Ash came home on a Saturday and was at the Cerulean Gym by Tuesday. He rang the bell and Misty opened the door. He had called to tell her he was coming, and they were both excited. But what do you say to a stranger you know better than yourself?
Pikachu went to play with Azumarill and the niceties were exchanged for awhile, Ash sometimes lighting up talking about his Unova adventures and his friends, Misty when talking about the gym or new types of water pokemon. But soon enough they lapsed into an awkward silence. They sat there for a moment before Misty hurriedly went to the kitchen for drinks. She sighed, then straightened, dismissing her nervousness, and collected two glasses of water to take back into the living room.
But when she returned, Ash was staring out the window. She joined him and looked out at the approaching storm, laughing at his round eyes. Huge storms were common in Cerulean. And soon enough,
BOOM.
A clap of thunder struck and lightning tore across the sky, bringing peals of rain with it. Ash looked at the rain, still goggle eyed. Pallet was relatively calm, and he couldn't remember the last big storm he'd seen on the road. Misty looked up at him and smiled. Then she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him outside. She stepped out into the rain and lifted her face up, reveling in the water all around. He looked at her, incredulous, before tentatively stepping out into the rain and smiling. Ash tilted his head back, too, and yelled into the storm. Then, with a gleam in his eye, he asked Misty to dance. What else could she say but yes?
And they were there in the rain, dancing and twirling like idiots, like old times. And she was smiling and his eyes twinkled with a rekindled fire and it felt right again. Everything felt right. They didn't need the clichéd kiss in the rain; they didn't need an impromptu marriage proposal. All they needed was each other.
But Ash had to leave the next day. He promised to call every time he got to a Pokemon Center. She knew he would forget, but at that moment, she didn't care. She had a wonderful friend. A forgetful, immature, oblivious friend. But a wonderful friend nonetheless.