Chapter Text
One foot in front of the other shouldn't have been a hard concept. Just take another steady step and don't stop, and everything would be fine. At least that was what 14-year-old Ash Ketchum continued to tell himself as he walked towards certain doom.
Maybe he was a little melodramatic, but none of his friends could hear his internal thoughts, so he could be as dramatic as he wanted. It was understandable too, he argued to himself, because no matter how many times he said goodbye to people, it wasn't like he had to be happy about it.
"Are we there yet?" May Maple asked with a bit of a whine to her voice. Ash glanced back over his shoulder where she trailed behind everyone else, her steps a little slower than before.
"Jeez May, don't be so lazy," Max, her younger brother, quipped. He caught Ash's gaze and rolled his brown eyes, both amused and annoyed.
May puffed up her cheeks and was about to yell back at him when the oldest of the group let out a laugh, and everyone looked at him.
"Yes, we're almost there," Brock Slate, the oldest of their group, informed them. It was actually kind of strange to hear his voice so steady, because normally when they got close to Cerulean City, he turned into a giddy pile of mush as he thought about Misty's sisters.
The last of their group, Misty Waterflower, eyed Brock suspiciously, as if she expected him to break into some kind of sappy monologue about "Devine Daisy, Lovely Lily, and Vivacious Violet" as he had done multiple times before. When he didn't, her suspicious look turned into one of concern. She sighed and held her Azurill close to her chest. Her little Pokémon was usually in a Pokéball, but Misty had carried her with him since they left Pallet Town.
Ash faced forward again so that he could look down at his feet. She probably needed a little bit of comfort after all of his nonsense.
"Pika." Pikachu tapped his cheek and smiled at him, though it was tinted with worry. He was the only one who knew exactly where his mind was.
Ash just smiled in return and closed his eyes as he walked. Instead of darkness, faint lines of light appeared in his vision. When his eyes were open, this same glow overlapped on top of the real object. Sometimes it annoyed him that he always saw something even if his eyes were closed, but already he was kind of used to it. Human-made things like buildings didn't have the glow to them, and things like rocks were hit or miss depending on if there was a lot of aura in the ground, but things like people and Pokémon were a different beast. Not only were they bright, but they all had their unique twist of colours.
He sidestepped a few rocks on the ground that he could "see" with his eyes closed and shifted the egg that was in his arms so that he wouldn't drop it. Normally, a Pokémon egg would be kept in an incubator of sorts, but this one was far from a typical Pokémon egg beyond the fact that it looked like it was made of crystal as opposed to a typical shell. It was entrusted to him and him alone, and he took that duty seriously, because it was his responsibility to take care of the tiny Pokémon that would hatch from it. It wasn't the first hatchling that he ever dealt with; he had his Phanpy that hatched, and he took care of a baby Larvitar for a while too. Plus Togepi always seemed to prefer him in the absence of Misty, so there was that. This egg was different though. This Pokémon came with a whole new responsibility that he honestly wasn't sure he was ready for.
He wouldn't be Ash Ketchum if that thought stopped him though. He was the type to push forward towards his dreams and goals, no matter what bumps in the road he might stumble across, and he had come across a lot of those lately.
Though the way his arms cramped just might defeat him. How Misty was able to constantly carry Togepi around like this for years baffled him. She still did it with Azurill at times too, like she was at the moment. It was ridiculous. The egg was his responsibility, but he really wanted someone else to carry it around for him. He could put it in his bag, but a part of him almost felt bad about it even though he knew it would be okay.
Ash opened his eyes again and glanced back over his shoulder at his friends again. Misty seemed to be in some kind of quiet argument with Brock over something. They both certainly felt frustrated with one another.
That was something that he had to adapt to as well. When he unlocked his ability to use aura, it came with a pretty extreme form of empathy, which meant that he could feel what other people felt, and that was particularly strong with his friends. It felt a little invasive at times, but really all he could do was ignore it. It was kind of hard to do with the people he was closest to though.
A frown made its way to his face as they continued to walk. He didn't want to reach Cerulean City, because that would mean that Misty would need to leave. He understood why she needed to stay and run the gym, he really did, but he didn't like it at all. Especially since he had yet to apologize for how much of an idiot he'd been when they were back at his house. He hadn't meant to be one, but it still happened, and she deserved more than that.
She hadn't really walked next to him for long, almost always by Brock, May, or Max, and that kind of hurt. He couldn't blame her though, Ash was well aware that this was his fault. That was why Ash knew that he had to fix this, and he now had a very strict deadline to do it.
