Anything That Can Go Wrong

SUMMARY: Of Murphy's Law and adolescent boys in love. It figures that the one time Ash is ready to confess his feelings to Misty, everything goes wrong. Would life be easier if Ash never told her the truth?

GENRE: Romance/Humor
RATED: PG / K+
NOTABLE CONTENT: Mild Language and Mild Suggestive Humor
PAIRING(S): Pokeshipping (Ash/Misty)

COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Pokemon / Pocket Monsters, or Murphy's Law.
STORY TAKES PLACE IN: Futuristic AU to Season 09 – Battle Frontier, so characters are slightly older.

POV NOTE: This story is entirely in Ash's first-person narrative/point of view

COMMENTS: For the record, this story isn't anything mind-blowing, nor is it meant to be taken overly seriously. It's intended to be cute, silly, and exaggeratory to coincide with the theme of Murphy's Law. Besides, Ash is the narrator, and his imagination tends to blow things out of proportion, anyway. ^_^ This fic was written to amuse Pokeshippers, nothing more. Oh, and in the event you're unfamiliar with Murphy's Law, don't worry, it's explained in the actual story.

And yes, this story is similar to my older Ash POV comedy, "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up." The aforementioned fanfic inspired this two-shot, so there are some similarities, but this story is 100% separate from IHP. If you want to consider this fanfic a supplementary side-story/spin-off of IHP, go right ahead, but I'm not.

I hope you enjoy this two-shot!

Anything That Can Go Wrong

Aiselne Phoenix

Part 1

Today's the day!

It was not a spur-of-the-moment event. I had actually been planning our little reunion for quite some time. Of course, long before I started planning the shindig, I had to finally stop arguing with myself and admit the obvious. That took about, oh say, two years before I actually figured it out and stopped kidding myself.

I don't know. Maybe it was because of the "raging teenage hormones" Brock told me about, which kinda' kicked in come age thirteen. Maybe it was because of separation anxiety. Or, maybe it was because of multiple things I wasn't even aware of. Whatever the case, somehow, on some day, I finally admitted my feelings for the girl I liked.

That is, I finally admitted my feelings for a girl…to myself, of course. Actually admitting those feelings to Misty was another story. That was my biggest problem, too.

It's hard enough to admit to yourself that you like someone. It's even harder to admit your feelings to the person you like! Hell, I hadn't even told anyone else about my "secret feelings." Mom, May, Max, Brock, Tracey, and even Pikachu...nobody knew how I felt about Misty. Yeah, I tried talking to them sooner, but I never succeeded. I always choked and ended up changing the subject to some stupid thing.

It wasn't that I was afraid of other people's reactions. I knew my friends and family would be very happy for me. Pikachu would've been thrilled, and I knew the rest of my Pokemon would cheer me on. Mom would've definitely squealed something about her little boy growing up, because that's just like her. Thinking back to the Orange Islands, I think Tracey always suspected "something" between Misty and me, so no doubt, he'd be pleased to know one of us confessed our feelings. And we all know Brock and May eat up romance like candy. Max, well, he'd tease me (to no end), but I know he'd be happy for me, too. Really, the only person's reaction I worried about was Misty's.

So, yeah, I was nervous. I never felt so strongly about someone before. Honestly, I never dreamed love could happen so soon. Well, maybe "love" was pushing the envelope, but I sure knew I "liked" Misty. Still, I figured I would've started worrying about boyfriend-girlfriend stuff when I reached my thirties...not thirteen!

Not that I regretted having those feelings, though. I always used to think that when a guy fell for a girl, he'd act really weird (like Brock). And I swear, I do NOT wanna' act like girl-crazy Brock! For one thing, his behavior gets embarrassing (and a little disturbing). The way Brock acts around women, I used to believe a guy underwent some hypnotic trance when he neared a girl. Plus, some of those girls slapped Brock. Misty has slapped me many times (sometimes for reasons I never understood), and I wasn't about to encourage her to hit me. Slaps are just unpleasant, and they hurt too. Damn, Misty hits hard! Her slaps are more like punches! And although I felt awkward near Misty, liking her and being around her were nowhere near as unpleasant as I figured.

