sykilik101

[sykilik101]

Nothing will ever come even remotely close to the sheer, absolute perfection that is amourshipping. Never equaled, never surpassed.and I will die on this hill.

[sykilik101]

I'm telling you again and again. You and others won't stop getting troll asks until we take him down by brute force. You'll regret it later

One, who cares if he keeps sending Asks? He's harmless; he just wants attention.

Two, I'm still waiting for this plan of "brute force" that's supposedly going to stop him.

Three, and most importantly:

[sykilik101]

My pal!!!!!!! My friend!!!!!!!!! Let me give you a beautiful gift loser🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

What happened to leaving, liar? 👀 This is why I can't take you seriously, liar. 👀 This is why you have no real power, liar. 👀

(Y'all, look how gorgeous our girl looks in that screenshot, though. <3)

[sykilik101]

Unfortunately, while I agree we should be reporting, the plagiarized art is being posted on deviantART, and if there's one site that's gone to absolute trash and doesn't give a fuck about AI abuse, it's dA.

Fuck this dude for stealing someone else's art instead of learning to draw on their own.

This is bizarre to see.

Please report

The original artist was plagiarized by AI by swapping Serena's character from two original arts to Misty as a character with Ash

Are you guys crazy? That's why couples fighting should be something this fandom has to stop feeding

It also shows how AI is a situation as it takes the place of artists in the most LITERAL way POSSIBLE AND HOW DISGUSTING this behavior is .

I ask for help from some supportive Pokeshippers to support the original artist and report this AI account as well.

Sorry tag but please STOP FEEDING THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR I am shocked

[sykilik101]

I suddenly remembered your blog years later and decided to check it out of curiosity. I'm surprised that you still have obsessed harassers stopping by to this day. I would've thought they have left you alone for good now that there's nothing much to fight for since the anime ended.

I've yet to have someone who was actually "harassing" me, since 99.9% of online trolls have no actual power, but I appreciate the kind words and I appreciate you comin' back to my blog! :D

[sykilik101]

You kicked me out when I said we have to unite and fight the troll.

As Neica said that our fandom is weak 👎 and that's why we are subjected to constant attacks by these trolls.

I'm telling you, the troll is not gonna stop unless all of us pokeshippers unite and attack him together.

I'll humor your notions of "unity" once you can provide me with a thorough plan on how to stop him in a way that will completely cease his antics.

Until then, your desire to "attack" him makes you no better than him.

[sykilik101]

Your abuseshipping fanfictions are shitty as always, Serge.

https://x.com/dbzebra2/status/1882231337417114071

https://x.com/Nandosagi1/status/1732683429278372062

Learn from my pals, Serge. Nobody gives a shit about what they have written cuz the readers know that their writing is shitty as shit.

You responding with your shitty abuseshipping writing shows how you are unable to accept the reality that pokeshipping is dead you genwunners!!!!!!!!!!

“Ash, let me borrow your hat.”

Ash dragged the back of his hand across his brow, pointedly ignoring her request as he worked to keep sweat from dripping into his eyes. Common traveler sense would tell anyone that following a road was the safest way to keep from getting lost while heading towards your next destination, even if that road ran through a desert climate.

The heat was going to make the following argument worse. He’d take that over losing his shade.

“Ash, I know you heard me.”

“Brock, did you hear something?”

The breeder had only just finished taking a swig from his canteen before throwing him a confused expression that looked on the cusp of turning irate. “Look, I’m not getting in between another one of your arguments.”

“Pikachu? You hear anything?”

The electric mouse could only muster a small “cha” as he slumped atop Ash’s backpack, which was more than Ash could ask of his little buddy.

“Guess it was just my imagination.”

What was decidedly not his imagination was the thumb and index finger that took a fierce hold of his cheek, earning a yelp as Ash jerked his head away. “Cut it out, Misty!”

“Come on, let me borrow your hat!”

“No way, I want the shade!”

“So do I!”

“Then get your own hat!”

“Where am I gonna get a hat in the middle of the road?”

“Will you two knock it off?!”

The bickering duo jolted at Brock’s snap, the rare frustration in his voice a brief distraction from the overbearing heat.

Emphasis on brief.

“Just for a few minutes, come on!”

Focus on the road, focus on the road.

“You’ll be fine without it for a little bit!”

