"Realization"

Written By: Ice

Note: Well, I think I may have read a FanFic related to this one, but it was after I came up with the idea which was made a long time ago. It’s just that when I started the FanFic it was deleted when my computer got a virus, so right now I’m starting over, and please consider the plot original. Also, Misty’s last name was only taken from the Japanese name of Cerulean City, so that’s something that wasn’t exactly made up.

-Ice

Misty closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall of the pokemon center. She put everything in place…

Tracey was at the snack bar, Togepi was right at her shoulder, and Ash was waiting for Nurse Joy to heal his pokemon. So, what was missing if everybody was there?

"Love," whispered Misty.

"Toke?" said Togepi falling into her face.

Misty looked at him and plucked him from her head. "Togepi," she said, "this will be the day! This has to be the day! There aren’t any distractions so I’m going to tell Ash I love him. Not even an earthquake is going to stop me now!"

"Tokie tokie! Briiiiiii!" chirped Togepi, waving his small arms and legs happily, although he didn’t know what she was talking about.

Although it was true that Misty had tried telling him earlier. The memories kept coming back to her and how she regretted it.

Before she could ever tell him something happened to interrupt.

*

At first when she had only started following him in the Viridian Forest, she wasn’t sure why she was following him. It was only until he had pressured her on asking why she was following him did she realize she loved him. She waited about an hour or so before considering telling him since he did seem slightly mature enough to handle it.

‘Look, a caterpie!’ he had called out and before she could tell him, she was scared out of her wits.

Once Brock had joined, there was no way she could tell with him so near. But there were times when the time seemed right, only to be blocked by team rocket showing up in an outburst.

When they had saw Giselle and Joe talking about their friendship, Ash had said ‘See, Misty? Why can’t we be like that?’ Why couldn’t they? They could! Misty had longed to hear a word of hope come from that boy. ‘We could, Ash! We really could!’ she wanted to tell him, and yet, what came out was "Why not? I’ll tell you why not! Because he doesn’t owe her a bike!"

Before they had found bulbasaur, when trapped in a net, Misty had almost told him, but Ash had kept babbling about pirates.

As they had been watching Pikachu join the group of other wild pikachu, she had noticed Brock was too busy staring at them to hear her tell Ash. Misty opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Ash stood up and ran into the middle of the field. ‘Wait! I want to be a part of your group too!’

*

Misty opened her eyes, seeing that things were just as they were before. She knew that the only way for her to get rid of these memories was to tell Ash while she had the chance.

Though something hit her. What if… what if he was still too immature to understand love? What if when she told him, he’d never respond and he wouldn’t realize it until he actually got a brain?

"No," she said to herself. "I have to tell him this no matter what. Nothing’s going to stop me now."

Misty walked up to Ash who was leaning against the counter, still waiting for his pokemon to be completely healed.

"Ash?" said Misty timidly.

At first, he looked like he didn’t hear her, until he realized his name was called, and he looked at Misty questioningly. "Did you say something?"

Misty’s mouth twitched a little. She felt like the whole world was crashing down on her. "Umm… no, I didn’t say anything. Never mind!" she said and Ash got a slightly shocked look on his face from her sudden change in action. She stopped in her tracks, scratched the back of her head, and made a small sigh, turning around. "I mean… yeah, I said something."

"Okay then…"

"I uhh… have to tell you.. a … a confession," said Misty, stuttering.

Ash leaned forward, listening more tentatively.

"Well, I guess this happened… well, I mean… I realized it a long time ago, and I never got the chance to tell you, but… but… I lo… I love you. More then life itself!" she said with great difficulty, her eyes starting to water with fright.

Ash stood for a moment. His eyebrows in a position saying "Excuse me?" His face became more normal, and a small smile formed on his face. He covered his mouth with his hand as he started to laugh.

Misty got a worried and surprised look on her face as Ash burst out laughing, and she took a step back.

"You? Love Me?" he said unbelievably. "You must be kidding! That’s a good one. Tell me another!"

While Ash was laughing his head off, tears started to slowly crawl down her cheeks.

"Ash…" she said with so many emotions except happiness mixed in. She still slowly stepped backwards.

Ash, hearing the tone of her voice, looked up, still wearing off the laughs, but stopped immediately when he saw her start to cry and run across the pokemon center lobby, and out of it. All that was left of her was a sparkling tear that landed on his shoulder, making a small stain on his blue and white jacket.

Ash kept silent for a moment, a surprised look on his face, but he still looked slightly stern. "But I…"

Ash hugged his arms, leaning against the counter. Did it take this long to realize it?

"But I… love you too, Misty," he whispered while gazing at the doors she had left from.

Ash’s back slid against the counter until he was on the floor, curled up in a little ball. His face buried in his knees, his own tears cried out, and all he could hear was his own crying and the muffled sound of Nurse Joy’s voice.

"Ash Ketchum, your pokemon are fully healed…"

*

Misty sat on the bench, Togepi playfully jumping around her. Her head was buried in her hands, and her back was hunched over as she silently cried.

