Well here we go, on to the third chapter of this… “Romance” fic. Things are about to get a lot more interesting if you haven’t thought the first two were interesting.

“Rudy?” Ash asked, surprised to see the old gym leader he beat in the Orange Crew standing there.

“Uh…can I help you? And are those flowers for me?” Rudy asked him, no clue of who Ash was.

“No, they’re not for you! And does Misty Waterflower live here?” Ash asked, confused.

“Yeah, and what’s your business being here?” Rudy asked, still no clue of who Ash was.

“I am one of Misty’s best friends, and I wanted to see her is my business!” Ash said, getting angry.

“Well, I guess I’ll go get her. Wait here, and don’t steal any of our lawn ornaments!” Rudy warned Ash, while Ash put on a quizzical face. Then Ash turned his head looking back, eyeing the ornaments, “Hmmm...” he wondered.

Ash waited nervously for Misty. He had a lot of thoughts going through his mind. What was he gonna say to her after two years of no contact, what expression would he put on when he saw her beautiful face. He also wondered why Rudy was there, his old temporary nemesis.

The door re-opened, and Misty stood there, a look of shock on her face. “Misty…?” Ash asked.

“Ash?!” Misty asked, surprised.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Ash said, holding out the lily’s towards her. She didn’t take them from him however, she just stood there, with her arms crossed. Ash got more nervous as the awkward situation unfolded. Pikachu broke it by jumping into her arms though, and she smiled at him, and pet him.

“Ash, I don’t even-” Rudy interrupted Misty before she could finish “What are you waiting for Mist? Are you gonna invite your friend in or not?”

She lead Ash into the house, and into the living room. Ash was saddened when Rudy called Misty “Mist”, his nickname for her.

Ash sat down on the couch, while Misty went to sit on the arm of the chair Rudy was sitting in. “So how have you been Mist?” Ash asked, not wanting to be there at the moment. It was too awkward for him.

“Only I may call her that!” Rudy butted in. Ash glared at him. ‘damn bastard.’ he thought.

Misty looked to Ash, and then to Rudy, and smiled “I’ve been doing great, I’ve got a great job, great friends, a great house…and a great boyfriend.” She and Rudy shared an gruesome kiss in Ash‘s mind. When they were finished, they turned their attention back on Ash.

“So how do you know my girlfriend…Ash, is it?” Rudy asked, holding Misty’s hand.

“I met her eight years ago…on my first day as a pokemon trainer.” Ash told him, and was saddened again at the memory.

“And where have you been lately?” Rudy asked him.

“I’ve been on Baliston Island, competing for a chance to battle against the Elite Four.” Ash explained, not wanting to tell him the love/thank you story.

“Maybe I should give you two some privacy, and let you catch up on things.” Rudy said, standing up.

“Baby, you don’t have to-” Rudy interrupted Misty again “No, you two haven’t seen each other in awhile, and I have some stuff I have to do. So I’ll see you later.” Rudy said, and gave Misty another big kiss, grabbed his car keys, and headed off to his destination.

After Rudy was gone, Misty lead Ash out side to the front, where they sat on the porch. “I don’t really think there’s anything we need to talk about.” Misty broke their long silence of twenty one minutes and 41 seconds.

“There’s plenty to talk about.” Ash argued, and pulled out his lily’s that he had bought for her. “Do you want these?”

“…No.” she coldly responded. Ash frowned, and stuffed them back in his back pack, angrily. “Your mad at me?” Ash asked, looking up at her, she turned away, and looked to the street, and watched the few cars that drove by.

“Yes.” she whispered. She was truly hurt by the way Ash responded to her feelings of love still.

“I wish you would have said “Yes” to the flowers, and “No” to being mad at me.” Ash said quietly.

“Well too bad.” Misty mumbled.

“So how did you…how did you hook up with Rudy?” Ash asked, that being the hardest question he ever asked in his life.

She looked at him, and then quickly turned back away. “I turned to him, to help get me through my problems…” Misty started “after you didn’t return my feelings, I got really depressed. I left your house, and went home. My sisters couldn’t help me either. When I went to the pokemon center, Rudy was there. We got to talking. I turned to him for comfort and re-assurance. And one thing lead to another, and we kissed. And as soon as you could say ‘thank you…’ we were a couple.” Misty explained.

Ash felt like crying at the way she placed ‘thank you’ in her story. “Oh…” was all he could say.

“And how have you been on your SOLO journey?” she asked, in a tone that said she really didn’t care.

“I did well, I ranked in the top three. And I start competing for my chance to battle the Elite Four in a couple of weeks…” Ash said, not even caring himself about it.

“That’s around your birthday right?” Misty asked. “Yeah…it’s actually on the day of my birthday.” Ash explained, smiling a little. “Though, it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be a very happy birthday.” he was sad again.

“Why?” Misty asked.
“Because my friends wont be there to celebrate it.” he said, looking down at his shoes.

“Why not? Are your friends not allowed to come see you?” Misty asked, bitterly.

“No, that was just Baliston Island.” Ash told her, and it was silent and awkward again.

“Misty…I have to tell you something.” Ash started, hoping she’d listen.

“Fine! What is it?” she asked, not too thrilled.

