Incognito

Summary: A surprise trainer comes to the Cerulean Gym, and old emotions resurface.

This is a Pokeshipping fic, my favorite along with Contestshipping. I'm a hopeless romantic...it's pathetic, really.

--

The night was perfect; not a cloud in the sky. A soft, gentle breeze flowed through the youngest Waterflower's hair. She looked at the shining moon, and couldn't help remembering her days traveling with Ash and Brock. The three of them toured their way through the unknown, stumbling upon many different adventures, meeting all kinds of Pokémon and people, and helping and supporting each other no matter what. They were the best friends Misty ever had. Lying on her lawn chair, Misty gazed at the stars and reminisced on those days.

A voice made Misty jump up slightly in her seat. ''Misty, like, what are you doing? Come inside, it's totally late,'' Misty's oldest sister, Daisy, popped her head around a glass sliding door and waited, expectantly.

''Hold on Daisy. There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, and I don't wanna miss it'' Misty replied.

''Whatever you say, Misty. Just remember you still have to mop the gym floors in the morning!'' Daisy exclaimed enthusiastically as she returned inside.

''Thanks for offering to help, sis,'' Misty mumbled. Misty averted her gaze from the glass door to the sky. Her heart sunk as she returned to her sweet memories. 'Ash, where are you? What happened to us? It's been years...'

Time passed, yet Misty's star-gazing was still unsuccessful. Not even an airplane lit up the sky. ''Oh well,'' Misty sighed, ''maybe I should just- whoa, look at that! A shooting star!'' A stunning glow passed through the sky. The moment seemed to last a lifetime, when in reality it only lasted for a few seconds. ''What to wish for? I know! I wish...''

One Week Later

Misty hustled around the gym, trying to complete her weekly cleanup so she could get back to her training. Life in Cerulean City had been unusually quiet lately. In the summer, the city is generally bustling with both tourists and trainers, looking for gym battles. The quiet was nice and relaxing, for a change.

''Hey Misty!'' Daisy called out from the lobby, "A trainer wants to, like, battle you now!"

"Hold on, I have to finish scrubbing the floors!" Within a few minutes, Misty finished up and walked out to meet the trainer. What she found, however, surprised her. A mysterious man in a black cape, with a hood that draped over his head, was pacing back and forth in the lobby, waiting impatiently.

Misty approached him cautiously. "Umm, hello. I'm Misty, the gym leader. And you are?"

The trainer looked up, and appeared to be shaken. "My name? It's, uh, A-Adam," he replied in a strange tone.

"Okay, then. Let's battle now then. I'll lead you to the gym." Misty and her challenger walked onto the battlefield, taking opposite sides. "Two on two okay?" she questioned the challenger, who nodded. "Alright, I'll start this out. Politoed, go!"

"In that case," the challenger replied, "Corphish, time to shake things up!"

"Go ahead and start things out," Misty insisted.

"Fine. Okay Corphish, Bubblebeam!" Corphish shot the attack straight at its opponent.

"Politoed, dive underwater to dodge!" The frog Pokémon obeyed, and went down with a splash, just dodging the Bubblebeam. It began making its way toward Corphish.

"Corphish, get down there for another Bubblebeam!" Adam shouted.

"Oh no, you don't. Politoed, come out and use Doubleslap!" Politoed scored a direct hit.

"Counter it with Crabhammer!" Corphish hit Politoed smack on the top of the head, making Politoed dazed. "Alright Corphish, let's finish this off with another Bubblebeam!" The attack hit its mark, knocking out Politoed.

"It's okay, Politoed. Return!" A red beam flashed as it went inside the Pokéball. "You were great, Politoed. Hmm, this guy's no rookie, that's for sure. He certainly knows what he's doing. But it's nothing Starmie can't handle. So Starmie, let's go!" The purple star emerged, ready for battle.

"Corphish, you doing okay?" Adam questioned his Pokémon. Corphish leaped into the air, shouting its name happily. "Okay then, start this off with Bubblebeam!"

"That won't work again," Misty countered. "Starmie use your speed to dodge and use Tackle!"

"Corphish, dive underwater!" Corphish just barely missed dodged the attack as it splashed into the pool.

