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Chapter 3

It had only been a few days since Ash first got hit by the "Misty" memory, but the effect was lasting a lot longer than that. Ash was losing focus easier and easier as the days went by, and the only ones who noticed it right away were Brock and Pikachu.

Ash had even gone as far as to put on his old Kanto outfit which by some miracle still fit the growing boy. He had hoped that wearing some memories would make him feel happy, but nothing could've been further from the truth, he merely felt worse. Dawn really didn't notice the costume change, and Brock didn't comment out of kindness and compassion to Ash, but he was really beginning to wonder.

"Well, according to this map, we should hit Solaceon town in just a few days." Brock said. "Yeah, that's great Brock." Ash said sullenly. "I wonder if his attitude has anything to do with what happened a few days back." Brock thought.

"Hey, you know what I just noticed?" Dawn asked.

After noting that Ash was in his own little world again, Brock decided to answer instead. "No, what is it?"

"We haven't been attacked by Team Rocket in a while; it's actually kind of weird to have a few days without someone trying to steal our Pokémon." Dawn said naively. "Well, I don't know about you Dawn, but I'm not exactly complaining about it. What do you think Ash?" Brock said, trying to get Ash to snap out of it.

Ash's POV

"Misty…I can't seem to get you out of my head…ever since I saw your handkerchief again, I've been dreaming that you were here again, on the road, having fun, heck…I even enjoyed the arguments we had. I know we'll always be best friends…but I can't help but wish you were here with me."

"Ash? Ash?" I heard Brock say. "Hmm? Oh, Team Rocket?" I answered, vaguely recalling what had been mentioned before. "Yeah, they haven't attacked in a while, have they guys?" I said with a smile. I looked at my two traveling partners, and by the looks on their faces, it seemed like I had said something stupid. "What?" I asked them.

All of a sudden I felt the ground underneath me start to give, and we all fell in a hole. "Oh no, not again. Now the balloon will show up, and Team Rocket will start their lame motto again. Well, not this time!"

"An evil as old as the galaxy!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!" James continued.

I was SO not in the mood for their garbage.

"I am NOT in a good mood today Team Rocket, so I'll tell you your destiny now!" I yelled.

"How dare you interrupt our motto?" Jessie screamed back.

"Yeah! Dat's really all we got in this dumb racket!" Meowth yelled.

"Get out of here…NOW!" I yelled. I could feel the rage inside of me, I couldn't explain why I was so mad, but I figured it had something to do with my missing Misty so much.

"Well twerp, what's got you so upset?" Jessie asked sarcastically. "Yeah, you're usually all happy-go-lucky." James said in the same tone. "That's it! Pikachu, get them out of here with a Thunderbolt!" I yelled angrily. "Piiiikaaa Chuuuuu!" I smirked as I watched Team Rocket disappear over the horizon. But not before hearing: "We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" *PING*

Normal POV

Brock and Dawn stood in awe at how angry their friend had gotten, they honestly couldn't believe it. "C'mon guys, let's get out of here." Ash said with anger still in his voice. Ash climbed out of the hole with a boost from Brock, and then Ash pulled Brock out of the hole. And in turn, Brock pulled Dawn out. "Umm, Ash, is something bothering you?" Dawn asked nervously. Ash didn't bother to turn around. "Never mind, let's just move on."

"I'm gonna talk to him when we set up camp tonight, I want the old Ash back." Brock thought.

They moved on a little further, until a young trainer came out of nowhere, challenging Ash to a battle. Ash felt a sudden surge of adrenaline at the proposition of a battle, so he accepted. "Hey, maybe this'll get Ash back on track!" Dawn said hopefully. "Yeah…maybe." Brock said. "You guys will need a ref!"

"This'll be a one-on-one match, battle begin!" Brock yelled.

"Alright, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash threw out the Pokéball, and Ash's new water weasel came out, ready for battle.

"Ok, I choose Butterfree!" the boy yelled.

