"Triple Trouble" Author: Robert Brown Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be considered a violation of copyright law. #10 Part 4: "Day 3 - Daisy" When the alarm went off the next morning, Ash slammed his hand down on it irritably. There was no way it was already 7:00 AM. He must've set the alarm wrong last night. But no, the red LCD display clearly showed that the time and the alarm was correct. With a muttered groan, he threw aside the covers and rolled out of bed to get dressed. He hadn't sleep well the night before; way too much on his mind that was even still there now. His encounters with both Lily and Violet, especially the nighttime ones, were really confusing him. It was almost like the contest had stopped being the driving force behind their actions in some way, but that made no sense. He'd spent the entire night thinking about it, but he felt he was no closer to an answer than he'd been when he went to bed. One more day. One more day and he'd be able to leave this gym and the crazy but beautiful ladies in it behind him. The only problem with that was which one was waiting for him. Daisy. The oldest of the three, and the one that had been most insistent about their ability to make him stray. Lily had been pretty straightforward while Violet had tried to mess with his head. Just what did Daisy have planned? As he headed toward breakfast, he dreaded to see just what would be waiting for him this time. Cereal. What was waiting for him was cereal. Not even hot cereal, but the kind grownups ate in the morning just to have something in their stomachs to get them through to lunch. To say that Ash was confused was a bit of an understatement. "Umm, what's this?" he asked, poking at the cereal box as if it held all the answers that he was looking for. "Sorry I didn't have time to cook you anything Ash, but today's a very busy day," Daisy said over the lip of her coffee mug, her eyes and attention on a spiral notepad in front of her. She was dressed in a simple red blouse with the top two buttons undone and a pair of jeans. It certainly didn't fit the glamourous look that the Cerulean Sisters were known for, but she kept talking and he found something else to think about. "You know, it may not seem like it's all that big a thing, but running this gym is not simple. It takes up a lot of time and patience to make sure all the bills are paid and every battle is accounted for. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! As much as I hate to say it, don't expect to see me too much today." It struck Ash as a little odd considering the bet that was in place, but he certainly wasn't going to argue the point. He kept glancing at her as he ate his cereal, expecting her to try to catch him off guard. But other than showing a healthy amount of agitation at whatever she was working on, there was no reaction out of her at all. After breakfast was over, he just went to wait for Misty and Penny to show up since he had pretty much explored the whole of the gym by now. He was sure that Daisy would at least join him to make sure that his girlfriends behaved themselves. But the only one to wait with him was a subdued Violet, waiting to confirm that he had indeed passed her test. Of course, Ash was glomped again as soon as that was known, but this time there was no Daisy to tell them to knock it off. That slowly became apparent to both Penny and Misty as they hugged Ash, though Misty was the first of the two to actually figure it out. "What's she up to?" the redhead muttered, looking around as if expecting Daisy to jump out at them any minute. Once Penny caught on to what she was talking about, her light brown eyes searched right alongside the aqua eyes of her friend. "Well, she said she'd be busy running the gym today," Ash told them when it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon, especially when it took them away from hugging him. "She told me not to expect her around so much today." "Oh really?" Penny asked, a very mischievous look on her face. "Well, if she has something planned today, she's going to be highly disappointed. Come on in you two!" she called. Ash looked back toward the open door in confusion as it remained empty. "Come in...who?" Misty and Penny both looked toward the door and growled. Side by side, they marched back outside with their fists clenched down at their sides. Ash went to follow, but a couple of surprised squeals stopped him. Two people who looked remarkably familiar to him were pushed inside soon after, and Ash had to scramble out of the way or be knocked over. "Meet Jake and Jeanie," Misty said, her hands firmly in the center of Jake's back as she pushed him down the hall. "We met them last night outside the gym just after it closed." "They're here because they want a badge battle," Penny explained, forcing Jeanie forward in much the same way. "They're just a little shy at the moment, so we're convincing them to keep going!" Ash just watched them head toward the main pool for a moment before shaking his head. If nothing else, Penny was right; if Daisy was planning something then an official badge battle or two would throw a wrench into her plans. And either way, it would certainly be a great way to spend some time! A half-hour later and things