On the way to the Cerulean Gym, a bit later…

Never, ever in his life, had Ash ran so fast anywhere. Not even on his first day as a trainer, when he fled from that Spearow flock or wanted to get to Viridian with a wounded Pikachu, or when he was kidnapped by Team Rocket and he tried to make it to the Indigo Stadium for his league match. Important moments, yes, but the stakes then were nothing compared to now.

As his feet continued in autopilot towards the gym, Ash's head was a chaos with the amount of questions tormenting him. How was he supposed to tell Misty what he had found out? How was he going to break it to her that her fiancé was up to something to take her gym? And more importantly, would she believe him?

'We're best friends,' he thought. 'She'll listen to me, I just have to tell her the truth. As for how… I'll think about something.'

He had always been a spontaneous-type of person. Long-term planning had never been his forte, and in any case, right now he didn't have that luxury. There was no time to lose.

Turning around a corner at the street leading to the Gym, he ran into a surprise: Misty was walking out of the entrance right then. How convenient; that way he could catch her right away.

"Misty!" he called out loudly as he ran towards her.

He saw she turned around in his direction and stopped her walk. He crossed the street without missing a beat and stopped in front of her, gasping to regain his breath.

"Hey Ash. Wow, what's the hurry?"

"Misty… we need to talk," he said as he stood up to see her. She titled her head in confusion.

"Right now? Sorry, that'll have to wait; I have some things to do."

"No, this is important," Ash said with an urgent tone, making it clear he meant it. Misty seemed slightly annoyed, but she agreed.

"Alright, but make it quick," she said. "I need to go to the marriage agency to get everything ready for the wedding."

"About that." Ash took a deep breath. Better go straight to the point; time was a wasting. "Misty, you better call off that wedding. While you still have time."

Misty's eyes widened at that. There were a few seconds of silence as the redhead kept her shocked expression… and then she half-smirked.

"Okay, Ash, that's a good one, but I don't have time for jokes right now."

"It's not a joke," Ash said. "Misty, you can't marry Chris."

"What...?" she said, letting out a faux giggle. "What nonsense are you saying? What's gotten into you?"

He was expecting that reaction, though it didn't make it any less hurtful. But it was better to go straight to the point: he didn't like small talk anyway.

Misty finally stopped her giggles upon seeing his serious demeanor. "Ash, what's wrong with you? Yesterday you were happy for me, and today all of a sudden you changed your mind? Look, I don't know what's going on, but if you don't mind…" She tried to leave, but Ash blocked her path. She tried to walk around him, and he did again. "Ash what part of 'I have important stuff to do' you didn't get?"

"You can't leave, not until you hear what I have to say," he said. "As for why I changed my mind… things have changed. It's for your own good."

Ash thought those words would at least make her listen. However, after they were said, he realized they sounded better inside his head than outside. Irritation was beginning to fill Misty's face, but at least she remained still, as if waiting to hear what he had to say, if grudgingly.

Well, he had to take the momentum. "I didn't tell you before, but yesterday, when I came to the gym, I overheard a conversation in a cafeteria. They were saying something about 'being comfortably settled in the Cerulean Gym in one year'." Ash made the quotation marks gesture to emphasize his point. "Do you understand what it means?"

Misty raised her eyebrows, and took a few seconds to let the words sink in, as well as the implications. To her credit, the surprise seemingly toned down her irritation, if only due to how ludicrous the tale sounded.

"Exactly who did you overhear saying that?" the redhead asked. "You better not be talking about Chris, because that would make your story even less believable."

"In my defense, at the time I had no idea it was him," Ash said. "But then when you introduced him to me, I thought the guy was familiar. A guy with dark blue hair, and the same clothes as him."

"Pikachu." The electric mouse nodded to confirm his words.

Misty, for her part, didn't seem fully convinced, and she sighed as she shook her head. "Oh, for heaven's sake. Ash, you must have mistaken him for somebody else. Chris couldn't have said that, he'd never do such a thing! I'll have you know, he even helped me with the Gym without asking for anything in return!"

"And even if somebody said that, my Gym is not that easy to win out. I've worked really hard to build its current rep. Nobody will take it over as long as I'm here."

"If it was through battle, I don't doubt it," Ash replied. "But something tells me that's not the way they plan to win it out."

Misty once more raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she didn't smile this time. Well, at least the words seemed to be getting to her. Time to keep up the pressure and make her see how grave it really was.

"Let me ask you something: did you know he had two girlfriends before dating you?"

"Of course, he told me himself." She placed her hands on her hips, as if it was the most obvious thing. "There are no secrets between us, why?"

"Did you also know one of them vanished from public view when her career crumbled down, and the other ended up dead?" Ash made special emphasis in the last word, before dropping the next bomb. "Some even say the second committed suicide."

Misty almost let out a gasp, and for a split second all color left her face. Had he been too direct? By his side he could hear Pikachu groan and face palming, as if saying "Now you've done it".

"Ash Ketchum, are you listening to yourself?" Oh crap, she had just gone for the full name ultimatum. That never meant good news. "Are you saying he had something to do with what happened to them?"

"I'm just saying it's too weird they both dated him, and their careers ended up so abruptly," Ash replied.

"Oh, so now you're a detective?" said Misty. "Ash, those are grave accusations you're making. Look, from what Chris told me, his first relationship didn't work out and they ended it on a mutual agreement, but that was just because they didn't share many interests. As for the second, why would he want to cause his fiancée's death just weeks away from their wedding? I'll have you know, he was pretty heartbroken by her death when we met."

"Is that what he told you?" Ash snapped back. "Look, I know I've just met the guy, but we both know you're smarter than that. You have to admit it's pretty weird."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu piped up again, once more with irritation and for good reason. Once again he had slipped up and said something he didn't mean, but his best friend's stubbornness was gaining on him.

And it seemed the same went for her. "I'm smart enough to judge people well," she said coldly. "Now, it's my fiancé you're talking about. So I'm asking you… no, rather I forbid you from talking about him in front of me, especially since you don't know him as well as I do."

"Misty, Chris comes from a family with money, don't you think they could have easily paid one or two judges and lawyers to keep their mouths shut, or something like that?"

"Chris is an honest boy, Ash. He'd never do such things!"

"Maybe he wouldn't, but how much do you know of his family?" Ash retorted. "Wealthy families always have one or two who end up with the money and ambition going to their heads."

Misty looked away for a moment. At least she seemed to consider that point, meaning that she didn't know that much about Chris' family.