"Look!" Max cried out excitedly, which startled Ash. The young teenager followed his gaze to see the familiar, massive city that loomed in the distance. "That's it, right, Misty? Cerulean City! That's your home, right?"
"Yeah," Misty said warmly. "That's home all right. Well, come on. We need to make it to the gym before it gets too late. It's been warming up lately, but it's still cold at night."
As they all followed her, Max and May marvelled at the sheer size of the city. Hoenn had big places too, but that didn't mean that the two youngest of the group still weren't amazed by all of this. Ash himself had been so excited for his gym badge, Misty's mermaid show, or other things in the past that he never really took in or explored the city all that much. It was something that he'd have to do someday. Well, if his apology went south, he'd have to avoid the city for the rest of his life. One or the other.
"This place is so awesome," May gushed as she grabbed onto Misty's arm. "I can't believe they don't have a contest here!"
"You know, I'm a bit surprised by that too," she agreed and shifted Azurill in her arms, brows furrowed. "Most big cities do, but we don't."
"I can't wait to see the gym!" Max cheered. "Brock's was pretty cool when we went there! I know Dad's a gym leader, but I like seeing them all!"
Misty laughed happily at him and then looked at Ash with a small smile. "Sounds like someone else I know."
He was a bit taken back by how normal she sounded and stuck his tongue out at her because he was mature that way. "My dad's not a gym leader." Well, he could be, Ash didn't actually know anything about Jack Ketchum outside of the fact that he had black hair.
"Smartass," Misty mumbled under her breath and playfully punched his arm as she rolled her sea green eyes when he rubbed it dramatically. It felt so normal that it would have been easy for him to just roll with it. A few weeks ago he probably would have looked at her smile and actions and just accepted them as-is, but now he could see it in a way he couldn't before, the silent undercurrent of sadness.
Yeah, he had to fix this.
…
"Oh, it's so cute!" May gushed as she looked at the Dewgong sign on the building.
Misty smiled at that, grateful for the compliment towards her gym, though she didn't see it quite that way anymore. The gym was in desperate need of an upgrade. The entire aesthetic of it was quite old, and she knew more than anyone else just how many regular repairs were needed from years and years of unintentional neglect. Misty wouldn't say it out loud in front of her friends, wouldn't point out how the Dewgong sign was actually pretty cracked and weathered up close, and wouldn't mention how it was so expensive to keep up all the different habitats inside that they had to 'temporarily' close some.
She hugged Azurill closer to her as she walked through the familiar glass doors. The front lobby that people saw up close looked pristine, and though there'd always been a canteen there so that people had snacks for shows, her sisters decided it was smart to make a sit-down area for people to eat. They had to hire more people to take care of the area, so it was a stupid investment in her mind. It would have been smarter to rent out the area to a company or something.
"It looks better," Lily had argued with her. "And people like it. That's what matters. So, like, chill."
Right, because it didn't matter if there were leaks and other things, people couldn't see those. Reputation was everything, after all.
The worst part was that the maintenance of the gym was covered by the Pokémon League. The problem was that they said, financially, it made more sense to tear the whole thing down and build a new one. Misty was torn about the whole thing, because she did think that it would be good for them—it would certainly deal with half of her headaches—but her sisters all absolutely refused. They didn't seem like the nostalgic type, but they all claimed that it was their family's gym.
"What would you know?" Violet once said to her in an argument. "You may have been Grandma's favourite, but you never knew Mom and Dad."
"The seating area is new," Brock noted as they walked through the lobby and towards the door that would take them up to the private areas of the gym.
"My sister's idea," Misty explained as she broke out of her thoughts.
He hummed in response, and his attitude slightly confused Misty. He always gushed over her three older sisters, but then again, pretty much everyone did. It wasn't lost on Misty that when her sisters were the same age as her, they were already known as beauties by most people. She was known as 'the tomboyish mermaid', the exact same nickname her aunt went by.
She refocused herself. It was strange to see Brock so focused, and the only thing that came to mind was that he was angry at them on her behalf. She actually dreaded what would happen if he said anything, because her sister would just get mad again, and she didn't want to fight with them anymore. She was so tired of it. Thankfully, Brock had tact.
Then again, he wasn't the only one that knew that her sisters tricked her, and Ash had the horrible combination of a hero complex and a poor filter.
