Ash closed the Pokemon Master magazine as Pikachu exited the Therapy room. The little yellow Pokemon flexed his pudgy shoulders happily. "Hey Pikachu! You look a lot better! Ready to go?" Ash asked his friend. "Pika! Pika chuu Pika pika cha. Pikachu." ("Wow. Nurse Jenny sure is good at massaging. Let's go.") Misty understood and nudged Pikachu playfully. "Just don't tell Brock about this. If he knew Jenny did massages, he might cut his vacation short!" The Pokemon and girl laughed. Brock was in Pallet Town, wrapping up some Gym business. From the phone calls, he didn't seem to be enjoying himself.
That evening, Misty couldn't sleep. She stared at the the ceiling in the Ketchum's spare room. Memories of her and Ash's first meeting played in her mind like a movie. Then, flashbacks came in chronological order, from those faroff days until this afternoon, when the little boy had asked if they were married. Misty sighed. She closed her eyes. "What if..." she murmured to herself as her imagination began to spin wonderful images. Visions of herself in a white, pearl-studded wedding dress.Visions of Ash in a black tuxedo. Images of dancing until dawn with her love at the reception party. These imaginings were recurrant, they always came happily whenever Misty needed to feel better.
An hour later, Misty was still awake, and had a grumbling tummy. She groaned and threw off the quilt.Heading downstairs, she could hear the TV. Who else was having insomnia?
Ash sat on the couch in front of the TV, curled up in a down quilt. He couldn't sleep either. He flipped channels until he found an old black-and-white movie. A couple embraced on the TV, and as they parted, Ash could see tears in the woman's eyes. "And now I must leave you, Henry." The man looked like he was holding back tears too, as the woman got in a black car and was gone. There was a voice-over. "..Some nights I wake up, unable to sleep. And I wonder what things would have been like if I had confessed my love for Caroline, instead of keeping it inside. Maybe she wouldn't have left. Now all I can do is lie awake, and wonder." The credits began to roll. Ash shook his head. Too weird! Seeing this brought on another wave of regret. For the millionth time, he wondered why he could never talk to Misty the way he wanted to. Ash rubbed his forehead and headed for the kitchen to get a midnight snack.
Misty came downstairs and found an empty couch and the end of some old movie. "Hmm..." she opened the TV Guide and found the name of the movie. "Repression, PG. Henry and Caroline grew up together, but could never confess the deeper feelings beneath." She gasped. Wondering about coincidences, she headed into the kitchen.
Ash was standing at the sink. He folded his arms on he sink and rested his head on them. "What's wrong with me..." He murmured,"Why can't I just tell her. I would say, 'Misty, I.."
"Ash?" Misty was standing at the doorway, looking confused. Had he heard her coming?
"Misty!" Ash whirled around to face her. Had she heard him just now? "I couldn't sleep." They both said at the same time. Misty smiled. She looked out the window over the sink, past Ash's shoulder. "Look, Ash. The sun will be up soon."
"Yeah." He said. Right now, the sky is the same marine color as Misty's beautiful eyes, he thought. Misty was looking at him. She said, "I love sunrises. In fact, I think I'm going to go out on the porch and watch it. Will...will you join me?" She asked timidly. She had seen "Repression" before, knew how it ended, had a new resolution.
A few minutes later, the sky was even lighter. Ash came out from the kitchen, wrapped in his quilt, since it was a little chilly. Misty looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, at least one of us is smart!" She nodded towards the quilt. Ash smiled back. "Hehehe...are you cold, Misty?" She nodded. "OK..here.." He wrapped the quilt around the girl, taking a little for himself. Misty amde a face. "Oh, now that's hardly fair. Here..." She moved closer to Ash, giving him more quilt. Sitting close to his greatest love, Ash felt total happiness and peace. Together, they watched the sun rise, creating a new day.