"I'll start first! Buizel, use Water Gun!" Ash ordered, getting the battle started. "Buuii Buiii!" A powerful stream of water went flying straight for the Butterfly Pokémon. "Dodge it Butterfree!" the boy countered. His Butterfree floated out of the way just before the impact was made.

Alright! Now I can finally get focused and enjoy myself a bit!" Ash thought excitedly. "You can do it Ash!" Dawn yelled from the sidelines.

Ash's POV

"You can do it Ash!" I heard a voice cheering me on, but the weird thing was, it sounded like Misty! Was I hearing things? "Misty?" I started to look around anywhere my head would turn, thinking that since I heard her voice, she was hanging around somewhere.

Normal POV

"What's going on Brock? What is Ash looking for?" Dawn asked the older teen. "Misty, huh? So my theory was right!" Brock thought. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" the boy cried. "Freeee!" The Butterfree floated over Buizel, spraying a sleep-inducing powder, and sure enough, Buizel fell asleep. "Huh, what the?" Ash jumped when he realized that Buizel had fallen asleep.

"Now Butterfree, use Dream Eater!" Butterfree's eyes began to glow, and Buizel began to toss and turn as his dream was eaten right in his own mind. The resulting torment caused Buizel to faint. "B-Buizel…are you ok?" Ash asked as he kneeled down next to his friend. "Bui bui." (I'll be fine.) Buizel replied softly. "T-The winner is Butterfree." Brock announced in a shocked tone. "You did great, take a nice rest." Ash said as he returned Buizel to his Pokéball. "Ash…lost?" Dawn stated in disbelief.

Pikachu bounded next to his master with his ears drooped. "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Pikachu said sadly. Ash slowly got up, and went to shake the hand of the victor. "Hey, it was a nice battle!" the boy said. "Yeah…it was great." Ash said, trying to sound optimistic, but he wasn't doing a good job.

"Thanks a lot man! Seeya around!" the boy said happily. Once the boy was out of sight, Ash's fake smile vanished immediately. "C'mon guys, let's set up camp." Brock said, trying to break the tension. "Sure Brock." Ash said dejectedly.

After setting up camp, Brock sent Ash to get some firewood for dinner. "Now's my chance." Brock thought. "Hey Dawn, I'm gonna go look for some berries ok?" Brock said to his friend. "Sure Brock, we'll be fine." Dawn replied.

And with that, Brock took off in Ash's direction.

Ash's POV

"Geez, what is wrong with me?" I yelled at myself. "I'm hearing Misty, I'm seeing Misty, I'm dreaming about Misty! I wonder if a Hypno got a hold of me while I was asleep and put some sort of curse on me."

"Pikapi, Pikachupi pi pi pika chu." (Ash, Misty is not a curse.) Pikachu told me as he sat on my shoulder. "(Sigh) I know buddy, but I can't explain it! Why is it that all of a sudden I just want Misty around again?" I yelled.

"Pika pika Pikachu pi pi!" (Because you like her for gosh sake!) I flinched when Pikachu told me that. "Me? Like Misty? Hah! Give me a break. I mean sure, she's my best friend, but that's all she's ever been…right?" It was then that I started to question what my true feelings towards Misty were. Sure she was my friend, but was I starting to like her as something more than that? And if that was the case, was that why her absence was hurting more than it ever had before?

"Hey Ash!"

I turned around and saw Brock running towards me, and he looked pretty tired. "Is something wrong Brock?" I asked him. "Yeah something is wrong, you." He said plainly. "(Gulp) He noticed? I can't let him know!"

"There's nothing wrong with me Brock." I lied. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't buy it. "Ash, you lost to a beginner trainer with a Butterfree." Brock said calmly. "So, everyone has a bad day every now and then." I lied again. "Not only does that not sound like you Ash, I know it's not you." Brock predicted.

"He's not buying it." I finally thought.

"Pi Pikachu Pikapi." (Give it up Ash.) Pikachu said.

I figured the jig was up. Brock wasn't falling for my act.

