Shadows on the Heart Window to the soul
by mal1958
Chapter 1
Call to arms
Sandy was just dusting the desk when the video phone went off, signalling an incoming call. She punched the receive button, leaving the vid part off.
"Cerulean Gym, Can I help you?"
"Is Misty there?" A youngish voice asked, "I need to talk to her."
"Who may I say is calling?" She answered in a bored tone, figuring that this was just another young trainer who was smitten by the leader.
"Oh, sorry, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." the voice said sounding a bit embarrassed.
Sandy's hazel eyes widened so far that they looked like they would fall out, and she smoothed back her sandy blonde hair before hitting the video receive button. Yes, it was him. She took in the chocolate brown eyes and black hair in an instant and noted that he had a shy smile that made him look so cute.
"Not 'the' Ash Ketchum who won the Silver conference, Orange Island Tournament, and steam rolled the Hoenn region?" She asked, knowing full well that it was him. She had seen that face many times on the Television when Misty would play that DVD she burnt from the broadcasts.
He flushed slightly, which made him even more cute in her eyes, and chuckled nervously.
"I. um, did win there," he began, stammering slightly, "But I don't think the term steam rolled isn't really accurate."
"Tell that to the media, guy." and she held up a paper showing a picture of him, arms raised and surrounded by his pokemon and his Pikachu on his shoulder making the victory sign. The headlines screamed
*Pallet Town Wonderkungk Steam rolls competition in Championship style.*
"I'll go and see if Misty can come to the phone." She winked and turned the video off and pressed the hold button.
Misty sat humming, while she groomed Marill and tried to sort out the dream. When she had woken, her heart was racing, and she had a flushed look. And she couldn't understand it. For a few moments she could still smell the clean plain soap that he normally used and feel an electric tingle on her lips where her dream-self had brushed lips with the Dream Ash. Even now, she saw those chocolate coloured eyes looking at her so lovingly, and the sound of his voice. They seemed etched on her brain. Then she heard a knock on her door and the sound of it opening.
"Hey, Misty." Sandy said with a grin. "You got a phone call in the office."
"Well, they can either call back," She responded, "Or leave a number. I'm in the middle of grooming Cutie here." She finished with a look of pleasure on her face.
"OK, it's just somebody called Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."
"WHAT?!" she said, her head snapping up at the mention of the name.
"Ash Ketchum, from Pall......." she stopped and backed out of the doorway where she had been lounging as Misty bolted from her chair and practically flew down the hallway, clutching her Marill to her. "LINE 3, it's on hold." She shouted at the retreating back of her cousin and leader, chuckling when she held up three fingers before gripping the Marill tighter. "Go get him, girl." She muttered to an empty hall, before she started humming a tune and closed the door.
Misty arrived at the phone out of breath and wondering what had just happened. Her feet seemed to take over and she found herself running full tilt to get to the phone, when she had been told it was Ash. She never had interrupted her grooming session with Marill, nor had she when the little pokemon was an azurill. But now... She sat down, took three breaths, and nervously punched the button labelled 3,followed by the video button and then his face filled the screen. For almost thirty seconds neither of them said a thing then:
"Hey Ash..." "Hey Misty..." they both said at once, before laughing a bit nervously.
"How are ya..." Again at the same time. They both laughed again and Misty signalled Ash to continue.
*****************
Ash couldn't believe how pretty she looked. Her hair was down, not in that little topknot pony tail she normally wore it in, and her eyes seemed even more like liquid pools then he remembered.
"Wow, you really look great," he blurted out and began to colour instantly. "I mean... Your hair...It's down..." he cleared his throat nervously as she stared in what seemed to be stunned silence at him. "you should wear it that way more often, it really makes you look pretty... I mean prettier..." Again the throat clearing.
*******************
Misty felt herself blush and found herself wondering what was with Ash. He had never said anything about her hair before and she had worn it down on quite a few occasions. But instead of sniping him for his sudden addition of 'prettier' she began to blush.
"Thank you, Ash," she answered quietly, "I'm really glad you called, I missed you." She coloured even more. She had meant to say 'missed talking to you' but it was too late to try to cover. There was another short silence then Ash began to talk.
