True Love Hidden
By: Charizard

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with Nintendo, Pokémon, or Game Freak etc.  I wrote this for the fun of it, not for profit.

Brief Description: Ash gets fed up with Charizard and flips out.  Misty becomes worried when Ash builds up a guilt complex and tries to help him.  In the meantime, Team Rocket has their own set of problems to deal with.

Authors Note:  Ash is 17, Misty is 19, Tracey is 18, and Jessie and James are 20.  This story is an AAMRN and JAJRN in one, don’t let the description confuse you. =P

Prologue:  Ash, Misty and Tracey are traveling around the Orange Islands to get more badges.  Team Rocket of course is following them to get Pikachu, and ruin their plans.

Chapter One:  Relaxation At Last

Ash and friends are traveling to the next island.  Tracey is admiring the scenery while of course Ash and Misty are busy arguing about petty stuff as usual.
“What do you mean I have no clue about Pokémon Training at all?  At least some of my Pokémon have evolved.” Said Ash
“Well I do have a Starmie and that’s an evolved Pokémon.”
“Yeah, you probably caught it that way.  Besides, water Pokémon are easy to train anyways.”
“Well Mr. Know it all, why haven’t my Pokémon evolved since they are so easy to train?”
“Because you’re a bad trainer, that’s why.”
“I’m a bad trainer?  Well at least my Pokémon obey me.”
“What do you mean, my Pokémon obey me always!!”
“No they don’t.  When has Charizard obeyed you?”
“Well, uuuh, I....”
“Exactly, NEVER! And it probably won’t cuz’ you’re a bad trainer.”
”Shut up!  You’ve always got to find a way to piss me off!  I swear, one of these days, I’m going to slap you so hard, your mother will feel the pain!”
<SLAP> “You jerk, don’t ever talk about my mother.  You never knew her so shut up!!!!!!!!”
“WILL THE TWO OF YOU STOP ARGUING!!!  You two act like a bunch of five year olds!  Grow Up!”
“I’m not the one who talks about other peoples parents.  So I guess that doesn’t apply to me.” Said Misty.
“You bet it does Misty.  You like to piss Ash off a lot so I’d suggest that you shut your trap before I shut it for you!!!” Snapped Tracey.
Misty and Ash immediately stopped arguing when they saw how pissed off Tracey was.  They were nearing the next island.
“Hey, look guys, there is the next island.” Said Tracey.
“Wow its beautiful.” Said Misty.
“It sure is.” Said Ash.
“Hey Tracey,” Said Misty, “How about if we take a break and relax for a few days here?”
“That sounds like a great idea Misty.  What do you think Ash?”
“Sure why not?”
When they got there, they pulled out their swim wear.  There of course was no place to change, so Misty went behind a bush.
“Ok guys and Pokémon, turn around so I can change.”
“Ok misty.”
While Misty was changing Ash couldn’t help but to take a peek but Misty caught him before anything could be seen.
“And Ash why are we staring at me like that?” Said Misty blushing
Ash quickly turned around and Tracey almost died laughing.
“Uhh, I never turned around, you must be seeing things.  Dammit Tracey what’s so funny?”
“Nothing, I just think it’s funny how you try and hide your love for Misty that’s all.”
“What do you mean, I don’t love her.”
“Oh please, then why were you trying to take a peek at her naked?”
“Well, I...uhhh...oooh fine, I do love her, are you happy now?”
“No, I really didn’t care if you did, but now I know that you do. Ha Ha!!”
“Ok I’m done, next.” Said Misty
“I’ll go” Said Ash
While Ash was changing, he wasn’t stupid, he had Muk make a wall of sludge.  Misty had then come up with an idea.
“Hey Ash, “ Said Misty, “Can I borrow Muk later today?”
“What for?”
“So when I change, I won’t have to worry about peeping toms that’s why!”
Ash completely turned red but tried to cover it up.
“I have no clue what you are talking about Misty.  You must have been seeing things.”
“Whatever Ash.”
Ash went swimming for a bit, while Misty was sun bathing.  Ash stopped swimming and stared at her.
“Gee, she is so pretty.  I should stop arguing with her.  I don’t want her to think that I hate her”
Misty began to sit up and Ash immediately went underwater.  He came up and he went to lie in the sun for a while.  Misty went for a dip in the water.  She began to stare at Ash sunbathing.
“Gosh, Ash is so cute.  I should stop pissing him off so he doesn’t think that I hate him or something.”
While Misty was staring at Ash, he had noticed her staring at him.  Tracey was busy sketching pictures of Pokémon.  Tracey decided to sketch Misty staring at Ash.  He thought this might be funny later.  He started to walk over to Ash.
“I wonder why she’s staring at me so much.  She’s probably still pissed off at me for what I said earlier today.  Maybe I should apologize to her.”
“Yes, I think you should.” Said Tracey.
“AAAHHH!  Oh, it’s just you.  Don’t scare me like that.  What did you say?”
“I said that you should apologize to Misty.  That was rude of you to say that.  You know how sensitive she is about her mother.”
“I know, but I just kinda lost it.  She pissed me off.  She knows that I hate it when she makes fun of my Pokémon training, and she continues to do it on a daily basis.”
“Well Ash, I’m going to be straight forward about this.  I think that Misty likes you.”
“WHAT! No way!  She hates me cuz’ I messed up her bike.  She’ll never forgive me for that.  She still talks about it to this day.”
“Ash, she does.  Trust me.”
“I don’t know.  I’m afraid of telling her cuz’ I don’t want to be turned down, plus we are good friends and I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“I understand how you feel Ash.”
“Thanks Tracey.”
“Hey man, anytime you want to talk about Misty, let me know.”
“HEY GUYS!  IT”S GETTING LATE AND I WANT TO GET TO A HOTEL BEFORE NIGHTFALL!” Yelled Misty from the Ocean.
“OKAY!!” Screamed Ash and Tracey.
“So Ash, can I borrow the Muk like I asked earlier?”
“Sure no problem, It’s in my bag, I’ll be right back.”
Ash had some tricks up his sleeve.  He had taken Muk out of the Pokéball and told Muk to act kind of like a two way mirror so he can see Misty but she’ll think the wall is not see through.
“ASH C’MON!!”
“I’m coming, geez!  Here you go.  Do as I told you Muk.”
“Do what?” asked Misty.
“To make a wall of sludge like it did for me.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll be right back.”
Muk made a wall, but it looked transparent to Tracey and Ash but Misty just saw sludge and nothing but sludge.
“Ash, why is Muk clear?  Won’t Misty kinda notice?”
“Nope, he’s acting like a two way mirror.”
“Whoa, good idea Ash.”
“It is isn’t it, but you can’t look at her cuz’ she’s mine not yours.”
“That’s no fair Ash! C’mon!!”
“I said now!!!”
“Fine.....”
Boy was Ash in for a surprise.  Misty had this habit of dressing under a towel wrapped around her so Ash’s plan failed.
“DAMN!”
“Ash? What happened?” Asked Misty, changing
“Uhh, nothing, I just stubbed my toe in a rock!”
“Oh.”
Once again Tracey fell to the ground laughing.
“Tracey, is it really that funny?”
“Yes it is!”
Once everyone changed they headed to town and spent the night at a motel.  They were in for a crazy day tomorrow.

