Cheat

By Ice

Crystal walked down the street. It was starting to get dark in Citrus Island, and she needed to hurry to the hotel. She gripped harder on her bag of pokeballs as she saw the hotel nearby.

A patch on her shirt read

**

Crystal walked into the hotel and took a look at the lobby before going to the cashier. It seemed friendly enough. An elevator and staircase were at the far wall, and on the left wall there was door that lead to a cafeteria for breakfast.

Crystal went up to the cashier, who looked questioningly at her.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I’d like a room for one," said Crystal, reaching into her pockets for money.

"I’m sorry, but all the rooms are taken. You’ll have to share a room with somebody if that’s all right with you. I’ll give you half the price for it."

Crystal thought for a moment. Well, she’ll have to take it. So what if some huge, fat, ugly, mean and nasty guy was in that room? She could survive one, tiny, night… right?

**

"Here’s your new room," said the bellboy. "Hold on a minute…"

He knocked on the door and a trio of voices answered. "Yes?"

The boy opened the door and Crystal saw the three people, who had two pokemon hanging around, one being a pikachu, and the other a togepi. Crystal had heard two high-pitched voices, and one low. She saw a girl with orange hair, blue-green eyes, a yellow shirt, suspenders, and shorts. There was a boy with black hair, a red and white hat, a short-sleeved blue and white jacket, black shirt, and jeans. Then there was a boy older than the two of the others, who had a red band around his head, a green shirt, and shorts. Where had that third high-pitched voice come from? Oh well. But there the three people she’d stay with stood. This was just her luck.

"Is it okay this girl stays in for the night since all the other rooms are taken?"

The three looked at each other. "Okay," said the smaller boy. He had the high-pitched voice. He sounded very strange, although Crystal blushed at him and sensed she had just fallen in love with the boy.

Crystal timidly walked in and heard the door closing as if she’d entered a stadium to fight a wild lion.

"Hi, I’m Tracy, a pokemon watcher," said the older boy.

"And I’m Misty," said the girl.

"And I’m Ash Ketchum, future pokemon master!" said the young boy enthusiastically.

"Who are you?" asked Tracy.

‘Well, they sure are friendly,’ thought Crystal, sweatdopping at the pick-up lines they most likely used every time somebody happened to come into their lives. "My name is Crystal, but you can just call me C.D. In fact, always call me C.D. since I assure you won’t live a long life by calling me Crystal," she said, beginning to feel a little more comfortable around them as she talked to them.

Ash looked at her patch on her shirt.

"Koraseru Town? Gym leader?" he asked, looking up at Crystal’s blushed face. "You’re a gym leader?"

"I… I was," she said, setting down her bag of pokeballs. "I used to be the gym leader of Koraseru Town, but I wanted to, sort of, see the rest of the world. I wanted to travel to different cities, face the obstacles of being a pokemon trainer instead of a pokemon gym leader."

"Koraseru… that means crystalline," said Tracy. "Is the city known for a certain type of pokemon?"

"No. It’s actually known for having a wide variety of types of pokemon," replied Crystal. "Crystal is clear, so it has no color, or it’s white. In terms of light, when all colors, or in this case, elements, come together it becomes white. Named after the city, is the badge I give to those who win against me."

"So you train a whole bunch of types of pokemon?" asked Misty.

"Actually no," she said. "I have my favorites, but my types have a wide variety of the types of attacks: if you ever want my badge, you’ll need something that beats all the different elemental attacks of my pokemon. I only fight one pokemon per battle."

"You sound like a really tough trainer," said Tracy.

"Hmph," grunted Ash. "I could beat her pokemon any time."

"I don’t know, Ash…" said Crystal, but she admired the obvious determination in him. Although, this isn’t what she came here for. There was no time for her to think about love… although she did start to think she did. "Tell me. What type can win against, ohhh…. ice and dragon?"

"Umm…" Ash thought for a moment.

Crystal smirked. ‘He’s cute… but he’s dumb if he doesn’t know what type that is.’

