DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokèmon!
A/N: Final chapter for anyone who's interested (i.e my sister - you'd better review this, by the way!) Gross gross, this is bad, lol!
Misty was the first one awake the next morning, which hardly surprised her. She had slept on what Gary had asked her the previous day, although actual sleep had hardly come into the equation. Joining Gary on his Pokèmon journey - as his girlfriend, no less - seemed like a lifetime away from the securities she had with Brock and Ash.
With a heavy sigh she poured herself a cup of hot chocolate, her sweet alternative to the bitter coffee Brock so often drank. She took a sip and closed her eyes momentarily, absorbing the warmth the liquid provided her. As she opened her eyes, she witnessed Ash walking into the kitchen, when they both froze and commenced a cold stare down.
"Morning" Misty said non-comitally.
"Whatever" Ash shrugged, walking towards the toaster with bread at the ready. "Don't suppose you slept well" he mumbled.
"No, as a matter of fact I didn't. I had a choice to make and I made it" Misty announced. She didn't see Ash slightly flinch at what she said, she just saw him put some toast in the toaster. He then stared intensly into it, as if he was measuring every second of the cooking process. But really he was avoiding any eye contact with her.
"Do you mind sharing your decision with me?" Ash asked icily.
"I do mind actually. You'll find out when the time is right" Misty said.
"What does that mean? When the time is right? What's wrong with right now?" Ash demanded.
Misty rubbed her eyes. "Ash, it's 7:30 in the morning, I've had about three hours sleep because I've been weighing up pros and cons all night. Could you give me a bit of a break here?"
"Oh yes, I'm sooo sorry, I forgot how much of a crisis you were in right now" Ash said sarcastically.
Misty looked at his smug figure and came to a conclusion - she had had enough. She charged over and grabbed his jacket, causing him to be startled as she violently shook him.
"You listen to me! I don't care what you think about Gary because he's a different person around me, and I don't care about your stupid opinions and smart ass remarks! You have absolutly NO idea what this is doing to me and if you honestly cared about our so-called friendship then you'd listen to me for a Goddamn minute!" she yelled, the rage easy to spot in her voice and her eyes.
She shoved him away and blinked a few times to dissolve the tears that were forming in her aqua eyes. Ash was, understandably, stunned. He fiercly clutched on to the kitchen bench, the force of Misty's shove being bigger than he expected.
"Misty..." he started softly.
"What?" Misty spat out in pure rage.
Ash sighed. "Don't you think that maybe this whole Gary thing is just a tad too hasty?" he asked.
"I don't CARE if it's hasty or whatever! What happened between us was more than I could ever imagine from anyone else, more than I had ever dreamed of before." Misty paused and glared at him. "My mind's made up and you'll know by the end of the day."
"Like it isn't obvious already" Ash mumbled. The look in his eyes, that look of disappointment and pain, gave Misty a mad desire to hug him, to embrace him in the closeness and warmth the two had once shared. What had happened to them? What happened to every secret and dream they had confided in each other? When did the playful teasing become full fledged arguing?
"You'll see" Misty whispered, and walked out of the kitchen, not wanting to face him anymore. She wasn't angry, more likely upset in a sad sense. This would be something that could affect Ash for the rest of his life. As far as he was concerned, Gary never brought anything good into his life...well, except for maybe the occasional Pokèmon battle.
Everyone in the small house found that the day dragged on longer than usual. Ash had no battles and they had all seen the sights earlier on. Not that any of them felt motivated enough to actually do something. The trio each had a couch to themselves that they were sprawled out on, thinking their own thoughts but all on the same wavelength.
Misty was, yet again, weighing up pros and cons. She knew she shouldn't do this to herself - after all, she had already made a decision - but it wouldn't hurt to make sure she was absolutly sure about the final outcome of all of this.
Ash was thinking...more likely, blaming himself for all of this. If he had tried not to ignore the increasing strain in his and Misty's friendship, then maybe this would all have been avoided. Gary would never be a threat, had he entered the scene a year ago. A year ago there was an unbreakable bond between Ash and Misty, and not even his greatest rival could break it.
