Chapter 7

The One Where—Fuck. Just read the description.

Serena wasn't the answer.

Ash held an ice pack to his head, his head throbbing with dull pain.

"You look terrible."

He looked up. Miette stood before him, hair wild and in nothing but a dress shirt and a pair of underwear. He would have probably taken another go at her if it wasn't for his headache, and his sheer cluelessness when it came to the opposite sex. As far as he knew, sex was something that occurred when you asked a girl for salt during lunch time. Which was strange, considering he remembered Brock tried something similar with Nurse Joy back in… Johto…

"Ash?"

"Huh?"

"You awake?" Miette blinked.

"Awake?"

"You blacked out for a second there."

"Blacked… out…?" And then it hit him. "That's it!"

He jumped to his feet and ran out the building.

"What? H-hey!" Miette chased after him, catching up to him by the exit. "Where are you going?" she called out.

"To where it all started!"

"Where what started?"

But he had already disappeared into the thick night.

"Call me," she said, to no one in particular. She sighed and leaned against the door frame, the sound of the rain's gentle patter filling her ears.

"Where's he's going?" drawled a sleepy voice behind her.

"You're up late," Miette said.

"How long was I out?" Serena rubbed her messy head.

"About a day." Miette gestured towards her. "What's with the jacket?"

"Jacket?"

Serena looked down to find herself dressed in Ash's blue and white jacket. Her eyes shot open and an intense blush crept up her face, causing her turn back out of reflex.

Miette smiled. "Same old Serena I see."

"Shut up," she said. "I'm still mad at you."

"Where was that last night?"

Her blush deepened and she lunged at her, Miette's laughter filling the empty Pokémon Center.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash called into the busy Pokémon Center.

"Yes?" Nurse Joy said. "What can I do for you, young man?"

"Do you know where Misty is?"

"Misty?"

"Yeah. Tall, red hair, prone to violence and verbal abuse?" Ash said. "Carries a giant wooden mallet that she pulls out of nowhere?"

"Oh yeah," Nurse Joy said. "You two were those kids I kicked out that one time for having sex on the table."

"What's sex?"

"Last I heard, she went back to Kanto and became the leader of the Cerulean City gym."

"The Cerulean Gym, of course!" He snapped his fingers. "Why didn't I think of that before?"

He hit the counter and ran out the door.

"Good luck!" Nurse Joy said. "Say hi to Brock for me!"

"Misty!"

Misty turned to find a familiar face standing before her.

"Ash?" she said. "Ash, is that really you?"

She jumped down her tall chair and ran to give her old friend a hug.

"Hold on," she said. "How come your hair's not all poofy?"

"Poofy?"

"Never mind." She patted her white jacket and one-piece swimsuit. "So, what brings you back to Kanto? Did you lose another league?"

"Same old Misty I see."

She smiled.

"No, it's actually about that time in the Pokémon Center."

"What time in the Pokémon Center?"

"When Nurse Joy kicked us out."

Her face darkened.

"You remember," he said. "When I asked you for the salt and you—"

A pair of lips smashed against his.

"Prima! Prima, help, Misty's gone crazy, and she won't stop kissing me—Eeee!"

"It's Lorelei actually," Lorelei said. "And it looks like this girl likes you a lot."

"Ack! No! Misty! Not the neck! Stop! AH!"

"You haven't by any chance did anything that caused her to act like this, have you?"

"Well, I might have—brought up some painful memories."

"Painful memories?"

"For me—at least. No! Bad Misty! Off! Off!"

"What did you say?"

He whispered something in her ear.

"That's it?" Lorelei asked.

"That's it."

She wrapped her legs around his face.

Officer Jenny was out paroling doing officer things when she saw a wild-looking boy not too far off with ragged clothes and kiss marks going from his face to his—

Her vehicle screeched to a halt. "Young man!"

The boy looked at her and stopped.

"Yeah, you!" Jenny said. "I need to ask you a few questions!"

He gaze bounced from place to place. He must have saw something that frightened him because he eyes widened and he started running towards her.

"Hands where I can see them!"

"They're here!" the boy said. "They're here, they're here, oh god they're here!"

"What? Who's here?"

"I've got to hide, you've got to hide. If not, they'll—" Something caught his eye. "GET DOWN!"

An explosion erupted behind them, and Jenny was sent to the ground with the boy on top.

"Oh, Aaaash…" sang a female voice.

"Prima?" Jenny said.

"How the hell did they find me?" the boy said. "I thought I lost them back in the Orange Islands."

"Whose are these they you keep—Hold on a sec. 'Ash'?"

"Huh?"

"'Ash' as in 'Ash Ketchum'?"

"Yeah?"

She drew her gun.

"What are you—"

"You give Brock this message."

"I sure hope Ash is okay," Serena said, her head propped against Miette's bare chest. "You don't think he's in trouble or anything, do you?"

"I'm sure he's fine." Miette twirled a lock of Serena's hair. "This is Ash we're talking about. He gets off on that stuff."

She looked up at her.

"Trouble," Miette said. "He gets off on trouble."

She nodded and looked back down. That seemed to satisfy her.

Miette sighed and looked out the window. The rain had long since died down and a rainbow ran across the sky, its bright colors giving off an almost otherworldly feel.

If Ash is okay, she thought, chuckling to herself. Like he's ever okay. Knowing him, he's probably being held at gunpoint as we speak.

"Something the matter?" Serena asked.

"Huh? Oh. Nothing."

They went back to their love-making session.