Italics: Flashbacks/Memories/ (As a general rule of course)
Bold: Song lyrics
Note: This takes place during a moment of peace during The Infinity League by Shaydrall, which is another Pokemon fanfic on this site. Pokemon and most of the human characters belong to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Miranda, Ember and Sonia are OCs who don't belong to me. Miranda belongs to Shaydrall while I'm not quite sure who Ember and Sonia belong to. Song is 'At The Beginning' and it belongs to whoever it was that made the movie Anastasia.
Note (Even More Important): This story (ESPECIALLY THE FLASHBACKS AND MEMORIES) should not be taken as actually having happened in Shaydrall's The Infinity League. I just wrote this as an idea of what might have happened during the 5 years Ash disappeared from the world, and to see more romance between Ash and Miranda.
The past few months have been hell for Ash, Miranda and their friends. In a rare moment of peace, they managed to encounter an opportunity to rest, and took it. Ash suggested that they go to this karaoke club that he knew. Miranda agreed to see what it was like and the rest of their friends decided to tag along. Everyone's pokémon were out and having fun with the pokemon of the other patrons.
"So Miranda, what do you think of this place so far," asked Misty.
"I'm loving it. Although there's one thing I'm not sure about," she said.
"Really?" asked Ash. "What is it?"
"What's karaoke?" asked Miranda. That caused a reaction.
"You don't know!?" yelled Max.
"Keep it down!" said May.
"Well, it makes sense she doesn't know," said Brock reasonably. "We all know she's from…uh…a traditional village."
"Somehow," added Nel and Sonia.
"Good point, Brock," said Dawn.
"Anyone wanna volunteer to explain to Miranda here?" asked Gary.
"I'll do it," said Ash.
"It's not going to be like the time you tried to explain Aura to me, is it?" asked Miranda.
"No," said Ash. "Or at least, I hope not." Miranda didn't look very assured. "Karaoke is when one person, or more, sings along with recorded music or a music video using a microphone and sound speaker system. They tend to show the song lyrics as well along with something to show when to say each word. Take a look at what that guy is doing on stage. See how he sings in time with the words on that screen?"
"I think that about sums it up," said Ember. "Did you get that Miranda?"
"Yeah, I think so."
It was at this point that the guy on stage finished singing.
"Give a round of applause for Mark!" said the host of the club. Everyone in the club clapped loudly. "Are there any other volunteers?" asked the host. Gary smirked at this point. Both Ash and Miranda saw this, and a feeling of dread washed over them.
"How about a duet by Ash Ketchum and his girlfriend Miranda!" yelled Gary. Ash and Miranda were shocked at this.
"Perfect!" said the host. "Ash, Miranda, will you please get on the stage."
Ash and Miranda tried to protest but their friends wouldn't let them. They looked at each other and silently agreed to get back at the others, especially Gary, for this. On stage, the hosts gave them their mikes.
"Don't look so bitter, you'll love it," said the host. Ash and Miranda weren't convinced. "The song you guys are going to sing is one we set aside specifically for couples like you. Get ready, it's going to start soon".
"Wait a sec, is that the Ash Ketchum!?"
"Did that guy say his girlfriend? Damn. There goes my dream of getting together with Ash."
"Miranda, huh? She's hot. Too bad she's not single or I'd ask her out."
"I better record this. This is going to make the front page headlines! Ash Ketchum has a significant other! Lovebirds seen singing at a karaoke club!"
Ash and Miranda could here all these conversations around them. They looked at each other and decided to make the best of it. The host said it's going to start soon and the screen says the first part is for Miranda. And then, the music started and the whole club cheered.
(Miranda)
We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through
Now here we are
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
The lyrics reminded Miranda of the first time she met Ash.
Miranda was bathing in her shrine when she heard a commotion outside. At first she thought nothing of it. But suddenly, something crashed through her roof! She looked at the thing and saw that it wasn't a something, but a someone. It was a boy around her age in unusual clothing with a Pikachu. Miranda decided to see if he was ok. She took a closer look at him and saw that he looked cute. Miranda chastised herself saying now isn't the time to think about that. She checked his pulse and to her relief, he was still alive. She heard moans and saw that he was regaining consciousness. It was at this time that the guards burst in but they stopped when they saw Miranda.