Brock wanted to think of ways to restore the tension around the group, but he knew it was up to them to sort it out for themselves. He was on the sideline, his comments neither being heard or appreciated. Sure, he was upset at the prospect of the trio's potential split, but there was nothing he could do.
It all weighed upon Misty's decision now.
"I'm going to my room" she announced to no one in particular, standing up and surveying the scene that had been in front of her for the past 90 minutes. An hour and a half of solid silence was something she did not enjoy, and even the dreary sentance she had just said was better than nothing at all.
"Have fun" Ash said sarcastically. Misty, not having the energy to deal with his cynical attitude, simply walked off in silence, leaving Ash with a few question marks floating round his head.
"Hey Brock, why didn't she retalliate?" he asked in curiosity. Brock sat up and shrugged.
"Don't ask me, I don't know what goes on in that head of hers. Did you want her to or something?" He raised an eyebrow as he said this.
"I don't think so" Ash said slowly.
"Look man, maybe she's just upset enough as it is without you adding crap to her obviously battling brain. Why don't you think about her for once instead of yourself?" Brock asked in exasperation.
"Oh I am thinking about her" Ash sneered. "I'm thinking about how selfish she is to leave us here after...how long has it been, Brock? Three years? Four? How can she give up on us in two days after all that?"
"You haven't thought about her happiness" Brock pointed out. "Maybe she's felt obliged to stay in the last year or so cos, let's face it, you guys haven't had much of a friendship these last 12 months, have you?"
"Well she didn't have to stay" Ash said sadly. "She could've gone last year and done whatever she wanted. I just want her to be happy."
"If you want her to be happy then leave her be. She has had to make a very hard decision and I wouldn't worry about it right now cos she hasn't even told us what it is. But you saw the way she was talking to Gary through the window yesterday. He makes her happy." Brock paused and sighed before continuing.
"Stop thinking of Gary as your rival and think of him as the guy who could make Misty happier than she's ever been in her life." Those were Brock's parting words before he verbally decided he wanted to go for a walk. As the door closed behind him, Ash whispered a meek sentance that spoke volumes yet could barely be heard.
"But I wanna be that guy."
* * * * * * *
Where was he? It was six o'clock and the winter nights meant it got darker quicker. Misty had been waiting in her room for two hours and Gary still hadn't appeared as he had promised. She had to tell him. It couldn't wait any longer and he had a right to know.
Lying on the bottom bunk she heard the familiar tapping noise on her window and leapt up, her heart pounding. This was it. Now or never.
As she frantically opened the window she also heard her bedroom door open and froze, not knowing which way to look. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Gary, waiting expectantly by the window as promised, and she could hear footsteps entering the room.
The footsteps won her over and she turned around, more than a little shocked to find Ash standing there.
"Oh, sorry, I'll come back later" he said, sounding almost genuine.
Misty shook her head. "Wait, Ash! Wait, just a sec." She turned back to Gary. "I think you'd better come inside. There's no point sneaking around when everyone knows" she pointed out.
Gary shrugged and walked around to the front. Misty walked past Ash, her heart refusing to settle, and opened the door. He stood there, as curious as the other two guys in Misty's life, and accepted her silent invitation to come in.
"Lounge. Now" Misty said simply, pointing towards the huge lounge. It was the same place Ash had walked in on them only one day ago, and it would now be the place where a life changing decision would be announced.
Ash and Gary hesitantly obeyed her command while she took a deep breath and ran over in her head what she was going to say. This was it. No more thinking, no more pros and cons. This wasn't the final rehearsal, it was the performance.
"Okay guys, you wanna know what I'm doing, don't you?" she asked bluntly after they'd seated themselves. She stood in the middle of the lounge with Gary, Ash and Brock each on seperate couches. She couldn't ignore the vengeful looks Ash was occasionally shooting Gary, or the increased silent tension, or the expectant looks all three were giving her.
"Well, in a word, yes" Gary replied. He caught one of Ash's glares and reflected it back, their never ending rivalry increasing by the situation they found themselves in.