Except he'd been much more quiet lately. More observant. She saw the way his bright brown eyes would look from person to person as he saw far more than anyone let on. That was something that almost fascinated her to see. Where he would have made assumptions based on what people said and did before, which was a pretty normal thing even if nuance kind of flew over his head at the best of times, now his actions were more measured.
Misty could hear her sisters before she saw them. All three were home, and they seemed to be excited about something. How excited they all sounded made her wary, because nothing good ever came from that. (Well, no, that was a bit mean of her, but she'd been a bit bitter lately.)
She sighed and glanced back at May and Max. "Well, come on, let's go meet my sisters. You'll appreciate yours after this, Max."
"I doubt that. Ow! May!" He rubbed his head where she smacked him as she walked by.
Misty's sisters were all in the living room that looked out through one-way glass over the main pool where the battles were held. It was common enough for people to have a space to live at their gyms, but not quite as common anymore for people to live there like they did. The only thing Misty knew was that her grandmother sold the house that they used to own after her parents died, and she only knew that because she heard her sisters complain about it once.
Violet was the first to notice her. "Misty! Like, you're back!" Violet said, relief in her voice. "Dewgong has, like, been ignoring me again. She totally only listens to Daisy now."
"Yeah, what's with that? I was hoping to take some pictures for my socials," Lily agreed, clearly annoyed. "Anyway, lots of the Pokémon have been temperamental with us lately."
Misty felt a headache build up almost immediately. Her extended trip clearly caused some kind of crisis, and she doubted that she'd be able to fix it with the obvious fact that the Pokémon didn't respect them and therefore wouldn't listen to them anymore. Lily and Violet didn't seem to notice just how uninterested she actually was.
"Ah-hem." The two instantly stopped as Daisy walked forward. Misty wouldn't admit it out loud, but Daisy was the sister that she was most envious of. Even Brock's apparent anger wavered a little bit when she approached. Honestly, Misty kind of appreciated how much he resisted his impulse to grab her sister's hand.
Daisy looked at her with that disappointed look that always made Misty's chest squeeze. So many people gushed about how much Daisy looked like their mother, even if it was Violet whose hair and eye colours matched more. Maybe that was why that look always made her feel like something heavy was pressed down onto her. "It wasn't cool to just take off like that for longer than you said."
Misty bit her cheek, because yeah, she was gone longer than she originally agreed, but they should have been able to handle it. She updated them on exactly how long she'd be gone and told them exactly what they needed to do in the meantime. It wasn't like she sprung anything on them since they were things that they were supposed to do anyway. The gym was supposed to be used for another ballet instead of battles for a few weeks, which was why she thought it wasn't that big a deal. Anxiety rose up within her as she thought about how much work she'd likely have to do.
There was a soft scoff behind her, and Misty glanced over as Ash stepped together a bit closer. Things had been really weird between them lately, and it stung a tiny bit, but she really didn't want to get lost in those thoughts right now. She had enough to deal with. Daisy didn't seem to agree with that though, as she cocked an eyebrow and grinned that stupid smile that always made Misty want to scream.
She loved her sister, she did, but could she simply not treat her seriously for once?
"Ash! It's been a while!" Daisy said happily.
Ash shifted Riolu's egg in his arms, and in a cheerful voice, he said, "Yeah, since I spoke to you on the phone. I need to apologize to you about that. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was blackmailing you or something." He shook his head, and Misty's heart went out to him because he had honestly been upset about that. "It's not okay when people make others think they have to do something. Isn't it?" Misty swore her heart stopped, because she recognized Ash's voice when he threw down a challenge at someone.
Daisy actually looked taken aback for a moment as her eyes darted to Misty. Then she laughed and swiped Ash's hat from his head so she could ruffle his messy, black hair. "Here I thought you were, like, stupid. You're getting to be a perceptive little bugger, aren't you?" She set his hat back on his head sideways before she turned to face Misty again. Daisy didn't even bother to acknowledge May and Max. "Misty, you, like, got this letter here, and we swear we weren't, like, going to open it, but Professor Oak called and kept asking if Ash was here yet because apparently he, like, got one too just after you guys left."
That caught their attention. Misty set Azurill on the ground so that she could take the letter Daisy offered her. She stared at it for a moment before she flipped it over so that she could see that the back had a now broken wax seal on the back. "Old fashion, huh?" She tried not to be annoyed that they opened a letter for her.
"What does it say?" May asked as she practically bounced up to her side.
