Disclaimer- I clearly own nothing having to do with the actual Pokémon franchise or else the series would be going a whole lot differently ;)
Misty was going to kill Ash Ketchum, this time she was absolutely sure of it. Because instead of the nice, romantic evening she had anticipated having with her boyfriend here she was, shivering and perplexed and incensed, standing in her backyard of all places. And just a few feet in front of her, visible from the lights of the gym, was her bike.
Or at least what was left of it.
What had happened to it, exactly, Misty couldn't be sure. The silver of the frame was melted and misshapen, a wheel appeared to be missing, and what was left of the pretty pink basket was charred and still smoldering.
But what was even worse was the apparent joy her bike's destruction appeared to be giving Ash. Instead of picking her up for their date like she had been anticipating he had showed up at her front door 20 minutes late and, excitedly, with characteristic Ash Ketchum enthusiasm, dragged her around her house to the backyard. Even now the dim light could do nothing to hide the grin on his face or the eagerness in his eyes as he waited for her reaction.
Through her anger she forced herself to ask, as calmly as it was possible for her to do so, "Ash, what the hell?" and if her voice wasn't exactly steady Ash didn't seem to take notice.
"I broke it Mist"
Misty forced herself to count to three, "I can see that Ash"
"And I'm not fixing it. I am never fixing it."
So he had a death wish. Misty took a step forward, and something in her expression must have finally tipped the clueless Pokémon master off to the fact that he was in trouble because he threw his hands up defensively and backed up a few steps before starting to explain himself.
"Last time I broke your bike you followed me around for years…"
"I did not FOLLOW you around Ash Ketchum!"
Ash winced at the shrillness of her voice, "Mist I'm sorry just please let me finish. Last time it was because I destroyed your bike that you started traveling with me. And those first few years were definitely some of my toughest as a trainer. I could never have made it without you by my side. And somewhere along the way you became my best friend Mist. Maybe even more than that, I don't know, you've just always been special to me. But then Nurse Joy fixed your bike and you had to leave and I had to go on with my journey without you, and even though at the time I tried to act tough and confident it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do."
Misty felt the edge of her anger begin to recede, though the smell of burning rubber kept her from fully calming down.
Ash continued, " Years passed, but of course I never forgot you. We found ways to stay in touch, letters and video calls. And then somewhere in-between regions I was home visiting Pallet. You walked up to me at Professor Oak's lab and I hadn't seen you in person in so long but your hair was just a little longer than I remembered and your eyes were the same blue-green I've always loved and I thought to myself 'She is so beautiful' which was not the kind of thing I'd ever thought about a girl before."
"Months later Brock was out visiting me in Unova and apparently I was talking about you A LOT and I guess he must have lost patience in me figuring this out on my own because he looked over at me said the words that completely flipped my world upside down 'You know that you're in love with her, right?' and that's when I realized that I was"
"But I couldn't tell you, not yet. Part of it was cause I was scared, I'll admit it just this once. But also it was because I couldn't come to you and ask you to start this whole new journey with me until I had finished my first once. So I trained the hardest I ever have and finally, without you screaming and cheering in the stands, finally beat the Pokémon league and the elite four."
Seeing that Misty's expression had softened at his words he took a few steps toward her and took her hands in his.
"You know the rest Mist. These last few years with you have been the greatest. Even when it seems like we're going to kill each other, I could never want anything else but to be with you. You drive me crazy Misty, but you make me better, stronger, and so much happier. So I can't take any chances."
"I had my Pokémon destroy your bike Misty. I won't fix it, and this time I'll make sure that no one else fixes it either. Last time this happened you promised that you wouldn't leave my side until I replaced it. And that's what I want. I want for you to never leave my side again. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, having all kinds of new adventures."
He got down on one knee, "Marry me Misty? I owe you a bike but here's a ring."
All thoughts of murdering him forgotten she threw her arms around him and kissed him like her life depended on it. But in-between kisses she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.
The most romantic Ash Ketchum had ever been and he was still an idiot. It had never been about the bike anyway.