her at her own game. But trust me: in less than one year, we¡¯ll settle comfortably in the Cerulean Gym.¡±

    Ash squeezed his burger so hard it spilled some of the sauce and spices out onto the plate. Pikachu also had stopped licking his ketchup and perked up his ears. What were those two talking about? Were they planning to challenge Misty to take the Gym from her? And they were planning so long-term they planned to wait one year to do so?

    ¡°But well, we still have plenty of time,¡± the brother said as he reclined over his seat. ¡°Waitress, two double cappuccinos, please!¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡± the waitress, taking two cups to their table.

    Ash immediately turned towards Pikachu. The two were thinking the exact same thing. With a quick nod, both quickly returned to their food and finished it quickly, without even tasting it. Once they were done, Ash didn¡¯t call for the bill, instead dropping a few bucks and coins on the table to pay for his meal and leave a juicy tip on top. He couldn¡¯t stand one more minute to be near those two, and neither could Pikachu.

    ¡°Who do they think they are?¡± he said out loud once he was out of earshot, talking to Pikachu. ¡°Do they really think they can take the Gym from Misty?¡±

    ¡°Pikachu.¡±

    ¡°Hah, good luck with that. She¡¯ll never allow that¡± The trainer snickered as he looked ahead.

    He knew Misty better than anybody. The Gym was a sacred place for her, and she¡¯d never let anyone take it as long as she lived, not even in a million years. No matter what they tried, she¡¯d never lose to the likes of them. Whatever their battle strategy was, there was no way for Misty to lose when the Gym itself was on the line.

    She already defended it once when they tried, and the poor saps were literally sent blasting off for their trouble. If she did it back when she was a rookie, there was no way anybody would take it now that she was a fully-fledged Water Pok¨¦mon Master.

    <hr>

    A bit later¡­

    The Cerulean Gym looked just like he remembered, except a little bit bigger due to the extensions they had made. The crystal roof and walls reflected the sunshine in an amazing way, and it brought him good memories.

    As well as others not to good, like the aforementioned meeting with his old friend. It hurt a lot at the time, but he wasn¡¯t one to stay down for too long.

    Taking a deep breath, Ash crossed the entrance. He had gotten used to it, but as far as he knew, anybody close to Misty or her sisters was free to come in without knocking.

    ¡°Waaaaaaaaaah! I won¡¯t stand for this! You¡¯ll pay for it one day, just wait!¡±

    Ash had to step away when a trainer suddenly came running through the door, pouring out tears he could have sworn would have put to shame the Tohjo Falls. He fled the Gym in fear until he vanished from sight around a corner, leaving Ash and Pikachu perplexed for a second.

    ¡°Misty must be as strong as ever, huh?¡± Ash commented, and the yellow mouse nodded.

    Once they shook off the little surprise, they walked in. If that guy was a trainer, then Misty most likely was at the Gym¡¯s arena/pool at the time. And indeed she was: he saw her standing on the Gym Leader¡¯s platform, doing some arm stretches.

    ¡°Hey!¡± he called out to her raising his hand. Pikachu also followed with a "Pikachupi!", so she quickly noticed their arrival.

    ¡°Well, look who the tide brought here,¡± the girl said in a happy tone. ¡°Wait up, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Misty hopped off the platform and walked around the pool. When she came closer, Ash had to struggle to avoid looking more than needed, for the girl was wearing only a white one-piece swimsuit with blue lines on the edges, and a light blue jacket, though the fact she was wearing it over the shoulders did little to hide her prominent bosom and long and shapely legs. He focused on looking at her eyes once she came close enough, taking advantage of both being around the same height.

    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Ash? Long time no see; what a nice surprise to see you here.¡±

    ¡°I was in the neighborhood and thought I could come and say hi,¡± Ash replied, trying to give one of his silly grins to dissimulate just a bit. ¡°You¡­ look good today.¡±

    Misty tilted her head at the comment and furrowed her mouth. Ash took a couple seconds to understand the implications said comment could carry, and he didn¡¯t need to look to know Pikachu was slapping his forehead.

    ¡°Er¡­ w-what I meant was¡­ you l-look happy,¡± he said, and he immediately got the bulb in his head to turn on. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I meant. And you should be, right? You¡¯re getting married soon.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± She softened her demeanor and smiled at him. ¡°Yeah, of course I am. Wait; don¡¯t tell me you came all the way just to congratulate me?¡±

    ¡°Well of course! We¡¯re best friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± he said with a slight blush, part embarrassed, part annoyed. ¡°This is very important for you, after all.¡±

    The redhead gave a mischievous smile and placed her hands on her hips. Ash wished she didn¡¯t do that: whenever she assumed that pose her attractiveness ramped up and she knew it. It was always intentional on her part, even though he didn¡¯t realize until years after and she made a habit of it.

    ¡°In any case¡­ congratulations,¡± Ash said. ¡°I¡¯m very happy for you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Ash, it means a lot,¡± she replied with a sincere smile.

    They both stared at each other for a moment. Being happy for her was the only mechanism he had to drive away that feeling he hated so much. Specifically of knowing that, had he taken that step, he¡¯d be the one in that place.

    But it was too late for regret. He had lost her and even hurt her feelings when he rejected her. For that reason he was grateful they could continue being friends afterwards.

    ¡°So then, when will I meet the lucky guy, or unlucky depending on how we see it?¡± he asked, trying to defuse the tension with a little joke. Misty frowned slightly. ¡°Aw, come on. You have to admit there are still areas you could improve on. Your cooking, for instance.¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ve been taking classes to improve,¡± she defended herself. ¡°You should have seen Chris tasting my special stew, he didn¡¯t leave any leftovers.¡±

    Ash wanted to say that maybe he had done it out of love for her, regardless of how horrible it was, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to push his luck that far. Anyway, she still hadn¡¯t answered his previous question. He and Misty¡¯s fianc¨¦ still hadn¡¯t met face to face. Apparently it was a young man from a wealthy family and he was often busy.

    ¡°Anyway, he¡¯ll probably arrive soon. Today I¡¯m only working half the day at the gym and well go out on a date.¡± The entrance bell then rang off. ¡°Ah, how convenient, that must be him.¡±

    The redhead walked towards the entrance, and Ash followed her steadily. Even if he didn¡¯t say it out loud, whoever he was the guy, he was very lucky to have chosen Misty. It was only fair to properly congratulate him.

    ¡°Chris!¡± the girl exclaimed as she jumped to his neck to give him a big smooch. Ash unconsciously buried his nails against his palm, fortunately not deep enough to draw blood.

    ¡°How¡¯s my little mermaid today?¡± he replied in a kind tone, removing his sunshades.

    However, as he came closer, Ash noticed something else.

    Navy blue hair, sunshades and a black longcoat. Just like the guy he had overheard talking before at the cafeteria. Coincidence?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I¡¯m better now you¡¯re here,¡± Misty replied releasing him and stepping away so he and Ash could see each other face to face. ¡°Come on, I¡¯d like you to meet someone. Ash, he¡¯s my fianc¨¦.¡±

    ¡°Christopher North, it¡¯s a pleasure,¡± he said courtly as he extended a hand.

    ¡°Ash Ketchum, same here,¡± the Pallet trainer replied, accepting the handshake and fighting the urge to crush his fingers. Though for some reason, he did feel Chris¡¯ shake a little harder than it should have been.

    ¡°So you¡¯re the famous Ash Ketchum. The Kanto Battle Frontier Brain who runs Pallet Town¡¯s Battle Coliseum, is that right?¡± Chris said in a tone that, much to Ash¡¯s surprise, sounded genuinely of admiration. ¡°From what they say, since you showed up nobody has been able to complete the Battle Frontier.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been lucky,¡± Misty said with a faux mocking tone, no malice intended. ¡°Chris doesn¡¯t compete on the League¡¯s regular championships, instead he focuses on the Water-type specialists¡¯ circuit, like me.¡±

    ¡°Ha, my little mermaid, I¡¯m nowhere near close to your level. I haven¡¯t been able to even win my first Whirl Cup!¡±

    ¡°Come on. Keep practicing and in two years the next one could be your time,¡± she replied.

    Ash involuntarily took his hand to his stomach, feeling it was starting to gurgle inside. And he didn¡¯t understand why, he just felt sick at the sight of Misty and Chris laughing together. Was it jealousy? Or something else?

    ¡°In any case, are you ready to go?¡± Chris asked, snapping Ash out of his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just go get changed, it won¡¯t take long,¡± Misty said. ¡°Meanwhile, why don¡¯t you two get acquainted with each other?¡±

    Misty left happily towards her room. Even back when they were kids and she was a loud tomboy, she was a sucker for girly stuff, especially romance. No wonder she was so happy just for having a date.

    But right now, Ash was having averyhard time to feel happy for her.

    ¡°So, I can finally get to meet my little mermaid¡¯s best friend, huh?¡± Chris said. ¡°She¡¯s told me quite a bit about you.¡±

    ¡®What¡¯s with that nickname?¡¯Ash thought. Sure, it did suit her, and even he would admit it sounded cute. But that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°She¡¯s talked a lot about you as well. You must be a great guy for her to have chosen you.¡±

    ¡°Hah, I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± said Chris with a smile that, in Ash¡¯s opinion, looked so sincere it was almost unnatural. ¡°I was just lucky to meet her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Misty¡¯s an amazing girl. I¡¯ve known her since I was ten, so I can say that for sure.¡±

    ¡°Heh, I¡¯d say I¡¯m a little envious of you on that. There¡¯s so much I¡¯d like to know about her. She wasn¡¯t easy to win over, you know? When we met she was¡­ pretty hurt.¡±

    Ash felt a little sting of guilt upon hearing those words. It hurt him to be reminded of that, but it was true. Misty was heartbroken after he rejected her, and although she recovered¡­ well, her sisters did say even though her heart had healed after she met Chris, Ash¡¯s rejection still left a scar.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll tell you everything once you get married,¡± Ash saying, trying not to sound too cutting. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk about Misty, let alone with this guy. ¡°I think I better go now. You know, the saying goes ¡®three¡¯s a crowd¡¯ or something like that?¡±

    ¡°Oh, leaving already?¡± Chris said. ¡°Too bad, I was starting to like you.¡±

    Ash didn¡¯t reply in king, knowing he couldn¡¯t do it sincerely, so he simply gave a curt nod and tried to smile. It was the perfect excuse to vanish from there ASAP. He had too many things in his head, and it was better to be alone to sort them out.

    Once outside the Gym, Ash ran off to get away as fast as he could, before he felt the temptation of doing something stupid like trying to spy on Misty¡¯s date. He knew that could only end badly. Many wouldn¡¯t give him credit for it, but in serious situations Ash was more than capable of thinking things through. Or at least, as long as nobody taunted him and appealed to his temper to provoke him into doing something reckless.

    ¡°Pikachu¡­ Misty¡¯s fianc¨¦¡­ was he the same guy from the cafeteria?¡± Ash asked.

    Maybe it was just a coincidence they had the same hair color and wore the same clothes. Heck, for all he knew they could even be identical twins. In any case, Chris didn¡¯t give any sign of acknowledging him, so maybe he didn¡¯t spot Ash while at the cafeteria.

    ¡°Pikachu.¡± The mouse nodded. If he confirmed it, there was no doubt. Pok¨¦mon had sharper senses than humans. He could have easily recognized him by the smell.

    ¡°I knew it,¡± Ash said.

    The question now was, what to do with this knowledge? Should he tell Misty what he overheard? He didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop, but he figured those guys just wanted to challenge Misty to get the gym. Why making things so complicated to the point of becoming engaged to her? Would it be a way to get close enough to her to defeat her?

    Something was wrong with that.Verywrong. And that thought wouldn¡¯t leave him alone.

    <hr>

    Cerulean Pok¨¦mon Center, the next day¡­

    Ash hadn¡¯t planned on staying at Cerulean more than just enough to visit Misty and congratulate her on her wedding. But he found himself unable to leave just yet.

    What he overheard the day before, seeing Misty with her fianc¨¦, meeting him face to face, everything had made a mess in his head, to the point the previous night he barely got any sleep. He was confused and had no idea what to do, or how he was supposed to act to it.

    At the lack of something better, he had tried to vent his frustrations at the local Battle Club, but at some point without realizing he had started fighting so violently and out of control, they had to ask him to leave, so he went back to the Pok¨¦mon Center.

    While Pikachu and the others were being checked, Ash had sat by the public computer and surfed across the internet. Just for the heck of it, he typed the name Chris North on the search engine.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check out who you really are,¡± he said to no one in particular. He found his social network profile without much difficulty. ¡°Christopher North. Graduated from the Celadon University with honors, the older of two siblings and his father is the CEO of the marine transport company Northern Lights Shipment. Takes part in the Water Pok¨¦mon trainers¡¯ circuit and has competed four times in the Whirl Cup, yet he still hasn¡¯t won any.¡±

    It looked like he had an impeccable record. The son of a well-off family, and had many things in common with Misty, like being Water Pok¨¦mon trainers. And as much as Ash hated to admit it, he behaved like a true gentleman, the kind of guy that would make any girl melt. He could give her anything he wanted and much more.

    Which was why it he couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d want to take over Misty¡¯s Gym. It made no sense. A Pok¨¦mon League Gym was a source of monetary income and prestige, but he had no need for that, considering he was to inherit a company worth probably over ten or more gyms, for all he knew.

    And why was he looking for this stuff anyway? Was he trying to find some dirty laundry to bring out to light somehow? What would he gain of that?

    ¡°Hmm, what do we have here?¡± he suddenly said as he noticed an unchecked link, with Chris¡¯ name on it.

    After clicking, he realized it was a search result for an online newspaper, old articles. Ash wasn¡¯t too keen on reading news, either printed or digital, unless they were related to the Pok¨¦mon or one of his friends. Checking the articles, he found a photo of Chris hugging a girl with long, dark brown hair and wearing a lifeguard uniform including a floating board. The girl¡¯s name was labeled as Paige Monroe, and it dated from five years ago. Apparently they had been found on a beach having a date.

    ¡°That was then, this is now,¡± Ash muttered. Having a girlfriend before Misty didn¡¯t make him a criminal or anything of the sort. Perhaps somewhat annoying, but not illegal.

    As he scrolled through the pages, he found another article, this time from three years prior. It was an article about a car accident. The victim was a blond woman named Darcy Mason, whose name vaguely rang some bells in Ash¡¯s head, maybe from show business, but he wasn¡¯t an expert in the subject to be sure.