Misty pulled the letter out and began to read aloud. "Dear Misty Waterflower,
Over the past few years, my research has led to many different interesting inventions that are now in the testing phase. For this test, I have selected several Kanto trainers to participate in a special event. I have created a new battle system, and I would like to challenge you to a battle against it. Others have already participated, and the results have gone spectacularly with low-level trainers, but now I would like to test the more challenging aspects of this battle system. A powerful gym leader such as yourself is the perfect candidate for this.
Therefore, I invite you to my Pokémon laboratory in order to test this new system on the date set in the information packet that was included with this letter. You will be joined by a few others, but the groups are small for control purposes. I look forward to seeing the Tomboyish Mermaid challenge my system.
Sincerely, Professor Yung."
Misty stared at the letter, not entirely sure what to think of it.
….
"Woah! You get to go test a new battle system? That's so cool!" Max gushed happily.
"Hey, wait a second, didn't Misty's sister say that Ash got one too?" May asked, and her sapphire eyes looked from one to the other curiously.
"Yeah, like, your mother and Trace have been calling all day, waiting for you to get here," Daisy said and put a finger to her cheek as she looked at Ash again. "You can, like, use the phone over there." She pointed towards a videophone on the opposite side of the room.
Ash quickly muttered a thanks and hurried over to the phone. He was actually kind of excited, because a new battle system sounded awesome, and if he got a letter, maybe it meant he could challenge it too. It'd be awesome if they could go the same day too.
Ash set Rio's egg on the table beside the screen and decided to dial Professor Oak's lab instead of home. The phone rang for a moment before the old man answered. "Hiya Professor!"
"Ash, my boy!" Professor Oak said cheerfully. "You finally made it, I see."
"I did," he nodded his head.
"Ash?" His mother appeared to stare at him over Professor Oak's shoulder. "Oh good, I was worried something happened to you. I suppose you're calling about the letter? I hope you don't mind I opened it. When Professor Oak got one with a similar seal, I was a bit worried."
"It's okay. Was it about that battle system?"
"Yes, it was," Professor Oak answered him. "It appears that Professor Yung has chosen to challenge you as well. We've been invited to attend on the same date, so I was hopeful that you'd reach Cerulean City before tonight. It's set for tomorrow, so you should rest up, and I can come and pick you up on my way by."
"That sounds great!" Ash said cheerfully before he looked around towards Misty. "When's yours for, Mist? Tomorrow?"
"Yeah," she nodded her head but then frowned as she crossed her arms. "I don't know how I'll get there on time."
"Professor Oak and I got invited for the same time," he informed her before he looked at the screen again. "I don't suppose there's room for everyone, is there?"
"Why, of course, all of your friends are welcome to come. I know Professor Yung, and I'm sure it won't be a problem," Professor Oak assured them.
"But why, Ash?" Max blurted out suddenly, which caused everyone to look at him. His face went red, and he said, "Well, you know, Misty's a successful gym leader, and Professor Oak is the most famous Pokémon professor in the world, but why Ash?" Ash tried not to scowl at the way Max emphasized his name with that tone. He liked the kid, but he could do without the skepticism that came from him at times.
"Well," his mom answered this time, "he mentions wanting to challenge the Orange League Champion."
"Orange League..." Max trailed off with confusion, and Ash's cheeks went a bit red.
He had been so proud of his win at the Orange League and was technically the champion of that sub-region (it wasn't given the same prestige, power, or anything else like the main regions were), but due to his age he couldn't accept the title of active champion. That meant that people still had to fight Drake. If they beat Drake, Ash was given the option to battle them too, but so far, no one had beaten Drake.
So many people didn't really count the Orange League as any sort of victory, though, and he was mocked for his enthusiasm over it before. Mostly by Gary, so he didn't really mention it much anymore. Still, he was a bit surprised that he hadn't brought it up with his friends before.
"That makes sense," Brock spoke up for the first time. "He probably picked Professor Oak and then found some names associated with him."
"Oh." Ash felt a little stupid that he hadn't thought about that. He looked behind him again and said, "Whatdya say, Mist? Wanna go?"
"I do want to," she admitted slowly, "but I've been gone from the gym for a while now, so I don't think I can."
Ash frowned at that. From the way Violet and Lily complained when they walked in the door, he could kind of see why. She really was needed there, and he kind of hated her sisters for that.