"Get out dammit! Can't you see that I'm naked!" yelled Miranda to the guards. The guards immediately scrambled to get out of the room. She heard more moans and saw that the boy was fully awake now. Miranda asked, "Hey there, are you ok? What's your name? Mine's Miranda."
"I'm ok." Miranda was relieved to hear that. "And my name's Ash."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Wait a sec!" yelled Ash, as he suddenly comprehended that Miranda was lacking in clothes. "I should probably get out of here. Which way is out?"
"Don't worry." Miranda immediately grabbed a cloth to cover her. "There, it's ok now. And you probably shouldn't go out there alone. The guards might kill you."
"Where can I stay if I can't go outside?"
"You can stay here, in my shrine with me. I'll tell the other villagers that you are not to be harmed," said Miranda.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Just don't leave my sight. Despite my request, there may be a few who'd still try to kill."
"How assuring…"
"Most can't do anything about it. I am their god after all."
"WHAT!?"
"This girlfriend of Ash has a wonderful singing voice don't you think?"
"Shh! Here comes Ash's part!"
(Ash)
No one told me
I was going to find you
Unexpected
What you did to my heart
When I lost hope
You were there to remind me
This is the start
Like how Miranda was reminded of her first meeting with Ash, Ash also remembered their first meeting.
"This is one very bad day!" were Ash's thoughts as he was being chased around the village. He ended up getting chased to the top of the village where he ended up falling over the cliff. He hit a lot of things on his way down. Suddenly his world went black as he crashed through the roof of some building. When he came to, he was left speechless. What he saw when he came to was this beautiful girl above him. He must have died, and arrived in heaven to see this angel. Suddenly guards burst in but for some reason, they stopped.
"Get out dammit! Can't you see that I'm naked!" yelled the girl and the guards immediately ran out of the room.
Ash smirked at the memory.
"What do you know, Ash has a good singing voice too."
"Indeed, now shut it! I wanna enjoy this!"
And...
Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey
I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
Both Ash and Miranda remembered some unpleasant memories after that verse. Particularly the 'world stops turning' part.
It was after Miranda's village was attacked. Miranda was still recovering after the huge surge of power that went through her after she lost control when Vince claimed he had captured Miranda's siblings. The aftermath of Miranda's power surge, while it did manage to make Vince and his forces beat a hasty retreat, also left the villagers horrified. More than half the village was destroyed. Their beloved goddess was screaming in pain and all of her tattoos were flaring a deep color before going back to normal. Only Ash stayed by Miranda's side. He won't deny that he was scared too but he was angry at the fact that the other villagers wouldn't even come close. She was supposed to be loved by her village! Did everything count for nothing? They wanted Miranda out of the village but Ash managed to convince them to let her stay until she had recovered enough to leave on her own.
Days later, after Miranda had fully recovered, the village elders approached Ash with a request in their private chambers.
"What's this about?" he asked.
"We want you to put Miranda out of her misery," said the elders. Ash looked confused. The elders clarified, "We want you to kill her."
"WHAT!? How could you ask me to do something like that?!"
"PIKA!" agreed Pikachu.
The elders just shook their heads and waited for Ash and Pikachu to calm down before they said, "This is for Miranda's sake. Her soul has been corrupted. For it to be cleansed, she must be killed so her soul can be reborn."
"No. I can't do this."
"You have to. Her soul's wellbeing is at stake. For it to be pure again, it must be reborn through death."
Ash just stared at the elders. He couldn't believe they were asking him to do this. He decided there was only one thing to do.
"I'll do it far from the village. That way, you won't have to see me do it."
"Thank you Ash," said the elders in a relieved voice.
While Ash and the elders were having this conversation, Miranda was outside listening in. She was shocked at what she had just heard. Ash had accepted the elder's request to kill her! She couldn't believe it. Her whole world fell apart just like that after the attack, when she lost control over her powers. She can't stay in the village. She has to run. Miranda went back to her shrine to gather her pokemon. She took Eevee, Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Umbreon, Espeon, Leafeon and Glaceon and together, they fled the village.
When Ash left the elders' private chambers, he was shocked to learn from the other villagers that Miranda had already left the village. He realised that Miranda must have heard what the elders asked him to do. Ash ran in the direction that Miranda went and eventually saw her. Miranda saw Ash too.
