Misty looked down in ... in... down in.... Misty looked down in a mixture of emotions words could not explain. It was quiet. Too quiet. She sighed. She began reminiscing about days during her Pokemon Journey with Ash. Days where they got along. Days that she didn't regret. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud SCREEEEEEEEEECH! She gasped. Her food! She ran downstairs immensely to the kitchen. The food had been overcooking for the past hour and a half. She barely cracked open the kitchen door when she thought, 'Well, it WAS food.' ********************** "And what are you having tonight, sir?" asked a pretty waitress. "Vanilla ice cream. With strawberries and whipped cream," said Brock in a flirtatious manner. "Ok," replied the waitress, ignoring his flirtatious way of speaking. "Mix that with nuts. Two big nuts," said Brock with a wink. "The biggest and tastiest. Hell, you can mix it with coconuts if you want!" "Um...sir, we don't have--" "And stick a long banana right in the center of the ice cream mound. The longest." "Sir, may I comment that your way of speaking insults me? Keep it up and I'm going to have to report you to the manager for sexual harrassment. Second of all, I--" Brock's face suddenly turned serious. "Look, I'm just trying to make an order. You're a waitress for a reason, to serve me. And I would like to be served. Please," he added to ensure politeness. The waitress gave him a look. "What else are you having, sir?" "That'll be all, miss. But make sure you serve me well," Brock said in his goofy manner again, winking. The waitress said nothing and walked off. A few minutes later, she came back with the ice cream. She was a few feet away from the table.... "Miss, you're pretty. Let me sing to you." The waitress opened her mouth to protest, but Brock had already started. "You ain't gotta say too much, from the look in your eyes, I can tell you wanna--" "DUCK!" an amused watcher yelled. "Huh?" SPLAT. The "sexually harrassed" woman's fresh made ice cream with "big nuts" and a long banana was served to him, but in a way that was a little more messy than he would like. "Ahhhh...." whined Brock as the cold treat melted down his face. He licked his lips. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He also opened his mouth to protest, but when he closed it, he was already outside, footprint marked on his backside and all. He sighed. 'At least I didn't have to pay,' he thought in relief. He stood up and dusted off, but something was strange. He didn't feel the usual bulge in his pants (not THAT one u sickos!! i know, i know, the way i said it, i would think that way too ;) but no.). He turned around to see a smiling waitress waiving his wallet, making a victory sign with her other hand. 'That's Ash's sign, you little bitch,' thought Brock jokingly. He allowed half a smile to crawl up his face. He wasn't seriously mad at her, just upset about another turn-down. 'Ash!' He suddenly remembered. 'I said I would be over there tomorrow! Well, I might as well go today. It's only 5. Besides, I need to check on them. Ash looked like he was about to explode earlier. Yeah, I should go.' And with that, he turned to the road and headed for Ash's place. He had been staying at Oak's, so he didn't have too much of a distance to walk. He was barely gone from the restaurant when a sudden figure approached him. Well, at least was walking his way. He recognized that red and white League cap immediately. "Ash! Hey bud, what are you doing around here? I thought you went to straighten things out with--" "Who?" he replied with a low and dark tone. Brock was taken aback. "Misty, Ash, Misty! What the hell happened?" he asked with concern, knowing it wasn't good. "Don't worry about it. I let my anger out, all of it. I feel fine now," he lied. "?" Ash just continued walking. Brock grabbed him by the shoulders harshly. "Slow down there, bud. I'm your friend. You and Misty might have your little arguments, and separate for a little bit, but you don't walk away from me," he warned. Ash looked up at him. "Since when did you become my father?" "If that's the way you want to say it, then now." "Well, that's smooth, calling yourself a selfish asshole." "Ash, if you don't want to talk about it, I understand, but I need to know if Misty's ok." "Don't worry, DAD, I took care of her." "Took care of her? Ash, what the hell did you do to her?" 'Nothing! Why would you even ask that question?' Brock thought to his...well...thoughts. 'It's Ash we're talking about, skinny little 14-year-old tempermental but good-hearted Pokemon Trainer!' "I made a decision. I'm turning into a man, so why not speed her up in becoming a woman?" said Ash with a smirk. Brock TOTALLY took it the wrong way. "...What?" "You heard me, Brock! I showed her who's boss! Now she's whining and complaining about pain, but what's pain to a pain-in-the-ass anyway?" said Ash, somewhat proudly. "Ash, you didn't...." gasped Brock. "I did. It took a while, but I finally forced it(the truth) into her. I'm telling you, she was screaming and bitching about it too much for me to take, so I shut her up and left." "ASH! ARE YOU STUPID!? YOU COULD GO TO JAIL FOR RAPE!" Pause. "Wha-...wha??" "I can't BELIEVE you, Ash Ketchum! Your best friend in the world!" "Ok, let's get some things straight. I did NOT rape her, I scolded her. And for another, PIKACHU is my best friend, and don't you ever, EVER PUT SOMEONE ELSE'S NAME IN HIS PLACE!" yelled Ash, tears flying down his cheeks ever since he said his lost loved one's name. He ran the opposite direction, the way Brock was coming from, and disappeared. Brock was speechless. But he had to check on Misty, she was still hurting. 