Chapter Text
It was evening now. Not long after Ash had stopped by, Misty decided to close the gym a little earlier than usual. She hoped she didn't disappoint any eager young trainers in doing so, but she had lost all ability to concentrate.
After Ash's surprising drop-in at lunch, her focus on battles lessened progressively as the hours ticked closer to her date. It was hard to think of anything other than her raven-haired best friend and the careful eagerness in his expression after asking her to dinner. Even her faithful Psyduck seemed to be better at concentrating in their last few battles of the day than she had; Misty figured it would be best to close up shop.
For the last several hours since then, she had been in the residential wing of the gym trying to ready herself for her date. After a barrage of text messages between herself, her sisters, and Brock, her nerves were at their peak. So she set up a video call with them in hopes of receiving a bit of moral support.
The video call was intended to help her calm her nerves, but…Well, it had been going just about as well as she should have expected. More tiresome than not.
Misty was in her bedroom now, fiddling with her dress, absently tugging at the hem.
"Does-does this look alright," she glanced nervously at the laptop screen on her nightstand.
She immediately received several emphatic nods and chimes of 'yes' and 'you look great'.
While her call was initially supposed to be with just Brock and her sisters, several more guests had popped into the video call. But, of course, she figured the original four were to blame. The news of her date had traveled faster than a Vaporeon's quick attack.
She sighed, running a hand through her long fiery red hair. Let loose for the occasion, of course. Her sisters had insisted that her usual ponytail would just not do.
Biting back irritation that she might have unleashed in her youth, Misty continued examining her outfit in the mirror while addressing her audience. She felt a little awkward. Not that she didn't dress up more these days than she had as a teenager, but…
She hadn't ever dressed up for Ash before. When was the last time he'd seen her in anything other than shorts and a tank top?
"Brock an-and everyone, not that I'm not happy to see each of you…but why are you all on this call again? I just wanted a quick opinion, maybe a little pep before my, uh, date," she mumbled the last part, feeling her cheeks burn as soon as she used the 'd' word aloud.
May put a hand up to the webcam and made a loud "ahem!" to keep her from continuing.
"Misty… that's exactly why we all needed to be on this call! We've been waiting for years," May started.
"Some of us over a decade," Brock cut in.
"We know, Brock! But, like, stop harping on that, will ya? The Sensational Sisters have been waiting just as long for Ashy to become a Sensational Brother ," Lily and Violet chided the poke-doctor.
Misty doubted that was the case, but she stared blankly at the computer screen as her friends continued.
Brock opened his mouth to retort, and the others on the call began chiming in. It turned into a wave of noise crackling loudly from her computer speakers for much longer than necessary.
She sighed, trying her best to keep from rolling her eyes at her friends. No one had been waiting for this as long as she had. She felt a pulse in her temple. Her irritation mixed with her nerves; that old temper was very close to rearing its ugly head.
Bringing her fingers to her temples, she willed herself to stay calm. Why she didn't just end the video call right then, she didn't know.
Finally, one voice of reason came through the noise.
"Okay, okay! Calm down, everyone," Dawn snapped as Misty pinched the bridge of her nose, "Yes, some of us have been hoping for a little movement on the Ash and Misty train a little longer than others. But the fact of the matter is, we're all just really excited."
The group nodded vehemently at that remark.
"Misty, you look wonderful. I don't think you have anything to be nervous about. You've had Ash hooked on your lure for a long time," Dawn winked at her.
A not-so-subtle reference, of course.
"Yes! Like, you look fantastic, Baby Sis!"
A few on the screen nodded their heads in agreement. Misty gave a grateful but pained smile at her friends. Her stomach tumbled with butterfree, and her cheeks felt as hot as a Charmander's tail.
She looked back at the mirror hanging from the wall opposite her nightstand. Would Ash like this outfit? Would he think she looked great?
Again, she fidgeted with the straps of the red dress and the small beige cardigan she wore over it. The outfit was simple, perhaps understated, but she thought it looked flattering. Violet had suggested the dress. She said it, like, hugged her in, like, all the right places .
Misty frowned. What if tonight went in all the wrong places?
"Mistyyy, like, I can tell you're overthinking. So get out of your head, Baby Sister."
She knew Daisy was right. It was just so hard to wrap her mind around what this date could mean.