She listened while he told her about Professor Oak and his mother, and she felt a lump grow in her throat at that. They were going to get married in three days. Then he dropped the bombshell. He was inviting her, and he said that he would be inviting Brock to the wedding.
"Mom says that she wants it to be small, only direct family and a few real close friends, so I thought of you.... And Brock..." he had added quickly, but not quickly enough.
"I'd love to come to the wedding." She said.
Misty couldn't believe it, his mother wanted it just direct family ans a few real close friends and he thought of her... She felt her heart skip a beat and started to wonder if it's sudden pounding could be heard by Ash. Then he dropped the other bomb. He was going to go on another Journey....
"I'm going to go to the Sinnoh Region." He said breathlessly. "Professor Oak tells me that there are a lot of new, and cool pokemon their that I have never seen before, and there is the League. If I can win this, I will be one win away from being a Pokemon Master."
"I... Well. Errrr." She held the smile back from her face when he began to stumble with his words. It was so cute. "I was wondering if... Well if you could... go with me..."
Part of herself was whooping and dancing, and another part of her was suddenly cautious. One part of her saw, what she thought was, his heart in his eyes, and the other part was trying to calm the other part down saying don't get in over your head. The second part seemed to win for a short time....
"Wow, I really would like to, Ash." she began looking into his eyes on the screen. "But I have the Gym to run, and badges to award and all." Then she saw raw disappointment flash in his eyes along with a build-up of shimmering liquid and she couldn't be certain but she thought his lower lip quivered ever so slightly. She couldn't stand it. "Hold on a moment," And leaned over to the side as if she was looking at something. Then she looked back into those eyes that seemed to fill with hope right in front of her. "I will come with you." she blurted out watching as Ash almost jumped out of his chair. "I could use the vacation, and Sandy could take care of the Gym and get more experience."
"When can you get here?" The question came out almost like one word, and Ash's eyes seemed to fill with hope and joy.
"If I pack right now, I can make the train that leaves here and be through Pewter city before one, and in Pallet Town before six tonight. I can pick up Brock on the way."
"Great, I'll call him right now and give him the news. If he isn't coming for some reason then I will call you back so you know." Again he was going in a breathless speed. "I really look forward to seeing you Mist, bye." He signed off using her pet name that he used when they had journeyed together, and then the screen went blank.
Then it hit her. He had just said that he would give Brock the news. He hadn't called him yet. Her mind grasped at that for a few moments. His own mother was getting married and wanted a small wedding: Just direct family and really close friends, and he had called her first.. With a momentous event such as this, he had called her first... She found herself in her room, while not remembering even leaving the phone. In the doorway was Sandy, leaning against the jamb with a smirk on her face.
"Well, it looks like something went right," she began and strolled into the room. "Want to talk about it cousin?" She finished and plopped herself down to sit on one end of Misty's bed.
"What do you mean, Sandy?"
"Well, just the fact that you walked by Katie, Roxie, Marie and myself as if you were in a trance, humming a happy little tune, and completely ignoring us when we called to you."
Misty sat at the other end, absently grabbing her marill's brush, and began to groom her pokemon as she told her cousin what had happened. though she left off the part of her letting Sandy take over the gym.
"Ouch," Sandy said with a fake wince. "Sounds like the love bug didn't just nip you both, it musta used a crunch attack..."
"On me, maybe," She sadly stated then looking at Sandy. "But Ash, I doubt it."
"Why, girl?"
"Look at me, Sandy..." She gestured to herself with a smile full of doubt. "I'm not as pretty as like say, my sisters, or a lot of other girls. I'm not witty, or really smart. I don't have the refined manners that a real lady has, hell Ash has called me a tomboy more then once, and he's right. I insult him, I pick on him. I have belittled him on more then one occasion. He should hate me." Then she felt her chin gripped between her cousins finger and thumb and her eyes forced look into a now stern gaze from her.
