The Battle

The Battle

The fire crackled and popped as it contentedly snacked on the generous pile of wood it consumed. In exchange for the fuel, the flames brightly illuminated the dark glade in which the worn trainers chose to spend their night in. A piece of wood that was slanted upwards groaned as it slammed to the ground, subjecting its hidden side to the greedy fire. The fire roared excitedly, delving into the untouched flesh of the log. Ash tossed his prodding branch into the fire as well, making it glow with delight. The boy sighed as he sunk to the ground next to the flames, holding his palms out to the heat that radiated from the burning mass. Even with gloves on, the cool autumn air bit at his hands, chilling them until his fingers went numb. Misty was already perched beside him, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet as she crouched by the fire. She mimicked his action, hoping to regain feeling in her hands as well. The Pikachu that leaned on her ankle cracked open an eye, wondering why her caressing had stopped. With a small "Chaa," it hoisted itself up, only to sit back down a few feet away, closer to the fire. It, too, raised its tiny paws to the fire.

"Well, aren't you guys just a sulky bunch," Brock commented, stirring some sort of food mixture in the bowl in his arms. The Pikachu looked up at him, sniffing the air, then turned back to the fire after determining that the concoction was not meant for it.

"It's cold," Misty said simply, eyes still glued to the fire in front of her.

"That's no excuse," Brock chided. "Why don't you guys get up and do something while I fix dinner? Maybe that'll put you in a better mood." His suggestion, however, only earned him a couple of glares from the frozen, unmoving teens huddled around the fire.

He chuckled. "Whatever. If you want me, I'll be walking around, keeping my blood pumping and staying warm."

"Yeah, thanks," Ash answered quietly, watching as the muscular teen walked away through the trees that bordered their camp for the night. He sat for another moment, mustering up the motivation to get up and leave the fireside. When he finally stood, he walked briskly away from the pit so that he could not be tempted to return to it.

From the ground, Misty watched, her teal eyes following as her remaining companion paced back and forth for a second. He stopped suddenly, still facing the direction he was walking in.

"What?" she asked reflexively, waiting to see what he did next. He turned to look at her, his chocolate eyes gleaming in the firelight. Or was the light really coming from his eyes?

"Let's have a pokemon battle," he said, still looking at her.

"What?" she asked again, though this time she actually understood; she simply didn't think he was that crazy. The Pikachu next to her emitted a noise that mimicked Misty's question.

"A pokemon battle," he restated calmly. "Brock's right; we need to be up and keeping active. Battling will help train our pokemon too, and since when has a little practice ever hurt anyone? You sure could use some, Misty." He threw in the last part to taunt her, knowing she wouldn't refuse a challenge.

She stared incredulously at him with wide eyes for a minute, then sniffed, and turned away.

"No way," she answered defiantly. She readjusted her position by the fire so that her legs received the same warming treatment the rest of her front was getting.

"Aww, c'mon," Ash begged. "What are you, Pidgey? Afraid to lose to someone like me?" She spluttered.

"No!" she shouted back, snapping her neck to face him again. Catching herself, she regained her composure before continuing. "I'm perfectly content to sit right by this nice, warm fire. It's quite comforting. I sure am warm, too." As if to betray her, a shiver escaped from her body, spreading from her shoulders to her waist.

Ash laughed at her, then reached down to his belt. He raised his hand, revealing a small pokeball resting in his palm. He pressed the center button, and it grew to its full size, ready to unleash the fury that lay within. Misty gazed at it impassively.

"Last chance before I sick my pokemon on you," Ash threatened jokingly. The girl scoffed, then turned back to the fire in response.

All the while, the small Pikachu watched their spat with amusement; these quips were nothing new to the pokemon. Mostly, though, it was just thankful that Ash hadn't tried to recruit it for his cause.

"Fine, then. We're going to go battle some wild pokemon," the boy huffed, shrinking his pokeball back to its ping pong ball size and pinning it to his belt. "C'mon, Pikachu."

Dammit, the pokemon thought. The Pikachu shook its head indignantly. When Ash stared at it, it merely turned its nose up and left to crawl into Ash's blankets. Misty giggled at the Pikachu's triumph, her smile casting long, fire-lit shadows across her face.

Before Ash could retort to Pikachu's defiance, a rustle from the trees caught both of the trainers' attentions. Brock stepped back into the clearing, leaves and twigs adorning his hair.

"Time to add the flour," he muttered, more to himself than the trainers around them. He shuffled around the camp, still stirring his bowl, and rummaged through his pack until he found a plain looking satchel. Pouring some of its contents into the bowl, he stirred it with new vigor, then left the camp again without saying another word.