"Go away!"
"Miranda, listen to me!"
"GO AWAY!"
"Listen to me! PLEASE!" Ash managed to catch up to her. He whispered into her ear, "I lied to the elders. I won't kill you." Miranda looked at Ash with an expressionless face. She doesn't believe him. "I'll prove it. Right now we're being tailed by the other villagers. I can tell." Miranda was skeptical. "Look, it's an Aura thing. Let's keep walking until we're far enough from the village. And then, I'll make my move on them." Miranda wasn't sure whether she believed him or not. She looked at her pokemo and they all nodded. She decided to trust Ash for now.
A few days later, Miranda was still unsure whether she should trust Ash. They had been travelling for several days already. Though Ash said they were being followed, she didn't see anyone. Also Ash has been incredibly quite the past few days. Ash made a sudden movement, and Miranda panicked, she thought Ash lied to her and was indeed about to kill her. But, she realised that she wasn't hurt. She looked around and saw a Lucario beating up several pokemon and people she recognised as being from her village. She heard Ash yelling at them.
"The elders asked me to kill her! And I said I would! I said I would do it far from the village so you won't have to watch! But guess what! I LIED! I only said I'd do it far from the village to make sure we WERE followed! So I can tell you this! You bastards can go to hell! I'll make sure that Miranda lives as long as I can! NO MATTER WHAT!" And then the people and pokemon from her village ran.
But it wasn't all bad. Miranda remembered what Ash said that day, and she will never forget it. She blushed remembering that Ash said that he will protect her. Her knight in shining armor. Actually, now that she come to think of it, Ash is quite close to the literal meaning of the phrase in addition to the figurative meaning.
(Miranda)
We were strangers
On a crazy adventure
(Ash)
Never dreaming
How our dreams would come true
(BOTH)
Now here we stand
Unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you
"Hey Ash."
"Yes Miranda?"
"Do you really mean all that?" Miranda had to make sure.
"Of course. No matter what happens, I'll make sure you're okay."
"Thanks, Ash. But what is there left for me. My whole life, my whole world was destroyed!" Miranda began crying.
"There is more to the world then just the village." Miranda looked confused. "Would you like me to take you around the world? I can open a whole new world to you. I know some places which can take your breath away, if you could just see them."
Miranda thought about this. She didn't have to think very long. "I would love too."
And...
Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey
I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
I knew there was somebody somewhere
Like me alone in the dark
Now I know my dream will live on
I've been waiting so long
Nothing's gonna tear us apart
This reminded Ash and Miranda of the time their friendship became something more.
Miranda couldn't believe her eyes. Ash was right. This is one of the most breathtaking experiences she has ever had. They were currently at the top of Mt. Coronet. From here they could see the entire Sinnoh region. This was more breathtaking then the first time she's been in a city, though the experience in the city may have been affected slightly because she was made uncomfortable by the fact that everyone was looking at her because of her tattoos until Ash got her more modern clothing. This was better than seeing all kinds of different pokemon. It was better than the first time they went to the beach. It was one of the most wonderful experiences she has ever had. Suddenly, she looked at Ash, and Ash looked at her. They looked at each other, and then they got closer.
And then they kissed. Their pokemon saw this and they all cheered.
"About time!" said Pikachu.
"Hooray for them finally getting together!" said Eevee.
"I can feel their Auras. So this is what it looks like when one is in love," Lucario considered.
"I am shocked that this didn't happen sooner to be honest. I knew they were attracted to each other for quite a while," commented Gardevoir.
"It could be because someone told Ash that in the village, gods like Miranda and her siblings weren't allowed to bear children, and that it was forbidden for anyone to propose vows to them," theorised Jolteon.
"I always thought that was a stupid rule," said Vaporeon.
"Yeah, you could see how sad Miranda and her siblings were at not being allowed to love another in the romantic sense," added Flareon.
"Miranda is no longer part of that village," said Umbreon.
"Which means she and Ash don't have to follow the rules of the village if they don't want to," said Espeon.
"Which means they can love each other as much as they want," added Leafeon.
"And nothing can stop them from doing just that," added Glaceon.
