By Totodile

: Sigh: So you must be wondering...What is the Halo Effect? It’s when someone does something good so someone else assumes that they are good at everything, including things they are not. This is how I think Misty feels about me now. She didn’t when we first traveled together but she sure does now that we have been in Johto a while. But now she always expects that I can handle any situation and always save the day like some kind of super hero. But come on, this is real life. She has to realize I’m no angel and I’m certainly not perfect nor have I ever been. Just because I try to always be nice and considerate to people now. If she only knew what goes threw my head sometimes. I bet she would be shocked, her perfect image of me shattered. Another problem is my fault, if she tells me to do something. You know like....Ash, Do Something...Well I always do. You see I don’t necessarily want her to not have this image of me because I’m in love with her. I guess a girl like her grows on you over the years. Back in Kanto she was hardly nice to me. She gave me insults, we fought constantly. I miss that a little too. She can be extremely adorable when she was hot tempered. She never gets mad at me at all now, however. She’s also a little too agreeable. she never argues about wanting to do something for herself like she used too. She’s so sweet on me, I sometimes wonder if she thinks of me as more than a friend. I often ponder about this. She acts like I can do no wrong, like I can’t make mistakes. But I do make mistakes. She just either doesn’t notice them or makes excuses to herself for them. She puts me on a pedestal.

Misty: Ash you look serious, what are you so serious about?

Ash: Oh nothing.(I lie. See not perfect at all.)

Misty: Ok, Ash. (See how agreeable, not even questioning me like she used too.)

Ash: :sigh:

Misty: So where are we headed next?

Ash: We are headed to the town of Olivine City.

Misty: Ok, whatever you say, Ash.

Brock: Let’s hurry and try to make good time before dark.

We walked along Misty was right next to me. I got a strange feeling in my stomach like it hurt real badly.

Ash: Ow, aw, oh...

Misty: Ash, what’s wrong?

Ash: It’s my stomach.

Misty: (She’s overly concerned again, I’m not gonna die from my stomachache. )Brock, do you have anything for Ash’s tummy?

Brock: Let me look in my bag. Here is some.....

Misty: I’ll give it to him, Brock.

Ash: Misty, thanks.

Misty: Anything for you, Ash. (She says this alot lately.)

I felt better so I was getting up and she just had to help me. I don’t mind that so much. I felt a small tingle go up my arm where her hand had grabbed me. She is beautiful, you know, at least to me. She’s a striking girl with red hair she wears in a silly side ponytail, she has the deepest blue eyes you can get lost in. She wears a dorky outfit but its ok. I’m no fashion guru or anything. It is a little yellow shirt, tiny jean shorts and red suspenders. She has looked better the few times she dressed up around me. When we were in Maiden’s Peak, she had worn a lovely pink Kimono with her shoulder length red hair following down. My jaw had dropped but she didn’t notice. Probably because back then I was always making cracks about her looks however, I eventually stopped because I no longer believed what I had previously said. I love to remember things about her. Even though she’s right here. We arrived in the middle of a dense, dark, eerie forest. It had wild Pokemon sounds in every direction. We then walked into a small clearing by a lake.

Brock: Well let’s set up camp here.

Ash: Yeah, it’s getting late.

Misty: I’m tired.(She can still admit she‘s tired)

Ash: Well Brock are we gonna eat first, cause I’m starved.

No matter how mature I do get my stomach stays the same. They still tease me of this even Misty, she used to complain about it but now...she...

Misty: Brock, you better cook something for Ash.

Brock: I am it’ll be done in a little bit.

Misty: So Ash, can’t wait till the next badge?

Ash: You know it.

Misty: Yeah. :sigh: :yawn:

Ash: Misty maybe you should lay down.

Misty: Good idea, Ash. :yawn:

Ash: :yawn: Hey Mist. Stop that you are making me yawn, now.

Misty; Oh, I'm sorry, Ash.

Ash: Oh, I was only teasing. It’s ok.

She laid down and shut her eyes, guess she isn’t hungry like I am. She looks peaceful as she drifts off to sleep. I love watching her sleep. I always have since I first met her. She looks angelic and she takes out that silly ponytail. She looks cute in the mornings when she wakes up with her hair messy. She always brushes it almost immediately though and puts it back as it had been in her signature side ponytail.

Brock:(whispering) it’s ready.

So I go and eat so I can hurry to sleep. I am tired just like Misty. I roll my sleeping bag out in a spot with a good view of her. I fell asleep rather quickly......

Misty: Ash, Ash (she was saying my name very sweetly.) Ash wake up, sleepyhead.

I opened my eyes...damn....her hair is fixed already...oh well there’s still plenty of mornings ahead.

Ash: Mornin’ Mist.

Misty: Brock has breakfast ready.

Ash: I’m up.

She used to wake me up in the rudest ways when we first traveled together. She has used many things, a gong, a bucket of water, yelling in my ear close up nearly busting my eardrum and many other ways that were no fun for me. Then again I had got her pretty good a few times myself so I could never stay mad at her. After breakfast we all relaxed by the lake. Misty was sun bathing in her cute tied up t-shirt and bikini bottoms. I was swimming with my pal Pikachu. It’s fun plus Misty eyes are closed so I can steal glances at her. Which I often do. Brock fell asleep under a tree close by...he was snoring rather loudly. Pikachu was splashing me and I decided to try and kid around with Misty like the old days so I got a small bucket and filled it with water and I went over to her and I dumped it on her stomach.