“I wanted to tell you something I should have told you two years ago. I am in love with you, and have been for the last eight years!” he finally admitted.

“Thank you…but no thanks, I already have a boyfriend.” she turned away from him again.

“Come on Mist, you loved me those-” Misty interrupted Ash before he could finish

“Why did you tell me ‘thank you’ after I told you I loved you then?” she asked. “Why did you leave me a broken heart if you loved me?!” she kept asking. “Why didn’t you tell me that you loved me?!” she got louder as each question came, and she grew some tears in her eyes.

“Misty, you wanna know why I didn’t tell you I loved you, and why I told you what I told you?” Ash asked, growing frustrated with her.

“Why Ash?! Is it because your so incredibly stupid?!” she asked, wanting to hurt his feelings, the way he hurt hers.

“That’s part of it…but the main reason was because I just panicked, and I was afraid, and I was all confused, and…” Ash stopped, tears breaking lose from his eyes. He wiped them away, and looked away from Misty. She just stood there, her arms crossed, not really sure if she bought what he said. Pikachu just listened to his two human friends fight, from a safe distance.

“Misty…I love you…” he said once more.

“Don’t say you love me!” she screamed. “If you really loved me, you would have told me after I told you my feelings! You have no idea of the broken heart I had Ash! You had your chance those years ago, and you blew it, so don’t tell me that!” she kept yelling, making her neighbors run inside, and grab their phones incase an ambulance was needed.

“But, I told you why I said what I-” Ash got cut off by her once again

“I don’t want to hear it Ash! I’m with Rudy now! And I love him. I love him now! So just get out of here, you have no business being here now!” she yelled more, and pointed in the direction of the docks.

Ash looked at her angry, yet beautiful blue/green eyes. He held back his tears, as he watched her pointing, signaling that he better go. Pikachu ran over to Ash, and hid behind his legs. Ash knew this might be the last time he would see Misty, and didn’t want to hide his tears any longer.

He let his tears show, and then he took off running for the docks. Misty went from angry to sad after he was out of sight. She knew he broke her heart, and wanted him to feel the same pain…but now she was guilty, and she now realized that Ash apologized, and gave his ‘typical’ Ash responses. But, she would not be one to give in…

Ash now sat on the beach, still crying his eyes out. He repeatedly gripped the white sand in his hand, squeezed it, and let it fall out of his grasp. Pikachu was rubbing up against Ash like a purring meowth, trying to comfort him, but no amount of comfort was gonna cheer him up. Soon dusk was on the horizon, and the tide was coming in. Ash still sat there, watching the sunset, his shoes getting wet by the tide. He remembered watching the sunset with Misty a couple years ago, after they were reunited from their long separation…

~ Ash and Misty sat alone on the beach in Pallet Town, watching the gorgeous sunset fade. It was the two’s first night together in years. It was the first night they were alone together in even more years, and then, they weren’t as good of friends, or even friends at all.

After the battle frontier, Ash came back to find Misty at his house yet again. They had wanted some alone time to talk, and Ash took her to his spot on the beach he knew very well. The two were lying in the sand, gazing at the sunset. When the sunset was gone…they watched the stars.

“It sure is beautiful tonight, huh Ash?” she asked, smiling as she gazed at the stars.

He looked to her, and replied “Yeah…it sure is beautiful.” Her eyes twinkled with the stars, and he became entranced in them.

Misty looked at him, and then rolled on to her side, facing him. Ash did the same, facing her. “What’s on your mind Ash?” she asked, seeing that he looked as if he wanted to tell her something.

“Uh…” he started, his heat beating fast. “I wanted to tell you that I, I mean I wanted to say, um, it’s like this-I…” Ash couldn’t find the words, but he found himself moving towards Mist, as she did the same.

They closed their eyes, and were just inches apart…when… “Hey guys! The late dinner’s ready!” The two both jumped back from each other and screamed. They looked up to see Tracy standing there.

“Tracy! You scared the hell out of us!” Mist screamed, as she grabbed some sand, and threw it at him. He just started laughing, while dusting the sand off him.

“Yeah, that was really rude!” Ash yelled, also getting in on the sand act.

“It’s not rude, it’s Rudy.” Tracy quoted.

“Huh?” Ash and Mist asked in unison.

“That one guy, Rudy, said that on Trovita Island.” Tracy explained.

“Oh yeah.” Ash and Misty remembered.

“Now come on, your late dinner’s ready.” ~

“Stupid Tracy.” Ash said, after the flashback. Ash ended up spending the night on the beach, and was then fined in the morning sleeping there. As he did not notice the sign there that read: “No camping on the beach!”

He took the boat back to Pewter City, to tell Brock of his failure…

No matter how hard I try
You keep pushing me aside
And I can't break through
There's no talkin' to you
It's so sad that you're leavin'
It takes time to believe it
But after all is said and done
You're gonna be the lonely one...ohhh

Do you believe in life after love?
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, no
Do you believe in life after love?
I can feel something inside me say,
I really don't think you're strong enough, no

What am I supposed to do,
Sit around and wait for you
Well I can't do that
And there's no turnin' back
I need time to move on
I need love to feel strong
'Cos I've had time to think it through
,N' maybe I'm too good for you, ohhh

Do you believe in life after love?
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, no
Do you believe in life after love?
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, no