We'll Walk Together
Part One
Breath in. Hold it in. Breath out. Repeat. Don't hesitate. Don't be afraid.
That was the mental mantra of Misty Waterflower as she followed the rapid battle before her. In a massive pool that easily overtook any of the ones that were back in the Cerulean City gym, her Starmie fought viciously with a Lanturn, even though the other Pokémon had the type advantage.
Her heart raced, fingers twitching in anticipation and nervousness. Her throat ached when she swallowed from her loud yelling and screaming. This wasn't just any battle; this was one of the most important battles of her life. This battle would either lead her one step closer to her goal, or she would be forced to train for another full year.
The water practically exploded around them, the crowd ducking back or holding up the umbrellas and rain ponchos that they brought with them. Though it was a warm, sunny day in Lumiose City, everyone who had come to watch the finals of a Water Pokémon Tournament came either prepared to get wet or had ways to prevent it.
Misty leaned forward, sea-green eyes locked onto the swirling water that arced up from the pool. She watched two blurs move within the water spout, and a moment later, Starmie flew through the liquid wall, slamming Lanturn onto one of the stands that floated on the surface of the pool. Starmie jumped backwards, landing on another stand, while Lanturn lost consciousness.
For a moment, the redhead was positive that she forgot how to breathe as the stands exploded with cheers, only snapping out of her shock by the loud announcement that boomed over the stadium's speakers.
"Lanturn is unable to battle. Starmie is the winner of the battle! Misty Waterflower has won the match!"
Misty screamed excitedly, not caring that it physically hurt her to do so. She leaped over the railing of her podium, full-on jumping into the water. The coldness completely consumed her briefly until she surfaced again, laughing as Starmie met her halfway in the pool. She hugged the Pokémon tightly as she laughed.
Her eyes turned up as she looked at the crowd that was cheering for her, a rush of warmth passing through her. Holding onto Starmie to keep her up with one arm, she raised the other to the air, waving at everyone else.
Starmie moved them towards the edge of the pool, where Misty climbed out and called her tired Pokémon back to the Pokéball. She faced the crowd again and waved, before turning and walking towards the young man that she had been fighting moments ago.
He was already waiting at the halfway point, an amused smile spread across his dark face as he held out his hand. "It was a good battle."
"It was an awesome battle!" she replied enthusiastically as she clasped his hand. "Your Pokémon were trained so well! I've never seen someone use Hydro Pump and Aurora Beam at the same time like that before!"
"Yes, well, it was no match for your Gyarados," he replied with a laugh. "Trust me, the best trainer won this time. I'll be watching your next battle. You versus Master Siebold will be something to see. He's not someone to be taken lightly."
Misty's lips tilted up as determination passed over her features. "Neither am I." She waved to the crowd as she turned and made her way towards the changing rooms.
She looked up beyond the stands, to where a private box surrounded by glass stood. Though she couldn't see inside, she knew that it was full of very important people watching her match. Though it was thrilling knowing that Kalos Champion Diantha, along with Water Pokémon Master Siebold were up there, only one person truly mattered to her.
Wondering what he thought about the match, Misty hurried towards the changing rooms, eager to get back to the hotel to watch the battle again to prepare for the biggest battle of her life.
…
Champion Diantha Carnet had interacted with her fair share of Pokémon Masters. Most of them were normal people that most wouldn't pick out on a street. Still, there was the preconception that they were supposed to act a certain way, to have this certain air of dignity about them. This was something even more expected with Elites and Champions.
So the fact that the Pokémon Master, the strongest trainer within the Pokémon League, was sitting on the edge of his seat through the entire battle, cheering loudly at his girlfriend's victory, was more than a bit amusing to her.
Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum was practically pressed against the glass of the private box, his ever-present Pikachu mimicking his behaviour. Occasionally, he would mutter something he would have done, or tell Pikachu how impressed he was with certain tactics. It was almost as amusing as the battle below was engaging.
It certain stunned a couple of the more serious Pokémon Masters that were watching. Siebold in particular was eyeing him like he was insane.
When Misty won, Ash whooped loudly, picking up Pikachu and spinning excitedly around.
Watching Ash cheer for the girl, Siebold leaned forward in his seatslightly and sighed. "This is the Master now?"
"Be nice," Diantha said with a shake of her head. "He's excited for her. It was a fantastic match, you must admit."