"Just go." Daisy waved her hands, and though he wasn't familiar with the woman, not really, he swore that there was something like guilt in her pink aura. She hid that though as she added, "Imagine if this thing works? We can, like, say you were there to test it!"
"My sister, the sudden marketing genius," Misty deadpanned.
She still didn't look too sure, so Ash reached out and gently shook her arm. "Come on, it'll be fun. Professor Oak's driving, so we won't even be gone a full day."
Misty bit her lip for a moment before she sighed and then smiled. "Alright. I'm in."
"Great!" Ash practically bounced on the seat as he looked back at his mother and Professor Oak. He gave them a thumbs up, which Pikachu copied on his shoulder. "We're in."
"Excellent. I'll swing by at about 8:00 tomorrow morning. Get a good night's sleep!"
"And remember to change your—"
"Bye, Mom! Professor Oak!" Ash cried out quickly as he slammed the phone down before she could finish. May and Max both laughed, and Brock snickered behind him, because everyone knew how that sentence ended. His mother promised not to do anything like that anymore, not after that long conversation they had just last week when they went out to get groceries while all his friends stayed home.
"Well then," Daisy clapped her hands together. "You guys, like, get cooking supper. We have important appointments to keep. Toodles!" The three sisters were quick to leave, and Ash watched them go dryly. They really couldn't wait to throw the place back at their youngest sister, could they?
"Is something wrong?" Max asked, his brow furrowed with worry. "To all have doctor's appointments on the same day?"
Misty put her hand on the top of his head. "They meant a salon of some kind. Or just shopping in general."
"Oh." Max looked around before his eyes landed on Brock. "I'm surprised you didn't jump all over them; they're all really pretty. I was waiting." He pinched his fingers together.
Brock grimaced as his hands went to his ears. "Things happen." He glanced at Misty. "Do you mind if I use your kitchen? They are right about supper."
"Go for it," Misty waved her hand in the direction of the kitchen, and Brock (as well as Max) went that way. She turned and looked at Ash and May. "How about you two come with me? I'd like to check on the Pokémon before it gets too late. We can leave Riolu's egg in my room. It'll be safe there."
"Alright!" May cried out happily, as did Pikachu.
Ash was excited to see the Pokémon and did smile as they all left the room, but he wasn't as pumped as he normally would have been. He kind of hoped that he'd have the chance to talk to Misty alone, but he'd just have to wait.
…
May was in awe of the gym. Sure, she had gone into many of them with Ash before, and her father was a gym leader, so it wasn't like she had never been in a gym before, but there was something about the absolutely massive pools with the water Pokémon that swam around that just took her breath away. The whole place was beautiful. There were comfortable seats, the ceiling could apparently retract so it was a sunroof, and the pool could rise up so it was above ground. That alone blew her mind. "I love it here!"
The Cerulean City Gym was beautiful. Even Ash seemed in awe, and he'd been there before.
"You know, I thought the gym was pretty cool the times we came here before," he spoke up, "but you can tell you're working really hard to make it even better."
Misty's eyes went wide for a moment before she smiled and looked out at the pools. "Thanks."
May blinked and looked over at Misty. There was something odd about her voice, but then again, she'd been a bit odd the past few days, as had Ash. They got along so well when they were back in Rota that May had to wonder if they got into a fight or something.
"Hey!" Ash's eyes went wide as he suddenly took off towards the edge of the pool and knelt down next to it. "Hi there, Horsea!"
"Sea! Horsea horsea!" the small Pokémon trilled. Misty's Pokémon probably all recognized him. Pikachu bounded over as a few of the other Pokémon popped up to say hello.
May laughed at the sight, and Misty just shook her head but smiled all the same. She glanced up at the older girl, as her smile changed into a light, almost curious one as she tilted her head slightly, sapphire eyes inquisitive.
"What?" Misty asked her.
"This gym is beautiful," May said happily. "You must be so proud. I know that my dad is of his. You'll be the best gym leader in Kanto one day; I just know it!"
Misty smiled at the praise, but her smile faded a little. Yes, there was definitely something wrong. May reached out and put a hand on her arm. "Misty, something's been bothering you lately, right? You can always talk to me about it." She may have been young, but surely it would be nice to talk to someone who wasn't a teenage boy?
"I love this gym so much," Misty admitted as she watched Ash interact with the Pokémon, "and I am so proud of it and so honoured to be a gym leader but..."