    ¡°Who¡¯s an expert on this subject?¡± he wondered out loud, and then a smirk found its way across his face as he snapped his fingers. ¡°Who, indeed.¡±

    Without missing a beat, he pulled out his holographic phone. A gift from Serena in his last birthday, developed and assembled by Clemont himself, one year before it was officially released for sale. The power of science in action, and it had come in pretty handy to be honest. He didn¡¯t even have to worry about reception issues when he traveled, unless he went to remote places or somewhere with magnetic fields or any other natural interference.

    The holographic screen popped up and showed the menu, as well as his contact list. He scrolled through the letter B and pushed the icon with Brock¡¯s picture, waiting for the call to connect. With luck, he¡¯d probably be out of work hours and available to help him.

    The holographic screen shifted and showed the call signal connecting, although with the ¡®Audio Only¡¯ icon. ¡°Hello? Brock here, who¡¯s calling?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Brock, it¡¯s Ash.¡±

    ¡°Ash? Hold up, I¡¯ve got the Hands-Free on, let me put the visual.¡± A few seconds passed, and the Audio Only icon was replaced by the face of his first (discounting Misty) and longest traveling companion. Judging by the apron, he probably caught him cooking dinner. ¡°Hey, Ash! What a nice surprise, what do I owe the pleasure?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing special, just wanted to say hi¡­ and ask you something,¡± Ash said trying to smile and dissimulate the seriousness for the time being. How was he supposed to explain what he wanted to do to Brock?

    ¡°Anything you need, ask away. You know you¡¯re like another kid brother for me.¡±

    Ash chuckled slightly. That fraternal feeling was mutual, as Brock also acted as a big brother not just for him, but also for Misty, May, Max and Dawn, during the time they were together. He had his quirks, sure, but he generally played well his role.

    ¡°I wondered¡­ do you still have that list of famous girls you admire?¡± Ash asked, without missing a beat. The squinty-eyed, dark-skinned young man quickly shuddered a placed a finger on his mouth.

    ¡°Shhh, not so loud!¡± he warned, looking over his shoulder to verify the coast was clear. ¡°If Lucy finds that one out I¡¯m a dead man!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ash apologized. ¡°But do you have it or not?¡±

    ¡°That depends. What do you need it for?¡± Brock asked, and suddenly gave him a mischievous stare. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you found someone you¡¯re interested in?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Ash replied sternly. ¡°Listen, I need you to look these two names up, Paige Monroe, and Darcy Mason. Can you?¡±

    ¡°Hold on a bit.¡± Ash saw Brock pulling out a mini-tablet and flickered on it searching the names Ash had requested. ¡°Here it is! Paige Monroe, lifeguard in Shalour City¡¯s beach, and eventually hired by a modelling agency. She won the title of the best figure in the Miss Kalos pageant for two consecutive years.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Ash said in a dry tone. ¡°Do you have something on her relationships? Do you know if she dated someone called Chris North?¡±

    ¡°I usually don¡¯t take note of those details, but¡­ yeah, it says here that she dated Christopher North four years back.¡± Suddenly, Brock opened slightly his eyes as he realized something, and that wasn¡¯t a good sign. ¡°Hold a minute, Ash. Why are you investigating an ex of Misty¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡±

    Ash gulped. How was he gonna explain that? It wasn¡¯t because he was jealous¡­ okay, maybe just a little bit, but the main reason was because of his concern for Misty. The trainer tried to put his brain gears to work, but he finally couldn¡¯t come up with a quick answer, so he took the traditional route.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯ll explain later,¡± he said trying to evade it for the time being. ¡°Just, do you know why they broke up, by any chance?¡±

    Brock frowned slightly, but he nonetheless searched. He evidently still had his suspicions, but trusted him enough to still grant him the request.

    After what looked like an eternal minute, he finally answered. ¡°Well, all I have here was that there was some sort of scandal in the modelling agency Paige worked at, and shortly after she vanished from public view. It was pretty weird. Though now that I see it¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ash asked.

    ¡°Apparently the agency filed a lawsuit against the company Northern Lights Shipment, but they lost the case and went bankrupt shortly after. Isn¡¯t that the same company Chris will eventually inherit?¡±

    Ash nodded. So there was a link with Chris¡¯ family company. Coincidence?

    ¡°What about the other, Darcy Mason?¡± Ash asked, wanting to move fast to clear his doubts.

    This time with less hesitation, Brock searched through his database and found the entry. ¡°Darcy Mason, winner of the Voice of Nimbasa in the Pok¨¦mon Musicals. She was engaged to¡­ Chris as well and they were going to marry, until she was in a car accident that ended her life. Or so the official records go.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®official records¡¯?¡± Ash asked.

    Brock placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought. He seemed to meditate the answer before telling him. ¡°Darcy¡¯s family also filed a lawsuit. This was just a rumor, but they apparently claimed that the accident was a lie from the company to save face. Some even said that¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ash asked, with the feeling he wasn¡¯t going to like it one bit.

    And the feeling only increased when Brock gestured him to come closer to the screen and spoke in a low voice. ¡°That it was a suicide.¡±

    Ash was shocked upon hearing the word. He had to struggle to avoid falling backwards with his chair. However, Brock now seemed much more willing to share the info with him.

    ¡°The company apparently paid the Mason family a hefty compensation for the accident, but they continued making a ruckus over it for too long,¡± Brock explained. ¡°Things escalated to the point they had to file a restraining order, go figure.¡±

    Ash nodded, unsure as to what else to say. He admitted he wasn¡¯t Pallet Town¡¯s smartest brick, but most people would agree he had very good instincts.

    And said instincts were yelling out loud that the connection between Chris¡¯ former girlfriends was no coincidence. And that said connection could easily extend to Misty.

    ¡°Ash¡­ tell me the truth. Why did you call me to ask for this?¡± Brock asked, although his voice made it clear he had at least an idea of the answer.

    Ash took a deep breath before answering. ¡°Yesterday¡­ when I was eating at a cafeteria, I overheard Chris talking to somebody. At the time I had no idea it was him, but they said something about the Cerulean Gym would be theirs in about one year. I thought it was just some poor sap thinking about challenging Misty to get it the traditional way, but now¡­¡±

    ¡°Now you think they want to get it by other means?¡± Brock finished for him. ¡°What do you think about this?¡±

    Ash reclined on his chair. Part of him wondered if Misty knew that Chris had two girlfriends before her, and also of the¡­ suspicious circumstances they both ended. One out of public sight, and the other death, perhaps even by suicide. And there was all the stuff he overheard when they thought nobody important was listening. Anybody who wanted to take over the Cerulean Gym would first have to get Misty out of the way.

    And the only way for those pieces to fit, the implication was that Misty could be in grave danger and had no clue of it. And Ash didn¡¯t like that, he didn¡¯t like it at all.

    ¡°I need to tell her this. I better go and tell her right now. Thanks for the help, Brock.¡±

    ¡°Anytime. But hey, be careful out there. If your hunch turns out to be true, you could make enemies out of Chris¡¯ entire family, and that could ruin you for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be nothing compared to the apocalyptic crisis we¡¯ve seen over the years, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Brock simply chuckled at that, and giving him a thumbs up wished him luck before ending the call. Right when the Pok¨¦mon Center¡¯s bell rang, signaling that Ash¡¯s Pok¨¦mon had finished their checkup. How convenient, that way he could go right away.

    He had to tell Misty quickly. He couldn¡¯t let a guy with bad intentions to hurt his best friend.

    To be continued¡­

 Part II

    On the way to the Cerulean Gym, a bit later¡­

    Never, ever in his life, had Ash ran so fast anywhere. Not even on his first day as a trainer, when he fled from that Spearow flock or wanted to get to Viridian with a wounded Pikachu, or when he was kidnapped by Team Rocket and he tried to make it to the Indigo Stadium for his league match. Important moments, yes, but the stakes then were nothing compared to now.

    As his feet continued in autopilot towards the gym, Ash''s head was a chaos with the amount of questions tormenting him. How was he supposed to tell Misty what he had found out? How was he going to break it to her that her fianc¨¦ was up to something to take her gym? And more importantly, would she believe him?

    ''We''re best friends,'' he thought. ''She''ll listen to me, I just have to tell her the truth. As for how¡­ I''ll think about something.''

    He had always been a spontaneous-type of person. Long-term planning had never been his forte, and in any case, right now he didn''t have that luxury. There was no time to lose.

    Turning around a corner at the street leading to the Gym, he ran into a surprise: Misty was walking out of the entrance right then. How convenient; that way he could catch her right away.

    "Misty!" he called out loudly as he ran towards her.

    He saw she turned around in his direction and stopped her walk. He crossed the street without missing a beat and stopped in front of her, gasping to regain his breath.

    "Hey Ash. Wow, what''s the hurry?"

    "Misty¡­ we need to talk," he said as he stood up to see her. She titled her head in confusion.

    "Right now? Sorry, that''ll have to wait; I have some things to do."

    "No, this is important," Ash said with an urgent tone, making it clear he meant it. Misty seemed slightly annoyed, but she agreed.

    "Alright, but make it quick," she said. "I need to go to the marriage agency to get everything ready for the wedding."

    "About that." Ash took a deep breath. Better go straight to the point; time was a wasting. "Misty, you better call off that wedding. While you still have time."

    Misty''s eyes widened at that. There were a few seconds of silence as the redhead kept her shocked expression¡­ and then she half-smirked.

    "Okay, Ash, that''s a good one, but I don''t have time for jokes right now."

    "It''s not a joke," Ash said. "Misty, you can''t marry Chris."

    "What...?" she said, letting out a faux giggle. "What nonsense are you saying? What''s gotten into you?"

    He was expecting that reaction, though it didn''t make it any less hurtful. But it was better to go straight to the point: he didn''t like small talk anyway.

    Misty finally stopped her giggles upon seeing his serious demeanor. "Ash, what''s wrong with you? Yesterday you were happy for me, and today all of a sudden you changed your mind? Look, I don''t know what''s going on, but if you don''t mind¡­" She tried to leave, but Ash blocked her path. She tried to walk around him, and he did again. "Ash what part of ''I have important stuff to do'' you didn''t get?"

    "You can''t leave, not until you hear what I have to say," he said. "As for why I changed my mind¡­ things have changed. It''s for your own good."

    Ash thought those words would at least make her listen. However, after they were said, he realized they sounded better inside his head than outside. Irritation was beginning to fill Misty''s face, but at least she remained still, as if waiting to hear what he had to say, if grudgingly.

    Well, he had to take the momentum. "I didn''t tell you before, but yesterday, when I came to the gym, I overheard a conversation in a cafeteria. They were saying something about ''being comfortably settled in the Cerulean Gym in one year''." Ash made the quotation marks gesture to emphasize his point. "Do you understand what it means?"

    Misty raised her eyebrows, and took a few seconds to let the words sink in, as well as the implications. To her credit, the surprise seemingly toned down her irritation, if only due to how ludicrous the tale sounded.

    "Exactly who did you overhear saying that?" the redhead asked. "You better not be talking about Chris, because that would make your story even less believable."

    "In my defense, at the time I had no idea it was him," Ash said. "But then when you introduced him to me, I thought the guy was familiar. A guy with dark blue hair, and the same clothes as him."

    "Pikachu." The electric mouse nodded to confirm his words.

    Misty, for her part, didn''t seem fully convinced, and she sighed as she shook her head. "Oh, for heaven''s sake. Ash, you must have mistaken him for somebody else. Chris couldn''t have said that, he''d never do such a thing! I''ll have you know, he even helped me with the Gym without asking for anything in return!"

    "And even if somebody said that, my Gym is not that easy to win out. I''ve worked really hard to build its current rep. Nobody will take it over as long as I''m here."

    "If it was through battle, I don''t doubt it," Ash replied. "But something tells me that''s not the way they plan to win it out."

    Misty once more raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she didn''t smile this time. Well, at least the words seemed to be getting to her. Time to keep up the pressure and make her see how grave it really was.

    "Let me ask you something: did you know he had two girlfriends before dating you?"

    "Of course, he told me himself." She placed her hands on her hips, as if it was the most obvious thing. "There are no secrets between us, why?"

    "Did you also know one of them vanished from public view when her career crumbled down, and the other ended up dead?" Ash made special emphasis in the last word, before dropping the next bomb. "Some even say the second committed suicide."

    Misty almost let out a gasp, and for a split second all color left her face. Had he been too direct? By his side he could hear Pikachu groan and face palming, as if saying "Now you''ve done it".

    "Ash Ketchum, are you listening to yourself?" Oh crap, she had just gone for the full name ultimatum. That never meant good news. "Are you saying he had something to do with what happened to them?"

    "I''m just saying it''s too weird they both dated him, and their careers ended up so abruptly," Ash replied.

    "Oh, so now you''re a detective?" said Misty. "Ash, those are grave accusations you''re making. Look, from what Chris told me, his first relationship didn''t work out and they ended it on a mutual agreement, but that was just because they didn''t share many interests. As for the second, why would he want to cause his fianc¨¦e''s death just weeks away from their wedding? I''ll have you know, he was pretty heartbroken by her death when we met."

    "Is that what he told you?" Ash snapped back. "Look, I know I''ve just met the guy, but we both know you''re smarter than that. You have to admit it''s pretty weird."

    "Pikapi!" Pikachu piped up again, once more with irritation and for good reason. Once again he had slipped up and said something he didn''t mean, but his best friend''s stubbornness was gaining on him.

    And it seemed the same went for her. "I''m smart enough to judge people well," she said coldly. "Now, it''s my fianc¨¦ you''re talking about. So I''m asking you¡­ no, rather I forbid you from talking about him in front of me, especially since you don''t know him as well as I do."

    "Misty, Chris comes from a family with money, don''t you think they could have easily paid one or two judges and lawyers to keep their mouths shut, or something like that?"

    "Chris is an honest boy, Ash. He''d never do such things!"

    "Maybe he wouldn''t, but how much do you know of his family?" Ash retorted. "Wealthy families always have one or two who end up with the money and ambition going to their heads."

    Misty looked away for a moment. At least she seemed to consider that point, meaning that she didn''t know that much about Chris'' family.

    "Alright, I admit I don''t know them firsthand that much. We''ve just met a couple times, but her father is one of the biggest moguls in the world, and a philanthropist to boot. And Chris wants to be just like him!"