'What really happened?' he thought. 'Better go find out.' ********************************** 'I'm not leaving,' she thought. 'I told Ash in the beginning I was going to stick with him forever. Forget the bike, I'm with him for a different reason. I may be in love....' Misty sighed at the thought. 'Besides, I know him too well. When he gets back, he definitely won't have that little attitude. He wouldn't come home until it cleared up, bright or dark. So he'll probably wish I never left. So I just won't leave.' Misty was so sure of herself, she smiled. She wiped the tears from her eyes. As she disposed of the burnt whatchamacallits that could have been food, and really good food at that, she pondered about where Ash was, what he was thinking. She didn't even care that he went off on her like that for a little misunderstanding, she knew it was just his "I lost my Pikachu so I'm going to lose my awareness of the feelings of everything and everyone around me for a little while" stage. "And if he isn't cheered up, I have something for him," she said to herself. *Knock knock* 'Well, that was quick,' thought Misty as she ran down the stairs. *Ding dong* "Coming!" shouted Misty. She swung the door open and, so sure of who she thought it was, she embraced the person without even looking. "This is for you. I know you need it," she said, smiling as she squeezed him tighter. She was about to lean in for a kiss...until he spoke. "Yeah...thanks...." he said as he started sobbing. Misty cocked an eyebrow. "You feel a bit...different," she said. "Your voice is weird, too." She looked at him. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" *WHAP! BAM! SMACK! BOOM! WHATEVER OTHER SOUND EFFECTS YOU CAN THINK OF!* "OwowowowowowowowWOW...ow...." he moaned as he slid helplessly to the ground. "BROCK! WHAT THE HELL'S YOUR PROBLEM?" "I just came to the door..." he whined. "You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow, anyway!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. She turned away and folded her arms. Brock straightened up and stood. He dusted himself off. "Well, I noticed you and Ash must've gotten into it, so I decided to stop by and make sure things weren't going out of control." "Oh no, things are fine," she said with a fake smile, pretending nothing happened. "Misty, don't lie to me. I saw Ash on the way here," he said. "...You...you did? What did he say?" "He was saying some stuff about he straightened you out because you were acting immature, then something about he took care of you and shut you up." Misty was silent for a while, then she spoke up. "Look, we just got into a little fight," she lied. (Little my @$$.) "But I already know why. Don't you notice that he hasn't been acting himself since Pikachu died? There's no other explanation. We just need to give him some time, and try not to remind him of it until he's ready. Haven't you thought about that?" "No, I haven't. You're right, of course! How could I be so stupid?" he said, mentally slapping himself. "Well, let's just wait here until he gets back." Misty smiled. "Okay." Then, Brock started sniffing, then made a funny face. "What's wrong?" asked Misty. 'Uh oh,' she thought. 'He smells the burnt food.' "What's that smell...?" Misty blushed in embarrassment and faked a clueless face. "What smell...?" Brock gave her a look. They sat on the living room couch. Then something else came to his mind. "Misty?" "Yeah?" "Were you about to kiss me?" "HUH!?" she exclaimed. Brock smirked. "You sure hugged me pretty tight. Gee, Misty, I would have came yesterday if I'd have known that you missed me so much!" Misty rolled her eyes. "Actually I don't," she muttered under her breath. He heard. "You sure embraced me like you did. You were going to kiss me, weren't you?" "No!" "Yes, you were." "No, I wasn't!" "Yes, you were." "NO I WASN'T!" "Then why were you closing your eyes and puckering up?" "Uh...I don't know what you're talking about," she said, scooting away from him. "Oh yes, you do. Unless...you thought I was someone else," he hinted. He already knew, he just wanted to mess with her. He wanted her to admit it so bad, to admit the fact that she liked Ash...or maybe more. "Oh," he said in a fake seductive tone, "so it WAS for me, right?" He scooted closer to her. "Er..." she said uneasily, wincing at the thought, "no...." "Then who?" "Um...so, would you like something to eat?" "I'm not even going to respond to that," he said, still smelling the disatrous cooking. 