Eyes forward, keep walking.

“I’ll give it back quick, promise!”

One step at a time.

“Ash, will you at least answer me?!”

As it turns out, a combination of heat and Misty had the power to snap away all forms of patience.

“Misty, this is a special edition hat, and I-”

“-sent in a million postcards to get it; yeah, you also told me a million times, too. It’s not like I’m gonna lose it, I just wanna wear it for a few minutes.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “But what if you do lose it?”

He could see the barely-raised vein on her temple starting to throb. “Ash, where am I gonna lose your hat in the middle of- you know what, I’ll make a deal with you.”

Ash decidedly ignored the sigh of relief coming from Brock’s direction. “What kind of deal?”

To answer him, she reached up and pulled her hair band out, letting her hair fall down to her shoulders. A gentle skip of the heart was enough of a distraction that he didn’t stop her from yanking his hat off and resting it atop her head with a cheeky wink. “I’ll wear the hat, and you can hold onto this.” At this she took his wrist, pulling his hand towards her and dropping the hair band in his palm. “If I lose the hat, you can keep it.”

“...what am I supposed to do with this?!”

Misty was about to reply, but before she could say anything Pikachu had leapt up onto Ash’s shoulder.

“Pika pi.”

Ash blinked, his attention on the little electric mouse. “What’s up, Pikachu?”

Without another word Pikachu nabbed the small blue band from Ash before reaching around himself. A moment later he turned to show it fastened around his tail, cheerfully throwing up a small peace sign. “Pi pikachu!”

Misty giggled despite Ash’s dismay. “See, Ash, look how cute Pikachu looks!”

Ash rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “Whatever, it looks cuter on you.”

He had intended his words to mean “Hey, you should keep wearing your hair band so I can get my hat back.” Of course, to anyone else listening, his words carried a very different meaning.

Misty froze in place; it took Ash three steps to realize she’d stopped, turning to face her. “Now what is it?”

“...you think I’m cute?”

He opened his mouth, but the last 15 seconds replayed in his head and his train of thought suddenly careened off its tracks.

“N-no, I just meant…”

Curse this heat for messing with his head.

He wished he could blame the tiny sparkle in her eyes on his delirium, but he’d sounded so stupidly sure of himself with his retort. He barely had the energy to concoct a proper reply, so it was time for the Ash Ketchum special.

In a split second he’d whipped the band off Pikachu’s tail, handed it back to her, snatched his hat back before returning it to his head, and bolted down the road.

“Ash Ketchum, get back here!”

“Ash, wait up!”

He craned his neck back, grinning as his two friends gave chase. He took extra notice of Misty; her enraged eyes, face flushed from the arid air, and her short orange hair fallen from its normal perch, swaying as she ran.

He turned back towards the road ahead of them, thinking that they needed to get to somewhere cooler as soon as possible. He was getting way too flustered out here.

(I actually tried to do a @seecarrun style of fanfic; I read a chunk of her snippets and wanted to see if I could write something like that in my style. I hope y'all like it!)

[sykilik101]

Got tagged by @seecarrun, so I shall do the thing.

1. 3 Ships I Like

Pokéshipping (Ash/Misty from Pokémon), always and forever my OTP. Second would be Colloyd (Lloyd/Colette from Tales of Symphonia), since that's my favorite game and I've loved those two ever since I played it. Third would be ShuSumi (Joker/Kasumi from Persona 5 Royal); I mostly find this cute 'cause I just really like Kasumi. LOL

2. First Ship Ever

I know I'm not the first or last person to say this, but Pokéshipping was the ship I liked before I even knew what shipping was.

3. Last Song I Heard

"Luther" - Kendrick Lamar (I'm such a sap for love songs)

4. Favorite Childhood Book

Books, plural, 'cause I'm going with A Series of Unfortunate Events. I have a personal, meaningful reason for liking them, but they're also responsible for me being such a big reader going forward.

5. Currently Reading

I keep starting and stopping Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but I'll actually properly start and finish it soon!

6. Currently Watching

I don't really watch TV/shows all that much, but my brother is gettin' me to watch Invincible with him, so that's the best answer I got.

7. Currently Consuming

Already ate my meal prep (broccoli, rice and veggies).

[Tell me why, when I started typing broccoli, I typed Brock.]