    Ash slapped his forehead. "Man, aren''t you stubborn? Look, I don''t know what he''s up to, but whatever it is, I''m sure it''s not good, especially not for you. For your own sake, you better stay away from him, before you end up like the previous two."

    "Who do you think you are to choose what''s best for me, eh, Ketchum?" Now the surname ultimatum. It was getting worse. "I think I''m old enough to know who I want a relationship with, especially if it''s the person with whom I want to share the rest of my life.

    "You''re one of my best friends, Ash, somebody I really appreciate and care for like you have no idea. But you have no right to come and tell me how I should live my life, let alone try and incriminate a person as good and honest as Chris.

    "Damn it, why won''t you listen to me for once?!" Ash yelled, almost bordering on hysteria. "Before you do something you''ll regret for the rest of your life!"

    "Regret? Regret?! Are you serious, Ash?! I''ve never been so sure about something in my entire life! Chris is a wonderful guy, someone who understands and supports me. He''s always been there for me when I need him. No matter if we''re far away, he always takes his time to talk to me and ask if I''m fine..."

    "Pikachupi¡­" Pikachu looked from his trainer towards Misty and vice versa, wondering if he could do something to stop the argument, as it escalated with each passing second.

    "How am I going to regret my decision with all that? Why can''t you understand? Why can''t you be happy for me like the others?" The wave of questions suddenly stopped, and Misty took a pensive expression. "Wait¡­ could it be¡­?"

    Misty gave him a strange stare, suspicious and accusing, but Ash knew for sure it didn''t mean any good. And his fears were only confirmed when the redhead squinted her eyes and approached to talk to him in a low voice.

    "Could it be that you regret your decision?" she said. "You were the one who rejected me before, the one who told me I should look for somebody else. And now that I found him, suddenly you tell me I can''t marry him?"

    Ash became rigid as he heard those words, gulping loudly. That was a low blow. Indeed, he himself told her she should find someone else, but he obviously never meant someone who had potentially ill intentions with her.

    And also partly because he realized that, yes, there was a shred of truth in the first part of what she said. Part of him regretted having rejected her feelings and broken her heart, but he did so because he genuinely believed it was the best for her. He was just trying to do the right thing, just like now.

    With that in mind, he regained his aplomb and stared at his friend. "Misty, this has nothing to do with me," he said dodging the question. He had to focus on the matter at hand, and his personal feelings were irrelevant. "Yeah, I did say you deserved somebody, but that person might not be Chris, please understand."

    "And what right do you have to decide that? Chris hasn''t done anything that makes me mistrust him! Why can''t you be happy for me?!"

    "You think I''ll be happy knowing you''ll marry somebody Arceus knows could ruin your life?! Are you so na?ve you prefer to believe him over me?! Even more, how can you believe I''d have any reason to lie to you with something this serious?! I might be clueless sometimes, but not with these things!"

    "How do you expect me to believe such nonsense, Ash?! Do you really expect me to buy that when you barely know the person you''re trying to incriminate, who is my fianc¨¦ to boot?! No, you''re not that clueless, but you''ve always been rash to jump to conclusions! You have no proof! All you did was overhearing somebody, nothing more!"

    "I repeat, it was him! And if you don''t believe me Pikachu can confirm it, he was there with me and heard everything too!"

    "PIKACHU!" The mouse nodded firmly, regaining his own aplomb as well for a moment.

    "Ash, for the love of Arceus, are you listening to yourself?! Heard! You saw nothing! You''re jumping to conclusions, just like you always do! And I''m sick of this nonsense!"

    The redhead immediately tried to sidestep him to run off, and seeing he still insisted in getting in her way, she simple tackled him with the shoulder. The girl evidently didn''t gauge her strength and pushed him so hard he actually hit the wall they had on the side, and she stormed off stomping hard in anger.

    "Ouch!" Ash held his shoulder in pain, but he immediately left that aside. "Misty, listen to me! For all the..." Still with a pained shoulder, Ash ran after Misty to stop her. He couldn''t let her leave, not like that, not now.

    When she finally caught up to her, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. Seeing she still tried to resist, he grabbed her other wrist and stood before her, already desperate.

    "Stop that damn stubbornness of yours and listen to me! I''m telling you to listen, damn it!"

    "Let go!" she yelled, still struggling and trying to step away. "Let me go, I say!"

    "Why won''t you believe me?! I''m your best friend! Can''t you see I''m doing this to protect you?!"

    "Stop it!" she yelled again. "Let me go, you''re hurting me!"

    Those words caused him to stop right there. He then realized something else: Misty had shut her eyelids so hard even a few tears came out. When he glanced at her arms, he realized he was gripping them so tightly they had turned red.

    He immediately let go, horrified by what he had just done, and stepped back. Misty rubbed her wrists and breathed heavily. He couldn''t blame her for shouting like that.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry, I didn''t mean¡­"

    "Save it," she said coldly. "Do you know what I think? I think you can''t stand the fact that I''m happy with somebody else. Do you regret so much blowing your chances with me now you''re trying to sabotage my relationship? I never thought you''d be capable of that."

    "Misty, I already told you this has nothing to do with me," Ash replied. "I''m telling you this because I care about you. Now, if you just took a second to listen to me¡­"

    No, you listen to me!" she screamed, making both Ash and Pikachu to flinch. "If you''re not willing to share my happiness, to be there for me on the most important day of my life, then I demand that you go away and don''t set foot in my gym, ever!"

    "Misty¡­"

    "I''M TELLING YOU TO GO AWAY!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Ash noticed they were already drawing looks to them and the people around them stopped to gawk for a second, although they quickly carried on with their own business.

    Nevertheless, Ash didn''t move. The shock from the scream, the stain in his hand for holding Misty so brusquely, and that hate-filled glare in her eyes, everything condensed in an instant, and it was as if a burning sword had pierced through his chest.

    But it wasn''t so much about the pain he himself felt, but rather trying to imagine the pain she was feeling at the moment. And that he was the one causing it, just because he was trying to tell her the truth to protect her.

    "Just leave¡­ please, just go away¡­" she said, her voice cracking. She wasn''t demanding, she was begging.

    "Pikachupi¡­" Pikachu muttered, trying to get closer, but Ash stopped him.

    "Alright... I''ll leave." He picked Pikachu from the ground and placed him back on his shoulder before turning around. He barely walked a few steps and felt tempted to look back, but he fought back the urge.

    Once he was out of sight, he clenched his fist, and slammed it hard on the nearest wall. Not even wearing gloves mitigated the pain, but that was nothing. Compared to the pain he felt inside, in his soul, the physical pain was nothing but a soft stroke.

    "Damn!" he shouted in anger, kneeling down and holding his face between his hands.

    "Pikapi¡­" He heard Pikachu approaching, and he looked up. His lifelong partner stared at him with worry.

    "Pikachu¡­ She was right, I didn''t even show her any proof. I was an idiot."

    "Chaaaa¡­" Pikachu shook his head, and Ash somehow knew he was saying something like "It wasn''t just your fault".

    "Really, why does she have to be so stubborn when she gets mad? How am I going to get her to believe me?"

    "Chu, pikapika, chu!" Pikachu said with a sense of urgency, making some gestures. Since Ash could remember, the rodent was pretty good at imitating faces when he wanted to say something important. And now he was showing the face of¡­

    "Chris? What are you¡­?"

    Without letting him finish, Pikachu continued to make gestures over and over. Ash took a while to interpret the message, getting a few bits that referred to himself, Misty and Chris.

    But when he finally did, the message was clear. "Wait¡­ are you suggesting¡­ I should get Chris to confess?"

    "Pi-pikachu!" The rodent jumped triumphantly. Obviously he meant "We have a winner!"

    Getting Chris to confess¡­ of course. If Misty didn''t believe it from his mouth, maybe she''d believe it from her fianc¨¦''s. But how was he gonna do that?

    He pulled his holographic phone from his pocket. The instruction manual said it had a recording function for audio and video, but he didn''t read it in-depth, arguing he wanted to learn how the gadget worked on his own.

    "Aw hell, I''ll have to learn how to do it right now." He stood up and checked the device. "Now the question is¡­ where am I gonna find that guy?"

    He''d have to check the city from end to end. He had no clue where he could be or where he could have gone. And he''d have to confront him alone, because if Misty was around she''d definitely take Chris'' side and he''d deny everything. Part of Ash wondered if he''d try and use his Pok¨¦mon to cover more terrain, but if they didn''t know what he looked like, it wouldn''t help much anyway.

    Even so, he had nothing to lose. Misty might not care, but he did. And he wouldn''t let anybody hurt her just because she wouldn''t listen to him.

    <hr>

    Later, almost at nightfall¡­

    There were only two things in the world that could incense Ash as he was right now. One of them was people mistreating their Pok¨¦mon, using them for evil deeds, or saw them as goods for getting monetary profit. The other was anybody who tried to hurt his loved ones, in any way. Having grown raised by his mother alone, to him his friends were practically his family, and that was especially true when it came to Misty.

    Being honest, Ash wasn''t fully sure of what he was supposed to do when he confronted the guy face to face. He barely managed to figure out how to use the recording program in his phone. Now all he had to do was find the way to get the bastard to confess, but first, he''d have to take him somewhere he could do so without interference.

    By a lucky strike, Ash stopped by again through the cafeteria where he had overheard Chris and his sister, hoping that he''d be there. Aside from that, there was a little plaza nearby that wasn''t too busy at the time. A nice place to confront Chris without being interrupted.

    "Okay, you know what to do," Ash said peeking through the window. "I''ll wait over there, so when he walks out, you provoke him and get him to follow you."

    "Pika, pikachu, Pikapi?" Pikachu said with an expression of "I don''t like this idea" and "are you sure this is gonna work?" which Ash seemed to interpret it that way.

    "Look, I don''t like this myself, but it''s for a good cause. Besides, we''re doing this for Misty, and the idea of getting a confession out of him was yours, remember?"

    Pikachu rolled his eyes, but he finally relented. To wish each other luck, he and Ash exchanged a fist bump. While Ash headed for the plaza to stay relatively out of sight, Pikachu stood next to the local''s entrance, waiting for Chris to come out. The rodent had no clue of how he was supposed to drag him towards Ash, but well, in the face of doubt he''d do the same as his trainer: improvise and hope for the best.

    About five minutes or so later, he finally came out, and he was talking through his phone. Sounded like he had a heated argument with somebody, but it didn''t matter. It was the time for the truth.

    "No, no. Trust me, those stock shares are going to plummet, sell them while they''re still at a good price. Yeah, okay, you can do that, see you." He pressed his cellphone to conclude the call. Pikachu the crackled some electricity to get his attention. "Hmm? What are you looking at?"

    The mouse had to fight the urge to zap the jerk right there and then, but he had to lead him to Ash somehow. He looked at him from head to toe, but as soon as he noticed the cellphone still in his hand¡­ he knew just how.

    "Pika!"

    "Hey, what the¡­? Argh!"

    Without warning Pikachu leapt at him and bit him in the hand holding the phone, causing him to drop it. As soon as it fell to the ground and before he could pick it up, Pikachu grabbed it with his teeth and ran on all fours as fast as he could.

    "Hey! You dirty rat, give that back!"

    Pikachu didn''t dare look behind, but hearing the footsteps and screaming signaled him that Chris had taken the bait, now chasing him. He used a Quick Attack to gain some distance and leap over the plaza''s steps, skipping a few seconds while Chris had to walk them up (eight in total) the normal way to avoid tripping.

    Without missing a beat, he went towards Ash, and leapt to his arms for him to catch and take the phone out of his mouth.

    "Well, I didn''t mean for you to do this, but it worked. Good job."

    Having already figured out how to use the recording program, he was already running it. His phone was hidden underneath his jacket breast pocket, the camera barely peeking out. All he had to do was to get close enough. He could record up to thirty minutes, even though it''d take a lot of memory space. But he could worry about that later.

    A few seconds later Chris, who had lost sight of Pikachu during that brief lapse, walked up to where Ash was, and he was quite surprised to see him. Then again, he was holding his stolen phone, and the Pikachu he had been chasing was now standing on his shoulder.

    "You? What are you doing here? And why did your Pikachu steal my phone?" he asked with annoyance.

    "In my defense, I just asked him to bring you here," Ash replied nonchalantly. That was true: he only told Pikachu to get his attention. As to how, that had been the mouse''s choice.

    "Well, if you don''t mind returning my phone, why did you want me to come here? If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was ask." Chris spoke with a tone so polite, Ash immediately knew it was an act. A pretty good act, granted, but still fake.

    "It was something very personal," Ash said. "I wanted to ask you some questions."

    Next, Ash deliberately tossed the phone at him. Chris caught it and after putting it away, crossed his arms in annoyance, probably wondering why he couldn''t come closer to hand it over. Ash however kept a safe distance, lest he could see the camera about to record him.

    "I found out before you dated Misty you had two other girlfriends," the black-haired boy said nonchalantly. "Did you get along with them?"

    "I don''t know why that matters to you, but¡­ yeah, obviously," Chris replied with a half-smirk. He still didn''t imagine what was about to come next.

    "One of who vanished from public view after you broke up, and another who died shortly before you got married," Ash said, making special emphasis on the words to make his point.

    Chris'' smirk instantly vanished, yet his face still remained relaxed. He still hadn''t lost it, good sign. He had to go carefully to get him to talk. The key was not making him madder than needed.

    "Did you come just to remind me how my previous relationships ended?" the blue-haired young man asked. "That''s a low blow, Ketchum."

    "Let''s just say I''m concerned about Misty''s wellbeing," Ash replied. "I wouldn''t like it if she ended the same way as them, or worse."

    "Of course, you care for her as her best friend, don''t you?" Chris snarked, as he stepped closer. "Hey, just be honest, do you have a problem with me? Or maybe¡­ you''re suggesting I had something to do with the stuff that happened to Paige and Darcy?"

    "You said it, not me," Ash said, fighting the urge to look towards his breast pocket so he wouldn''t notice the phone.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Pika¡­" Pikachu hissed angry, and his sparks dissuaded Chris from invading Ash''s personal space, just in case.

    "I don''t know what game you''re playing, neither do I care. I don''t have to waste my time with you, my sister''s waiting for me," he said turning around to leave.

    "To talk about your plans?" Ash said. "About how you''ll take over the Cerulean Gym?"

    Hearing that, Chris froze. He took about five seconds to let the words sink in before he realized. Ash managed to see under the light of the plaza''s lamp posts the color of his face had vanished slightly. He had struck the nerve, it seemed.

