"Come on Misty, just go with me!" Ash Ketchum shouted playfully to the skeptical redhead sitting next to him. Misty sighed, slightly annoyed at his antics. But she had come to love those antics, and kind of come to love the boy behind them. She wasn't sure if it was full, blown-out love or just a crush. But if she wanted to know for sure, she should probably go to this concert with him. Just for fun, Misty decided to be stubborn a bit longer.

"I don't know, Ash. I mean, I've never even heard of the band Smell Ya Later, let alone know if they're any good. Would you at least tell me what kind of music they play?" Misty asked the excited 16 year old in front of her. He nodded and gave a lopsided smile.

"Well they play hard rock, classic rock, and metal. I know you like that stuff, so that's why I wanna take you!" Ash said and took her hand, trying to get her to stand up with him. She finally gave in and stood up. She sighed and nodded. Ash laughed and hugged her. Misty blushed a little, but tried to hide it from him. He smirked at the sight of her cheeks, but he decided to play dense and ignore it. He took her hand to go, but she held her ground.

"What's wrong, Mist?" Ash said, using her pet name. She loved when he called her Mist. But she slid her hand out of his.

"I can't go to a concert looking like this! Let me put on something better. You should get changed too, Ash. At least leave your hat here. You know how people are with hats at rock concerts." Misty explained. Ash sighed and took off his beloved hat. He set it on the couch and waited for Misty to get changed. Inside her room, Misty quickly opened her closet and got out her "concert" outfit. Little did Ash know that Misty was a concert regular. She had never heard of Smell Ya Later, but the name sounds very familiar from somewhere. She pondered the thought while she slipped on her extra short shorts and her band tee shirt. The shorts almost exposed her underwear, so hopefully she wouldn't have to bend over anytime soon. Her shirt was yellow and had the words 'Van Halen' across the top. It was a low cut tee shirt, so it exposed her now full figure. Misty was about eight months older than Ash, so she was 17. This made her mature and smart, and she knew just what to do to get noticed by men. Not that she was ever asked out. Her temper made men seem to be just as repelled as they were attracted, leaving her with no boyfriend. She applied a good amount of makeup before stepping back into the living room. Ash was awestruck at her beauty. He blushed and grabbed her hand, leading her out the door and to his car. Ash had just recently got his license, so he always insisted on driving her everywhere. Not like she didn't have her own car, but he felt proud of the beat up truck he owned. So Misty sat in the passenger seat while Ash attempted to start the ignition. After a few good heaves of the key shaft, the old beastly car had started. With a big grin, Ash strapped in and pulled out of the driveway that was next to Misty's house. Misty lived in Cerulean City, often the starting point of many local Kanto bands. This allowed her to easily get her music fix in whenever she had one.

"Ash, Cerulean Concert Club is only five minutes away. I don't get why you like driving me everywhere." Misty said with a laugh as Ash parked at the club's entrance.

"Well I like my car. Even though I know you think its crap. But I love this thing." Ash said defensively and got out of the car. Misty followed suit, taking his hand as they went into the crowded club. They weren't even technically together, but holding hands often kept Ash and Misty out of trouble when they were younger. She figured it must be old habit. As they paid the ticket price, Misty was surprised at how crowded this place was. Never empty, but never full, the club seemed much more packed then usual. This must be a decent band. Wonder why I've never heard them before? Misty said as she and Ash walked into the big auditorium. There were no seats, to make sure that everyone was pumped for the music.

"Hey Ash, is this band signed yet? Because I've never seen or heard of them." Misty asked Ash and he shook his head. He was going to say something else, but then the fog machines had started. Misty could have sworn that fog machines weren't allowed in the club. She coughed at the stuff and then the band appeared one by one. She recognized all of these people! First, Ritchie came out clutching his guitar. It never occurred to her that Ash's friendly rival would be good at guitar. Then, Jimmy came out and thrust his bass into the air, causing the crowd to cheer. She wondered if Jimmy still enjoyed being called Gold, but she pushed that thought aside when she watched Tracey step up to the drums. She waved to him, and Tracey was excited to see them there. Now she knew why Ash had wanted to go so badly. Tracey's in a band! That's so cool! I can't wait to her him play! Misty thought excitedly to herself when a big shot of sparks flew up as the singer and other guitarist walked on stage. All the girls that were there, with the exception of Misty, squealed. Misty squinted through the fog to make out a muscular man with only a leather vest and pants on walk to the edge of the stage. Then she heard that voice.

"Hello Cerulean, I'm Gary, and this is Smell Ya Later. We're here to kick some ass tonight!" Yup, it was him all right. That nasally voice was none other than Gary Oak.