"Alright, I admit I don't know them firsthand that much. We've just met a couple times, but her father is one of the biggest moguls in the world, and a philanthropist to boot. And Chris wants to be just like him!"

Ash slapped his forehead. "Man, aren't you stubborn? Look, I don't know what he's up to, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's not good, especially not for you. For your own sake, you better stay away from him, before you end up like the previous two."

"Who do you think you are to choose what's best for me, eh, Ketchum?" Now the surname ultimatum. It was getting worse. "I think I'm old enough to know who I want a relationship with, especially if it's the person with whom I want to share the rest of my life.

"You're one of my best friends, Ash, somebody I really appreciate and care for like you have no idea. But you have no right to come and tell me how I should live my life, let alone try and incriminate a person as good and honest as Chris.

"Damn it, why won't you listen to me for once?!" Ash yelled, almost bordering on hysteria. "Before you do something you'll regret for the rest of your life!"

"Regret? Regret?! Are you serious, Ash?! I've never been so sure about something in my entire life! Chris is a wonderful guy, someone who understands and supports me. He's always been there for me when I need him. No matter if we're far away, he always takes his time to talk to me and ask if I'm fine..."

"Pikachupi…" Pikachu looked from his trainer towards Misty and vice versa, wondering if he could do something to stop the argument, as it escalated with each passing second.

"How am I going to regret my decision with all that? Why can't you understand? Why can't you be happy for me like the others?" The wave of questions suddenly stopped, and Misty took a pensive expression. "Wait… could it be…?"

Misty gave him a strange stare, suspicious and accusing, but Ash knew for sure it didn't mean any good. And his fears were only confirmed when the redhead squinted her eyes and approached to talk to him in a low voice.

"Could it be that you regret your decision?" she said. "You were the one who rejected me before, the one who told me I should look for somebody else. And now that I found him, suddenly you tell me I can't marry him?"

Ash became rigid as he heard those words, gulping loudly. That was a low blow. Indeed, he himself told her she should find someone else, but he obviously never meant someone who had potentially ill intentions with her.

And also partly because he realized that, yes, there was a shred of truth in the first part of what she said. Part of him regretted having rejected her feelings and broken her heart, but he did so because he genuinely believed it was the best for her. He was just trying to do the right thing, just like now.

With that in mind, he regained his aplomb and stared at his friend. "Misty, this has nothing to do with me," he said dodging the question. He had to focus on the matter at hand, and his personal feelings were irrelevant. "Yeah, I did say you deserved somebody, but that person might not be Chris, please understand."

"And what right do you have to decide that? Chris hasn't done anything that makes me mistrust him! Why can't you be happy for me?!"

"You think I'll be happy knowing you'll marry somebody Arceus knows could ruin your life?! Are you so naïve you prefer to believe him over me?! Even more, how can you believe I'd have any reason to lie to you with something this serious?! I might be clueless sometimes, but not with these things!"

"How do you expect me to believe such nonsense, Ash?! Do you really expect me to buy that when you barely know the person you're trying to incriminate, who is my fiancé to boot?! No, you're not that clueless, but you've always been rash to jump to conclusions! You have no proof! All you did was overhearing somebody, nothing more!"

"I repeat, it was him! And if you don't believe me Pikachu can confirm it, he was there with me and heard everything too!"

"PIKACHU!" The mouse nodded firmly, regaining his own aplomb as well for a moment.

"Ash, for the love of Arceus, are you listening to yourself?! Heard! You saw nothing! You're jumping to conclusions, just like you always do! And I'm sick of this nonsense!"

The redhead immediately tried to sidestep him to run off, and seeing he still insisted in getting in her way, she simple tackled him with the shoulder. The girl evidently didn't gauge her strength and pushed him so hard he actually hit the wall they had on the side, and she stormed off stomping hard in anger.

"Ouch!" Ash held his shoulder in pain, but he immediately left that aside. "Misty, listen to me! For all the..." Still with a pained shoulder, Ash ran after Misty to stop her. He couldn't let her leave, not like that, not now.

When she finally caught up to her, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. Seeing she still tried to resist, he grabbed her other wrist and stood before her, already desperate.

"Stop that damn stubbornness of yours and listen to me! I'm telling you to listen, damn it!"

"Let go!" she yelled, still struggling and trying to step away. "Let me go, I say!"

"Why won't you believe me?! I'm your best friend! Can't you see I'm doing this to protect you?!"

"Stop it!" she yelled again. "Let me go, you're hurting me!"

Those words caused him to stop right there. He then realized something else: Misty had shut her eyelids so hard even a few tears came out. When he glanced at her arms, he realized he was gripping them so tightly they had turned red.

He immediately let go, horrified by what he had just done, and stepped back. Misty rubbed her wrists and breathed heavily. He couldn't blame her for shouting like that.

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Save it," she said coldly. "Do you know what I think? I think you can't stand the fact that I'm happy with somebody else. Do you regret so much blowing your chances with me now you're trying to sabotage my relationship? I never thought you'd be capable of that."

"Misty, I already told you this has nothing to do with me," Ash replied. "I'm telling you this because I care about you. Now, if you just took a second to listen to me…"

No, you listen to me!" she screamed, making both Ash and Pikachu to flinch. "If you're not willing to share my happiness, to be there for me on the most important day of my life, then I demand that you go away and don't set foot in my gym, ever!"

"Misty…"

"I'M TELLING YOU TO GO AWAY!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Ash noticed they were already drawing looks to them and the people around them stopped to gawk for a second, although they quickly carried on with their own business.

Nevertheless, Ash didn't move. The shock from the scream, the stain in his hand for holding Misty so brusquely, and that hate-filled glare in her eyes, everything condensed in an instant, and it was as if a burning sword had pierced through his chest.

But it wasn't so much about the pain he himself felt, but rather trying to imagine the pain she was feeling at the moment. And that he was the one causing it, just because he was trying to tell her the truth to protect her.

"Just leave… please, just go away…" she said, her voice cracking. She wasn't demanding, she was begging.

"Pikachupi…" Pikachu muttered, trying to get closer, but Ash stopped him.

"Alright... I'll leave." He picked Pikachu from the ground and placed him back on his shoulder before turning around. He barely walked a few steps and felt tempted to look back, but he fought back the urge.

Once he was out of sight, he clenched his fist, and slammed it hard on the nearest wall. Not even wearing gloves mitigated the pain, but that was nothing. Compared to the pain he felt inside, in his soul, the physical pain was nothing but a soft stroke.