were all set up. Daisy stood on one platform in that bright red bathing suit that Ash had first seen her in, looking as intense as Misty did right before a battle. This was definitely a far cry from the time when she was just going to give him his Cascade Badge. Maybe not having Misty around for this past year had made her take these things more seriously. "There are two challengers for a Cascade Badge," she said in a clear voice. "OK, here are the rules. Each battle will be one-on- one, no time limit. In the event of a draw, the challenger will not receive a badge. As the gym leader, I will choose my pokémon first. Now go! Starmie!" Jake was standing on the other platform as the starfish pokémon appeared in the water below. He looked very nervous, despite all the cheering that Ash and the others were doing for him, or maybe because of it. He pulled a pokéball from his pocket and was about to throw it, but he stopped himself. Ash couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment, but he switched that pokéball for another one. "Go! Beedrill!" "Now that's an interesting choice," Daisy said, a smirk appearing on her lips as Jake's pokémon buzzed over the surface of the pool. "Coming to a water gym and not bringing a pokémon that's strong against water. Too late to change now though. Starmie!" she yelled, pointing at the constantly moving beedrill. "Tackle now!" "Dodge it!" Jake called, looking calmer now that the battle was underway. His Beedrill zigzagged above the pool, moving only when he saw the starmie heading his way. "Good job! Now stop and use Fury Attack!" "No!" Daisy cried, seeing her Starmie met by the points of the lances on beedrill's arms. "Recover! Now use Bubblebeam!" "Poison Sting!" Jake countered, watching as the many bright needles popped most of the bubbles before they even came close. There were too many to deal with though, and a few did impact against the bug pokémon, making him falter in mid-flight. "Shake it off!" "Bubblebeam again!" Daisy said, hoping to catch Beedrill before he could get his bearing back. But the beedrill was quicker this time, avoiding the attack by looping around the bubbles, which was obviously frustrating Daisy. "One more time!" Jake was watching Beedrill very carefully as he flew around without being told to, and suddenly he noticed that the pokémon's arms were glowing very slightly. "Perfect timing!" he called, startling Daisy from calling out another attack. "Use Pin Missile!" Similar to poison sting, the pin missile attack launched needles through the bubbles heading toward Beedrill. But the number of projectiles was much larger this time, skewering all the bubbles and embedding into the jewel in Starmie's center. "Finish it off!" Jake called hurriedly as Daisy urged her pokémon to recover again. "Twineedle!" Whether or not the Starmie heard Daisy didn't matter as it was sent flying by the double strike right into its center, slumping down against the edge of the pool with its jewel darkened. Daisy stared for a moment before just shaking her head and recalling the Starmie back to its pokéball. "Unexpected, but very effective," she said warmly, but Ash could see a little tightness around her green eyes that told him she was being polite. "Next?" Jake recalled his own Beedrill looking a little stunned that he had won. He barely even registered that Jeanie had hugged him on the way past. By the time he sat down, she was already on the platform and ready to go. "Did that really just happen?" he asked Ash as he watched the ladies call out their pokémon: a Seel for Daisy and a Clefairy for Jeanie. "Why do you sound so surprised?" Ash asked, noticing that Daisy was taking this battle a lot more seriously even though once again there wasn't a type disadvantage to be found. "It's not like this is your first badge, is it?" "Actually," Jake muttered, watching as Jeanie's clefairy bounced around the tiny platforms scattered around the pool's surface to avoid seel's attacks, "this is our first badge." "Stand still!" Daisy yelled, frustrated at her Seel's inability to hit any of his attacks. "You want her to stand still?" Jeanie asked, her own smirk matching the one Daisy had sported earlier. "Fine, we'll do things your way. Clefairy! Time to finish this off! Use Metronome!" The attack that was called out made the entire area go quiet except for the clefairy who was waving her arms back and forth. "Metronome," Daisy groaned, obviously hating that word so much. Metronome was the unpredictable attack, the one that could be absolutely anything. From a Magikarp's Splash to a Dragonite's Hyper Beam and everything in between. There was no way to tell what it would be. "Are you crazy? You have no idea what that attack could do!" "I've got trust in my pokémon," Jeanie said confidently. "I know she'll pull through for me." "Well I'm not giving her the chance! Seel! Use Headbutt!" The bad thing about Metronome was that it could not be called for on the move. Clefairy was a sitting duck as seel charged right for it. The horn atop Seel's head knocked Clefairy back with such force that Ash was surprised not to see any blood in the water. He was sure the match was over, but then he saw that Clefairy's arms were no longer in motion. The momentum of the headbutt pulled Seel out of the water for a short distance, keeping him near Clefairy. In that short instant, she wrapped her small hands around seel's horn. For a second it didn't look like anything was happening, but then both pokémon started to glow green. Ash didn't recognize the attack, and he wished he had his pokédex on him, but it was back in his room for the time being. The effect was obvious though, as Clefairy suddenly looked completely unharmed as she landed safely on a nearby platform. Seel, on the other hand, was floating motionless on top of the water. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was completely unconscious. "And such goes my luck," Daisy sighed, recalling her Seel and turning to descend the platform. "Come on over you two, let's make this nice and official." Jake hurried over to help Jeanie down after Clefairy all but jumped back into her pokéball, then they walked over to meet Daisy at the middle of the pool. "Congratulations to you both on winning your battles here today," she said, opening a case that she had picked up on her way. "For your victories, I present you both with Cascade Badges. Wear them proudly." Both Jake and Jeanie reached into the case and pulled out the teardrop- shaped badges and looked at them with a sense of awe. Ash ran over with his girlfriends to congratulate them, and to shock them out of their stupor. "Way to go you two!" Misty said as she and Penny pulled them into group hugs. "I knew you could do it!" "Which means dinner's on us tonight," Penny added, ruffling Jake's hair playfully. "So go on and get ready to celebrate!" Ash laughed at the pitiful expression on Jake's face, which got Jeanie's attention squarely on him. "Hmm, is this the Ash you were telling us about last night?" she asked, leaning in close and making him back up with a blush. "He's as cute as you said. You girls have good taste!" "Hey, get your own!" they both said together, each girl grabbing onto one of Ash's arms. A good laugh was had by all, but Ash didn't hear one voice he expected to join in. A quick look told him that Daisy was nowhere to be found. He hadn't even seen her leave, and after how she'd acted this morning, he couldn't help but be a little worried about her. Daisy was conspicuous by her absence for the rest of that morning; but at least there were no other challengers for her to deal with. The next time they saw her was when she announced lunch for them. It was just a simple lunch of sandwiches, but it was more than either of the other two had done on their days. "Aren't you going to have anything?" Ash asked when he noticed her leaving. "I'll probably get something a little later," she said, brushing a hank of her blonde hair out of her tired face. "A lot of our debtors want their money today, or at least a good explanation of why we're going to be late with it. The shows just aren't bringing in what they used to and the stipend for being a Gym Leader isn't much since we give out so many badges." "Is it really that bad Daisy?" Misty asked, worry for her home leaking through the animosity over their current bet. Daisy gave her sister a wan smile and shook her head. "It's always bad Misty, you knew that before you left. But hey, we've made it this long, right? We'll be able to make it through again." "She doesn't look so well," Ash commented, getting nods from the other two as Daisy walked out of the kitchen. He had it in mind to say something else, but was stopped as she poked her head back in. "Yeah?" he asked, thinking she had forgotten something. Daisy's green eyes lit up with a soft but mischievous smile that made her look more alive than she had so far that day. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm aware of all the cuddling that's been going on today," she said, making all three jump guiltily. "According to the rules, you can't do anything to interfere with my plans. Problem is that I'm so busy today that I have no plans to speak of, so you're not breaking any rules. Just try to keep it to a minimum, ok?" They nodded quickly to her request, and she left the kitchen again. The rest of the day passed quietly, Since there wasn't much concern that Daisy would show up and ruin their time together, they were a lot more content to just sit there and enjoy each others' company. It was so relaxing for them all that at one point they had all fallen asleep, Ash with an arm around each of them, only to be awoken by a nearby clock chiming five times. "Wow, where did the time go," Penny said through a yawn, her face cutely scrunching up. "My Pikapi," she whispered, getting in another snuggle before reluctantly disentangling herself from his embrace and helping a sleepy Misty do the same. "Just think, tomorrow morning we'll be able to put this whole thing behind us." "I can't wait!" Ash agreed enthusiastically as he walked them to the door. "Besides, I've got an Earth Badge to earn!" He couldn't help but laugh at the looks that crossed both their faces, something between annoyance and acceptance with a little extra thrown in there. He gave them each a kiss that seemed to mollify them somewhat, and they both kissed him back before they left. It wasn't too hard to figure out how to lock the door behind them, even though Daisy had done it