"Except for common decency in public areas, of course," said Armaldo.
"Spoilsport."
As for how Ash and Miranda are feeling? They never felt anything like it before. They felt something surge through their bodies. Their legs turned to jelly and they broke their kiss. They could feel their hearts beating several times faster. And then they kissed again, and again, and again.
The memory makes them blush just thinking about it.
And...
(Ash)
Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
(BOTH)
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey
Now Ash and Miranda were reminded about one of the times they went to the beach.
Ash and Miranda were having a lot of fun at the beach. They wore clothes for the occasion. Ash was in a pair of swimming trunks and Miranda was in a bikini. All of the pokemon they had with them are out and having fun their own way. Ash was teaching Miranda how to swim. She picked it up quickly, much to Ash's surprise. After they had fun swimming with the water-type pokemon at the beach, Ash decided to reward Miranda with a massage for learning swimming so quickly.
"Ooh, right there. Don't stop".
"Sure thing."
"So this is what it feels like when a person gets massaged," said Miranda. "I could stay like this forever". Ash smirked at that. Unfortunately for Miranda, an unexpected guest announced his arrival.
"Ash, is that you?"
"AAH! Who's there!?" yelled both Ash and Miranda. Their pokemon immediately took battle stances to make sure no harm comes to Ash and Miranda.
"WHOA, WHOA! No need to be aggressive. It's me, Scott!" Ash and Pikachu immediately calmed down and motioned for the others to calm down as well. "Didn't think I'd see you here, Ash".
"The same could be said to you. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, long story. Who's she?"
"My name's Miranda."
"Is it safe for me to assume that you're Ash's girlfriend?" asked Scott. He saw Ash give a massage to the girl, but just to be safe, he thought it was better to ask. He also can't help but notice the tattoos.
Good thing Ash already explained to Miranda about the way people talk about love in this world she didn't know. So when someone talks to her about boyfriends or girlfriends, she wouldn't be confused. "Yes it is," said Miranda.
"Ash of all people falling in love. And here I thought you were too naive about love to actually fall in love."
"Oh, shut up Scott."
And that was how Scott found out about them, and how he started keeping contact with Ash and Miranda.
I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
And now they remember the one of the times they dealt with Vince Korinek across the years.
Miranda was looking forward to seeing this field of flowers Ash told her about. But she was going to get sidetracked. For Vince Korinek has managed to track them down and ambushed them, injuring most of Ash's and Miranda's pokemon with the surprise attack. They were now surrounded by a large group of Hunters and their pokemon.
"We were wondering where you were all this time, Miranda Eon," said Vince.
"EON!?" yelled Miranda. "What made you think that was my last name! Actually, what made you think I even have a last name!?"
"To be honest, we made the Eon part up after we retreated from your village," said Aero, laughing. Miranda was not amused. "Anyway, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Surrender peacefully or we'll take you by force!"
Miranda traded looks with Ash. They both knew what her answer was going to be. "How about this. Ash and I are going to fight you. And we WILL win. It would be appropriate payback for attacking the village."
"The hard way it is then," said Aero. "Pokemon Hunters! ATTACK!"
Tthe Hunters and their pokemon immediately charged. Ash called out Lucario and sent him and Pikachu to battle. Meanwhile, Miranda called out Umbreon and Espeon.
"Lucario! Pikachu! No holding back!"
"Same to you Umbreon and Espeon!"
Pikachu let loose a massive Thunder at several flying-type and water-type pokemon. He managed to knock out at least several dozen. Meanwhile Lucario unleashed a barrage of powerful Aura Spheres. The Aura Spheres managed to hit several of the larger pokemon and knocked them out. Umbreon and Espeon were tag teaming several of the Hunters' pokemon. Espeon was using Psybeam and Umbreon was using Assurance. Their combo managed to deal a lot of damage to the Pokemon Hunters. Especially with how Assurance deals more damage if used after the target pokemon received damage from another move.
Unfortunately, the Pokemon Hunters managed to turn the tables. Regardless of how powerful Ash's and Miranda's pokemon were compared to the Hunters' pokemon, there were just too many of the Hunters. Eventually, Pikachu, Lucario, Umbreon and Espeon began to run out of energy. Ash and Miranda couldn't call out their other pokemon as they were still injured from Vince's initial ambush. Miranda decided to activate her powers, something she hasn't done since she left the village. Ash saw what she was about to do.
