Heart & Soul

Chp 4: Inescapable You

~*~

“Jeez it’s so COLD!” yelled the red-head upon her entry. This eerily familiar early-morning roust startled Tracey, who had finally taken to a form of ‘sleep’, sitting straight upwards on the floor. Baby, the Eevee, pattered in after Misty, yawning and rubbing her nose cutely with her paw.

“Heeeeeeeeere Eevee, Eevee, Eevee…” smirked Tracey, as the traumatised Pokémon yipped in fear and ran into the kitchen after her mistress. Misty scooped the Pokémon up, and held her away from her, trying to prevent the white and brown hairs from landing on her smart black dress-suit.

“I’ve gotta go away for a few days Baby,” Misty cooed sickeningly to the Eevee, as Tracey’s ears pricked up. “Some big GymLeader… thing.” Baby whined pathetically. “Aw I’m sorry sweetie, I tried to get Vi to go, I really did… So you’ll just have to stay with Auntie Marina for a few days, okay?”

Without warning, Baby was engulfed with a pearly white light, and Misty almost dropped her in fright. Tracey’s eyes grew wide, as the irreproachable urge to sketch washed over him. Baby grew longer and her small cuddly figure turned slender. Her bushy tail thinned and forked at the end, and a red jewel materialised on her forehead.

Misty gasped as she slowly lowered the glowing Pokémon to the floor, as the pearly aura began to fade to reveal sleek purple fur.

“Hey cool!” grinned Tracey, from where he was standing. “A Happiness Evolution!” He cowered back as Baby the Espeon suddenly turned and glowered at him menacingly.

“Oh wow! Congratulations Baby!” cried Misty, clapping her hands together. “You’ve reached your Happiness Quota! I’d better… better… ring Marina and tell her to pick up a bigger bed…”

Tracey sweatdropped as Misty left the room, and the Espeon advanced on him in a predator fashion.

“Hey Baby,” he murmured, backing away.

“Hello yourself, darling,” purred the Espeon in a familiar voice.

“Catalia!? What are you- when did you – what did you do with the Eevee?” Tracey spluttered.

“That yippy over-grown rodent?”

“Well, technically, Eevee aren’t rod-“ Tracey halted as the regal looking Psychic Pokémon/Fate Angel shot him a reproachful look from her perch on the sofa.

“She’s fine. I just grasped my opportunity to use her as a vessel when she decided to evolve,” yawned Catalia, retracting her claws in a bored fashion. “You and rock-boy aren’t doing too well, and well mister, it’s my halo on the line with this.”

“You’d better be careful around Misty though, she’s quick. She’ll guess if something’s up.” The two were startled as Misty rushed into the room, stubbing her toe on the doorframe, and yelling something about her keys.

“This is the mother of the legendary Rose Ketchum?” blinked Catalia, smirking to herself. “She must get her brains from her father’s side!”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Tracey answered, as his dark eyes followed the slim red-head on her quest for her car-keys.

“Ash is going to be at this meeting,” Catalia purred, stretching out on the couch cushions. “It’s the first time they’ve seen each other in over two years.” Tracey chewed his lip thoughtfully. “Make sure it counts.”

“But they can’t even see us! How are we supposed to do anything!” Catalia laughed – a strange guttural sound coming from an Espeon.

“Ugh, newbies,” she smirked. “You and Brock each have… for lack of a better word… a miracle at your disposal. A divine act, that you can use, as long as you have the strength to support it and any effects that come to pass as a result.”

“And we use this HOW exactly?”

“Jeez I dunno. Make something heavy fall on her just as he comes past?”

“Now, I mean how to we use our miracles?”

“They’ll come from inside when you truly feel that they are needed,” Catalia murmured, mysteriously. “Now you go with her, and you MAKE SURE that Misty Kasumi Waterflower and Ashton Satoshi Ketchum are never apart from each other again!”

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

It hadn’t taken very long for Tracey to spot Brock in the throng of suits in the hotel lobby. It also unnerved him to see that Brock seemed to glow with a sort of eccentrically yellow aura. He left Misty where she was forcibly chatting with the new Fuchsia GymLeader, Janine, and downing more alcohol than he knew was good for her.

Growling in exasperation, Tracey pulled Brock up by the collar, and he yelped with surprise.

“And now would you like to explain WHY you were lying face up on the floor in the very area where Sabrina, Karen and Clair were having a chat?” Brock smiled nervously, and twiddled his fingers. Tracey sighed in disgust and let go of him. ”Eechi,” he mumbled.

After a quick re-telling of that mornings events, it became apparent to Tracey that Brock had absolutely NO idea where Ash was, having been separated from him earlier on in the evening. Tracey slapped Brock around the head, causing him to yelp, and pale lemon wings shoot out of his shoulder blades as a reflex, causing Tracey to leapt backwards in fright. Brock sweatdropped sheepishly.

“Ah yeah – that happened earlier…” Tracey raised his eyebrow as he eased his dusty pink wings out, and they both elevated upwards, to hover above the crowd – both looking for a head of spiky black hair.

