Author’s Note: This is the final story for Season Two. Yeah…that’s pretty much all I’ve got to say about this story…oh yeah, and it was pretty hard to write, for some reason. I think I may be developing a slight case of writer’s block…I hope to god it’s just a phase…

- Doom Desire -

- By Brian -

My mom told me that when I started on my journey I should take a handkerchief with me, in case I found a boy I really liked. She said that when you gave it to the boy you were telling him that he was like a knight in shining armor to you.

I didn’t listen to her, since I had no plans of falling in love. I didn’t want to be like a domesticated housewife, taking care of the kids as my “knight in shining armor” went to work. No…I did not want to end up like my mom…I didn’t want to fall in love…

“Hey May, isn’t it great that you’re finally going to meet Misty?” asks Ash, and for a moment I entertain the thought of saying I’d rather throw myself off a cliff (and I’m deathly afraid of heights, in case you didn’t know).

I put on a smile and say, “Oh yeah! It’ll be great…finally another girl to talk to! Finally I’ll be able to um…do my hair…right!”

Ash smiles warmly in response, and I feel sick to my stomach.

I don’t want another girl to talk to. I’m perfectly fine just hanging out with Ash, Brock, and my annoying little brother. Everything was perfect until she decided to stop being a gym leader and go meet up with Ash again. And I like my hair just the way it is…I have no plans on getting it fixed up by her…

From what I’ve seen, she looks too perfect. Her fiery red hair is just above her shoulders, and she always seems to be wearing this white and blue dress that makes her look more mature then she really is. She’s only two years older then Ash and myself, but she looks like she’s nearing eighteen as opposed to sixteen, if you catch my drift…

Whenever I see her and Ash talking on the vid-phone I have to resist the urge to shout at her…to tell her to stop interfering with…with…

He doesn’t realize it, but whenever he and Misty talk she’s constantly flirting with him and dropping not-so-subtle hints of what she plans to do when she gets back…

He doesn’t realize it, but Misty practically told him that she loved him when she gave him her handkerchief…

He doesn’t realize it, but whenever he smiles at the mere mention of her name he’s hurting me, more then he can imagine…

He doesn’t realize it, but I didn’t plan on falling in love. I planned on being a pokémon master, since my dad wanted me to…I planned on being number one alongside my newfound friends…

He doesn’t realize it, but he made me like him….I don’t know how he did it, but he did…and now I can’t stop liking him, no matter how hard I try not to…

* * *

“I can’t sleep.” Ash says simply, his sleeping bag mere inches away from mine.

I roll over and observe him, realizing that he must be excited that we’re going to see her tomorrow. “Excited about tomorrow?”

“Yeah…I can’t wait to see her…I missed her so much.” he says, and I feel that familiar pain starting to come back to my chest…I hate it whenever I feel this way…

Our sleeping bags are so close together, although he probably doesn’t even realize it. It’s been like this for a while, since I like sleeping as close to him as I can. I often have nightmares, and he’s always there to wake me up…

But with Misty coming back, I won’t be able to sleep close by him anymore…Misty will probably be all over him when she gets back that he’ll just forget about waking me up from my nightmares…

I’m supposed to be a tough girl. Tough girls don’t cry, or fall in love with their best friends. Tough girls like me aren’t supposed to be jealous when their best friend finds love with someone else.

It would never work out, anyways…I’m nothing compared to Misty. She’s more mature then me in every single way, and they have a history that goes way back, when he first started out…

“Did you know that she can play the piano?” he states quietly, his voice filled with pride.

I let out a sigh, quiet enough so that he can’t hear it. “Is that so?”

“Oh yeah…she’s really good at it, although she never had much time to practice when she was traveling with Brock and me. Now that she’s had over a year of practice she’s gotten much better…just last week she was playing the, um, Moonlight Sonata while we were on the vid-phone, and it was so beautiful…”

Since when did Ash appreciate music? I never knew this until now…but then again, he’s probably interested because it’s her playing the songs…

“You know…” I interject with a bit of enthusiasm and nervousness, “I can play the violin pretty well…maybe you’d like to listen to me play…?”