Chapter 2:  Sleepless Night

“<YAWNS> what a weird dream.” Said Ash.  “2 a.m.?!  I can’t get any sleep.  Maybe Tracey is up.”
<KNOCK KNOCK>Tracey answers, ”Yeah I’m comin, hold on...Oh, hi Ash.  Why are you up so early?” 
“Couldn’t sleep.  I can’t stop thinking about Misty.  I feel so bad for what I said yesterday.”
“Come in Ash, let’s talk about this.”
Meanwhile Misty had been up too.  She couldn’t stop thinking about Ash.
“Ohh.  Why did I wake up at 2?  I wonder if Tracey is up?”
<KNOCK KNOCK> “Who’s there?” Asked Tracey
“It’s Misty, can I come in?”
“Crap, Ash go and hide in the shower and be quiet.”
“Okay Tracey.”
“TRACEY, hurry, I don’t want anyone to see me in a bath robe.”
“Okay I’m coming.”
<Opens Door> “Misty, why are you up so early?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Geez, same with Ash.”
“What do you mean Ash? Is he here?”
“No, I mean that he was tossing and turning a lot during the night, I heard it.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Do you want to talk about something?  Or are you just lonely?”
“Huh?  Oh, I just feel like talking that’s all.”
“Oh, well sit down, don’t stand by the door like an idiot.  What do you want to talk about?”
“Ash.”
“What about him?”
“Well, I was thinking about what happened yesterday.  I think I shouldn’t have said that Ash was a bad trainer.  He actually isn’t.”
“Then why do you say it then?”
“Because I’m confused about something.”
“Confused about what?”
“Tracey, would you mind if I didn’t tell you, not to be rude or anything?”
“No, not at all.  If you don’t want to tell me, then you don’t have to.”
“I’m just kinda mad at Ash for what he said yesterday, you know about slapping me so hard my mom would feel it.”
“I know, Ash was stupid for saying that.  You know, he was kinda mad when he said it.”
“Why was he mad?”
“Well, you did call him a bad trainer.  You know he hates that.”
“I know.  I’ve been rude for the last week now.”
“Now Misty, you’re not rude, you’re....just hiding something from Ash.”
“I know...wait a sec, how do you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I’m hiding something from Ash.”
“Oh, I just guessed.  Why?  What are you hiding?”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“Okay.”
They talked for hours and poor Ash sat in the tub for four hours!!!
The Alarm clock went off <BUZZ BUZZ> “Wow It’s already 6.  We better get going.” said Tracey
“I’m going to wake Ash up.” Said Misty
“No, wait.  He’s probably tired from last night.  Give him an extra ten minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll be in my room.”
“Okay.” <DOOR SHUTS>
“Ash, hurry, get to your room.  Sorry we couldn’t talk.”
“It’s ok, besides, Misty is more important than me.”
After the close call, they all got ready and left the hotel to travel the rest of this island.
...A few hours pass by....
“Hey Misty, can I talk to you for a second?” said Ash.
“Sure Ash what’s up?”
“I want to talk about yesterday.  I didn’t sleep well last night because I kept thinking about what happened.  I just want to say I’m sorry for what I said yesterday and I’ll never say anything like that again.”
“Oh Ash, that’s ok.  I should be the one apologizing.  I was being a jerk for calling you a bad trainer.”
“It’s ok.  Friends?”
“Friends.”
“Let’s not argue again.  Sound ok?”
“Sure, I like that idea.”
“Well thank goodness.  I couldn’t stand another day of your arguing.” mumbled Tracey
“Excuse me Tracey?” Said Misty.
“Huh? Nothing.  I’m just thinking out loud”
“Yeah whatever.”
While they were traveling, they had saw a weird looking balloon.  Who was it?  Well of course it’s Team Rocket......