'What a way to die and be wasted,' he thought in pity for the cow. (It was a meal with beef.) Suddenly, the door burst open. Before either could respond, Misty was lifted off the couch and embraced tightly in a pair of strong arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "Ash," she said in relief as she hugged him back. "It's ok, I understand...." "It's just," he said as he sat on the couch with them, "the whole Pikachu thing, and my damn temper, and...and...." "It's all right, buddy, we understand," Brock said. "I just don't know what came over me. It's like--" "I SAID WE UNDERSTAND!" Misty and Brock shouted in unision. Ash sweatdropped. "...Ok...I get it...." Then, his sullen expression changed. "What were you doing so close to Brock anyway, Misty?" he asked with mistakenly obvious jealousy. Her faced turned hot red. "I wasn't--" "I'M HOME!!!!" "MIME, MIME!" Ash, Misty, and Brock turned to the door. "Mom!" he cheered. "Oh my goodness! My baby! I've been waiting so long to finally see you again!" "Well, I--" "Oh, Misty, my how you've grown!" said Delia, running up to Misty and hugging her. Misty blushed. "Uh...hi...." "You sure are getting loved today," Ash muttered under his breath. "Have you started your period yet, honey? I see you're maturing," said Delia, winking at Misty. (Not like that!) "Well, I--" "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THIS!!!!" shouted Ash and Brock in unision, running to the kitchen. (They're hungry! If you're going to run away, go somewhere that makes sense. ;)) The girls giggled. "Same old Ash," Delia said with a smile. Then she noticed, something was missing. "I haven't seen Pikachu yet," she said. Misty already sensed that she was going to say something about Pikachu. "Mrs. Ketchum?" "Yes?" "This is hard to say...but Mrs. Ketchum, Pikachu--" "Mime, mime!" Mr. Mime said happily, joining the conversation. Delia giggled. "Mr. Mime wants to see him, too!" Misty paused. "...Is in his Pokeball," she finished nervously. "My word! This is his home, too! He shouldn't still be cooped up in a little Pokeball! How rude! Maybe Ash forgot. Well, I'll just remind him to let Pikachu out," she said. "Mrs. Ketchum, you can't--" Misty cut herself off. Too late. Delia had already been on her way to the kitchen while she was talking, before she knew what she was up to. She sighed, smacked her hands over her face, and sulked back onto the couch. She knew what was coming. ~In the kitchen~ "So what do you want?" "Anything, Brock, anything Misty didn't cook," he said with a disgusted look on his face. He didn't want the memories back, and I'm NOT talking about the argument. "Maybe if you didn't yell at her, she wouldn't have burned the food, and you would know how good she cooks," he said. "Brock, for the last time, DROP it!" he snapped. Brock said nothing. He didn't want to mess/deal with Ash's temper. "Ash! How could you?" Delia snapped as she entered the kitchen. "Wha?" "I thought I raised you better than that!" 'Uh oh, family talk,' Brock thought. 'I better get out of here,' he thought as he joined Misty on the living room couch. They sat and talked about what was about to take place. And they could do nothing about it. "Ash, Pikachu is your best friend! You don't do that to a best friend!" Ash was silent. "...." "Ash Ketchum, let Pikachu go this instant." "But I can't!" he said. "I...I can't let him go...." "What do you mean you can't? It's your fault he's like this!" Ash gasped. Tears came to his eyes. His own mother blamed him! And was the only one blaming him! Or so, he thought she was "blaming" him. "Mom, I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean for it to happen, but I'm trying to accept it, that this is the way Pikachu should be now. Please don't make it harder on me, but he is where he belongs now." "Ash Ketchum!" she said again in dismay. "You're pushing him over the edge!" 'Pushed him? He fell,' Ash thought. But he said nothing, in hopes that maybe, just maybe, Pikachu didn't fall all the way, and/or was still alive. The tears dried up before they even fell. Before Delia could see them. "Let him go this instant," she commanded. "But--" "NOW!" Ash was taken aback. He had never seen her so upset before. But also for the first time, he snapped back at her. "I'll let go when I want! Why do you care so much, anyway?" "Ash, Pikachu is just like another son to me. I respect him because he watches over you and protects you. That's why I love him so much. He was your first best friend and your strongest Pokemon, believe it or not. And the look in your eyes has never been brighter since you met him. I love him, because I love you," she said. But she noticed that spark in his eyes she mentioned...was gone! "Ash..." she gasped, "is there something you want to...tell me?" She noticed that Ash was now in tears. "He's gone...." he choked. She was surprised. "...Wh-what?" "HE'S DEAD!" he hollered. He wanted to run. But from what? There was no reason to run from her. He just wanted to run from the truth. But the truth was all around him. So instead he collapsed to the ground he was standing on, covered his head in his knees, and broke down in tears. "Oh...my...God...." In the doorway, Mr. Mime watched Ash's breakdown. Right after Pikachu was mentioned. Then it hit him. No more Pikachu. His shaking hands slowly closed the kitchen door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~******************************** Sorry, the last part was kind of depressing. But I had ta do it! It won't be so depressing in the later chapters, I hope...^_^' but anyway, send me your review! I don't think I'm going to continue until I get at least 2 reviews and 1 idea of what should happen from here. Pank yaz, holla!