"You're Who I've Always Wanted"

"Come on Danny, you can do it!"

My heart sank as I heard her shout those encouraging words. The encouraging words that she never gave me. The words of encouragement that I longed to hear from her. My friend, my love, my all. I can't believe that she would just turn her back on me like that! Did my friendship mean nothing to her? Did I mean nothing to her?

When I think about it, I guess it does make sense. Why would she think of me as anything other than 'That immature little brat that owes me a bike'?

The bike. Of course. That's why she's been following me all these years! Not because she was my friend, and not because she loved me like I had hoped she did. No, OF COURSE she didn't love me. Look at me, what have I got to offer her? What good am I to anyone? I haven't even beaten the Indigo League and now I'm trying to win in the harder Orange League? No wonder she laughs and teases me all the time. No wonder she doesn't love me. No wonder she HATES me. Gary was right. I'm just a loser. A pathetic loser who can't do anything right! My Charizard won't even obey me, and I got most of my badges by pure dumb luck!

Maybe I should just give up. Just go home and stay there so no one can hurt me anymore. Where SHE can't hurt me anymore. I know she doesn't love me like I love her, so maybe I should just pay her back for that bike so she can just get on with her life. Then at least I can get on with mine. Yeah, that's what I'll do……it's not like she'd miss me……would she?

No, I already know the answer to that. Of course she wouldn't miss me. She always told me that she would leave as soon as she got her bike back, and I doubt that she would change her mind anytime soon. Not that I'd blame her, because I've always hurt her and teased her. I've always teased her about being a tomboy, ugly, and scrawny, even though that's not how I see her.

She's the most beautiful creature on this Earth to me. Everything from her radiant hair that always seems to cast a warm glow on her, to her wonderful smile that can always cheer me up when I'm down. I wish I could be with her, and touch my lips to hers. But I know that would never happen, because I know she wouldn't ever have any feelings for me. Even though she was who I've always wanted.

"Danny?" I asked him in a monotone voice.

"Huh?" he replied confused, as he turned around to face me. "What is it?"

"I quit"

"WHAT?!" I heard Misty shout behind me. "ASH, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"Yeah Ash," Tracey cut in. "I don't understand"

"What's so hard to understand?" I asked. "I said I quit. I'm through being a Pokemon Trainer! What don't you understand about that?"

"But-" Misty started.

"But what Misty?" I asked her challengingly. "But why didn't I quit earlier? But why did I only decide to quit now?"

"No Ash," she replied back quietly. "But…why?"

"Because" I told her softly, with tears threatening to pour out of my eyes any second. "Because I don't care anymore"

"Because I have no reason to care anymore" I told her while staring into her Aqua-Green eyes.

And with that, I spun around and walked dejectedly towards the beach. As I walked slowly towards the calm, sandy shores, I thought I heard Misty protest and even cry, but no, I knew that I was just hearing things. I didn't matter to her, I never would.

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The sun was just starting to set as I got to the sandy beach. The glow of the afternoon sun dimming down over the horizon, reflecting off of the calm waters of the sea.

As I picked up a stone from the ground and skipped it across the tranquil waters, I heard someone approach me from behind. I quickly turned around to come face to face with Misty.

I felt a pang in my heart when I saw her walk slowly up to me. When she was finally a few feet in front of me, she stopped. I looked into her beautiful eyes as she looked into mine. For a moment, I got lost in those heavenly eyes, and forgot where I was and what I was doing. When I finally realized I what I was doing and reality sunk in, I broke the gaze, and looked away, not wanting her to see my pain and sorrow.

"Ash?" she asked me in a soft whisper.

I didn't answer.

"Ash?" she repeated.

I still didn't answer.

"ASH!" she shouted this time, in a slightly annoyed tone.

"WHAT?" I snapped in a harsher tone than I meant to.

At this I saw her worried face turn into a frown.

"Well sorry for caring!" she countered harshly. "I just wanted to know what was wrong ok? You didn't have to snap at me!"

I sighed. No, I shouldn't have. This just gives her one more reason not to love me and to hate me.

"I'm sorry" I told her solemnly. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just……I'm just upset that's all"

"Upset?" she asked me confused. "Upset about what?"

At this I turned my head to face her. I looked at her angelic face longingly. I wanted to tell her, but I knew that I couldn't. It would just hurt me too much to do so, not to mention the embarrassment that I would forever feel when she told me that she didn't feel the same way. No, I realized. There would be no point in telling her, because I already knew how she'd react.

"Nothing" I told her simply.

"Nothing?!" she asked me in disbelief. "Nothing?! Oh no Ash Ketchum, you're not getting off the hook that easily! I know there's something bothering you, so spill it!"

"I already told you" I replied in a low voice. "Nothing's wrong"

"Don't you give me that garbage Ash!" she yelled. "You can't fool me!"

"And why would you care?" I screamed back in an equal tone of voice. "Since when have you EVER cared about me?"

I saw her facial expression soften when I said that. It almost seemed like…..it almost seemed like she DID care.

"Ash, I do care about you" she replied in a pleading voice. "I care about you a lot. You're one of my best friends"

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "Well I do recall you cheering for Danny earlier today, while I, your FRIEND, was totally ignored even though I came close to death on more than one occasion! Is that how you treat your friends?"

"No I-"

"No what? No that's not how you treat your friends?" I cut in. "No, of course that's not how your friends. That's the way you treat ME, and me alone!"

"But-"

"BUT NOTHING!!!" I screamed. "How could you do that to me Misty? How could you just turn your back on me like that?"

At that moment, I chose to let the tears of pain flow freely down my face. At that point I didn't care anymore.