Chapter 3: Ash Loses It

“To protect the world from devastation”
“To unite all peoples within our nation”
“To denounce the evils of truth and love”
“To extend our reach to the stars above”
“Jessie”
“James”
“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light”
“Surrender now or prepare to fight”
“Meeeowth That’s right!”
“Oh goody, Team Rocket’s here.” Said Ash
“Quiet twerp, and hand over that Pikachu!” Said Jessie.
“Never!!”  Screamed Ash.
“Well then, I guess we’re going to do this the hard way!” Said James
<KABOOM>  “Ha ha ha ha ha!  Those nets are made of pure steel!  You ain’t going anywhere!”
“Hey, get us out of here!!!” Screamed Misty!!
<Pokéball opens>
“Hey, what’s going on here?” Screamed Ash.
Charizard had come out of his pokéball.  It used flamethrower to melt the steel net.
“Thanks Charizard.” Said Ash.
Team Rocket got worried so they called out all their Pokémon.
“Arbok, Lickitung, go!” Screamed Jessie.
“Weezing, Victreebel, Go!” Screamed James.
“And Meowth!”
Charizard Used Fire Spin and Team Rocket was beaten severely as usual.
“Wow Charizard!  Thank you for saving us.  Have you finally decided to obey me?”
“Grrf!”  Charizard just turned his head away and blew a small flame out of his mouth.
“Ohhh, c’mon!  What have I done to deserve this?!  If it wasn’t for me you’d have still been on that rock by Vermilion.  DEAD!!!”
“You know Charizard I have to agree with Ash.  He has tried so many ways to impress you, and you still act like an jerk to him! Grow up and act like an evolved Pokémon!” Said Misty. 
Charizard was mad at Misty and was about to use flamethrower on her but luckily Ash had noticed what Charizard was about to do and jumped in front of Misty and got fried!
“OOOOOOOWWWWWWEEEEEEEEE!” Screamed Ash
After Ash managed to regain his strength...
“OOOHH That’s the last straw!  You tried to hurt my best friend and now you’ll pay the price!  I’m leaving you right here! Alone just like Damien did to you!!!” Snapped Ash.
“Ash, don’t do that, that poor Pokémon has been abandoned once, don’t do it again.  I’m sure it will obey you eventually, give it some time.” Said Misty
“It’s not just the obeying that pisses me off, he tried to hurt you.  I can’t let that happen.”
“Why not?”
Ash became worried that Misty is catching on his crush in her.  He came up with a quick response that would hide his feelings.
“Because Misty...You are my best friend.”
“Thank you Ash, but I think you shouldn’t do that to Charizard.  I feel bad for him.”
“What about me?  I’ve put up with too much of his crap!  He has crossed the line.  Let’s get going!”
Ash had left that island and Charizard there.  Charizard had been so upset cuz he couldn’t even believe that Ash just did what he did.  It was so upset he began to cry.  He had cried so much, a small puddle had formed around him.  Poor Charizard.  He was determined to find Ash and apologize for what a jerk he has been. 
Meanwhile back at Lapras....
“Good riddance.  I got upset on a daily basis and finally, I don’t have to be upset anymore.” Said Ash.
“You know Ash, you feel good now, but let me assure you, in a week, you’ll regret that you’ve lost one of your strongest Pokémon in your party.  Plus believe it or not, you will feel like you’ve just lost a friend.” Said Misty.
“You know Ash, I think that Misty hit it right on the head.  You should turn around and get him back.” Said Tracey.
“NEVER, in a million years.  Lapras! Full speed ahead to the next island!!”