He rolls over to face me, and our faces are only a foot apart…I could kiss him, if I wanted to. “I’d like that a lot, May…”

Just as I’m about to grin happily at his unexpected response, he adds, “You know, I bet you and Misty could play together…that would sound even better…”

I have to resist the urge to scream.

“Um…right Ash. Sounds great.”

He looks at me happily, and I wish that he were smiling because of me, instead of her. “Goodnight May…the sooner I get to sleep the sooner I’ll get to see Misty tomorrow…”

He drifts off to sleep, with Pikachu slumped against his head. I try to close my eyes and lie back down, but I can’t seem to sleep…

The stars are out tonight, and one in particular seems to be shining rather brightly, like one of those stars you wish upon…

Of course, I never believed in fairy tales either. They were just made up to scare little kids into doing the right thing; otherwise you would end up being eaten by a Wailord.

Now that I think about it, I never watched the stars until I found Ash gazing at them one night…he said that he and a special someone used to watch the moon together, but I hadn’t paid much attention back then…

Maybe it’s better this way. Once Misty is back, Ash will be happy, and maybe I’ll stop liking him so much.

I’ll be able to concentrate on bringing honor to my family…

Ash doesn’t know it, but I’ve been a huge disappointment to my father, ever since he first laid eyes on me. He never said it to my face, but I managed to learn that he had planned on having a boy named Brendan. All his dreams of having someone follow in his footsteps were squashed the instant I was born…

Eventually my brother was born years later, which made me even more worthless to my dad. I’m not mad at my dad though…he didn’t plan on having me. He did the best he could…he taught me how to ride a bike, how to battle, how to play the violin, and other little things…like reading those fairy tale stories that I never believed in…

Ash doesn’t know it, but I’ve never really fitted in with any particular crowd back in school. All of the girls wouldn’t talk to me since I was a tomboy, and none of the boys would let me play in any of their games, either.

I tried my best to not let it bother me, but no one wants to be alone…

Ash doesn’t know it, but he was the first friend I ever made. Pathetic, I know…but to me it was the best day of my life, even if his Pikachu wrecked the bike that my father and mother had given to me before I left…

I sighed, looking upon that still sparkling star in the night.

Wishing upon a star…what a pathetic thing to do…then again, I was stuck in this pathetic state of self-loathing, so why not…?

I felt foolish as I closed my eyes and wondered what to wish for, until it hit me…

“I wish I were Misty…” I say very quietly, hoping that Ash wouldn’t hear me whisper his beloved’s name…

Before I knew it my vision was starting to get blurry, and the light from the star I had been gazing at was getting brighter and brighter, until…

* * *

“Misty…wake up…” whispered a quiet voice, “it’s time to get up, Misty Waterflower…”

I groaned loudly, not caring whether if Ash heard me. It sounds like Misty came so early that she must’ve dozed off…

“Come on Misty, wake up already.” said the voice again, this time shaking me by the shoulders. Hey buddy, what’s your problem? I’m not Misty! Can’t you see?

I open my eyes groggily and find myself face to face with Ash once again, and he’s smiling. What is he smiling about, anyways? And why do I have a headache right now? I can barely think straight…I don’t even remember what happened yesterday-

And before I know it, Ash, my best friend, is kissing me. My eyes are wide open as he does this, and I feel…I mean…I never imagined how…why…? I thought you liked Misty, Ash Ketchum…why the sudden change of heart…?

Not that I’m complaining though…I never imagined it would be this soft…

A grin lights up his face as he looks down on me. “Looks like that you woke you right up, Misty.”

I’m not Misty, Ash…I’m May! I have brown hair, not red…I’m tough, not girly…I play the violin, not the piano…I have an annoying-know-it-all brother, not three sisters-

There’s something in his eyes that I didn’t notice before. I lean closer to his face and look right into his eyes. In the reflection I can see a red-haired girl, wearing a blue-and-white dress, looking right back at me…

* * *

“So Ash, do you think you’ll be able to beat Norman now?” Brock asks, as we enter through the doors of the Petalburg Gym…my father’s gym.

At least, I think it is. My memory is all mixed up right now…for some reason I keep thinking I had a mother named Rose, who used to run the Cerulean Gym…but that can’t be, since I’ve never even been to Kanto…

I feel hungry for some reason, and my body is aching all over…I have a vague idea why I’m feeling this way, but right now I can’t really-

“I’ve come back to battle you, Norman!” Ash says confidently to my father, “I’ve trained hard, and now I’m ready to gain my fifth badge from you!”