Tears filled Misty's eyes and suddenly something hit Ash. He knew. He knew where she was going and, as a result, he buried his head in his hands.
"See ya Mist." His voice trembled as he spoke the three words and everyone looked at him in shock.
"What?" Brock asked.
"She's going with Gary." Ash's voice was muffled but the hurt was undeniable.
"How do you know?" Brock and Gary both asked in unison.
"Yes Ash, I'd like to know how you came to that conclusion" Misty said, trying to be authorative but finding it impossible as her emotions took hold.
"I'm right though, aren't I?" Ash asked bitterly, and Misty could only bite her lip and avoid his harsh stare. He shook his head in disbelief as Gary and Brock looked at Misty with wide eyes.
"But why, Mist?" Brock asked. Even he had been surprised that she had the guts to leave them. He thought that this was all big talk, little action stuff. But the talk was now developing into huge actions.
"Because..." Misty looked over at Gary and smiled. "Because when I'm with Gary I see a completley different person. I see someone who's sweet and sincere and everything I've ever dreamed about in a guy. I don't think of him as your rival, Ash. I can't. When he's around me he's not your rival, he's just Gary Oak."
Gary smiled back at Misty, but it was not the usual smile of victory Ash so often saw. It was a genuine smile of warmth and happiness. Naturally, Ash was shocked at Gary's display of humanity and discovered his mouth had turned to sawdust.
"Even in the two days I've really got to know him, he's treated me really well - and I don't mean with material possesions or anything. He always made sure I was alright before he did anything, he was genuinely worried about me when I first ran into him..." Misty trailed off at the few but significant memories.
She slowly walked up to Ash and knelt so she was eye level with him. "Don't take this as an insult, Ash. Please, don't. We had years of great friendship that I'll never forget. But you said yourself that this last year hasn't been the best, I've been miserable, and I've finally found something that may just compensate for that." She smiled as he finally made eye contact with her. "Ash, if he wasn't your rival, would you want me to go with him for the sake of my happiness?"
Ash hesitated. "I want you to be happy" he confirmed. "I just don't understand why it had to be him..."
Misty nodded. "I know. It's ironic beyond all beliefs, but that's what fate does to us. This is my happiness and my life as I want to live it. But surely if it was any other guy you'd want me to go, right?" she asked hopefully. If he didn't want her to be the least bit happy then that was beyond selfish.
Ash slowly nodded. "It's your life, Misty. Do what you want with it. You deserve to be happy."
It was one of the sweetest things he had ever said to her and she wasted no time in hugging him tight. He was surprised by the gesture but accepted it anyway, and hugged her back.
"Thankyou, Ash. You have no idea what this means to me" Misty whispered gratefully.
Ash pulled away and smiled warily. "You're right, I don't" he said truthfully. Misty smiled back and stood up to face Gary.
"Suppose I should pack my things, huh?" she suggested.
Gary shrugged. "If you want to. You don't have to rush, Mist, you can take your time if you need to."
But Misty shook her head. If she took her time it would be harder to leave Ash and Brock. She needed to go now, before she changed her mind. That brief conversation with Ash had really changed things for her, it had reassured her that he was at least concerned about her happiness, even if it meant involving his rival.
"I wanna do it now. Gimme five minutes, I haven't got much stuff" she informed them. With that she walked to her bedroom, a strange excitement filling her. She was going on a different Pokèmon journey, with a different person - a person she was quickly falling for, even though she had never imagined it in her life.
An uncomfortable silence filled the lounge in Misty's absence and Gary sighed.
"I won't do to her what I did to you" he vowed. "I know you're still scarred from that and I'm sorry, I can't make it up...but I won't do it to her."
Ash nodded. "You better not. Because she deserves everything she wants. And right now she wants you. Or the 'you' that she sees, anyway. Maybe things would be different if she saw you eight or so years ago..." he said bitterly.
Brock was listening in confusion and couldn't help but intervene. "What could be so bad?" he asked.