This distraction was all Ash needed. While Misty gawked at their oblivious companion, Ash crept around the campsite, behind Misty's back, and stopped just inches away from her head. Slowly, he leaned forward, until his lips nearly brushed her ear. Her shoulders unconsciously tensed in response to the impending touch. A gust of wind whispered past them, through the hair-width's gap left between his lips and her ear. Rebellious strands of her tangerine hair flew backwards with the current, tickling the end of Ash's nose. The intoxicating aromas of lavender and fresh laundry trickled lightly past, as if teasing his sensory nerves. Her scent caught him off guard, and for a moment, he was immobilized. In that moment, hundreds of emotions and thoughts flooded his mind. Overwhelmed, his brain tried to make sense of all this information; was it compassion he was feeling, or perhaps it was desire? Overdrive kicked in as his mind tried to process this revelation. However, he was determined not to let his chance slip away, and, shaking off his bemusement at the new sensations, Ash smiled.

"Boo." She shrieked and leaped forward, almost into the fire, before jumping up and sprinting away from the boy who was now on the ground, laughing.

"Not… Funny…" she panted, her heart racing too fast to yell at him.

"On the contrary," he choked out, still chuckling. She took a breath to calm her fluttering heart before she responded.

"Ash Ketchum-"

"-Misty Waterflower-" he interrupted. She ignored him.

"-you are the meanest person I have ever met." He waited for more insults, but none came.

"That's it?" he asked incredulously. She nodded tiredly.

"I don't have the breath to waste on you." He chuckled.

"Well, the good news is, you're away from the fire now. Ready to battle?"

She blinked, realizing that she was, in fact, standing a few yards away from the still consuming fire. Just as she realized that the fire was no longer providing her with warmth, another chill escaped and shook her legs.

"Whatever, Ash."

"Great!" he responded, much too enthusiastically for her taste. He pulled out the pokeball that he had been holding earlier, enlarged it, and threw it towards the space between the two trainers. "Let's go, Bulbasaur!"

"Bulb!" it chimed, materializing in front of the fire. A breeze floated by, bringing with it the nightly cool of the already cold darkness. The grass pokemon shook, then looked back to its trainer. "Bulbasaur saur?" it pleaded. Ash looked at it, then nodded, returning it to the warmth of its pokeball.

"It's too cold out here for it," he said dryly.

"Aww, too bad. Looks like we won't get our little match after all," Misty chided, smiling at the despondent trainer.

For the second time that night, however, Ash surprised her. Lifting his eyes up to meet hers, the corners of his lips began to curl upwards. Slowly, more and more of his teeth began to show, evolving from a smile into baring each pearly white fully at the slender girl across the way. His cheeks pinched upwards, and he squinted his eyes, dilated pupils barely gleaming with the ferocity reflected in them by the firelight. The abandoned pokeball slipped from his hand and bounced on the ground once before rolling away from the boy. Misty fidgeted under his unblinking stare, as if his piercing glare was shredding every inch of her mind and disposing of it across the grass between them.

Ash widened his grin until his lips could lift no further, and growled.

"Ash?" Misty asked hesitantly, off put by his unusual behavior.
She took a step forward, and he snarled again. This time, he lowered himself slowly to the ground, placing his calloused palms gently in the cold dirt by his feet. She continued towards him. A deep, throaty noise emanated from somewhere in his esophagus, hissing through the gaps in his teeth. He still watched her, keeping his gaze locked on her ever approaching eyes. Finally, she stopped just in front of him and crouched to his level.

"Ash?" she asked again, placing the back of her hand against his forehead.

He stared at her for a moment, the firelight flickering in his dark eyes. Then he snapped. With a bark, his arm lunged forward and grabbed her wrist, cascading clumps of dirt through the air. He twisted her wrist-not roughly enough to hurt her, but with enough force to cause her body to follow the momentum as he brought her tumbling to the ground. The instant she fell on her back, wide eyed and open mouthed, he climbed over her and pinned her to the ground, sitting on her stomach while pushing both of her wrists against the rough ground.

With his face only a few inches from hers, Misty could feel his hot, heavy breath on her cheeks. Or maybe it was the blood that was rushing to them that caused the warmth in her face? He gave one last small, triumphant sound before releasing her wrists and sitting up.

She stammered, then finally asked, "What are you doing, Ash?!" He laughed in reply.

"Well, if our pokemon can't battle, there's no reason that you and I can't." She stared dubiously back at him.

"So all that… growling, that was you battling me?"

