A/N: Pokeshipping 2016...I umm...had no idea where this one was going and that's kinda where I am with all of the themes this week...also dying of the plague so I may or may not make it through them all...enjoy?

Alola

"Dear Ms. Waterflower,

Thank you for your recent application to the Water Pokémon Fund. The decision making process was a difficult one, with many worthwhile organizations vying for a limited amount of grant dollars.

Unfortunately…"

Misty skims the rest of the letter, groaning and dropping her head to her hands as she reads yet another rejection. It had been a hard year. A hard few years. Gyms just aren't the money makers they used to be. And honestly, they were never good for much beyond basic needs...but now…

Now it was more a game of which checks they could afford to bounce.

Looking at the pile on her floor, Misty sighs. None. This month, the answer is none...

"Misty, like, phone…" Daisy's voice trails down the hall.

Misty cringes. "I'll get it in here." She replies, voice muffled in her arms.

Her sisters aren't helping much either. They want to turn the gym into a contest hall and Misty...isn't entirely against the idea. She's tired of the gym and despite their attempts, her sisters will never be battlers. They are fantastic coordinators though.

And a small grant is all she'd need to make the necessary changes.

If only she could get one.

Misty groans again and drops her face to the desk, the cool surface more relaxing then the heat of her arms.

"Like, Misty?"

Daisy again, what could she want? Misty offers a dignified "mgmf" in response.

"Were you going to get the phone?"

Misty's eyes widen and she scrambles up, calling up the phones vid screen and losing her balance in the process. She hits the floor just as the image resolves and the laughing voice of Ash Ketchum fills her room.

"Laugh it up, Pallet Town" Misty grumbles, stumbling to her feet. She reaches up to grab something, anything, for support and succeeds only in pulling a pile of papers down onto her head. She sighs, lying on her back as it rains rejection letters and waits for Ash to stop laughing.

When five minutes pass and his laughter hasn't even slowed, Misty pulls herself into view of the phone, only slipping once on some loose papers, and glares.

Ash's laughter stops suddenly, swallowed in a frighted gulp. "Hi, Misty." he whimpers, voice cracking on her name.

"Ash." she responds, mouth set in a line. "Two calls in one year? My, don't I feel special."

"Oh, come on, Mist. I'm not that bad"

"Mhm." Misty nods, dragging a chair over so that she's not awkwardly standing in front of the screen."

"I called you at least twice from Unova."

Pikachu bounds into frame from behind him and kaa's, smacking him with his tail. Ash bats him away. Claiming that he "did so call twice."

Misty laughs, drawing his attention away from his misbehaving pokémon. "Nope. You called me once and then you called Delia once when I was visiting."

"Oh. Right, you're friends with Mom." He looks away when she mentions his mother, glancing to the side. Pikachu looks down as well, sad almost.

"Yeah...how is Delia?"

"...fine…" Ash responds, voice lilting up confusedly.

"Yeah?"

"Just great….anyway….it was great talking with you, Mist, but..."

"Not so fast, Ketchum. What's up?"

"Up? Nothing's up. Why would you think anything is up?"

Misty rolls her eyes and huffs out a sigh. Ash looks away, studiously glancing any direction but hers. She waits and eventually, Ash meets her eyes and smiles, shaking his head.

"So what's going on?"

"A lot. Too much to talk about on the phone."

"Well that's too bad, Ash. Last I checked, you were in Kalos. That's a little far for the train."

"Are you spying on me, Ms. Waterflower?"

Misty sighs, blowing a stream of air past her bangs. They float briefly before falling back to her head. "As if I have the time."

"Is it that bad?"

"No." Misty says automatically, the words popping out before she's even thought them through.

Ash smiles back at her, a devious grin that Misty knows means trouble no matter how innocent his next request seems. She swallows hard and cuts in with an, "Oh, hush Ketchum. I'll work it out."

"I know you will, Misty." Ash's smile falls. "You always do." He takes his hat off his head and worries it in his hands until Pikachu pushes the hat out of the way to stop it from being damaged. It's unusual for Ash but Misty has seen it before when he wanted to ask something that he wasn't sure would be accepted. Misty swallows again, what could he possibly have to ask her that would get this kind of reaction.

"Ash..." Misty starts.

Pikachu cuts her off with a string of chatter that has Ash looking away from the screen, a blush filling his face. "I know, Pikachu." He swats at the mouse pokémon who shocks him in response. Misty smiles. It's almost normal...still…"Hey, Misty? Come visit me in Pallet? I'm home after the league." He swallows and looks away again, only turning back when Pikachu chatters at him angrily, cheeks sparking. "We can talk. In person?"

