Cerulean Clouds

A "Pokemon" FanFiction

by Moonlight

Rating: T for suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: Pokemon Ⓒ 1995-2015 Satoshi Tajiri. All rights reserved.
*I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THIS PROPERTY!

Synopsis: Ash is caught unawares after Serena confesses her to love to him. For some strange reason this makes him think of Misty. Perplexed despite himself, he decides to sort out his feelings.

Author's Notes: Pokemon is in its 17th season: now called "Pokemon XY: The Series." Notes are marked with numbers, [1], [2], etc.

Ash and Misty! EEEEEEEE! This little drabble/oneshot was inspired after watching the XY season of Pokemon. Serena is the first girl in the show to have a canonical crush on Ash/Satoshi, which I really like! Though I confess I prefer Misty better. =P Watching some cute fluff this season made me think; what if a girl actually confessed to Ash? Since he's so oblivious to love, what would he do? How would he react? How would he start to fall in love with a girl? This is my take on his naivete and innocence when it comes to love.

R&R is appreciated!

-Moonlight

Ash stood atop the tallest hill in Cerulean City, half dazed.

He didn't really know why he was there. He didn't take notice of the sun dipping on the horizon. Most of all he never expected the more-than-friendly curveball which hit him smack dab in the face a few hours prior. Words were spoken, shots were fired, and as time passed on he found himself growing more and more listless. It puzzled him greatly.

Yet for some reason these thoughts irked him and here he was. Whether or not he fully understood a confession of sorts happened. Not just any confession. One of power. The touchy-feely type one that would make any guy week in the knees, or at least Brock.

"A-Ash…I…I like you..."

Or so his recent traveling companion had stated. Her sweet voice soft but firm, her resolve strong, and her opal-like eyes ablaze. Serena mentioned she that had some relatives in Kanto (her distant family must have been the reason she ended up enrolling at the same Pokemon summer camp as him, Ash figured), so himself, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena all decided to journey home and pay Kanto a visit. The soft winds of Pallet Town kissed his skin upon arrival, welcoming him with peace. When arriving at a local Pokemon center Serena immediately bombed the question after Bonnie and Clemont stepped out for a moment. His blissfulness was shattered then. He recalled her face burning up once they were alone, and how her voice fell into a murmured whisper. He had to ask her to speak up before she blurted out her statement, all whilst twiddling her thumps and bowing her head. The memory seemed to replay over and over in his head.

"Huh?" he leaned forward, confused. "I didn't catch that."

Serena's reddish face blew up even further. "W-w-well…um…you know...I think you're really nice, and really sweet...and I like you a lot."

"Oh," he replied dumbly, resting his hands behind his neck. "Well I like you too."

Pikacku shook his head, placing a paw on his ruby-colored cheek. His master was completely oblivious to what the poor girl was implying. He almost wished he could muster up a Thunderbolt to shock some sense into his dense pal, but decided against it. Serena would get hurt in the proces.

Serena's expression widened at Ash's loose words, and her gaze met his own. A small smile began to creep in. "Um, y-you do?"

He wondered why Serena was suddenly asking him such a trivial question. They traveled around together all the time.

"Yeah," he grinned. "We're friends, aren' t we?"

At that moment the color had drained from Serena's face. She pursed her lips and sighed halfheartedly to Ash's dismay. Serena seemed upset.

"…oh." she replied flatly.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

"N-no…" she mumbled. "It's just…that's not what I meant."

Her voice had lowered again.

"Huh?" he repeated.

"That's not what I meant," she repeated, speaking much more firmly this time.

"Whaddya mean then?" he asked innocently.

Pikachu grit its teeth. The conversation was becoming unbearable to listen to.

"I mean...well..." Serena once again was facing the ground, her back curling up. "Uh..."

She took a deep breath. One in, one out. Bracing her feet against the marble floor, she mustered up every bit of courage she possessed before shouting, "I mean I'm asking if I could be your girlfriend!"

Ash froze.

"I love you," she continued. "Could you ever feel the same about me?"

Everything went blank from there. For a few moments he could only stare, dumbfounded.