"How could you do just throw away the friendship I thought we had?" I asked with my head hung low, and my tears cascading down my face. "In all the 2 years I've known you, you've only cheered my on a few times, and that took a while for you to do. But today you meet a complete stranger and you cheer him on over me, your FRIEND, without so much as a second thought!"

"Ash I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to hurt me? Didn't mean to ditch your friend who you've known for 2 years for a complete stranger?" I interrupted once again. "Well it's too late for that, because you've already done both!"

I saw her hang her head down in regret at that comment.

"I can't believe you did that Misty" I continued. "Doesn't our friendship mean anything to you? Don't I mean anything to you?"

Her head slowly rose as I continued.

"Ash, you have no idea how much you mean to me"

"If I mean so much to you, then why did you betray me like that Misty?" I challenged. "I didn't even see you so much as flinch or show any concern over the numerous times I almost died out there today"

I saw her stare down again as I continued.

"And you know what the funny thing is Misty?"

"What?" she asked quietly.

"The funny thing is that I'm STILL in love with you!"

"Wha…what?!" she asked me disbelief. "What did you say?"

"I said I love you Misty" I repeated in a low voice. "But what do you care? I've always tried to do everything for you! I've always risked my life out there for you, but do you notice? NO! All you notice is every other guy that we meet, but never me!

"Ash……Ash I don't know what to say" she replied.

"You don't know what to say?" I asked harshly. "Well how about 'Ha Ha Ashy Boy! You're so stupid to think that I would ever love you!', or maybe 'I could never love an immature little bike stealing loser like you!'? How about those Misty?"

"Ash, I-"

"What? Do you think I'm over-reacting? Is that what you think? Or do were you going to comment once again on my lack of Pokemon training skills? Or were you-"

"ASH I LOVE YOU!"

"Misty! Let me finish! Like I said, were you going to…to……to……..what did you-"

I didn't get to finish as Misty embraced me in a tight hug and pressed her lips firmly onto mine. I suddenly forgot about everything that had just happened and lost myself within her warm touch. I quickly gave in to the sensuous feeling she was giving me through her lips and responded to the touch of her kiss with my own.

As we finally broke apart from the kiss together, she leaned her forehead onto mine and spoke softly.

"Like I said Ash….I love you" she whispered while looking into my tear filled eyes.

"I love you too Misty" I whispered back while caressing her cheek softly with my hand. "But that still doesn't explain why you cheered for Danny today and totally ignored me!"

I heard her sigh before she started to speak again.

"Well you see Ash, ever since we met, I've always been in love with you, but I was just too stubborn to admit it"

At this I was shocked! I never knew she was as in love with me as I was with her when we first met!

"As time went on, I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with you, but I didn't think you felt the same way because of the way you constantly bickered with me" she continued. "So I decided then, that I'd forget about you, and just go for some other guy and while ignoring you, since you were someone that I just couldn't have"

"Mist, you should've just told me that you loved me" I started. "If you did, then we could've been a lot happier and wouldn't have to fight and bicker all the time!"

"Well I didn't know Ash!" she retorted. "You've never shown any interest in me up until now!"

I sighed. I knew she was right. I didn't ever show any interest in her, because I was always afraid of getting hurt. But, I realized, I ended up getting more hurt BECAUSE I didn't show any interest in her, because that gave her a reason to turn to other guys!

"Anyways" she continued. "That's why I turned to Danny today, and cheered him on, because he at least showed some interest in me!"

"That's all?" I questioned. "You're not in love with him or anything?"

"Well…."

"Well what?"

"Well I did do it to get you jealous too!" she told me while blushing.

"Well I gotta say it worked!" I replied with a smirk.

"So……" she started.

"So……what?" I asked.

"So where does that leave us now?"

"Well" I started as I pulled her near me gently. "How would you like to go for a nice romantic walk along the beach under the moonlight?"

"Wow Ash, I can't believe it!"

"Believe what?" I asked confused.

"That YOU of all people thought of something romantic!"

"Well, there's always a first for everything right?"

"Yeah, like you quitting Pokemon training!"

"Oh that?" I asked nervously. "Well I've just decided to return to Pokemon training!"

"Oh, and why is that?" she asked me curiously.

"Because" I started as I tilted her chin up gently towards me and gazed into her beautiful Aqua-Green eyes. "I have a reason to care now"

"Aww…you're so sweet Ash!" she giggled while blushing.

With that, I brought my lips to hers again, creating a tight seal over our mouths. We stood there, under the illuminating glow of the bright moon, kissing passionately for what seemed like eternity. When we broke away from the kiss, I pulled her gently towards me, into a loving hug, as she laid her head on my chest.

"Misty?"

"Hmmm?"

"You know what this means don't you?"

"What?" she asked me confusedly.

"IT MEANS THAT THE WORLD BETTER WATCH OUT, BECAUSE ASH KETCHUM IS BACK, AND I'M GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE POKEMON MASTER!" I exclaimed.

As soon as I said that, I felt something hit me in the back of head. As I slowly got out of the daze, I looked up to see a frowning Misty, with her trusty mallet in hand.

"Ow…..Misty, what did you do that for?" I asked her while clutching my head in pain.

"BECAUSE YOU RUINED OUR ROMANTIC MOMENT JUST SO YOU COULD RECITE YOUR ' I'M GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE POKEMON MASTER ' SPEECH!"

"Heh heh…s-sorry Mist" I stuttered nervously.

"That's alright sweetie" she replied cheerfully while pecking my cheek. "You can start making it up to me now"

"Sure thing Misty" I replied lovingly as started to kiss her again.

"Afterall" I started after briefly breaking off the kiss. "You're who I've always wanted".

By: PikaPi84

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