the two days previous. Once it was secured, he turned around to see the blonde skidding at him, trying to stop herself before she crashed into him. Ash was able to get his hands up to grab her arms to stop her, but not before she was only a few inches from falling into him. "You all right?" he asked as she caught her breath. "Y-yeah," she said, blushing from the near accident. "Sorry about that Ash, this floor gets slippery when it's wet." Ash looked down and saw that her feet were bare and her legs wet from about the middle of her shin on down, well below the cotton shorts she was wearing now. Her blouse was unbuttoned, showing off a pink, silky slip that fell to her waist but still kept her modesty intact. "I was just trying to relax by resting my feet in the pool," she explained when she saw him looking at her legs. "I wish I could've gone swimming but with everything today I just didn't have that much time." "It's ok Daisy," he said, sensing she was starting to babble. He tried to set her back on her feet, but she was still leaning a lot toward him and he wasn't able to let her go for fear that she'd fall or something. Of the four sisters, Ash had spent the least amount of time around Daisy, so he took this opportunity to get a good look at her. Each of the others still had a certain cast to their face to show that they were still young, or perhaps very recently an adult. But not Daisy; the beauty and maturity of her face made it very clear that she was all woman. At the same time, Daisy took the opportunity to study Ash's face as well. He was young sure, but his travels had brought with it a sense of maturity that few pokémon trainers encountered so early in their careers. It was like he'd already lived a whole life and was now on his second one. But he hadn't lost that boyish charm that had made him stand out the first time they'd met. Those two things combined would prove a powerful force with the ladies once he got older. If she were being honest, they already were, and that was why she found herself leaning toward him just a bit. Ash was no longer surprised by this, having had this happen with the other two sisters already. Even as he leaned up to brush his lips ever so lightly against hers, he turned around to prop her up against the door as he stepped back. "See you at dinner Daisy," he said, feeling more confident this time around than he had the previous two days. Daisy watched him walk away and felt herself slide down the door until she was sitting against it, the weakness in her legs having nothing to do with how wet they were. She hadn't been lying when she'd said that she had been busy doing the more menial aspects of running a gym since the battle, but she had also planned for this moment. There was no way he could've seen it coming, relying on the element of surprise to make his reaction perfectly honest. And yet somehow he had managed to reverse things around on her. She was almost six years his senior, she should not be attracted to him like this. Her sisters had tried to warn her that Ash was so hard to resist, but she'd paid it no mind. Now, after experiencing it herself, she wished she had listened. Perhaps a half hour after all this happened, Brock finally emerged from his room in the Pokémon Center. He'd spent a majority of the day with Suzie to make up for avoiding her the day before, but it hadn't helped her worry any less about him. He was almost sure that she knew that something was going on with him, but so far it didn't look like she had any idea just what that was. He had to tell her, he knew he did, but how to tell her something he still wasn't sure of himself? At least she had gone out shopping with Penny and Misty in anticipation of Ash winning that little wager they'd forced him into. It gave him a few hours to figure things out. "Hey Brock!" Nurse Joy said chipperly as she saw him, waving him over. "Hey Nurse Joy," he greeted her, finding the slight blush on her face quite cute. He was worried she would want to discuss what had happened between them, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. But that was no reason to be rude. "You're looking a lot better today." Joy ducked her head shyly as he caught her blushing, but she looked up at him through her long lashes. "All thanks to you," she murmured with a warm smile before looking back up and recovering her poise. "Growline is ready to go back to Officer Jenny," she said, holding out the pokéball for him to take. "I would take her back myself, but this is always the time of day the Center gets busy, and from everything I heard she's not able to come and get it herself. Would you be a dear and take her back to Jenny for me?" "Oh sure, no problem," Brock said with a relieved smile. That was something he could handle easily enough, and he wanted to check on Jenny anyway to see how her wounds were healing. He took the pokéball and turned to leave, but stopped when Nurse Joy put her hand on top of his. "Is there something else I can do for you?" he asked, his heart fluttering just a bit at her touch. Her blush was back and more obvious than before, but she bravely held his gaze. "Well, I was hoping that tonight after I closed up you wouldn't mind joining me for dinner? You know, like a date maybe?" How