Summary: Plotbunny fic! After a horrible breakup, Ash storms away from
his girlfriend's house, only to have his car break down, forcing him
to hitch a ride…but perhaps it may be a beautiful day after all?
Disclaimer: Don't own pokemon, k? It belongs to Nintendo and
Shogakukan comics. Non-profit fanwork, no copyright infringement
intended, I own it under copyright law since I wrote it.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics in case a pokemon
talks. Switches from first person to third person without warning.
Ages: I'll make Ash 17 and Misty 19
Warnings: Sexual references, angst, misty-bashing, a few hints of
shipping, but nothing blatant, so this isn't romance.
Genre: Not Romance, maybe Angst, Introspective
Title: Beautiful Day
Gusts of wheezy air drifted from the smoking engine of the decrepit
red car. Perhaps decrepit was not the best word, though. Scratches of
silver and a large dent showed on the once glossy `fire engine red'.
The boy, no, young man standing by the vehicle cursed under his breath.
"Of course there's no such thing as `pokemon insurance' for these
expensive things…" He grumbled.
But then, expecting a car to stand up to a Nidoking's body slam and a
Starmie's Hyper Beam was a bit much.
Still, it wasn't the loss of the vehicle that wounded him as much as
the loss of his pride…
******************Blatant Flashback************************************
"Misty!"
Ash dropped the bouquet of roses and the box of chocolate he had been
carrying into the apartment as he took in the scene.
Clothing scattered over the area. Check.
Two occupants in bed… one of them his girlfriend. Check.
An obscenely familiar head of spiky brown hair?! Check.
"GARY!"
The boy shot a guilty look at his best friend. "I-I'm sorry Ash! It
all happened so fast-. But… I really do love her…"
He was cut off when Misty put an arm around him, heedless of her
state. "Now, now, Gary, don't worry. Ash is just overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Ash gasped. "You seduced my best friend!"
"What can I say? He turned out to be a much better lay." Misty said,
with a seductive wink. "Besides, you weren't here."
Ash twitched.
"Well, we're busy, so you can drop by later." Misty promised. "I have
plenty of energy."
Without another word, Ash slammed the door shut and raced back
towards his car. He was driving away as fast as the speed limit would
allow when a both of yellow energy came flying through the window,
accompanied by a charging purple blur.
Luckily his car had protected him.
**********************End Flashback************************************
Another kick did not do anything to improve the car's driving
ability. Sighing, Ash checked the controls. Sure enough, he was out of
gas and in need of a tow truck. Just peachy…
"Gary… he must really love her though. He wouldn't have attacked me
otherwise." Ash sighed. "Well, I hope Misty doesn't break him."
Like she broke you? A voice taunted. Yes, yes, of course… you've
always been the noble hero, right?
Sacrifices, sacrifices, and to make your best friend happy you
sacrifice your own!
Yes, yes! Of course! After all, what's a Chosen One to do? So nice,
only you wind up losing every time, hehehehe….
"Shut up!" Ash snapped, putting a mental lid on the voices, but a
whisper of consciousness taunting still drifted out.
"I am a pathetic kid…"
Why didn't I notice earlier? I'm really dense, aren't I? I bet she
slept with Rudy too! And Brock, and Danny, and Chuck…
It's not fair! All I wanted was love! Is that so outrageous? I played
the game, I took all the steps; I followed the manual!
I gave her presents and I never asked for anything in return, she was
the one who got me drunk the first time.
And after that, she was always the one who would insinuate it. So
what did I do wrong?! I really am a stupid kid.
Blind little idiot, doesn't see until its too, too late.
Kuso! There's nothing I can do about this! It's not like she wants
me, anyway. I doubt she knows the concept of love.
It's like prostitution, what she's doing… only instead of payment she
gets all those pretty clothes she wants…jewelry… fancy dinners…
I might pity Gary.
Well, he'll take my place. Maybe she'll be faithful to him but I
doubt it. I knew there had to be a reason she and Brock would
disappear for hours on end, I just never saw it! Well, now I know.
I wish I didn't. Truth is painful.
What a naïve little hero…
And I'm still playing the stupid child. Well, at least I'm free, she
broke up with me… that Hyper Beam was pretty direct.
This car… do I need it? I bought it for her…
Yes, I suppose I don't…
But leaving it all behind like that? Demo, it's hard! And how am I
supposed to get home? I left Pikachu and all the others behind….
Kuso, being stupid again, why don't I ever plan ahead…
Baka… little virgin boy who sees everything in pastel and never knows
the darkness that's really there, I'm so stupid…
Ash closed his eyes and sighed.
"Maybe I could hitchhike…"
And please don't let there be any rabid fans… no, this is a back
road, there's no one out here…
Well, I hope someone comes.
Not ten minutes later, a motorcycle stopped next to him.
Lance took off his helmet, surprised. "Ash? What are you doing here?"
It was a rare cape-less day for him.