    "I overheard you the other day, in that same cafeteria," Ash said defiantly. "I believe your exact words were ''we''ll settle down comfortably in one year'' or something like that?"

    Right then, Chris'' face lost any color it still had. However, it quickly came back, for the shock of the reveal was replaced by evident anger. At that point Ash knew he couldn''t pull back.

    ¡­

    "Sheesh, I''m never wearing stilettos again," Misty said, carrying her shoes in her hand, as her feet were killing her.

    She had felt so furious after her spat with Ash, she just walked aimlessly around town, completely forgetting what she was supposed to do. She had no idea how long she did, but it took her about an hour to find out where she was, and another to get to the place she was supposed to go. By then, the marriage agency had closed for the day, so she''d have to come tomorrow.

    ''Ash¡­ how could you do something like this? I thought we were best friends. Why can''t you be happy for me?''

    It was all absurd. The Chris she knew, and the "Chris" Ash claimed to have overheard in that cafeteria, there was no way they could be the same person. What made her head spin the most was that, for starters, Ash was no liar, and if he insisted so hard on it, it probably was because he was at least convinced that he was telling the truth. That only left one possibility: he had mistaken the person. It was the only logical explanation.

    Chris was a wonderful man. He was a gentleman, attentive, smart, sensitive and always make her feel loved and appreciated. Besides, he was almost as good as a trainer as Ash and an excellent sparring partner, although whenever they fought seriously she''d always be the winner. But he never cared about that: he always said he loved how strong she was.

    The fact that he had money was a plus, she wouldn''t deny it. What woman wouldn''t feel flattered about being given expensive gifts? But she wasn''t that shallow, even without that he''d still be the perfect man. Or as close to perfect as he could be.

    "Hmm?" She stopped upon noticing something. She was taking a shortcut across the plaza, when she saw two guys standing in the middle face to face. One of which had a yellow bulk over the shoulders.

    Moved by her intuition, she entered the plaza and came closer with her eyes squinted. She managed to spot that the yellow bulk was, indeed, a Pikachu, and the same colors of Ash''s clothing. Her hunch growing stronger, she ran towards them. If he was planning to pick a fight with Chris, she''d have to intervene. By force, if needed.

    "Don''t play dumb on me," Ash said. "I heard exactly what you said. You and your sister are planning to settle comfortably at the Cerulean Gym."

    "What if I told you that my sister will just move in with us when we get married?" Chris asked. "That''s normal considering they''ll be family soon, isn''t it? You''re getting the wrong ideas."

    Misty stopped on her tracks. When they talked about where they would live, Chris never said anything about him and her sister moving in to the Gym. In fact, he insisted on buying a house nearby for them, so his sister as well as Misty''s sisters wouldn''t get in their way of their privacy as a married couple.

    "I might be wrong, but the way you were talking sounded more like a challenger who wanted to take the Gym for himself," Ash continued. "I didn''t pay any mind at the time, because I didn''t think Misty would lose in any way. But you also said something about ''beating her in her own game''."

    "What nonsense." Chris grabbed his forehead and shook his head. "It''s just a figure of speech. We don''t like to discuss that in public, so it''s just my way to say I''m determined to win her over, nothing more."

    Misty felt her heart skipping a beat. For starters, Chris wasn''t denying that Ash had overheard him talk about those things with his sister. That proved that, at the very least, Ash hadn''t lied about that, and most likely the conversation he claimed to have overheard did take place after all.

    But it had to be just a mistake, right? He had just misinterpreted the words.

    "Look, I might be a rash guy, and a Slowpoke when it comes to romance," Ash said. "But I find it really weird that when you talked to your sister, you guys referred to Misty as ''the Gym Leader'' instead of her name. You said it: you''re going to be family soon, right?"

    "Hah, but everybody here knows she''s the Gym Leader in this city, don''t they?" Chris replied with an indifference, rather¡­ uncharacteristic of him.

    Misty at the time couldn''t hold it anymore. She dropped her stilettos and still barefoot she ran towards the tree nearest to them to get behind, and listen attentively without being seen. While a part of herself screamed she wasn''t going to like what she was about to hear, the other said she had to hear and see where everything went.

    Ash then kept talking. "You and your sister were talking about business, don''t deny it. Whatever you say, that doesn''t sound at all like someone about to get married. Unless, of course, the marriage is just another business for you?"

    Chris didn''t answer, but the reaction Misty saw told her everything. Ash had just hit the bullseye. He remained tense for a couple seconds before regaining composure and give out a rather arrogant smile. His face clearly said ''I''m busted''.

    "You know, for all the things Misty said about you, she seems to have skipped on telling me you were a good detective." He folded his arms. "Not everybody could have made those jumps."

    "Oh, I''m no detective, just have a friend with some good connections," Ash sarcastically replied. "But since we''re on topic, what else did Misty say about me?"

    "Hah, what did she say? More like what she didn''t say. You''re a great trainer, a nice and happy-go-lucky guy, and her best friend in the world," Chris said. "She also said you''re impatient, headstrong, that you tend to jump headfirst without thinking about the consequences, but overall, she never ceases to talk about how great of a person you are. So much that it''s really boring."

    Misty groaned inside, clenching the tree''s trunk tightly and fighting with all her might to not to jump on Chris at the time. She never imagined he carried so much resentment over that. True, she did talk often about Ash, but it wasn''t to compare them or make him get some sort of complex.

    "Really, do you have an idea of how hard it was to win her over?" Chris said in a mocking tone. "Usually, women flock to me when I ask them for it, but that poor redhead was so hurt by your rejection that she didn''t let me get close. I had to use another tactic. I told her about my tragedy with Darcy, of how sad I was for her death¡­ and then she opened her heart to me."

    At that point, Misty couldn''t bear to look anymore. She leaned her back against the tree, feeling a clutch against her chest, and breathing heavily.

    She couldn''t believe what she was hearing. Was that the real Chris? The wonderful man she had known this whole time was nothing but an illusion, a mask?

    "If you can say that so naturally, I assume you''re not any hurt for the death of your second girlfriend?" Ash asked defiantly.

    "I don''t celebrate it, but it wasn''t my fault," Chris nonchalantly replied. "All I could do was offer her family a hefty compensation, as she had her accident in my car, but that''s it."

    "So you''re admitting not to marry Misty out of love?" Ash asked. "Is this some sort of business to you?"

    Chris remained silent for a bit. Misty figured he was just meditating the answer.

    "Since you put it that way, I''ll admit it. You''re right. But you can''t blame me. My father''s the CEO of a very important company, and he raised me to be a businessman, after all."

    ''Businessman¡­''

    Misty thought back at her first encounter with Chris. He had defined himself as a ''businessman'', but she took it in the context of being someone responsible and who planned well ahead his future. Another thing she liked about him, that he had very clear where he wanted to get and what he wanted to be.

    A quality that, as much as she hated to admit it, he also shared with Ash.

    "But why go this far?" Ash asked. "From what Misty told me, you''ve spent a lot of money to buy her gifts, take her to places, and all that stuff."

    Misty also wondered about that. True that Chris had money aplenty to give and share, and even had some spare to donate to charity aside from what he spent on her. There was also his help with the Gym''s redecorations; he funded them after all. Why spend so much money on her?

    "Fool, it''s called equivalent exchange," Chris said mockingly. "Sometimes to get something you need to give something up. That''s the rule for a business investment. The Cerulean Gym has become the main source of income for this city. To control it means to control the economy, and my father wants our company to establish here."

    "If you wanted to control the Gym, why not win it over the traditional way?" Ash asked, despite the fact that, judging by his tone, he already knew the answer.

    "Are you kidding me? I''m not stupid, buddy. I''d never be able to win the gym from Misty in a fair battle, she''s way too strong," Chris angrily replied. "And do you have an idea of what it feels, that you girlfriend upstages you like this? Do you know how humiliating it is?"

    Misty felt another stab in her chest. Despite having frequent sparring matches with Chris, and the fact that when they both fought seriously she always won, he never showed any signs of being annoyed by it.

    "No matter how good you are at something, there will always be someone better out there," Ash replied. "That''s a life lesson I''ve had to learn over the years."

    "Yeah? Well, my father taught me to be the best in everything I do," Chris said smugly. "That''s why I can''t let her overshadow me like that, no matter if she''s my fianc¨¦e."

    Misty couldn''t see it, but she could hear that Chris almost spat the words. She had never imagined: she and Chris often had training battles together, but although she almost always won, he''d always accept it with dignity and acknowledge her skills. Had he really kept that resentment only because she was better than him?

    "This¡­ this can''t be happening," she whispered.

    But the worst, she soon realized, was yet to come. "I admit she''s a very strong trainer, especially with that Mega Gyarados of hers. In a full battle at maximum there''s no way to beat her. That''s why I needed another approach, another way to beat her at her own game.

    "You see, for all her strength as a trainer in the outside, Misty is a really na?ve girl. When I first met her, she was a complete sobbing wreck because her best friend, someone she was in love with for her entire life, broke her heart when he rejected her. I offered her comfort, helped her heal that wound, and she opened her heart to me. I can be a real charmer when I want to be, you know?"

    "I can''t believe it, did you really took advantage of Misty when she was vulnerable? And here I thought you couldn''t drop any lower," Ash said becoming furious.

    "Hey, don''t try to play higher moral ground on me," Chris said. "I admit Misty is an attractive girl, and she''s got qualities aplenty. You need to be an idiot to not to notice how good of a catch she is, even I can see that. But you? Hah, you''ve known each other since you were kids and you didn''t dare take that step. What kind of friend were you to her?"

    Ash didn''t answer, and silence fell between them. By a hunch, Misty decided to finally take a peek, and saw how Chris pulled something out of his pocket to shot it to Ash. Being against the light she couldn''t see it clearly, but his next words told her everything she needed to know.

    "Check this out. Would you believe she gave me this little trinket when I proposed to her?"

    Next, he dropped the object and stomped on it a couple times, before kicking it towards Ash. The black-haired boy kneeled down to pick it up, glanced at it for a few seconds before clenching it in his hand.

    "You should feel honored, not everybody gets a mini-version of themselves made by Misty. She was always good at making them," he said. "How can you stomp on her feelings like that?"

    "Oh please, does she think I''m ten years old or something? Pathetic."

    Right then, Misty couldn''t hold it anymore. She leaned against the tree and slid down until she sat on the ground. She felt crumbling inside, piece by piece, as if a piece of her soul had been torn apart.

    "Hey, how can you toy like that with Misty?" Ash angrily said. "She''s an amazing girl. She''s beautiful, adventurous, loyal, loving¡­ and the best friend anybody could wish for. She doesn''t deserve this."

    "And what will you do about it? Are you gonna tell her everything we''ve talked here? She''ll never believe you; it''s my word against yours."

    Misty held her head between her hands. Looking back, even if Ash wasn''t the smartest or most perceptive guy for some things, he''d always follow his heart to do the right thing. More importantly, even if he had hurt her (and he did), he never did so intentionally. Other than trading the occasional harmless barbs between friends, Ash never ever hurt anybody on purpose. Especially not her.

    And to his credit, when it came to important stuff, his instincts were usually pretty good. Even at times he didn''t have the full context, his hunches more often than not would turn out to be right, like right now.

    "You''re right about something," Ash finally said. "Misty might not believe me after I broke her heart. I was a lousy best friend when I rejected her feelings, and maybe I never understood how much I hurt her. But that''s why I want to make sure she''ll be happy. And if that means that she hates me for the rest of my life because of what I''m about to do¡­ so be it."

    Misty couldn''t contain herself anymore. The only thing that stopped her from breaking down into tears was that, right then, Ash ran off screaming in rage at Chris, and she barely registered when he slammed a fist right to his face.

    ¡­

    His punch knocked Misty''s fianc¨¦ to the ground instantly. Ash almost regretted not wearing gloves with metal knuckles to hit him harder, but he didn''t actually need them. All he cared about was that he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible on him, for playing with Misty''s feelings.

    Rather than letting him get back on his feet, he lunged at Chris again, forcing Pikachu to jump off his shoulder and watch the confrontation from afar, but ready anytime if his trainer needed some additional help.

    Ash punched furiously while Chris tried to take cover, and when he finally got a brief respite, he grabbed the black-haired trainer by the sleeves and kicked him in the stomach to push him off of himself.

    "Oof¡­ you idiot. When she finds out you attacked me, Misty''s going to be so mad¡­"

    "Don''t you dare say her name," Ash said with hatred.

    "Aw, that''s cute. The noble Ash Ketchum wants to defend his friend''s honor," Chris mocked. "Really, what will you gain from this? No matter how much you hit me, Misty will never turn to you."

    "I don''t care," Ash said as he raised his fist again. "I''ll feel better punching you anyway."

    Ash charged once more, but expecting it now, Chris was able to defend himself. As soon as he got an opening he punched Ash in the stomach to knock the air out of him, and when he hunched over, Chris grabbed his neck and tried to choke him.

    "You''re in love with her, aren''t you?" Chris whispered.

    "Ugh¡­" Ash replied with his voice choking.

    "Easy, I''ll just make you pass-AAAHHH!"

    Chris was forced to let go of Ash when the latter bit his arm, and immediately elbowed him in the stomach as revenge for the punch. He immediately turned around to grab his head and hit it with his knee before dropping him.

    "Damn you¡­ you broke my nose!" Chris shouted.

    "That''s far from the last thing I''ll break!" Ash yelled back with hatred.

    Chris stood up and both charged against one another, both of them getting into an arm tussle with each other. Ash managed to overpower Chris, tossing him to the ground, and almost stomped on his stomach before he rolled aside. When Ash tried to chase him, Chris placed a foot to tangle his legs and trip him over, and when he fell, he jumped on him to twist his arm behind his back.

    "Now you''ve really do- GAAAAAAAHH!"

    Chris didn''t get the last phrase in, as Pikachu jumped him and bit his hand, forcing him to let go of Ash, who was left shocked for a moment as he held his arm. This time the rodent sank his teeth much deeper and harder, using his forepaws to grab hold of his wrist, refusing to let go of it.

    "Accursed rat with hepatitis, let go of me!" Chris shouted, waving his arm around and trying to shake him off. "Let go of me, or I''m gon¡ªAAAAARRRGHH!"

    Pikachu cut off his threat using an electric shock. Somehow he endured it and when the discharge ceased, he grabbed his tail to pull him off and kicked him towards his trainer, whose arm was barely losing the soreness.

