Misty's Decision

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon!

Her orange bangs fell into her sea-blue eyes as Misty Waterflower kept the records for the Cerulean Gym. To her dismay she had lost four battles and won only once in the last week. Which meant the loss of four Cascade Badges and the disappointment of her eldest sister, Daisy. Misty sighed, let her pencil fall out of her fingers and buried her face in her arms. She didn't know what was causing her distraction lately. Maybe it was just cabin fever or something. Suddenly, the videophone went off and Misty scrambled out of her chair to answer it. She answered the call and waited for the screen to show who was on the other end.

"Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty gasped in surprise. The last person she expected calling was Ash's mother. Why was Delia Ketchum calling the Cerulean Gym?

"Misty!" she beamed with happiness. "It's so good to see you again, sweetheart. How are things at the Gym?" Delia asked.

Terrible. Stressful. Distracting. Misty shook those morbid thoughts from her head and pasted on a cheery smile. "As good as ever, Mrs. Ketchum," she lied through her teeth. "Have you heard from Ash lately?" Mrs. Ketchum looked at her knowingly and Misty wished she could take her words back. She could feel her cheeks heating up. She'd always admired Ash.

Delia chuckled softly and her smile got bigger. "That what I wanted to talk to you about. Ash is coming home to Pallet soon and I was wondering if you could come over and help me get the house ready for him. Mimey's up to his neck in chores and I really need an extra pair of hands."

Misty's face brightened considerably for a moment and she felt like her old self again, but that didn't last long. There was no way she could go to Pallet right now. She still had her responsibilities here at the gym. Her sisters wouldn't last three days without her battling the trainers, keeping the records and taking care of the Pokemon. All they were worried about was their stupid, not-based-in-reality productions and vacationing. It was her job to keep the Cerulean Gym running. There was no time to get all googly-eyed over Ash Ketchum.

Mrs. Ketchum noticed Misty's downcast eyes and looked concerned. "What is it, Misty? What's wrong?"

"I can't go to Pallet, Mrs. Ketchum. My sisters need me here. They'd be lost without me," her voice was shaky and it felt like she was about to cry. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

Delia's face turned sad and it took her a moment to respond. "It's all right, Misty. I understand. Maybe some other time." Misty nodded solemnly and they said their good-byes. After Misty disconnected the call she buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow.

Suddenly, the front door slammed and womanly giggles could be heard. What are they doing home? They supposed to be in Sinnoh for another two weeks! Misty swiped at her tears before her sisters could see them. She only had a few seconds to brace herself before she was crushed a sisterly group hug. Even though Misty was surprised to see them she was excited that they were home. Daisy, Lily and Violet were ditsy most of the time, but she loved them unconditionally. She felt so lonely whenever they went away.

"Misty, did you miss us that much or did something happen?" Daisy asked, swiping a rebel tear from Misty's cheek. Lily and Violet joined Daisy in her observation and their faces clouded with confusion.

Without hesitation, Misty told her sisters about her conversation with Mrs. Ketchum. How much she wanted to go to Pallet Town, but couldn't. How she felt distracted all the time. The way her distractedness was affecting her battling performance. She told them everything and they listened. It felt good to let everything out there. It was better than keeping it all inside. For the first time in a long time Misty felt good.

"Go," Daisy said when Misty finished. Lily and Violet nodded in agreement. Misty was in utter shock.

Misty's mouth dropped open in shock. "What? Daisy, no! You need me here! What would happen to this place if I just up and left? What would happen to the Pokemon and the records? It would all go down the drain!" It was times like this that really frustrated Misty about her sisters. They didn't think rationally.

Daisy picked up the records that Misty had been working on from the table. "It looks like it's already started to." Misty looked at her feet with shame. Daisy put a comforting hand on Misty's shoulder. "Misty, if you keep this up you'll probably have a mental breakdown. Take a break and have some fun. Go to Pallet Town. The girls and I can handle things for a couple weeks."

Frustrated, Misty grit her teeth in anger. "Daisy, you haven't battled ever since I came back. I've been doing all the work around here ever since you guys made those shows a full-time thing."

"Misty Waterflower, go pack your bags now or I'm going to make you the star of our performances for a month," Daisy ordered, meaning business.

Misty's scowl turned into a look of terror. It wasn't that she hated the mermaid costume. What she hated was learning poorly written lines, the trouble of hair extensions and the overall stupidity of the plot line itself. The only perk was getting to swim with her beloved water Pokemon. Misty ignored Daisy's smug look and Lily and Violet's giggles as she stomped away to pack her backpack. All she needed were the essentials and she made sure she brought her Pokemon along with her too. After calling them all into their pokeballs Misty packed them safely in the front pocket of her backpack. Misty wanted to make sure they'd be okay when she left and Pikachu would love to see his old friends again.

Misty didn't bother to say good-bye when she mounted her bike and started heading off. It wasn't until she was halfway to Viridian City that she started to lighten up. Maybe Daisy was right after all. By the time Misty arrived at the Ketchum residence she was practically beaming. It was nice to be out in the open air. Mrs. Ketchum was in her vegetable garden tending to her tomatoes when Misty waved to her.

Delia's eyes widened slightly, but she was smiling. "Misty, I thought you said you couldn't make it."

"Daisy, sort of made me come. My sisters came home early from Sinnoh," Misty explained.

Mrs. Ketchum practically grinned ear to ear and clapped her hands, "Well, let's get started then!"

Author's note: Hope you enjoy this story! I'll update the next chapter soon! After reading this please review. Reviews help me figure out what I do correctly and what I need to work on. They also help me come up with ideas for other projects. Have a wonderfully fun-filled day!