"It’s normal," said Tracy. Everybody turned their attention to him. "I believe the type ‘normal’ has no advantage or disadvantage against anything except rock and ghost," he looked at her, "Am I right?"

"Correct," Crystal replied, and got more comfortable on the bed she was sitting on. "So, Ash… do you have a normal type pokemon?"

"I’ve got my snorlax… Ha! So I can beat you!"

"That all depends, Ash…" said Crystal and crossed her arms. "You need to have the skills."

"Huh?" he wondered.

"Remember, pokemon battles aren’t only based on types. It also depends on strategy, strength, skills, and the way you treat your pokemon. You may have a normal type pokemon, but I could still win. I’ve got a lapras that could freeze it and so it couldn’t move. Or if I use an electric attack from my jolteon, it could paralyze it. And who knows… I might just have a move that could KO yours," she said and winked at him.

"You seem to know a lot about pokemon," complimented Misty.

"Well, I try and give a lot of attention to my pokemon. I’ll see their eating habits, brush them… if they have fur, that is. I also love how sometimes the meanest, most ferocious-looking pokemon can have its beauty. That’s why I love to draw pokemon."

Crystal took out a clipboard that had several pieces of paper clipped to it. She took one out of it, and handed it to Misty. "It’s my dragonair," she said.

Misty looked at it, seeing the way the water splashed up as her dragonair was uprooting through it. The sun shone on each drop, or it would have, so that’s why Crystal added a spark to each drop, even though it was all done with just a pencil.

"Hey, this is pretty good!" said Misty. Ash and Tracy leaned in forward.

"You’re a good artist, C.D.," said Tracy.

"Yeah… not bad for a twelve year old, eh?" said Crystal, smiling proudly for herself.

Everybody stared at her. "What?" she asked.

"You’re only twelve?" asked Ash.

Crystal gave a questioning look. "Well, how old am I if I’m not twelve?"

"Aren’t you… kind of young to be a gym leader?" asked Ash.

"Age doesn’t matter about any thing," replied Crystal.

"Well, Ash has a point," said Tracy. "I don’t think there’s any way you could qualify as a gym leader if you only started training two years ago."

"Well, I didn’t start training two years ago. I may have not gotten a license until two years ago, but I still trained pokemon at home. In terms of Rainbow Island, the Crystalline Level is the highest ranking level… and guess who used to be gym leader of that level," said Crystal with a smirk. She looked at Ash directly. "So, Ash. You may have a close age to me, at least as it looks like, but are you still so confident in beating me in a pokemon battle?"

"Of course!" he said enthusiastically and clenched his fists.

"Okay then," Crystal said and grabbed his arm. "My pokemon like the night; let’s go outside to battle now…"

Tracy and Misty followed along outside as Crystal dragged Ash out into the park.

"You better be able to think straight during the night Ash, since I don’t want a battle too easy for me."

"Don’t worry," he said, "because I know I’ll win."

"Remember, one on one, no sending back your pokemon," she said. "I’ll send out my pokemon first."

Crystal opened her pokeball-bag and reached inside blindly to bring one out, and depend on whatever came out.

"Pokeball, go!" she shouted and threw the ball, wondering if she should have chosen whatever came in her hand.

The white energy blew out from the ball as it opened, and out popped her dragonair.

"Arctic Air… you always seem to be in a battle," said Crystal with a sheepish smile.

"Hmmmmmhhhhhh," it sang in an echoed voice.

Ash pulled out his pokedex. "Dragonair," it beeped, "A mystical pokemon that is said to control the weather. It is the evolved form of dratini."

"A dragon pokemon… but what’s strong against it?" wondered Ash. "Well, then… umm… Pikachu, you can do it!"

"Pika!" shouted Pikachu, eager to fight the dragon pokemon.

Crystal frowned. ‘This kid’s got a long way to go,’ she thought.

"Pikachu, thundershock!" Ash ordered.