    "Pikachu!" the trainer shouted, rushing towards his friend. He jumped back to his feet as if it was nothing, and glared furiously at Chris. "You okay?"

    "Pika. Pikapi?" Pikachu asked in turn.

    "Don''t worry, this is nothing," Ash said, moving his arm to prove his point.

    "That was dirty," Chris said, giving off some sparks and with his clothes somewhat charred due to the electric attack. "Using your electric rat instead of fighting like a man."

    "He helped me on his own volition, not because I asked him," Ash pointed. Though it didn''t mean he wasn''t grateful for it.

    "Whatever. When Misty finds this out she''s gonna be really, really furious," the blue-haired guy mocked.

    Ash stood up and seemed ready to charge again, but before he did, a female figure stood in between them, her arms opened. "STOP!"

    Ash halted his run just in time to avoid hitting the newly arrival. Who else, of course it was her.

    "Misty?" Chris shouted upon seeing her. Ash saw that he briefly paled but immediately smirked. "Thank Arceus you''re here. Look at what your dear friend did to me, he attacked me¡­"

    "Don''t say anything," she dryly interrupted. "I know exactly what Ash did to you. I''ll take it from here."

    Ash clenched his teeth, while Chris gave a smug smile. She still didn''t believe him? Well, fortunately he had the proof she asked for in his pocket, all he had to do was show her. A recording in HD should be enough to convince her.

    However, he was in for a surprise, seeing that it wouldn''t be necessary.

    "Misty, what are you doing?" Chris asked when the redhead walked up to him. Ash couldn''t see what was going on, but suddenly Chris'' expression shifted and he flinched slightly. "That''s¡­"

    "You can keep the ring," he heard Misty saying. "I won''t need it anymore."

    "Misty, what are you saying? Are you breaking off our engagement?"

    "I saw everything, or almost everything. I can''t believe I''m saying this, but¡­ Ash was right about you."

    "What are you¡­?" Once more, Chris'' face lost its color, but this time it didn''t return. "No¡­ don''t tell me you¡­"

    "I heard it all," the girl dryly declared. "You liar, faker¡­ how could you trick me like this?"

    "Misty, my little mermaid, this isn''t what it looks like. Everything has a¡­"

    Next thing Ash knew, Misty raised a hand and slapped Chris across his face, without even moving from her place. The blue-haired boy lost his balance, and Ash saw him holding his chin.

    "Ouch! That even hurt me," Ash muttered with a shiver. He knew how scary Misty could be when angered, but he was more used to see her exploding and screaming in rage. Seeing her like that, cold and stoic¡­ that was far more chilling. It almost didn''t seem like her.

    "What the hell, why did you do that?!" Chris shouted.

    "That was for kicking Pikachu¡­" Misty said in a low voice before she grabbed his collar and dragged him to her face. "You deserve much more than that, but I can''t stand seeing your face one more minute. You can keep all of your gifts; I''ll send them to you as soon as I can."

    "Misty¡­" He still tried to defend himself. It became more and more pathetic.

    "Get lost from my sight. Don''t ever show up at my gym, or my town, or Kanto if possible. Your company can kiss goodbye its Cerulean branch, because as long as I''m here, no member of your family will set foot here."

    "I''d obey if I were you," Ash intervened. "Trust me, if you don''t leave now, you''re gonna wish for her Gyarados to eat you alive to escape your suffering. Oh, and one more thing." Ash pulled out his holographic phone from his jacked. "Just in case, our little friendly chat was recorded here for posterity."

    Pushing the button he popped up the holographic screen, playing the video. He fast-forwarded to the part where he said "It''s my word against yours", replaying it over and over with max volume.

    "Now, I just need to save it and¡­ oops! I think I accidentally clicked the button to send it to my blog. Silly me, that''s what I get for not reading this thing''s manual." He turned off his screen. "Oh well, it''s just a matter of time before the video goes viral across the net."

    The blue-haired boy stepped back, realizing the implications of all that had happened. His ruse had completely crumbled, and the evidence had been irrevocably sent to internet.

    He huffed in annoyance, but finally got the message and decided to prioritize his physical integrity. He had no choice but to leave with his hand in the nose to stop the bleeding, and ran off faster than a Rattata with the tail between his legs chased by a Fearow for a snack.

    Once Chris was out of sight, Ash finally felt he could get close to her, but still kept some safe distance to avoid invading Misty''s personal space. The redhead remained still, her back turned to him, and he still didn''t know what to do or say at the time.

    Even so, he didn''t need to see her face to imagine her expression at that moment.

    "What are you waiting for?" Misty suddenly asked snapping him out of his thoughts. "Say it."

    "Say what?" he replied, even knowing what she meant.

    "Come on, just say it," she insisted. "Say ''I told you so'', say that you were right and I was wrong. What are you waiting for?"

    Once upon a faraway time, and in less serious circumstances, Ash would have been more than happy to oblige her request; in fact, she wouldn''t have had to ask at all. He would have loved to rub it in her face that he was right and Misty was wrong.

    But those were neither the times nor the circumstances. There was no way he could feel happy for saying those words. So he resorted to his other tactic: to do the exact opposite and not to say a single word to Misty.

    "Say it at once!" Misty finally turned around, and Ash saw her face. She clearly was trying to hide her pain under a mask of anger, although her eyes were swollen of crying so much.

    Ash sighed with resignation. "Alright. I told you so. I warned you Chris was up to no good. Happy?"

    "What do you think?" she said, her tears streaming down her cheeks and not bothering at all to try and stop them. "You''re the one who should be happy. Why don''t you celebrate it?"

    "Why would I?" he replied with seriousness. "Do you think I should be happy because someone toyed with your feelings like that?"

    Misty gritted her teeth and fists, and without further ado ran towards Ash. The boy knew what came next and didn''t even try to flee: if she wanted to vent her frustration and pain on him, he''d let her. It was the least he could offer at the time.

    "Idiot! Idiot! IDIOT!" she screamed, hitting him in the chest with her fists. The first punches did hurt a bit, but he didn''t complain, and they slowly toned down, until the girl finally couldn''t bear it anymore and grabbed his shirt, burying her head in his chest, as her screams slowly turned into little more than a little whisper. "¡­idiot¡­"

    "I told you before, Misty," Ash said, placing a hand around her waist and the other stroking her hair to pull her closer. At the same time, Pikachu also joined in the hug. "The last thing I want is that somebody hurts you in any way. Believe it or not¡­ it hurts me too to see you suffering."

    Misty didn''t say anything else, she just let herself cry like never before. The wreck of tears and sobs in the outside couldn''t compare to what she felt in the inside, for she had never felt so many mixed emotions swelling inside her. Hatred and anger for Chris for playing her, shame of herself for allowing it, and the biggest remorse ever for not believing Ash, her best friend for so many years, someone who, for all his flaws, had always shown to care for her, regardless of what she thought of him.

    "I''m sorry¡­" she said between sobs. "I''m sorry I¡­ didn''t believe you¡­"

    "There, there," Ash said. "I know you''re a tough girl, but you''re also sensitive inside. Let it go, let it all go."

    Her voice was too cracked to say it out loud, but right on that moment she felt really grateful to Ash for being there for her, for enduring everything she said to him, and even stepping forward to defend her honor. A true friend, even if she didn''t deserve it after the way she treated him.

    "Come on," he said, gently pushing her away. "We''ll take you back to the Gym."

    Still sobbing, Misty nodded and muttered a weak "Thank you" before she started walking. Suddenly the street''s ground felt much colder, and only then she realized how late it was. Ash managed to spot her dropped stilettos and picked them up for her.

    Walking all the way back home in them wouldn''t be nowhere as painful as she thought before. After that heartbreak, it was nothing.

    <hr>

    The next morning¡­

    That night, Misty wasn''t in the mood for anything or anyone. She didn''t want to speak with her sisters, instead choosing to go straight to her room and lock herself up, asking them to leave her alone. If Ash stayed long enough to tell them what happened much better for her; that way she wouldn''t have to relive it again.

    Waking up and looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes were still red and swollen. It was no surprise; she had practically cried herself to sleep, and she didn''t feel like she had more than four or five hours of sleep at most.

    She washed her face as best as she could, feeling tempted to put the "CLOSED" notice in the entrance to drive challengers away, but she couldn''t do that. Broken heart or not, she had to fulfill her duties as a Gym Leader. She had never allowed her personal issues to interfere with her work, and she wouldn''t start now.

    "Ah, morning, Misty," Daisy greeted her as soon as she opened the door. "Sorry to, like, bother you so early but¡­ think you could help me with a tiny-little-bitty problem?"

    "It better be important," the redhead muttered, and she walked behind her eldest sister.

    Upon reaching the living room, she saw what the ''problem'' was, if it could be called that. Ash was resting full-length on the couch, one arm holding Pikachu curled up on his stomach, while the other hung outside. His head rested on one of the armrests while his feet hanged out of the other. Despite the seemingly uncomfortable position, though, both shared a rather peaceful demeanor in their sleep.

    "He won''t leave," Daisy explained. "Said he''s not going anywhere until he''s sure you''re okay."

    Misty glanced at her sister, and then at the sleeping Ash. She then sighed; knowing that Ash cared for her up to that point made her feel equally pained and touched. However, the touched part drove out the pain and she allowed herself a smile, as she came closer and kneeled down to wake him up.

    "Ash¡­ Ash, wake up." She poked on his cheeks.

    "Hmm¡­" Ash''s eyelids trembled, and the boy groaned with laziness. "Five minutes, Mom¡­"

    "You''re not at your home, sleepyhead," she said, now going for a little cheek pull. The boy groaned again and opened his eyes slowly.

    "Ah¡­ ow, ow, okay, okay, fine." He softly pushed her hand away as he sat up, waking Pikachu up as well. "Good morning."

    In other circumstances, Misty would have probably said "what''s good in them" or something, but she had used up all her anger against Chris the previous day. Looking on the bright side, it meant she could talk to Ash normally, without risk of falling into one of her outbursts.

    Without saying any more words, she sat next to him and looked into his eyes. Meanwhile, Daisy took that as her cue to leave the room.

    "You didn''t need to stay all night," Misty said, trying not to sound ungrateful. "Even so¡­ thanks, I appreciate you did."

    "I couldn''t leave like that. Feeling better now?"

    Misty would have wanted to say "Yes", but there was no point in lying, neither to Ash nor to herself- She just sighed before answering. "I will be. With time."

    "I¡­ I''m really sorry for this," Ash said.

    Misty stared at him confused. "Why? It wasn''t you who¡­"

    "No, what I meant was that¡­ I''m sorry he broke your heart. I hate to admit it, but you really looked happy with him. And I had to come and ruin it."

    "You didn''t ruin anything," Misty pointed. "You were just trying to protect me. I should have guessed; everything about Chris was too perfect to be true. I should have listened to you."

    "Hey, don''t blame yourself," Ash said. "I could have chosen better words or something, and I lost my control too. If I told myself something like that, I wouldn''t have believed it."

    "That''s something else," Misty said. "You never told me where you got that dirty laundry Chris had hid so well from me."

    Ash chuckled slightly and explained how he found the articles about Chris'' ex-girlfriends on the internet, and on a hunch he asked Brock about them. Misty shivered at the thought that Brock still had his database about women even if he didn''t use it anymore, although she was grateful for it just that once. Then the detail came up: how Northern Lights Shipment was suspiciously involved in both incidents.

    "Well I''ll be." The redhead folded her arms. "Had you started there, we would have saved many headaches. Or at least I''d have given you the benefit of the doubt."

    "I wasn''t thinking clearly at the time," Ash defended himself. "I lost control because¡­ well, because I was terrified that he wanted to hurt you."

    Misty stared deeper into his eyes. One of the physical traits she loved the most in Ash were those eyes: always radiating determination, cheerfulness and compassion. Seeing them filled with melancholy and worry definitely didn''t suit him, no matter if it was for her sake. She didn''t like it that Ash was suffering because of her.

    "But there''s another thing I wanted to apologize for," Ash continued. "The last time, when I broke your heart¡­"

    "Ash, that''s in the past now," she interrupted. "I don''t want you to dwell anymore on what happened between us. I already feel bad enough for not believing you about Chris."

    "No, let me finish." Ash raised a hand to stop her. "At the time, I didn''t tell you all of my reasons for my decision. And I think you deserve to know them."

    Misty raised her eyebrows. So Ash had more reasons to not to want to pursue a relationship with her? This was going to be interesting.

    "Truth to be told, after a while I suspected you had a crush on me. And even if I didn''t admit it, I actually liked you a little bit."

    "Oh, that''s news to me," the redhead said ironically, giving him an accusing stare. "But, just a little bit?"

    "Pikapi¡­" Pikachu seemingly tried to beckon him to confess. Ash frowned slightly, but being two against one, he quickly caved in,

    "Okay, I admit it, I liked you a lot. Happy?"

    Misty let out a victory and satisfaction giggle. She was already feeling her mood improving. Nevertheless, she turned serious again as she shifted the focus back to the important matter at hand.

    "But if that was the case, why didn''t you tell me anything?"

    "I was getting to that, don''t rush me," he replied. "Like I was saying, over time we became best friends, and even with our squabbles, I was happy with our relationship. I feared things would change if I tried to go for something else with you. You know, I was never the biggest romantic in the world, and I wasn''t sure I could be. Besides¡­"

    "Besides what?" Misty inquired.

    "Besides¡­ I guess things felt much easier being just friends," he confessed. "That''s why I never tried to go beyond, neither with you nor anybody else."

    "Oh?" Misty widened her eyes. She didn''t expect that. Ash Ketchum, the boy with the biggest determination in the world, choosing the easy way out of something? "That definitely does not sound like the Ash I know. You''ve always liked to take the hardest path to improve yourself."

    "This is different," Ash said seriously. "If it''s something that only affects me, fine. I don''t fear failure because I know I can get back up and try again. But this is something involving another person. Failure means I''d drag her along with me, and I can''t do that¡­ let alone if that person was you."

    Misty wanted to scold him for those thoughts, but she found herself unable to. Ash was clueless about many things, and in his bid to try and place her feelings before his own, he made the mistake of ignoring them altogether. A misguided, if well-intentioned, choice that did nothing but harm to both of them.

    Then again, that explained a lot of things, such as why he never pursued a relationship with another girl. If he didn''t want to, as he put it, ''drag'' her along to a failed relationship, he''d never do the same to anybody else, not even for solace. He wasn''t that kind of person.