Wiping the last of her tears, she took deep breaths, looking up at the sky, at the sun shining down on her. The clouds floated by slowly, shadowing the sun every now and then. She then remembered something. She couldn’t go back to Ash now. She just separated herself from him permanently. By just confessing her secret, she isolated herself from him and he was most likely still laughing about it.

Misty started crying softly and she hunched forward, digging her head into her hands again.

"Briii," said Togepi in a more worried tone for its parent and jumped onto her lap.

"Now all I have is you, Togepi," she said, picking it up. "I certainly got myself into trouble this time."

She made a small sniffle before hearing a large crash.

"Stop, Team Rocket!" she heard Officer Jenny’s voice from a distance and looked to her left.

"You’re under arrest!"

"Team Rocket?" she wondered, then suddenly saw the three running quickly down the road of the park she was in.

They turned over, crashing into her and both of them were bumped over the back of the bench and into the bushes as two Jenny’s ran past them.

"James, get off my back!" cried out Jessie.

"I would if Meowth would get off mine!" retorted James.

"It might be nice if you could get off my back," said an unknown voice.

Jessie, James, and Meowth looked down at Misty and quickly got off, standing with poses.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"I don’t have time for your moronic rhyme," said Misty firmly.

They took a look at her, then looked around. "Hey… shouldn’t there be two other brats?" asked Jessie.

"And where’s ‘da Pikachu?" wondered Meowth.

"So, you’re not with your group, are you?" said James, slowly walking up along with Jessie.

"Without your little boyfriend? How heartbreaking," added Jessie.

Misty stared at them with fury. "You could never understand the pain I’m in," she hissed.

Jessie and James looked at each other, grinned, and nodded.

*

"We have to find her! We just have to!" cried out Ash, gripping Tracey’s shirt hard.

"Pika?" said Pikachu, one of its ears twitching.

"Wha- wha- who? Find who?"

"Find Misty!"

"Why would she leave?"

"Because… because… because…" Ash stuttered.

"Because what?"

"BecauseshewasalllikeandIwasandthenbutit’snotlikebutsheandwell….she’s GONE!!!!"

"Woah, slow down there! I can’t understand what you’re saying!" said Tracey.

"And not temporarily! Forever! She’s out there while I’m here!"

"Yeah, that would be true…"

"So we got to find her! I… I… I…"

"You love her?"

"No!"

"So you hate her?

"Well, no, I mean…"

"Then you love her?"

"I’m crazy about her! I mean… ack, you’re confusing me!"

*

"So…" said Jessie. "The little twerp laughed you out of the club?"

"Why should I tell you anymore?" said Misty.

"Ah, but you can get over the feeling," said James, creeping over her left shoulder.

"And how would that be?"

"Revenge," said Meowth.

"Re… revenge?" repeated Misty, a little unsure of what she was being talked into.

"Of course," replied Jessie. "Don’t you want revenge for what that twerp’s done to you?"

"Well, I…"

"Don’t you just want to get him back so badly for what he’s done?" added James.

"Well…"

"He’s just laughed at you like you were crazy and now you can never see him again. But if you get revenge," said Jessie, "then you can see that he gets what he deserves for kicking you out in such a cruel way."

Misty frowned. "Yeah…" she hissed as a smirk formed at the edge of her lips.

"Revenge… ‘dats the way to go," said Meowth.

"Revenge. I’ll get Ash for laughing at me just because I confessed my deepest, darkest feelings to him!" said Misty as she clenched her fists, and Team Rocket backed away a little.

They laughed a little at this, but Misty shot them a look and they scrunched back.

"Revenge…" she said determinedly, "I’ll show Ash." And so, she started towards west.

"Well, at least… she knows where she’s going…" said Meowth.

"So then…" said Giovanni, a shadow covering his face and he tapped his fingers as his persian roamed his office. "You want to join Team Rocket, Miss… Miss…?"

"Hanada. Misty Hanada," she replied, gripping Togepi firmly.

*

"Misty! MISTY!!" cried out Ash as he and Tracey walked around through the city. Two long hours had they been wandering the town, calling out her name.

"Ash, she’s not here. Just stop, okay?" said Tracey.

"No!" shouted Ash firmly. "I’m going to keep on looking for her until I find her!"

"Ash, get some sense into you! It’s been over an hour and a half, let’s just go back to the center, alright? I’m sure Misty will come back."

Ash pouted. "Fine…"

Ash kept a stern look at the ceiling that night. They’d be searching for Misty in the park the next day but Ash couldn’t help but keep awake.

How? How was it possible for her to just leave in a second like that? It was too strange. It didn’t seem right for her to just vanish, and the only thing left behind was a tearstain on his jacket.

"I’m sorry, Misty," he said out loud. Tracey, sleeping at the other side, didn’t wake. Ash looked up at the bright moon. "I’m sorry," he repeated, almost as if he were trying to tell the moon to give the message to her, wherever she was.

*

"Misty!"

"Misty!"

"Kachu-pi!"

The three called out the next morning at the local park in the middle of the city.

"Misty! MISTY!!!" cried out Ash the loudest, but he was also becoming more tired the more he yelled out to nobody.

A snicker came up from above in the tree next to them.