"Wait Miranda! Are you sure you want to do…" Ash got cut off by the look Miranda gave him. He knew that look. She was being serious.
"Umbreon! Espeon! Get Ready!"
"Ready!" said Umbreon and Espeon.
"Resonate with the Sun and Moon!" yelled Miranda as she touched her sun and moon tattoos.
Umbreon and Espeon both felt a surge of power course through them. They unleashed this power in the form of several Hyper Beams. They managed to knock out every pokemon the Hunters' had left. Vince and Aero ordered a retreat and the Hunters gladly obliged. Once they were safe, Umbreon and Espeon went back to normal.
"Miranda! Miranda! Are you ok?" asked a very worried Ash.
Miranda looked at him and Ash gave a start when he saw her eyes were not their normal deep brown color. But he instantly calmed down when she said, "Yeah, I'm ok."
"I was worried there for a second. Why are your eyes flashing black and purple?"
"They are?" asked a confused Miranda. "I hope that stops soon."
"Actually, it looks like their stopping now." Indeed, her eyes are slowly going back to their normal color. "We should be more careful from now on. Who knows when Vince could attack us again."
"Agreed." Miranda looked around her and saw the devastation. "Damn him. I wanted to explore this place with you. You did say there was supposed to be a beautiful field of flowers around here."
"And you'll see it. It is further up the mountain. Come on, let's go. We're lucky Vince didn't attack us there or the field would have been destroyed."
At the top, Miranda was met with one of the largest field of flowers she has seen yet. The flowers went as far as the eye could see. Pokemon of various types were living peacefully up here. There was a river which they could drink from. The evening sky just made the scene even more beautiful.
"Let's head towards the river. We could nurse our pokemon back to full health there," said Ash. Miranda agreed. They released their pokemon and they all had a drink from the river before going to sleep, except for Ash and Miranda.
"Ash?"
"Yes?"
"Before we sleep, let's watch the sunset together. I want to remember today as a great day with us two spending time together, rather than a bad day because Vince attacked us."
"Same here, Miranda."
They sat side by side. Ash with his arm around Miranda. Together, they watched the sun go down. After the sun went down, they remained like that.
"Miranda."
"Yeah?"
"I'll always love you. No matter what happens. Even if we have to go through hell, we can at least go through hell, together."
"I'll always love you too. From the day I met you, I held a certain attraction for you. But because of the rules my village had, I never acted on it. That's no longer a problem, but you should realise that of course. If I could stay with you like this forever, I would gladly do it."
And then they fell asleep, in each other's arms.
Now whenever they think of that day, they remember the sunset and what they promised each other, and they try not to think about Vince's attack of course.
(BOTH)
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep going on...
(Miranda)
Starting out on a journey
(BOTH)
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is river I wanna keep flowing
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you.
And that's when the song finished. Everyone in the club cheered.
"WOOHOO!"
"That was incredible!"
"Awesome!"
"Definitely going to be on the front page headlines."
"Hey guys?" asked Brock.
"Yeah?" chorused the rest of the group.
"Ash and Miranda said that her culture is supposed to be, NOT into public displays of affection right?"
"Yes," said Ember. "Why?"
"I think they're about to kiss."
The group looked back at Ash and Miranda. They could see that they were staring at each other in loving affection.
And then they kissed. In perfect view of the whole club. That caused even more cheers from the other patrons. Some even took pictures.
"They are so HOT!"
"They look so good together."
"Suddenly, I don't mind very much that my hopes of getting together with Ash were dashed. They just look so cute together."
"Hey, boss! I got a front-page story! I got a picture of a kiss between Ash Ketchum and his previously unknown girlfriend, named Miranda!"
Ash and Miranda broke apart their kiss. They looked at the crowd and bowed. The crowd gave them one last applause. Then they returned to the group.
"Did you two have fun?" asked Gary.
Ash and Miranda looked at each other. "We had a great time," they said. "But you are not of the hook Gary!"
Gary gulped at that.
My first fanfiction. Which happened to be a fanfiction of a fanfiction. What do you guys think?