"Yes." The blond man turned his attention to where Misty was hugging her Pokémon in the pool. "I admit, I am impressed. Though I'm not quite sure if she's on my level yet. Not that it would matter."
Ash and Pikachu's small celebration instantly ended, the Pokémon climbed up onto his shoulder as he turned around, his brow furrowing slightly. Pikachu's ears twitched, and the trainer asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
When first meeting other Pokémon Masters, especially Elites and Champions, Ash tended to get a little bit star-struck, something that made many of these Masters scoff slightly since he was supposed to be above all of them. Siebold was one of these Masters.
He raised an eyebrow at the young man. "I mean no offense to her talent. I'm simply stating that it's not easy to become a Master."
It took every ounce of self-control for Ash to hold back his sarcastic remark, knowing that there were still others watching him. Being enthusiastic and being rude were two different things. Instead, Ash inhaled sharply. "I know that, and maybe you will beat her, but she is good, so it does matter."
"You misunderstand," Siebold assured him. "This isn't about her at all. It's about you. She's your girlfriend. Even if she's not ready to beat me, she will because of you."
"What? What do I…" Ash trailed off, his bright brown eyes suddenly jumping to Diantha and then back in shock. The shock changed to anger and his fingers curled into fists. "Are you implying that you're going to throw the match because Misty's my girlfriend?"
"You wouldn't be the first to demand something like that."
"I hope that hasn't been a recent thing, like after I beat Red recent, because I was damn well clear that nothing like that was allowed to happen anymore. That's just as bad as League Sweepers." Ash had half a mind to stomp his foot on the ground. "Besides, Misty doesn't need me to rig a match for her to win. She can do it on her own."
"Pikapi pi Pikachu pi pika Pikachupi pi." Pikachu pointed out.
The anger vanished from Ash's face as quickly as it had come, and he smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, she would probably kick my ass if I did that too." Pikachu wasn't just being metaphorical either. They both knew that Misty was easily the better fighter and could indeed kick his ass if she ever needed to. Turning his attention back to Siebold, Ash said, "What I want you to do is battle your best, because she's going to be coming at you with her best. Just…battle. A fair fight with no intentions either way."
Diantha hummed a bit at that, a smile once again appearing on her face. Siebold eyed the young Pokémon Master before nodding his head. "I am very glad to hear that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another engagement to attend to."
"I think someone else does too," Diantha added, and Ash looked at her with confusion. She chuckled and nodded down to where Misty was slowly making her way to the changing rooms. "Get out of here." Some of the other Masters in the room probably wanted the chance to talk to Ash, but she knew he wanted to run down to Misty. Most of the time, if the Pokémon Master made an appearance at a tournament such as this, it would be in some sort of official capacity, but due to Ash's clear conflict of interest, he made it clear that he was just watching. There was no need to bog him down with politics at the moment.
Ash nodded his head and thanked her, slowly walking towards the door with an air of calm about him. The second the door closed behind him though, Diantha heard him and Pikachu tear down the hall, causing her to chuckle again.
At least he was a lot more amusing than Master Red had been.
…
Ash rounded the corner and had to stop his mad dash because of course there were cameras. The second the photographers and journalists spotted him, he was blinded by flashing lights and deafened by questions. It wasn't near as bad as at functions where he was the spotlight, but everyone and their mother knew that Misty Waterflower was his long-time girlfriend, and now she was going to be fighting for the title of Water Pokémon Master. Lots of people wanted an opinion from him.
Despite the fact that he had no official position within the tournament, Cynthia had it grilled into Ash's mind that he had to be incredibly careful what he said to the media at any given time.
"It was an awesome battle! I was really impressed with both Misty and Dwayne Brycen. The battle could have gone either way." Lowering his voice conspiratorially, he added, "I am a bit biased though. I was rooting for Misty."
One young journalist laughed. "Of course. We expected that. Do you think she can win against Kalos' own Master Siebold?"
"Well, I have faith that she can and I'm going to be rooting for her the whole way. Master Siebold is a very talented trainer though, so it could go either way. Now, if you excuse me, I have a certain someone to go find." Ash caught sight of a security officer that was watching the situation warily. The man nodded his head, and Ash walked quickly by him, holding Pikachu in his arms to make sure no one snatched the Pokémon for an interview (it had happened before).