"Oh nothing, it's just when someone who you think is your best friend starts ignoring you because of your wealth status it kinda gets etched on your brain" Ash said pointedly, his eyes narrowed at Gary who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"And I was how old, Ash? Seven, eight maybe? I didn't have a clue, I had just started to understand what fame meant and how famous my grandfather was...it was the whole rich snob thing, you know?" he said nervously. "I'd never do it again, you're not poor or a commoner or any of that stuff I said you were. You must know that."
Ash shrugged. "I dunno. All I know is that I wasn't good enough, or maybe rich enough, to be your best friend anymore. And if you DARE imply any of that crap on Misty and I hear about it, believe me, you'll be sorry you ever met me. I swear" Ash said seriously.
Gary frantically nodded, agreeing with every word Ash said. "I learnt the hard way. It won't happen again."
"Make sure it doesn't" Ash shot back angrily. After this comment Misty walked in, her fading red backpack lazily slung over one shoulder and a recently awoken Togepi in her arms.
"So...are we ready?" she asked hesitantly, but the smile on her face said it all. She was finally going to love life again, it was all she had yearned for in the past lonely year.
"Ready when you are" Gary said confidentally, standing up as Ash and Brock did too. They all walked out to the front step where Misty first hugged Brock tight.
"Keep in touch, huh kiddo?" Brock asked and Misty nodded, tears threatning to fall if she even dared to open her mouth. She knew in her heart that she had made the right choice, but she also couldn't deny how incredibly hard it was going to be to leave them both.
She pulled away from Brock after a 30 second long embrace and slowly turned to Ash. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be. They spoke messages to each other through their eyes, messages of their regrets and pain they were feeling at the moment.
Ash wrapped his arms around Misty tightly and she buried her face in his shoulder, determined not to cry. At least, not in front of him.
"Please be careful. Take care of yourself, don't get into any mischief" Ash said, half-teasing.
Misty briefly laughed. "Speak for yourself" she said quietly. She pulled away and smiled. "I guess I'll see you round."
"Yeah" Ash said doubtfully, but it would almost definitly happen. Ash and Gary were constantly finding themselves at the same Pokèmon tournaments and on the same routes, and meeting up with the two of them wasn't impossible.
Misty took a step back, as if she were stepping away from her past and into her new life. Gary wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she felt nothing but safe and happy. He would be good to her. He had already proven that in two days. They turned away with waves and 'take care' messages being exchanged from both sides before Misty and Gary were out of sight.
She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, but it was a sigh of contentment. It wasn't regretful or painful, like the many sighs she had exhaled over the past year. Gary kissed the top of her head and held her tighter.
"I'll be good for you, Misty. I'm falling for you harder and faster then I think is healthy" he laughed, and Misty giggled beside him.
"Well at least I'm not the only one" she said softly. "So where do we go from the league?" she asked in interest.
Gary shrugged. "Home for a while, I suppose. Then who knows? I still have a lot of roads to travel" he said warily. "But Lord knows it's gonna be so much better with you beside me."
"Now, would you be saying that a week ago?" Misty asked playfully and he laughed.
"God no! But that was because a week ago I had no idea. I was too ignorant to see past your friendship with Ash. The whole rivalry thing...it's kinda stupid. I would've noticed you for who you are and not what you are if Ash and I had never drifted apart on such bad terms" Gary confessed.
"Well then I'm glad me and Ash left on reasonable terms" Misty said. And she was, honestly. But for now her life was going to be about Gary, being with Gary, and she found Ash being deprioritised and she reached up and softly kissed Gary. "Thankyou so much" she whispered.
"For what?" Gary asked in delighted confusion.
"I'm thanking you in advance for the wonderful life that's ahead of me" Misty grinned. After hearing this, Gary wasted no time in engulfing her in a longer kiss, and after it finally broke apart they walked away. Walking towards a new and definitly unexpected future.
A/N: Well! That's it! My first (and hopefully my last) GAML! Please remember, I am a dedicated twerpshipper, okay? But please review this and tell me what you think. See yaz all later! **PikaSass**
A/N: Final chapter for anyone who's interested (i.e my sister - you'd better review this, by the way!) Gross gross, this is bad, lol!