8. Currently Craving

Lemonade, but I have no access to any, so I must suffer alone in sadness. You hate to see it.

If you wanna do this, go for it!

[sykilik101]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I got tagged by @seecarrun, and every time I get tagged, I get a very powerful "Senpai noticed me" feeling inside. LOL

How many works do you have on ao3?

23 if you factor in that one of them has 7 fics, since it's a compilation fic.

What's your total ao3 word count?

53,369, though this is verily outdone by my FFN count, though, not all of my FFN fics are on AO3.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Tender (83 kudos) This was inspired by some artwork that @miyatoriaka did, and I think it's super cute!

2. Third Wheel (73 kudos) I just wanted to write a fic about Ash gushing to Brock about his crush on Misty. LOL

3. Convey (62 kudos) This is, without question, in my personal top 3 of all my Pokeshipping fics, possibly top 2, and even maybe top 1 (the other 2 being Extrasensory and Belonging); regardless, it's one of my favorites. <3

4. Of Density and Immaturity (60 kudos) I wanted to try writing a fic with only dialogue, and this was the result, one I'm quite happy with.

5. Take Two (58 kudos) I wanted to practice kissing; I'd written it, got stuck, written some more, gave up on it, was convinced to not give up on it, and here we are.

What fandoms do you write for?

Predominantly Pokémon, though I also write for Tales of Symphonia.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I generally do; even if I don't, I read every single one I get, and they make me super happy.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably an old fic called Sacrifice. It was actually sort of a personal vent-esque fic, as it was something I'd written in order to help me deal with some similar IRL stuff I was going through.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think, other than the previously mentioned fic, all my fics have a happy ending. LOL

Do you get hate on fics?

I used to get some hate here and there way back in the day, but not nearly as much these days.

Do you write smut?

I'd written one many years ago, but hadn't done so again, at least not until the Colloyd community got to me. Now I have 3 smutty WIPs in progress. LOL

Do you write crossovers?

Nope, and I don't have any plans to. They're not my thing, as I prefer to say in-universe.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If I have, I'm not aware of it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Same as above. :P

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Sort of? Yes and no, 'cause a friend and I did write something together, but it wasn't a conventional fic.

What's your all time favourite ship?

Pokéshipping, and the only ship that even comes close to how much I love those two is Colloyd.

What's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'm only saying Bridges because it's not only going to be the longest fic I've ever written, but also because, on my list of WIPs, it's saved for last, since I want my skills as a write to be at their peak so I can write it the best I can.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and characterization! (That's what Car put, and it's literally the same for me, so I'm keep it verbatim. LOL)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Describing locations and stuff. I struggle with painting a picture of a location to my readers. I do better with describing thoughts and feelings, not places or such.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I mean, if it fits, go for it.

First fandom you wrote for?

Pokémon, and as long as I'm writing fanfics, it'll probably always be for Pokémon, if nothing else.

Favourite fic you've ever written?

This might seem like an odd choice given my preference for Pokémon and Pokéshipping, but I'm actually going with the Free Day prompt from my Colloyd Week submissions. I don't usually write angst, but this was a lot of fun and a big challenge for me to write, and I still sometimes reread it not only to see my growth, but for inspiration on where I can go.

I don't have a lot of people I could tag, but I'll at least show @darkhymns-fic some love. Give it a go if you feel inclined!

[sykilik101]

That final smile is EVERYTHING. <3

Pokemon the OS-

ポケモンタワーでゲットだぜ！ Capture at the Pokémon Tower!

[sykilik101]

@sykilik101 @lightningenergy @zdbztumble @magedragonfire @hollylu-ships-it @virtualnight @dbzebra @wishuponroses @goldengala @echidnapower @neica-chan-92 @miyatoriaka @fairrytype @illustrious-rocket @ultraericthered @gouthepro @cosmicheartz @timprime1 @johnnyd2 @shitirishaterssay @azelmaandeponine @seecarrun @rantyarts @maruku21 @rockyroadsmith @pokeshipping @wiseabsol @n-i-n-t @danwhobrowses

Why I M O, Pokeshipping is dead. ( kinda hot take, sorry pokeshippers. )

So, pokeshipping. The very 1st ship in the Pokemon anime’s history. I personally am not a fan of it, I did watch the original anime, and I personally don’t like misty’s character. It was off putting to me.