Ash could deal with the press in small quantities like this, but he still loved the fact that there were always private areas set up where they couldn't go.
Once he was out of sight of the cameras, Ash started jogging again, making his way down to the locker room. He was a bit surprised that he beat Misty, but she was probably outside enjoying the cheers from the crowd. He understood the rush that came with it, and Misty deserved every ounce of praise she got for her victory.
He locked the door behind him so no one would burst in, and Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder, stretching out on a wooden bench. "Pikachu cha pika?"
"Yeah, but we have to deal with more people soon. Everyone's going to want to talk to Misty, and us too." Pikachu sighed dramatically at this. "Come on, you love it, and tomorrow you, the others, and Misty's Pokémon can hang out in the Pokéspa all day long."
Pikachu's ears perked up happily at the thought, but then a sly look appeared on his features. "Pikapi pi pipi Pikachupi."
Ash's face turned red. "No!" Pikachu gave him that look that clearly screamed 'I don't believe you and it's the funniest thing ever', which he did not appreciate. "Okay maybe it'd be nice to get some alone time with Mist but that's not the reason why I suggested you go with everyone else." He eyed his Pokémon warily. "You're not allowed to hang out with Gary and Leaf anymore." Pikachu just snickered.
The door flew open as Misty finally entered the changing room. She didn't even notice them at first, eagerly grabbing a towel to dry herself off. Pikachu's cry startled her, and she looked up just in time to catch him, the towel falling to the floor. Once her surprise faded, she laughed and hugged the Pokémon close, getting his fur wet in the process. "Were you watching, Pikachu? What did you think? I can't believe I won!"
"Chaa!" Pikachu cooed as he nuzzled his cheek against hers. "Pikachupi cha pika."
"He knew you could do it," Ash translated, though Misty was getting very good at understanding pika-speak.
The Pokémon in question wiggled out of Misty's arms and jumped to the ground. He nudged the young woman towards his trainer playfully.
Misty laughed at the Pokémon and startled Ash by practically throwing herself at him. He staggered a bit, but chuckled and hugged her tightly, not caring that she was still soaked from her impromptu swim.
Next, Misty tried to kiss him, she really did. The problem was that she was just so excited and giddy that she kept laughing, smiling, and giggling. Ash snorted with amusement after she tried to kiss him twice, unsuccessfully, and shook his head. "Try again later, Giggles."
"Excuse me for being excited." She didn't sound annoyed in the least, tugging on his arm as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Were you watching?"
"I never took my eyes away! You were amazing!" Ash reached out, running his fingers through her bright orange hair that was getting quite long. He leaned his forehead against hers and stared at her. "No matter what happens tomorrow, no one can argue that you're not one of the best."
Misty's fingers played with the collar of his shirt as she smiled broadly and closed her eyes. They just stood there like that for a moment, before there was a knock on the door.
Scowling a bit that their quiet moment was interrupted, Misty nodded at Pikachu, who leapt up and unlocked the door again.
A rather awkward young man was at the door, a clipboard in his hand. Ash recognized him as one of Diantha's assistants. "I'm—uh—sorry for the interruption. Sincerely sorry. But—uh—the press would like a word?"
Misty took a deep breath, and Ash slid his arm across her shoulders. "You got this."
She closed her eyes, leaning into Ash's side before looking up at him. "After this, we're getting as much food as we can find. I'm starving."
…
One definite perk of being the Pokémon Master was the hotel suites. Of course, the whole hotel was an extreme difference from Pokémon Centers and campsites. Even the Pokémon loved it, since there was a spa specific for Pokémon of any size there.
The biggest perk to Ash and Misty, at least at that moment, was that the hotel made arrangements for them to sneak in the back so that no one from the press would bother them.
The young security officer watched them with amusement, used to this after the past few days. Ash looked around conspiratorially before sliding a paper, fast food bag across the desk to him. The man chuckled and accepted the offering, having learned quickly to just roll with it.
Besides, Ash and Misty had way too many bags of fast food for two people as it was. The security guard did a double-take when he saw Pikachu walking behind them with his own bag that he was clutching rather possessively.
The two managed to get to an elevator without being noticed. One elderly couple did get in on another floor, and did a double take, but they were pretty sure that it had more to do with the obscene amount of food rather than who they were (or maybe a combination of the two).