Misty was the first one awake the next morning, which hardly surprised her. She had slept on what Gary had asked her the previous day, although actual sleep had hardly come into the equation. Joining Gary on his Pokèmon journey - as his girlfriend, no less - seemed like a lifetime away from the securities she had with Brock and Ash.
With a heavy sigh she poured herself a cup of hot chocolate, her sweet alternative to the bitter coffee Brock so often drank. She took a sip and closed her eyes momentarily, absorbing the warmth the liquid provided her. As she opened her eyes, she witnessed Ash walking into the kitchen, when they both froze and commenced a cold stare down.
"Morning" Misty said non-comitally.
"Whatever" Ash shrugged, walking towards the toaster with bread at the ready. "Don't suppose you slept well" he mumbled.
"No, as a matter of fact I didn't. I had a choice to make and I made it" Misty announced. She didn't see Ash slightly flinch at what she said, she just saw him put some toast in the toaster. He then stared intensly into it, as if he was measuring every second of the cooking process. But really he was avoiding any eye contact with her.
"Do you mind sharing your decision with me?" Ash asked icily.
"I do mind actually. You'll find out when the time is right" Misty said.
"What does that mean? When the time is right? What's wrong with right now?" Ash demanded.
Misty rubbed her eyes. "Ash, it's 7:30 in the morning, I've had about three hours sleep because I've been weighing up pros and cons all night. Could you give me a bit of a break here?"
"Oh yes, I'm sooo sorry, I forgot how much of a crisis you were in right now" Ash said sarcastically.
Misty looked at his smug figure and came to a conclusion - she had had enough. She charged over and grabbed his jacket, causing him to be startled as she violently shook him.
"You listen to me! I don't care what you think about Gary because he's a different person around me, and I don't care about your stupid opinions and smart ass remarks! You have absolutly NO idea what this is doing to me and if you honestly cared about our so-called friendship then you'd listen to me for a Goddamn minute!" she yelled, the rage easy to spot in her voice and her eyes.
She shoved him away and blinked a few times to dissolve the tears that were forming in her aqua eyes. Ash was, understandably, stunned. He fiercly clutched on to the kitchen bench, the force of Misty's shove being bigger than he expected.
"Misty..." he started softly.
"What?" Misty spat out in pure rage.
Ash sighed. "Don't you think that maybe this whole Gary thing is just a tad too hasty?" he asked.
"I don't CARE if it's hasty or whatever! What happened between us was more than I could ever imagine from anyone else, more than I had ever dreamed of before." Misty paused and glared at him. "My mind's made up and you'll know by the end of the day."
"Like it isn't obvious already" Ash mumbled. The look in his eyes, that look of disappointment and pain, gave Misty a mad desire to hug him, to embrace him in the closeness and warmth the two had once shared. What had happened to them? What happened to every secret and dream they had confided in each other? When did the playful teasing become full fledged arguing?
"You'll see" Misty whispered, and walked out of the kitchen, not wanting to face him anymore. She wasn't angry, more likely upset in a sad sense. This would be something that could affect Ash for the rest of his life. As far as he was concerned, Gary never brought anything good into his life...well, except for maybe the occasional Pokèmon battle.
Everyone in the small house found that the day dragged on longer than usual. Ash had no battles and they had all seen the sights earlier on. Not that any of them felt motivated enough to actually do something. The trio each had a couch to themselves that they were sprawled out on, thinking their own thoughts but all on the same wavelength.
Misty was, yet again, weighing up pros and cons. She knew she shouldn't do this to herself - after all, she had already made a decision - but it wouldn't hurt to make sure she was absolutly sure about the final outcome of all of this.
Ash was thinking...more likely, blaming himself for all of this. If he had tried not to ignore the increasing strain in his and Misty's friendship, then maybe this would all have been avoided. Gary would never be a threat, had he entered the scene a year ago. A year ago there was an unbreakable bond between Ash and Misty, and not even his greatest rival could break it.