"Listen to me girl," Sandy began, with an intense tone. "You got looks that most 'women' would kill for. You've 'used' more brains then most people that I know of 'have', let alone 'use'. And 'tomboy'? Shoot girl there isn't a female trainer I ever knew that wasn't." She moved her face closer to Misty's. "'Refined ladies'," She said, twisting it into an insulting tone, full of mockery, "Don't go on Journeys or sleep in tents and bags. They stay at home and learn how to make tea, and cookies, and how to entertain folks." She twisted her mouth into a scowl. "Even the ones that go 'slumming' on these little mock journeys couldn't come close to you. And tell me," she continued with a quirky half smile at Misty. "With all the insulting, picking, and belittling as you call it, did he ever leave you, ask you get lost? Tell me what did he do?"
"He would pick on me right back, or insult me, or wait a bit and do it." She said in a subdued tone.
"Let me tell you something, Misty." And Sandy's tone dropped a bit. "If after all that, if I were a guy and hated you, I would have told you to take a long walk off a short pier, and get lost. Not stick with you or invite you to my mother's wedding, and certainly not invite you to journey with me again. Trust me, he's hooked. Now all you gotta do is have patience and figure when it's best to reel him in. It may not happen for a few weeks, or even a couple of months, but if you got the patience, and think the catch is worth the effort, you can do it. Now all you got to figure out, is he worth the effort? Do you feel enough for him to hold out until he gives in?"
"I think so," she said in a small voice. "But what if I tell him how I feel and he rejects me? I don't know if I can stand the heartache."
"Cousin, I can't answer that for you." she said with feeling. "Life is filled with heartache and you can't avoid it forever. Your going through it right now, tearing yourself apart over him, and you'll go through more whether you go with him or stay here. I do know that he can't possibly hate you, and if anything, must like you a whole lot."
"How?!" Misty almost begged, almost praying that it could be true.
"He wouldn't have invited you to his mothers wedding if he hated you." then she gave her a wink. "And if he didn't like you a lot, he wouldn't have invited you to go with him on a journey either."
Misty felt her spirits soar then. Her cousin was right, Ash wouldn't have done anything like this if he didn't at least like her. And right now, she would settle for the like part. She straightened up and looked her cousin in the eye.
"I'll do it." she said in a ringing tone.
"You go girl. I'll help you pack and then lock up the gym until you return."
"No, you won't." And it was her turn to sound stern. "Yes you can help me pack, but as to locking up the gym, no. You will be leader until I return, then I see to it that if you want to stay here we can be Co-Leaders together."
"I told you Misty," She said with a small smile. "I'm not good enough."
"Help me pack and then we can see." Misty said with a ring of steel in her tone.
An hour later she was packed and they both were in the main field. All four of the trainers were there as well as Nurse Joy and her Chancey who Misty had called to ref the match. They took their places and Nurse Joy stepped into the Referees square.
"This will be a three on three battle, with no time limit" Nurse Joy called out, sounding more like a trainer then a pokemon healer. "BEGIN"
They battled for over twenty four minutes and the other trainers watched in wonder. Sandy's crawdaunt beat Misty's politode and itself was defeated by Misty's corsola. Corsola, in turn, was beaten by Sandy's Wiscash, while Wiscash was taken out by Starmie. Then Sandy tossed out her best. Her milotic. And for seventeen minutes they battled until both pokemon collapsed, unable to battle and Nurse Joy called the match a draw.
Sandy stood there looking at Misty in wonder, as her younger cousin gave her a wink, and thumbs up. She knew better then to even suggest that Misty threw the battle. She knew her cousin well enough to know that Misty never threw any battle. They had just battled to a standstill. Even Sandy had to admit that. Then she noticed that Nurse Joy was walking toward her holding something golden in her hand, and had her pokedex too. She looked at the pokedex and saw that it now had a new symbol on the ID screen. The gold coloured shield of a Pokemon League Gym Leader. And the other Item was a Cascade Badge, but instead of the silver coloured border, it was bordered by gold.
"But I didn't win." She said in awe.
"No, you didn't" Nurse Joy said with a smile. "You did battle the leader to a draw, and that still qualifies you as Leader material. You will be listed as Co-Leader of this gym, until such time as either Misty or you decide to leave permanently."