"She's right, Misty. Ash asked you out for a reason. I think each of us," Tracey gestured from his webcam where he sat squished into the screen with Daisy, "knows how much he cares about you. He's been a little…slow…over the years, but there's no doubt he cares deeply for you. He'll think you're beautiful whether you're wearing a dress or the tank top and shorts you wore on your travels."
Daisy smiled warmly and kissed Tracey on the cheek. The rest of the call participants expressed their approval as well.
"But, like, stick with the dress for tonight, Little Sister. You'll knock his socks off."
Lilly gave her a thumbs up as Violet nodded vigorously.
"Okay…," Misty still felt dubious but chose to heed their advice.
She sat on the edge of her bed to slip on some sandals and take a few calming breaths. Her friends' conversation turned to other things as she zoned them out to mentally prepare.
A date .
Ash had asked her on a date.
She had a date with Ash.
Her best friend , Ash Ketchum.
Her crush of thirteen years, Ash Ketchum .
She really had not expected this at all. Misty had resigned herself to accepting the fact - or what she thought was a fact - that they'd only ever be friends.
And she had been okay with that. After years of pining, she had learned to push aside her romantic feelings to preserve their friendship. Ash meant so much to her, and having him in her life at all mattered more to her than having a romantic relationship with him. Misty had long since accepted that she would have to move on. The fact that she hadn't quite gotten around to moving on yet was another matter entirely.
Yet suddenly, that had all been thrown to the wayside.
It was surreal .
Somewhere deep in her conscience, thirteen-year-old Misty was squealing with excitement. Who was she kidding? Twenty-one-year-old Misty was internally squealing.
"What time is he picking you up, Misty," May broke through her train of thought.
She looked up, mind still clouded, then shrugged at the webcam. Ash had only said tonight . In retrospect, she probably should have asked, and he probably should have been more specific. But, on the other hand, maybe he was just as nervous or as stunned as she was.
Maybe he was changing his mind? She quickly shook that thought from her mind.
"Bursting in randomly, not specifying a time, not having a plan... Yes, that sounds like our Ash," Max's sarcasm fell thickly into the conversation.
"Ain't that the truth," Brock and Dawn said simultaneously and guffawed.
Misty added a strained chuckle. Past the chatter of her friends, she thought she heard the doorbell to the residential entrance of the gym. It stopped for a moment and started up again a minute later. She paused, wondering what it could be, then jumped up when she realized who it was.
"Ash," she said breathlessly.
"You've gotta stop saying his name like that, Misty. You sound like you've seen a Gastly," Brock said with a grimace.
Misty pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath before walking to the intercom at her bedroom door.
"Er, uh, Ash," her voice squeaked into the speaker.
A crackle came over the intercom, then, "H-hey, Misty. Yeah, it's me. I'm, um, I'm here."
"Pika!" She heard his faithful Pikachu squeak out before the line went silent.
"Ohhhh, you meant he's here," Brock said slowly.
Misty face-palmed, again biting back annoyance. She glanced at the screen in time to catch a few of her friends rolling their eyes. Another crackle came over the intercom before silence fell. Her palms became sweaty, and her knees weakened all at once. She felt like her heart was bouncing through a herd of stampeding Stantler. What had she gotten herself into?
"Breathe! Like, just breathe," her sisters reminded her.
She nodded as she pressed the button on the intercom and, as calmly as she could manage, "O-okay. I'll buzz you in, and you can come on up."
She flipped a switch and pressed another button on the intercom to unlock the entrance, "Um, okay. We're in."
Dawn gasped, "He's coming up!?"
"I guess?! I don't really know what the game plan is tonight. It's not like he hasn't been up here before."
Misty shrugged sheepishly. Quickly, she stepped in front of the mirror to give herself one last review. She grabbed her tube of lipstick from her bed and lightly reapplied it before giving herself a reassuring smile. It felt like a kaleidoscope of Butterfree were fluttering in her stomach; her nerves might as well have been fried by Pikachu.
But this date was happening .
"Okay, you've got this, Misty. Just have fun," Tracey reminded her just as she heard a knock at the living room entrance.
She nodded before quickly exiting her room to rush to open the door for Ash.
As soon as she did, a blur of yellow fur flew into her arms.
"Pikachu-pi," the little yellow rodent squeaked as it nuzzled her cheek.
Instantly, Misty felt a wave of calm wash over her. This was just Pikachu and Ash. There was nothing to be nervous about now.
She cradled her little buddy happily for a moment.
But then, "Okay, Buddy. Do you think I can get a hug in, too?"