Brock wanted to think of ways to restore the tension around the group, but he knew it was up to them to sort it out for themselves. He was on the sideline, his comments neither being heard or appreciated. Sure, he was upset at the prospect of the trio's potential split, but there was nothing he could do.
It all weighed upon Misty's decision now.
"I'm going to my room" she announced to no one in particular, standing up and surveying the scene that had been in front of her for the past 90 minutes. An hour and a half of solid silence was something she did not enjoy, and even the dreary sentance she had just said was better than nothing at all.
"Have fun" Ash said sarcastically. Misty, not having the energy to deal with his cynical attitude, simply walked off in silence, leaving Ash with a few question marks floating round his head.
"Hey Brock, why didn't she retalliate?" he asked in curiosity. Brock sat up and shrugged.
"Don't ask me, I don't know what goes on in that head of hers. Did you want her to or something?" He raised an eyebrow as he said this.
"I don't think so" Ash said slowly.
"Look man, maybe she's just upset enough as it is without you adding crap to her obviously battling brain. Why don't you think about her for once instead of yourself?" Brock asked in exasperation.
"Oh I am thinking about her" Ash sneered. "I'm thinking about how selfish she is to leave us here after...how long has it been, Brock? Three years? Four? How can she give up on us in two days after all that?"
"You haven't thought about her happiness" Brock pointed out. "Maybe she's felt obliged to stay in the last year or so cos, let's face it, you guys haven't had much of a friendship these last 12 months, have you?"
"Well she didn't have to stay" Ash said sadly. "She could've gone last year and done whatever she wanted. I just want her to be happy."
"If you want her to be happy then leave her be. She has had to make a very hard decision and I wouldn't worry about it right now cos she hasn't even told us what it is. But you saw the way she was talking to Gary through the window yesterday. He makes her happy." Brock paused and sighed before continuing.
"Stop thinking of Gary as your rival and think of him as the guy who could make Misty happier than she's ever been in her life." Those were Brock's parting words before he verbally decided he wanted to go for a walk. As the door closed behind him, Ash whispered a meek sentance that spoke volumes yet could barely be heard.
"But I wanna be that guy."
* * * * * * *
Where was he? It was six o'clock and the winter nights meant it got darker quicker. Misty had been waiting in her room for two hours and Gary still hadn't appeared as he had promised. She had to tell him. It couldn't wait any longer and he had a right to know.
Lying on the bottom bunk she heard the familiar tapping noise on her window and leapt up, her heart pounding. This was it. Now or never.
As she frantically opened the window she also heard her bedroom door open and froze, not knowing which way to look. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Gary, waiting expectantly by the window as promised, and she could hear footsteps entering the room.
The footsteps won her over and she turned around, more than a little shocked to find Ash standing there.
"Oh, sorry, I'll come back later" he said, sounding almost genuine.
Misty shook her head. "Wait, Ash! Wait, just a sec." She turned back to Gary. "I think you'd better come inside. There's no point sneaking around when everyone knows" she pointed out.
Gary shrugged and walked around to the front. Misty walked past Ash, her heart refusing to settle, and opened the door. He stood there, as curious as the other two guys in Misty's life, and accepted her silent invitation to come in.
"Lounge. Now" Misty said simply, pointing towards the huge lounge. It was the same place Ash had walked in on them only one day ago, and it would now be the place where a life changing decision would be announced.
Ash and Gary hesitantly obeyed her command while she took a deep breath and ran over in her head what she was going to say. This was it. No more thinking, no more pros and cons. This wasn't the final rehearsal, it was the performance.
"Okay guys, you wanna know what I'm doing, don't you?" she asked bluntly after they'd seated themselves. She stood in the middle of the lounge with Gary, Ash and Brock each on seperate couches. She couldn't ignore the vengeful looks Ash was occasionally shooting Gary, or the increased silent tension, or the expectant looks all three were giving her.
"Well, in a word, yes" Gary replied. He caught one of Ash's glares and reflected it back, their never ending rivalry increasing by the situation they found themselves in.