Misty: Whooooo, what was that for? (She‘s still being sweet.)Although it’s kinda nice to cool off. The sun is pretty hot right now, thanks, Ash.

See what I mean she thinks everything I do is perfect in the old days I would a felt the wrath of her mallet but she only uses it on Brock, now, to save other girls from him. She can be downright mean to Brock sometimes but never to me. She is blowing my mind the way she acts. I kinda like it but I also miss the old Misty too. At least she’s still around. In fact Brock even left once but she never has left my side it’s been almost 5 years that we’ve all been traveling. I was only 10 back then, she was 12. Now I’m 15 and she’s a shapely 17-year-old, not as scrawny as she used to be but just right to me. She got up and joined Pikachu and me in the water. This is gonna be a good chance to horse around with her. I went under the water and came up right behind her and splashed her really good. She just splashed back playfully and we kept it up for a while but she still didn’t get mad at me. She would a killed me when I was 10. She really is such a nice girl. We are having such a good time. I grabbed her wrists and held her still. She was looking at me intently and I just had to stare back....we got a little closer.....I was about to lean in and plant one on her. It was gonna be so...perfect...I got closer our lips almost touching...

Brock: Sooooo, what’s this? Huh guys.

Misty: Brock, you make me so mad, sometimes.

Here comes the mallet. She hit Brock and he went back to sleep. Unfortunately so did the mood of that perfect moment just now. She definitely has some feelings in there somewhere for me. I was still happy just not in the moment of a kiss anymore. Maybe some other time. I watched as she climbed out of the lake then she turned and winked at me. I immediately had a deep shade of red on my cheeks but she didn’t notice because she was faced the other way now. We packed up and once again continued toward Olivine. There were quit a few towns in between here and Olivine but that’s ok. It’s great traveling with such great friends. Brock was like a mother to Misty and me. He was also a real nut job when he was near a pretty girl except Misty. He likes women who are older than him, thanks I don’t need the competition for her affection. I would be miserable if she had a boyfriend unless it was me. I was gonna get that kiss eventually. She’s been on my mind so much, I’m surprised I haven’t lost a battle in so long. Because I should be more focused on them but she’s become very distracting. That’s not a bad thing though cause I like the distraction. She’s a real beauty and really always was I was just too dumb to notice and now she’s even prettier than her sisters ever were. We finally arrived in a town, what town I don’t know but it had a Pokemon Center where we could spend the night. We always shared one room. The rooms in the Pokemon Centers all have 2 bunk beds or more so that plenty of trainers, namely up to four at most of them, can sleep in one room. I’m glad they didn’t separate males and females cause then I couldn’t watch her sleep or talk to her while I was getting tired at night.

Misty: Good I need a hot shower.(Can I join? I wish. See I‘m not perfect, I wonder what she would do if I said it out loud?)

Ash: Can I join?

Misty: Oh don’t be silly , Ash. (She said that in a sugary sort of way.)

Ash: I was just teasing.

Brock: Get a room.

Ash: We can’t till we get to the Pokemon Center.(If you can‘t tell I don‘t get what he just meant.)

So on we walked to the Pokemon Center, glad to be out of the woods. I really do need a shower but I can wait till she’s done. When I take a shower after her I can smell the scent of her lilac shampoo in the air. It’s a real pleasure to my senses. :Sigh: We had finally made it too the Pokemon Center it was the middle of the day but I was still tired so I went to get us a room and I crashed and went to sleep. I had told her to wake me up for a shower when she was done.

Misty: Ash, Ash.

Ash: Yes, what smells so good. Is that your hair?

Misty:(blushing) Yeah, I just washed it in the shower.

Ash: Could I smell it?

Misty: Sure, I guess.

She leaned down and I smelled her beautiful freshly washed hair. It was like heaven on earth.

Ash: Thanks, Well I better head for the shower before someone else does.

Misty: See you when you’re out.

The shower was a welcome relief the water felt really good on my bear skin. I washed my hair and my body then I got out and dried off. I got dressed in a clean pair of jeans and black shirt and dried my black hair. I brushed my teeth and met my friends in the cafeteria to eat. Brock was bothering Nurse Joy as always but Misty just let him this time and ignored him. She was focused on me.

Ash: What?

Misty: Nothing.

Ash: Oh.

I was a little disappointed she looked liked she had something on her mind just then when she was looking at me so intently. Oh well, maybe she’ll tell me what it was some other time. I sat down next to her, she still smelled of that pleasing aroma.

Misty: Ash, you forgot to get a tray of food.

She giggled at me. I felt real silly, but I got up and went to get in line and get a tray of food. It didn’t take long for me to return to the seat where I just was.

Ash: Is this better?

Misty: Well a growing boy does need to eat.

Ash: Well I’m almost done growing.

Misty: I hope not.

Ash: What do you mean by that?

Misty: I’m not telling.

She was teasing me. I liked that. I really liked that It seemed as if she was actually openly flirting with me maybe because we were the only ones at the table. Brock was still bugging Nurse Joy. We sat there and ate in silence when....I felt a foot under the table rubbing against my leg. I looked over at her and she was grinning at me with the biggest smile. I peek under the table and sure enough it is her. I didn’t know she forgot to put shoes on. I couldn’t speak just then I was getting a little shy. I finished the rest of my food and reluctantly got out of my seat to take my tray back, I took hers also.

Misty: (Surprised.) Thanks, Ash.

Has there ever been a more delightful girl? Not too me especially in that particular moment too bad so many people are around. I would a kissed her if we were alone. I'm gonna and soon.

to be cont....