Actually, being around Misty is kinda'…nice.

But anyway...urgh...I (and everyone else) never though I had any romantic side. Really, I don't consider myself romantic, and I'm sure my friends agree. Misty is the self-proclaimed romantic, but that was exactly why I tried my hand at the romance stuff. A romantic girl would be more apt to fall for a romantic boy, right? If it was for Misty, I decided romance was worth a shot. I wasn't sure how well I'd fare, though, since I never actually tried to be romantic before. Plus, our reunion wasn't even meant to be overly romantic in the first place! The plan was for my friends and I to spend some time with Misty at the Cerulean Gym via a casual reunion. Cerulean City was on the way to the next Battle Frontier facility, anyway, so our reunion wasn't even a "date." Actually, I felt more comfortable knowing our reunion wouldn't be a ripped-off romance scenario. Fine with me! That means no cliché dinner, or chocolate, or flowers, or hugs, or kiss–...EEW...I'm not ready for THAT yet! I knew just admitting my feelings to Misty would be the extent of my "romantic side" for quite a while.

Technically, the "love confession" was challenging enough! I never did it before; tell a girl I liked her. I was too chicken to seek advice from my friends, and on top of that...

...Well, let's just say Max once told me about that thing called Murphy's Law:

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, at the worst possible time."

The Cerulean Gym is full of opportunities. May used the opportunity to watch water ballet practices, inspiring the coordinator's future contest performances with Squirtle. Max used the opportunity to study Water Pokemon, and aspiring to lead a gym of his own someday, the boy found the Cerulean Gym fascinating. Lastly, Brock used the opportunity to drool over Daisy, Lily, and Violet...wearing swimsuits, of course. Then again, all four Sensational Sisters dressed in bathing suits that day. After all, it was a bright summer afternoon in Cerulean City, with temperatures surpassing ninety degrees. Everybody was in swimwear, the most "overdressed" being Max and me in T-shirts and swim trunks. Shirtless Brock attempted to show off, though don't ask me what the hell he was trying to flaunt. Whatever it was, it never caught anybody's attention.

As for me, I planned to use my golden opportunity to tell Misty I liked her.

The day's agenda: Daisy, Violet, Lily, and Misty worked in the Cerulean Gym's pool, practicing their latest water show. Normally, Misty concerned herself with battles, but the older girls managed to rope their baby sister into another underwater ballet. It was only natural that the four girls wore swimsuits, but God, I could not remember feeling so warm when I last saw Misty in a swimsuit (her red bikini, actually). By then, Misty lost the scrawny look, too, and God, my brain went on overdrive. Or, at least, I hoped it was my "brain" going on overdrive.

Oh God…In Misty's presence, I sweated, I panted…to call myself a nervous wreak was a huge understatement. Oh PLEASE tell me the air-conditioning is broken! PLEASE!! Very hot – the temperature I mean! The temperature is hot, not Misty. Well, yeah, Misty's hot too…um…wait….dammit, I'd better just shut up. Why I bothered complaining to Misty about the heat, I'll never know.

"Are you kidding me, Ash?!" the redhead exclaimed incredulously, climbing the ladder out of the pool to wrap her drippy body in a Goldeen-patterned towel (phew, thank God). Ironically, even though I sweated bullets, Misty kept rubbing her arms, shivering like crazy. "H-how can you possibly be warm?! I'm f-freezing!" she chattered, turning around to glare at her sisters still swimming elegantly in the pool. "How many times do I have to tell you three?! The AC is up way too high! You want me to get sick or something?! If I catch pneumonia, you can kiss goodbye my participation in your stupid ballet!" Obviously, Misty never dropped her temper over the years.