"You can't escape Starmie! Okay, time to show 'em your Thunder! Use it on the entire pool!" Misty called as the attack hit the water. Corphish came to the surface, knocked out.

Adam held out his Pokéball and recalled his Pokémon. "You did a great job, Corphish. Now, let's finish this battle off with Sceptile!" The grass creature appeared with a confident expression on its face.

"That Sceptile looks pretty powerful. We'd better not let our guard down. Let's give it a taste of your Ice Beam!" Misty cried out. A freezing ray shot straight at Sceptile.

"I don't think so, Misty. Sceptile, jump and use leaf blade on the ice!" Sceptile was able to force back the attack. "Now use Bullet Seed!" The attack hit Starmie head-on.

"You okay, Starmie?" a concerned Misty asked. It jumped back up eagerly, and she grinned. "We're not going down without a fight! Starmie use Tackle!"

"Counter with Leaf Blade, at full power!" The two Pokémon collided, attacks equal. Sceptile caved in and took some damage. Adam looked at his Pokémon anxiously. "Sceptile, Solarbeam!" It began to take in energy.

"Uh oh, I'd better make my move fast. Starmie, hurry and use ice beam!" Starmie shot out its attack in the knick of time, as Sceptile fired its Solarbeam directly after. At first it seemed as if the two forces were equal, but Sceptile came out on top, its Solarbeam knocking out Starmie.

"Wow," whispered Misty," that's the first time I've seen a grass attack beat an ice attack. Sceptile must be very high leveled." She regained herself and recalled Starmie. Misty walked over to the challenger, reaching into her pocket for a Cascade Badge.

"Congratulations, Adam. That was an intense battle- one of the best I've had in a long time. I can see you've raised your Pokémon very well. I'm honored to present you with-"

"That's not necessary, Mist," Adam said, cutting her off. "I already earned a Cascade Badge."

"Then why did you come here in the first place?" she inquired curiously.

"Do I need an excuse to visit an old friend?" Adam replied, and threw off his disguise Team Rocket style.

A speechless Misty gazed upon her visitor with wide eyes. This was no Adam...it was Ash. The same Ash who she hadn't seen in years. The same Ash she should be furious with for never calling. He looked different- his familiar features were all still there, but he was more well-built, taller, and...Misty stopped herself before she could think any more. She tried to be angry, but shock consumed her, and she couldn't feel anything.

The grin Ash had been wearing left his face as Misty blankly stared at him. A confused look took its place, and he gave her a soft smile. He approached her slowly. "Misty," Ash began in a low tone, "it's me. Don't you remember? You look at me as if I'm a ghost or something."

Misty still stood staring. She finally regained her composition, and boiled with a mixture of anger and emotional pain. "Ash...it's been awhile," she began calmly, but her tone picked up as she continued. "How...how could you ignore me for so long? No phone calls, e-mails, not even a card on my birthday! I tried to reach you so many times, but you never called." Ash shamefully looked down, enduring the lecture he knew he deserved. "And to top it all off Ash, you come over and expect me to jump for joy! For all I knew, you could've been dead! How could you do this to me? Have all these years of friendship and traveling meant nothing to you?" Tears filled Misty's eyes. "You were my best friend, Ash. Why?"

Ash's chocolate brown eyes also began to water. He cringed, and tried to console her.

"Misty, I- I'm sorry. I was, just, afraid, I guess. I didn't know what to say after all this time."

"Well, look at yourself, Ash; you're a wreck, just like me." Ash gave Misty a hopeful look, but Misty couldn't bear it. Ash began to come forward, but she put her hand out, closing her eyes, saying, "Stop, Ash. Don't. Just...go home. It's better this way." Tears rolled down Misty's cheeks as she ran out of the gym. Ash stood in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just taken place. He collapsed on the floor crying.

--

Misty walked along the shore of the beach. The calming splash of the rippling waves always consoled her of her every trouble. After hours, her eyes had finally dried out, and she was unable to cry anymore. She watched as her feet kicked to sand around with each step she took. The tide continued to rise and fall as the sun set. The scene was peaceful and serene; exactly what Misty needed. She gave up walking and lied down on the sand. She grew increasingly tired, and sleep finally consumed the red head.