"Sit down Ash." Brock said. I complied, and put down what little firewood I did manage to find. "During the battle with that kid, do you know why you lost?" Brock asked me. "Because I lost focus, that's why! But…let's see what Brock's idea is."

"Why Brock?" I asked him. "You were looking for Misty. Did you hear her or something?" Brock asked me with one of his eyebrows raised. "Oh crud. He definitely knows. Well, I might as well stop hiding it, maybe I'll get lucky and he can help me."

"Well Ash?" Brock asked again. "(Sigh) You got me Brock. I could've sworn I heard Misty's voice, when I did, I lost track of what I was doing." I explained.

"It wasn't just today Ash, how long has this been bugging you?" Brock asked calmly. I admired Brock's ability to be patient with me with this. It made things a little easier, but not much.

Brock's POV

"This being patient thing is driving me crazy! I know why Ash is freaking out, but he needs to figure it out on his own… (groan) stay cool Brock."

Ash's POV

"It started a few days ago Brock." I looked up, and Brock made a face that said to continue. "After the battle with Dawn, I went over to get my hat and put it back on…but something fell out of my hat."

I took off my hat, and pulled out Misty's handkerchief. I looked at Brock, and his face now showed that he was in awe. "Misty gave this to me before she left, and I've always kept it with me. But for some reason…whenever I see it these days, it hurts me…like on the inside."

Brock's POV

"D'oh! Ash you are the densest person I know! She gave it to you because she likes you! And you like her too! Why can't you figure that out?" I thought to myself. "I guess I'll have to make it obvious for him."

"Ash, I'm gonna ask you this, and I want you to be dead honest with me." I said in the most serious tone I could manage. Ash nodded in understandment. "What are your feelings towards Misty?" I asked him plainly.

Ash's face scrunched up right before my eyes; I could tell that those rusty gears in his head were turning as he pondered my question. "(Sigh) Brock, I'm honestly not sure…I mean, she's my best friend and all, but I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that's saying I want more." Ash finally said.

"Hmm…is he finally getting it?" I thought. "At first, I thought I was just hungry…" Ash said.

"D'oh…only you would think that Ash."

"But even after I ate something, I still felt this burning sensation whenever I thought about her…and it's been amplified ever since this thing made reappearance." Ash said, referring to the handkerchief.

"Time to point out the obvious, it's now or never." I thought.

"Ash, what would you say if I could tell you exactly why you felt that?" I asked him.

"I would be pretty grateful, that's what." Ash replied. "Ok, brace yourself…" I told him. Ash's entire body tensed up when I told him that. As if he knew I was going to say something he didn't necessarily want to hear.

"You…love…Misty." I said plainly. As soon as I said the word "love", Ash's eyes started to bug out. "And cue the denial." I thought. My thought would prove correct.

"How can you be so sure Brock?" he yelled in both frustration and shock. "Because that's the way I feel every time I see Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy!" I started to daydream without even realizing it. "My heart feels like it's on fire and my stomach feels like it's full of Butterfree! And all I want is to fulfill those feelings inside of me by-" I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my side.

Normal POV

"Croagunk!" (Cool it!) Brock's Croagunk croaked. "This…feeling…isn't part…of the…equation." Brock strained, feeling the effects of Croagunk's Poison Jab. Ash and Pikachu sweat-dropped at their constantly love-struck friend. Brock recovered quickly, and got back to the conversation at hand.

"Ash, I'm serious though. That feeling you have really is love. I was really hoping you'd figure it out years ago, when Misty was still around." Brock said sullenly. "Well Brock, it's too late now I guess. There's no way for me to tell her, and she wouldn't feel the same anyway." Ash said dejectedly.

"I wish I could tell you this man, but if I told you that Misty loves you, she'd flatten me with her mallet." Brock thought. "Ash, you don't know for sure if she doesn't feel the same way." Brock encouraged. "But Brock, if I tell her and she doesn't feel the same, our friendship will be ruined!" Ash said sadly. "Now this, I can help with." Brock thought.