After halting their swimming, the older sisters exchanged looks and just shrugged. "The temperature doesn't, like, bother us," Daisy said honestly, with Lily and Violet nodding in agreement. Misty just growled viciously, while her sisters returned to their water routine, totally disregarding their bratty sister's complaint.

"Argh!" Misty groaned, giving up and turning back to my direction. Huffing, she purposely grabbed Daisy's towel to dry her wet hair (probably hoping to deprive Daisy of a dry towel whenever the older sisters finally left their pool). Her face partially covered by the Seaking-patterned towel, Misty mumbled, "This household is a democracy where I always get overruled! Be happy you're an only child, Ash."

Then the Seaking towel came off her head, got flung onto a bench, and left Misty's hair partially disheveled. Most of her hair slicked downward, looking longer than usual. Daisy and Violet were always the sisters with the longest hair, but by then, Misty's hair grew an inch longer than Lily's. In the back of her head, wet red locks passed Misty's shoulders, while in the front, Misty's hair framed her face. Honestly, Misty looks really…nice…with her hair down. But seeing her hair down, locks shiny and wet, sticking to her skin, Misty looked…um…what's that word Brock uses? Um…oh God, Misty would kill me if she knew I thought she looked…sexy!

"Uh, Ash? You okay?"

I blinked, perking at Misty's voice. Yeah, I heard what she had been saying, but for some reason, my mind seemed to be elsewhere…

"Ash, you don't look so good." As if the scene was not awkward enough, the moment Misty suddenly placed a hand on my forehead, the awkwardness doubled! "Jeez, you're all red and sweaty. You know, I was only kidding about the pneumonia thing. I hope you're not coming down with anything."

"I...uh..." I stuttered, feeling my body tremble as if I was freezing, even though I was sweating buckets. "...I'm...it's just...really warm in here."

Of course, Misty gave me the weirdest look and raised an eyebrow at my stupid remark. Once her hand left my head, I (discreetly) sighed in relief, while Misty suspiciously cocked her head. "Well, I'm freezing my butt off in here, so either something's wrong with me, or something's wrong with you." Then she shook her head like she always did whenever I said something stupid, something she did not feel like reading into at the moment. Frankly, I didn't want to read into it, either.

"Whatever. Do you wanna' go outside?" then she asked, sounding like music to my ears. "Neither one of us seems comfortable in here, anyway." True, but I doubted the awkwardness would dissipate, indoors or out. Still, I crossed my fingers and hoped the fresh air would help me say the words tangled in my mouth. It was worth a shot.

Being the famous Sensational Sisters, Misty's family has quite a bit of money, and they've got the acreage to prove it. Coming from a quaint little house in Pallet Town, I was surprised to see the huge backyard of the Cerulean Gym. Heck, there was even a gentle river back there! Vaguely, I remember Misty brag how the river connects to the bay of the Cerulean Cape, leading out to sea. Sometimes traveling oceanic Pokemon passed through the river, either to rest or make their way to the cape. I even noticed a few Goldeen and Poliwag swim by. No surprise that Misty lives near an ocean-connected river, huh? She said it was her frequent fishing spot before setting out on her trainer's journey. I can't say for certain if Misty said the river was private or public, but it was still a nice view.

Whatever the case, the setting was tranquil, kinda' romantic, but even that failed to immediately ease my nerves. The yard was just as humid as the rest of the city. On the cooler grass, I couldn't sit still having Misty sit next to me, her still wearing nothing but a towel and bikini…crap, Brock was right: hormones! Still, getting some fresh air did calm my nerves a little bit, namely because Misty and I were finally alone.

"So, how's the Battle Frontier been?" I blinked at Misty's first question. Pokemon training was the last thing I was thinking about at the moment, but...urgh, I do not want to be like Brock!

"Oh, uh...good," I answered flatly with a nervous smile.

"How many symbols have you earned?" Misty continued, cocking her head and clearly taking more interest in the subject than I ever did. Usually, my friends could never shut me up once I started rambling about my latest victories. Not on that day, though.