Tears filled Misty's eyes and suddenly something hit Ash. He knew. He knew where she was going and, as a result, he buried his head in his hands.
"See ya Mist." His voice trembled as he spoke the three words and everyone looked at him in shock.
"What?" Brock asked.
"She's going with Gary." Ash's voice was muffled but the hurt was undeniable.
"How do you know?" Brock and Gary both asked in unison.
"Yes Ash, I'd like to know how you came to that conclusion" Misty said, trying to be authorative but finding it impossible as her emotions took hold.
"I'm right though, aren't I?" Ash asked bitterly, and Misty could only bite her lip and avoid his harsh stare. He shook his head in disbelief as Gary and Brock looked at Misty with wide eyes.
"But why, Mist?" Brock asked. Even he had been surprised that she had the guts to leave them. He thought that this was all big talk, little action stuff. But the talk was now developing into huge actions.
"Because..." Misty looked over at Gary and smiled. "Because when I'm with Gary I see a completley different person. I see someone who's sweet and sincere and everything I've ever dreamed about in a guy. I don't think of him as your rival, Ash. I can't. When he's around me he's not your rival, he's just Gary Oak."
Gary smiled back at Misty, but it was not the usual smile of victory Ash so often saw. It was a genuine smile of warmth and happiness. Naturally, Ash was shocked at Gary's display of humanity and discovered his mouth had turned to sawdust.
"Even in the two days I've really got to know him, he's treated me really well - and I don't mean with material possesions or anything. He always made sure I was alright before he did anything, he was genuinely worried about me when I first ran into him..." Misty trailed off at the few but significant memories.
She slowly walked up to Ash and knelt so she was eye level with him. "Don't take this as an insult, Ash. Please, don't. We had years of great friendship that I'll never forget. But you said yourself that this last year hasn't been the best, I've been miserable, and I've finally found something that may just compensate for that." She smiled as he finally made eye contact with her. "Ash, if he wasn't your rival, would you want me to go with him for the sake of my happiness?"
Ash hesitated. "I want you to be happy" he confirmed. "I just don't understand why it had to be him..."
Misty nodded. "I know. It's ironic beyond all beliefs, but that's what fate does to us. This is my happiness and my life as I want to live it. But surely if it was any other guy you'd want me to go, right?" she asked hopefully. If he didn't want her to be the least bit happy then that was beyond selfish.
Ash slowly nodded. "It's your life, Misty. Do what you want with it. You deserve to be happy."
It was one of the sweetest things he had ever said to her and she wasted no time in hugging him tight. He was surprised by the gesture but accepted it anyway, and hugged her back.
"Thankyou, Ash. You have no idea what this means to me" Misty whispered gratefully.
Ash pulled away and smiled warily. "You're right, I don't" he said truthfully. Misty smiled back and stood up to face Gary.
"Suppose I should pack my things, huh?" she suggested.
Gary shrugged. "If you want to. You don't have to rush, Mist, you can take your time if you need to."
But Misty shook her head. If she took her time it would be harder to leave Ash and Brock. She needed to go now, before she changed her mind. That brief conversation with Ash had really changed things for her, it had reassured her that he was at least concerned about her happiness, even if it meant involving his rival.
"I wanna do it now. Gimme five minutes, I haven't got much stuff" she informed them. With that she walked to her bedroom, a strange excitement filling her. She was going on a different Pokèmon journey, with a different person - a person she was quickly falling for, even though she had never imagined it in her life.
An uncomfortable silence filled the lounge in Misty's absence and Gary sighed.
"I won't do to her what I did to you" he vowed. "I know you're still scarred from that and I'm sorry, I can't make it up...but I won't do it to her."
Ash nodded. "You better not. Because she deserves everything she wants. And right now she wants you. Or the 'you' that she sees, anyway. Maybe things would be different if she saw you eight or so years ago..." he said bitterly.
Brock was listening in confusion and couldn't help but intervene. "What could be so bad?" he asked.