"Pika- CHUUUUU!!!" Pikachu jolted out a large amount of lighting, aimed at Crystal’s dragonair, Arctic Air.

The electricity hit the dragon and it stayed in place, its eyes closed tight.

"Hahah… we’re going to win this one, Pikachu!" said Ash.

"Don’t be so sure," shouted Crystal.

"Hhhhmmmmmhhhhh," said the dragonair, shaking its head a little, then prepared to fight, its body with no signs of burns on it.

"Huh?" wondered Ash.

"Arctic Air, show that pikachu your fire blast!" ordered Crystal.

"Hhhmmmmmhhhh," it said and reared back its head to fire out its attack.

"Wow, I’ve got to make sketches of this!" exclaimed Tracy, studying how Arctic Air moved its head back to blast out the attack.

It threw its head forward and a five-limbed blast of fire aimed at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, duck!" cried out Ash.

Pikachu did so, quickly, but its back ended up burnt.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out again and ran up to it. "Ah! You’re burnt!"

"Give up?" asked Crystal.

"Pika…" Pikachu climbed up, a face as determined as Ash’s.

"That’s it, Pikachu. A little burn on the back won’t hurt much. We can do it!"

"Pika!"

"Okay, Pikachu, give it all you got! Agility!"

Pikachu ran around Arctic Air in a circle, faster and faster it went, gaining speed.

"Wow," said Tracy, "Ash is using agility to actually confuse the opponent instead of just gaining speed."

Misty put her hand over her mouth a little so nobody saw the smile that she could help but make.

"Hang in there, Arctic Air! Try and freeze it with blizzard!"

The dragonair shook its head a little and tried not to pay attention to the small mouse. It was only running around in circles.

"Hmmmmmhhhhhh…" it said and looked upwards. It arched its head back, or in this case, down, then gave a powerful spray all around it in a circle and little by little, it fell onto Pikachu.

Pikachu started slowing down, although it was getting cold as Arctic Air kept its pace in blowing out its blizzard attack.

"Pi…ka… pika… chuuu," it mumbled out. Pikachu’s teeth chattered and its fur was in a coat of bluish white. Pikachu couldn’t run anymore and felt as if it was going to get frozen if it kept up.

Ash’s eyes watered a little. "No, wait stop! Stop!" he wailed, waving his arms and he ran up to the frozen mouse.

Crystal put her hand on her dragonair and it stopped emitting the ice.

"Pikachu will be okay if we set it in front of a heater, and I have an ice and burn heal in my backpack," said Crystal.

**

"Now hold still, Pikachu," said Crystal, holding the burn heal in her hand. "This will sting just for a moment."

She sprayed the liquid on Pikachu’s back and it squealed and kicked a little.

"Shhh…" said Crystal and stroked Pikachu’s back. Pikachu relaxed a little and its fur softened "You need rest."

"You must really care for pokemon," said Misty.

"I don’t like battling that much," said Crystal, still looking down at Pikachu. "I train my pokemon… I enjoy watching them get stronger and healthier… but when I look at the pokemon I hurt in a battle, I think of how maybe… maybe pokemon need a little time off now and then. That’s actually part of the reason I quit being a gym leader."

"Is anybody taking place in the gym?" asked Tracy.

"I don’t know. There’s usually a replacement for a gym if one leaves… I’m not sure when there’ll be a replacement for that gym, but until then, Rainbow Island’s league tournaments will be down until trainers can get the crystalline badge."

"If you’re not a gym leader, are you a pokemon trainer then?" asked Misty.

Crystal shook her head. "No."

"A breeder?"

"No."

"A watcher?"

"No."

"A photographer?"

"No."

"Then what?" asked Misty.

"For now, I’m just a traveler with some pokemon to take care of. When I get better at drawing and other art, I want to become a manga artist with some pokemon to take care of… and when I get a little older, I want to become an actress… with some pokemon to take care of."

I set the ice and burn heal back in my backpack.

"Wow, to think you had both a burn and ice heal there… it must have been some coincidence," said Ash.