Misty's breath caught in her throat as Ash entered the living room and shut the door behind him. He was wearing a maroon button-down long-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of dark jeans. His sleeves were rolled up his forearms, which somehow caused a flutter in her chest. She could tell he had also tried to comb his hair, as it looked a little more tame than usual.
She mused to herself that she could get used to this look.
"Pika! Pikachu," the pokemon squeaked happily.
Pikachu hopped out of her arms and scampered to the small adjacent kitchen, where she was sure he'd find the bottle of ketchup she'd left out on the counter.
That left her with Ash. Misty looked up at him, and their eyes locked instantly. This was not a typical hang-out between friends. This was a date.
A blush crept to her face as she noticed the one burning on his cheeks. Then, with the most endearingly nervous smile she'd ever seen, he stepped forward and wrapped her in a warm embrace. She reciprocated, locking her arms around his torso. With his height, her head came to rest just under his chin almost perfectly.
"You look really beautiful, Mist. I, uh, I'm really glad you said yes," he said as he buried his nose in her hair.
She felt calmer now than she had before. Standing in Ash's arms as she breathed him in just felt right. It felt familiar. It felt like she was where she belonged.
"I'm glad you asked," she whispered back.
Regretfully, she pulled away. Only just enough to look up and make eye contact with him again. He gave her a lopsided grin before untangling himself from her, allowing his hand to slip down her arm to take her hand.
"I, um, this…I thought this would feel kinda awkward," Ash offered, "but it feels pretty natural," he chuckled.
Misty felt a bit speechless. She had never known Ash to be so forthright.
He smiled more cautiously as he examined her features, "I'm being weird about this, aren't I?"
He scratched the back of his neck. Ash's blush deepened, and his hold on her hand loosened. Immediately, Misty shook her head and held his hand a little more firmly.
He grinned again before pulling her to sit with him on the sofa. The atmosphere between them felt so easy. She reminded herself that this was Ketchum! Her best friend. Of course, it would feel normal! He had visited her so often as they got older and learned to appreciate each other's friendship.
This was a new kind of visit, but it was still two best friends spending time together.
"Before you ask, I have an actual plan for us tonight. I promise! I guess I just wanted to be sure you hadn't reconsidered, heh," he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand again.
His other hand still held hers tenderly.
"Well, I'll admit…I briefly considered the possibility that you were joking or that I misinterpreted the date part," she smiled at him and felt a whole new swirl of Butterfree in her belly, "but then I got a little encouragement fro-Ohhh no! Hold that thought!"
Misty had totally forgotten about the video call that, knowing her friends, was probably still going on in her room. She released his hand, hopped off the couch, and scrambled into her room just a few feet away.
She glanced at a confused Ash before she shut the door firmly behind her. Lo and behold, her friends were still chatting excitedly.
"Hey, you're back!"
"It sounds like he was happy to see you," Dawn squealed.
Misty nodded and quickly glanced at herself in the mirror across her room. Still holding it together, she praised herself. Although, she should have left her computer anywhere but on the nightstand beside her door.
She sighed but could not hold back her giddiness. Misty grinned happily, realizing Dawn was right. Ash was happy to see her; this was an actual date.
Leaning over the keyboard to look into the webcam, she quickly began, "Okay, thank you all, but I think I will have to take it on my own from here. You're free to go. I'm sure whoever I update will update the rest of you."
She proceeded to shut down her computer.
"No, hey, wait," Brock shouted.
"G'luck, Misty," Tracey nodded with Daisy.
"Hi Ashhh," May and Dawn crooned loudly.
"Tell Pikachu I sa-"
"But, like-"
And the screen went dark.
Closing her eyes momentarily, Misty breathed deeply. This was real. Ash was waiting for her right outside for their date!
Quickly, she exited the room to find Ash flipping through one of the gym magazines on her coffee table. He looked up when she shut the door and immediately stood.
A dopey expression crossed his face as she walked back to him, "Hey, Mist."
He sounded as though he was in a daze before he shook his head lightly.
"I, I…I mean, is everything alright, Mist? Thought I heard someone call my name."
Misty laughed. Loudly and perhaps a little alarmingly, but it felt good. Ash's expression turned quizzical as she sat next to him again.
"You did," Misty chuckled, "I'll tell you about it later, but first, tell me what you have in store for us tonight, Ketchum."
He took her hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze as he told her about what she could only guess was his interpretation of a romantic first date.