And they found it.

Right next to a head of flaming red hair.

Brock looked sideways at Tracey, apprehensively tapping his teeth together.

“Aaaaaaaand now what?”

The angels hovered gently over to where their ‘assignments’ were locked in a deathly slanging match. Whitney looked like she was enjoying it immensely, and was goading both parties on – while Erika looked as if she were about to faint, and had never heard so many profanities in her life.

“You BASTARD!” screamed Misty, whose face was as red as her hair.

“I never want to be near or have anything to do with YOU again, MISS WATERFLOWER!” sneered Ash.

“Maybe you two should fight in here,” gulped Will, as a very stern looking Lance entered the room, his cape swishing ominously. He pushed them into the empty room where the GymLeaders and League representatives would be eating later on that night, and Tracey and Brock followed.

“I HATE YOU!” spluttered Misty, as Tracey watched and sighed.

“If I weren’t a gentleman, I’d SLAP you!” threatened Ash, as Brock shook his head.

“I’m leaving, GOODBYE FOREVER!” grumbled Misty as she reached for the door.

“Ooooh! That’s not good!” yelped Brock and Tracey in unison. Tracey grinned mischievously.

“What dya say, old friend?” he grinned.

“I say… two miracles! Comin’ up!” laughed Brock, as the small room filled with a swirling, tie-dye pattern of pink and yellow. Misty and Ash both yelped, and grabbed each others hand.

“I wish that they have to stay together – until they realise that they can’t live without each other…” murmured Tracey, from where he fluttered overhead.

“I wish that they could communicate with u-“ began Brock.

“NO! Brock that’s not allowed!” yelled Tracey, frantically. But it was too late. The unearthly glow sucked in on itself, and Ash and Misty went flying to separate sides of the room. Everything went back to normal, and Tracey let out a shuddering breath as he gently landed on the ground.

From across the room, Ash was stirring, from where he had hit his head against the wall. Tracey watched curiously, as Ash’s eyes fluttered open. Tracey gasped; they were green. Before he could alert Brock, they faded back to dark brown, and Ash clambered delicately to his feet.

Misty lifted an arm jerkily, and moaned as she touched the back of her head. Curiously, Brock and Tracey watched as she slowly opened her eyes.

Her deep brown eyes, that gently faded to green.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” came a feminine scream from Ash’s direction. Misty jumped up.

“What-what…. WHAAAAAAAAAA?”

Tracey and Brock groaned.

“Ashton Ketchum get outta my body RIGHT NOW!” screeched Ash, running over and grabbing Misty violently.

“Me? What about YOU!? Did you slip hallucinogens in my drink?” questioned ‘Misty’, suspiciously.

“NO!” wailed ‘Ash’, wringing his fingers in a way Misty did so often. “What happened? Who did this?!”

“Er, guys?” Tracey tested, quietly. Both people turned at the sound of his voice.

“Holy Ho-oh…” breathed ‘Misty’, as ‘Ash’s’ eyes grew huge with fear.

“We’re sorry…” mumbled both Tracey and Brock dejectedly.

[NOTE: They are hereafter referred to by their names, but they are still in each others body]

“Okay, I’m in Ash’s body, and my two dead best friends are standing, in the middle of a hotel luncheon room, with wings…” hyperventilated Misty. “This is officially the WORST day I have EVER had! I didn’t have that much to drink!” she whined pathetically.

“Why are you here? Why are you doing this to us?” Ash asked quietly. Brock went to speak, but Tracey silenced him.

“We can’t tell you Ash,” he said kindly. “You have to figure it out for yourselves…”

“Aw man this sucks,” mumbled Ash, kicking at the floor with his girly legs. “But it’s great seeing you guys again – what are you – our guardian angels?”

“Yeah, kinda,” smiled Brock. “It’s great to see you two as well. Hey Misty, aren’t we the babe now!”

“Careful Brock, you’re referring to Ash now,” Misty smirked, half-bitterly.

“I have to give a speech later! I can’t do that in Misty’s body!” whined Ash. Tracey shrugged.

“You’ll have to teach it to her – you two will have to learn to get along again. No one must know that you two aren’t who you seem to be.” Ash and Misty nodded slowly.

“This is so weird,” Misty murmured, looking down at her new apparel. She turned to glare at ‘herself’. “And Ketchum, if you remove ONE piece of clothing…”

“Yeah, yeah,” sneered Ash. Suddenly, he looked horror-stricken.

“Um, hey Myst…erm, Misty, you…you don’t have your period any time soon – do ya?” he asked, hesitantly. Misty grinned, schemingly, and Ash glowered at her. “I can’t believe you have to be me – no one will buy it! You’re still the same brainless cow you were at the-“ his voice trailed off as Misty waved a mallet threateningly at ‘her’ crotch.

“Take that back or I swear you will never father a child.” Tracey and Brock gulped.

“NO!” they squealed, as they dived for the mallet