"Damn!" he shouted in anger, kneeling down and holding his face between his hands.

"Pikapi…" He heard Pikachu approaching, and he looked up. His lifelong partner stared at him with worry.

"Pikachu… She was right, I didn't even show her any proof. I was an idiot."

"Chaaaa…" Pikachu shook his head, and Ash somehow knew he was saying something like "It wasn't just your fault".

"Really, why does she have to be so stubborn when she gets mad? How am I going to get her to believe me?"

"Chu, pikapika, chu!" Pikachu said with a sense of urgency, making some gestures. Since Ash could remember, the rodent was pretty good at imitating faces when he wanted to say something important. And now he was showing the face of…

"Chris? What are you…?"

Without letting him finish, Pikachu continued to make gestures over and over. Ash took a while to interpret the message, getting a few bits that referred to himself, Misty and Chris.

But when he finally did, the message was clear. "Wait… are you suggesting… I should get Chris to confess?"

"Pi-pikachu!" The rodent jumped triumphantly. Obviously he meant "We have a winner!"

Getting Chris to confess… of course. If Misty didn't believe it from his mouth, maybe she'd believe it from her fiancé's. But how was he gonna do that?

He pulled his holographic phone from his pocket. The instruction manual said it had a recording function for audio and video, but he didn't read it in-depth, arguing he wanted to learn how the gadget worked on his own.

"Aw hell, I'll have to learn how to do it right now." He stood up and checked the device. "Now the question is… where am I gonna find that guy?"

He'd have to check the city from end to end. He had no clue where he could be or where he could have gone. And he'd have to confront him alone, because if Misty was around she'd definitely take Chris' side and he'd deny everything. Part of Ash wondered if he'd try and use his Pokémon to cover more terrain, but if they didn't know what he looked like, it wouldn't help much anyway.

Even so, he had nothing to lose. Misty might not care, but he did. And he wouldn't let anybody hurt her just because she wouldn't listen to him.

----------------------------------------

Later, almost at nightfall…

There were only two things in the world that could incense Ash as he was right now. One of them was people mistreating their Pokémon, using them for evil deeds, or saw them as goods for getting monetary profit. The other was anybody who tried to hurt his loved ones, in any way. Having grown raised by his mother alone, to him his friends were practically his family, and that was especially true when it came to Misty.

Being honest, Ash wasn't fully sure of what he was supposed to do when he confronted the guy face to face. He barely managed to figure out how to use the recording program in his phone. Now all he had to do was find the way to get the bastard to confess, but first, he'd have to take him somewhere he could do so without interference.

By a lucky strike, Ash stopped by again through the cafeteria where he had overheard Chris and his sister, hoping that he'd be there. Aside from that, there was a little plaza nearby that wasn't too busy at the time. A nice place to confront Chris without being interrupted.

"Okay, you know what to do," Ash said peeking through the window. "I'll wait over there, so when he walks out, you provoke him and get him to follow you."

"Pika, pikachu, Pikapi?" Pikachu said with an expression of "I don't like this idea" and "are you sure this is gonna work?" which Ash seemed to interpret it that way.

"Look, I don't like this myself, but it's for a good cause. Besides, we're doing this for Misty, and the idea of getting a confession out of him was yours, remember?"

Pikachu rolled his eyes, but he finally relented. To wish each other luck, he and Ash exchanged a fist bump. While Ash headed for the plaza to stay relatively out of sight, Pikachu stood next to the local's entrance, waiting for Chris to come out. The rodent had no clue of how he was supposed to drag him towards Ash, but well, in the face of doubt he'd do the same as his trainer: improvise and hope for the best.

About five minutes or so later, he finally came out, and he was talking through his phone. Sounded like he had a heated argument with somebody, but it didn't matter. It was the time for the truth.

"No, no. Trust me, those stock shares are going to plummet, sell them while they're still at a good price. Yeah, okay, you can do that, see you." He pressed his cellphone to conclude the call. Pikachu the crackled some electricity to get his attention. "Hmm? What are you looking at?"

The mouse had to fight the urge to zap the jerk right there and then, but he had to lead him to Ash somehow. He looked at him from head to toe, but as soon as he noticed the cellphone still in his hand… he knew just how.

"Pika!"

"Hey, what the…? Argh!"

Without warning Pikachu leapt at him and bit him in the hand holding the phone, causing him to drop it. As soon as it fell to the ground and before he could pick it up, Pikachu grabbed it with his teeth and ran on all fours as fast as he could.

"Hey! You dirty rat, give that back!"

Pikachu didn't dare look behind, but hearing the footsteps and screaming signaled him that Chris had taken the bait, now chasing him. He used a Quick Attack to gain some distance and leap over the plaza's steps, skipping a few seconds while Chris had to walk them up (eight in total) the normal way to avoid tripping.

Without missing a beat, he went towards Ash, and leapt to his arms for him to catch and take the phone out of his mouth.

"Well, I didn't mean for you to do this, but it worked. Good job."

Having already figured out how to use the recording program, he was already running it. His phone was hidden underneath his jacket breast pocket, the camera barely peeking out. All he had to do was to get close enough. He could record up to thirty minutes, even though it'd take a lot of memory space. But he could worry about that later.

A few seconds later Chris, who had lost sight of Pikachu during that brief lapse, walked up to where Ash was, and he was quite surprised to see him. Then again, he was holding his stolen phone, and the Pikachu he had been chasing was now standing on his shoulder.

"You? What are you doing here? And why did your Pikachu steal my phone?" he asked with annoyance.

"In my defense, I just asked him to bring you here," Ash replied nonchalantly. That was true: he only told Pikachu to get his attention. As to how, that had been the mouse's choice.

"Well, if you don't mind returning my phone, why did you want me to come here? If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was ask." Chris spoke with a tone so polite, Ash immediately knew it was an act. A pretty good act, granted, but still fake.

"It was something very personal," Ash said. "I wanted to ask you some questions."

Next, Ash deliberately tossed the phone at him. Chris caught it and after putting it away, crossed his arms in annoyance, probably wondering why he couldn't come closer to hand it over. Ash however kept a safe distance, lest he could see the camera about to record him.

"I found out before you dated Misty you had two other girlfriends," the black-haired boy said nonchalantly. "Did you get along with them?"

"I don't know why that matters to you, but… yeah, obviously," Chris replied with a half-smirk. He still didn't imagine what was about to come next.