"You can save your breath now," said a voice.

"You just have to fight," said another.

"It’s them!" said Ash.

Jessie, James, and Meowth jumped out from the tree.

"And you gotta hand ova’ that Pikachu!" finished Meowth.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation…"

"To unite all people within our nation…"

"To denounce the evil of truth and love…"

"To extend our reach to the stars above…"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of—"

"ASH!" a third voice interrupted Team Rocket’s speech.

"You two can take a break from Pikachu," said the same voice, but more directed towards Team Rocket from the tone. "Because I don’t want you three goons wasting my time."

A third rocketeer in the minor black costume with a hat jumped down in front of the three, his or her back turned to Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu. The arms of the rocketeer weren’t positioned on the hips or slacked down in a resting position, or anything, but in front of the body where they could tell he or she was holding something.

"You’ll be let off easy this time," said Meowth.

"But only since you’re one of us," added Jessie.

The three Rockets walked away silently, leaving what was only seen as the back of a rocketeer.

"Ash," said the rocketeer, and they could now tell the voice belonged to a girl, but it seemed so angry and stiff.

Ash seemed surprised that she knew his name, and his teeth clenched together.

"Let go of Pikachu," she said. "I don’t want it. Not now, at least."

Ash became startled and let Pikachu go, now even more surprised that she could interpret what he was doing.

Her head tipped forwards a little, and sticking out of the hat was a little bit of orange hair. She then turned her head towards them, and they could see her profile, and her green eyes gazing at them with hatred.

Wide green eyes, a pert nose, and they could see more of the red hair.

"Misty!" exclaimed Ash.

Misty then turned her body around, and they could see that since her arms weren’t at her sides, she was holding Togepi. She still had the same little grin she had ever since she had talked with Team Rocket, and only she knew why she was smiling. She only knew what she was going to do to Ash.

"Don’t be so surprised, Ash. You shouldn’t be," she said in a low, obnoxious voice.

Misty marched right up to Ash and struck her boot down on his foot. He yelped, then becoming scared of her.

"Now you have the feeling I want, Ash! This is what you get for ever laughing at me!"

"Wait, Misty!" said Ash, backing away and bumping into a bench.

Misty only walked forward more, ignoring Tracey and only pushing him away. She slapped Ash hard on his face and he fell back on the bench in astonishment.

"Ash, I’ll never forgive you for it! I’d been waiting for months to tell you. Everyone and everything always interrupted me, and when I finally get the chance… what do you do? Laugh at me," continued Misty.

She set Togepi down on the ground as she lifted one knee onto the bench. She held his jaw tightly, her eyes narrowing.

"Wait, Misty, please just—"

"If you hate me so much then," she gripped his jaw tighter and rested her other hand on his thigh. "This is my revenge."

She kissed him, pressing her mouth hard against his in order to intensify the torture on him.

By this time, Tracey seemed speechless at what was happening before him and only had enough sense to pick up Togepi as it waddled its way towards him. Meanwhile, as Team Rocket had hid behind the bushes, they seemed just as dumbfounded.

"That… that’s not exactly the revenge I was aiming for," said Jessie.

Misty didn’t let go either Ash’s jaw or his thigh. She only pressed harder on him, leaning against him and only thinking of just how Ash was getting what he deserved. She’d follow him in another way now, and she thought of just how lucky he’d be not to be kissed again, but set by traps and laughed at like he had done.

When she had finally decided she couldn’t hold her breath anymore, Misty let go, opening her eyes and letting loose of Ash’s jaw. Her eyebrows gave a confused look as she saw he was smiling, and she couldn’t understand why. She only knew when she felt the squeeze of a hand on hers, which, as far as she knew, was still on Ash’s thigh. She looked down and she then gave a frightened look when she saw Ash’s hand on her own. And she could have noticed if she hadn’t been thinking of how to amuse herself with Ash in the future.

Misty swung her gaze at Ash’s face, who was still smiling. For a moment, she only stared at him, gawking while he was grinning. Ash lightly kissed her bottom lip and she quickly seemed to crumple up inside like a wad of paper.

"Wha…?"

Misty seemed to grow completely out of her revenge state, snapping out of whatever trance she had fallen into. She looked at Ash, still smiling, and his hand, which was still on hers, which was still on his thigh. She took her knee off of the bench and pulled away her hand.

"What am I…? You…" she whispered.

"I love you," said Ash in a playful tone.

Misty leaned into Ash, hugging him tightly.

"And I’m sorry," whispered Ash.

"No, I’m sorry," corrected Misty, "I… I really shouldn’t have kissed you like that. I don’t know what… I don’t know how I ever got into this."

"Hey, if that’s revenge, I’ll do a favor anytime!"

"Well then," said Misty as she took off her hat and let her ponytail stick out. "You can start by going to the nearest mall to buy me some new clothes to replace this Rocket uniform."

"But… hey, wait a minute, what I meant was…"

"You want to do a favor? Go, and I won’t have to get arrested for no reason."

"But don’t I at least get…"

"Go, go, go. Come on," said Misty as she grabbed his collar and dragged him away, "Come on, now."

-End ^_^

*