With pursed lips, May stared at her thoughtfully before she asked, "What would you like to do when you're older?" The concept of 'when you're older' was a bit different to the kids who left home when they were ten. They tended to grow faster, tending to be the younger individuals in their select career paths.
"Hmm?" Misty hummed in an almost distracted way.
"Well," May said, "I want to be the Top Coordinator around, Brock wants to be a breeder, and Ash wants to be a Pokémon Master, but what about you?"
Misty seemed surprised for a moment before she looked back at her Pokémon. She smiled slightly when she saw that Ash brought out his Corphish to play in the water with the others. "My dream? The day I met Mr. Pokémon Master there, I told him that I wanted to be the world's best Water Pokémon Master. It was funny because our dreams were very similar; mine was just more specialized. Maybe I could be on the Elite Four or at least be one of the travelling Masters." Her voice was wistful, like she was talking about a beautiful, mythical Pokémon.
"Oh! That's a good dream!" As she spoke, it occurred to the young girl just why Misty frowned when she mentioned how she thought she might become the best gym leader in Kanto. "Oh, but isn't it hard to do that while staying at a gym all the time? I know my dad thought about trying to become a Normal Master, since there haven't been many, but he had me and Max to worry about, so he changed his mind. He said he'd have to travel too much."
"Well, to be a master of a specific type, you have to have a lot of knowledge about the Pokémon, and you have to interact with a lot of them. Being the Cerulean City Gym Leader for however many years gives me a boost, because it shows that I am serious about Water Pokémon and I'm experienced with them too. But you're right, I would eventually need to leave the gym. In Kanto, at least, there's only so much you can expand, depending on the gym you run. It's stupid, but Champion Lance has never changed it."
"You have your sisters though," May said slowly. "Shouldn't they be able to take over?" They were older.
Misty looked up towards the glass ceiling. "I love this gym. It was made by my great-grandparents. Originally for water shows before it became a gym." She sighed. "It's all we have left of our parents, and they can't take care of it. Won't take care of it."
May's heart sank at her words, because that wasn't fair. If something happened to her parents, she would want to keep the gym in top shape too, but she also knew that Max would be at her side no matter what. That would actually explain both Ash and Brock's attitudes towards her sisters if they both knew the type of pain they put her through.
She pouted because that wasn't fair at all. Misty should be allowed to travel around to different places, enter water-based tournaments and competitions, and catch as many of them as she could.
Before she could say anything, Misty blinked and then laughed. "It's fine though. I love being a gym leader. I'll be fine here. I can always study the Pokémon online. Go every once and a while to find any."
That was true, but May also knew that to be a Pokémon Master of any kind was a lot of hard work. They were expected to be the best of the best, to know more than others about their specialty. It wasn't something people could do every once in a while.
Her sapphire eyes lingered on Ash for a moment before she snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "Have you ever thought of asking Ash to find you some water Pokémon while he's travelling? Or maybe letting his stay with you? You'd have more to see and interact with, and they'd have more room than in the river and pond at Professor Oak's." She seemed quite pleased with herself for this plan.
"I..." Misty trailed off, and her expression shifted as she looked at Ash oddly. Okay, it wasn't just the gym thing; there was definitely something weird there. "Brock and Ash both offered, actually. I just…I don't know. It kind of feels like cheating."
"That's stupid," May said bluntly, because it was. "We learn more from each other. I mean, Ash wants to be the Pokémon Master. He wants to beat Red. He relies on people all the time. He learns from our Pokémon too. Is that cheating?"
Misty's eyes went wide. "No! Of course not! I—" She cut herself off, and May chose to interpret that as her realization that she had no real argument for that. Finally, she said, "I'm just not sure he would want to help me now."
Oh, so they had gotten into a fight. May had to fix this as quickly as she could, because they were both super cute together, and she wasn't about to let them be idiots. "No offence, you're being stupid. He helps me with training all the time, and when he talks about you, Brock, Tracey, and even someone named Gary, he always sounds so proud of you all. He may have his dream, but he's really supportive of everyone else's too." She giggled a bit and added, "Besides, you saw how excited he was for you to get that letter. Ash is cocky about himself, but he thinks we're all pretty great too. Especially you."
Misty's cheeks turned pink, and she looked at him uncertainly. May leaned against her and lowered her voice so that no one else could hear them. "I don't know what you guys fought about, but when he asks for a chance to fix it, at least hear him out, okay?"
The older girls seemed startled for a moment before she said, "Yeah. I will."
That was really all that May could ask for.