Soon Serena's gentle face had etched itself into his memory. Especially her look of terror when he abruptly turned away and ran out of the Pokemon Center then and there. Breathing deeply Ash buried his face in his hands. He found his back wobbling against a nearby tree, his pale figure slumping towards the earth. Love? Him? What the heck was love anyway? He'd seen Brock go on about it thousands of times. As soon as some random girl crossed paths with their party Brock's cheeks flared up before babbling incessantly about how beautiful the object of his affection was. But such feelings didn't make sense to Ash. He almost felt impervious. Now a young trainer of sixteen he'd seen his fair share of girls. Partners came and went on his Pokemon journey. But none of them ever made him act the way Brock did, excluding the one time he, Brock and Misty visited some Pokemon school on the outskirts of Pewter City. What was her name again? Gianna? Gazelle? Racking his brain Ash couldn't remember. It was too long ago and as far as he was concerned it didn't matter. What mattered was here and now, and what his future plans were.

"Pikaaaachuuuu…"

Ash was so absorbed in his own world that he didn't even notice his yellow companion tugging at his sleeve. Pikachu was moaning and whining in concern. Blinking a couple of times Ash mustered a watered-down grin and let his arm gently fall between Pikachu's ears. Attempting to comfort his forlorn partner, the electric mouse softly cried in response as Ash ruffled his fur. Pikachu was always there, through thick and thin. How lucky he was to have such a wonderful companion.

"Hey. I'm sorry, buddy," Ash replied.

He paused for a moment, eyes lost in the haze of orange and purple above him. The clouds comforted him somehow. "I guess I don't know what to say."

"Which," he thought grudgingly to himself, "is why I haven't left this very spot in hours." But how could he face Serena, knowing what he knew now? Sure, he liked her. She was sweet, kind, and always cheering him on. Her smile brought him ease in difficult times. But love? Love was another story. Many moons ago when he still possessed Butterfree Brock once told him about the annual mating season when Butterfree from all over Pokeearth fell in love and chose partners to lay eggs. He recalled Brock explaining the process as he didn't get what the big deal was. "Love makes you feel excited. You get a rush of energy. You want to be with the person all the time, and you trust them with everything. You feel comfortable," he'd explained.

Of course those concepts still didn't make any sense to him. The only time where he ever felt like that was when he was training, battling, or catching Pokemon. The elated feeling of catching an unobtainable Pokemon or the moment of pride after scoring a victory in a Pokemon battle was indescribable. That was love. The friendship between himself and his Pokemon, and the feeling of wanting to cheer them on all the time. Surely Serena was referring to those feelings, the bonds between himself and his Pokemon?

Yet a little voice nagging at his sub-conscience seemed to tell him that wasn't the case.

From the distance the sounds of rustling brush could be heard, but Ash's thoughts were so clouded that it wasn't evident who or what was inching closer.

"Azuril! Where are you going? AZURILL!" called the high pitched voice of a young girl. At the signal, Pikachu's ears perked up.

Soon a blue and white blob with big ears popped out from a cluster of leaves and bounced right in front of Ash and Pikachu. It cooed happily at its discovery. After taking a quick glance at Pikachu Azurill gleefully began hopping up and down, using its rounded tail for support. Black slits sparkled in delight while its white cheeks glowed in the setting sun. Pikachu immediately recognized who the Pokemon belonged to.

"Pi, pi pi pi-kaaa-chuu!" he cried, frantically waving his arms in front of Ash.

Normally the sight of a wild Pokemon made him jump, but he didn't feel any excitement today. Sulking, his arms were curled around his knees.

"Pikachu, maybe later," he grumbled. He decided he wasn't in the mood.

The whispers of the crunching leaves were growing louder.

"AZURILLLLLL!" the voice called. "COME BACK!"

Pushing through her surroundings the young woman gasped in shock to find her Azurill conversing with a Pikachu.

"There you are," she muttered in annoyance. This wasn't the first time Azurill's hijinks had interrupted her ballet practice throughout the day; it simply refused to sit still or dance with the other Pokemon. She immediately lunged for her mischievous partner before making eye contact with a familiar face. This only heightened her surprise as she wasn't expecting to see him for quite some time.