"One of who vanished from public view after you broke up, and another who died shortly before you got married," Ash said, making special emphasis on the words to make his point.

Chris' smirk instantly vanished, yet his face still remained relaxed. He still hadn't lost it, good sign. He had to go carefully to get him to talk. The key was not making him madder than needed.

"Did you come just to remind me how my previous relationships ended?" the blue-haired young man asked. "That's a low blow, Ketchum."

"Let's just say I'm concerned about Misty's wellbeing," Ash replied. "I wouldn't like it if she ended the same way as them, or worse."

"Of course, you care for her as her best friend, don't you?" Chris snarked, as he stepped closer. "Hey, just be honest, do you have a problem with me? Or maybe… you're suggesting I had something to do with the stuff that happened to Paige and Darcy?"

"You said it, not me," Ash said, fighting the urge to look towards his breast pocket so he wouldn't notice the phone.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Pika…" Pikachu hissed angry, and his sparks dissuaded Chris from invading Ash's personal space, just in case.

"I don't know what game you're playing, neither do I care. I don't have to waste my time with you, my sister's waiting for me," he said turning around to leave.

"To talk about your plans?" Ash said. "About how you'll take over the Cerulean Gym?"

Hearing that, Chris froze. He took about five seconds to let the words sink in before he realized. Ash managed to see under the light of the plaza's lamp posts the color of his face had vanished slightly. He had struck the nerve, it seemed.

"I overheard you the other day, in that same cafeteria," Ash said defiantly. "I believe your exact words were 'we'll settle down comfortably in one year' or something like that?"

Right then, Chris' face lost any color it still had. However, it quickly came back, for the shock of the reveal was replaced by evident anger. At that point Ash knew he couldn't pull back.

…

"Sheesh, I'm never wearing stilettos again," Misty said, carrying her shoes in her hand, as her feet were killing her.

She had felt so furious after her spat with Ash, she just walked aimlessly around town, completely forgetting what she was supposed to do. She had no idea how long she did, but it took her about an hour to find out where she was, and another to get to the place she was supposed to go. By then, the marriage agency had closed for the day, so she'd have to come tomorrow.

'Ash… how could you do something like this? I thought we were best friends. Why can't you be happy for me?'

It was all absurd. The Chris she knew, and the "Chris" Ash claimed to have overheard in that cafeteria, there was no way they could be the same person. What made her head spin the most was that, for starters, Ash was no liar, and if he insisted so hard on it, it probably was because he was at least convinced that he was telling the truth. That only left one possibility: he had mistaken the person. It was the only logical explanation.

Chris was a wonderful man. He was a gentleman, attentive, smart, sensitive and always make her feel loved and appreciated. Besides, he was almost as good as a trainer as Ash and an excellent sparring partner, although whenever they fought seriously she'd always be the winner. But he never cared about that: he always said he loved how strong she was.

The fact that he had money was a plus, she wouldn't deny it. What woman wouldn't feel flattered about being given expensive gifts? But she wasn't that shallow, even without that he'd still be the perfect man. Or as close to perfect as he could be.

"Hmm?" She stopped upon noticing something. She was taking a shortcut across the plaza, when she saw two guys standing in the middle face to face. One of which had a yellow bulk over the shoulders.

Moved by her intuition, she entered the plaza and came closer with her eyes squinted. She managed to spot that the yellow bulk was, indeed, a Pikachu, and the same colors of Ash's clothing. Her hunch growing stronger, she ran towards them. If he was planning to pick a fight with Chris, she'd have to intervene. By force, if needed.

"Don't play dumb on me," Ash said. "I heard exactly what you said. You and your sister are planning to settle comfortably at the Cerulean Gym."

"What if I told you that my sister will just move in with us when we get married?" Chris asked. "That's normal considering they'll be family soon, isn't it? You're getting the wrong ideas."

Misty stopped on her tracks. When they talked about where they would live, Chris never said anything about him and her sister moving in to the Gym. In fact, he insisted on buying a house nearby for them, so his sister as well as Misty's sisters wouldn't get in their way of their privacy as a married couple.

"I might be wrong, but the way you were talking sounded more like a challenger who wanted to take the Gym for himself," Ash continued. "I didn't pay any mind at the time, because I didn't think Misty would lose in any way. But you also said something about 'beating her in her own game'."

"What nonsense." Chris grabbed his forehead and shook his head. "It's just a figure of speech. We don't like to discuss that in public, so it's just my way to say I'm determined to win her over, nothing more."

Misty felt her heart skipping a beat. For starters, Chris wasn't denying that Ash had overheard him talk about those things with his sister. That proved that, at the very least, Ash hadn't lied about that, and most likely the conversation he claimed to have overheard did take place after all.

But it had to be just a mistake, right? He had just misinterpreted the words.

"Look, I might be a rash guy, and a Slowpoke when it comes to romance," Ash said. "But I find it really weird that when you talked to your sister, you guys referred to Misty as 'the Gym Leader' instead of her name. You said it: you're going to be family soon, right?"

"Hah, but everybody here knows she's the Gym Leader in this city, don't they?" Chris replied with an indifference, rather… uncharacteristic of him.

Misty at the time couldn't hold it anymore. She dropped her stilettos and still barefoot she ran towards the tree nearest to them to get behind, and listen attentively without being seen. While a part of herself screamed she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear, the other said she had to hear and see where everything went.

Ash then kept talking. "You and your sister were talking about business, don't deny it. Whatever you say, that doesn't sound at all like someone about to get married. Unless, of course, the marriage is just another business for you?"

Chris didn't answer, but the reaction Misty saw told her everything. Ash had just hit the bullseye. He remained tense for a couple seconds before regaining composure and give out a rather arrogant smile. His face clearly said 'I'm busted'.

"You know, for all the things Misty said about you, she seems to have skipped on telling me you were a good detective." He folded his arms. "Not everybody could have made those jumps."

"Oh, I'm no detective, just have a friend with some good connections," Ash sarcastically replied. "But since we're on topic, what else did Misty say about me?"

"Hah, what did she say? More like what she didn't say. You're a great trainer, a nice and happy-go-lucky guy, and her best friend in the world," Chris said. "She also said you're impatient, headstrong, that you tend to jump headfirst without thinking about the consequences, but overall, she never ceases to talk about how great of a person you are. So much that it's really boring."

Misty groaned inside, clenching the tree's trunk tightly and fighting with all her might to not to jump on Chris at the time. She never imagined he carried so much resentment over that. True, she did talk often about Ash, but it wasn't to compare them or make him get some sort of complex.

