Pokemon: This Ash Is Too Versatile

Chapter 824 436: Sharing a Room

"No way! Absolutely not!" His head shook like a rattle, hands crossed firmly in front of his chest in a decisive "X," "I absolutely won't share a room with Ash!"

"Why?" Ash looked confused.

"You still ask why?" Brock's resentment almost materialized as he counted on his fingers one by one, "Last time in Goldenrod City, you got up at six in the morning to wash up and made such a clatter that it drove me to a nervous breakdown! The time before that in Violet City, you suddenly sat up in the middle of the night shouting 'Pikachu, Thunderbolt,' almost gave me a heart attack! And the time before that—"

"That was a dream..." Ash scratched his head, smiling somewhat sheepishly.

"Dreaming or not, it's unacceptable!" Brock said righteously, "I'd rather sleep on the street than share a room with you. It's a matter of principle."

Misty glanced at Brock, who was resolute, and then at Ash, who looked completely innocent, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. She turned to the front desk, "Miss Joy, are there any extra rooms available? We'd like to change to three rooms."

Miss Joy checked the system and nodded with a smile, "Yes, there are three available rooms despite the festival attracting many tourists lately."

"Then let's get three rooms." Ash took out his phone, ready to pay. Though he's a rookie Trainer now, he only has the allowance for one room, and Serena also has one room's free allowance.

But that's only two rooms, so if they want three rooms, they'll need to pay for the extra one.

Brock immediately sighed with relief, patting Ash's shoulder, "Good brother, I knew you'd understand."

Three room keys were laid out on the counter. Brock quickly took one, and Serena hesitated for a moment before also reaching out for one. The last one lay there all alone as if waiting for something.

Misty looked at that room key and suddenly realized a serious issue. Three rooms, one for Brock, one for Serena, so the remaining one... she and Ash?

"Um... I..." Her voice was a bit strained, wanting to say something, but her mind went blank.

Ash naturally picked up the last room key and turned to her, "Let's go, Misty."

The tone was as usual as if saying, "The weather's nice today." Misty's cheeks suddenly burned red, her ears so hot they felt like they might bleed.

She wanted to say something, her lips moved, but in the end, she only squeezed out a sound as soft as a mosquito's, "...Okay."

Serena watched this scene and felt a little sourness welling up in her heart. Perhaps playing a song right now would suit the mood better... (Unreachable Love.mp3)

She blinked hard, suppressing that touch of sourness, and forced a smile, "Then, I'll head up first. See you tomorrow."

After speaking, she turned and quickly walked toward the stairs, not daring to let anyone see her expression at that moment.

Brock also stretched lazily, picked up his backpack, and headed to the elevator, "I'm off to sleep too, see you tomorrow."

Only Ash and Misty were left in the lobby. Ash looked down at the room key in his hand and then at Misty, "Shall we head up too?"

"...Okay." Misty kept her head down, her voice incredibly light, completely different from her usual bold demeanor.

...

At the end of the second-floor hallway, Ash pushed open the room door and pressed the switch on the wall.

Warm yellow light illuminated the room. Not large, but it was very tidy.

Along the wall was a wooden bunk bed, with pink sheets on the upper bunk and off-white on the lower, and each bed had a small Clefairy doll by the pillow.

The window was half-open, with the night breeze gently swaying the curtains, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

Misty stood at the door holding Togepi, her feet seemingly rooted to the spot.

It wasn't like she hadn't shared a room with Ash during their travels before.

But back then, Brock was there too; it was a four-person room with bunk beds, and there was a whole bed space between her and Ash. Besides, they weren't a couple yet back then.

But now, two people, one room, one bed — though it's a bunk bed, it's still the same bed.

She could clearly hear her own heart pounding.

"Jioji?" Togepi in her arms looked up with curiosity.

"N-nothing." Misty took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

She placed Togepi by the upper bunk's pillow and pretended to be calm as she started organizing her luggage. In reality, she repeatedly folded and unfolded her possessions, not even knowing what she was doing.

Ash, on the other hand, didn't think much of it.

He casually tossed his backpack on the floor, pulling out pajamas and toiletries, and as he walked toward the bathroom, asked without turning back, "Misty, do you want to wash up first?"

"You- you go first." Misty replied, her voice a bit tight, her back to him.

"Okay." Ash entered the bathroom with his pajamas, and soon the sound of running water could be heard.

Only then did Misty let out a long breath. No need to be nervous... yes, no need at all. Ash only has Pokemon on his mind, nothing else!

Since becoming a couple, the most they've done is kiss, and they could count the number of times on one hand since then, so... it's fine, it's fine, Ash surely won't rush into anything!

She patted her cheeks firmly, giving herself some courage.

Before long, Ash came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, wearing a fresh short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Seeing Misty still sitting dazed on the bed, he asked curiously, "What's up? Aren't you going to wash up?"

"I'm going! Right now!" Misty bounced off the bed like a startled cat, grabbed her pajamas, and dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Ash scratched his damp hair, clueless.

When Misty emerged from the bathroom, Ash was already lying on the lower bunk, browsing through Sunyshore Gym's information on his phone.

The warm yellow light outlined his focused side profile, highlighting the growing angularity of the young man's face.

Looking at his serious expression, Misty unexpectedly started to relax.

She quietly climbed to the upper bunk and cuddled Togepi. The bed creaked softly with the movement.

"Misty."

Her heart skipped a beat. "...Yes?"

"Which Pokemon do you think I should use tomorrow? Although Pikachu can battle, I think it's better to give other partners some time in the spotlight too. Otherwise, it seems too harsh for them to always train in the backyard with no opportunities."

Misty paused, then couldn't help but smile. What on earth was she worrying about? This guy's mind really is all about Pokemon.

"Then you'd better research how strong Gym Leader Volkner's main Pokemon is. Even if you want to give other Pokemon a shot, you need a winning chance, right? After all, Volkner is Sinnoh's strongest Gym Leader."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Ash's voice came from the lower bunk, his words filled with contemplation, "I found online that Volkner's main Electivire is at Elite Peak level... but I have a feeling his strength is more than that."

With one on the upper bunk and the other on the lower, they chatted through the thin bed board.

They talked about Volkner's lineup, the features of gyms in the Sinnoh Region, and reminisced about Gym Leaders they had challenged before. Gradually, Misty relaxed, her voice becoming cheerful and natural.

Sometimes she would chime in, sometimes just listen silently to Ash's chatter, her mouth unconsciously forming a smile.

After some time, there was no response from the upper bunk.

"Misty?" Ash called out tentatively.

The only response was the sound of soft, even breathing. She was already asleep, with Pikachu snoring softly next to Ash.

Ash's lips curled into a gentle smile. He placed his phone on the pillow and reached to turn off the bedside lamp.

"Goodnight, Misty," he said softly.

On the upper bunk, Misty continued slumbering, her lips subtly curving into a dreamy smile.

In her arms, Togepi snuggled against her chin, making soft snores.