Now as to what your here for, what killed pokeshipping. There are 3 main contributors to the death of pokeshipping.

1.) The length of time from when misty was replaced to now,

2.) Serena and Amourshipping

3.) The Pokémon sun and moon anime

The length of time from when misty was replaced to now.

Now while this might not have been much of an issue if the other 2 bullet points didn’t exist, it has been over a decade at this point, since we last saw misty, meaning that we have a severe lack in character development, and that gives time for other potentially better ships to be created, which leads me to my next point

Serena and Amourshipping.

Possibly one of the biggest ships right now, (which at this point isn’t going to fizzle out anytime soon. ) With Amourshipping going so far, as to introduce a major plot point in ash’s story by having Serena be his childhood acquaintance, many other points that multiple poketubers like Catch ‘Em All Saul, bring up in their videos from years past, to the kiss, and even the writers basically confirming the darn thing

Amourshipping Confirmed?

So at this point, ( unless they throw all that away, which please. Don’t. ) there is next to no hope of pokeshipping to ever become cannon, which is only further proven by my last point,

The Pokémon sun and moon anime.

Now, this is honestly the iceberg that sank the ship, because Brock and Misty returned twice in the Sun and Moon anime, which I’m pretty sure was for let’s go promotion. Now this is where all hope is lost for pokeshipping because even though they returned twice, Misty had literally zero emotional moments with ash whatsoever. No pokeshipping pandering, no flashbacks, nothing. Here’s another video explaining that further

They did Misty DIRTY!

Now while the only good thing to come out of the re-return episodes was Brock possibly finally finding a girlfriend,

Brock x Olivia

This was the point of no return for Misty and pokeshipping in general. Misty, even though she returned twice, in the most recent anime, had literally no development, and nothing to show how she grew as a character since her absence, her return seems pointless and devoid of substance, and with another ship still gaining popularity at an exponential rate, I’m sorry Serge and all you genwunners, but it's time to pay your respects and move on.

RIP pokeshipping

1997-2023

https://x.com/GearUniverse/status/1732682994148688105

https://x.com/dbzebra2/status/1882231337417114071

Also to rub some salt on your wounds, all your stupid genwunner stories are 🤮🤮💩💩

"Ash, why is the flower bent?"

The words had meant to be more questioning than accusatory, but the combination of a 45-degree angle stem and petals that resembled blasted firecrackers that had been filled with too much gunpowder was cause for...concern for Misty.

"What's wrong, you said you wanted a flower."

"Not if it's practically ruined!"

Ash thrust a dirt-covered finger towards the cliff he'd obtained the flower from. "I couldn't help it! Trying to climb down that cliff wasn't easy, you know!"

"Then why didn't you just send one of your Pokémon to do it?"

At this a small flush bloomed underneath the patches of dust on his cheeks. "Well, I wanted to be the one to pick it for you."

Softened eyes and a skipped heartbeat came together and Misty felt something lodge in her throat. She glanced back over to the cliff, barely able to make out the small bunch of flowers that Ash had nabbed his from. It swayed softly in the breeze, decidedly devoid of any weird angles on their stems.

She smiled before turning back to Ash. She reached forward to take the flower in her hand, stopping to savor the way her fingertips grazed his.

"Well, I guess it doesn't have to be perfect. Thanks, Ash."

His lips contorted into a wobbled grin, softly scratching his cheek. "I'll get you a perfect one soon. You might have to wait a while, though."

Misty practically etched his promise into her brain, the joy enough to compel her to lean forward and plant a soft kiss on his cheek. His eyes went wide, an undecipherable noise eking out from his throat. Misty grinned, turning back towards the campsite where the others were surely waiting. "When I get that perfect flower, maybe I'll kiss you for real. You might have to wait a while, though."

In all honesty, she shouldn't have been surprised when her words sent Ash sprinting back towards the cliff, loudly proclaiming that the next one would be "even prettier than her." She hadn't bothered to try stopping him; Ash "Headstrong" Ketchum would hardly be deterred. She watched him once again scale the cliffside, holding the bent flower in her hands.

Truth be told, it was already perfect.

[sykilik101]

Your server is filled with the most unfriendly hypocritical bunch of people who have no respect towards others feelings. If the reason for why I was kicked out was because of my "negativity", then by that logic even other members of the server who talked there should be kicked out, Sykilik.