often had he wished to hear those words? But as he stood there watching her, he knew that the time for them had past. What he felt for Joy was a crush, a boyhood dream. That kiss they'd shared had been amazing, and she was as beautiful and terrific as ever. But with a small start he realized he was happy with Suzie, and he didn't want to risk that. He must've taken a little too long to figure all that out, because Joy's smile fell a little, turning sad as she realized the truth. "There's someone else, isn't there?" she asked, shaking her head before he could answer. "The blue-haired one you're traveling with, right? I should've known that a guy as nice as you would've had a girlfriend already." "Hey if I didn't--" Brock began, but Nurse Joy cut his off by leaning in for a quick but tender kiss. It brought to mind the other one they had shared, but he could tell that this one was a goodbye. The only thing he could think of to say was, "Thank you," no matter how inadequate it felt. "No Brock, thank you," Joy said, wiping a tear away as she let his hand go. She waved to him as he left the Pokémon Center, then she walked into her kitchen for a quick break. She was sad that he was already taken, but as least he hadn't tried to lead her on. She wasn't about to tell him this, but he was her first kiss, and that was something she would always treasure. Dinner at the Gym was another quiet affair. Daisy was at least eating this time, but she was still hard at work at the table. Ash felt a little bad as he stirred around his bowl of stew, especially as she got more and more frustrated no matter how many times she went over whatever was on that notepad of hers. He knew what her answer probably would be, but there was no harm in asking. "Hey Daisy," he ventured quietly. "Is there any way I can help?" As quiet as his voice was, it still startled her out of her thoughts. Biting back the snarky comment that had been on the tip of her tongue, she instead forced a smile as she blew some hair from her face. "I wish you could Ash," she said, flipping some pages in the pad before slamming it down again. "No matter how I work the numbers, there's no way we can keep this gym in business forever. The money we bring in is always just slightly lower than our expenses, and that's with doing the water shows on top of the battling. With the money we've got saved up, we're looking at maybe three years before we're bankrupt unless something changes. Things were going well until our numbers started dropping at our shows but...." Ash wasn't that good at math, so he doubted he'd see anything in those numbers that she hadn't already considered. "Have you thought about trying a new show?" he suggested, which just resulted in a wry twist of Daisy's lips. "Well, what have you tried then?" "There's only so much we can do with synchronized swimming and water ballet Ash," she sighed, sitting back in her chair. "Most of what's out there we've done three times or more. Everyone's seen it already; no matter how good you are, people aren't going to pay for what they already know. And any original shows we've tried to put together have flopped miserably." "Well, how about changing things up?" Ash suggested, pushing his uneaten stew away from him and leaning his elbows on the table. "Let me finish," he said as she tried to cut him off. "As great as you three are, you admitted there's only so much you can do with that. What about a show that focuses on the pokémon more than on you three?" "A water pokémon show?" she asked disbelievingly. "As much as I love them, I don't think people would pay to see something like a live documentary. They want action, suspense, to be on the edge of their seats! And nothing I can come up with will do that." Ash scooted his chair around the table closer to her so they could talk a little easier. "Well what about battling? This is a gym after all, isn't it? You could pull trainers in to watch the show and then try their luck by battling you right there onstage." Daisy's eyes lit up as the possibilities whirled around in her mind. "Yes yes, I think I can see that," she said, turning to a blank page in her notepad and starting to sketch out ideas and notes. "Problem is, my battling isn't really the best around, as you saw today. I mean, how could that Beedrill beat Starmie? I mean ok, that Clefairy got lucky by pulling up Mega Drain, but I don't get the other one." "I did a little looking into that," Ash said with a grin, glad to know something that she didn't. "According to my pokédex, Starmie is a Water/ Psychic type pokémon, and it turns out that Bug attacks are strong against Psychics." "So even though he didn't have the advantage against Water, he did have it against Psychic," Daisy realized, completing his thought. "Wow, I'm actually kinda ashamed that I didn't know that. I focus on the Water aspects of pokémon so much that I forget that some of them have dual natures." "I only know because I have Dexter," Ash said with a laugh, referring to his pokédex. "Without that, I wouldn't be half the trainer I am." "But you've got a lot more experience with this stuff than I do," Daisy said with her green eyes glittering. "Care to help me figure it out?" Of course it was a blatant stroke of his ego, but Ash