--

Ash frantically ran through every nook and cranny of Cerulean, searching for Misty. From the mall, to the Pokémon Center, even talking to the older Sensational Sisters...Misty was nowhere to be found. Ash's heart beat at a hundred miles per hour. The thought of how he had hurt her, and possibly lost her forever, kept running through his mind. He shook in sheer terror; the pain was unbearable. 'Misty I need you. I'll do anything for you; even take my own life if I have to. Life's not worth living without you. I know I have my mom and my Pokémon and other friends, but without the one I love, I can't make it.'

Ash had lost most of his energy hours ago; he no longer had the endurance to run. He stumbled up the street, totally preoccupied by Misty's absence, his face wet with tears. Fear continued to shake him, and his heart refused to let him rest. He continued along until he found himself on an abandoned beach. The sun had set, leaving only sheer darkness. Feeling defeated, Ash plopped down on the soft sand, still shaking hysterically, and unable to hold back his tears any longer.

--

Misty woke up to a stifling sound up the beach. Her eyes fluttered open, but could see nothing because of the darkness. Even the moon was absent from this tragic night. Afraid of being alone, she released her Staryu. The star shaped Pokémon obediently came out. "Alright Staryu, I want you to help me find out what that noise is." The two began making their way up the beach.

Ash struggled with the pain he bore, and decided he was unable to keep going. He had lost total control over himself, and saw it pointless to continue living. The pain was too much to endure; only death could take it away. Hands shaking, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small pistol. His mother had kept it in the house for self-defense purposes, but he had swiped it, without her knowledge, years ago. He examined it cautiously; almost afraid of what he planned to do with it. All he had to do was pull the trigger and the light would go out forever. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch. He put the weapon against his temple, and was about to pull the trigger, when he heard a nearby noise. Ash turned over to his left, only to see two figures approaching- one being tall and slender, the other short and stocky.

"Who's there? Tell me!" Ash demanded uncontrollably. He aimed the pistol at the two figures.

Misty emerged from the shadows, and, upon seeing the rifle, her eyes widened. "Ash! Ash, please stop! Put it down, Ash. Don't do this to me!" Misty shouted, returning her Pokémon for its own safety.

Ash shook his head fiercely, and pointed it at himself. "Why should I?" he questioned boldly. "All I did was hurt you. I don't do anyone any good at all by living. You're the only one that mattered to me, and even you turned away. I- I'm better off dead."

Tears found their way back to Misty's eyes, and trickled down her pale cheeks. "Ash, don't say that. After all we've been through together…you hurt me, Ash. You're the one who pushed me away, not vise versa. Seeing you again…it was like you were back from the dead." Misty had slowly made her way up to Ash, and gently removed the pistol from his hand. Using all her strength, she hurled it into the sea. She returned her gaze to an anxious Ash. Seeing Misty again, his fear began to fade away.

"Misty," he began, "I didn't know what had happened to you just now, or where you had gone. I was afraid I'd lost you. I hated myself for hurting you the way I did. I just want to make you happy. That's all that matters to me. I really…I love you."

Misty stared in shock, and traces of a smile appeared on her tear stricken face. She couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her best friend's mouth. "Ash…I-I love you, too. And I've felt this way since the day we met. I guess I was afraid, too. I didn't want to destroy our friendship. You're all that matters to me…" Ash smiled softly at her confession. Their faces inched closer and closer together. Their eyes closed, and they found themselves in a meaningful, passionate kiss. Ash's hand found its way to Misty's face, and she strung her arms around his neck in an embrace. Misty finally pulled away, and Ash looked deep into her eyes, still seeing a trace of fear.

"Misty…don't be afraid. I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again. I can't live without you anymore- it hurts too much."

"Ash, you have to promise me you're not going to hurt me like you already did. I can't take another heartbreak. It killed me inside."

Ash gazed into her eyes. "Misty, I promise I will never hurt you. You're all that matters to me now."

And they sealed the deal with a kiss.

--

Like it? Hate it? Review and let me know! Constructive criticism is always accepted. Hope you liked it...

-Sari