Misty blinks. That is entirely too reasonable a request to have caused Ash that much hesitation. Still, it has been forever since she's had a day off and longer still since she's seen Ash. "When?" Misty asks, bringing up her calendar. She's pretty sure she has a free day sometime next month. Maybe. If Daisy hasn't taken that modeling job.

"Tonight." Ash replies, Pikachuing chuuing in backup.

Misty groans, dropping her calendar. "Ash, I can't just drop everything. I have…"

"Gym battles and grant applications." Ash cuts her off.

Misty's mouth falls open. "How did you?"

"Professor Oak mentioned it. He wants you to stop by his lab by the way. Something about a research grant…"

"WHAT?" Misty shouts, standing before the screen. In her haste she knocks her chair and yet another stack of papers from her desk, carpeting her floor in bills and rejections. Somewhere below her, one of her sisters darts of the stairs, worried at her scream and the crash to the floor.

Ash cringes. "You should have gotten a telegram…" he offers, voice mareepish even though Misty can't see his face. Pikachu chuu's at him and Misty can hear his shrug. "Oh...I must have beaten it...time lag and all…"

Misty is just getting up to question Ash when Daisy's voice filters up the stairs calling her name. Misty huffs out a sigh and pulls herself to her feet. She glares at the phone, holding up a hand with her pointer finger outstretched as though demanding that Ash stay put, before darting to the door.

"I'm okay, Daisy." she shouts.

"If you, like, say so." Daisy's voice returns, skepticism practically dripping from it. MIsty turns back from the door to go back to the vidscreen when a bell fills the gym. She pauses, breath held and waiting for Daisy to call back up about another gym battle, and one she'd better win. They can't afford to pay out a prize. "Hey Misty…" Daisy calls.

"Coming…" Misty replies, already turning back to end the conversation with Ash. "You can lead the challenger to the…"

"No, Misty. It was, like, a telegram."

"A telegram?" Misty is puzzled. Hardly anyone uses telegrams anymore, preferring to use bird pokémon for urgent letters. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Ash smiling smugly. She groans. "What does it say?"

There's a pause and then, "it's an invitation to apply in person tomorrow for a research position with stipend at Oak Labs."

Misty blinks.

Misty takes a deep breath.

Misty clenches her hands in fists to keep from screaming.

She glares at Ash who only laughs and says that he'll, "see you in Pallet then." before hanging up and leaving Misty alone in her room to scramble to pack and get on the next train. The next train that leaves in...30 minutes. Despite the time constraints Misty takes a moment to bang her head against the wall and groan before furiously pulling clothes from her drawers.

The train had been early and Misty, running late as usual, had sprinted the last few blocks to the station. She's tired and breathing heavily but she's on the train. The glass is cool against her forehead and she sighs out in relief, closing her eyes for a few moments until she remembers why she's on the train. Or rather, remembers that she barely knows why she had made the sprint. Ash had seemed worried or...upset maybe...when she'd brought up his mother. And then there was this position, Misty couldn't remember having applied for a research position at Oak Labs or even having seen one open up. Not that she'd have applied, she wasn't really a researcher of anything but water pokémon. And even that had fallen by the wayside in the past year with all of the struggle just to keep the gym open. Still, research positions were highly coveted and rarely came with anything of a stipend. Typically, researchers battled to make ends meet. A position with a stipend was practically a shiny and to be offered a chance to apply...rarer still. Something was up but Misty wasn't going to look a gift ponyta in the mouth especially now with her last grant a rejection. She was going to have to apply for loans next and that would just be putting off the inevitable: she'd never be able to repay them.

Breathing out slowly, she's jarred from her thought by the train pulling into the station. It stops short, typical for late hour, and Misty lurches forward smacking her head on the seat before her.

She rubs her forehead and grabs her bags with a bump beginning to form.

Great: an amazing opportunity falls into her lap and she is going to look like some klutz. Oh well, she's never have gotten the position anyway. Oak is way too well known and she's….just a gym leader.

She steps off the train and breathes in deeply, clean country air filling her lungs. At least Pallet doesn't change. It always so...quaint and quiet. Bag on her back she starts down the familiar path to a home she knows as well as her own and nearly falls as a yellow blur runs underfoot. And stops.

Pikachu turns and stares at her, lowering an ear in question. Misty nods and Pikachu pika's happily, jumping into her arms.

Misty laughs and catches him, holding the electric mouse as he nuzzles her arms.