Chapter 4:  Hidden Truths

While Ash is dealing with his own problems, Team Rocket has their own set of problems too......
“What do you mean you like me?  I have never heard something so funny in my life!” Said Jessie.
“But Jessie, I thought you liked me too?”
“Yeah right.  Who would like you anyways?  I don’t even think the ugliest woman in the world would like you let alone me. Ha ha ha hahahaha ha......”
“JAMES!!! Wake up!!!” Screamed Jessie.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH! Huh? Don’t do that!  You scared the Crap out of me.  Well, then again, thanks for waking me, I was kinda having a nightmare.” Said James smiling like a goof.
“Whatever.  We better get going so we can steal that Pikachu from the twerps.”
“Ok, where to?”
“Wherever we last saw them and follow their path.”
“Ok lets go!” said Meowth.
While they were walking, James was thinking about that dream he had.
<Geez, I hope that will never happen in real life.  She’s so pretty and a such a good friend...>
“James?  Are you okay?  You are awfully quiet for yourself.” Asked Jessie.
“Huh?  Oh, I’m just thinking about stuff, that’s all.”
“About what?”
“Uhh, about how were are going to steal Pikachu.”
“Oh.  Okay.”
<I wonder if James likes me?  I’ve always had this crazy crush on him since Pokémon Tech.  But thats a long shot though.  It was weird, that dream he was having, he mumbled my name so many times....., ack, who am I kidding?  He can’t like me.>
Meanwhile, back with Ash............They had landed on another island hundreds of miles away from where he had left Charizard.
Pikachu was concerned with Ash because Ash wasn’t the type of a person to abandon a Pokémon.
“Pika pikapi pikachu chu pika?”(Why did you leave Charizard alone?)
“Because Pikachu.  He was a bad Pokémon,  he never obeyed me ever.”
“PIKA! Pika pika chu pika ka chu?”(NEVER! What about when he was Charmander?)
“That’s different.  Charmander knew I had saved his life.  Otherwise that stupid Damien would’ve treated him like dirt.”
“Pika.  Chu pika pika cha chu pika pikachu.”(True, but you did exactly what Damien did).
“I know, but this had to be done.  Charizard would’ve gotten worse and maybe even killed me, who knows.”
“PIKA! Pikachu pika pika pi pika chu chu pika pi!!!” (A Pokémon would never kill their trainer.  Even when I at first didn’t like you, I never thought of killing you).
“Well, You are different.  Charizard could have stopped listening to me completely.  I let him go before matters got worse.  I’m sorry Pikachu.  I had to.”
“That’s an excuse Ash!  I have never seen you like this before.  Why have you been so mean lately?”  Asked Misty.
“I haven’t been mean to you at all, and even if I have recently, I apologized to you.”
“That’s not what I mean.  I mean towards Charizard.  You better go back.  I’m serious.”
Ash had realized that he letting go of Charizard annoyed Misty.
“Misty.  If I go back there and take Charizard back, he’ll probably hate me for the rest of my life.  He might even refuse to come back.”
“Well that’s your problem because you abandoned him.  Now you will suffer the consequences.”
“You were right.  I feel bad.  I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.  Will you forgive my ignorance?”
“Of course Ash.  You’re my best friend.  It’s no big deal.”  Misty went to hug Ash.  Ash of course was extremely happy, and enjoying the contact......
“Okay, lets go back to the last island and find Charizard.”
“Alright” Said Misty and Tracey.
“Pikachu!”(Alright)
<Thank God I changed my mind about Charizard.  Now I have a chance with Misty again.>
Thought Ash.

Chapter 6:  Finding Charizard

Ash had turned around and began to head to the last island.  Hardly did he know that Charizard left to look for him somewhere else.
<ARRRGH!> <WHHHSH>
“Did you hear that guys?” Asked Ash.
“Yeah that sounded weird.” Said Tracey.
“You know,” Said Ash, “That sounded like Charizard.”
“It can’t be Ash.  You are probably so excited to get him back that you are hearing things.”
“Maybe you’re right Misty.”
They had arrived at the island close to nightfall.
“Well it’s too late to look for Charizard now.  We’ll begin to search for him tomorrow.  Sound okay?” Asked Ash.
“That actually sounds good to me.” Said Misty.
“Ok guys, I’m going to sleep.” Said Tracey.
“Okay Tracey...” Said Ash and Misty.
“Hey Ash...” Whispered Misty.
“What?”
“Can you come over here for a second?”
“Sure.”
“What do you want Misty?”
“You know, when you said that you were going to abandon Charizard, I felt like slapping you across the face really hard.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?  I’ve never seen you so enraged with your Pokémon ever.  I remember you telling me the problems that you had with Pikachu when you first got him.  Did you ever abandon him?  Or yell at him? No.  Why?  Because you knew deep down that there would be some way to make Pikachu listen.”
“Oh, I see.  I guess I was an idiot for doing that.  I’m just glad that you knocked some sense into me by telling me how I’d feel.  I really appreciate that.  I guess I should consider myself very lucky because you are a very good friend to me.  And even though we fight sometimes, I know that the stuff we fight over is stupid and could never ruin a friendship like ours.  I don’t ever want to fight again with you.  I know I said that a while ago, but now I really mean it with all of my heart and soul.”
“Okay Ash.  And thank you.”
“For what?”
“For considering me one of your best friends.”
“Oh Misty its nothing.”
“No Ash.  It isn’t nothing.  The whole world knows that you don’t come across friends that really care for one another often.  Believe me, I’ve had many
friends, but none of them compare to you Ash.  I...I...<sigh>”
“What?”
“Nevermind.”
“You sure.”
“Yeah, It’s not important.  I’m getting tired.”
Misty had a good idea in her head.  She was kinda pissed..ok..really pissed at herself for not telling Ash that she loves him.
“Oh, one more thing Ash.”
“Yes Misty?”
“I’m kinda scared of this island ‘cuz there are a lot of bugs and........”
“And...you want me to stay with you in your tent tonight?”
“Yeah.  How did you know?”
“Just call it gut instinct.”
“You’d really do that for me?”
“Of course Misty, anything.”
“You’re so sweet Ash.  How can I repay you?”
“Actually I’m repaying you for making me change my mind about Charizard.”
“But Ash, I really didn’t influence you that much did I?”
“Yes, and I really appreciate it.”
“I’m getting tired Ash.  Can we sleep now?”
“Sure.”
They had gotten ready to sleep and they were both in her tent now...
“Goodnight Misty.”
“Goodnight Ash.”  Misty then whispered to herself..”I love you”
“What Misty?”
Misty panicked...
“Uhhh ummm....I said did you take off your hat?”
“Yeah Misty.....I did....”  Ash had that look on his face that Misty was acting strange.
“Good night Misty.”
 After a nice long nights of sleep, they all got up had began the search for Charizard.

