Chapter 1: Water's Edge
Misty remembered the day she was removed from the picture. Ash left with Brock, while she had to watch over the gym; her sisters leaving her no choice but to stay behind. The hat still stood as a remembrance to her. She remembered the handkerchief she gave to him. Now she was on her own. The splash of gym water frequently trickled down her face. The heat of battle didn't interest her anymore. Everyday it was the same. Some random challenger from some random city. They either won or lost depending on their experience, intelligence, and skill. They often underestimate her, thinking they will slide by just owning electric pokemon. Some days, battle was challenging. Or it was irksome.
Misty sighed. "This is so tedious," she thought, looking into the water. She just stood on her side of the battlefield, not even bothering to direct her pokemon to do anything. They already knew what to do without her guidance. The electric trainer lost. And that was the last battle for the day. She sat down on the side, looking away. Her idea of achieving her goal was not just through beating people constantly and handing out badges, but through the traveling with others.
She really missed traveling with her friends and meeting people.
"Stupid sisters…" she thought.
If it weren't for them, she could still be out on an adventure.
Sure, she was accomplishing her goal as a great water trainer. But sometimes dreams get tiresome and should be broken from once in awhile. It was a bit spontaneous, but it was decided.
"Maybe I just need some time to think…" she pondered.
She stepped off into her room, grabbed a small duffel bag of everything she'd need for a few days. She zipped her bag shut and put on a pink puffy jacket, a yellow turtleneck, and jeans. She would close the gym for a few days and take her bags with her. She didn't care that there was a line of trainers waiting outside along the gym to challenge her, despite the fact that she announced already that the previous trainer who lost was the last melee for the day.
"Oh well," she thought. She opened the door, putting the sign informing all trainers to come back in a few days. She turned around towards the road, her back facing the line of trainers yelling out, "Hey! Come back here! You're the gym leader! Where do you think you're going?" Misty just kept on walking. "Shut up…" she thought, while walking off, bags in hand.
It was winter, and it was quite cold outside. She walked to the nearest bus station and paid for her fare to a place not too far away from Cerulean City but just somewhere scenic. She held her belongings against the warmth of her body and sat down on the bench. She sighed as her breath made fog. It was time for her to get on the bus within ten minutes. She looked for a seat and sat down, looking out the window. And off to the mountains she went.
As soon as she reached her destination, she waited for everyone to leave, her being the last to get off. She stepped onto the snow, leaving imprints. She looked around for the nearest lodge, registered a room, grabbed her shoulder bag, and then went outside to walk around. The trees were not in bloom as they looked sad and forlorn without the leaves, no sign of color other than the brown mountain side and the white snow towering everywhere. The environment seemed to fit Misty's mood. It made her feel a bit sentimental and happy, but a little crestfallen also.
"I really must need a new hobby or something to be this bored…" Misty thought to herself.
She walked around, her shoes making crunching noises in the snow. No sign of anything except nature. She figured it was kind of obvious she was lonely since her separation from the group. She missed the frequent company of Pikachu. When she always dragged Brock off by the ear when flirting with every girl that came within his eyesight. And of course, smacking Ash when the opportunity came by. But she had no choice. She had to watch the gym. No one else would.
She sat down on a nearby rock, and then looked up into the sky. The sky contained slow passing white puffy clouds. She sighed another round of sighs. The sighs seemed to be the language of her seclusion. Of course, her pokemon kept her company, but not like how humans did. She picked up a twig off the snow and drew with it on the snow. She remembered the time she and Brock got dragged up the mountain while traveling in a large flurry of snow, due to Ash's stubbornness. She was fortunate that time since she found some source of warmth. She decided to leave as to not get caught up in a storm again like the other times.
Just as she was about to get up and leave to the cabins, a snowball hit her on the head. The snow smacked into her like a huge droplet of water splashing onto the ground.
"Ow! What the heck!" Misty screamed, wiping the snow out of her hair.
Just then, a familiar figure came out of the corner of the rocky mountain.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought your mass of orange hair was a pokemon," the guy said. He was wearing blue, and he had spiked dark brown hair. He looked awfully familiar. Misty took another glance and turned her head to the person.
It was none other than Gary Oak.
End Chapter 1: Water's Edge. Onto Chapter 2.