"Ash?!"

Still dazed, Ash looked up. The girl before him dawned a casual look: a simple yellow sweatshirt and a pair of slightly torn jeans. Yet despite common fact her facial features were indistinguishable: wavy, peach-colored hair fell to her hips, and her eyes, greener then the murkiest sea, reflected insatiable curiosity. It took him a moment before her presence clicked, causing his skull to collide against a towering tree branch.

"M-Misty?!" he coughed.

"I can't believe it," she gaped. "What are you doing all the way in Cerulean?"

The familiar face of his best friend warmed his spirits. "Me and my new friends are visiting from the Kalos region," he replied, soon forgetting his weariness. "Ever head of it?"

"Yeah. Never been there, though."

The red-head turned to the electric mouse, also excited to once again be in her company.

"And how're you doing, Pikachu?"

"PI-KA-CHU," it replied enthusiastically. Azurill, meanwhile, was darting after Pikachu's wagging tail, hopping up and down.

Ash leaned forward. "How's life as a Gym Leader?"

Misty brushed back a loose strand of hair that had fallen over her right eye. "Busy. As usual, my sisters love to give me all the work. Remember that show I was in a few years back? Well, my sisters want to revive it, and I'm trying to train this Azurill. Caught it last week," she sighed gently, scooping it up in her arms as the blue rodent made one last leap at the yellow tail it was aiming for. "But it won't listen to anything I say. It just keeps running away. It's a feisty one all right."

Just as soon as Misty grabbed the Azurill it proceeded to hop back down to play with Pikachu. Ash looked at Misty incredulously. It was a first to see a Pokemon acting so incompetently towards her. He found himself smirking at Misty's dilemma, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hahaha. Didn't you once tell me the Pokemon was as good as its trainer?"

Misty snorted at what her friend thought to be playful remark.

"Very funny," she snapped. "Don't think I haven't forgotten about how many times Charizard scorched my hair. And almost killed Togepi," she added rather curtly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "So? Charizard is trained now."

"What about the time you caught Larvitar in Johto? He wailed every time you released him from his Pokeball. And Bayleaf was awfully possessive of you, too," she grinned cooly, getting even. "I also heard Pokemon are quick to take on a trainer's personality. So, let's see…that must have made you whiny and immature then."

Cheeks slightly flushed, angered, Ash jumped to his feat. "Oh yeah? What about Psyduck?"

Misty gulped. "What about him?

"Well, I haven't seen him in a while," Ash tapped his foot on the ground. He drummed his fingers on the belt with his pokeballs, eager to see the impending red-head's reaction. His lips were curled into a mischievous grin. "We all know your such a good trainer, being a gym leader and all. I bet after all these years Psyduck looks great. Maybe he's even evolved."

Misty turned to face the nearby tree Ash had been leaning on. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She hadn't been able to train Psyduck at the slightest, and it always gave her the same dopey grin as when she first caught it. Yelling out attacks were pointless; it still cocked its head and yawned stupidly when she tried yelling out a command. She was so furious that she got into the habit of leaving its Pokeball in her room when challenging trainers at the gym out of fear it would come out and interrupt the match. There was no way she'd admit to her cocky companion of its constant naivete.

"I'll have you know that Psyduck has so much experience now," Misty said in her usual feisty tone. "He's so great that I didn't even evolve him. People are in awe of how cool he is."

"Oh really?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Really," she huffed.

"Then let me see."

"I'd show you," she replied as casually as possible, "but I left him in the gym. So sorry about that."

Ash inched closer to her. Apparently the sweat from her forehead was more visible than she thought.

"You sure about that?" he shifted in his stance.

"Absolutely."

"Uh-huh."

"Yup."

Before Misty could protest further she felt a sudden jolt at her waist. The red-and-white ball farthest to the right on her belt was shaking widely. A few seconds later her weight shifted and a beam of light exploded, revealing the wide-eyed face of a yellow duck. Little tufts of black hair sprouted from the middle of its head. A stubby tail and bulky arms and legs framed its lower body. Excited to see the face of its favorite trainer, he wrapped his arms around the sides of his head.

