Ash was drawing quickly with his pen on the graphic pad. His wireless headphones were blasting his favorite playlist as the character he was drawing was slowly showing up on the large screen in front of him. Working as a graphic designer for this gaming startup was the only thing that kept him going.

Gary Oak walked past him. Ash was drawing standing up, looking pretty focused on what he was doing. He barely looked at the screen. "What are you doing, Ketchum?"

Of course, Ash didn't hear any of it. His headphones had the music too loud for him to hear anything his colleagues were saying.

Ash turned around when Gary took off his headphones. "What was that? Trying to get a piece of quiet around here."

"What's wrong with you? You look so angry."

"I don't need you in my life right now." Ash continued drawing on his pad. "Go bother someone else."

"But that's my job – hey," Gary looked at Ash's screen. "What's this? What is this female character for?"

"No game in particular. Just drawing."

"She looks familiar..." He was sure he's seen this orange hair somewhere...

Ash saved his work and turned his computer off.

"Hey! That was rude! I was looking at that!"

"Just get the hell out of my face." Ash kicked his chair with his foot, launching it at Gary.

Gary pushed the chair back toward Ash and walked away. "Drawing busty female characters with orange hair during lunch break..."

When Ash checked his phone, he found a message from Misty.

I want to buy Brock lunch. You in?

Ash put his headphones around his neck and headed out of the office.

-

Brock looked between his friends. He was used to Ash and Misty getting in fights, not talking for days and letting him speak all by himself when they're together, but this time, the tension was high. What was even the problem, again?

"Uh, what's going on here? Did I miss something?"

Brock knew something was not right because he could feel Ash shake nervously his leg.

"Okay. I'm leaving."

"No!" Ash and Misty spoke at the same time. Misty got up and made Brock sit down. "You're not leaving anywhere! We're having lunch together!"

"The food no one but me is having?" Brock looked over Ash. "Not even Ash is eating!"

"I ate back at the office." Ash took out his phone and kept looking at it.

"I'm swimming this afternoon, so..." Misty ran her hair through her hands. Ash glanced over her hair for a second. He kept getting flashbacks of his drawing.

"Why did you want to come here, then?"

Misty licked her lips. She looked at Brock. "Well, to see you guys."

"Why is everyone so upset right now?" Brock sighed. "I really thought you'd be happy for me, you know?"

"We're happy for you and Lucy!" Misty reassured him. "We're just sad we won't be living together anymore."

"Why can't you think of it as a good thing? You get an extra room."

"Well, maybe?" Misty chuckled. She finally made eye contact with Ash. "Ash can settle his desk in it and work there."

"Oh, yeah." Ash cleared his throat. "Why not?"

"See? We're seeing the light here." Brock was glad he broke that weird silence. Ash and Misty didn't exactly get in a fight yesterday but Brock was sure Ash's joke wasn't great. "Maybe you should buy a bigger desk and put it in the room – and hang those posters on the wall – it's be like a games paradise."

Ash smiled. As Brock and Misty discussed his future working station, he couldn't help but think of how difficult things would be without Brock always saving him from making Misty hate him more and more.

-

"Like, what if I move too?"

"Are you kidding?" Gary was flipping through the pages of his sketching book. "That's out of question."

"Why?" Ash sat on his chair, his feet on his desk. The pad was on his lap and he was quickly drawing on it.

"Because it's creepy." Gary picked up his pen and started drawing on his pad as well, using the sketch as a reference. "It's like you're running away from her."

"I am running away from her," Ash stated. "How about your place?"

"No, dude, you're not living with me. Stay away from me" Gary shook his head quickly. "I have a kid but that's not it, though. I can't let you!" He looked at Ash. "I can't ruin the ship!"

"You are crazy." Ash chuckled.

"And you know what? Brock is right. He's getting out of the way. It's just you and her. It will happen no matter what you try to stop it. Your feelings will just start to flood – they will reach Misty's bedroom slooowly but gently..."