wasn't going to turn her down just because of that. After all, helping save the gym would also take a worry away from Misty, and that made it worth it. "All right, let's see what we can come up with," he said, and they both bent their heads to their work. While a show like nothing Cerulean City had ever seen was taking shape, Brock was waiting nervously by the door of Officer Jenny's stationhouse for the door to open. He'd knocked a few times already to no answer, and he was starting to worry after her health. What if she'd popped her stitches? What if she was bleeding out right now? He reached for the doorknob to open it, but the door jerked open before he could. "Oh Brock!" Jenny exclaimed, wincing a bit as she steadied herself with a walking stick. "Come on in. I wasn't expecting to see you today." "Nurse Joy wanted me to return Growline to you," he explained, letting the pokémon out of her pokéball. Growline barked happily to see her trainer up and about, but was careful to restrain her enthusiasm so as not to hurt her any worse than she was. "Wow," Brock commented as Growline curled up by Jenny's feet. "You have her so well trained." "A lot of patience and love," she assured him, sitting down and running her fingers through her friend's fur. "I'm just so glad she's OK; Brock, I don't think I could thank you enough for saving her life. For saving our lives," she amended with a blush. Brock fought the urge to chuckle at her nervousness, sensing a certain vulnerability in her that had not been apparent last night, even when she had been incapable of walking under her own power. Maybe it was the clothes she was wearing; a dark blue jogging outfit was a lot less intimidating than her uniform. Brock didn't know for sure, but he knew she needed support right now, not laughter. "Hey, I'm just glad I was there," he insisted, sitting down next to her. "Any word on that creep though?" "A couple of my deputies found him right where we left him," she told him, groaning a bit as she shifted herself a little closer to him. She took a moment to gather her courage and decided to blurt her next words out before she could stop herself. "Look Brock, I'm attracted to you, I want to get to know you better, so how about we have dinner tonight and see where things go?" "As much as I'd love to do that," Brock said, much quicker on the response this time than he had been with Nurse Joy, "I'm afraid I already have a girlfriend." Jenny closed her eyes with a groan and leaned back in her chair. "Just my luck," she sighed, a rueful smile twisting her red lips. "I finally find a guy and someone else already found him first. What else is new with my life?" "Hey, if I wasn't already--" "Please don't," Jenny said, holding her fingers up against his lips to silence him. "I know you're just trying to help but trust me, those words do nothing but hurt. Thanks for bringing Growline back, but it's probably best if you just go Brock." He nodded sadly, understanding what she was talking about. He'd had the best of intentions, but running through the words he'd been about to say made him realize just how painful they could be. What if Suzie had said that to him when they had met back in Cinnabar? He probably would've been crushed and tried to swear off women for a time. Not that he would've been too successful at it, but the thought would've been there. He knelt down to pet Growline and say his goodbyes to her before looking up to do the same to Jenny. But what he got wasn't a goodbye with words, but with a kiss as Joy had done earlier. He'd half-expected this as well, but he hadn't expected it to be so tender and filled with longing. He'd really had no idea just how much you could feel and make someone else feel with just a kiss. "I really hope she knows what a lucky girl she is," Jenny said, sitting back with a pained sigh. "And Brock, if it doesn't work out, feel free to look me up." "I might just do that," he agreed, but he already knew he wouldn't. It was just like his crush on Joy; a great dream but that's all it was ever supposed to be. He had never thought about anything past kissing them and sweeping them off their feet. But with Suzie, as much as it scared him a little to even consider it, he could actually see a future with her. As he walked back to the Pokémon Center, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days, but he knew that one thing still weighed on it. He had to tell Suzie. If there really was going to be any kind of future between them, he couldn't let this come up between them at any point. Better to deal with it now and hope that she could see past it. But he had to let her make that decision. He owed her that much at least for putting up with him so far. Some time later, inside the kitchen of the Cerulean Gym, Ash sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He was making a few more notes on the show that he and Daisy had spent the last few hours designing and he was exhausted. He'd thought it was a lot of work being part of that singing contest where he had won his Lapras, but this was like that times ten! Even Daisy had tired of it and had gone to the bathroom to refresh herself. When she got back he'd go throw some cold water on his face too so that they could make a final push and