"Really, do you have an idea of how hard it was to win her over?" Chris said in a mocking tone. "Usually, women flock to me when I ask them for it, but that poor redhead was so hurt by your rejection that she didn't let me get close. I had to use another tactic. I told her about my tragedy with Darcy, of how sad I was for her death… and then she opened her heart to me."

At that point, Misty couldn't bear to look anymore. She leaned her back against the tree, feeling a clutch against her chest, and breathing heavily.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was that the real Chris? The wonderful man she had known this whole time was nothing but an illusion, a mask?

"If you can say that so naturally, I assume you're not any hurt for the death of your second girlfriend?" Ash asked defiantly.

"I don't celebrate it, but it wasn't my fault," Chris nonchalantly replied. "All I could do was offer her family a hefty compensation, as she had her accident in my car, but that's it."

"So you're admitting not to marry Misty out of love?" Ash asked. "Is this some sort of business to you?"

Chris remained silent for a bit. Misty figured he was just meditating the answer.

"Since you put it that way, I'll admit it. You're right. But you can't blame me. My father's the CEO of a very important company, and he raised me to be a businessman, after all."

'Businessman…'

Misty thought back at her first encounter with Chris. He had defined himself as a 'businessman', but she took it in the context of being someone responsible and who planned well ahead his future. Another thing she liked about him, that he had very clear where he wanted to get and what he wanted to be.

A quality that, as much as she hated to admit it, he also shared with Ash.

"But why go this far?" Ash asked. "From what Misty told me, you've spent a lot of money to buy her gifts, take her to places, and all that stuff."

Misty also wondered about that. True that Chris had money aplenty to give and share, and even had some spare to donate to charity aside from what he spent on her. There was also his help with the Gym's redecorations; he funded them after all. Why spend so much money on her?

"Fool, it's called equivalent exchange," Chris said mockingly. "Sometimes to get something you need to give something up. That's the rule for a business investment. The Cerulean Gym has become the main source of income for this city. To control it means to control the economy, and my father wants our company to establish here."

"If you wanted to control the Gym, why not win it over the traditional way?" Ash asked, despite the fact that, judging by his tone, he already knew the answer.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not stupid, buddy. I'd never be able to win the gym from Misty in a fair battle, she's way too strong," Chris angrily replied. "And do you have an idea of what it feels, that you girlfriend upstages you like this? Do you know how humiliating it is?"

Misty felt another stab in her chest. Despite having frequent sparring matches with Chris, and the fact that when they both fought seriously she always won, he never showed any signs of being annoyed by it.

"No matter how good you are at something, there will always be someone better out there," Ash replied. "That's a life lesson I've had to learn over the years."

"Yeah? Well, my father taught me to be the best in everything I do," Chris said smugly. "That's why I can't let her overshadow me like that, no matter if she's my fiancée."

Misty couldn't see it, but she could hear that Chris almost spat the words. She had never imagined: she and Chris often had training battles together, but although she almost always won, he'd always accept it with dignity and acknowledge her skills. Had he really kept that resentment only because she was better than him?

"This… this can't be happening," she whispered.

But the worst, she soon realized, was yet to come. "I admit she's a very strong trainer, especially with that Mega Gyarados of hers. In a full battle at maximum there's no way to beat her. That's why I needed another approach, another way to beat her at her own game.

"You see, for all her strength as a trainer in the outside, Misty is a really naïve girl. When I first met her, she was a complete sobbing wreck because her best friend, someone she was in love with for her entire life, broke her heart when he rejected her. I offered her comfort, helped her heal that wound, and she opened her heart to me. I can be a real charmer when I want to be, you know?"

"I can't believe it, did you really took advantage of Misty when she was vulnerable? And here I thought you couldn't drop any lower," Ash said becoming furious.

"Hey, don't try to play higher moral ground on me," Chris said. "I admit Misty is an attractive girl, and she's got qualities aplenty. You need to be an idiot to not to notice how good of a catch she is, even I can see that. But you? Hah, you've known each other since you were kids and you didn't dare take that step. What kind of friend were you to her?"

Ash didn't answer, and silence fell between them. By a hunch, Misty decided to finally take a peek, and saw how Chris pulled something out of his pocket to shot it to Ash. Being against the light she couldn't see it clearly, but his next words told her everything she needed to know.

"Check this out. Would you believe she gave me this little trinket when I proposed to her?"

Next, he dropped the object and stomped on it a couple times, before kicking it towards Ash. The black-haired boy kneeled down to pick it up, glanced at it for a few seconds before clenching it in his hand.

"You should feel honored, not everybody gets a mini-version of themselves made by Misty. She was always good at making them," he said. "How can you stomp on her feelings like that?"

"Oh please, does she think I'm ten years old or something? Pathetic."

Right then, Misty couldn't hold it anymore. She leaned against the tree and slid down until she sat on the ground. She felt crumbling inside, piece by piece, as if a piece of her soul had been torn apart.

"Hey, how can you toy like that with Misty?" Ash angrily said. "She's an amazing girl. She's beautiful, adventurous, loyal, loving… and the best friend anybody could wish for. She doesn't deserve this."

"And what will you do about it? Are you gonna tell her everything we've talked here? She'll never believe you; it's my word against yours."

Misty held her head between her hands. Looking back, even if Ash wasn't the smartest or most perceptive guy for some things, he'd always follow his heart to do the right thing. More importantly, even if he had hurt her (and he did), he never did so intentionally. Other than trading the occasional harmless barbs between friends, Ash never ever hurt anybody on purpose. Especially not her.

And to his credit, when it came to important stuff, his instincts were usually pretty good. Even at times he didn't have the full context, his hunches more often than not would turn out to be right, like right now.

"You're right about something," Ash finally said. "Misty might not believe me after I broke her heart. I was a lousy best friend when I rejected her feelings, and maybe I never understood how much I hurt her. But that's why I want to make sure she'll be happy. And if that means that she hates me for the rest of my life because of what I'm about to do… so be it."

Misty couldn't contain herself anymore. The only thing that stopped her from breaking down into tears was that, right then, Ash ran off screaming in rage at Chris, and she barely registered when he slammed a fist right to his face.

…

His punch knocked Misty's fiancé to the ground instantly. Ash almost regretted not wearing gloves with metal knuckles to hit him harder, but he didn't actually need them. All he cared about was that he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible on him, for playing with Misty's feelings.