What about lightning energy? What about Johnny? What about Virtual night? And the others who typed on the vent and support channel??

Why didn't you kick these people out Sykilik?

Was there a difference between what I talked and what you all talked??

The fact that you're Asking this means you didn't really read or comprehend the DM I sent you explaining why you were banned; therefore, I'll post it here for others to read, so they can also have their own judgment:

There's nothing wrong with venting negative feelings and thoughts in our vent and support channel; that's what the channel is there for, and many of the active members in there have done so. However, many of them have also contributed to activity in the server. Posting artwork, fanfics, discussing the ship, engaging with each other in non-Pokémon ways; you did basically none of that. You almost exclusively posted in the vent channel to air out your woes, and when others tried to offer advice and feedback, you hand-waved it all away.

I genuinely do hope that you can find some solace for the things that you're going through, but with the behavior you'd been exhibiting and the negativity you were spreading, you had no business being in the server.

[sykilik101]

As a MASSIVE romantic, I approve of this.

I put every bird I could think of into this wheel. Spin the wheel. You're that bird now.

[sykilik101]

Someday I'll write as well as this. Until then, I'll just keep gushing at this writing. <3

“Are you awake?” Ash’s whispered voice cuts through the darkness.

“No,” Misty answers simply.

He snorts, his sleeping bag rustling on the floor under her as he gets more comfortable, Pikachu letting out a sleepy little ‘chu’ of annoyance at the disturbance. “Darn. I thought we could gossip.”

It’s Misty’s turn to snort as she adjusts her position as well, subconsciously snuggling into Ash’s bed. “Since when do you gossip?”

“Since people keep telling me things I wanna gossip about,” he laughs, and Misty bites her lip to contain her grin. What a goof.

“Okay, I’m awake,” she says begrudgingly. “Whatcha got?”

Ash’s sleeping bag rustles again. “Brock has a date this weekend,” he tells her like it’s bursting out of him.

“Shut up,” she snaps in disbelief, and Ash breaks into laughter. “No way! Are you serious? With who?”

“Some girl in one of his lectures I guess. I don’t think he expected her to actually say yes, because he called me all panicked about it.”

Misty chuckles. “He called you? He must have been panicked.”

“I know,” Ash agrees with a laugh. “I think he forgot he knows way more romantically competent people and just went with muscle memory.”

“Well, good for him,” she declares proudly. “Let’s hope he doesn’t blow it.”

Ash hums in agreement, falling silent for a few moments before forcefully clearing his throat. “You know, there’s some other gossip I’ve heard.”

Misty adjusts herself to get more comfortable and smirks into the darkness. “Why do people keep telling you things?” she teases, but she only gets a half-hearted chuckle in response. “Okay, what’s the gossip?”

“Well,” Ash begins, a bit awkwardly. “I actually heard that someone likes me,” he says. “Like, like likes me.”

“Oh, yeah,” she answers flippantly, a little bummed it’s not something new she didn’t already know. “That Kalosian friend of yours. Serena, right? The one that kissed you.”

She hears Ash startle in his sleeping bag. “How did you know about that?” he demands.

“You think you’re the only one who gossips?” she asks, grinning, and she can practically hear him pouting.

“Whatever,” he grumbles. “Not her though. We talked about that whole thing, and she explained it was just something she had to get out of her system so she could move on.”

Well, that is certainly brand new information, Misty thinks, her interest piqued once again. Honestly, she kind of admires the other girl; Arceus knows she doesn’t have the guts to do something like that. “So, who likes you, then?”

Ash hesitates for a moment before sighing. “They wouldn’t say,” he admits, then adds, “But they said you know.”

Misty’s eyes widen as the dots connect, suddenly very, very grateful Ash can’t see her from his spot on the floor.

Shit.

[sykilik101]

@fairrytype Inane tag number one. LOL

call me Brussels Sprouts the way I got the bitterness bred out of me

[sykilik101]

WIP Word Train

Rules: tagger gives a word, then for each letter of that word you share a sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with that letter.

I may or may not have cried a little on the inside from joy when @seecarrun tagged me. The ultimate "senpai noticed me" moment, honestly. My word was CHAOS, so here we go! (I'm gonna go with a few different WIPs, since I have a few on hand.)