"Psy," the duck replied flatly, tipping its features to the side.

Ash had leaned back so far that he'd fallen on his back, snorting obnoxiously and squeezing his arms into his stomach. To see that the dim-witted display by Misty's Pokemon hadn't changed after so many years was more hysterical to him than anything he'd ever seen. He took no notice of Misty's eyes flicking to him irritably, making a loud sighing noise clearly expressing her annoyance. Eyes shut, laughing hysterically, he let another moment pass before wiping his eyelids. On the other hand, Misty was furious.

"PSYDUCK!" she bellowed. "GET BACK IN THE POKEBALL!"

At this ferocious outburst Ash laughed harder. There was no need for her to say anything more. She made an annoyed clicking sound with her teeth and whipped out her arm, Pokeball in hand. With a beam of reddish light Psyduck disappeared in the ball. Hot with anger and embarrassment Misty clenched her fists. She turned to face the giggling teenager, whose laughter hadn't ceased. She snatched him by the collar and pulled him up to face her.

"Say this to anyone….and I'll make you regret it," she spat.

Ash gently scratched the side of cheek with his left hand.

"Aw, Misty…" he began.

"WHAT?!"

Ash tried to stifle a chuckle, but failed. Misty shot daggers at him.

"And FYI, you STILL haven't paid me back for my BIKE," she retorted angrily, waving her arms.

"This again?" Ash sighed and shook his head back and forth. "Nurse Joy got you a new one, didn't she? And besides…"

"Besides what?"

"…I kind of owe my friend May and Dawn a bike too. Pikachu destroyed them."

There was a moment of silence. Then, to both their surprise, the two trainers burst out laughing.

Misty took a moment to rub her eyes. She'd almost forgotten how much she enjoyed the company of the air-headed, yet happy-go-lucky and compassionate trainer that was Ash Ketchum. She especially loved how his eyes seemed to twinkle when he laughed. No matter the fact that it was because she couldn't stand him sometimes that it was so, but his smile radiated irresistible charm. She blinked foolishly then, cheeks prickling, and quickly shook her head to snap herself back into reality. She'd decided a long time ago that such thoughts were best left alone.

Nonetheless, she was happy to once again be in his company, if only for a passing moment.

"Times never change, do they?" she remarked.

"Nope. Good times," he chuckled.

"Yeah," she smiled warmly. "Wow. It was…it was so great to see you again, Ash."

"You too."

Ash smiled back, resting his arms on the back of his head and leaning on his left leg. In what had started as somewhat of an unpleasant day had ended on such a positive note. How long had it been since he'd seen Misty? Four years? Yet just as easily had he left Misty he'd been able to comfortably speak to her again as if no time had passed between them. Many friends had come and gone in his life but none were as special as Brock or Misty to him. There was something about the two of them that made him feel secure; in their presence he'd felt overly excited and more determined to his best. On the start of his journey they'd spent three years together…and in those years he'd felt excited, comfortable, and trusted, and he in turn felt as though he could trust them with anything. As much as he enjoyed the company of future traveling companions he'd never felt the same with them as he did with Brock and Misty, especially Misty. Misty was the first friend he'd made on his journey.

How could he forget? She'd been there when he'd first befriended Pikachu, when he'd caught his very first Pokemon, when he'd challenged his first gym leader, when he'd lost the Indigo and Johto Leagues…even when he'd challenged the legendary Pokemon Mewtwo, Lugia, Entei, Celebi, and Latios & Latias. They'd been through everything together…battling gyms, making passerby friends, catching new Pokemon, saving the world, battling Team Rocket…everything. All of those moments made him feel so…so elated. And in all of those memories Misty was there.

So it was then that two thoughts came to mind.

"I love you. Could you ever feel the same about me?"

For a moment Ash had almost forgotten about Serena. Poor, sweet Serena, who was probably out there somewhere crying or wondering where he'd gone. He'd never given her an answer to her question. Did he even have an answer?