"Wrong, Ash! You two will be able to stay friends no matter what, you've been through thick and thin together, and that won't be thrown away by a risk that must be taken." Brock said seriously. "Are you sure Brock? I mean...if I change the way things are now, it might get worse, I mean...Misty does have a tendency to get angry. Ash said. "I'll admit that's true, but I know for a fact that Misty is the kind of friend that you can trust with anything." Brock reassured. Ash smiled and replied. "You know Brock, I think you're right." he said.

"Don't act so surprised, I have experience with girls and stuff like that." Brock said confidently. "Yeah, a total of three." Ash said jokingly. "What's that supposed to mean?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When you see a girl, Croagunk jabs you. Before that, May's little brother, Max, would pull you away by the ear. And of course, good 'ol Misty, she'd either yank you away, or smash you with her mallet!" Ash laughed, counting Brock's past failures with girls on his fingers.

Brock face-faulted once Ash finished, knowing he had just been bested by the usually dense Pokémon trainer. With a quick recovery, Brock stood up. "Well, we better get back to camp. Dawn's probably getting worried by now." Brock said, turning around to walk away.

"Hey Brock?" Ash said, as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder. "Yeah Ash?" Brock replied. "Thanks for talking to me…but…can I ask a favor?" Ash asked, obviously worried about something. "Yeah, sure, what is it?" Brock asked.

"Don't tell Dawn what we talked about please!" Ash said with panic in his voice, "She'd never let me live it down if she knew about this. She'd probably try to see if Misty liked me back and ruin everything!"

"Pikapi, pi pi pika chu." (Ash, I really think she does though.) Pikachu said, trying to encourage his master. "I wish I could find out Pikachu, but she's at the gym now." Ash said dejectedly. The duo headed back to the campsite in uneasy silence.
----------------------------------------------------

Once again, I give a huge thank you to for making this awesome pic as well! And I'd also like to thank her for giving me the idea of having Ash temporarily wear his Kanto clothes again, that was not in the original storyline. Thanks Midia for the idea! Read and review everyone!

Chap 2: [link]

Chap 4: [link]

Description
Chapter 3

It had only been a few days since Ash first got hit by the "Misty" memory, but the effect was lasting a lot longer than that. Ash was losing focus easier and easier as the days went by, and the only ones who noticed it right away were Brock and Pikachu.

Ash had even gone as far as to put on his old Kanto outfit which by some miracle still fit the growing boy. He had hoped that wearing some memories would make him feel happy, but nothing could've been further from the truth, he merely felt worse. Dawn really didn't notice the costume change, and Brock didn't comment out of kindness and compassion to Ash, but he was really beginning to wonder.

"Well, according to this map, we should hit Solaceon town in just a few days." Brock said. "Yeah, that's great Brock." Ash said sullenly. "I wonder if his attitude has anything to do with what happened a few days back." Brock thought.

"Hey, you know what I just noticed?" Dawn asked.

After noting that Ash was in his own little world again, Brock decided to answer instead. "No, what is it?"

"We haven't been attacked by Team Rocket in a while; it's actually kind of weird to have a few days without someone trying to steal our Pokémon." Dawn said naively. "Well, I don't know about you Dawn, but I'm not exactly complaining about it. What do you think Ash?" Brock said, trying to get Ash to snap out of it.

Ash's POV

"Misty…I can't seem to get you out of my head…ever since I saw your handkerchief again, I've been dreaming that you were here again, on the road, having fun, heck…I even enjoyed the arguments we had. I know we'll always be best friends…but I can't help but wish you were here with me."

"Ash? Ash?" I heard Brock say. "Hmm? Oh, Team Rocket?" I answered, vaguely recalling what had been mentioned before. "Yeah, they haven't attacked in a while, have they guys?" I said with a smile. I looked at my two traveling partners, and by the looks on their faces, it seemed like I had said something stupid. "What?" I asked them.

All of a sudden I felt the ground underneath me start to give, and we all fell in a hole. "Oh no, not again. Now the balloon will show up, and Team Rocket will start their lame motto again. Well, not this time!"