"Yes!" he answered triumphantly. "C'mon, Misty, try it!"

"You are a freak, Ketchum."

"Do it," he snarled, obscuring the last word with another throaty sound. She eyed him back nervously.

"I don't know, Ash-"

He interrupted her with another growl, bringing his face closer to hers. She yelped in return.

"That was weak," he chuckled. "You sound like a dying Rattata."

"Well, maybe if your fat ass got off of me," she retorted, shoving his chest, "I might be a little more menacing." He complied, rolling smoothly off of her right side and landing on all fours just a few feet away. Brushing herself off, Misty stood up on her knees, eyed the area warily for watchers, cleared her throat, and-

Ash leaped towards her, baring his teeth at her once again. Through her skilled trainer's perspective, she anticipated his attack and dodged right, somersaulting just out of his reach. He tumbled to the ground, rolling again to prevent any damage to himself before snapping back into a defensive posture and facing his opponent. Misty, too, had taken his stance, and the two circled slowly, waiting for the other to make the next move. Ash smirked at her, a gravelly rumble sliding from between his lips. She returned the threat with her own, though her higher pitched voice provided a more feminine quality to her otherwise menacing snarl.

"Pika pi!" Ash's pokemon called from the fire, its cheeks sparking with excitement. Turning his back to glance at the Pikachu, Misty stealthily slid to her left, crouching behind a nearby stump. Realizing his mistake, Ash's head instantly spun back to face his opponent, only to find her out of sight.

Adrenaline raced through Misty's veins as she listened to her competitor shuffle around the other side of her hiding place. She couldn't remember a time when she had been more worked up than now as the hormone broke like waves through her flushed body. Brock had at least been right about being active; the chilling breeze was almost welcomed now. Almost-but there was one problem.

After he had finished making rude faces to his disloyal Pikachu, Ash scampered around, searching for his missing opponent. With the pokemon's giggles taunting him in the background, he darted back and forth, searching in each bush and behind every tree towards the edge of their camp. Once again, he heard Brock make his way through the camp, but again, the eldest companion failed to recognize his missing friends before leaving. Ash did not turn to watch Brock, though; his sole focus remained on finding Misty.

Another cold draft passed by Ash, slamming his face with icy temperatures. Though his activity kept his body warm, the tip of his nose went numb under the gale, reddening instantly. More than just the cold reached his nose, however, and under his heightened sense of smell caused by the adrenaline, he detected an oddly familiar smell. The scent was floral and fresh, and captivated his senses-until he realized what the source of it was. Alert, he followed the breeze to a large stump. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the tip of her red tennis shoe, and grinned.

"Peek-a-boo!" he cried, pulling himself up to peer over the stump. Misty glared back and raised herself to meet his gaze, her growl almost a purr.

With both hand pressed against the wood, she took an obvious step to the left. He countered, taking a step left as well. Again, Misty moved to the side, and again, Ash countered. The two circled in this way around the entire stump, not daring to look away from one another the whole time.

This time, Misty was the one to make the first move. With a yell, she launched herself onto the stump, crouched for a second more, then faked left. Ash, who conversely moved away from the girl, received the force of her tackle as she grasped his triceps and brought him down with her. He laughed roughly as his back crashed against the ground just before hers, and easily slid his arm free from her loosened hold. He rolled backwards, keeping the distance between them formidable.

Misty pushed up from her position on her stomach and turned to find Ash free and uninjured. She let out an annoyed grunt at her failed attempt to pin him, and brought herself back to the fight. Already, he was waiting for her, anticipating her next attempt to bring him down. However, the stance she took now was defensive, waiting for him to strike.

Her gymnastics training from the classes she took as a young child flashed through her mind, and as he charged towards her with a roar, she twisted into a back flip. As Misty kicked her legs up and over her head, she felt her right foot make contact with something pudgy, but hard. She heard Ash cry out painfully as she landed, and saw him doubled over, clutching his jaw.

"Shit!" she cursed, and rushed over to her companion. "Ash, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think so," he said gruffly, rubbing the bottom of his face with his cool hands. Beside him, the adolescent hovered over him, rambling on about how apologetic she was for the accident. Her fretting was almost cute. She hugged him tightly, still going on about making it up to him. However, the battle had yet to be won, and that was all that mattered to Ash.

With her arms around him, he turned his body to face her, then slammed her back to the ground, landing himself on top of her. When the feisty girl realized what had happened, she shoved back and flipped him, reversing their positions so that she lay on top of him. Quickly, she grabbed his wrists and forced them next to his head, preventing him from pushing back. She growled, and smiled victoriously.