"Love makes you feel excited. You get a rush of energy. You want to be with the person all the time, and you trust them with everything. You feel comfortable."

As Brock's words resonated with him he also failed to realize he'd been staring blankly at Misty for some time. She cocked her head in confusion.

"Hey Ash? Ash?" the familiar redhead inquired.

"Huh?" he blinked a few times. Catching Misty's gaze he suddenly felt a surge of nervousness, and he felt his dimples rise in temperature, albeit ever so slightly.

He winced, scratching his left cheek with a finger. It was an odd habit he'd picked up whenever he felt excited or flustered.

"Oh, sorry. Just spacing out for a second. Heheheheh."

Seeing Misty again seemed to have sparked something within him. Although he couldn't quite figure out what it was, he knew without a doubt that she made him feel extremely…happy? Almost giddy even. What was the word? There were a thousand questions resting on his tongue, and suddenly he longed to be able to travel with her again. Once more his mind wandered to Serena, and to Brock's words about excitement, energy, trust, and comfort. Yes, Serena made him feel those things, but for one reason or another Misty made him feel those things more…much more. Of course they were friends and that was natural. He loved his friend.

Was, this, then, what Brock was talking about? These random spurts of energy when they were together? Was this…love?

Flushed, he was (only slightly) starting to understand.

Misty stared at Ash intently. His behavior always radiated awkwardness before, but it seemed something appeared to be troubling him. This made her think of how much better he was when he was smiling…and how much she wished that one day his cute, boyish smile would be exclusively reserved for her. Again her face reddened at the thought and she immediately bit her tongue to stop herself from gushing, yet she couldn't turn away from his amber hues.

It was nearly night now; the light began to escape the sky. Cheeks stained the slightest red, Ash coughed in his hands before thrusting them in his pockets. It was time to reunite with his forlorn companion, Serena. For reasons he didn't understand he know knew exactly what he was going to say to her. He took another good look at Misty before piping up.

"Misty?"

To maintain her sanity Misty had been digging her nails into her side.

"Y-Yeah?"

"…Thanks."

Perplexed, Misty's head fell to the side. "For what?"

"Eh, it's nothing. I guess I was kind of having a rough day before I bumped into you," he answered sheepishly. "Had a bad run-in with someone."

"Oh. Is everything alright?" she crossed her arms.

"It will be now," he reassured her.

Pausing, he added, "I'm…really glad we're friends, Misty."

She laughed, half nervous, half elated, her heat thumping widely. "Yeah. Me too."

"Maybe…" he trailed off. "Maybe, when I get back from Kalos, we could travel together again. Just like old times."

Pikachu's ears perked up immediately at the sound of this, its mouth widening in shock. Looking closely at his trainer, Pikachu could swear Ash's smile was a little wider than usual, and his cheeks were the palest red. So pale that a human couldn't see…only the keen sight of a Pokemon could. Yet there was no mistake that his trainer was acting slightly different from usual, and this made the Pokemon extremely excited. Pikachu wagged its tail gaily as his trainer's eyes darted for his shoes, embarrassingly refusing to meet the young girl's eyes.

"If any partner would be right for my master, it would be this girl," he nodded thoughtfully. Satisfied, Pikachu finally lowered its tail for the Azurill to bounce on, which it had still been desperately trying to reach.

"I'd like that."

Misty, overjoyed, lifted her up right pinkie. "Promise?"

In turn, Ash did the same, his rough, gloved hand intertwining with hers. "Promise," he replied.

It was a start of something. A small start, but a start nonetheless, under the Cerulean sky with the Cerulean clouds.

Author's Notes:

I hope you enjoyed the oneshot/drabble (I still don't know if this is too short to be a oneshot or vice versa)! This was just some cute fluff between Misty and Ash. I actually can't imagine Ash kissing anyone! Since Ash is so oblivious (probably the most oblivious male protagonist in history) I decided to focus on the story being about him realizing what the concept of love is, not so much getting into the nitty-gritty stuff. Though maybe I'll write something more down the road...

Review and shoot me your thoughts.

Thanks to Kurt for inspiring me to write, create, and learn.

~Moonlight