C - Colette exhaled softly, offering one last suckle on his lip before sitting atop him. Her chest heaved as she fought to regain her breath, and Lloyd throbbed at the sight of the slick gloss covering her lips. Insistent fingers dug deeper into her butt, and she heaved out an exhale through a wanton grin.

H - Hers were the legs of a girl who had spent years walking foreign roads and swimming through every known type of body of water. They were splayed along the couch as his eyes followed the curve of her thigh, up and around her knee, and slowly descended down to her ankle. The skin looked smooth, and he randomly felt his hand twitch. His gaze climbed back up her calf, along the back of her thigh, and eventually settled on the swell of her hips. He felt his breaths begin to fill his lungs in shudders, watching her shorts eventually turn into the skin of her waist, and then-

A - Ash wouldn't back out of this; she'd make sure he followed through with his end of the deal no matter what. In a way, this was no longer about her or her feelings for him; this was the status quo, another argument with Ash. There was a solace in the familiarity, knowing that he could respond in the incensed way she was used to. In a way, she was ready for it; neither romance nor tact were Ash's specialty, and a corner of her heart had been portioned off, set aside to anchor her as the rest of her mourned for a hand she'd never hold, a kiss she'd never get to gush over days afterwards.

O - Oh, how she loathed using that word right now. She was the straddler, not the straddled; it was her turn, not his. Where was this self-control coming from, this ability to stoke the desire in her without succumbing to his own?

S - Something between a cough and a gasp ejected itself from Ash’s mouth as he swallowed, nearly sending his drink out of his nose. He couldn’t tell if she’d waited for that moment to drop that comment, but he was too busy getting his breathing back under control to ponder further. Misty rubbing at his back was appreciated, but he knew it was just her way of parading her current victory in their game.

I don't have too many people I wanna tag, but I'll at least include @magedragonfire and @darkhymns-fic for this; your word will be WATER. Have fun!

[sykilik101]

Hook, Line, and Sin

So this [LIME] was a collab with @hollylu-ships-it; she showed me some artwork, and I was like "Bet, I'll write a snippet for this." If you wanna see the artwork, you can go here. (I know I already said it, but this is a lime, so it's kinda spicy; children, go to bed.)

Water. Lemonade. Water. Lemonade.

The decision had been weighing on Ash’s mind for the longest 30 seconds, his eyes darting between the two bottles sitting in the fridge. His hand slowly reached towards the water, but hesitated; the lemonade beckoned to him, equally as tantalizing. He motioned towards the citrusy drink, but faltered once more. Did he really want something sugary this late at night?

Ring ring!

Ash practically jumped out of his skin, the stillness of the kitchen amplifying the phone’s ringing. Who in their right mind would be calling at this hour? Another ring echoed through the silence, and with a small huff Ash chucked the refrigerator door closed before yanking the phone off the hook.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Ash!”

He blinked. “...Mist?”

“The one and only!”

“Is, uh, something wrong?”

“What, am I not allowed to call you?”

“No, but…” Ash leaned back against the countertop, “Couldn’t you just, y’know-”

“Aw, come on, Ash, phone calls are so romantic, don’t you think?”

Ash rolled his eyes with a grin, shaking his head as he twirled the phone cord in his fingers. “So how was your day, Mist?”

“It was pretty good. I won almost all of my Gym matches today; I only gave away one Cascade Badge.”

“You actually lost? Sounds to me like you’re getting a bit rusty.”

“Hey, at least he actually won his badge, unlike some trainers.”

Ash crossed one ankle over the other, his tapping foot reverberating in the kitchen. “I’m pretty sure I’ve beaten you a few times since that battle.”

“But not in an official Gym battle.”

He could practically see the snarky grin splayed across her lips, and the way she bobbed her head side to side when she was winning one of their many squabbles. The bad news was that she’d gotten annoyingly good at that; the good news was he’d gotten even better at rolling with her punches.

“It wouldn’t be a fair fight if we battled, Mist. I am a Pokémon Monarch, after all.”

“Politoed versus Corphish.”

“...I threw that match so you could battle Clauncher.”

She giggled into the phone. Her laughter injected warmth straight into his veins, as it had always done even before “I love you” first escaped their adolescent lips. Hands held where nobody could catch them, her eyes lighting up when a Mantyke was newly born, an impassioned kiss after a week absent each other; these were a handful of memories that had helped forge Misty’s spot in his heart. It was an endlessly warm spot, one that never failed to make him smile.