"Where's your owner, buddy?" she asks, stroking his back. Pikachu's ear tips and seconds later a familiar voice calls, "Pikachu, slow down."

Pikachu kaa's back indignantly and Misty muffles a laugh in his fur.

"We've got a whole minute before the train's supposed to pull in," the voice returns. Misty buries her face further, a smile threatening to break. It's not just Pallet that doesn't change. She steps off the path just in time to see and a black and blue and white blur bound past her and down the path.

"Do you think he noticed, Pikachu?" Pikachu kaa's back and Misty laughs, starting down the path towards Ash's house. She makes it maybe three steps before something slams into her from behind sending her sprawling.

"I'm so sorry, Miss." A familiar voice starts, grunting as he picks himself up and dusts his legs. "I was meeting my friend at the train and I was late and she…" He looks at her for the first time since smacking into her and blinks. "Is you…"

"Hi, Ash." Misty grimaces from the ground, reaching a hand up.

Ash laughs and pulls her to her feet. "Hi, Misty." He grabs her bag and slings it across his shoulders.

Delia's kitchen is just how Misty remembers it: cozy and bright. And warm. Her kitchen is always warm. When she and Delia had first become...friends…it had always surprised Misty how warm the room was. Most of the gym was cold, even the living quarters. And Misty's own kitchen was barely touched. It was more a repository of frozen meals and cereal then a place to linger. But Delia's kitchen...it was...the center of her home. Even when the older woman had no one to cook for, it was still the warmest place in the house.

Strangely though, when they enter, Delia's not in the kitchen. Misty looks at Ash, eyebrow raised in question, but he shrugs.

"Hey, Ma, "he shouts. "I'm home."

"Ash, you had better not be tracking mud all over my clean floor." Delia calls back from the other room. Something clinks against wood and Misty smiles. She must be cleaning.

Ash looks at his feet and smiles sheepishly. His shoes are caked in dried mud. He sighs and puts Pikachu down. "I'll be right back." he whispers, and steps back out through the door. The sound of him stomping his feet fills the kitchen and Misty can hear Delia sigh from the next room.

"Now what has that boy done." the older woman wonders, walking into the kitchen. She's reaching to put something, a newspaper maybe, down on the table when her eyes catch sight of Misty. She breaks into a grin.

"Misty!" Delia squeals, crossing the kitchen to catch Misty in a hug before she can object. Not that she would object. Just...when had Delia learned teleport?

"Hi, Ms. K." Misty whispers, still crushed in Delia's arms.

"Oh Misty, for the hundredth time, call me Delia." She lets go of Misty and holds her at arm's length. "Now let me get a good look at you. It's been ages since you've visited."

Misty squirms in her arms and smiles. "Only a few months." Outside the kitchen, the banging stops and the quiet sound of fabric rustling comes through the door.

"You're so thin. What are those sisters of yours feeding you?" Delia exclaims, tutting her tongue. She lets go of Misty and turns to the door just as her son walks back in. "And you, mister." She rounds on him, swatting him with a rolled paper. "You should tell me when you're bringing your little girlfriend over. I would have had dinner ready."

"Oh we're not…" Misty starts but is heard by neither Ash nor his mother as they start a brief paper battle.

Ash's hands are raised to catch the paper and though he's flushing, he says nothing to refute his mother's words. Delia swats his face and bops his head before Ash is able to take the paper from her, He swats at her but misses by a wide margin leaving the two laughing like children.

Misty smiles wryly watching the scene before her. It's sweet, really, how they interact. If she'd tried that with her sisters it would have turned into a full on battle and probably moved to the gym for settling. She shakes her head of the thought and raises an eyebrow at Ash who flushes in response.

"She surprised me too, Ma." Ash intones, scratching his nose and stealing a bite of whatever it is that his mother is stirring. She swats at him again and he smiles. "She took the early train."

"Mhm" Delia hums, adding a pinch of something else to her meal, "And probably skipped dinner to do it."

"I don't usually eat dinner…" Misty trails off, hands raised in defense at the truly aghast look that Delia shoots her way.

"Well there'll be no more of that. I'm so glad Samuel was able to convince you to come to Alola with us. And to think, if Ash hadn't suggested you, he'd have sent Gary."

Misty blinks and looks over at Ash who is frantically trying to get his mother's attention, crossing his hand over is neck in a clear attempt to tell her to stop. Delia doesn't even glance at him, instead using Misty's shock as an opportunity to hug her again.

"I mean," Delia begins again, releasing Misty, "can you imagine living with both of those boys under one roof? They'd have torn the house apart. Not to mention…"

"Mom." Ash cuts her off firmly.