Rather than letting him get back on his feet, he lunged at Chris again, forcing Pikachu to jump off his shoulder and watch the confrontation from afar, but ready anytime if his trainer needed some additional help.

Ash punched furiously while Chris tried to take cover, and when he finally got a brief respite, he grabbed the black-haired trainer by the sleeves and kicked him in the stomach to push him off of himself.

"Oof… you idiot. When she finds out you attacked me, Misty's going to be so mad…"

"Don't you dare say her name," Ash said with hatred.

"Aw, that's cute. The noble Ash Ketchum wants to defend his friend's honor," Chris mocked. "Really, what will you gain from this? No matter how much you hit me, Misty will never turn to you."

"I don't care," Ash said as he raised his fist again. "I'll feel better punching you anyway."

Ash charged once more, but expecting it now, Chris was able to defend himself. As soon as he got an opening he punched Ash in the stomach to knock the air out of him, and when he hunched over, Chris grabbed his neck and tried to choke him.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Chris whispered.

"Ugh…" Ash replied with his voice choking.

"Easy, I'll just make you pass-AAAHHH!"

Chris was forced to let go of Ash when the latter bit his arm, and immediately elbowed him in the stomach as revenge for the punch. He immediately turned around to grab his head and hit it with his knee before dropping him.

"Damn you… you broke my nose!" Chris shouted.

"That's far from the last thing I'll break!" Ash yelled back with hatred.

Chris stood up and both charged against one another, both of them getting into an arm tussle with each other. Ash managed to overpower Chris, tossing him to the ground, and almost stomped on his stomach before he rolled aside. When Ash tried to chase him, Chris placed a foot to tangle his legs and trip him over, and when he fell, he jumped on him to twist his arm behind his back.

"Now you've really do- GAAAAAAAHH!"

Chris didn't get the last phrase in, as Pikachu jumped him and bit his hand, forcing him to let go of Ash, who was left shocked for a moment as he held his arm. This time the rodent sank his teeth much deeper and harder, using his forepaws to grab hold of his wrist, refusing to let go of it.

"Accursed rat with hepatitis, let go of me!" Chris shouted, waving his arm around and trying to shake him off. "Let go of me, or I'm gon—AAAAARRRGHH!"

Pikachu cut off his threat using an electric shock. Somehow he endured it and when the discharge ceased, he grabbed his tail to pull him off and kicked him towards his trainer, whose arm was barely losing the soreness.

"Pikachu!" the trainer shouted, rushing towards his friend. He jumped back to his feet as if it was nothing, and glared furiously at Chris. "You okay?"

"Pika. Pikapi?" Pikachu asked in turn.

"Don't worry, this is nothing," Ash said, moving his arm to prove his point.

"That was dirty," Chris said, giving off some sparks and with his clothes somewhat charred due to the electric attack. "Using your electric rat instead of fighting like a man."

"He helped me on his own volition, not because I asked him," Ash pointed. Though it didn't mean he wasn't grateful for it.

"Whatever. When Misty finds this out she's gonna be really, really furious," the blue-haired guy mocked.

Ash stood up and seemed ready to charge again, but before he did, a female figure stood in between them, her arms opened. "STOP!"

Ash halted his run just in time to avoid hitting the newly arrival. Who else, of course it was her.

"Misty?" Chris shouted upon seeing her. Ash saw that he briefly paled but immediately smirked. "Thank Arceus you're here. Look at what your dear friend did to me, he attacked me…"

"Don't say anything," she dryly interrupted. "I know exactly what Ash did to you. I'll take it from here."

Ash clenched his teeth, while Chris gave a smug smile. She still didn't believe him? Well, fortunately he had the proof she asked for in his pocket, all he had to do was show her. A recording in HD should be enough to convince her.

However, he was in for a surprise, seeing that it wouldn't be necessary.

"Misty, what are you doing?" Chris asked when the redhead walked up to him. Ash couldn't see what was going on, but suddenly Chris' expression shifted and he flinched slightly. "That's…"

"You can keep the ring," he heard Misty saying. "I won't need it anymore."

"Misty, what are you saying? Are you breaking off our engagement?"

"I saw everything, or almost everything. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… Ash was right about you."

"What are you…?" Once more, Chris' face lost its color, but this time it didn't return. "No… don't tell me you…"

"I heard it all," the girl dryly declared. "You liar, faker… how could you trick me like this?"

"Misty, my little mermaid, this isn't what it looks like. Everything has a…"

Next thing Ash knew, Misty raised a hand and slapped Chris across his face, without even moving from her place. The blue-haired boy lost his balance, and Ash saw him holding his chin.

"Ouch! That even hurt me," Ash muttered with a shiver. He knew how scary Misty could be when angered, but he was more used to see her exploding and screaming in rage. Seeing her like that, cold and stoic… that was far more chilling. It almost didn't seem like her.

"What the hell, why did you do that?!" Chris shouted.

"That was for kicking Pikachu…" Misty said in a low voice before she grabbed his collar and dragged him to her face. "You deserve much more than that, but I can't stand seeing your face one more minute. You can keep all of your gifts; I'll send them to you as soon as I can."

"Misty…" He still tried to defend himself. It became more and more pathetic.

"Get lost from my sight. Don't ever show up at my gym, or my town, or Kanto if possible. Your company can kiss goodbye its Cerulean branch, because as long as I'm here, no member of your family will set foot here."

"I'd obey if I were you," Ash intervened. "Trust me, if you don't leave now, you're gonna wish for her Gyarados to eat you alive to escape your suffering. Oh, and one more thing." Ash pulled out his holographic phone from his jacked. "Just in case, our little friendly chat was recorded here for posterity."

Pushing the button he popped up the holographic screen, playing the video. He fast-forwarded to the part where he said "It's my word against yours", replaying it over and over with max volume.

"Now, I just need to save it and… oops! I think I accidentally clicked the button to send it to my blog. Silly me, that's what I get for not reading this thing's manual." He turned off his screen. "Oh well, it's just a matter of time before the video goes viral across the net."

The blue-haired boy stepped back, realizing the implications of all that had happened. His ruse had completely crumbled, and the evidence had been irrevocably sent to internet.

He huffed in annoyance, but finally got the message and decided to prioritize his physical integrity. He had no choice but to leave with his hand in the nose to stop the bleeding, and ran off faster than a Rattata with the tail between his legs chased by a Fearow for a snack.