"Uh..." I droned, scratching the back of my neck as I tried to answer her question. All of a sudden, I couldn't remember how many Battle Frontier symbols I won during my trek through Kanto. I was never good with numbers, but when it came to badges, symbols, and so forth, I usually had photographic memory. Not on that day, though. How many symbols did I earn, again? I beat another Frontier Brain not too long ago, but... Why is it that hormones make a teenager easily forget the simplest of things? "Uh...six, I think." Or was it five? "Maybe five…"

"'Maybe five'?!" Misty's eyes wore doubt, her face wore confusion, and her body wore a towel and red bikini…dammit, I've gotta' stop thinking about that! Thankfully, it was definitely not the first time Misty saw me behave like an idiot, so she was used to it. Rolling her eyes, the redhead groaned sarcastically, "Wooow, Ash, your certainty is overwhelming! What, are you embarrassed about only having five symbols…or was it six? Argh, come' on, tell me the truth!"

Then she inched closer to me, causing me to sweatdrop for more than one reason. Misty always had a habit of getting up-close-and-personal with people she interrogated. She probably intended to make me nervous, but I doubt I got nervous for reasons Misty intended. Her face was in my face. My heart was pounding. Her nose nearly touched mine. Heartbeats went a little faster. Her lips were inches away from mine. Heartbeats rang in my ears. Her breath warmed my red cheeks. Difficult to breathe! Very warm. Her body next to mine. Very, VERY warm! Misty's bikini – stop thinking about it! Bikini. STOP!! BIKINI!!

"So tell me, Ash…" Somehow, I noticed Misty's soft pink lips ask, "Which is it: five or six?!"

And somehow, I stupidly blurted out, "Sex – I-I-I mean six!! Six symbols! SIX!!" Nooooooooo!! I don't wanna' be Brock. Never! NEVER!!

I never knew if Misty caught my slip of the tongue, but she definitely noticed me behaving weirder than usual. She blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow, and then scooted a few inches away from me. Phew! Breathing room. I think she took my unexplained hyperventilating as her cue to change the subject immediately.

"Okaaay…" she trailed uncertainly, though my only saving grace was that, again, Misty was used to me behaving like an ass. Shaking her head, and looking a little awkward as well, Misty proceeded with caution. "Whatever.

"Though, I've gotta' say this is new: Ash Ketchum loosing track of his precious winning streaks. Pokemon, badges, symbols…anything like that usually warrants a damn newsflash!" Briefly, she threw her hands up into the air for emphasis. "Sheesh, whenever I was traveling with you and Brock, you'd always announce the score every morning at breakfast! 'Hooray! I won x-number badges! Beat that, Gary! Blah blah blah!' Since when do you forget about stuff like that, Ash?"

Since I found out I've got feelings for you, I thought, calming myself down and discreetly biting my lip. Since I found out there are more important things than x-number badges and symbols. Sure, I still wanted to become Pokemon Master, and my sights were set on winning the Battle Frontier. Although I changed over the years, but my ultimate dream in life never wavered. My training just took a backseat for one afternoon.

"What's with you today?" Misty asked as I felt the awkwardness of the moment start to kick in all over again (if the awkwardness ever left, that is). "You've been…weird, and quiet, too. You haven't been bragging about symbols, and above all, you look like you're going through freakin' hot flashes!"

"Hot...what?" I asked strangely, arching an eyebrow.

On second thought, Misty closed her eyes, shook her head, and waved a hand to dismiss the topic she brought up. "Never mind, never mind," she rambled. Misty had a tendency to do that whenever I said something naïve, and she didn't feel like correcting (or enlightening) me. Obviously, I was better off not knowing about those hot-things she mentioned.

"But seriously, are you okay?" the redhead asked again, more seriously and sweetly with a concerned look on her face. Truly, I didn't intend to worry her. Then again, I think I unintentionally worried Misty (and the rest of my friends) several times during our journeys. I tend to attract messes, don't I? "You...haven't been yourself, Ash."