Juggling with bags and making sure that Pikachu was following them, Ash managed to open the door to the suite. They both dumped the bags on the table, and Misty flopped onto the couch. "I'm so tired. And hungry. And sore. And tired."
"You don't say?" Ash raised an eyebrow at her dramatics. He separated the bags, leaving only two behind while picking up the rest. "I can take your Pokémon to the spa too. I'll make sure they all get their food." Despite the fact that it looked like they were gluttons, they had actually gotten some food for the Pokémon as well.
Rolling over to grab her Pokéballs off of her belt, Misty handed them to Ash. "You're the best."
"Lazy," he laughed before turning to Pikachu. "Come on, buddy. Better leave the princess alone to rest her feet." She stuck her tongue out at him, but Ash just laughed again, holding the door open for Pikachu.
Misty watched the door close, and rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face into the cushion and screaming loudly. She giggled wildly, so pleased with her Pokémon and herself. Even if she didn't defeat Master Siebold tomorrow, that was still okay. Oh, she'd be sad, but she'd be ready for next year in that case.
She moved her head and eyed her food, her stomach grumbling. She decided to wait for Ash to eat though, instead turning to her cellphone, turning it on for the first time that day. Instantly, it was filled with messages and notifications of missed calls. She tapped her sister's name on the screen, and pressed it against her ear.
Realizing her error of the time difference, Misty quickly hauled the phone away to hang up, but was cut off as the call was answered. Instead of being annoyed, Daisy's excited shriek echoed from the phone. "Misty! How are you? I watched the battle and it was epic!"
Misty jumped a little bit, and hit the speaker button (even if she really didn't have to). "Thanks. I was just about to hang up because the time difference. What are you doing awake?"
"Feeding the baby," she answered simply enough. "They do tend to wake up quite a bit. You'll understand someday."
Misty rolled her eyes. All of her sisters were saying that to her like they all shared some massive secret that she couldn't comprehend. She was sure that it was sleep deprivation talking. "Sure."
Daisy snorted at her answer, though it was the most lady-like snort that she had ever heard. "So, are you ready for tomorrow? You might become a Water Pokémon Master!"
"I…" Misty trailed off, shoulders slumping slightly, though she knew that Daisy couldn't see it.
"Mist?"
"I'm nervous!" she blurted out. "I just…I know that I can do it again next year if I don't win. No one will think less of me, but…"
"You'll think less of yourself for a bit," Daisy figured. "I guess it doesn't help that your boyfriend is the Pokémon Master."
"That's more of a media thing," Misty insisted. It really wasn't though. People expected her to be a badass trainer because he was one. It was true that she was, but it was by her own merits, not his.
"You'll do fine," her older sister said, and Misty could hear little Dylan Sketchit whine a bit in the background.
A small smile appeared on her face. "How is he doing?" She had been training so hard, that Misty didn't really get to see her youngest nephew much. Not nearly as much as she had Kenn or Dover, Violet and Lily's sons.
"He cries all the time." Daisy suddenly sounded exasperated. "And poops. And smells. And doesn't do much else aside from that. But he's adorable! He is already such a photogenic baby. Way more than Kenn and Dover. Don't get me wrong, they're both adorable, but not like this."
Oddly enough, Misty had heard the same thing from Lily after Dover had been born the year before. "Of course."
"I love my son. I do. But like…a baby kind of sucks your sex-life dry because when it's not crying you just…want to sleep."
Misty's head dropped onto the bed and she shook her head. "Oh my Arceus…that's your big complaint?"
"I mean, I've finally been cleared to go but I'm just so tired and Tracey's so tired!"
"What a pity."
"You don't understand! You're in a fancy hotel in Lumiose City with your hot boyfriend with no screaming kids at all you can do whatever you want, whenever you want!" Daisy paused. "I'm just going to have to live vicariously through you, so give me the scandalous deets."
Misty snorted with amusement. "You caught us. It's so scandalous." She lowered her voice as if telling a secret. "Let me tell you, all the really long, exhaustion sessions of studying battle strategies, pigging out on food, watching movies and falling asleep early…if people only knew."
Daisy laughed. "You two bring shame to young adults everywhere." She yawned. "Well, he's finally asleep, so I think I'm going to try and get a few hours. Congrats on the win, Mist. I know you'll do awesome tomorrow. Oh!" Misty almost jumped at the sudden exclamation that was so much louder than what came before it. "Do me a favour! Lily uploaded some more pictures from her wedding to Pokébook and said that they're better than mine so can you like…compare them and tell her she's wrong? Thanks, love you. Bye!"