Chapter 7: The Search Begins

The search had begun.  They went to the place where Ash had originally left Charizard.  They were surprised not to see him there.
“AAAHHH!  He left!  I should’ve expected this.  He could be anywhere now.” Said Ash moping.
“Now don’t think the worst, “ Said Tracey, “He’ll probably show up.”
“I highly doubt that Tracey.  I left him and he’ll never want to see my face again.  I’m just a big, stupid, moron, who doesn’t care about anyone else but my ownself.  I should just keel over now and die...” Ash began to cry.
Misty felt real bad for Ash, but at the same time realized that Ash didn’t really hate Charizard, but simply just lost his cool.
“Ash don’t cry, I know that Charizard still cares for you deep down just like you do for him.  We’ll find him no matter what, and I will always be by your side to help you.” Said Misty almost beginning to cry herself.
“Misty, I..I..just want to say thank you for helping me through these tough times.”
“Your welcome Ash, and I think that we should get going before sundown.”
“You’re right Misty, let’s go, but where?”
“Let’s..What’s that?”
Misty had noticed something where Charizard was left alone.  He had left claw marks shaped like an arrow.  Also Charizard’s tears had soaked the ground.
“Look Ash, Charizard left an arrow pointing where he went, plus have you noticed the ground?” Said Misty
“Yeah it’s wet, it must’ve rained a lot here recently.”
“Uhh Ash?” Asked Tracey.
“What Tracey?”
“It didn’t rain here last night or yesterday afternoon.  So the ground is wet because Charizard must’ve been crying here for awhile.”
“He...he..cried?  Charizard?  I really screwed up.  If I got Charizard to cry, I really hurt his feelings.”
“No, Ash, Charizard cried because he was upset at the fact that he made you do what you did, and left an arrow pointing in the direction he was going in case you came back to apologize to him.  Ooh that’s good.” Said Tracey with extreme pride in his revelation.....so to speak.
“Makes sense, but is it all true?” Asked Misty
“Only one way to find out, ” Said Ash, “Let’s go back to the last island we were at.”
“Sounds good to me.” Said Tracey.
“Pikachu!” (Alright!)
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was devising a plan to capture Pikachu (So, what else is new with them?)...
“What are you stupid or something?” Screamed Jessie, “I refuse to dig anymore holes in the ground, because we keep falling into them, not the twerps.”
“Fine whatever you say.  Ohh, how about if we...nevermind.  Did that already.”
“Will the two of you come up with something cuz those brats will be here soon.” Said Meowth
“Oh, shut up meowth, who asked you?” Screamed Jessie and James.
“Okay, how about if we....” Started Jessie noticing James staring at her funny.
“James, why on earth are you staring at me like that?”
“Huh?  Oh, I was admiring that tree over there...”
“Tree?  I think that you were staring at me.  Do you...nevermind.” Stopped Jessie almost slipping.
“Hey love boids, “ Said Meowth, “Those twerps are coming, hurry up.”
“Let’s just dig a hole James, we don’t have time to screw around now, hurry.”
“Okay.”
Meanwhile Ash was on his way to the ocean to get on Lapras when all if a sudden....
CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Oww!  Is everyone okay?” Asked Ash.
“I’m fine” Said Tracey
“I’m cut on the leg.” Said Misty
Ash immediately came to her aid.
“Here, let me see it.” Ash had grabbed her leg with absolute care as if he were Misty’s mother.
“Can you stop the bleeding?”
“Sure let me get my first aid kit.”
“First Aid Kit?  Ash, I never knew you had one.”
“Mmm-Hmm, should me or my Pokémon get minor injuries, I have something to care for them temporarily until I get to the nearest Pokémon Center.  Here we go.  Okay Misty, this is going to sting quite a bit, so here is a towel you can bite down on.”
Ash had done it so perfectly, it didn’t burn one bit, or maybe Misty was too busy admiring Ash’s hospitality to even notice pain.  He had bandaged the wound and Misty was as good as new.
“Thank you Ash.” Said Misty.  She gave him a hug and a little peck on the cheek.  He had turned completely red.
“Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.”
“To protect the world from devastation”
“To unite all peoples within our nation”
“To denounce the evils of truth and love”
“To extend our reach to the stars above”
“Jessie”
“James”
“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light”
“Surrender now or prepare to fight”
“Meeeowth that’s right!”
“Won’t you guys ever get a new motto? cuz’ this one sucks.” Said Ash in a cocky voice.
“Sucks?”
“SUCKS!?”
“Who do you think you are twerp?  We will not put up with this.” Said Jessie enraged at his comment.
“Okay let’s battle!” Screamed Ash.
“Okay twerp, but tell me, how are you going to battle while still in that hole?” Said James
“Uhhhh...I guess I can’t.”
“That’s right twerp, now hand over that Pikachu.” Said Jessie.
“NEVER”
Ash had come up with a plan that might be a good way to mess around with Jessie and James’ minds.  He had noticed the way Jessie and James stare at each other just like He and Misty do.
“Hey James?” Said Ash.
“What do you want twerp?”
“Haven’t you noticed the way Jessie has been staring at you lately?”
“No.  Why do you ask?”
“Because I think she has a crush on you.  Besides, I’ve noticed you looking at Jessie before too.”
“Yeah, James, you have been staring at me a lot lately, what’s up with you?”
“ME? How about the way you sit at dinner and stare at me like there’s no tomorrow?”
“What do you mean at dinner?  All you care about is food.  You couldn’t have seen me stare at you. Oops.”
“So, the truth is now out huh.” Said Ash with a smirk on his face.
“Huh?  You twerp, you started all this.  Arbo...” before Jessie could call out Arbok, Something had flamethrowed her.
“AAAAAAHHHHHHH, my hair.  What was that?” Screamed Jessie
“OOHHHHHHHOOOHOOO!  OWWWWWW! That hurts, stop burning my behind.” Screamed James
“Hey Ash,” Asked Misty, “What’s burning them?”
“I don’t know, maybe a wild fire Pokémon I guess.”
“Wait a minute, Ash, remember charmander saved you from Team Rocket before he was your Pokémon?”
“Yeah, so..?”
“So...that fire Pokémon might be Charizard.”
“Maybe.  Hey Tracey, boost me up so I can see what’s going on.*GASP* It is Charizard!”
“See, he does care for you.” Said Misty.
After Charizard had miserably kicked Team Rocket’s butt, Ash, Misty and Tracey got out of the hole, Ash was ready to apologize to Charizard.
“Hi Charizard.  Ummm, look, I’m sure that you’re probably extremely pissed at me for doing what I did, and probably won’t ever obey me again, but deep down, you’re still my friend, and no matter what, I’ll always be there for you.  I’m sorry, will you for...for..give meehehe.” Ash had barely finished the sentence crying.
Charizard had explained that he was at fault for what happened and apologized crying too.  Ash and Charizard had finally looked beyond their differences
and hugged.  From this day forward, Charizard would obey Ash.
Misty was crying as well, “Oh Tracey, Isn’t that sweet.  I knew deep down that Ash didn’t hate Charizard.”
“I knew it.” Said Tracey.
“Knew what exactly?” Asked Misty.
“That you like Ash.”
“What!!  How do you know?”
“It’s way too obvious Misty.  I knew it since I had joined you guys.”
“Do you think that Ash likes me?”
“Well, how should I put this.....That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”
“Ohhh c’mon Tracey, pleeeeeaaassseee!”
“Won’t tell.”
After all the commotion, Tracey had brought up a small minor subject that put Ash and Misty on the spot, well, kind of...
“You know guys, It’s only one week until Christmas.”
“IT....IT...IT IS?” Said Ash and Misty.
“Yep.”
<Oh Man> Thought Ash <I’d better get something for Misty soon.>
<Crap, I’d better get something for Ash soon> Thought Misty.