    "You should have given yourself a chance," Misty suggested. "It wasn''t right for you to keep that to yourself all this time."

    "Funny, Serena told me something similar," Ash said. "But it''s not that easy when you''ve been in love with someone for so long. You should know about that, right?"

    "¡­ I can''t argue that," she admitted. After all, she was in love with Ash for so long, it was hard for her to pursue a relationship with someone else, even after he openly rejected her. "But you felt the same way, why didn''t you tell me before?"

    "I don''t really know," Ash said. "Maybe¡­ I just felt I could never make you happy. I didn''t think I was good enough for a relationship with you."

    Misty almost felt the urge to strangle him for such a comment. Ash Ketchum, unsure of himself? She''d never see that one coming. But looking from another point of view, she realized it wasn''t so farfetched. Once again he was trying to put her feelings before his, failing to actually consider them.

    He was more concerned about what she could think, rather than trying to take the time to figure it out. Had he said something, she''d been more than willing to take the chance, and it would have been worth it.

    "So then¡­ what do we do now?" Misty asked. "Obviously we can''t go on as if nothing happened. Tell me the truth, Ash¡­ do you still have feelings for me?"

    Ash didn''t reply immediately, but the look in his eyes said everything the redhead needed to know.

    Or so she thought, until he sighed and opened his mouth again. "Even if that were the case, I don''t think this is the right time. You''ve just learned your fianc¨¦ was with you just because of your Gym. That''s not the support you need right now. And I don''t want to picture myself doing the same as Chris¡­ taking advantage of you being vulnerable."

    Misty lowered her gaze, slightly disappointed. However, she could understand what he said, and that only made her appreciate him even more.

    A wound like that would take a while to heal after all. Who''d have guessed Ash was so receptive to other people''s feelings. Suddenly she was seeing things she never imagined in him. Small, subtle things, but they were there, and she never spotted them before.

    "In that case, shall we give ourselves some time?" Misty asked. "I agree I do need my space in the romance area right now, but¡­ I''ll also need my best friend with me."

    Ash smirked. "That you''ll always have."

    Ash extended his hand, and Misty had to hold the urge to roll her eyes. A hug, or even a pinky finger promise would have been better. Did he always have to spoil the moments like that?

    Then again, it was Ash, so maybe it was his way to make it clear he didn''t want to push things on her too fast. It was impossible to not to appreciate that. But even so¡­

    "Let''s not be childish," she said in a severe tone. "I know you already gave me one before, but¡­ another hug would be nice. I think I need it."

    Ash snickered, but he finally agreed. It was weird for them to be like that: as children they were never prone to those displays of affection, and somehow she felt as if she was that angry ten-year-old tomboy who yelled due to her charred bike, and he was that untidy little boy she fished out of the river by accident.

    ''How warm¡­'' the girl thought. She didn''t know if the warmth came from Ash''s arms, from his heart, or maybe a bit of both things. At the time, she felt safe with him, and that was all that mattered.

    Misty knew things between them would change and their relationship, whether it was of friends or (should it eventually become that) something else, it would never be the same. But that wasn''t necessarily a bad thing.

    Her relationship with Chris could have ended badly, but that wasn''t the end of the world. As long as Ash was there, either as her best friend or whatever he was, she wouldn''t have to face it alone.

    To be continued...

 Epilogue

    Whirl Islands, twenty months later¡­

    The Whirl Cup was the most important tournament for Water-type Pok¨¦mon trainers. Maybe it was too specialized compared to the traditional Pok¨¦mon League, but it wasn''t any less exciting, especially since unlike the latter, it would only take place every three years. For any trainer who aspired to become a Water Pok¨¦mon Master, winning it was a very important step and practically an implicit requirement.

    However, the finals of that year''s tournament had bigger stakes for Misty. Something much more important than the winner''s trophy (a crystal cup added as an additional prize in later years), the Mystic Water pendant, or the title of Pok¨¦mon Alpha-Omega and everything it meant. Considering who her final opponent was, her reasons to defeat him were far, far beyond mere competitiveness.

    Chris looked rather different to the way she remembered him. His nose had healed since Ash''s knee strike, although it still looked somewhat twisted, marring his once perfect image when looked from the side. He no longer smiled as before, when he hid underneath his nice pretty boy mask, instead showing his true face full of smugness and superiority.

    To his credit, Misty had to admit that, skill-wise, Chris had notably improved since their last encounter. She hadn''t faced him directly in the previous tournament, but the fact he made it to the semifinals was a testament to his abilities. It was clear he hadn''t rested on his laurels for the past two years, and the result of that match so far was proof of it.

    On the first bout, despite type disadvantage, Starmie managed to defeat Chris'' Crawdaunt with difficulty, and then went down in almost one single blow from his Seismitoad, who spent the round practically tanking Starmie''s hits until he tackled her with a Knock Off so hard it cracked her gem, doing critical damage. This foe''s adversary forced Misty to bring out the big guns earlier than expected, having to call Gyarados and even Mega Evolve him just to compete on equal level to inflict damage.

    But now, after a lot of difficulty, she was about to finish him off.

    "Gyarados, use Hurricane now!"

    "ROAAAAAAAAARRR!" the marine serpent bellowed loudly, summoning a powerful wind around himself, sucking up part of the water and Seismitoad, lifting him up in the air.

    "Finish with Hyper Beam!" she shouted pointing at Seismitoad.

    Said and done, with Seismitoad still spinning around helplessly inside Gyarados'' Hurricane, he charged up orange energy between his jaws, firing his powerful beam at his opponent. There was a huge blast of fireworks in the air, and seconds later Seismitoad plummeted back to the arena, falling into the water with a loud splash.

    Seconds later, he floated back to the surface belly up, motionless. He was out cold.

    "Seismitoad is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Gyarados is the winner!"

    "This is awesome, ladies and gentlemen!" the MC announced out loud in the middle of the crowd''s cheering, as Seismitoad''s icon on the scoreboard turned off. "With this, Misty is only one victory away from crowning as our champion for the second consecutive time! So far her Mega Gyarados has never been beaten in her matches! Will Chris have something to counter it?"

    From his side of the field, Chris returned his Seismitoad without sparing a word, and smiled to himself. Misty recognized the look: it meant he was about to pull a secret weapon. Well, whatever it was, she''d be ready for it.

    "Nicely done, Misty. But the next one will guarantee my victory. Go!" He then threw a Dive Ball towards the arena.

    "Quanid!"

    Misty flinched slightly. The Pok¨¦mon that came out looked like a long-legged spider, with a water bubble looking like a diving helmet from cartoons. An Araquanid, a species native to the Alola region, dual Water/Bug-type. A Pok¨¦mon whose mere existence gave her conflicted feelings, as it represented the duality of the Pok¨¦mon he loved and feared the most at the same time.

    The fact that it was about four times bigger than she remembered seeing one of them (she recalled Lana owned one barely big enough to ride on its back) didn''t help either.

    "Do you like it?" she heard Chris calling out sarcastically. "This is my secret weapon. It wasn''t easy to catch this Totem Araquanid, but it was well worth it. I''d say goodbye to the title if I were you."

    "It''ll take more than that to scare me, Chris," she replied, refusing to be intimidated once she recovered from the initial shock.

    Although it technically had a type advantage against Mega Gyarados, that wouldn''t be worth it if its power level didn''t back it up. Gyarados had kept a perfect winning streak during the tournament, and she wouldn''t let it end so easily.

    "Gyarados versus Araquanid! Start!" the referee said raising his flags.

    "Gyarados, send him flying using Hurricane!"

    "Araquanid, Protect!"

    Gyarados tried to send the spider blasting through the air as he did with his previous foe. However, Araquanid stood firm on one of the platforms and surrounded himself with a green transparent energy dome. Thus, not even the ensuing Hurricane nor the whirlpool it caused did a thing to him, and once they calmed down, he was still in the same place.

    "Fine, that didn''t work," Misty said. "How about another Hyper Beam, Gyarados?"

    The Water/Dark Pok¨¦mon was happy to oblige, and readied his most powerful attack. Chris for his part, grinned evilly and pointed at Araquanid what he had to do in turn.

    "Sticky Web, right to the head!"

    "Quad, quad, quad!" The spider raised his head and from his mouth he fired in quick succession three sticky globs at the marine serpent.

    As the Hyper Beam took a couple seconds to charge, the globs hit him and completely enveloped his face. Due to the stored up power, he had no choice but to unleash it, but not being able to see his target, the Hyper Beam went wide past Araquanid, hitting one of the pillars on his side of the field. The bright side was that the energy blast managed to shred off the sticky glob covering his face, allowing him to see again.

    Misty could see from afar that Chris was smirking with satisfaction. But she couldn''t let him get on her nerves. She was really close to win and there was no way she could lose to him.

    "Araquanid, use Scald!" Chris called.

    The spider fired a high-pressure boiling water stream at Gyarados, who swiveled aside to dodge. Misty immediately replied calling for Gyarados to use Hydro Pump. The attack landed true, but once the stream ceased, she saw to her horror that Araquanid glowed with a blue halo, and shook off the excess water as if it was nothing.

    "No, don''t tell me¡­?" Misty asked as she pointed at Araquanid.

    "Surprised?" Chris grinned as he folded his arms. "Most Araquanid have the ability Water Bubble, but this big guy has Water Absorb. He''s pretty handy in these tournaments, where Water-type attacks are a given. And of course, the field itself.

    Misty clenched her fists. So far they hadn''t been able to land any solid hits, but there was no need to become alarmed. Gyarados had more moves in his arsenal after all.

    "Sticky Web again!" Chris called.

    "Fire Blast!" Misty countered.

    Araquanid fired the sticky globs once more, this time much bigger. Gyarados countered with a fireball that spread out to form a five-tipped kanji, quickly incinerating them and hitting Araquanid for some decent damage. That was encouraging, although the spider didn''t daze that much at the fire for obvious reasons.

    From what she knew, Totem Pok¨¦mon in Alola were not only bigger in size, but also proportionally stronger compared to their normal congeners. Gyarados still had strength to keep going, though victory was uncertain knowing he wasn''t at full capacity. She wasn''t sure what else Araquanid could do, so she had no other choice but try and learn it on the go.

    Misty weighed her options: Hydro Pump and Rain Dance would do little to help her, and he evidently had countermeasures for Hyper Beam, Fire Blast and Hurricane. Should she take the chance with a physical attack?

    "Gyarados, Headbutt!"

    Gyarados roared as he coiled backwards before charging head on. Neither Araquanid nor Chris seemed concerned about this, and the spider simply leapt out of the way so Gyarados would hit the platform instead, landing on his back.

    Chris immediately snapped his fingers and gave his command. "Leech Life."

    "Quad!" Araquanid clasped his mandibles and sank them behind Gyarados'' neck. Both Pok¨¦mon glowed with a greenish light as the marine serpent''s life was sucked out by the spider, and the latter''s burn marks from the Fire Blast started to vanish.

    "Gyarados, shake that thing off, quick!" the redhead cried out almost desperate.

    Gyarados flailed around violently, trying to shake Araquanid off his back, but he wouldn''t let go. The spider continued to suck his energy, and the serpent tried to crash backwards against one of the pillars to force him to let go or hurt him. Araquanid anticipated and finally released him, but the attack had done its job.

    "Use your Spider Web and Sticky Web combo all over the arena!"

    "Ara!"

    Araquanid fired a stream of sticky threads at the sky over Gyarados, materializing in the form of a giant spider net set up for capture. Then he fired more threads mixed with sticky globs to tangle them between Gyarados and the pillars, until he made a huge mess of thread all over the place, with Gyarados barely visible among them.

    "What are you exactly trying to do with this?" Misty wondered. "Gyarados, burn all that stuff with Flamethrower!"

    Gyarados obliged, but he and Misty didn''t notice Chris'' smirk when they did. Gyarados shot out the fire, but it caused something they didn''t anticipate: the fire torrent spread out across all the threads rather fast, not only the ones who were hanging between the pillars and Gyarados, but also the ones stuck to him with the Spider Web Araquanid launched at the start of his maneuver.

    And then, Misty realized what the true purpose of said maneuver was. "Gyarados, dive into the water."

    Not being tangled between the pillars anymore, Gyarados quickly dove into the water, causing some steam to rise when the flames were put out. Anticipating their attempt, Chris called for Araquanid to do the same and give chase, attacking him with Scald while underwater. The water in the arena started to boil, forcing Gyarados to come back up, and shake violently as Araquanid jumped back to one of the platforms.

    "Gyarados!" Misty cried out.

    "Wrap him in Sticky Web once more, but stronger!" Chris ordered.

    Araquanid spat out more sticky globs, covering Gyarados'' entire body, slowly rising up to his head. He then focused there until he made such a giant sticky mass that looked like an astronaut''s helmet made for him.

    Misty clenched her fists; Gyarados was in a serious pinch, but there was only one way to break free. "Use Fire Blast to burn that stuff!"

    Gyarados roared and blew the flames to shake off the sticky glob, seeing how Chris and Araquanid made fun of them. That enraged the marine serpent, who was shaking with an evident desire to eat both the spider and his trainer.

    "Is that the best you''ve got?" Chris said. "We expected a lot more from you."

    "I''ll show you what we''ve got!" Misty yelled. "Hyper Beam at full power!"

    Gyarados began charging again for his strongest attack. Chris and Araquanid remained still, waiting for it. The marine serpent fired the orange energy stream at his foe, who seemed ready to take it head on.

    However, two words from Chris at the last second sealed Gyarados'' fate. "Mirror Coat!"

    Misty was left paralyzed upon hearing that, but it was too late to call the attack off. Araquanid held ground and a reflective coat covered him from head to toe to receive the damage. The Hyper Beam''s energy build up in front of him, before being redirected back where it came from. The redhead barely registered Gyarados'' horrified face before his own attack hit him with double power.

    The impact knocked Gyarados against one of the pillars, even cracking it slightly, and a second later he slumped on the water with a huge splash. He floated there for a bit, and a few seconds later, his Mega Evolution dispelled, returning to his base form.

    "Gyarados is unable to battle! Araquanid wins!" the referee declared.

    "Incredible, ladies and gentlemen!" the MC exclaimed. "Misty and Gyarados'' undefeated streak has come to an end! That leaves the current champion and the challenger are on even ground, each with only one Pok¨¦mon left! What a great battle!"

    "Return, Gyarados," Misty said as she recalled Gyarados back to his Pok¨¦ball. "Thanks for your effort, now take a rest."