Twenty minutes after that, they were in the main entry hall and Misty was leaving with one suitcase, her Marill, and her Gyarados.
"Do you think she'll succeed?" A trainer with green hair and eyes asked Sandy.
"Roxy, We come from a big family." She began. "We have five other sisters and one brother, all older then us. all five of our sisters are married and they all left home with that look in their eye."
"How sure can you be, Sandy?" Katie asked, with a smirk. "what if she comes back from the wedding because she chickened out? Hunting a possible husband isn't like a pokemon battle. My sister and my mother both said, it takes a different kind of heart."
"Tell you what, Katie." Sandy said with an answering smirk. "If Misty girl comes back without Ash Ketchum in tow within three months and says that she's here to stay, then I'll give you my milotic in exchange for a magikarp, and I'll eat the magikarp, scales and all, you choose the condiments" They all laughed at that moment. "Come on, girls, we got pokemon to feed and a gym to run, let's get to it."
Brock...Pikachu...Gary
Ash was flummoxed. He had messed up, yet again with Misty, and sounded like some little kid. He was happy that she agreed to come to the wedding and with him on his journey, but he wondered what she must have thought of him jumbling his words together like that. He had meant to say 'prettier' all along, and he had slipped up. Yet, he thought for a moment, she didn't yell at him or pick on him for it. 'She's probably going to save it for later,' he thought. He really didn't think of himself as handsome, or smart. All to often he made slip-ups and remarks that were childish and proved that he still had a lot to learn. Yet his pride and ego refused to let him admit it to any but himself. He sighed, and then punched in the number of Pewter City Gym.
Five minutes later he hung up the phone, completely bewildered. Brock had agreed almost as soon as he heard the word Sinnoh. He had told Ash that he was happy for his mom and he would be there with Misty in the evening. Later that evening he got a call from the Lab that Pikachu was ready, filled with ketchup, and raring to go. He arrived at the lab and got a bombshell laid on him. His pikachu, his first pokemon, his Buddy from the first days of his Pokemon journeys, was a girl.
"How come nobody discovered this before?" He asked in shock.
"Pikachu's mature a bit differently then other pokemon." Professor Oak began. "They evolve from a Pichu, but unlike other pokemon who will become breed-able when they evolve like that, it takes about two to four years for the reproductive organs to develop and grow, If during that time they are evolved into a Raichu, they lose their ability to breed, because their bodies are changed before they can fully develop."
Then he saw Gary outside heading to his car and stopped him.
"Hey, Gary," He ran up to his old once rival. "You are planning to stay for the wedding, aren't you?"
"Of course," came the reply with a big grin. "I wouldn't miss it for the world.
"Good," Ash said with a glint in his eye, "Then I don't have to take any action to insure you being there."
"If I was in a mind to leave before then, Ashey boy, how could you stop me." his tone was a bit arrogant, yet the way he smiled and his posture told Ash that he was joking.
"Ohhh, Just have Pikachu here," scratching the head of the pokemon on is shoulder. "Thunderbolt your car." Then he burst into laughter at the shocked look on Gary's face, and the stern "Pikaaaa" from his friend. "Seriously Gary, I'm glad your going to stay. I think that it would mean a lot to my mom."
"Who else is going to be there?" Gary asked.
"You, Tracy, all of the Lab assistants, I invited Misty and Brock, and me." He answered, leaning back against Gary's car. "Mom said that they wanted a small wedding."
"I figured that you would invite Brock," Gary began with a twinkle in his eye, "Since he spends more time at your place then he does at his own, but Misty?"
"So, my mom and her get along real well," he felt himself colouring slightly as he spoke, "And I thought that it would be nice for her to have another girl to talk to for a while."
"Sure, Ash." Gary replied with a grin. "What ever you say." Then he saw Ash giving him an angry look. "Calm down, Ash. Let me tell you something. Two years ago I would be picking on you like crazy, but not now. I'm going to level with you. If you got feelings for this girl, Misty, tell her. Don't hide it, don't hold it in. It will only hurt you even more."
"What if I do tell her," Ash stared at his feet, still leaning on the car. "And she hates me?"
