Assignment 009

Part 1: Just The Beginning

A tall, slender girl climbed through a secret tunnel until she
got to a door. She opened it and walked in until she was standing
before a dark figure.

"Sir, here is your report," she said, handing him a document.

He took it and read it. "Very well. I expect another report like this
next week."

"Yes sir. ...Sir? Um...how long do you think this mission will take?"

"This is a lifelong mission until the boy can do on his own,
and that will not be until he returns home. That is the time when you
have to depart from him and go on to your next mission--when you can
fully focus on Team Rocket."

There was a long silence. "Y-yes, sir," said the girl as she climbed
back out.


~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~*

"Where is Misty?" Ash wondered. "She said she'd meet us here an
hour ago in an hour, and it's been about three!"

"She wouldn't even tell us where she was going," Brock said.

"Maybe she went off with some guy," Brock said, trying to make Ash
jealous since everyone was bored. And wouldn't you know that we all
turn to Ash to make us all better ^_~.

"Brock, don't joke," Ash said, sitting on the bench.

"Really, she probably did." Brock said, serious this time.

"Misty is just like a boomerang in a forest," Ash said.

"?"

"If you're a tree and the wind makes you blow her away then you may never
see her again because she's entangled herself in another tree."

"You make it sound like she's your girlfriend."

Before Ash's fist could replace Brock's words, it was hit by a mallet that
aimed to do the same thing.

"Misty?" Ash asked.

Brock fell over in pain.

"What took you so long?"

"Why? Do you think I ran off with another guy?"

"You were listening?"

"Yah," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not like that Ash, I
follow you for a reason."

"I already know."

"You...do?"

"Yeah, and I said I'll pay you back someday!" Ash said.

"Oh.... Ash, do you know how far away 'someday' could be?"

"Yeah but it won't be that far away, I promise. I'll pay you
back before the journey's over."

"The journey IS almost over, Ash," Brock said, fully recovered, "you
only have 3 more matches to go."

That's when Ash realized completely how close he was. "Oh...."

"Well, let's go back to the hotel!" Misty said.

"Oh yeah," Ash said.

"All right," said Brock.

The hotel was only a few blocks away. Ash, Misty, and Brock
walked those blocks.

"Hey Misty since when do you wear perfume?"

"Well, duh, today," she said.

Misty could tell Ash was reluctant of it because he stood away from her.

"Why are you wearing perfume?" Ash asked.

"Ooh, I sense jealousy," Brock teased.

"Shut up," Ash ordered.

"I'm wearing it because I stopped by a store and I thought it smelled nice,"
Misty said innocently.

"...Okay," Ash said. Misty could have sworn that he was a little unsure of it.

Now they saw the hotel they were about to check into.

"Hey guys I got some money...how 'bout we get us a suite?" Ash asked.

"Suites?" Brock asked.

"Money?" Misty asked. "Bike money? Money that you can give me right now?"

"Come on, Misty," Ash said, "why do you always have to whine about your bike?
What's so important about it that I repay you?"

Misty had an answer, but it wasn't exactly to that and it wasn't the right time
to tell him. So she just said, "All right, I guess you're right. I always have
wanted to be in a suite."

She didn't answer his question, but Ash just said, "Great!" because it got them
off the subject of that bike.

The hotel was across the street, so they waited till the left and right lights
turned red then they crossed. Well, Brock and Misty crossed first after Ash had
to dig something out. When he finished, he took quite a while and didn't bother
to recheck the lights...

"ASH!"

Ash yelped in fear as he narrowly escaped a speeding bus that passed by. When he
got to the other side with Misty and Brock, he was okay...

"Ash, are you crazy??" Brock asked, shaking him harshly by the shoulders. "What was
all that about?! You have eyes, don't you!?"

Misty slapped Ash. "Ash you could have died right then and there, you must be crazy!"

Ash was about to say something about almost getting hit by a bus...

...But he realized how close he was to death, and fainted from the shock.

Although Misty didn't faint, her heart was beating even faster than Ash's.



When Ash woke back up, he found himself in a very nice room...the suite! When his
vision adjusted and he sat up, he rubbed his eyes, yawned, and looked to his left.

Misty was sitting on a desk, writing something. She didn't notice Ash; her back was
facing his.

He snuck up to her and peered over her shoulder. He saw:

The ever-popular 'I'm gonna kill you' face of Misty Waterflowers. ^_~

"Ash, don't look at this!" Misty said, pushing him back to the bed.

"Why? What is it, a diary?" Ash asked.

"S-something like that...go back to sleep or go down to the lobby and eat or something!"

"Hey this is my room, too!" Ash said, standing up.

"How would you know that?"

"For one, you would never let me in your own private room and for two, there's two beds
and all my stuff is in here!"

Misty sighed. "Okay, whatever, just don't look at what I'm writing."

Ash looked disappointed but just nodded his head.

Misty finished writing and put it in a folder in her backpack. She looked over at Ash
who was laying down, facing the ceiling.

She sat next to him on the same bed. "Sorry I pushed you like that, Ash," she said, "I
just was writing something real important, and plus it really frustrated all of us when
you almost got hit by that bus," she said.

"Yeah," he said. "It's fine. There's nothing that'll cause trouble."

'You spoke my words,' she thought. Misty smiled.



TO BE CONTINUED...