"I was talking, Ashy, it's very rude to interrupt."

"We talked about this, Ma. Misty hasn't talked to Professor Oak yet."

Misty whirls towards Ash, shock finally having filtered to something akin to anger. "Want to explain, Ash?" she hisses, tone as icy as she can make it.

Ash laughs as he always does when frightened and backs slowly towards his mother. Pikachu jumps from his shoulder and scampers behind his leg, kaaing in fear.

"Oh." Delia murmurs, "I think that you might be in trouble, Ash."

Ash swallows hard. "You see, Misty…"

"No, I don't see, Ash."

Ash laughs again, grabbing his mother's arm to use as a shield.

Misty takes a step closer.

Delia claps her hands and both Ash and Misty jump, surprised by the sudden sound.

"Killing each other won't solve anything…" Delia begins only to be cut off by a dark murmur from Misty. She glares at the girl. "I will have none of that under my roof. Now, Ash, take Misty into the other room and explain what you can. I am going to call Samuel and we'll get this whole thing settled tonight."

Neither Ash nor Misty moves. Delia smiles, a cold grin that Ash knows means trouble will follow. "I said now."

Ash swallows hard and walks away from his mother towards the other room, grabbing Misty's hand on the way. Together they sit on the couch, silently. A few moments pass and neither of them have said a word. Misty looks towards Ash, trying to catch his eyes but he ignores her, eyes locked on some distant location in front of himself.

"I don't hear any talking." Delia practically sings from the kitchen.

Ash swallows hard and finally turns towards Misty. "Sorry," he whispers.

Misty blinks, of all of the responses she'd expected, an apology hadn't exactly topped her list. "For what? For not calling me for almost a year? For dragging me from my home without any explanation and just assuming I'd go with it? For making plans for my future without consulting me? Or maybe just for eating half of my meals for the better part of three years?"

"Yes." Ash replies, looking away again. "Except the meal thing. I was a growing boy."

"And I wasn't growing?"

"Well you haven't grown much."

"Jerk." Misty throws one of the cushions at him and it sprawls into an all-out pillow fight that only ends when one of them accidentally hits Pikachu leading to a not quite painful shock. "Seriously, though." Misty says once she's finally stopped laughing. "What's going on?"

Ash's smile sobers almost instantly. "I just wanted to travel together again." He whispers. "I didn't mean for everything to get so...complicated…"

Misty sighs, a deep breath that blows her bangs from her face. "It is complicated, though, Ash. We're not kids anymore. I've got the gym and….It's been nearly 3 years since I've traveled anywhere."

"We're only sixteen, that's not exactly grown up." Ash replies sullenly.

Misty throws a pillow at him again and Ash smiles. "Ok." she says. "No, we're not grown up. But the gym?"

"Come on, Misty. All you ever talk about is how tired of the gym you are and how much you want to turn it into a contest hall so your sisters can take over."

"I hadn't realized you actually listened to me."

"You're my best friend." Ash nudges her shoulder with his own sending her rocking. "Of course I listen."

Misty's face grows warm and she's sure that she's blushing at Ash's reply. "OK then, best friend, how does Alola fit into that all? And Gary Oak and your mother?"

"I believe I can shed some light on that." A new voice comes from the kitchen. Ash's face breaks into a wide grin.

"Professor Oak!" He exclaims, words underscored by an excited pika.

"Hello, Ash. Pikachu." the old professor replies, walking into the room. "Misty." he adds nodding to her. "So, from what Delia explained on the phone, I guess some explanations are in order?"

Misty nods. "It'd be nice."

"Mmm." the Professor hums. "But where to start…."

"Start with Alola." Delia calls from the kitchen.

"Ah, Alola." The Professor nods. "Yes, well. I and many other researches have long wanted to get into Alola to study it but they do not allow researchers."

"I thought they didn't allow anybody." Misty chimes in. Ash shoots her a glance and she blushes. "What? It's a region filled with new water pokémon. I would kill to visit there."

"Right, well that shouldn't be necessary." Professor Oak smiles. "They do let some people in. Families who wish to move there."

"I wanted to go." Ash cuts in. "And Mom said she'd go with me. So…we're moving to Alola."

"You're moving to Alola?" Misty whispers hoarsely. Ash nods and Misty hits him with another pillow. "And just when were you going to tell me?"

"Now," Ash replies, attempting to pull the pillow from Misty's grasp. "I'm telling you now." Misty hits Ash one last before he manages to get a hand on it. Ash pulls the pillow towards him and Misty goes with it, ending up sprawled in Ash's lap and laughing hysterically along with him.