"You know," Ash said smoothly, "I always like my women on top."

"Ash!" Misty cried. "That's gross!"

With her attention diverted, he pushed up from his chest and knocked her off balance. She slid to the ground, but still held onto his wrists. Effortlessly, he rolled with her through their connected limbs, and reclaimed his spot on top of her body, holding her struggling hands back.

Bringing his face to almost touch hers, he whispered, "Checkmate."

Blood rushed to her cheeks, which shined with a coral tint in the distant firelight. She struggled to prevent herself from hyperventilating at the two's proximity. Not that the friends weren't usually close to one another, but this kind of close was something completely different and unreal. She sighed dramatically, blinking her eyes tiredly.

"Alright, you win. Now can you get off of me?"

He considered her offer, then replied, "No, I don't think I'm done gloating yet." Misty grunted in return and turned her head to the side. If she didn't breathe in any fresh air soon, she was sure she was going to pass out.

As her hair whipped by his face, Ash felt the odor equally punch at his mind's neurons. The lavender coursed through his nose, and through his body from there. Struggling, however, he kept his cool, and leaned his face down to meet hers, proud of the control he was managing to keep over himself.

"Don't be a sore loser, Misty," he whispered, their faces now inconceivably close together. She could feel the heat radiating off of his flushed skin and warming her own.

"I'm not," she replied indignantly, turning back to face upwards. When would he learn that she needed to breathe? "Your face keeps getting close to mine."

"Oh yeah?" he smoothly responded, moving again to meet her face. He had to force himself to remain cool as he pressed his face almost onto hers. His heart raced as the tip of his nose touched Misty's, and their lips rested barely a millimeter apart. He knew that if he said anything more, they would touch. Touch. The thought sent his heart into convulsions. He would've been embarrassed of Misty feeling these spasms, but her own overactive pulse throbbed against his chest, informing him that he was not alone. He sucked in a breath through his nose, and forced his heart to calm slightly.

The girl pressed her eyelids closed; she couldn't bear to stand the sight in front of her. Her body was already in shock over the sensations his almost touching lips were causing, and combined with her physical exhaustion, she felt paralyzed from the neck down. Her hands went limp above her, but his grasp did not release on them. She felt one of his fingers trace the lines on her palm, teasing her. Unable to contain herself, she squirmed underneath him, as if the physical movement could release the tension between their proximity. The silence between them was almost as unbearable as his position.

"Geez, Ash," she breathed, "could you get any closer?"

That was all it took. As she spoke, her lips brushed his, and electrocuted his mind. Any adrenaline that he had lost instantly surged back, and he blinked, opening his eyes with new vitality.

"I could," he replied, annunciating his words so that his lips again encountered hers. She shook violently beneath him, but said nothing more. Taking his cue, he moved ever so slightly closer, resting his lips on top of hers.

"See?" he gloated, his voice just barely above a breath. The air pushed past her lips into her mouth, as if tasting his words would help to accentuate his point.

Ash closed his eyes and took the plunge, closing the rest of the microscopic distance between them. He pressed both of his lips clumsily to the girl's, and quickly pulled back, still nervous of his action. He kept his eyes closed as he hovered again over her mouth, but not quite as closely as before.

"Ash," Misty whispered, "what-"

"Don't say it," he interrupted, cutting her off. "That didn't happen."

"Yes it did," she hissed back.

She opened her eyes now to see what was going on, and found herself looking at his face still. At least this time it was farther back. His eyes were closed, however, and as she looked awkwardly at them, she closed hers again to avoid the unusual sight.

"Not to Brock it didn't. And not to Pikachu either. Only to you and me."

"Alright," Misty answered back, still trying to comprehend what happened. She paused for a second, then asked, "Ash, are you going to… do that again?"

He was silent for a moment.

"No, I don't think so," he said confidently. At least, as confidently as he could, he reasoned.

"Alright," Misty answered again.

Although most of the tension had been released, she still felt weak with him so close to her. Her mind was still fogged up, and wasn't going to defrost anytime soon. She knew she wasn't thinking very clearly, but she couldn't help reaching up and pecking his lips. As soon as she did, she regretted the decision, blaming her poor judgment as she heard Ash's surprised breath above her.

"Did-" he started.

"Yes," Misty answered. "Now we're even." She smiled and opened her eyes, watching as his opened as well.

The fire reflected off of his dilated pupils, though not as brightly as before. His glassy eyes searched the area around them, then smiled to match his grinning mouth. Who knew she would be so bold? He looked at her, trying to figure out the thoughts behind her oceanic eyes, but the seas said nothing. By her expression, he guessed she was attempting to do the same thing. The silence between them grew uneasy and awkward with every passing second.