Misty blinked and stared down at her phone, shaking her head. She went through all of the other messages, smiling warmly at the congratulations and encouragement for tomorrow. She'd text them all back tomorrow at a more decent hour. Except for Serena, of course. She responded to that instantly.
Her eyes turned towards the door as the lock clicked and Ash walked in. The smile that had been on her lips dropped into a frown. Ash had his phone to his ear, his eyebrows pinched together. "—Okay, so what do you want to do now?" He nodded at Misty and held up his finger to tell her that he'd only be on the phone for another minute. "No, that's okay. Yeah I mean, it's only one extra day, right? We schedule these things in case something like this happens. Okay. Yeah. Sounds good. Have a good night, Diantha." He hung up the phone and groaned. For a moment, he looked like he was about to throw himself onto the bed, but instead he went over, grabbed their bags of food, set them down on the coffee table in front of the couch, and grabbed his laptop.
"What's up?" Misty asked, pulling her bag towards her as she sat up. No doubt Ash's fries would be a little limp by now, but her salad was just fine.
"You broke the pool," he said dryly, his tone annoyed but his expression amused as he sat beside her.
Misty paused in pulling out her food and stared at him, brow furrowing. "What do you mean I broke the pool?"
"I mean your battle today was so intense that the lining of the pool is ruined and it started to leak. They're repairing it, but it won't be ready for tomorrow. Gotta postpone for a day."
"What?" Misty gaped at him in horror.
"Hey, hey, the food!" Ash exclaimed and caught her salad that nearly dropped from her hands onto the floor. It might have been an overreaction, but he knew how cranky she could get when she was hungry.
"It's postponed? What does that mean? I know what it means, but what's going to happen?" Misty grabbed a hold of his arm, shaking it gently.
"Calm down. It just means that you have a day to relax tomorrow. Think about it, it's another day for your Pokémon to recharge at the spa, right?"
"I guess," Misty agreed, her stomach twisting a bit. She was going to think about the battle all day tomorrow, and it was going to turn her into a nervous wreck. Suddenly, her food didn't look very appealing.
As if sensing her thoughts, Ash resting a hand on top of her head. "Hey, we can always go visit Serena tomorrow, right? Clemont and Bonnie too. We'll just have a day of fun so you're not worrying."
"That…would be nice," she admitted, scooting a bit closer to him. She watched as he brought up some official-looking form on the computer. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure the notification about extra funds they're using to fix the pool gets to Goodshow," he explained, narrowing his eyes a bit at the screen. "And putting it into the systems that your battle date is changing."
Misty watched with interest. Though Ash wasn't involved with the tournament itself, he was the one that initially had to decide when each type-specific tournament would take place, and where. Cities and towns from the different Regions applied, and he picked from those. She remembered how stressed he was planning all of this out at first, though Red had helped him. Ash didn't care for his father, but he could appreciate his help professionally with some things.
By the time Ash was done filling things out, and answering different emails, Misty was done with her food. He started picking at his now cold fries as she stood up and stretched. "I'm going to get a shower. The chlorine in that pool is making my hair feel gross." They clearly didn't use the stuff that Cerulean City did.
Ash hummed in agreement, and she went to go collect her clothes to change in the bathroom. As she passed by him again, he said, "Hey Mist, did you want to go out somewhere to celebrate winning or something? We don't have to stay here if you don't want to." He was glancing at his phone, and seemed honestly concerned about something.
Misty leaned closer and saw Daisy's name on the screen. She rolled her eyes. "No way. I'd much rather just watch a movie and sleep. We can do things tomorrow now, right?"
"If that's what you want." He still sounded unsure.
Misty kissed his cheek quickly. "You know that if I was bored, I'd tell you." She ran her fingers through his hair and then made her way out of the room. She needed a long, quiet, warm shower for now.
By the time she was done and in her shorts and tank top, Ash had eaten, changed into his pajama pants and a t-shirt, and was flipping through the television channels, looking quite confused about most of the shows.
Rubbing her hair dry with a towel, Misty used her free hand to dig through her bag to get a brush. Once she found it, she untangled her wet hair and looked at it with narrow eyes. "Do you think I need to cut my hair?"