"No, not really. When you battle with dragon pokemon, you get a lot of elemental attacks that sort of need heals and such. I have refills of burn heal, antidotes, and ice heals in my backpack. My lapras once knew Sing and I still have an awakening. If my pokemon ever get hurt in a battle that happens to come my way, I use the potions and revives. You need a lot of supplies when you travel as fast as I do. Here today, gone tomorrow. That’s what my brother refers to me as."

"Well, I’m hitt’n the hay," said Ash. "But first I need to go to the bathroom," he said and walked in.

"I think I’ll just go to sleep now," said Tracy and he got into bed faster than you could say… um… supercalafradgalisticexpealidocious… which is a very long word, so I guess he took his time.

That left Crystal, Misty, and Togepi, who was wandering around aimlessly.

Crystal thought about Ash for a moment. He seemed kind of like a girl, but she still had a crush on him. But it would pass. She’d leave in the morning after thanking them for letting her crash in for the night. She blushed at the thought of him… so cute…

"C.D.?" a whisper broke her train of thoughts.

Crystal looked up, seeing Misty looking directly at her. She looked at Misty with a query.

"Were you talking to me?" asked Crystal.

"Yes," said Misty quietly and she looked down at the carpet for a moment.

Crystal cocked her head.

"Well, seeing that there’s… finally another girl I can sort of… talk to instead of Tracy or… or Ash…" Misty felt like she didn’t want to come out with it, even though she was right in the middle of explaining.

Crystal sweatdropped a little. "Well, to tell you the truth, I’m sort of boyish to some, but I can keep a secret. I’d never laugh at you."

Misty looked up at her. "Well, I just sort of… have to tell somebody this. At least somebody who wouldn’t make a fuss of it, and is human instead of talking to Togepi, since it wouldn’t really do me any good."

"Yes… so what do you want to say?" asked Crystal.

"It’s about Ash," she said.

Crystal got a feeling she knew what Misty was going to say. Misty’s own cheeks were as red as Crystal’s when she blushed, and she kept looking at the carpet.

"I sort of… I kind of… I… I love him," she said. She confessed to probably the first human being ever besides herself.

"Well, Misty…" Crystal started, but Misty interrupted her.

"I mean, I actually fight with him. A lot. This morning, this afternoon, yesterday and the day before that… I don’t know why I love him. But I do. I just… I just don’t know if he loves me too… I just… I just…"

"Woah, woah, woah…" Crystal said. "Slow down there, Misty. Now look, if you want to know if he loves you too, there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to ask him."

"Easy for you to say…" said Misty and her eyes started to become watery. "You’ve never loved before… You’ve never thought about other humans before… to actually love them. Not just care about them, but you really love them. A good, strong relationship and…" Misty trailed off and looked directly at Crystal, who was thinking at the moment: ‘Misty, you have no idea how far you are from thinking that a girl like me would not know about love.’

"Why am I saying this to a twelve year old girl?" she asked.

"Now hold on there, Misty. You may not think a twelve year old tomboy would know about love, but sometimes the youngest children, of age six and seven would know about love and how they’d never freak out at hearing the word ‘kiss’ or ‘hug’ or anything like that. And let me say you’re looking at an older version of one of those six and seven year olds."

"I… I guess you’re right, C.D. I’m sorry… it’s just that… hanging around Tracy who keeps insisting Ash and I like each other is so annoying and I spurt out that I disagree. And the way Ash is so immature makes me think he could never understand that I love him until, I don’t know… until he becomes a pokemon master and might get a little time off to stop and think."

"Well, boys do mature slower than girls… he’s only around thirteen or fourteen, so wait just a little while and maybe he’ll start to get a few hints that you throw to him, okay?" said Crystal.

"Yeah. Thanks. I just needed to say I love him to somebody before I explode in front of Togepi," said Misty.

"Yeah, just give him a little time…"

Ash walked out of the bathroom his pajamas on and he started to walk to his bed, but he slipped and fell.