"My car broke down." Ash said shortly, not wanting to divulge the
truth to an almost perfect stranger so soon.
"Ah…" Lance jumped off and went over to take a look. Shaking his
head, he pronounced the final judgment. "It's hopeless. You'd have to
call a tow truck. Don't you have a cell phone?"
"It's at home recharging." Ash said shortly.
"You didn't bring any of your pokemon with you?" Noticing the absence
of Pikachu…
"No."
Lance caught the unspoken answer, sharp eyes narrowed and turned
away. * Of course… what else… *
"Well then, I'm not going to leave a fellow trainer stranded here."
Lance said, as he reached into the unlimited space of anime/manga and
pulled out another helmet. "Hop on. I'll take you."
Ash caught it between surprised fingers, before putting it on. *
Might as well… there's only a dead end waiting for me here. *
He climbed on behind the other trainer, putting his arms around
Lance's waist, before the Dragon Master started the engine and they
sped off.
Birds chirped in the trees. The sky a sickeningly perfect shade of
blue, the fresh air faintly tinged with clover…
Ash unconsciously tightened his grip, anger rocketing to the front of
the mind. How dare they!
He resisted the urge to murder the strident noise… er, the birds.
Stupid bloody chirping beasts!
And the blue sky… ugh, how distasteful and clichéd and… and…
Ash closed his eyes and just clung on.
It wasn't reckless speeding, Lance kept good control of the vehicle,
and often stopped to point out small shrines by the road. He kept
silent about the fact that he might wind up with bruises. Who knew Ash
had such a strong grip?
Well, it was lucky he had decided not to meddle in affairs of the
heart. He didn't want to turn out wrecked.
Ash was a little more than slightly annoyed, but since Lance was
taking him back home, he kept his thoughts silent.
"It's always nice to have company on a nice day like this."
Ash stared at the small shrine to Celebi sitting by the road. "I
suppose…"
Lance shook his head. "Well, it seems like you're in no mood to
appreciate the view anyway. Pity. Let's get back on."
Lance hoisted himself back on and extended a hand to Ash, who allowed
him to be pulled up.
He even managed not to grimace. It took some force of will, not to
get angry at Lance, but it wasn't his fault he was enjoying the
scenery, so he bit his tongue. And they didn't talk anymore.
They rode on.
As the long ride continued, Ash felt some of his anger the chirping
Pidgeys bleed away. It wasn't their fault that they sang. It was
natural. It was their nature…
He shouldn't blame them just because he was a in a bad mood.
And… the breeze was kind of nice, not like roaring sixty miles per
hour winds in a pokemon battle, but a kind of gentleness, almost like
spring's caress after having run several laps.
Maybe… it wasn't so bad…
They made another stop about an hour later; they were getting closer
to Pallet Town. Lance was avoiding the main highway system and Ash
appreciated that, he doubted he could take the pressure.
Screaming fangirls chasing him on bikes…
Picketers trying to get him to devolve his evolved pokemon, claiming
evolution was cruel and unusual punishment…
The environmental protection agency trying to get his support for a
bill that would actually benefit polluting electric companies…
The government billboards with a distended picture of his face
splashed across them, advertising the League…
It was depressing!
They stopped and had ice cream.
Ash was rather mollified by the offering, which lifted his mood
somewhat. Maybe, it wasn't such a bad day…
After all, he could have wound up dead from that pokemon attack.
Wouldn't it be better to be dead? A voice insinuated.
Shut up! Ash inwardly yelled.
To his surprise, it did so. This time, the whisperings were
completely gone. Vanished. Strange…
Ash took another lick of his ice cream and smiled for the first time
that day. He couldn't help it. Ice cream always made him happier.
How did Lance know?
Well, that didn't matter. Maybe, things would get better. It would
take time to move past Misty's `betrayal', of sorts, but…
Did he really want her back? The thought of that smile plastered on
her face in invitation brought to mind the painted whores he had seen
in the plateau, walking the alleys in search of prey.
No! He didn't want that!
If getting Misty back resulted in such, he didn't want her anymore.
Ash took another bite of the confection and smiled.
Maybe… I've been set free… instead of being defeated… this event
might not be what it seems at all…
Who knows?
Treats finished, he climbed back on as they continued down the path home.
The roofs of Pallet Town beckoned, as they grew closer.
The clouds were heavier now, painted in pale gray. It would rain tonight.
That was fine with him.
He didn't need the comfort that a blue sky gave, although it had been
nice while it lasted.
Lance dropped him off, and climbed back on the vehicle. At the door,
Ash stopped.
"Wait!"
"Hmm?" The Dragon Master hadn't said a word during the rest of the
entire ride, and neither had the boy. Considering Ash's sour mood, it
had been a wise decision.
But Ash was smiling now, shyly.
"You were right, Lance. It was a beautiful day."
End!
Created 4/1/04
Completed 4/7/04
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