That was no lie. Ever since I realized I had feelings for Misty, I definitely hadn't been myself. Smiling sheepishly, I chuckled, well aware the red on my face had no plans of leaving soon. Maybe I should tell her and get the whole "love confession" thing done and over with. The longer I waited, the harder it would be for me to tell Misty. It was not like me, May, Max, and Brock planned to stay in Cerulean City forever. We planned a "day visit," meaning if I did not confess that day, I might as well forget about it.

And truly, despite my nervousness, I wanted Misty to know my feelings. I spent so many months getting myself psyched and prepared for one special moment. Now's not the time for me to chicken out!

"Uh...M-Myst?" I asked nervously, wishing my damn mouth would not stutter so much. I wanted to sound remotely intelligent when I told Misty my feelings for her, not ramble like a loon. Misty deserved that much. I wanted the moment to be perfect! "There's...something I...I wanna' tell you."

Blinking again, Misty then giggled for a second, probably at how silly I looked. "Heh, okay, Ash," she smiled, pulling a lock of red hair behind an ear before continuing. "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

I will not chicken out! I will NOT chicken out! I will NOT CHICKEN OUT!!

I kept chanting a pep talk to myself, mustering courage. I had to remember not to choke, or start stuttering, and…for the love of God, stop thinking about Misty's damn swimsuit!! I swear, this is all your fault, Brock!

"I...u-uh..." Stop stuttering! I decided to clear my throat. It didn't stop my rambling, but it bought me a few more seconds to try and bring myself to say the words. I already went over the words countless times in my head. Everything was perfect. She and I were alone, sitting next to each other by the river in Misty's backyard. It was a lovely day, and Misty was listening to my every word, locking her pretty eyes with mine. My perfect opportunity!

Except…some black-haired idiot couldn't bring himself to spit out the words! My confession was the whole point of our reunion. If I did not tell Misty, then everything would be ruined. Well, maybe not "ruined," but everything would definitely be pointless if I gave up. Hell, I do NOT give up!

"Uuh..." I couldn't stand my stammering. Stop saying that! No sane girl is gonna' fall head over heels for a guy whose pick-up line is "Uuuuh."

"Myst..." I said, mustering as much courage as possible (which didn't amount to much). The outdoor humidity definitely increased ten degrees, though my body trembled as if the temperature was ten below zero. I wasn't so nervous on the opening day of the Indigo League competition!

Yet, for some ungodly reason, it seemed like mine and Misty's faces came much closer than they were a moment ago, again. How'd that happen? My heart felt like it might explode, again, and my face felt like it was on fire, again. Somehow, my lips managed to move. "Misty...I...I…l-like…y-"

"Oh WOW!!"

Strangely, unexpectedly, and very LOUDLY, Misty suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs. In turn, I jumped ten feet into the air, and I'm 99% positive my eardrums burst. Attempting to recover from her random outburst, I held my head while watching the redhead leap to her feet. Maybe it was because my mind was frazzled, but I never noticed the "something" she pointed her fingers at, until Misty started squealing like a schoolgirl.

"Look, Ash! Look! It's a Mantyke!" And sure enough, there was one swimming in the river a few feet away from us. "Ooooh, it's so CUUUUTE!! And Mantyke are super-rare in Kanto, too! Aaw, look how cutely it's smiling at me! OOOOHHHH! Aaaawww!!!!"

She continued that girly gushing and high-pitched screaming for over five minutes. Course', after Misty's Tentacool-gushing at Porta Vista, everybody knows when Misty visits Water Pokemon Fantasy World, she checks her brain at the door (Brock's the same way around girls). I, on the other hand, I did not even care if Misty saw Mew! Damn, I cursed as Misty became more interested in the Water Pokemon, and less interested in whatever the hell I was attempting to say. Of course, I only had myself to blame. If I spent less time babbling like a moron, and spent more time telling Misty my feelings for her, then Misty would've never batted an eyelash to the stupid Mantyke!