"Ouch…"

"Umm…" said Crystal and whispered to Misty. "Make that a long time."

**

Crystal was in her bed, sleeping soundly. Everybody was in the room except Ash, who lay in the bed next to hers.

She won against him. A girl practically just as old as he was. She seemed tall for a twelve-year old, and kind of pretty too.

No. What was Ash thinking? He… he didn’t really like Crystal, did he? She was just a passing stranger that he battled. That’s right… that’s right… that’s wrong.

That is so very wrong. Maybe he did like her a little…

But then, she’s an ex-gym leader! Leaving her own gym just to travel. What kind of gym leader is that? Well, a very smart gym leader, he guessed. She found the way out of Pikachu’s agility trick and it confused everybody else.

Then… does that mean he loved her? He barely knew her but…

Ash found himself standing in front of Crystal, looking down at her.

"Crystal…" he whispered.

"Don’t call me that…" she mumbled, but still looked asleep.

Ash got a little surprised and fell backwards, making a thump.

Crystal woke up, her eyes wide open and she looked around a little. She thought she heard somebody say her name.

Ash climbed up, his head a little light and dizzy.

"Ash?" she said, blushing at the thought of him.

With the lights off, she knew he couldn’t see her blush, but she couldn’t see his blush either… although as they stared at each other they somehow felt…

Crystal seemed to kiss him first, but he kissed back. Crystal then realized that this was her first kiss, and it was with the first boy she ever had a crush on. She could feel his arms creeping around her back, both of their breaths held so they didn’t breathe on each other, and…

One of Crystal’s eyes opened. She saw the close up of Ash’s face, their kiss still held, but she didn’t like it. She didn’t like it at all. Crystal’s eye then showed a look of both fright and worry. No! This… this wasn’t supposed to happen! This wasn’t a time to go and kiss a boy the first night you met him. It takes a good, strong… r e l a t i o n s h i p…

Crystal pushed Ash away hard, breaking the kiss. She had started the kiss first, she’ll end it first to make things right.

Ash stared at her, surprised at the push and his face asked "Why?" Crystal just climbed back on her bed, shaking her head slowly.

"No… No… I, I don’t want to, Ash. It’s not right," she said.

"But C.D. I love…"

"Misty!" Crystal hissed at him. "I love you too, but I don’t want this to go on, Ash. If at least I know you’re mature enough to understand love, then go to the girl you really love."

"But I love you C.D… I admit I’ve grown on Misty but I don’t think…"

"Then think, Ash. Don’t love two people at once. Choose the only person you know you love, and I know that if you see who you’ve gotten to know better, got to fight with, got to experience at least one laugh with, you’ll find it’s not me," said Crystal.

"But how would you know if Misty loves me?"

"Because she told me."

**

Crystal was asleep by then, but Ash was still in a small shock that Misty had indeed loved him, and he never knew it. He never thought about it though… he thought that maybe he didn’t love her, but now he realized he did. He really did love Misty! And Crystal must have been right… she’d be leaving in the morning, he couldn’t follow her, going off track of his journey.

Ash stared at Misty. ‘Sleeping angel…’ he thought. Ash sat down by Misty’s bed, her arm was hanging off the edge and her lips were in a small pout. He held her hand and kissed it.

**

Misty woke up, she saw Crystal sleeping on her bed. Her hand cringed a little to get out of the stiffness, but she felt herself squeeze something instead of just air.

Crystal cracked open an eye. Misty must have been convinced of her performance.

Misty looked down and saw Ash leaning against her bed and his hand was linked with her own. She then realized she was still squeezing his hand.

Hmm… but how did that hand get in there? Just what made Ash want to sleep by her bed and hold her hand… Ohh, it was simple enough. But Misty wasn’t sure if that was so true… maybe… maybe Tracy did that?

It was until then that she felt a squeeze on her own hand. Misty peered down at him closer as he opened his eyes.