"An evil as old as the galaxy!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!" James continued.

I was SO not in the mood for their garbage.

"I am NOT in a good mood today Team Rocket, so I'll tell you your destiny now!" I yelled.

"How dare you interrupt our motto?" Jessie screamed back.

"Yeah! Dat's really all we got in this dumb racket!" Meowth yelled.

"Get out of here…NOW!" I yelled. I could feel the rage inside of me, I couldn't explain why I was so mad, but I figured it had something to do with my missing Misty so much.

"Well twerp, what's got you so upset?" Jessie asked sarcastically. "Yeah, you're usually all happy-go-lucky." James said in the same tone. "That's it! Pikachu, get them out of here with a Thunderbolt!" I yelled angrily. "Piiiikaaa Chuuuuu!" I smirked as I watched Team Rocket disappear over the horizon. But not before hearing: "We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" *PING*

Normal POV

Brock and Dawn stood in awe at how angry their friend had gotten, they honestly couldn't believe it. "C'mon guys, let's get out of here." Ash said with anger still in his voice. Ash climbed out of the hole with a boost from Brock, and then Ash pulled Brock out of the hole. And in turn, Brock pulled Dawn out. "Umm, Ash, is something bothering you?" Dawn asked nervously. Ash didn't bother to turn around. "Never mind, let's just move on."

"I'm gonna talk to him when we set up camp tonight, I want the old Ash back." Brock thought.

They moved on a little further, until a young trainer came out of nowhere, challenging Ash to a battle. Ash felt a sudden surge of adrenaline at the proposition of a battle, so he accepted. "Hey, maybe this'll get Ash back on track!" Dawn said hopefully. "Yeah…maybe." Brock said. "You guys will need a ref!"

"This'll be a one-on-one match, battle begin!" Brock yelled.

"Alright, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash threw out the Pokéball, and Ash's new water weasel came out, ready for battle.

"Ok, I choose Butterfree!" the boy yelled.

"I'll start first! Buizel, use Water Gun!" Ash ordered, getting the battle started. "Buuii Buiii!" A powerful stream of water went flying straight for the Butterfly Pokémon. "Dodge it Butterfree!" the boy countered. His Butterfree floated out of the way just before the impact was made.

Alright! Now I can finally get focused and enjoy myself a bit!" Ash thought excitedly. "You can do it Ash!" Dawn yelled from the sidelines.

Ash's POV

"You can do it Ash!" I heard a voice cheering me on, but the weird thing was, it sounded like Misty! Was I hearing things? "Misty?" I started to look around anywhere my head would turn, thinking that since I heard her voice, she was hanging around somewhere.

Normal POV

"What's going on Brock? What is Ash looking for?" Dawn asked the older teen. "Misty, huh? So my theory was right!" Brock thought. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" the boy cried. "Freeee!" The Butterfree floated over Buizel, spraying a sleep-inducing powder, and sure enough, Buizel fell asleep. "Huh, what the?" Ash jumped when he realized that Buizel had fallen asleep.

"Now Butterfree, use Dream Eater!" Butterfree's eyes began to glow, and Buizel began to toss and turn as his dream was eaten right in his own mind. The resulting torment caused Buizel to faint. "B-Buizel…are you ok?" Ash asked as he kneeled down next to his friend. "Bui bui." (I'll be fine.) Buizel replied softly. "T-The winner is Butterfree." Brock announced in a shocked tone. "You did great, take a nice rest." Ash said as he returned Buizel to his Pokéball. "Ash…lost?" Dawn stated in disbelief.

Pikachu bounded next to his master with his ears drooped. "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Pikachu said sadly. Ash slowly got up, and went to shake the hand of the victor. "Hey, it was a nice battle!" the boy said. "Yeah…it was great." Ash said, trying to sound optimistic, but he wasn't doing a good job.

"Thanks a lot man! Seeya around!" the boy said happily. Once the boy was out of sight, Ash's fake smile vanished immediately. "C'mon guys, let's set up camp." Brock said, trying to break the tension. "Sure Brock." Ash said dejectedly.