Norman-my father looks at Ash with a smirk in his face, as if to say, “bring it on”. By his side are two boys, one of which I recognize as Wally, my old next door neighbor who had always had a crush on me, and another boy who I did not know. He looked like a trainer from the Hoenn region, with his red and black clothes that had the Hoenn symbol on them, and he had white hair for some odd reason…

“Now, son, I want you and Wally to see how you’re suppose to really battle, alright?” my father said, as he put a hand on his son’s shoulder…

Son? How could he be your son, dad? He looks about as old as Ash and I…

“Pay attention, Brendan! It’s time for your dad to defend the honor of the Petalburg City Gym!”

I felt my heart break in two as I heard that coming from my own father, even though he had no clue that I was his daughter, or at least…I was his daughter…

My mind wanders, not bothering to pay attention to the fight between Ash and my father at all…

Somehow, my wish to become Misty was taken very literally, because I’ve somehow taken over her body, and her memories are starting to come back to me…and I can feel the older ones slipping away…

Quick, May…gotta remember…your father is…was…Norman…your mother was Emily…your brother was annoying…you used to be fourteen years old…you used to play the violin-

Did my dad teach Brendan how to play the violin, instead of me? My dad has never bothered to show off his battling skills in front of me…what does that mean?

Another memory pops up in my head…that of feeling a bruise on my eye as I half-heartedly played the Moonlight Sonata for my sisters…sisters? I have no sisters, but Misty does…three to be exact…

Misty…my name isn’t Misty! My name is May!

Memories of my life…Misty’s life…flashes through my head…I’m suddenly remembering…

I remember learning how to play the piano with…Rose…my mother…?

I remember the sky being real dark…the rain falling…news about a car crash…everyone crying around me crying…mother…Rose…?

I remember the sky being sunny…not being allowed outside…father drinking…pain…Officer Jenny taking him away…holding on to my Goldeen?

I remember the rain…my sisters, telling me to play the piano like how mom used to play it…crying and fighting…pain?

More memories flash, more pain remembered…

Running away from home…fishing out a boy and his Pikachu…traveling around Kanto…older boy leaving…new boy joining…traveling around the Orange Islands…saving the world from birds…Chosen One…new boy leaving, older boy rejoining…developing feelings for the younger boy…saving a young girl…Unown…traveling Johto…saving the forest spirit…leaving…Cerulean Gym…pain…loneliness…bored…being replaced…May…May…May…pain…not eating…skinny…not skinny enough…feeling sick…feeling sick…Ash…Ash…Ash…Ash…May…Ash…May…Ash…!

Ash…?

* * *

“Misty…are you okay…?”

Am I dead? I must be dead…right?

A pair of eyes filled with care look at me. “Misty…do you know where you are right now? Do you know what happened?”

A chuckle escapes my lips as I answer him back. “My name is May, silly.”

He nervously chuckles as he cradles my head in his lap. “You must’ve hit your head hard when you fainted in the gym…Misty…”

I can see Brock out of the corner of my eye, looking at me worriedly, while Norman, Wally, and Brendan are standing behind Ash, their faces filled with concern over the girl who just happened to faint in the middle of their match.

“I’m okay.” I say impassively, as I do my best to stand up, only to trip and fall into Norman’s arms.

“Are you sure you’re okay, young lady?” my father says shakily, looking down at me worriedly.

I look up at him, with a child like expression on my face, remembering that he used to care for me when I was sick. “Daddy…?”

“You must have me confused with someone else, young lady…” he speaks with a sad tone, as he hands me back to Ash and Brock, who help lift me up.

He doesn’t even recognize me. I don’t blame him though…I don’t even recognize myself anymore.

Am I May or Misty? My memories are all mashed together, as if someone, or something…sprinkled my memories and Misty’s memories into a bowl and stirred it up…

Where is Misty, anyways? Is she dead, now that I’m her and the May that I was doesn’t even exist? Is she somewhere even worse then death, since she never really lived life to begin with? I must’ve stolen her life, even though it’s not exactly as glamorous as I thought it would be…

She’s gone through more pain then I could imagine…so much…and I’m partially the cause for that…aren’t I?