Ash cringed a little. ‘God, my back aches…’ he thought, but then remembered he had just slept on the floor, sitting down with one of his arms in the air, holding Misty’s hand.

Ash looked up at Misty. Both of their hands were held tightly, but they had immediately forgotten about it. All they knew and saw were each other.

It seemed as if the whole world was closed off from them, and there was only Ash and Misty… but there was a third object that remained transparent: Crystal, who smiled softly.

‘Kiss, you two, or I’ll never get to step a foot out of this room,’ she thought, hoping they’d do so.

Misty snapped out of the trance and realized where she was again. She saw Crystal looking at her, winking at her.

"He’s gotten all the time he needs," she mouthed so Ash wouldn’t hear her.

Misty nodded, a grin forming and she looked back down at Ash.

Misty neared the edge of her bed bending her head down, and Ash stretched up until their lips were pressed together in a kiss.

**

"Well, I better be going. Gotta get some inspiration for my art. I need that, wanting to be a manga artist and all," said Crystal, slipping her backpack straps over her shoulders and lifting her bag of pokeballs.

"What? So soon?" asked Tracy.

"Here today, gone tomorrow, Tracy. Travelers don’t really stay in one place all the time. I was thinking of going to Indigo Island and see some pokemon there."

Misty walked up to Crystal and whispered to her. "Thanks, C.D.," she said.

"Hey, that’s okay," replied Crystal, then whispered back. "But I have to admit… he sure is cute!"

Crystal put her hands on her hip, though one hand still held the bag, and she laughed loudly so everybody stared at her quizzically.

"Well, I must be going. Thanks for letting me crash in," she said and opened the hotel door, but before leaving she still hung onto the doorway and fluttered her eyes. "I alwaiys depended on the kindness of staingers," she said in an accent and then slammed the door while laughing.

"Yeah! I’m gonna be a movie star! Wohoo!" they heard her muffled voice as she walked down the hall.

Misty turned around, but saw a not on Crystal’s bed. On the top it read "To Ash and Misty."

"Hey, Ash, come over here," she said and Ash walked over. "It looks like Crystal left something," said Misty.

She unfolded it and there was a note inside.

"Hey, I may have said goodbye, but just remember what I’m putting in this note. It’s just a few little things I sometimes tell people I have conflicts with.

Now remember, keep on traveling with each other…"

**

"…and I know you’ll become a great couple, and Tracy might not nag you so much," Crystal repeated the letter, looking up at the hotel.

There was a sudden sound of static coming from her backpack.

"C.D. are you there?" a voice came on.

Crystal pulled out a walkie-talkie from her backpack and pressed a side button.

"C.D. here," she said and started down the road. "What’s up, Emma? Did you just pair up Cassidy and Butch?"

"You betcha! And you got Ash and Misty already?"

"Yeah. I had to pose as a gym leader of ‘Rainbow Island.’ Heheh…"

"Hahah… Rainbow Island? And they believed it existed?"

"They were putty in my hands… well, almost. I kinda fell in love with Ash."

"Tisk, tisk, tisk, C.D. You better not tell the boss about that."

"I can’t help it if he’s cute!"

"Well, anyway. Do I have another assignment?"

"Oh yeah! I got a call from the boss before I got to Ash and Misty. We’re both supposed to try and get a pair from Team Rocket named Jessie and James together. Do you still have your Rocket costume on?"

"Sure do! I’m at the Team Rocket HQ. Took a while to find, but you’ll find it right next to Viridian City."

"Alright. I’ll meet you there. C.D. signing off!"

Crystal put the walkie-talkie back in her backpack, and tore off the patch that read she was a gym leader and placed it in the front pocket. She pulled out her Rocketeer costume and smiled to herself.

"I always wanted to be a Rocket member. Let’s see… I’ll become a Rocketeer, then a manga artist, but while I’m on the job I’ll be pairing up couples, then I can become an actress! Yeah!"

"Jessie and James, look out! Crystal D. Yuushi is here to pair you two up!"