"Oooooh! And Mantyke's mommy and daddy are there, too!" Misty gushed almost in a babyish voice, pointing at the two Mantine joining their young. Not that I was bothering to pay much attention, of course. I love Pokemon, but that was not the time I wanted to watch a Mantine family reunion. I wanted to enjoy my reunion with Misty! "Oh, Ash! Look! LOOK! Aaaaw, I think the Mantine are feeding their baby! Oh that is so ADORABLE!!"

I'm sure the sight was adorable, but I didn't watch, and I didn't give two Hoot-Hoots, either! "Uh, Myst…?" I asked hesitantly, trying to get Misty's attention away from the Mantine family bonding. "About what I was saying..."

"Ssshhhhhhhhh!" Misty suddenly hissed, smacking my arm to shut me up. "Quiet! I'm gonna' catch those little cutie pies! They're perfect for the Cerulean Gym!"

Just then, I felt like there was some inner voice laughing at me for blowing my perfect chance. "You're gonna' catch them now?!" I whined, getting another annoyed smack from Misty.

"No, I'll catch em' tomorrow!" she countered sarcastically. "Of course 'now,' you dingbat! Just wait here and keep an eye on those Mantine for me. I'll go get Staryu and Corsola!"

"But...Myst..." The inner voice was laughing hysterically at me as Misty ran back inside to fetch her Water Pokemon. Naturally, she never heard me, because she was too preoccupied with the damn Mantine family. Speaking of which, I glared viciously at the Water Types, wishing they could somehow disappear as quickly as they appeared. It was probably selfish of me to deprive Misty of catching her so-called "cutie pies." Yeah, the Mantine and Mantyke were rare and cute, but SO WHAT?! In any other circumstance, I would've fought tooth and nail with Misty over possession of those Pokemon, but not that day! Not when I was so close to telling Misty the truth!

…But what else was there to do? Misty is a lot like me, and when she gets obsessed with Water Pokemon, there's no stopping her. I suppose I got a taste of my own medicine, considering my friends roll their eyes whenever I shift into Pokemon-crazy mode. Uninterested in catching the Pokemon for myself, and not feeling suicidal enough to stand between Misty and her Mantyke, I just lowered my head in defeat.

I tried to look on the bright side. If Misty catches Mantyke and Mantine, she'll be happy. Better yet, afterwards, she'll be ready to give me her attention again. No big deal. I waited a few years before telling Misty my feelings, so I knew a few more minutes wouldn't kill me. How long can Misty's battle possibly take?

Two hours later…

"Boy, those Mantine put up a tough fight," Misty pouted once she recalled Staryu and Corsola, plopping down next to me. By then, the afternoon sky turned orange, and Brock already announced that supper would be ready in about an hour. "I understand how parent Pokemon battle harder to protect their young, but that fight was plain ridiculous! I never thought the battle would've taken that long."

Yeah, neither did I. It never seemed that battles took so long before. Then again, it figures that Misty would engage in a two-hour-long Pokemon battle on the day I wanted to tell her my feelings. During her fight, I kept telling myself that as long as Misty caught the stupid Mantine or Mantyke, the time-consuming battle would be worthwhile.

Figures, Misty didn't catch Mantine or Mantyke. Two hours of non-stop battling with no capture. The Mantine family escaped Misty's grasp, and then headed downstream, back to the Cerulean Cape. Mantyke was happy, but I did feel sorry for Misty.

Of course, her defeat left Misty in a bad mood. Call me a coward, but I didn't feel like confessing my feelings when Misty was on another redhead-rampage. Not exactly the ideal situation I planned. Then again, the whole day had been turning out differently than I originally envisioned, anyway.

"I really wanted Mantyke, too," sadly lamented Misty, disappointment evident in her tone. Pre-battle, she had been full of energy and excitement. Post-battle, her spunky enthusiasm drained, and I didn't like to see her so upset. "Mantyke are native to the Sinnoh Region, and they rarely appear in Kanto. That family was probably just passing through before heading back to sea." Then she sighed heavily. "Just my luck."