"I'd say it's better knowing, then not." Gary gave a quick laugh. "I went through the same thing a little while back, and finally told a girl how I felt. Now she's going with me and I couldn't be happier."
"HUH?" Ash's head snapped up and he stared a Gary with a grin. "you gotta girlfriend?"
"And what's wrong with me having a girlfriend?" There was a ring of challenge in his tone.
"Nothing." Ash responded, holding his hands out, as if telling Gary to calm down. "What's her name? Do I know her?"
"I'll introduce you to her at the wedding." He said with that smirking grin that Ash used to hate. "She's a ditto trainer from this region."
"Duplica?" Ash blurted out staring at Gary. He had the satisfaction of seeing Gary's eyes widen slightly.
"Leave it to you to know a lot of trainers, Ash." He replied with a shake of his head. "Yea, it's Duplica. I met her an hour before you creamed me at the Silver Conference in Johto. She was the one who talked me into mending the fence with you, and then she travelled with me around Kanto, and Johto, for a bit." Then he looked at Ash, all traces of humour and arrogance gone. "Ash, I almost lost her to another guy, and it took all my courage to tell her how I felt. I was scared that she couldn't like me because of the way I acted."
"Whatta ya mean, Gary?" Ash interrupted.
"Ash, you of all people should know." He snapped back, looking at his feet. "I acted like a jerk. It took her almost two months being with me to make me see that. I was scared. My father was this big successful pokemon trainer, my Grandfather was the biggest name in Pokemon researchers, and my Great grandfather was one of the Elite four. I was afraid that I wouldn't live up to the rep that they had left. It took Duplica to convince me that I had to make my own name, and I didn't have to impress anybody but me. If you have some heavy feelings for this Misty, then tell her. If she doesn't like you in return, it'll hurt, I know. But I think it's better if you know, one way or the other, so you can have time to heal if it doesn't go right. And don't wait too long, or you might wake up one day and find her in somebody else's arms and I think that would hurt even more."
"Why are you telling me all this. Gary." He asked.
"Ash, you and I mended the fences back in Johto," He said with feeling. "Before we started that damn rivalry that busted us up we were best friends and nothing could separate us. I want us to get back to those days. It took Duplica to get me to see what I had become, and I hated myself for driving you away like I did." He stuck out his hand and smiled at Ash.
"Thanks Gary," And Ash gripped the hand.
"Tell ya what." He said as he vaulted over the door into his red car. "I'm going to pick up a couple of my Tux's for the wedding from the dry cleaner, you use one of em. I know we wear the same size, except for the hat. Yours is a loooot bigger," He winked to let him know that he was kidding and started to back out of the driveway.
Ash walked the rest of the way home deep in thought. He greeted his mom, went to the living room and flipped on the TV, but didn't really see what show was on. He went over the talk with Gary in his mind. He had been right of course. Before that rivalry started, the two of them would do almost everything together. He had lost a good friend, and now he was getting him back. He remembered the day that they had decided to go skinny dipping in one of the small ponds that was kept free of pokemon so they could swim. Three girls had come there to swim and would have seen them both, which would have mortified Ash, because he was the shyer of the two. But Gary had saved him by distracting the three girls and as a result got ribbed for it. Ash was not even seen. Then he remembered what Gary had said, 'It took all my courage to tell her how I felt', 'I was scared that she couldn't like me because of the way I acted'. He had been scared. Gary. Mr. Confident about everything. Ash realized that he too was scared. But at the same time, was what he felt love, or just a crush? His mind flashed back to a talk he had had with his mom just before getting pikachu. He had thought he was in love with Betty, a girl who lived down the lane from them.
******
"Mom?"
"Yes honey?" She had said drying her hands on her apron and turning.
"How do you know if your in love with somebody?"
"Well sweety," she began with that patient smile of hers. "It's different for everybody. If you are near the person and you feel good about her, it could be love. If you can't seem to get her out of your mind, no matter how hard you try, it could be. If you can't see yourself without her, it could be."
"Isn't there some way to tell if it is, and not could be?"