get this done tonight. A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed that it was 9:30 PM and Ash froze. After 9:00, that meant he was fair game. But Daisy hadn't been after him all day, except for that one opportunistic moment at the door. Surely she wouldn't try anything now, right? Still, maybe he would be better off going to his room and finish planning the show in the morning. And if not better, definitely safer. "Going somewhere Ash?" Daisy asked softly from the doorway just as Ash was starting to get up, the slight twist of her now cherry-red lips visible even through the shadows she stood in. Ash clenched his teeth together and sat back down. He was getting very well acquainted with that tone of voice, and he knew it meant nothing good for him. But buoying his confidence was the knowledge that this was the last night; their last chance. The moment he got into his room it would all be over and he would win. But when she stepped into the light, all of Ash's confidence fled like water swirling down a drain. Daisy was dressed in a sleeveless silk robe colored a deep red that only came down to her upper thighs. It was tied very loosely around her waist, but it still revealed a strip of bare skin from her neck down to that tie and the pink panties underneath it. "I really wanted to thank you for all your help," she said as she sauntered toward him, a definitely eye-catching sway to her hips. He quickly brought up his hands to ward her off as she leaned down over him, looking to catch her like he had earlier. Only this time she moved her arms up out of the way, making him miss. His arms wrapped around her to keep her from hurting herself as she fell forward, as if she had leaned too far to keep her balance. But from the sudden smirk on her face, he knew that he'd been had. "Well well," Daisy all but purred, sitting down quickly on his lap and looking at his arms embracing her, "if this isn't initiating affectionate physical contact, I don't know what is." Ash's brain took a second to process that, but it was already too late to act. Daisy brought her lips down onto his aggressively, kissing him like he'd never been kissed before. Her lips were forceful, demanding, and slid across his in ways he'd never experienced before. Maybe it was that lipstick she was wearing, or maybe it was because she was that much more experienced. He didn't know, and when he felt her that tongue of hers slip up against his own.... For one short moment, Ash found himself responding to her kiss in kind, his arms clutching her closer. But that moment quickly passed and he shoved her off his lap hard, landing her on the kitchen table behind her. "What was that for?" he demanded, standing up and backing away from her. Daisy's eyes narrowed as she slid off the table. "Oh stop the act Ash," she said, advancing on him and poking him in the chest. "I felt it when you kissed me back. You wanted that kiss to continue. You want me Ash. So just admit it and we can get back to it." "No I don't," Ash said calmly, looking up right into her eyes. He grabbed Daisy's hand, keeping her from continuing to poke him so that he could get his thoughts out. "Daisy, a wise friend recently told me that sometimes a kiss is just that and doesn't mean anything more." She pulled her hand from his in a huff, a sneer on her lips that was betrayed by just a very slight trembling. "And why not?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest angrily. "I'm ten times the woman they are in every way! I'm--" "Not them," Ash said, cutting her off before she could get started. "Look, no matter what you come up with, or even how true it is, you're not them. I love Misty and I love Penny. And that's all there is to it." She sat down hard in the nearest chair as the realization hit her. This wasn't some act Ash was putting on. There wasn't any of the hesitation that she'd seen in others when they had to convince themselves that their words were true. He really did love them both, as incredible as that was. "It's not fair," she muttered, letting her face fall forward into her hands. "Why? Why are all the nice guys already taken?" At first, Ash expected it to be another trick, but when he heard her starting to sob he couldn't help himself. "Daisy," he soothed, pulling a chair next to her and sitting down on it. "Hey look, it's not like I went looking for this to happen. I'm still kind of amazed that it did really. All I ever really wanted from my life was to be Pokémon Master and look what happened. If a guy like me could find it then who can't?" "Don't sell yourself short Ash," Daisy said, looking up at him with a tear-streaked face. "I can honestly say I can see exactly why those two love you so much." There was something different in how she looked at him, something in her eyes and her voice that made Ash instinctively stand up and take a step back. "I'm going to get back to my room," he said, knowing he was making a retreat but not really sure what else he could do at this moment. "I'll see you tomorrow." "Sleep well Ash," Daisy sighed, organizing the notes they'd worked on together just to give herself something to do. But no matter how much she worked, her thoughts kept turning back to Ash and what she knew she would have to do tomorrow.