Attempting to break the silence, Misty hesitantly asked, "Can you get-"

"Yeah." He laughed nervously as she lightly pushed his chest, then lifted himself up and fumbled off of her. She sat up, pressing her hands to her chest anxiously.

"At least I can breathe now," she joked.

"You practically live underwater, and you were afraid of not being able to breathe under me?"

"Basically," she replied simply. He shook his head in response, standing up as he did.

"C'mon, let's get back to the fire. I'm starting to get cold again."

Ash offered her a hand up, but she didn't take it. Standing up on her own, she followed him as he headed to the center of their camp, where the fire still burned slowly. Two bowl of food were perched on the ground in front of them. Ash looked at what appeared to be bowls made of bread, confused, until he caught sight of the sitting figure on the other side of the fire.

"Brock?" Ash questioned.

"Were you expecting someone else?" the trainer replied calmly, spooning himself some soup from the bread bowl that rested in his hands.

"Right. The food," Ash noted.

"What happened to you two?" the older boy asked, tossing Ash back the pokeball he had discarded earlier that night.

The younger boy looked quizzically at the other, then looked over at Misty. She was already staring at him, a smile barely escaping from her otherwise taut mouth. Besides her slightly flushed face, Ash noticed that sticks and leaves festooned her messy ponytail. As she brushed her hands on her grass-stained shorts, he watched as flakes of dirt fluttered to the ground. He then understood Brock's curiosity, and shrugged in reply.

"You told us to get up and do something, so we did." It was Misty who spoke this time. Brock nodded.

"So who won?" Brock motioned to the waiting food as the other two faltered over the new question. They sat down quietly, considering the answer.

"It was a draw," Ash said quietly.

"Definitely equal," Misty agreed. She laughed nervously under her breath. Ash, catching the sound, smiled as well.

"I'm hoping you're not planning a tiebreaker tonight," Brock answered, unaware of his companions' suspicious behavior. Another round of anxious giggling erupted.

"No," Misty said quickly.

"Not tonight, at least," Ash answered. Hearing the implication in his answer, Misty turned to look at the boy, who only smirked back. She blushed again, and focused her attention back on her soup.

"Right," she said. Brock nodded.

"Well, sounds like you two had quite the night. Hopefully it warmed you up a bit," he said, standing up and putting his utensils down near his pack. More laughter preceded his reply.

"Yup," Ash said boastfully.

Brock climbed into his sleeping bag, and replied, "Good. I'll get you two up in the morning, then." He turned his back to the duo, rustling his blankets until he got comfortable.

Misty glanced over at Ash, noting that his food was already gone. She offered him her leftovers, and he greedily took them, quickly finishing them off. He set her bowl down next to his, and yawned.

"Goodnight, Misty," he said, heading for his own sleeping bag. His Pikachu had already curled up inside, forming an unusual lump in the otherwise smooth blanket.

"Ash," she called. He turned back to face her, smiling.

"Yeah?" he asked. She hesitated.

"That didn't happen, did it?"

"Nope," he replied, giving her a small wink.

"I thought so." She winked back to him.

He laughed, then said, "I'm glad we're on the same page, then."

"Is that not going to happen again?" Misty questioned.

"Most definitely not," he responded.

"Then I'll be sure not to look forward to it." She smiled.

"Good, 'cause I sure as heck won't." Ash laughed, causing the girl to giggle as well.

"Sleep well," she said, watching as he climbed into his blankets. He waved in response, and flipped onto his belly.

Misty sighed as she lay down like the other two. She pulled her blankets up to her neck in an attempt to keep warm, but the cold still managed to seep through her thick sleeping bag. She felt her consciousness drift slowly away, and relaxed her muscles.

"I'm taking my win back," a husky voice whispered in her ear.

She wrenched her eyes open and barely made out Ash's face before it pressed his lips against her own. She closed her eyes again and relaxed, enjoying the feeling before it went away. He pulled away, and she heard him shuffling away from her.

"Not fair," she mumbled over the sound of him pulling his blankets back over his body. "It's too cold for me to go over there and beat you."

"Do you surrender, then?" His voice was tired as well.

"Never," she hissed, then giggled. "Tomorrow is another day."

"You're on."

"Better watch your back, Ketchum," she whispered.

"Nah," he murmured defiantly. "I'll be too busy kissing your lips to do that."

"We'll see."

"Definitely," was the last thing Misty heard before she fell asleep. This was one challenge she wasn't going to take lightly.