" WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!"

" I MEAN WHAT I SAID!"

" THAT'S NOT FAIR YOU CAN'T JUST EXPECT ME TO UNDERSTAND!"

" MISTER I THINK I WAS VERY CLEAR WITH WHAT I SAID WHEN I SAID MY GYM IS IN DANGER!"

" FIRST, OUR GYM! SECOND HOW IS IT IN DANGER?!"

You guessed it - Ash and Misty were at it again.

In the training yard

Behind Rowan's lab

Where everyone in the lab could hear

Including the camp.

And Gary.

And Rowan.

And his assistants.

Misty flicked Ash's nose. " IT'S IN DANGER!"

" WHY?!"

" JUST BECAUSE!"

" THAT'S NOT AN ANSWER AND YOU KNOW IT!"

Misty stomped her foot, glaring at Ash with all the intensity of a raging Gyarados. "I don't have to explain myself to you! It's my gym, my responsibility!"

Ash crossed his arms, clearly frustrated. "Then what are we doing here? Why can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"I TOLD YOU, THE GYM IS IN DANGER!" Misty snapped again, her patience clearly running thin.

Ash clenched his fists, a vein popping in his forehead. "THEN WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME HOW?!"

Gary, who had been standing nearby with his arms folded, rolled his eyes. "Maybe because yelling isn't going to solve anything," he muttered under his breath.

Brock, Dawn, and Rowan had all gathered behind him, watching the drama unfold with varying levels of interest. Rowan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Misty, Ash, can you two not argue for five minutes?"

Misty whipped around to face Rowan, clearly not in the mood. "It’s not like I want to argue, but he’s not listening!"

Ash threw his hands up in the air. "I AM LISTENING, but you’re not saying anything!"

"Would you both just stop?" Gary snapped, stepping in between them. "You're embarrassing yourselves."

Misty, looking thoroughly done with everything, turned to Gary with a glare. "Oh, like you have the right to tell me what to do!"

Gary raised an eyebrow. "I’m just saying, this is a bit much, even for you two."

" This isn't a bit too much, Gary!" Ash snapped. " Misty isn't telling me what's wrong with our gym!"

" OUR?!"

" YES OUR! I SIGNED THE PAPERWORK REMEMBER?!"

" IT'S STILL MY GYM!"

" OUR!"

"MY!"

" OUR!"

" MY!"

" OUR!"

" MY!"

By this point their noses were touching and they were growling.

Gary, who was standing off to the side, watched the scene unfold with an exasperated sigh. "This is definitely too much," he muttered to himself.

Brock, facepalming, stepped forward, trying to intervene. "Guys, can we please—"

"No!" Misty and Ash shouted in unison, not even sparing him a glance.

Misty shoved Ash back, a look of fierce determination on her face. "IT’S MY GYM, KETCHUM!"

Ash growled, taking a step forward, practically nose-to-nose with her. "YOU DIDN’T SIGN THE PAPERS, MISTY. I DID, SO IT’S OUR GYM!"

Gary, now leaning against a tree with a smirk, crossed his arms. "They’re really doing this, huh?"

Rowan, watching from a distance with a bemused look, sighed deeply. "Maybe if I just let them sort this out themselves, they'll realize it’s a wasted argument."

The two continued to argue, their voices rising with every word.

"YOU’RE NOT EVEN HELPING, ASH!" Misty shouted, her face red with frustration.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HELP IF YOU KEEP YELLING AT ME?!" Ash countered, his fists clenched.

Brock rubbed his temples, muttering, "Why do they always have to do this? Can't they just sit down and talk for once?"

Gary, unable to resist, spoke up. "You know, this kind of thing could be avoided if you two actually communicated like adults."

"SHUT UP, GARY!" they both yelled in unison without breaking their glaring contest.

Misty’s voice dropped into a low growl. "I DON’T CARE WHO SIGNED WHAT, ASH! I BUILT THAT GYM WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"

Ash's eyes widened as he took a deep breath. "Well, I still helped pay for it, didn’t I?! So it’s our responsibility! We both need to fix this!"