I could relate when it came to bad luck. Doing all I could, I put a hand on Misty's shoulder for support. "I'm sure you'll catch one someday, Myst," I reassured, happy to see a small but appreciative smile pull her lips. Still, seeing Misty offer only a 'small' smile was suddenly not enough for me. I didn't fully understand why, but I wanted to see a 'big' smile on her face, which probably explains the words I spoke next.

"And besides, I was thinking of traveling in Sinnoh after the Battle Frontier, anyway," I suddenly beamed, noticing Misty's lips curled higher with each word that came out of my mouth. On a roll, I didn't dare stop as the most brilliant idea came to mind. "How bout' this? If I find a Mantyke in Sinnoh, I'll catch it for you!"

Then Misty smiled as brightly as I intended, though she did look surprised, too. Blinking a few times, the girl practically whispered a disbelieving, "You'd...you'd do that for me, Ash?" What, was it so hard to believe that I'd do a small favor for Misty? I'd catch a Kyogre for Misty if she wanted one! Well…er, okay, maybe not a Kyogre, but…um…you know what I mean. Pokemon aside, I could've sworn I saw a little pink run across Misty's cheeks, but the color could've been the sunset, too. "I mean, you don't have to catch me a Mantyke-"

"No problem!" I reassured brightly and confidently. No, I wasn't getting full of myself, or making promises I couldn't keep. Really! Yeah, the Kyogre-capture thing was an exaggeration, but a Mantyke-capture was more doable. I think. But if catching a Mantyke for Misty would make her happy, I'd do it! Granted, I had no clue how rare Mantyke were, or how tough they were (the baby Misty battled did put up quite a fight for a little guy). But hey, it's the thought that counts!

More importantly, Misty smiled brilliantly. The sun sure wasn't as bright as her face. Oh yes, that was the smile I wanted to see! Regardless of her Mantyke failure, Misty was happy at that moment. Better yet, I was the one who made her happy. Awesome!

And just like that, I realized that was my perfect chance to tell her the truth.

"Myst..." I started again, with less stuttering and more confidence than last time. I WILL tell her. Go Ash! Go! I can do this!! "Misty...I..."

"AAAAAAAAAWWWWW!!!!!" Misty screamed at the top of her lungs, sending me almost until heart failure, since she shrieked right by my ear (however the heck our faces got so close again I'll never know). "It's a Gorebyss! Oh my God! I've always wanted one!"

One Gorebyss, three Milotic, eight Vaporeon, twelve Wooper, and quite possibly an Articuno later, we ate supper. Er, okay, okay, I'm exaggerating again. There weren't that many Pokemon in Misty's backyard. I didn't pay much attention because I was too busy cursing my rotten-as-hell luck! At best, only two more Pokemon showed up that afternoon, but to me, it seemed like the Pokemon cameos were unending. That's what happens when I get anxious and cranky; I exaggerate and blow things outta' proportion. Still, could the Pokemon not have waited until later to grace Misty with their presence?! Why not tomorrow?! Of all days, it HAD to happen today!

Fortunately, there was one silver lining: the afternoon was not a complete waste. No, I never got around to telling Misty my feelings, but she did catch Vaporeon. Stubborn tomboy Misty would never admit it, but I think she almost cried when Gorebyss got away. Vaporeon cheered her right up, and Misty forgot all about Mantyke and Gorebyss. Course', she also forgot about me, again, but I figured I could wait a little while longer to tell her my feelings. It was suppertime, anyway. Food is a nice distraction.

Supper was not a waste, either. It gave Misty time to vent her excitement over Vaporeon (rubbing her victory in her sister's faces, I might add). Plus, suppertime gave me the chance to plan the next phase of my scheme. My day with Misty was starting to wind down to its late hours, so I had to make my move soon. Really soon.

End of Part 1 of 2

A/N: Feel free to continue reading, leave, or pause to drop a review. Either choice works for me. ^_^ I hope you're enjoying this story so far.