Chapter 8: Christmas Cheer

Now ever since Tracey brought up Christmas, Ash and Misty have been gong nuts.  They can’t decide what to get each other.  Ash had finally decided to get a necklace with a crystal Staryu on it.  Misty though was still clueless.  She only had one day to get Ash something.  So she decided to leave everyone for the whole day so she can shop for a gift.  She of course came up with the excuse that she needed a haircut and wanted to go shopping for herself.
“I’m going to be gone the whole day, if you two don’t mind?” Asked Misty.
“Sure go ahead we won’t mind.”  Said Tracey.
“Cool, I’ll be back around say 4 P.M. okay?”
“Okay, have fun!”
As Misty took off for the nearest mall, Ash had finally gotten a chance to wrap up her gift.
“Thank god, “ Said Ash, “I thought I’d never get a chance to wrap her gift.”
“Yeah you’re lucky, shes such a snoop you never would’ve gotten it done while she’s around.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
“So Ash, what did ya get her?”
“Well I got her a gold necklace with a crystal Staryu on the end.”
“Wow! That must’ve cost a fortune!”
“Yeah it did.  I paid around 200 dollars for it.”
“WHAT!? You're crazy!”
“Not really.  I just want to show how much I love her, that’s all.”
“I know you do.  You’ve got a good heart and she realizes it.  If you just tell her how you feel, that alone would be the biggest present she could ever get from anyone.”
“I know that, but I just don’t want to tell her out of the blue, I’d like it if she gets the message slowly.”
“Oh, okay, I get it.  Being romantic aren’t we?”
“Yes, I am.  If you don’t mind.”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
“Ash, don’t mind me asking but, When did you realize that you liked Misty?”
“Well, I guess it was when.....hmm....when we first met, you know, when she fished me out of the river, and I looked into those beautiful aqua eyes, I just knew, she was the one.”
“Yeah, but didn’t she nag you for like a year about her bike?”
“Unfortunately, yes.  That’s the only thing that turned me off about her, but whenever I’d look into those eyes, I’d just feel overwhelmed by love.”
“Boy, I never realized how bad you’ve got it for Misty.”
“Really Bad.”
“Here she comes......”
“Hey Guys!” Shouts Misty
“Hey Misty!” Said Ash and Tracey.
“Did you have fun shopping?” Asked Ash.
“Actually I did.  I bought a few cute outfits and a bunch of other stuff.”
Ash had this wild idea to test whether or not she likes him.....
“Cool.  I’m glad you had fun, because I know my pokémon training must be boring you.”
“Boring..?  No, not at all.  What made you think that?”
“I don’t know, just wondering I guess.”
“Oh… okay.”
“So, is everyone excited about Christmas?” Asked Tracey.
“Yeah, can’t wait.”  Said Ash.
“Me Neither.” Said Misty.
They all sat around a campfire, ate dinner, told some stories, and soon went to sleep afterwards.  Christmas was just around the corner......
*YAWNS*”Hey Pikachu, you up?”
“Pika.(Yep.)”
“Sleep good?”
“Pikapi, cha...(Not really, you mumbled in your sleep too much...)
“Oh, sorry Pikachu, I was dreaming of Misty too much I guess.”
“Pika Pika.(Its okay)”
“Hmm, I wonder if Misty is awake now......”
“*YAWNS*”Togepi, you up?” Said Misty.
“Toge toge bbrrrrii.(Wide awake).”
“Sleep good?”
“Toge toge...pi”(Not really, you talk in sleep too much...)
“Oh I was...I’m sorry, what was I saying?”
“Toge toge, togebrrri, togepi!”(All you kept saying was Ash this and Ash that.)
“Well, sorry, but I had this awesome dream of Ash and he said he loved me.  Oh Togepi, if it were only real, I’d be so happy, but I’m afraid that he may reject me though...”
“Toge toge...(I don’t think he will).”
“Really?  Well I hope so.”
Meanwhile with Ash....
“Well Pikachu, let’s get up so we can exchange gifts....oohh I can’t wait.”
Ash got out of his tent and woke up Tracey.  Misty was out of her tent right after Tracey waked up.
“Hi Ash, Tracey, Merry Christmas guys!”
“Merry Christmas Misty!” Said Ash and Tracey in unison.
“Well let’s eat and then we’ll exchange the gifts.  Sound okay to everyone?” Said Tracey.
“Fine with me.” Said Misty.
“No Prob.” Said Ash.
After Tracey cooked up a wonderful breakfast, they began to exchange their gifts.
Tracey’s gifts were opened first......Beginning with Ash then Misty....
“What the, oh my god, it’s an ultra-ball!  Tracey where did you get that kind of money!”
“Don’t worry about it!  Now you won’t have to worry about catching stronger Pokémon.”
“Thanks a lot Tracey.”
“No problem Ash.  Ok Misty you’re next.”