“We’re going to take you to a pokémon center now, alright Misty?” Ash whispers to me, as he and Brock carry me to the familiar building…one that I had often seen in my childhood when I was still May…

Now that I think back on it…my dad wasn’t so bad after all. He may not have wanted me, but he tried his best. He used to take me around town…and he’d buy ice cream…

Did I always love ice cream, or is that one of Misty’s things?

Ash feels so warm right now…and I’m wondering if it’s the Misty side of me that’s liking him, the May side, or both at the same time…

“I like you Ash…” I whisper quietly, saying those words that I never dared to say when I was just May…

He looks at me, with a big smile on his face, and tells me that everything is going to be all right, that I’ll be fine in no time…

He has no idea…I’ll never be fine again…

I laugh, and he laughs along with me, even though he has no idea why I’m laughing.

The scary part is…I’m not even sure why I’m laughing.

Is it because of how funny it must be to have your wish granted, even though you never even believed for a second that it would come true?

Or maybe because it made me realize that my life is practically heaven compared to Misty’s life?

And to think…this all started just because I wanted Ash to like me, instead of Misty…

Either way, I’m laughing my head off, and I’m sure somewhere…whoever did this to me…is laughing along with me!

I mean…this is just hilarious…right?

Right…?

- End -

Who, do you ask, granted May’s wish? Why…the wish pokémon Jirachi of course…the same Jirachi who screwed around with Ash’s head in Reality, which was the finale for Season One. Funny how he pops out of nowhere, eh?

Just in case you were confused during the story, May likes Ash, and is jealous about Misty coming back. She makes a wish, and bam, she becomes Misty, and also receives all her memories. All that stuff about “May…Ash…May…Ash” was Misty thinking about those two getting together, and Ash forgetting about Misty entirely. The part about the car crash was Misty remembering how her mother died. The part about being skinny was Misty trying her best to look as skinny as May is, so that Ash will notice her; this means that she’s not eating anything, which causes her to become weak. For some reason, however, her plan works, and Ash has fallen head over heels for Misty before the start of this story.

The other parts of Misty’s memories that May was remembering are: The Legendary Birds and Lugia, the spirit of the forest Celebi, Molly Hale and the Unown, Brock’s departure and return, Tracey’s return and departure, and traveling around the various islands…

Brendan is the male character in Ruby/Sapphire, while Wally is one of your rivals in the game.

Misty’s white-and-blue dress once again comes from Pokémon Stadium 2, where she is depicted as much older and mature then her anime counterpart.

Finally, Jirachi’s signature attack is Doom Desire…

I’m thinking of adding omakes (deleted scenes or altered scenes) of all my stories in one big story, although I’m not sure when…

Now that Season Two is over, it’s time to start Ascension and Season Three.

Stories Currently Planned for Season Three:

The Show Must Go On – The actor for "May" reflects on the character she portrays on the popular "Pokémon" cartoon show, as well as dealing with the backlash of replacing a well loved character ("Misty").

Cognitive Dissonance – Ash must choose between the two most important things in his life.

– This might become a part of Ascension –

Love Is Not A Magicarp You Can Catch – Gary goes on a date with Misty, and tries his best to impress her…

Standing In the Middle of Yesterday – Misty visits the place where she fished Ash out…

What Is Love? – Ash is asked a question that has no answer.

My Big Brother – Molly Hale thinks about Ash, and how, like a big brother, he watches over her.

– This might become a part of Ascension –

My Favorite Color – Green (Amy) comes back to Pallet Town, much to Blue’s (Gary) surprise.

Born To Be A Winner – May and Ash battle for the title of Pokémon Master of Hoenn, and only one may win.

The Confrontation – Misty and May…talk.

– This might become a part of Ascension –

A Simple Game Of Cards – While Ash and Misty are on a date, Brock, Tracey, Gary, and May play a game of thirteen…

Multi-Chaptered Story Currently Being Developed:

Ascension – The truth about where Pokémon come from, how they came to be, what the Chosen One's true purpose really is, the final evolution that will change the world and, most importantly, an end to everything.