    Misty contemplated her foe, who still had that arrogant smirk in his face. She hated him, she really detested every single thing of him: his attitude, and obviously and especially that superiority complex he had. She didn''t need to read minds to know what he was thinking: he already assumed himself the winner only because he had beaten Gyarados, her strongest Pok¨¦mon. In fact, considering how that bout had gone, that Araquanid had obviously been caught and trained to counter Gyarados, even with his Mega Evolution.

    "Well played, Chris. Pretty smart in your choice of a secret weapon to face me," the redhead said.

    "Thank you, I''m flattered," he sarcastically replied as he rubbed his finger across his nose. "Why don''t you just give up now and spare yourself the humiliation? I''d hate it if there were any hard feelings between us."

    "No thanks very much." Misty put Gyarados'' ball away and pulled out the next. "I admit your Araquanid is tough, but you''re not the only one who brought a secret weapon. Let''s see how you like this! Go!"

    Without further words, she threw the Pok¨¦ball towards the field, opening it in the air. The flash materialized into a Water Pok¨¦mon she hadn''t used during the tournament, and most of her acquaintances didn''t even know she had.

    "Gre¡­ NINJA!"

    The crowd''s collective reaction was similar to the one they had to Chris'' Araquanid. After all, while not unknown, it was weird to see species non-native to Kanto and Johto, and to a lesser extent Hoenn or Sinnoh. Unova, Kalos and Alola were much further away, so a Pok¨¦mon from those regions was quite the show.

    The blue frog made a three-point landing over one of the pillars, and then stood proudly adopting the standard ninja stance.

    "A Greninja?" Chris exclaimed. "Where the heck did you get it?"

    "Friends who traveled to Kalos," Misty said, taking a quick glance at the stands'' VIP box. Fortunately Chris didn''t notice. "Let''s see if you can handle him now."

    "Greninja versus Araquanid, the final round begins!" the referee declared. "START!"

    "Araquanid, fire your Sticky Web!" Chris shouted.

    "Double Team!" Misty countered.

    Contrasting completely with Gyarados, who was a super strong and large-in-size opponent, Greninja was small and speedy. As soon as the bout started, the frog leaped off the pillar and summoned a multitude of clones of himself all over the arena. The Sticky Web shots managed to hit some of them, but the real one moved so fast he was almost impossible to follow.

    Misty smiled pleasantly upon noticing Chris'' frown as Araquanid''s attacks missed their intended target. "Now, Aerial Ace!"

    The clones instantly dissipated, and the real Greninja appeared above Araquanid, charging with a double kick to his back. Araquanid let out a gasp and he practically sank into the platform he was standing on. With the same momentum Greninja leapt up again, and with an acrobatic spin he landed on another platform.

    "What do you think?" Misty asked. "Use Double Team again!"

    "Tch, just a lucky blow," Chris replied. "Araquanid, cover the field with Spider Web!"

    Clasping his mandibles once more, the spider fired a spread stream of thread towards the sky to create a huge net in a dome-like formation all over the field. Obviously by covering the entire area, as much as he tried to hide between clones, once the net fell it would catch the real one as well.

    Assuming, of course, that the net would fall on top of him to begin with. And Misty wouldn''t let that happen. "Greninja, use Cut and shred that Spider Web to bits!"

    "Ninja!"

    Greninja extended his arm and projected a large while light blade out of it. Next, he jumped towards the net falling on the field and with a series of quick slashes, it was cut to shreds in just a few seconds. Capitalizing on the shock in both Araquanid''s and Chris'' faces, Misty decided to press on with the attack.

    "Charge!" she yelled pointing forward.

    Greninja landed on a nearby platform and began running (yes, running) on the water at full speed, charging head on at Araquanid, still with the Cut blade in his hand. Araquanid was so shocked he couldn''t even react and by the time he realized what happened, a white flash cut through him and knocked him backwards into the water.

    After the splash, Greninja began doing triangle jumps between both pillars surrounding the platform until he reached the top awaiting his next order, his eyes wide open as he waited for Araquanid to come back up.

    The spider emerged like half a minute later, and didn''t look happy in the least.

    "Just a couple of lucky blows," Chris said. "That skinny frog won''t be a match for us! Araquanid, use your thread and climb up the other pillar!"

    The spider obliged, firing a thread at the nearby pillar and then retracting it to pull himself up. Once they were on the same level, both glared at each other as they awaited for their next orders.

    "Let''s try something new. Greninja, just as we practiced, Water Shuriken!" Misty called.

    Greninja instantly raised a hand and created a four-tipped star out of water, enlarging it until it reached a more or less considerable size.

    "What''s that?" Chris exclaimed. "How foolish, did you forget Araquanid''s ability or what?"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Oh, I didn''t forget," Misty said, once the shuriken was almost as big as Greninja himself. The girl snapped his fingers and the frog leapt into the air, spinning around to throw the projectile.

    Chris smirked, thinking they had gone mad, until halfway through, Misty gave her next command.

    "Now, Ice Beam!"

    Much to Chris'' surprise, Greninja lowered his tongue/muffler and opening his mouth he fired a freezing ray at the shuriken. The effect was gradual visually: the star turned from deep blue to a more whiteish-blue tone, and also more rigid as it turned from liquid to solid.

    Chris'' eyes widened upon understanding what it meant. Araquanid himself was shocked too, and only reacted when Chris managed to snap out of his stupor and told him what to do, albeit in a burst of desperation. "Protect!"

    At the last second, Araquanid raised his energy dome. The (now) Ice Shuriken crashed against it breaking into pieces, but it made it clear that, had it hit its mark, that attack would have done a number on them.

    And then, Chris finally understood the real intent behind it. "I see¡­ that way you bypass Araquanid''s ability," he muttered, sounding genuinely impressed.

    After all it was called Water Absorb, not Ice Absorb. And even taking into account types and abilities, a hit from a solid spinning projectile at that speed would definitely hurt a lot more than a liquid one. Plus he couldn''t reflect it back using Mirror Coat as it wasn''t an energy attack. He had to admit the ''skinny frog'' was turning out to be a truly formidable foe, though he should have expected it from Misty.

    Meanwhile, on the other side, Misty was starting to smile again. Indeed, Chris'' Araquanid was pretty strong, and was well-trained to defeat Gyarados, both in tanking his attacks and having countermeasures for them.

    But that came to a prize: as he was trained to fight an opponent much stronger and bigger in size, evidently he wouldn''t have the same edge against a smaller and nimbler one who could use hit-and-run tactics so effectively.

    What Greninja lacked in Gyarados'' durability, he made it up with his great evasive capacity to avoid damage instead of taking it, and his attacks were capable of dishing out a lot of punishments on his foes. Furthermore, Araquanid was evidently better trained to catch and use long-ranged attacks, barring Leech Life, rendering him vulnerable against a foe who specialized in close-quarters combat.

    "Araquanid, jump over the field and fire Sticky Web to everything in sight!" Chris shouted.

    "Quad, quad, quad, quad!"

    The spider leapt from platform to platform and between the pillars all across the arena, trying to cover them all in sticky globs. Misty at first didn''t get what they were up to, but they remained on alert, until Araquanid started firing at Greninja himself, trying to catch him off-guard.

    "Dodge!"

    Greninja nimbly jumped and avoided the initial barrage. Chris then ordered Araquanid to keep firing, although he still missed. Greninja was too agile and a much smaller target than Gyarados, so getting a lock on him was much harder.

    Or so it was, until his attempt to dodge a barrage of sticky projectiles accidentally made him step on one of the platforms covered in glob, getting his foot stuck on it.

    "Greninja, no!" Misty welled.

    "We got them!" Chris exclaimed triumphantly. "Burn him with Scald!"

    Araquanid, who landed on another sticky platform, but unlike Greninja had no problem with stepping on his own sticky fluid, fired the boiling water stream at the helpless frog, still trying to pull his foot out.

    "Protect with Water Shuriken!" Misty exclaimed.

    Once again Greninja summoned a shuriken, but instead of throwing or freezing it, he just placed it forward and spun it as fast as he could, trying to repel the hot water. Some droplets splashed onto him, but beyond that he didn''t get hurt, much to Chris'' chagrin.

    "Damn it, where did they learn those things?" he muttered behind his teeth. "Alright, if that''s how you want to play. Araquanid, use Leech Life and finish them!"

    The spider clasped his mandibles and jumped to bite the frog, who still tried to unstick his foot. There was no way to dodge: that attack would be devastating against Greninja''s secondary Dark-type, and all that was left was to suck the life out of him until he couldn''t get back up.

    "Greninja, you know what to do!" Misty cried out.

    "It''s useless! This''ll be your end!" Chris declared, right when Araquanid was about to sink his fangs. The battle and the tournament would be theirs with that attack¡­

    *POOF!*

    And then, right when he bit his neck, the frog vanished in a blast of smoke, leaving behind a deflated dummy that disappeared shortly after. Chris and Araquanid barely had a couple seconds to assimilate what had happened, only for another poof to go off. Greninja reappeared on top of him, his foot glowing with the power of an Aerial Ace ready to deliver a brutal axe kick on his head.

    "What the hell?!" Chris yelled.

    "Substitute," Misty explained simply. "Another trick we practiced: if he''s going to take an attack he knows he can''t dodge, Substitute and deliver a counterattack immediately."

    "Damn it." The blue-haired young man gritted his teeth. A simple yet effective tactic, though you had to be skilled to pull it off well, as it sacrificed a chunk of the Pok¨¦mon''s health to create the decoy.

    "I think this battle has gone way too long," Misty declared firmly. "Greninja, Double Team and Cut, no mercy!"

    "Protect!" Chris yelled, already desperate.

    While Greninja multiplied all over the field, Araquanid preemptively raised his protective shield. Next, Greninja and his clones all pulled their energy blades and charged in to attack en masse. The Greninja doppelgangers fizzled out after impacting against the barrier, while the real one jumped between them and charged from any angle he could find, striking the Protect repeatedly.

    "A bit more, just a little bit more," Misty said, keeping her eyes on Araquanid. All she had to do was wait for the right moment¡­

    And said moment came when a crack appeared on top of the protective dome. Misty knew that was the opening she was waiting for.

    "Greninja, attack him from above!"

    "Ninja!"

    The remaining Greninja clones were reabsorbed by original, who leapt to place himself on top of Araquanid. He immediately reversed his sword grip and aimed it downwards as he let gravity do the rest for him.

    The sword embedded itself on the dome''s crack, causing it to shatter immediately, much to Chris'' and Araquanid''s shock. The spider didn''t react on time, as being focused on keeping the barrier up he could neither move nor attack, and all he could do was watch with his eyes filled with horror how the frog readied his attack.

    "Grenin¡­ JA, JA, JA, JA, JA, JA!"

    The next thing was a barrage of Cuts so fast nobody could count them, ending with a brutal diagonal slash from below that knocked the spider off the pillar. He fell on the center platform, rolled out and then into the water. Greninja leapt downwards and landed on one of the secondary platforms.

    "Is that it?" Misty asked, although she didn''t actually believe it.

    And certainly enough, a few seconds later Araquanid resurfaced. He was badly hurt, but not as much as he should have been after such a beating. Misty bit her lower lip with irritation, but she quickly deduced what was going on.

    "It''s the Water Absorb. In this field he''s got an unlimited source for healing, although slower than just absorbing an attack. If it wasn''t for that, we''d have won already."

    Misty clenched her fists. Should the match turn into an endurance match, Greninja would lose in the long run. The only choice she ha was to connect a blow so hard Araquanid wouldn''t get back up again.

    The redhead glanced at the VIP box again, looking for somebody specifically. Despite how far it was, she knew exactly where Ash was. Their eyes briefly met with one another''s, and there was no need for words to deliver the message.

    Ash knew what she was thinking with just one look, and with a single nod, he sent his answer. "Go for it."

    "Greninja, this''ll be our final attack! You ready?" Misty asked, focusing her stare on the arena and outstretching her hand. "Full power!"

    "Ninja!" The frog nodded and assumed the standard ninja stance.

    Instantly, a waver veil engulfed him, giving off blue pseudo-electric sparks. Once it dissipated, Greninja''s appearance had changed, with a slightly lighter shade of blue, black protuberances with a red streak on either side of his head, and a water shuriken appearing on his back, placed in a way that looked like butterfly wings. Immediately, everyone present, especially Chris and Araquanid, was left shocked to this sight.

    "That''s¡­" the blue-haired boy muttered.

    "We have only one shot, Greninja! Ice Shuriken with everything you''ve got!" Misty shouted, taking advantage of everybody''s shocked stupor.

    Greninja first raised a hand over his head to create a giant Water Shuriken. Once it grew to a large size, he raised his other hand to help keep it stable. With that done, he gave a step forward and brusquely lowering both hands he hurled it.

    "NIN¡­ JAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

    The shuriken flew like a spinning saw. As soon as he let go of it, Greninja puffed up his cheeks and blew another Ice Beam with more power than the previous one to freeze it as fast as he could. The shuriken, now solidified, kept going unstoppable towards the stunned Araquanid, who like his trainer was left in a blank at what just happened to react.

    The ninja star hit hard, and the ice shards flew all over the place, ending up floating scattered over the battlefield. But the tension reigned for quite a while, for nobody knew what happened.

    Once the smoke cleared, they saw the result: Greninja was kneeling down, gasping and back in his base form, while Araquanid laid belly up over his platform, his legs all spread open, and immobile. Greninja glanced one last time at his foe before standing upright and bowing respectfully to him.

    "A-Araquanid can''t fight anymore!" the referee declared, also caught in the excitement for a bit. "Greninja is the winner, and the champion of the Whirl Cup''s tournament is Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City!"

    "And that''s all, folks! What a grand finale, ladies and gentlemen! With a spectacular comeback and a devastating attack, Misty manages to defeat Chris and remains the Whirl Cup champion for three more years! Let''s give her all a big hand!"

    Once proclaimed the winner, Greninja raised a fist into the sky, while Misty yelled "Well done!" at him. The cheers immediately exploded across the entire stadium, but Misty didn''t pay any attention to them. At the time, she only had eyes for one person. For the boy with the Pikachu in the VIP box, who smiled at her and showed her a V-sign. She replied in kind, adding a wink for good measure.

    She then turned to her opponent, who had fallen to his knees, and his jaw now hanged without being able to pronounce a single word. Her smile immediately widened, as a victory sensation mixed with catharsis rushed through her from head to toe. Beating him there, humiliating him in front of so many people had been much better than any punch or slap she or Ash could have given him.