"Hmm?" Ash looked over at her. He eyed the orange locks. "I mean, if you want to. It looks awesome long and short."
She rolled her eyes at him and raised an eyebrow. "That's a smart answer, and sweet of you, but be honest."
"In the middle?" he asked, reached forward as she sat beside him, pushing her hair in just above her shoulders. "You can put it up or leave it down then, right?"
"Since when are you practical?" Misty's sea-green eyes flashed with amusement as she plugged in her phone to charge, and fished out her tablet. She needed to check on the photos Daisy asked her about earlier, knowing her sister would hound her until she did.
They were both quiet but very content, doing their own things for a few minutes. Misty broke the silence when she scoffed and shook her head.
"What?"
"Daisy and Lily are being competitive about their wedding photos again," she said while rolling her eyes. "I swear, it's like Pokébook is their lives or something. I swear they post everything on it."
"I don't get it," Ash said with a frown. "I mean, I can't even post a picture of a muffin online without someone flipping out, so why everything personal?" No one had warned him about that beforehand. So many people flocked to his social media, especially once it was revealed that it was actually him, not a media liaison or something like that, handling it, it was actually ridiculous. He was pretty sure that, given his position of power and the people that followed him, he could probably take over the world just by asking. Giovanni had nothing on him.
Misty laughed. "Remember that time we put a selfie of us in our new house and it actually ended up on a gossip blog." Of course, the fact that the unmarried Pokémon Master and his girlfriend had moved in together had been big gossip news anyway, especially amongst the little old ladies of Pallet Town.
"People are crazy," Ash said, and suddenly looked at her again. "When you were in the shower I got an email front Flint. From Sinnoh. Elite Four. Anyway, he just sent me this really long email and I'm pretty sure it comes down to him wanting money to put flamethrowers in his arena. The money isn't really up to me, I put requests in to Goodshow, but Cynthia is in charge of that type of thing for her Elites. But apparently she said no, so now he's asking me."
Misty laughed at that. "Because flamethrowers aren't threatening to challengers. What did you tell him?"
"I said no and copied Cynthia into the email." Maybe Ash needed to work on his tact a little more, but he got the message across very simply. "Why did I think that this job was mostly going to be battling and working with Pokémon?"
"You do that too," she reminded him, patting his knee. "You'll get used to all this stuff eventually. It hasn't been that long. As long as you don't post your entire life online, I'm sure you'll be fine."
Ash's shoulders relaxed slightly. She was right, of course. He was rather new at this, to the point where everything he did was still monitored by Red as a mentor. Ash thought he was a shitty father and a bad leader, but he actually did appreciate not being on his own at first.
Shrugging off those thoughts, he looked up at his girlfriend to ask a question, but it died on his lips when he saw her glaring at the tablet, her lips tilted up in a rather adorable pout. She was still clearly annoyed though. "What's wrong?"
"Hmm?" Misty looked up at him, a bit startled. A small smile spread across her lips. "Nothing. It's no big deal."
Ash groaned. "That just means 'Ash this is a huge deal and if you don't figure it out I'm going to throw you out the window'. You know it's true." He motioned towards the balcony that was attached to their room.
Misty laughed and playfully stood up. "Better guess or out the window you go."
"…You're still hungry?"
She dramatically sighed and made her way towards the window, tugging him out of the bed with her. "Out the window you go."
Ash laughed and tugged her back to him. "Seriously, what's up?"
"There's something wrong," she assured him. "I was just thinking about a lot of things lately and looking at my sisters pictures…and well…it just reminded me how ridiculous their weddings were. Like…I keep getting flashbacks to how…atrocious both of them were."
Whatever Ash had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. He snorted with amusement. "You went on and on about how nice everything was at both of their weddings." He quirked an eyebrow at her and made his voice higher. "Look at how pretty my dress is, Ash! I can't believe I actually look nice with this hair! Aren't those flowers fabulous?"
"I do not sound like that!" Misty laughed and tossed a pillow at him. "I was excited for them. And I was kind of just amazed that it didn't look Arceus-awful, but really, they were like a circus or one of Serena's performances! It was ridiculous. And you know that when Vi and Brad get married that theirs will be even worse! If it ever happens." She held up the tablet and brought up a few perfectly staged pictures. Ash was in a lot of the ones from Tracey and Daisy's wedding, since he had been Best Man while she was Maid of Honour. She had only been a Bridesmaid for Lily, and Ash had only watched.