After setting up camp, Brock sent Ash to get some firewood for dinner. "Now's my chance." Brock thought. "Hey Dawn, I'm gonna go look for some berries ok?" Brock said to his friend. "Sure Brock, we'll be fine." Dawn replied.

And with that, Brock took off in Ash's direction.

Ash's POV

"Geez, what is wrong with me?" I yelled at myself. "I'm hearing Misty, I'm seeing Misty, I'm dreaming about Misty! I wonder if a Hypno got a hold of me while I was asleep and put some sort of curse on me."

"Pikapi, Pikachupi pi pi pika chu." (Ash, Misty is not a curse.) Pikachu told me as he sat on my shoulder. "(Sigh) I know buddy, but I can't explain it! Why is it that all of a sudden I just want Misty around again?" I yelled.

"Pika pika Pikachu pi pi!" (Because you like her for gosh sake!) I flinched when Pikachu told me that. "Me? Like Misty? Hah! Give me a break. I mean sure, she's my best friend, but that's all she's ever been…right?" It was then that I started to question what my true feelings towards Misty were. Sure she was my friend, but was I starting to like her as something more than that? And if that was the case, was that why her absence was hurting more than it ever had before?

"Hey Ash!"

I turned around and saw Brock running towards me, and he looked pretty tired. "Is something wrong Brock?" I asked him. "Yeah something is wrong, you." He said plainly. "(Gulp) He noticed? I can't let him know!"

"There's nothing wrong with me Brock." I lied. I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't buy it. "Ash, you lost to a beginner trainer with a Butterfree." Brock said calmly. "So, everyone has a bad day every now and then." I lied again. "Not only does that not sound like you Ash, I know it's not you." Brock predicted.

"He's not buying it." I finally thought.

"Pi Pikachu Pikapi." (Give it up Ash.) Pikachu said.

I figured the jig was up. Brock wasn't falling for my act.

"Sit down Ash." Brock said. I complied, and put down what little firewood I did manage to find. "During the battle with that kid, do you know why you lost?" Brock asked me. "Because I lost focus, that's why! But…let's see what Brock's idea is."

"Why Brock?" I asked him. "You were looking for Misty. Did you hear her or something?" Brock asked me with one of his eyebrows raised. "Oh crud. He definitely knows. Well, I might as well stop hiding it, maybe I'll get lucky and he can help me."

"Well Ash?" Brock asked again. "(Sigh) You got me Brock. I could've sworn I heard Misty's voice, when I did, I lost track of what I was doing." I explained.

"It wasn't just today Ash, how long has this been bugging you?" Brock asked calmly. I admired Brock's ability to be patient with me with this. It made things a little easier, but not much.

Brock's POV

"This being patient thing is driving me crazy! I know why Ash is freaking out, but he needs to figure it out on his own… (groan) stay cool Brock."

Ash's POV

"It started a few days ago Brock." I looked up, and Brock made a face that said to continue. "After the battle with Dawn, I went over to get my hat and put it back on…but something fell out of my hat."

I took off my hat, and pulled out Misty's handkerchief. I looked at Brock, and his face now showed that he was in awe. "Misty gave this to me before she left, and I've always kept it with me. But for some reason…whenever I see it these days, it hurts me…like on the inside."

Brock's POV

"D'oh! Ash you are the densest person I know! She gave it to you because she likes you! And you like her too! Why can't you figure that out?" I thought to myself. "I guess I'll have to make it obvious for him."

"Ash, I'm gonna ask you this, and I want you to be dead honest with me." I said in the most serious tone I could manage. Ash nodded in understandment. "What are your feelings towards Misty?" I asked him plainly.

Ash's face scrunched up right before my eyes; I could tell that those rusty gears in his head were turning as he pondered my question. "(Sigh) Brock, I'm honestly not sure…I mean, she's my best friend and all, but I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that's saying I want more." Ash finally said.

"Hmm…is he finally getting it?" I thought. "At first, I thought I was just hungry…" Ash said.