"Oh nothing, it's just when someone who you think is your best friend starts ignoring you because of your wealth status it kinda gets etched on your brain" Ash said pointedly, his eyes narrowed at Gary who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"And I was how old, Ash? Seven, eight maybe? I didn't have a clue, I had just started to understand what fame meant and how famous my grandfather was...it was the whole rich snob thing, you know?" he said nervously. "I'd never do it again, you're not poor or a commoner or any of that stuff I said you were. You must know that."
Ash shrugged. "I dunno. All I know is that I wasn't good enough, or maybe rich enough, to be your best friend anymore. And if you DARE imply any of that crap on Misty and I hear about it, believe me, you'll be sorry you ever met me. I swear" Ash said seriously.
Gary frantically nodded, agreeing with every word Ash said. "I learnt the hard way. It won't happen again."
"Make sure it doesn't" Ash shot back angrily. After this comment Misty walked in, her fading red backpack lazily slung over one shoulder and a recently awoken Togepi in her arms.
"So...are we ready?" she asked hesitantly, but the smile on her face said it all. She was finally going to love life again, it was all she had yearned for in the past lonely year.
"Ready when you are" Gary said confidentally, standing up as Ash and Brock did too. They all walked out to the front step where Misty first hugged Brock tight.
"Keep in touch, huh kiddo?" Brock asked and Misty nodded, tears threatning to fall if she even dared to open her mouth. She knew in her heart that she had made the right choice, but she also couldn't deny how incredibly hard it was going to be to leave them both.
She pulled away from Brock after a 30 second long embrace and slowly turned to Ash. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be. They spoke messages to each other through their eyes, messages of their regrets and pain they were feeling at the moment.
Ash wrapped his arms around Misty tightly and she buried her face in his shoulder, determined not to cry. At least, not in front of him.
"Please be careful. Take care of yourself, don't get into any mischief" Ash said, half-teasing.
Misty briefly laughed. "Speak for yourself" she said quietly. She pulled away and smiled. "I guess I'll see you round."
"Yeah" Ash said doubtfully, but it would almost definitly happen. Ash and Gary were constantly finding themselves at the same Pokèmon tournaments and on the same routes, and meeting up with the two of them wasn't impossible.
Misty took a step back, as if she were stepping away from her past and into her new life. Gary wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she felt nothing but safe and happy. He would be good to her. He had already proven that in two days. They turned away with waves and 'take care' messages being exchanged from both sides before Misty and Gary were out of sight.
She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, but it was a sigh of contentment. It wasn't regretful or painful, like the many sighs she had exhaled over the past year. Gary kissed the top of her head and held her tighter.
"I'll be good for you, Misty. I'm falling for you harder and faster then I think is healthy" he laughed, and Misty giggled beside him.
"Well at least I'm not the only one" she said softly. "So where do we go from the league?" she asked in interest.
Gary shrugged. "Home for a while, I suppose. Then who knows? I still have a lot of roads to travel" he said warily. "But Lord knows it's gonna be so much better with you beside me."
"Now, would you be saying that a week ago?" Misty asked playfully and he laughed.
"God no! But that was because a week ago I had no idea. I was too ignorant to see past your friendship with Ash. The whole rivalry thing...it's kinda stupid. I would've noticed you for who you are and not what you are if Ash and I had never drifted apart on such bad terms" Gary confessed.
"Well then I'm glad me and Ash left on reasonable terms" Misty said. And she was, honestly. But for now her life was going to be about Gary, being with Gary, and she found Ash being deprioritised and she reached up and softly kissed Gary. "Thankyou so much" she whispered.
"For what?" Gary asked in delighted confusion.
"I'm thanking you in advance for the wonderful life that's ahead of me" Misty grinned. After hearing this, Gary wasted no time in engulfing her in a longer kiss, and after it finally broke apart they walked away. Walking towards a new and definitly unexpected future.
A/N: Well! That's it! My first (and hopefully my last) GAML! Please remember, I am a dedicated twerpshipper, okay? But please review this and tell me what you think. See yaz all later! **PikaSass**