Light begins to break through the blinds of a rundown apartment, awakening Ash Ketchum from his short night's rest. He hadn't slept well at night since he was young teenager, and now being a young adult, he barely sleeps at all. Not that sleep is very important anymore. There is really nothing to wake up for nowadays.

Ash grunts as he pulls himself out of bed, lacking the energy he once took for granted. His eyes glance over to the corner of his apartment to see his lifelong friend Pikachu curled up in a ball, continuing his rest. The young trainer living near the apartment complex should be coming to get Pikachu for his weekly training soon. It had been two years since Ash had worked with Pikachu, or any of his Pokémon for that matter! But ever since the accident, none of that mattered anymore.

…

"And he has done it, folks!" exclaimed the female announcer. "Ash Ketchum is now our new League Champion! And by what I have been informed, he is now eligible to compete for the valuable title of Pokémon Master!"

The roaring crowd jumps to their feet to take a look at the newest competitor for Pokémon Master. Ash stands proudly in the middle of arena, with Pikachu cheering on his shoulder. He looks to his side only to see his mother and various friends rushing toward him.

His mother, Delia, is the first to grab him in her arms.

"You are going to do great things in life, sweetie! You'll be twice the man your father ever was!" Delia says while holding Ash tight. She lets go of her grip and exchanges a simple nod with her son.

"Brock! Gary!" Ash yells as he sees his companion and childhood friend come to his side.

"You finally did it!" Brock said with excitement in his voice. "It took a while, but hey! It was worth it in the end!"

"You got that right, Brocko!" Ash replied.

"But Ash," Gary said, busting in the middle of their conversation. "You do realize you wouldn't have even come close to being this far if I had still been a Pokémon trainer!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ash jokingly replied. "In your dreams, buddy!"

Gary does a quick smirk to the side, but then looks back to Ash. "Well, how about it! We'll

celebrate tonight! Want to gather up and meet up at the park by the cliff, just like old times?"

"Sure! Sounds great!" Ash exclaimed. "I can't wait."

Ash continued to be greeted by several past companions and friends, including May, Tracey, and Dawn. Misty couldn't be there due to being the Cerulean City gym leader, but Ash had already been informed that she would be at the celebration tonight. He couldn't wait to see her. She had been his best friend all his life, and had shown him right from wrong. He would have never been in this position today if it weren't for her. But, since taking over the title of Cerulean City gym leader, they hadn't been able to stay in touch very well. But tonight, they would be able to catch up on everything that has gone on throughout their lives for the past few years.

…

"Ash," Misty said with her hand on Ash's shoulder. "I don't think you should drink anymore." She tries to pull him away from the beer cooler, but he resists.

"I'll be fine, Mist," Ash says between gulps. "Besides, what's the point of Gary bringing all this if we don't drink it?" Ash looks at Misty with deep, tired eyes. She looks deep into them, but they weren't the eyes she knew so well. These eyes were taken over by alcohol. There were no plans originally for there to be beer at this celebration for Ash's victory, but of course, Gary had to bring out the cooler. Misty had barely had time to speak to Ash before he started drinking after the toast. She had a whole list of things in her head that she wanted to tell him, but how could she tell him when he was out of it like this?

"I don't know…" Misty attempts to say, only to be interrupted by Gary.

"Hey guys," Gary says with beer in hand. "Let's go for a drive in my convertible by the cliff, watch the sunset."

"Alright! Let's go!" Ash says, tossing his drink to the side. Gary and he begin to walk towards the car, but Misty doesn't budge. "You coming, Mist?"

"Neither of you are in any shape to drive. Please don't go!"

"Come on," Gary says, "we only had one, maybe two beers! What harm would that do?"

Misty continues to stare at the boys. They were by no means in good condition to drive. One beer, two beers, three beers, four beers, it doesn't matter! Drunk driving is still completely

unsafe, and she did not want anything to happen to herself or her best friends.

"Whatever, come on, Ash." The boys begin to walk off slowly, leaving Misty behind.

"Guys, don't!" Misty yells at them, but they completely blow her off. "Please!" She yells at the top of her lungs while chasing after them.

…

Ash slowly opens his eyes to a dimly lit hospital room. Where is he? How did he get here?

He lifts his head slightly to look at himself, lying in the bulky hospital bed. Pain surges through his body with each slight move of his body. Ash sees the IV in his arm, and his body covered in various casts. His eyes look to his left arm, not covered in a cast, to see it covered in deep blue and purple bruises and several scrapes and cuts. What had happened to him?

Ash's eye catches a glimpse of a brunette in a pink shirt sitting by his bedside. "Mom?"

"Ash!" Delia's eyes light up with excitement and she hurries to her only son's side. "Oh my, thank goodness you're okay!" She leans down to give her son a kiss on the forehead, but stops herself before making contact. She then gently strokes her fingers through his hair and cautiously gives him a soft kiss on the top of his head.

"Mom?" Ash's eyes begin to quickly dart around the room, looking at his mother, his IV, and all his injuries. He attempts to jolt himself up out of the bed, but pain rushes through his body. Ash begins to groan with pain in his eyes.

"Ash, honey, it's okay. Don't stress yourself." Ash's mother says with sympathy in her eyes.

"What happened, Mom?" Ash questioned weakly. "What happened to me?"