He distinctly remembered that, since their weddings were so close together the two sisters had been competitive. It wasn't said, but they all knew that Lily's was pulled together quickly because she had a young son and didn't want the stigma that came with being unmarried. Daisy, on the other hand, had been planning hers for a long time.
Ash remembered Tracey trying to rein Daisy in with little success. It had been pure madness. Though everything went off without a hitch, it was still a bit traumatizing for Ash to think about.
With that in mind, he completely understood what Misty was suddenly getting at. "Let's hope Violet doesn't get married. That's a pretty common trend in Pokémon Studios right now, right?"
Misty pressed her lips together, and Ash felt her emotions shift with his Aura. He didn't say anything, but he could tell that there was something else bothering her, not just the memories. "That's…not it though…is it? What's bothering you?"
Misty regarded him carefully for a moment before turning to look out the window. "I was just thinking…I don't want something like that." Ash blinked with surprise. "I don't want a big show. I mean, I always thought I did when I was younger. I thought that a wedding had to be traditional and massive with hundreds of people and dozens of roses and family that you wish wasn't there because you hate them but they're still there because it's a wedding. I realized years ago that I didn't want that and thought, hey, maybe something by the ocean would be nice but after Lily and Daisy's and seeing all these reminders it just makes me think…" She trailed off and shrugged. "I don't want any of it."
Ash didn't really know how to process that. He could distinctly remember when Misty was in her 'romantic' stage, because they were young and he thought she was utterly ridiculous, but he couldn't pinpoint a time when that train of thought evolved into something else. In retrospect, he realized that it definitely did happen, or she would have shrugged him off a long time ago. He wasn't exactly the most romantic person in the world (or at all). This surprised him a bit though.
"What do you want then?" He tilted his head slightly as he stared at her.
"It's stupid," she preluded. "Really stupid. It's okay to laugh about it. I've just been thinking lately how…romantic it would be to run off and elope somewhere." She sighed as she looked at the twinkling lights that lit Lumiose City now that the sun's rays had vanished. Despite talking to Ash, she let herself go to a faraway place. "If I had to choose a place, it'd be right here in Lumiose. It's perfect. There doesn't have to be big fancy dresses or parades of people and a big party afterwards. Just you and me. That's all I really want now."
She didn't hesitate in bringing up that she was referring to them. It was something that they had talked about in an off-handed way before, using small comments about 'when' they got married, not if. That happened just like the occasional time that someone would make an off-handed comment about how many kids they wanted. It was never a serious sit-down conversation. Most people expected it to happen anyway, including both of them. They had been dating for years and lived together already.
Ash studied her, taking in the familiar features of her face. He could feel the genuine honesty in her words, that it was really what she wanted. He was thoughtful as his eyes slid to look out the window, his brow furrowing. Lumiose was the perfect place in her mind.
The comfortable silence enveloped them for several moments, as he swallowed, a tiny bit nervously. "Let's do it then."
"Huh?" Misty looked up at him, startled by his sudden words. She thought about what he said, her eyes going wide. "What?"
"Yeah. Right now. Well…no. Not right now, but tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah. You don't have your battle 'til the next day and we were just going to catch up with Clemont, Serena and Bonnie anyway. So let's go do that instead."
Misty opened and closed her mouth a couple times before stuttering, "I—I didn't bring it up to you to get to—you know—I wasn't trying to say—"
"I know," Ash interrupted her with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was going to ask you soon anyway. You know, after you became a Water Master."
Misty stared at him, and Ash could feel her emotions twisting in about ten different ways at once, it was a little hard to look at. "You were not."
Ash blinked. "Yeah, I was."
Misty smiled. "No, you weren't. And that's okay Ash—I don't want you to."
"But I was."
"You weren't."
"Was too." There was a bit of annoyance creeping into his tone.
"Was not." Misty sounded a bit miffed too.
"Was too!" Ash stormed over to the bed, the desire to prove himself right rushing through him. Misty jumped and watched with wide eyes as he flung himself across the bed, not caring that he knocked the remote and his phone to the floor. He dug through the bag that was on the opposite side for a moment and let out a triumphant yell when he found what he was looking for. Twisting around, he tossed a small, velvet box at her, smiling smugly the entire time.