Suddenly Ash stops and reaches a hand out to brush some hair from Misty's blinks and blushes unsure what to say but is saved from having to make any response by Professor Oak coughing.

"So…" Misty says, settling herself upright. "Alola...what...ah...does that have to do with me or the grant you wrote me about?"

"Yeah, Professor," Ash chimes in, clearing his throat, "You haven't even gotten to the best part."

"With Ash and Delia going, I had an opportunity to send with them someone who would take a more...academic approach to the trip. I was going to send my grandson but…"

"Gary and I would kill each other."

"Yes, right, well...I came across some of your publications, Misty and some of your grant proposals-sorry about the Water Pokémon Fund proposal by the way, I thought that you were a strong candidate."

"You read that proposal?"

"I was on the committee." Professor Oak shakes his head, "It's a shame that they went with a more established researcher."

"Oh," Misty replies, hanging her head. "Why aren't you going with a more established researcher? Or going yourself."

Professor Oak smiles at her, kindly. "I have too much to leave at my labs and Alola will only take families...I couldn't send a more established researcher if I wanted to...not unless they married Delia."

Beside Misty, Ash gags and groans something that sounds suspiciously like calling the Professor gross.

Misty rolls her eyes at him and laughs. "Don't be a child, Ash."

He sticks out his tongue and she grins.

"So, what do you say? Misty?" Professor Oak asks.

"Questions," Misty responds. "I have questions."

"I wouldn't expect anything else." He replies.

"The stipend?"

"Well," Professor Oak begins only to be cut off by an excited kaa from Pikachu.

"Right, Misty, that's the best part!" Ash cuts in, grabbing Misty's hand. "The league will take over the gym and help your sisters turn it into a contest hall."

Misty raises an eyebrow at him and, without letting go of his hand, turns back to the Professor who nods. "Why?" she asks.

"The pokémon league owes me a few favors, and Cerulean City does have another gym. Other questions?"

"Where would I live?"

"Oh, that one's easy." Delia walks into the room carrying a few bowls of soup. "With me and Ash, of course."

Misty looks towards the Professor who nods in agreement.

"They only let families in, Mist."

"Ok," Misty swallows hard. "So what? I go in as Ash's sister?" she looks down at their hands, and then back up, meeting Ash's eyes.

He looks away and drops her hand. "Is that what it means, Professor?"

"Not necessarily." He replies, sharing a smile with Delia. "You'd be registered in the school with different last names. You could just be…" He trails off, glancing at Delia.

"Close family friends." Delia finishes firmly.

Ash and Misty both nod and then freeze at nearly the same moment.

"School?" Misty asks, voice echoed by Ash's own.

"The Alolan system is...different." Professor Oak says, eyes crinkling.

"Different how?" Ash asks, cautiously.

"Well…" The professor starts, stalled by twin glares.

"You'd have to go to school." Delia cuts in. "And train and travel on the weekends."

Ash and Misty turn to one another once more, silence filling the room. A silence Misty breaks in a quiet voice.

"Professor," she says, "I haven't been in school since I was ten…"

"Yes well," The Professor responds, reaching over to pat Misty's arm comfortingly, "The Alolan people wouldn't consider you or Ash to be old enough to be on your own."

Misty blinks, "Ok." She says, eyes roving as though reading from a page. "Let me see if I understand this. You're offering me a chance to go to Alola with Ash and Ms. K while you take care of the gym?"

Professor Oak opens his mouth to protest but Misty holds up a hand. "I mean," She says. "While The League helps my sisters to create a contest hall? But...Ms. K would be in charge of me?" Both Delia and the Professor nod. "And we might have….homework? And tests again?" Another nod. "What do you get out of this, Professor Oak?"

He shrugs. "I'd hope you'd send me information on any new Pokémon discovered with a focus on new water types. Of course, you would be listed as an author on any publication coming out of it. You would be the Kanto authority on Alola water pokémon."

Misty blinks. "OK," she nods, looking towards Ash. "What do you think, Ketchum?"

"Well," he whispers, "Do you want to go on another adventure with me?"

"I don't know…" Misty replies, "Does that mean you're going to destroy my bike again?"

"Does that mean you'll do it?" Ash asks.

Misty nods. "Yeah. I'll do it. Let's...go to Alola." whatever else she might say is cut off by a crushing hug from an excited Ash and ecstatic Delia. Misty swallows, hard.

Alola. What in the world has she gotten herself into now?