    That had been the best retribution for everything he did to her.

    <hr>

    Later at the closure ceremony¡­

    With all participants as witnesses, the Whirl Cup concluded with the award ceremony for the champion. Maya, the priestess who wielded the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire, approached to place the Mystic Water pendant around Misty''s neck like a medal, and then handed her the crystal trophy. The redhead already had one at home, but she still had room for one or two more.

    "You are a worthy heroine of the seas, Misty," the priestess said. "I hope you will honor us with your presence on our next competition."

    "You can count on it," the redhead assured.

    Misty looked behind her, where the competitions officers and Ash, who was allowed there as a guest at her request, began clapping, with everyone else quickly joining in the cheering, among the competitors and spectators of this exciting tournament.

    "Out of my way!"

    "Hey, you can''t go through! Stop, security!"

    Suddenly they heard a ruckus and screaming, followed by some footsteps upstairs towards the champion''s balcony. Everybody stood on alert, and seconds later they saw who was responsible for it. In fact, Misty didn''t take less than a second to recognize the voice, even before he showed up.

    "Chris? What are you doing here?" she asked in shock.

    "This duel doesn''t count!" Chris yelled in outrage, pointing at the redhead. "You cheated! The Whirl Cup is rightfully mine!"

    "What a sore loser!" she heard Ash screaming. Misty noticed through the corner of her eye that the black-haired trainer was about to jump him, but she stopped him raising a hand. If they were going to start a scene, she couldn''t let Ash throw the first punch.

    "You cannot be here," Maya said with a stern voice, and then addressed the officers. "Call security immediately."

    "Wait up," Misty stopped her. "First, let''s hear out what he''s got to say to us. I get the feeling this is gonna be fun."

    Misty slowly walked towards Chris. Despite the horrible memories it brought back to have him so close, and how disgusted she felt just by breathing the same air as her, defeating him in the tournament helped her bury the last remnants of the pain she suffered due to his deception. All she had left now was to give him the last blow to close that chapter of her life once and for all.

    "For starters, what do you mean that I ''cheated''?" the redhead asked, even though part of her already had an idea of what he was about to say.

    "The Whirl Cup''s rules state you''re only allowed to use your own Pok¨¦mon for the competition. You can''t use somebody else''s Pok¨¦mon," Chris pointed as if it was the most obvious thing.

    "Yeah, everybody knows that," Misty said. "But what does that have to do with me?"

    "Don''t play smart on me!" he yelled with indignation, then addressing Maya and the competition''s officers. "And you guys should know too! The Greninja she used doesn''t belong to her!" He pointed towards Ash. "In fact, it belongs to that idiot over there, and may a Gyarados devour me if I''m lying, because you know it to be true! Therefore, the match in the finals shouldn''t count and I demand that she be disqualified now!"

    There was a wave of collecting screams from everyone present, as they all were shocked at the accusations. The only ones unfazed were Misty and Ash, who had their consciences at ease, and Maya, who kept her relaxed demeanor despite the fact she was no longer smiling.

    Misty then let out a giggle in amusement. "You know, Chris, I really thought you couldn''t fall any lower, but I have to commend you, you proved me wrong. Points for resorting to this of all things, though."

    "Don''t take me for a fool, ''little mermaid''," he said, and Misty didn''t miss the venom the last two words were loaded of. "You showed me your dear friend''s videos, and we both know there''s no other Greninja with the ability to transform that way for a power boost."

    "Lest you remember I said it was the only known case currently," Misty pointed. "For all we know there could be others in hiding nobody has ever found. But yeah, I admit it, the Greninja you saw in those videos is the same I used against you."

    "Hah! You see? She admits it!"

    "However," the girl interrupted him before he could keep celebrating, "there''s no way I''d take part in this tournament with a Pok¨¦mon that broke the rules. This competition is way too important for me to do such a thing, and I think Ash can explain the details better. Ash?"

    The black-haired young man, already calmed seeing that she had control of the situation, slowly approached and stood by her side. He still remained on alert in case Christ tried anything funny against either of them, and it made her feel much safer.

    "Indeed, that Greninja technically belongs to me," Ash admitted. "But there''s a simple explanation for Misty to have him now. You see, Misty told me about his specialized training program for Water Pok¨¦mon. In exchange, I could give one of her Pok¨¦mon some of my own Battle Coliseum training. It was obviously just a temporary arrangement, but until then¡­"

    "W-what? Chris stammered, as the color completely left his face.

    "That''s right, Chris," Misty said. "We did a Pok¨¦mon trade, it''s that simple. Of course, nobody but us knew about it, and Ash told me that, just this once, I could have him as a backup for the Whirl Cup if I wanted."

    "But what Pok¨¦mon did you trade for that?!" Chris asked with indignation and clearly dying to know. "You used all your main team during the competition!"

    "Well¡­" Misty looked at Ash and, as if on cue, one of the Pok¨¦balls on the boy''s belt popped open by itself.

    Much to everybody''s surprise, barring Ash and Misty''s, a certain very well known and loved yellow chubby duck came out of it. "Psy¡­ duck?

    "Haha, you said it, Psyduck," Ash said before turning to Chris, whose jaw hanged so wide open, Pikachu pulled out of his trainer''s pocket his cellphone to take a photo. "So then, I think this clears up any doubts, meaning there''s nothing to back up your claims. Now," he cracked his knuckles, "will you leave quietly, or this''ll have to get ugly?"

    "You''re gonna¡­!" Chris tried to jump on Ash, but fortunately two officers stepped in to hold him back. Ash meanwhile had instinctively placed himself in front of Misty to protect her, and Pikachu gave off sparks in case he had to shock him. "Let go! Let go of me I say!"

    "I believe we have heard enough," Maya declared. "Seeing there is no argument invaliding Misty''s victory, there is nothing left for you to do here. Escort him outside, that attitude is not worthy of a Whirl Cup competitor."

    "Let me go, let me go! Don''t you know who I am?! My father will learn about this, I swear you''ll regret it!"

    Chris'' screams continued to be heard even after the officers dragged him to the stairway by force. Ash and Misty just laughed; Chris had only made his humiliation worse, and after that little show, he''d most likely be vetoed from ever taking part in the Whirl Cup in his lifetime.

    "Now that this¡­ mishap has been dealt with, I officially declare this edition of the Whirl Cup concluded. Thank you everybody for participating, and may the Sea Spirit protect you all. We shall meet again in three years."

    The woman raised her scepter to radiate the gem''s power, and the people let out one last grand ovation. No doubt that''d be a Whirl Cup to be remembered in history.

    <hr>

    At sunset, out at sea¡­

    With the Whirl Cup concluded, they could have taken the express ferry to the next island, but Ash insisted they took the ''scenery route''. The reason for that, they met an old friend: the pod led by Ash''s Lapras was going through their migration period through Johto, and they kindly offered to give them a ride to the next island, for old times'' sake.

    "This is the best way to travel by sea." Misty softly rested on Lapras'' neck. "Quiet, relaxing, and we don''t have to pay a cent."

    "And the best part, we get to do it with good friends," Ash said. "By the way, I see you managed to get Greninja to transform without my help. Your training paid off."

    "I didn''t achieve much, really," Misty said with modesty. "Without your help, he can''t transform for more than thirty seconds, so all we can do is channel the power into one or two moves. That was an attack to all or nothing."

    "Almost sounds like a Z-Move," Ash said.

    "Come to think about it, I wonder if Lana would have lent me her Z-Ring and crystal. Do you think Greninja and I could have used a Hydro Vortex together?"

    "No way!" Ash said, causing the redhead to become shocked and glare at him, so he proceeded to explain. "I mean¡­ with all that power, you could have pulled out all the water in the arena, or worse. Everybody would have ended up soaked."

    "Is that a compliment or an insult?" she inquired.

    Ash simply shrugged and refused to answer, preferring to change the topic. "You know, at the island were going there''s a nice fishing spot. I think you''re gonna like it there."

    "Really? Well, isn''t that convenient? That means we can try these."

    Misty placed a hand in her jacket pocket, and pulled out a pair of mini-figurines. Ash quickly took notice one was an updated version of the Mini-Misty lure, albeit more stylized than the original yet with the same outfit. The other, to his surprise, was a Mini-Ash, clearly based on him when he first started his journey.

    Ash held his mini-version for a bit, and after examining it for a bit, gave Misty a curious stare. "Say, is it me, or mine looks smaller than yours?"

    "Back then you were shorter than me," she reminded him. "If you don''t like it, give it back."

    "No, no, it''s fine as is," he said pocketing it. "I''ll keep it, thanks."

    Both remained silent for a while, and Misty took the chance to enjoy the nice sea breeze. She had missed for quite a while traveling on Lapras'' back. Memories of their journeys throughout the Orange Islands and the many adventures they shared together flowed through her mind, although back then they were three: Ash, Tracey and her (and four counting Pikachu). But at the time, being alone with Ash made her appreciate some other details of this way of traveling.

    "The sunset over the sea," Misty said. "It''s been a while since I last saw it, I had almost forgotten how beautiful it was."

    "And romantic too, isn''t it?" Ash said. The girl raised a curious and amused eyebrow. "What? Don''t go telling me it''s not."

    "Of course it is, it''s just¡­ you talking about romantic stuff?" Misty asked.

    "Brock said it would be." Ash looked away, slightly blushing and fiddling with his thumbs.

    With those words, Misty finally understood the real purpose behind going back on Lapras rather than taking ferry. True, he''d just confessed it was an idea of Brock, but he deserved credit for putting it on practice.

    "So, you wanted me to see it with you?" she inquired. The red tone in Ash''s face intensified, giving him away. "If that was what you wanted, you could have just told me from the beginning."

    "I didn''t know if you''d agree. That''s why I asked Lapras to help me with this."

    Misty rolled her eyes and sighed. He could have matured in the past few years, but he was still a tad slow for some things. That said, at least he was trying harder, and he genuinely wanted to leave behind his condition of "love inexpert". And she really appreciated it; all he needed was some more self-confident, Misty thought.

    And speaking of love things¡­

    "Ash¡­ it''s been almost two years since¡­ that," Misty said the last word with a disgusted face. "After today, I think it''s long enough for me to bury that chapter once and for all. I think it''s time we talk about it."

    "You read my mind." Ash nodded. "So, what will we do now?"

    Misty took a moment to breathe deeply and sort out her thoughts. There was a lot she wanted to say, and despite all the time gone by, she was still unsure of the best way to do so. When it came to her deepest feelings about Ash, she wasn''t good at expressing them, or at least, not for what she wanted in their relationship.

    "Ash¡­ you''ve been my best friend for almost my entire life," she said. "But these two years made me realize that even then, there was so much I didn''t know about you. I learned a valuable lesson: we all keep secrets, and you never get to know people completely."

    "For better or worse." Ash nodded. Obviously it applied both ways: meaning himself and Chris.

    "When I met Chris, I thought I could forget my feelings for you. But I realized they never actually left. Maybe I felt so hurt for your rejection that I tried to have a relationship with someone as close to you as possible, without any of your flaws. And that was my mistake."

    "I then realized I loved everything of you, even some of your flaws. True, you''ve left behind some more than others, and they can still be improved upon, but they''re still part of you. And it''s always been that way."

    Misty stopped for a moment to sort her thoughts again. Saying all that had been a relief already, and it was as if a chain wrapped around her chest suddenly broke. It was a really liberating sensation.

    "So I''m asking you now. Ash Ketchum¡­ what do you think about me? What do you feel for me?"

    Ash smiled and briefly looked away, but quickly gathered courage to say his piece.

    "As for what I think¡­ I think you''re the most incredible girl I''ve ever met. A talented trainer, someone who is adventurous and with whom I never get a second of boredom. Believe it or not, I felt really sad when we separated the first time, you know?"

    Misty smiled, feeling touched at his confession. She knew it was true; even if he tried to hide it, she could see he was about to cry when she and Brock went their separate ways while he returned to Pallet Town. She didn''t want to spoil the moment by mocking him, so she kept quiet.

    "As for what I feel for you¡­ to be honest I''m not fully sure either. My feelings are still here, except there''s something different and I can''t explain what it is. But if there''s something I''m sure of, is that I want to figure it out¡­ with you. I want you to show me what it means to love somebody for real. To teach me how I can make you happy."

    Ash gently held her hands and stared at her with determination. "Misty¡­ I don''t know if this is the same love I felt for you back then, but even if it''s not¡­ I want it to be, really."

    Silence fell between both of them, who became lost in each other''s eyes. The only sound was the noise of the Lapras softly cutting through the waves, and the sun slowly sank on the horizon, with the first stars of the night beginning to appear. Only they knew what happened between them, but they didn''t need any more words to express their feelings.

    Except maybe¡­

    "Pikapika." Pikachu suddenly tugged both their jacket''s sleeves. They both glanced to see the electric mouse, and before they could ask what was going on, he answered himself. "Pikapi, Pikachupi, chuuuuuuuu."

    Both trainers and childhood friends stared in shock how Pikachu emphasized the "chuuuuuuuu" burrowing his mouth slightly and placing his forepaws together in a rather obvious gesture.

    "Hey, is he saying¡­?"

    "Yeah, he is," Ash replied. "I think he wants us to ''seal the deal'' once and for all."

    "Pika." The mouse nodded.

    The redhead giggled. Well, after everything they''d gone through, it seemed fair enough now. Without further words, Misty closed her eyes and braced herself, making it clear she wanted him to be the one who initiated it.

    Ash gathered up courage and slowly drew closer until their lips grazed each other softly. Misty shivered for a moment, but seeing Ash didn''t take the step to complete it (he evidently was too nervous and afraid to screw it up) she finally decided to get close herself and hold him gently behind his neck.

    After the start, though, the boy quickly relaxed and let himself get carried away by her. For someone so inexperienced, Misty had to admit he wasn''t a bad kisser.

    The sun was finally setting on the horizon, and the last rays of daylight marked the silhouettes of the young pair of childhood friends now turned lovers, symbolizing the sunset of their stage of friendship. The next sunrise would mark the dawn of a new stage, a stage of love between them.

    Misty didn''t know what the future had in store for them in that stage, but one thing was for sure. No matter how much time passed, and no matter how much they grew and matured, things didn''t have to change that much between them. Their friendship wouldn''t disappear; it would only evolve into something different, something they had to discover together.

    And discovering these new feelings would be a new and exciting adventure.

    FIN.