“Alright let’s see what’s......oh my gosh!  Tracey, you got me a....a...limited edition Pokéball set for water Pokémon.  Thank you soooooo much.”
“It’s nothing.  I even had them put the picture of each of your Pokémon’s head on each pokéball.”
“Wow, it’s like really cool.  Thanks Tracey.”
“You’re welcome Misty.”
“Hey I have an idea!” Said Ash. “How about if Tracey opens up both of our gifts and then Misty and I can open up each other’s gifts.  Sound okay?”
“Sure, fine with me Ash!” Said Tracey
Tracey began to open up the gift that Ash bought him.
“Well, let’s see what Ash got.....WOW!  It’s....It’s....a...guide to the advanced Pokémon watcher, a whole set of new sketching tools, and a sketching pad!! 
Thanks a lot Ash, I really needed this stuff.”
“No problem Tracey.”
“Okay now let’s see what Misty got....DUDE!  It’s a potion kit, and a gift certificate redeemable at any Pokémart for $50!  Thanks a bunch Misty.”
“You’re welcome.  Okay Ash open my gift now.”
“Ok.  Hmm, let’s see.....hooollllyyy…!  <Sweatdrops> You....got...me a.....Pokéball?”
“No, not just a Pokéball, open it...”
“Ok.”
Ash pushes the button to open the Pokéball.  When the ball opens out pops an Eevee.
“Oh my god, an Eevee!  Misty, why did you get this?!”
“Because I remember you telling me a long time ago that you like Eevee.  Why?  You don’t.....like it.....do you?”  Said Misty with that look of depression on her face.
“No, no, no, I like the gift, I just mean that you didn’t have to get me that, you shouldn’t have spent so much money.”
“But Ash you’re my best friend, you mean a lot to me.”
“I know Misty.  You mean a lot to me too.”
“Really Ash?  You don’t think I’m just some scrawny brat who’s following you just for the bike?”
“No......No, never.  I could never think of you like that.  You’re not scrawny.  I think you’re actually very beautiful.”
“Really? You think I’m very beautiful?  I can’t be.”
“Oh but you are Misty.  You’re probably the most beautiful person in this universe.”
“Oh Ash stop being silly...”
“Misty I’m not being silly, I’m dead serious.  I really think that you are very beautiful.”
“Thank you very much Ash, you’ve really made my Christmas worthwhile.”
“You’re welcome Misty.”
“Ok I’ll open up the gift Ash got me. <Tears open wrapping paper> Hmm…what’s in he….Oh my gosh…It’s beautiful, and I looove Staryu soo much too.  Ash?  This is too much…where did you possibly get the money for this?”
“Lots and lots of saving money.  At one point I had enough money to give you for your bike…but..I couldn’t bring myself to do it mainly because I thought you’d leave cuz you got your bike.  I didn’t want that to happen.  Misty, you’re such a good friend, and I’d be lost without you.  We’ve been through so much together, and I wouldn’t want any of those memories to be reminisced alone.  I want to be with you…always.”
Misty was extremely touched by Ash’s comments she began to tear up.  Tracey noticed what was about to happen so he stepped aside to let them talk alone.
“Oh Ash I feel the same way too, and I….I…..”
“What Misty?”
“I think I’ve been falling in love with you.  From that day we first met…remember when I fished you out of that river?  At first I thought you were some snotty little trainer…but I thought about it for a while and realized that you were good kid.  I mean yeah you did trash my bike, but you did it for Pikachu. That alone shows how sweet of a person you can be.”
“Misty, this the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me, but I need to tell you something...”
Misty began to worry how he said that…maybe he doesn’t like her after all…she started to get nervous and trembly…
“Y..y..yes…Ash?”
“Well it’s been bugging me for the longest time, and I just want to get this off my chest, I love you.”
“I was afraid of tha…what did you say?” Misty asked confusingly.
“I said I love you, Misty I couldn’t live a day without you.  Whenever I see your face, I get all warm inside.  I’ve been regrettingly hiding this for a while because I was afraid that you didn’t love me, but obviously that’s not true.”
“It isn’t”
They looked into each others eyes and felt the love inside burning, and they slowly leaned in closer, closer, closer and their lips touched.  They both closed their eyes and kissed passionately for what seemed like hours.  When they broke the kiss, they just layed down on the ground, holding each other looking at the sky.  Of course Tracey watched the whole thing and he had to make a sketch of them kissing.

