Chapter 57: Breaking the News to Misty P.2

Mistys shoulders shook slightly as her breathing slowly became more laboured. It seems Jenny had saved Ark in a way. Had he not told her this early on, her reaction had the potential to be much worse that this. As Misty hurried to control her chaotic breathing, she closed her eyes and remained still.

Ark held his tongue, refusing to interrupt Misty as she was processing the situation. Accordingly, Jenny sat at the side, her arms crossed and eyes serious. It seemed she really intended to leave the situation wholly to Ark.

"Are you alright with this?"

Much to both their surprise, Misty spoke to Jenny with her eyes still closed and arms crossed, her tone still wavering slightly, but containing a high degree of tension. Preparing to reply, Jenny took a few small breaths to clear her mind and spoke to Misty in a caring tone.

"Of course, if I wasn't, I would have already stopped speaking to Ark the moment he told me about it"

Misty nodded slowly and went back to her contemplative look. After a few more drawn out seconds, Misty turned to Ark. Her eyes snapped open and her expression turned stern.

"I am going to speak, you are going to listen. Understood?"

Her tone was sharp, causing Ark to unintentionally nod. Bewildered by the strange display, Ark patiently waited for what Misty was going to say. Right now, Ark knew he had no right to get angry at the moment.

Taking his nod as acceptance, Misty cleared her throat and spoke. Her serious eyes beaming at Ark all the while.

"First of all, do you realise how unfair this is? I mean sure I like you and these are all new feelings for me so I am really happy right now but, how could you spring this on me so late! Luckily I can control myself more, had it been someone else doing this to me, it definitely would not have been a happy ending!"

Mistys voice was gradually growing louder as she continued on. Noticing this, Misty stopped herself and took a few deep breaths before continuing with a more level voice.

"This is a really big commitment and quite frankly, you're really young, as am I. Therefore I am not entirely certain you will be able to handle such a huge family. Even though it is weird, I do not mind the idea as long as it's someone that can handle all of us. If not, then no one will be happy. So Ark, can you handle the amount you're thinking about right now?"

Listening to Mistys words, Arks mind drifted to many silhouettes, way too many to count in a short span of time.

Misty remained silent and observed Arks reactions. Taking this as a cue to answer, Ark spoke his true thoughts. Pretty words would be nothing but insincerity right now.

"Right now? No. I can't. I am nowhere near wealthy enough for that, and my Pokemon skills are only slightly better than an average trainer with my experience at the moment. However, in the future, I can. I assure you that in the future, my words from before will ring true."

His tone remained serious as he spoke from the depths of his very being. Ark himself was all too aware of how lacking he was right now. Not only was he and his team still rookies, he was currently relying on his system for any form of income.

Misty nodded, her expression slightly loosening when she heard Arks response. She was proud that he had admitted it, without trying to make any excuses. Not only that, the conviction about the future still remained despite being faced with a brutal reality check.

"Thank you for being honest. Ark... you make me really happy. In the time that I have spent with you, it has felt like I had never truly lived a fulfilling life. So, I will give you a single chance. Head to Cerulean City in 3 months time. At that time, I will be there waiting for you to challenge me at the Cerulean Gym, I will make sure my sisters are there to act as a judge. We can discuss the terms then, but make sure you're there in 3 months. If not then you've lost your chance."

Ark nodded deeply as he smiled brightly at Misty.

"I will be there, to prove to you and your family that I am worth betting on in the future. Until then, make sure you're ready to push the battle to the limits too!"

Misty smiled and held out her hand. Seeing this, Ark reached out and bent down on one knee. Her eyes widened as she saw his unexpected behaviour. Disregarding Mistys shock, Ark kissed the back of her hand and looked up to her with a brilliant smile.

"I promise Misty"

Mistys face exploded in a flurry of deep crimson.

Ark slowly stood back up and looked to his side. His eyes met with those of Jenny, who had sat quietly for the majority of the exchange.

Jenny stood up and walked closer. Turning to face the beet red Misty, she spoke with a welcoming smile.

"Now that it's all sorted, we better head off. Misty, it's been a pleasure meeting you, and we should definitely meet up for some girl time."

Caught off guard by Jennys offer, Misty stood still, unable to formulate an appropriate response.

"Don't overthink it. I just want to get to know you, especially since it seems our futures are now entwined"

A mischievous smile floated upon Jennys lips as she looked over at Ark and back to Misty, causing the recovering girl to look down at the floor, refusing to meet eyes with anyone.

"Anyways, I will be around to find you during the week Misty. Let's go Ark"

Jenny left through the now open door with a small wave. Ark looked at Misty and smiled.

"I will be leaving town soon, I want to go out and train harder. I will say goodbye then, but for now, I will see you later"

Misty silently nodded as she watched Ark leave. Her thumping heart slowed as she sat on her bed. Thoughts of her future battle with Ark circulated inside her mind causing a determined expression to appear on her face.

Ark and Jenny were walking back to the Police Station, hand in hand. Their pace was slow, but it felt truly comfortable to them both.

"What's your rating?"

Ark started a conversation. His curiosity had been flaring ever since they had left the Pokemon Center.

"Rating? Out of ten, I would give you a 7"

Arks body shook slightly at the fast answer. Since it was 3 ranks below ten, that mean't there was still places he was lacking.

"May I ask what I was lacking?"

Jenny lent into Arks arm, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked.

"First of all, you took until now to actually confess all of that. Secondly, you were a bit too frank. Finally, you didn't give Misty any reasons to believe in you. Luckily for you, she gave you one. If it was a more mature woman, or someone who had more assets to their name, there would be no way a sane person would bet all of that on you without any sort of reasoning behind it"

Ark frowned at her response. He completely agreed with all three points, however the third point posed a very significant issue as he could not tell others about his personal assets such as the Harem Mastery System.

While Ark was thinking, the duo had reached the Police station uneventfully. Embracing each other with a passionate kiss, the two separated and step apart.

"Don't forget our date tomorrow"

Jenny said those last words before quickly departing without a goodbye. It seemed she was just as eager for the date as Ark was.