Once Chris was out of sight, Ash finally felt he could get close to her, but still kept some safe distance to avoid invading Misty's personal space. The redhead remained still, her back turned to him, and he still didn't know what to do or say at the time.

Even so, he didn't need to see her face to imagine her expression at that moment.

"What are you waiting for?" Misty suddenly asked snapping him out of his thoughts. "Say it."

"Say what?" he replied, even knowing what she meant.

"Come on, just say it," she insisted. "Say 'I told you so', say that you were right and I was wrong. What are you waiting for?"

Once upon a faraway time, and in less serious circumstances, Ash would have been more than happy to oblige her request; in fact, she wouldn't have had to ask at all. He would have loved to rub it in her face that he was right and Misty was wrong.

But those were neither the times nor the circumstances. There was no way he could feel happy for saying those words. So he resorted to his other tactic: to do the exact opposite and not to say a single word to Misty.

"Say it at once!" Misty finally turned around, and Ash saw her face. She clearly was trying to hide her pain under a mask of anger, although her eyes were swollen of crying so much.

Ash sighed with resignation. "Alright. I told you so. I warned you Chris was up to no good. Happy?"

"What do you think?" she said, her tears streaming down her cheeks and not bothering at all to try and stop them. "You're the one who should be happy. Why don't you celebrate it?"

"Why would I?" he replied with seriousness. "Do you think I should be happy because someone toyed with your feelings like that?"

Misty gritted her teeth and fists, and without further ado ran towards Ash. The boy knew what came next and didn't even try to flee: if she wanted to vent her frustration and pain on him, he'd let her. It was the least he could offer at the time.

"Idiot! Idiot! IDIOT!" she screamed, hitting him in the chest with her fists. The first punches did hurt a bit, but he didn't complain, and they slowly toned down, until the girl finally couldn't bear it anymore and grabbed his shirt, burying her head in his chest, as her screams slowly turned into little more than a little whisper. "…idiot…"

"I told you before, Misty," Ash said, placing a hand around her waist and the other stroking her hair to pull her closer. At the same time, Pikachu also joined in the hug. "The last thing I want is that somebody hurts you in any way. Believe it or not… it hurts me too to see you suffering."

Misty didn't say anything else, she just let herself cry like never before. The wreck of tears and sobs in the outside couldn't compare to what she felt in the inside, for she had never felt so many mixed emotions swelling inside her. Hatred and anger for Chris for playing her, shame of herself for allowing it, and the biggest remorse ever for not believing Ash, her best friend for so many years, someone who, for all his flaws, had always shown to care for her, regardless of what she thought of him.

"I'm sorry…" she said between sobs. "I'm sorry I… didn't believe you…"

"There, there," Ash said. "I know you're a tough girl, but you're also sensitive inside. Let it go, let it all go."

Her voice was too cracked to say it out loud, but right on that moment she felt really grateful to Ash for being there for her, for enduring everything she said to him, and even stepping forward to defend her honor. A true friend, even if she didn't deserve it after the way she treated him.

"Come on," he said, gently pushing her away. "We'll take you back to the Gym."

Still sobbing, Misty nodded and muttered a weak "Thank you" before she started walking. Suddenly the street's ground felt much colder, and only then she realized how late it was. Ash managed to spot her dropped stilettos and picked them up for her.

Walking all the way back home in them wouldn't be nowhere as painful as she thought before. After that heartbreak, it was nothing.

----------------------------------------

The next morning…

That night, Misty wasn't in the mood for anything or anyone. She didn't want to speak with her sisters, instead choosing to go straight to her room and lock herself up, asking them to leave her alone. If Ash stayed long enough to tell them what happened much better for her; that way she wouldn't have to relive it again.

Waking up and looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes were still red and swollen. It was no surprise; she had practically cried herself to sleep, and she didn't feel like she had more than four or five hours of sleep at most.

She washed her face as best as she could, feeling tempted to put the "CLOSED" notice in the entrance to drive challengers away, but she couldn't do that. Broken heart or not, she had to fulfill her duties as a Gym Leader. She had never allowed her personal issues to interfere with her work, and she wouldn't start now.

"Ah, morning, Misty," Daisy greeted her as soon as she opened the door. "Sorry to, like, bother you so early but… think you could help me with a tiny-little-bitty problem?"

"It better be important," the redhead muttered, and she walked behind her eldest sister.

Upon reaching the living room, she saw what the 'problem' was, if it could be called that. Ash was resting full-length on the couch, one arm holding Pikachu curled up on his stomach, while the other hung outside. His head rested on one of the armrests while his feet hanged out of the other. Despite the seemingly uncomfortable position, though, both shared a rather peaceful demeanor in their sleep.

"He won't leave," Daisy explained. "Said he's not going anywhere until he's sure you're okay."

Misty glanced at her sister, and then at the sleeping Ash. She then sighed; knowing that Ash cared for her up to that point made her feel equally pained and touched. However, the touched part drove out the pain and she allowed herself a smile, as she came closer and kneeled down to wake him up.

"Ash… Ash, wake up." She poked on his cheeks.

"Hmm…" Ash's eyelids trembled, and the boy groaned with laziness. "Five minutes, Mom…"

"You're not at your home, sleepyhead," she said, now going for a little cheek pull. The boy groaned again and opened his eyes slowly.

"Ah… ow, ow, okay, okay, fine." He softly pushed her hand away as he sat up, waking Pikachu up as well. "Good morning."

In other circumstances, Misty would have probably said "what's good in them" or something, but she had used up all her anger against Chris the previous day. Looking on the bright side, it meant she could talk to Ash normally, without risk of falling into one of her outbursts.

Without saying any more words, she sat next to him and looked into his eyes. Meanwhile, Daisy took that as her cue to leave the room.

"You didn't need to stay all night," Misty said, trying not to sound ungrateful. "Even so… thanks, I appreciate you did."

"I couldn't leave like that. Feeling better now?"

Misty would have wanted to say "Yes", but there was no point in lying, neither to Ash nor to herself- She just sighed before answering. "I will be. With time."

"I… I'm really sorry for this," Ash said.

Misty stared at him confused. "Why? It wasn't you who…"

"No, what I meant was that… I'm sorry he broke your heart. I hate to admit it, but you really looked happy with him. And I had to come and ruin it."

"You didn't ruin anything," Misty pointed. "You were just trying to protect me. I should have guessed; everything about Chris was too perfect to be true. I should have listened to you."

"Hey, don't blame yourself," Ash said. "I could have chosen better words or something, and I lost my control too. If I told myself something like that, I wouldn't have believed it."