Misty looked like she was about to snap again, but then, Brock marched between them.

" Okay that's enough." He said firmly. " Just work it out like always!"

They both snapped their faces to him.

" We ARE working it out in the usual manner." Misty said with her arms crossed

Dawn looked at Rowan. " Did I hear that right?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. "I think... I think I heard her correctly, Dawn."

Brock let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Really? This is how you two work it out now? Just yelling and bickering in front of everyone?"

Ash and Misty didn’t even flinch. They both turned back to each other, resuming their intense stares.

"Well, it works for us, doesn’t it?" Ash grumbled, still not backing down.

Misty gave a sharp nod. "Exactly. And if it wasn’t for you two—" She gestured to Gary and Brock "—we’d have this done in five minutes."

Gary shrugged, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I didn’t tell you to start arguing about it in the first place."

Dawn glanced at Rowan again. "So... this is normal for them?"

Rowan nodded slowly, a wry smile creeping onto his face. "It’s been their dynamic for years now. They argue, they yell, they fight, and somehow, they always come out of it working together in the end."

And now?

Now they were throwing insults at one another.

Ash glared at Misty, his fists clenched. "You know, you could actually try to get along for once!"

Misty shot back, "Oh, I’m sorry, Ash! I didn’t realize it was my fault everything goes wrong when you’re involved!"

The group watched in stunned silence as the insults started flying faster than ever.

"Your sense of direction is worse than a Zubat!" Ash snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Misty’s eyes flashed. "At least I don’t trip over my own feet every time I’m trying to run somewhere!"

"Hey, I don’t scream at the sight of a Bug-type!" Ash retorted, smirking.

Misty's face turned bright red. "You have no idea what it’s like to actually deal with that fear, Ash! You couldn’t even handle a single Weedle if it bit you on the nose!"

"That’s because I don’t get scared of it!" Ash fired back, his voice rising. "You know, you’d think by now, you’d be over it!"

The group collectively winced as the insults kept flying. Brock, who had witnessed their countless arguments before, simply sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I should’ve known this was coming."

Gary smirked, arms crossed, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "You know, at least this time it’s a bit more creative. I’m impressed."

An assistant rubbed her temples. "Why do I feel like they’re not even aware of how loud they’re being right now?"

Dawn watched with wide eyes, trying to make sense of it all. "So... this is normal, right?"

Brock nodded slowly, watching the bickering duo. "Normal for them. They yell, they argue, they fight. But when it’s over, they’ll get things done... somehow."

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty were still in full-blown insult mode.

"I swear, if you touch one more Bug-type, I’m leaving you behind!" Misty yelled.

"Good! I don’t need someone who can’t even look at a Butterfree without having a panic attack!" Ash shot back.

"Guys, seriously!" Brock called out, stepping forward to try and calm things down. "Can we just... stop yelling for like, five minutes?"

Misty crossed her arms, still glaring at Ash. "Not until he understands what I’m dealing with!"

Ash threw his hands in the air. "I get it! But you’re acting like I’m going to put every Bug-type in your path just to mess with you!"

"It sure feels like it!" Misty snapped.

"Okay, okay," Ash sighed, rubbing his temples. "We need to fix the gym, not each other."

Misty let out a huff. "Fine. But we’re doing it my way. And I’m going to make sure you listen to me for once."

Ash crossed his arms, finally calming down. "You’ve got a deal... for now."

The group watched as the two, exhausted from their back-and-forth, fell into an uneasy silence. It was a rare moment where they seemed to come to some sort of understanding... even if it was just for the moment.

Gary raised an eyebrow, glancing at Rowan. "You think they’ll actually get anything done now?"

Rowan gave a tired chuckle. "I’m hoping they will. But honestly, it might take a while before they stop arguing long enough to actually work together."

Misty shot Ash one last glare, then turned toward the gym with a determined look. "Let’s get to work. No more arguing. For now."

Ash gave a reluctant nod. "Yeah, yeah... let’s just fix the gym, okay?"

And so, for the first time that day, they turned away from each other, heading toward the gym—still annoyed, but at least working toward a common goal.