Misty caught it easily, staring at the white box with wide eyes. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest and she took a deep breath, expecting to see a ring pop or something from a vending machine as she opened it.
She gasped and almost dropped the box as she forgot how to breathe. It definitely wasn't out of a vending machine. At first she thought it was a simple white-gold band with a diamond in the center but as the light glinted off of it, she realized that the sides had an iridescent look to them. She recognized it as shells that were made specifically to go in rings. They sold these in Cerulean City and Ash hadn't been there in at least a month. He was carrying this around on him for at least that long.
He wasn't lying. He had been intending to ask her before she brought it up.
Misty blinked back tears as she looked up at his smug face. She tried to say something heartfelt and sweet, but all she could say was, "Did you just propose by arguing and throwing the ring at me?"
"Yup." He sounded quite pleased with himself.
A laugh bubbled up. "You idiot." She stormed towards him and tossed herself on his lap. She took a deep breath as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. "Ask me again. Without throwing it at me."
"Huh?"
"Ask me again," Misty said forcefully, shoving the box in his hands. "Right here, right now."
She didn't move off of his lap, so Ash took that as his cue that he didn't have to get down on a knee. Despite that, and the fact that he had already asked her in his own way, he suddenly felt nervous. The palms of his hands felt sweaty and his heart beat painfully in his chest. He hadn't actually said the words, had he?
Ash took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. Overthinking would be the end of him and it never worked out well. Jumping was what he did best. "Will you marry me?"
Misty all but snatched the box back from his hand, nodding her head. She didn't look up, but Ash could feel her smile against his skin. She put the ring on her finger and held it out in front of her, admiring it with a wide smile.
Ash smiled broadly in response, wrapping his arms around her as he nuzzled his face against her damp hair. "I was serious, you know. You want to just run off and get married? We're already here. There'd be no way we could get away with just having a small one. It'd be a circus." Misty shifted to look back at him. Ash loosened his grip to let her move until they could see one another clearly. "I…" He suddenly felt embarrassed, his cheeks becoming warm. "I don't need some big ridiculous thing. I don't have anything to prove. You know I love you and I don't care what they think. Just you. So that's all I need there."
Misty inhaled sharply and she wasn't able to keep her happy, overwhelmed tears in. She laughed as he put a hand on her cheek, understanding that he was concerned over her tears. She put her hand over his, the one with the ring on it, and said, "I can get a dress tomorrow morning. Off the rack." There was no possible way to get a customized one but that was okay. She'd go in a second-hand, cheap one if need be.
"Serena could help," he suggested. "She's interning in a place that does that kind of thing, right?"
"She could!" Excitement bubbled up in Misty's voice. "Oh! And she and Clemont could be witnesses! Most places have witnesses anyway, but we can have two of our own!" Her smile dropped off of her face so quickly that it actually alarmed him. "But…your mom. And Dawn too."
Ash faltered a bit. There was absolutely no way that his mother could make it in time before tomorrow. Dawn, his half-sister, would surely murder him for getting married without her there to make a big deal out of it. She had actually told him once not to run off and do it without her there, like she had known back then. Then Ash thought about his earlier words and his resolve came back. He wasn't lying when he said all that he needed was Misty. Her put his hands on either side of her face. "I don't care. We'll…we'll get Bonnie to film it!"
Misty's eyes lit up, both at the sureness of his voice and the suggestion. "Yeah! Oh, your suit is clean, right? And we'll need rings for both of us. And to find a place."
"Hey, I can feel you starting to stress! Don't do that! You get a dress and what you need to get. I'll take Clemont with me and find a place. He knows Lumiose much better. We can get cheap rings and then we'll go and pick out nicer ones later on when we have more time. My suit's fine. It'll be okay. We'll do it all tomorrow. And then the next day you'll win your battle."
Misty felt warmth erupt in her chest. Right now, she was just Misty Waterflower, former Cerulean City Gym Leader. If she won though, in two days' time she would be Water Pokémon Master Misty Waterflower. No, she thought, she'd be Water Pokémon Master Misty Ketchum.
Misty tugged him as close to her as she possibly could, kissing him with everything she had, knowing that he'd feel the emotions running through her. She couldn't use Aura the way he could, but she could still feel love, confidence and excitement coming from him as Ash returned the kiss.
Right then and there, that was really all she needed.
Written by Skylight Sparkle
Edited by EchidnaPower