"That's something else," Misty said. "You never told me where you got that dirty laundry Chris had hid so well from me."

Ash chuckled slightly and explained how he found the articles about Chris' ex-girlfriends on the internet, and on a hunch he asked Brock about them. Misty shivered at the thought that Brock still had his database about women even if he didn't use it anymore, although she was grateful for it just that once. Then the detail came up: how Northern Lights Shipment was suspiciously involved in both incidents.

"Well I'll be." The redhead folded her arms. "Had you started there, we would have saved many headaches. Or at least I'd have given you the benefit of the doubt."

"I wasn't thinking clearly at the time," Ash defended himself. "I lost control because… well, because I was terrified that he wanted to hurt you."

Misty stared deeper into his eyes. One of the physical traits she loved the most in Ash were those eyes: always radiating determination, cheerfulness and compassion. Seeing them filled with melancholy and worry definitely didn't suit him, no matter if it was for her sake. She didn't like it that Ash was suffering because of her.

"But there's another thing I wanted to apologize for," Ash continued. "The last time, when I broke your heart…"

"Ash, that's in the past now," she interrupted. "I don't want you to dwell anymore on what happened between us. I already feel bad enough for not believing you about Chris."

"No, let me finish." Ash raised a hand to stop her. "At the time, I didn't tell you all of my reasons for my decision. And I think you deserve to know them."

Misty raised her eyebrows. So Ash had more reasons to not to want to pursue a relationship with her? This was going to be interesting.

"Truth to be told, after a while I suspected you had a crush on me. And even if I didn't admit it, I actually liked you a little bit."

"Oh, that's news to me," the redhead said ironically, giving him an accusing stare. "But, just a little bit?"

"Pikapi…" Pikachu seemingly tried to beckon him to confess. Ash frowned slightly, but being two against one, he quickly caved in,

"Okay, I admit it, I liked you a lot. Happy?"

Misty let out a victory and satisfaction giggle. She was already feeling her mood improving. Nevertheless, she turned serious again as she shifted the focus back to the important matter at hand.

"But if that was the case, why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I was getting to that, don't rush me," he replied. "Like I was saying, over time we became best friends, and even with our squabbles, I was happy with our relationship. I feared things would change if I tried to go for something else with you. You know, I was never the biggest romantic in the world, and I wasn't sure I could be. Besides…"

"Besides what?" Misty inquired.

"Besides… I guess things felt much easier being just friends," he confessed. "That's why I never tried to go beyond, neither with you nor anybody else."

"Oh?" Misty widened her eyes. She didn't expect that. Ash Ketchum, the boy with the biggest determination in the world, choosing the easy way out of something? "That definitely does not sound like the Ash I know. You've always liked to take the hardest path to improve yourself."

"This is different," Ash said seriously. "If it's something that only affects me, fine. I don't fear failure because I know I can get back up and try again. But this is something involving another person. Failure means I'd drag her along with me, and I can't do that… let alone if that person was you."

Misty wanted to scold him for those thoughts, but she found herself unable to. Ash was clueless about many things, and in his bid to try and place her feelings before his own, he made the mistake of ignoring them altogether. A misguided, if well-intentioned, choice that did nothing but harm to both of them.

Then again, that explained a lot of things, such as why he never pursued a relationship with another girl. If he didn't want to, as he put it, 'drag' her along to a failed relationship, he'd never do the same to anybody else, not even for solace. He wasn't that kind of person.

"You should have given yourself a chance," Misty suggested. "It wasn't right for you to keep that to yourself all this time."

"Funny, Serena told me something similar," Ash said. "But it's not that easy when you've been in love with someone for so long. You should know about that, right?"

"… I can't argue that," she admitted. After all, she was in love with Ash for so long, it was hard for her to pursue a relationship with someone else, even after he openly rejected her. "But you felt the same way, why didn't you tell me before?"

"I don't really know," Ash said. "Maybe… I just felt I could never make you happy. I didn't think I was good enough for a relationship with you."

Misty almost felt the urge to strangle him for such a comment. Ash Ketchum, unsure of himself? She'd never see that one coming. But looking from another point of view, she realized it wasn't so farfetched. Once again he was trying to put her feelings before his, failing to actually consider them.

He was more concerned about what she could think, rather than trying to take the time to figure it out. Had he said something, she'd been more than willing to take the chance, and it would have been worth it.

"So then… what do we do now?" Misty asked. "Obviously we can't go on as if nothing happened. Tell me the truth, Ash… do you still have feelings for me?"

Ash didn't reply immediately, but the look in his eyes said everything the redhead needed to know.

Or so she thought, until he sighed and opened his mouth again. "Even if that were the case, I don't think this is the right time. You've just learned your fiancé was with you just because of your Gym. That's not the support you need right now. And I don't want to picture myself doing the same as Chris… taking advantage of you being vulnerable."

Misty lowered her gaze, slightly disappointed. However, she could understand what he said, and that only made her appreciate him even more.

A wound like that would take a while to heal after all. Who'd have guessed Ash was so receptive to other people's feelings. Suddenly she was seeing things she never imagined in him. Small, subtle things, but they were there, and she never spotted them before.

"In that case, shall we give ourselves some time?" Misty asked. "I agree I do need my space in the romance area right now, but… I'll also need my best friend with me."

Ash smirked. "That you'll always have."

Ash extended his hand, and Misty had to hold the urge to roll her eyes. A hug, or even a pinky finger promise would have been better. Did he always have to spoil the moments like that?

Then again, it was Ash, so maybe it was his way to make it clear he didn't want to push things on her too fast. It was impossible to not to appreciate that. But even so…

"Let's not be childish," she said in a severe tone. "I know you already gave me one before, but… another hug would be nice. I think I need it."

Ash snickered, but he finally agreed. It was weird for them to be like that: as children they were never prone to those displays of affection, and somehow she felt as if she was that angry ten-year-old tomboy who yelled due to her charred bike, and he was that untidy little boy she fished out of the river by accident.

'How warm…' the girl thought. She didn't know if the warmth came from Ash's arms, from his heart, or maybe a bit of both things. At the time, she felt safe with him, and that was all that mattered.

Misty knew things between them would change and their relationship, whether it was of friends or (should it eventually become that) something else, it would never be the same. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Her relationship with Chris could have ended badly, but that wasn't the end of the world. As long as Ash was there, either as her best friend or whatever he was, she wouldn't have to face it alone.

To be continued...