"D'oh…only you would think that Ash."

"But even after I ate something, I still felt this burning sensation whenever I thought about her…and it's been amplified ever since this thing made reappearance." Ash said, referring to the handkerchief.

"Time to point out the obvious, it's now or never." I thought.

"Ash, what would you say if I could tell you exactly why you felt that?" I asked him.

"I would be pretty grateful, that's what." Ash replied. "Ok, brace yourself…" I told him. Ash's entire body tensed up when I told him that. As if he knew I was going to say something he didn't necessarily want to hear.

"You…love…Misty." I said plainly. As soon as I said the word "love", Ash's eyes started to bug out. "And cue the denial." I thought. My thought would prove correct.

"How can you be so sure Brock?" he yelled in both frustration and shock. "Because that's the way I feel every time I see Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy!" I started to daydream without even realizing it. "My heart feels like it's on fire and my stomach feels like it's full of Butterfree! And all I want is to fulfill those feelings inside of me by-" I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my side.

Normal POV

"Croagunk!" (Cool it!) Brock's Croagunk croaked. "This…feeling…isn't part…of the…equation." Brock strained, feeling the effects of Croagunk's Poison Jab. Ash and Pikachu sweat-dropped at their constantly love-struck friend. Brock recovered quickly, and got back to the conversation at hand.

"Ash, I'm serious though. That feeling you have really is love. I was really hoping you'd figure it out years ago, when Misty was still around." Brock said sullenly. "Well Brock, it's too late now I guess. There's no way for me to tell her, and she wouldn't feel the same anyway." Ash said dejectedly.

"I wish I could tell you this man, but if I told you that Misty loves you, she'd flatten me with her mallet." Brock thought. "Ash, you don't know for sure if she doesn't feel the same way." Brock encouraged. "But Brock, if I tell her and she doesn't feel the same, our friendship will be ruined!" Ash said sadly. "Now this, I can help with." Brock thought.

"Wrong, Ash! You two will be able to stay friends no matter what, you've been through thick and thin together, and that won't be thrown away by a risk that must be taken." Brock said seriously. "Are you sure Brock? I mean...if I change the way things are now, it might get worse, I mean...Misty does have a tendency to get angry. Ash said. "I'll admit that's true, but I know for a fact that Misty is the kind of friend that you can trust with anything." Brock reassured. Ash smiled and replied. "You know Brock, I think you're right." he said.

"Don't act so surprised, I have experience with girls and stuff like that." Brock said confidently. "Yeah, a total of three." Ash said jokingly. "What's that supposed to mean?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When you see a girl, Croagunk jabs you. Before that, May's little brother, Max, would pull you away by the ear. And of course, good 'ol Misty, she'd either yank you away, or smash you with her mallet!" Ash laughed, counting Brock's past failures with girls on his fingers.

Brock face-faulted once Ash finished, knowing he had just been bested by the usually dense Pokémon trainer. With a quick recovery, Brock stood up. "Well, we better get back to camp. Dawn's probably getting worried by now." Brock said, turning around to walk away.

"Hey Brock?" Ash said, as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder. "Yeah Ash?" Brock replied. "Thanks for talking to me…but…can I ask a favor?" Ash asked, obviously worried about something. "Yeah, sure, what is it?" Brock asked.

"Don't tell Dawn what we talked about please!" Ash said with panic in his voice, "She'd never let me live it down if she knew about this. She'd probably try to see if Misty liked me back and ruin everything!"

"Pikapi, pi pi pika chu." (Ash, I really think she does though.) Pikachu said, trying to encourage his master. "I wish I could find out Pikachu, but she's at the gym now." Ash said dejectedly. The duo headed back to the campsite in uneasy silence.
----------------------------------------------------

Once again, I give a huge thank you to for making this awesome pic as well! And I'd also like to thank her for giving me the idea of having Ash temporarily wear his Kanto clothes again, that was not in the original storyline. Thanks Midia for the idea! Read and review everyone!

Chap 2: [link]

Chap 4: [link]