“Are you sure about that? I seem to remember you trying your best to win.”

“You’re probably just remembering wrong. It was a few years ago now.”

“Whatever you say, Monarch.”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm and mockery; she knew she was still winning. “You haven’t called me that in a while.”

“Really? You sure you’re not just remembering wrong?”

He chuckled. “You’re extra sassy tonight, huh?”

A rare, brief moment of silence from her. Then, “Talking on the phone like this, it’s like you’re whispering in my ear.”

He could practically taste her breath and her words through the phone, goosebumps raising at the lowered timbre of her voice. He shifted from one leg to the other, using his free hand to hold his elbow as he pressed the phone further into his ear. “Hey, Mist?”

“Yeah, Ash?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“Just lying in bed.” Another silence before, “Thinking that it’s too big for one person.”

A gentle flush occupied Ash’s cheeks. “I bet you could use some company.”

“Yeah, I could.” He heard a shuffle on the other end of the call. “Cerulean City’s kind of cold tonight, and having someone next to me would warm me up.”

“What are you wearing right now?”

Misty hummed playfully through the phone. He could picture her bottom lip held between her teeth, envision the way her eyes would glaze as she stared him down. “Perv.”

Ash smirked. “That doesn’t answer my question, Mist.”

She was silent for a moment, save for yet another shuffle worming through the earpiece. “Guess.”

Leave it to his red-headed love to be a tease no matter the situation. “Well, since it’s late, I’m betting you’re in your pajamas, right?”

“Not anymore.”

The mental image turned his cheeks’ previous pink into a soft maroon, feeling the air around him ignite from their sparks. He reflexively licked his lips. “I’m sure that’s not going to help your cold issue.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got ways to warm myself up.”

“And how are you planning to do that?”

For a few moments, all he could hear was the gentle tick and tock of the kitchen clock. With each passing second of silence his focus on the earpiece became more concentrated, so much so that he hardly realized he was holding his breath. He almost wondered if perhaps she’d whispered her response and he’d missed it.

“Mist?”

Right as he called her name, a tiny gasp wafted into Ash’s ear.

The blood in his veins immediately ran red hot. A barely-contained moan soon followed, and Ash sucked in a breath that was decidedly and painfully devoid of her taste. Misty had yet to verbally reply to him, but the little noises she continued to make more than made up her answer. He envisioned her wandering fingers, her flushed skin, a thin sheen of sweat across every inch of her body, and he craved seeing her come undone underneath him.

“Ash?”

Her voice was so breathy, so in need, and he was certain that for the rest of their conversation, his tone would match hers. “Yeah?”

“I need you now.”

“What do you need?”

“You, your hands, everything.”

Ash licked his lips once more, acutely aware of his salacious state and his everything that he wanted to give her. “I’ll be right there, Mist.”

“Don’t make me wait too long, Ash.”

“I won’t.”

With that he hung up the phone, his nerves on the fritz and his heart in overdrive. He turned for the entryway of the kitchen, but paused. Without a second thought he pulled the refrigerator door open, grabbing both of the drinks.

He was going to need them later.

With an impatient smirk he waltzed out of the kitchen, his feet guiding him automatically down familiar hallways until the bedroom was before him. Turning the knob, he thrust the door open, and was greeted by Misty on her bed wearing her most wanton grin and very little else.

“Hope I didn’t make you wait too long, Mist.”

“If you make me wait another second, you’re not gonna be able to get out of bed tomorrow.”

Ash tossed the bottles onto her desk before approaching the foot of her bed, pulling his shirt off. “I thought that was the plan anyw-”

Misty didn’t allow him the chance to finish his sentence, taking hold of his wrist and pulling him down onto the bed before straddling him with finesse and experience. Almost immediately his vision was consumed by tangerine hair, oceanic eyes, and a wicked smile as she took a fistful of his hair. She lowered her face towards his, and Ash began raising his lips to meet hers, but before they connected she pressed his head back down onto the pillow. With a glint in her eyes she sauntered her body up until her thighs rested on either side of his face.

“Use that mouth for something else.”

For the rest of the night Ash’s thirst was thoroughly satiated, the water and lemonade entirely forgotten.