"You know it's not like that between us, right?" Ash was sure Gary was getting this living together thing wrong. "We three were always cool with each other."

"Are you trying to tell me that you've never had sex with Misty?"

"Uhm, of course not." They kissed before but under very special circumstances.

"Really?" Gary paused for a moment to check his drawing on the screen of his computer. "I thought she was your sex partner."

"I'm ending this conversation. I'm logging off." Ash put his feet down.

"You can't log off. This is real life. Talk to me about Misty." Gary chuckled. "If you like her this much, how did you even manage to survive for all these years?"

"I tell myself I have to go with it, you know? I have to do this for our friendship."

Gary slammed his hand against his desk and turned his chair toward Ash, pointing at him. "You said it! You said ship! It's a ship!"

"It's friendship." Sometimes, Ash wished Gary Oak wasn't his childhood friend.

"It has shipping in it! It must mean something!"

"What are you guys yelling about?" A girl wearing straight jeans and a tee shirt came behind them. She had a pixie haircut and had her bangs dyed green.

"Ash and Misty's ship!" Gary nudged her arm. "Tell him it's real, Angie."

"What?" Angie looked over Ash. "You mean the girl you sleep with?"

"I'm not sleeping with Misty!" Ash couldn't believe he was having this conversation. It was very unsettling. Deep inside, he's always wanted to share that special moment with Misty since he's first learned what sex was, but this wasn't the topic and it will never be. He asked her out and she said no. End of discussion.

"Is she sleeping with Brock, then?"

Ash shook his head in disappointment and turned his attention back to drawing.

"Is she lesbian?"

"She's not." Gary answered Angie. "She wants Ash but he's being a cockblock."

"She's not - I'm not – ugh, whatever."

"..." Gary and Angie gave him mischievous looks.

"What? That doesn't mean I'm trying to get in her pants or anything – what is this conversation anyway? I'm trying to work here! Leave me alone."

Angie looked at Ash's screen. "Wait, the character looks like Misty!"

Ash turned off the electricity from under his desk and got off, grabbing his headphones and making his way outside.

"He didn't save!" Angie gasped. "He'd rather not save than have me look at that!"

"He needs to release all of this." Gary nodded. "Why don't you set him up with one of your friends? You have a lot of cool friends."

"I'm never setting him up with anyone." Angie snickered. "I keep him for myself."

Gary was amazed at how Angie was blunt about her feelings. He did not see that coming, but Angie was always trying to work on the projects Ash was in and she showed her work to him – and only him, so maybe she was into him.

"Oh, really?" He cleared his throat. "Well, now is the right time to act."

"Now?"

"Brock is moving out; it's going to be just him and Misty and he's very stressed about it."

"Why is he stressed?"

"Go on a date with him and ask him." Gary was drawing again. "If you're lucky enough, he might move in with you. He's trying to move out."

"Oh wow." Angie stood against Ash's desk. "I can't miss that! It'd be so easy to hook up with him if he's around all the time."

"Do you just want to have sex with him or...?"

"No, Oak, I want the whole thing!" Angie narrowed her eyes. "Boyfriend and sex and everything else! The dude is the whole package!"

"I can't say I'm not excited to see both ships in action."

"Do you still read fanfiction?" Angie walked away, laughing.

"They ship the characters we make for the games! It's really fun!" Gary was about to start drawing again but he followed Angie.

"What?" She spoke as he grabbed her arm.

"You know he's in love with Misty, right?" Gary spoke in a low voice. "And, I've met Misty before – we're not friends or anything but she's kind of close to my fiancée and... well, let's say she wants him but refuses to admit it."

"So what?" Angie shrugged. "You snooze, you lose. She's not doing anything to get him."

"Just wanted to let you know what you're getting yourself into. They're a complicated couple."

"Thanks, Oak, but I can handle a guy like Ash." Angie stepped back, grinning. "He's even the easiest type of guys! He's just cookies and video games."

Gary watched her walk to her desk, suddenly feeling unsure about what he's just witnessed.

"Why do I feel bad about this?"