Delia looks at Ash deep in the eyes and sighs. "Well, Ash, you were at a party last night to celebrate your being the new League Champion." Ash nodded to signal that he remembered that much. "So, someone decided it was a bright idea to bring beer to the party. Now, if I had been there, there would have been no such thing to have happened, but that is beside the point now. Anyways, you and Gary got drunk and decided to go out for a drive next to the cliff in his convertible. Gary was driving and the car got out of control. When Gary stopped the car, it slid to a sharp stop next to the cliff." Tears begin to well up in Delia's eyes. "You were flung out of the car and off the cliff. You landed on a ledge about halfway down, thank goodness. But you still have many severe injuries." Delia grabs a hold of her son's weak hand, and tears being to roll down her face.

"Mom," Ash said, "I'm okay." Actually, that was a huge lie. Ash was nowhere near being 'okay', but for his mom's sake, he had to be as close to being 'okay' as possible.

"So, uh," Ash said, breaking the silence. "Mom, if you weren't at the party, how do you know what happened?"

"Oh! Misty told me," Delia replied. "She was apparently the only one at the party sober, the only reliable source."

Ash lightened up at the sound of her name. "Misty? Where is she?"

"Oh, I think she's in the waiting area. I'll go get her."

"Thanks," Ash replied as his mother left the room. Ash could remember his redheaded best friend trying to stop him from getting in the car, but he just blew her off like a fly buzzing by. Why couldn't he have listened to her? She had known right from wrong, and always led Ash in the right path, but Ash still didn't listen. Alcohol may have been taking over his mind, but still, he should've known to listen to her. Ash didn't deserve a friend as great as her, and she needed someone better than him.

The hospital room door slowly crept open, and a familiar redhead peaked her head through the door. Her eyes appeared puffy as though she has been crying and she was wearing the same clothes as the night before. "How are you doing, Ash?" Misty asked with worry in her tone.

"Not too hot, as I'm sure you can tell," Ash replied with a hint of humor in his voice.

Misty walks over to sit in the seat next to Ash's bed. She leans over the bed to look at him, taking in the moment. She never thought that Ash would be in this situation. He had attempted many much more risky tasks, but never had he ever been this injured. Sure, maybe a few cuts and bruises, but never this bad.

"Trust me, I can tell," Misty said with a sigh. "I was so scared when I saw you fly off that cliff. I didn't know what to think. You were both so drunk. Gary started laughing when you flew off the cliff; he was in such a different world. I ran over to the edge of the cliff to see what had happened, and when I saw that you landed not too far down, I felt a bit relieved, but still in complete shock. I thought I had lost you."

Misty slowly grabs Ash's hand and puts it in her own, holding it tight. "In that moment when you flew off the cliff, so many things went through my head. I remembered all the times we had spent together, good and bad. I remember how we would get into fights all the time, but in the end you would give me a smile and it would all be better. I remembered every battle you fought, every badge you won, everything. And then, I remembered the worst, and the best, of them all: the day we had to go our separate ways. It was hard to leave it all behind, but with that, we both grew closer than ever. But still, I've missed you, Ash." Misty turned away from Ash for a moment, regaining her composition. She turned back to him, leaning in closer.

"Ash, in that moment when I was afraid you were gone forever, I realized something. I, umm, I don't know how to say this, but Ash, I- I love y-you." Misty said, tears welling to her eyes while she leaned in closer to Ash until they were sharing the same air. "More than a friend," she whispered faintly. Slowly, their lips met in a soft kiss, which soon turned deeper.

Ash was taken by surprise. Never did he think that his best friend would do this. But Ash wasn't only surprised with Misty, but with himself as well. He would've never thought that he would enjoy her kiss or appreciate that she loved him more than just a friend. Ash began to wonder he and Misty could really be together. Was this moment real?

Of course it was real, but could they come together as a couple? Ash began to remember his earlier thoughts. Misty was way too good for him. She deserves someone so much better than this lousy person in this hospital bed with an IV stuck up his arm! It wasn't that Misty couldn't have Ash, but that Ash couldn't have Misty.

Ash closed his mouth from the kiss. "Stop, we can't."

Misty stands up to look at Ash. "What do you mean? Do you not feel the same?"

"No, it's just, Misty, we can't. You can do so much better than me…"

She looks down at Ash with confusion. "What? How… I don't understand."

Ash looks away from her. "You're much better than I am Misty. There are so many guys out there suitable to you, and I'm not one of them."

Misty begins to cry. "Ash!" She yells between weeps. "I love you, not some other guy out there that is 'suitable' for me! Please, just let me have what I want for once!" She begins to lean back down to kiss him again, but Ash pushes her away with his unbroken arm.

"No! Get off of me!" Ash screams. Misty looks at him, shaking as she stares. Her tears begin to double in size. "Misty, understand…"

"Ash," Misty said. "I love you and always have. But I guess you never will do the same for me." She rushes out of the room, tears streaming down her eyes.

Ash laid in his bed, wondering what he had done. Even though it felt so horrible, he knew he had done the right thing. Misty could do such great things with her life, and he wouldn't be the one to hold her back because he wouldn't listen to her the night before. He knew he had made the right choice, but would he and Misty ever be the same again?

…

That accident had ruined his life. He didn't fully recover for a year, and even after that he was still very slow. After living with his mom for a year while he recovered, Ash eventually fell off the face of the Pokémon world. All of his Pokémon were sent to Professor Oak, except for Pikachu. At first, Gary would give Pikachu a weekly training to stay in shape, but once Ash was on his own in an apartment; he had to hire a young trainer to train him. He didn't use the best training methods, but at least Pikachu was staying healthy.

Ash was all alone now, barely making it by with the remaining prize money he had from winning Pokémon tournaments. He hadn't spoken to Misty since the incident, and had grown apart from all his friends.

If Ash's life doesn't find a turnaround soon, no one can tell what may happen.