"I'm sorry, Ash honey, there isn't." she had replied with a small smile at his bewilderment. "There is no big sign that will tell you that you are in love, it doesn't work that way. But, if you find that even your most sought after dreams mean nothing any more and that this girl has pushed them out of your head, that is possibly the most sure sign of love. Loving somebody is wanting to share your whole life with them. Your hopes, dreams, everything that you have. If you can't seem to put those dreams out of your head, even with the person that you think you love right next to you, then I don't think it's love."
******
And then when Max, May's younger brother had asked him that question, thankfully out of earshot of his sister, but within earshot of a biker girl that Ash had defeated in a battle, she answered.
"Kid, you just know it." She snapped it out with an almost learing smile. "You just know it, there's nothing mysterious about it."
That statement caused both Max and Ash to stare, and Brock, who had been trying to hit on her, to give up. He thought on his mom's sayings. He felt really good when Misty was around him, though she could be a bit snippy at times. She was always on his mind, and he had tried to push her out more then once, but to no avail. He didn't know about the last one though. He had dreamed of being a Pokemon Master, Like his father, grandfather, and two more generations of Ketchum men. But lately, that dream seemed to have a new addition. He remembered when he won the Hoenn championship, the first words out of his mouth to Pikachu were 'Wait till I tell Misty.' And then he remembered, that each victory seemed almost hollow. Not like the Johto trip where he seemed to get a thrill from each battle. In Hoenn, the thrill had left him. It was more like a task that had to be completed to get one step closer to his goal. Now Ash wondered just what his goal was. Would he get the same thrill, or would it be like what Glacia, the Ice type trainer of the Hoenn's Elite four had called it, 'Just a cold empty metal cup'.
He was already feeling that it was just that. Even with May and Max, as well as Brock, it seemed to be nothing. He won the Hoenn cup and still he felt no heavy thrill. He definitely felt that thrill at Johto, and in the Orange Islands, when Misty was there...He remembered when he left for the Hoenn League, he had found himself turning every so often to say something to Misty, only to remember that Misty was on another continent far away from him, not standing at his side. Then he realized that he was going to be travelling with Misty through Sinnoh, and he felt a slight thrill on anticipation. Maybe, he thought, it wasn't just an empty cup of metal.
Then a new's announcement got his attention.
"We are outside the residence of Giovanni," The blue haired female commentator was saying. "Reputed boss of Team Rocket. Placed under house arrest, and his pokemon confiscated, he is awaiting word whether an indictment for racketeering charges will be issued. An unknown pair of Ex-Rockets are in protective custody and it is believed that they may turn states evidence in exchange for the dropping of any charges against them. The only lead we have on the possible witnesses is the fact that one of them has an espion, which was seen when they were being transferred from the main jail cell to the Maximum security facilities."
The camera panned out to show a large mansion with a huge garden, and several statues.
"The Boss, as he is known by many of the Rockets, was first tagged with Tax evasion, and now with possible witnesses, he may face RICO charges which if convicted on, will put him away in prison for up to thirty years, added to that is the charges of Tax evasion, which carries an additional ten to fifteen years and if convicted will break the gang known as Team Rocket. This is Alexa Rinhold of GTSA News service."
"Ya hear that, Pikachu, Team Rocket may be history." he said to the Pokemon who was sitting next to him. "Maybe we'll be lucky and they won't try to steal you any more, then we can concentrate on more important things."
"PIKAAAA" She said, holding up two fingers in a v shape.
"I couldn't have said it better, little buddy..." then he stopped and slapped his hand to his forehead. "Sorry Pikachu, I forgot your a girl. I don't know if 'little buddy' the right thing to call you."
"Pikaa Pikaa" The electric rodent nodded her head to signify it was all right.
"OK then, little buddy." he responded with a grin, and smiled wider when Pikachu hopped into his lap and hugged him. "I just wish that I would have known this before, then I could have given you a nice girl type nickname, like Beauty, or Fluffy."
Ash didn't see the sudden frown on Pikachu's face, nor see it turn into a devilish smile as sparks began to play on the mouses cheek patches.
"PIKAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
The doorbell rang, and a somewhat blackened and smoking Ash opened it to reveal Brock and Misty.
"Hi guys." And small puffs of smoke came from his mouth.