Chapter 9:  True Love Revealed

“James?”
“Yes Jessie..?” Replied James waiting for another order from Jessie.
“I was thinking about what the twerp was saying earlier.”
“You mean when he said our motto sucked?”
“NO!! When he brought up how you’ve been staring at me.”
“Ohh, that…”
“Yeah….and umm…do you like have a thing for me James?  And don’t beat around the bush with the answer, tell me the truth.”
“Well if you must know Jessie…I do like you…but, I’m willing to bet that you don’t like me, so just tell me right now.”
“Well I actually have some feelings for you.”
“See as I was say….what?”
“I do like you James…I always have.”
“What do you mean always have?  How long have you had these feelings for me?”
“Well remember how we went to Pokémon Tech.  Well since those days, I’ve always had a thing for you.  You were sooo cute back then and even more now.”
“I think your beautiful too.  Jessie I…I…love you.”
“James I love you too…”
They both kissed as if the world were to come to an end.  The kissing continued for half an hour.  When the kiss broke, they looked into each others eyes, smiled and held each other closely.  Meowth was watching the whole thing…
“So ya two finally made up eh?” Said Meowth.
“What the?  You were watching us the whole time?” Said Jessie a bit enraged.
“Yep and so did dis camera!”
“Why you little….”
Jessie began chasing meowth round and round again…James of course was too much in of a daze to even notice them fighting.  After Jessie got a hold Meowth and strangled him, they sat around and disscussed a few matters.
“Ya know James…I don’t think we can continue chasing those twerps for Pikachu anymore.  Besides, that scrawny girl and the twerp are totally in love.”
“Do ya tink so?” Asked Meowth.
“Oh yea..it’s really obvious.  Remember before we tried to attack them, while they were in the hole, did you see how delicately the twerp was bandaging up the girl?”
“Yeah…he was so careful not to hurt her.  Ya know, I wonder if those two are together?” Said James.
“Maybe…who knows?” Said Jessie.
“Well guys, I say we tell da boss dat we can’t get Pikachu, we’ve tried and tried some more.  If he’s upset, den let’s quit.  Does dat sound ok?”
“Fine with me?  How about you Jessie?”
“Sounds good.”
“Ok den, let’s call him.”
So Team Rocket has finally decided to give up on their evil ways to leave Ash and Misty alone in peace…speaking of them…what are they up to now?…
“Misty…I just had an idea.”  Said Ash
“Yeah, what would that be?”
“Well I was thinking and I wanna hold off on going to the next gym.”
“What?  But why?  I thought you couldn’t wait for the Orange League?”
“Well it can wait.  Misty, as close as we are right now, by me doing this, I can grow even closer to you, because I love you too much.  You mean more to me than the air I breathe.  I could never live another day without your love.”
Misty was extremely flattered by this and without hesitation went over and kissed Ash.  This kiss wasn’t like the other one though, no, no, this time, it meant a lot more to them, more like the start of their new life together.  So Ash and Misty had finally found something that has brought them happiness.  As for Jessie and James, they ended up falling deeper in love and James popped the big question not long after.

THE END

Thanks for reading my story!  Questions, and/or comments cool.miro@att.net