A/N: This is like my dumping ground for the pokeshipping week ficlets.

So this is a side story of my other fic, Our Brave New World. So the background is that the Pokémon World has been completely turned over by a few strong ideologists who think very low of Pokémon. Trainers are being hunted down, owning Pokémon is illegal and all in all everything is just dark and scary. You don't have to read the other fic to understand this really, it's just basic stuff.

Disclaimer: (for the whole fic) Don't own Pokémon.

Day 1 – Adventure

"How do you do it?"

Her voice was raspy and low and she wondered if he heard her question because she certainly couldn't. To her this shaky whisper didn't feel like her own. Her whole body in fact, didn't feel like her own. It ached everywhere and she had no control over it anymore. It was because of her that they were resting in a forest nearby when they should have been running as far from the prison as possible. The guards must know by now that there were two of them missing. How couldn't they, her brave rescuer created such a show after all. The trees seemed so familiar but she couldn't bring herself to remember which forest it was and she didn't have the heart to ask the other two. The emptiness of the forest surrounded her so well, begging to be touched by her. She was trying hard to control herself from getting lost in the void, from letting it all go. There was no meaning in anything anymore, why should she hold on when it was best to just give up?

"Do what?" His reply was quiet but she heard it, his voice was still just as innocent and his smile made her hold on for just a little longer. How does he do it? How?

"Smile." She was afraid she said it too loudly. The other crybaby (who claimed his name was Ethan but honestly Misty didn't want to believe a word he said) they had accidently rescued glared at her. Ash cringed slightly since he was sitting right next her and to her surprise he shifted even closer.

"I don't understand what you're asking." He said quietly, all the while the smile never left his face. His bruised, scarred face. What happened to him in the past two years? She was safe inside that prison. It was lonely and dark and traumatizing but it was safe. And he had been out there, doing Mew knows what and he was still smiling. Why?

"How can you smile like that when our whole word is falling apart? How can you smile like that when my Pokémon are dead, our friends are gone and we are losing everything we ever believed in? Why are you smiling Ash? Why?" She didn't realize that she was sobbing. It was embarrassing to cry in front of that other little kid but she couldn't help it. Her head was hurting, her whole body was hurting, she didn't know where she was going or what she was gonna do, Ash had just gotten her out of the prison and surprisingly he still had Pikachu with him and seeing them together reminded her of her own Pokémon who were dead. It was all too much.

She felt his fingers on her cheek and waited till he wiped her tears off to open her eyes. She turned to look at him and this time, his smile didn't frustrate her, it calmed her.

"It's difficult." He said, "It's difficult knowing that they might take Pikachu away from me any moment. It's difficult because I don't have any of my friends by my side and I don't know where they are. It took me so long to track you down, Mist. I haven't even started looking for the others ya'know? And of course some of my Pokemon too were…" She could tell that he didn't want to finish that sentence, the pain was visible in his voice but his face was still taken up by that wide smile, "But you just have to move on. If I sit around thinking about what I've lost, I'll never be able to move forward. You've been in that prison for so long Misty that all you've done is think about what has happened and I don't blame you for thinking about giving up. I really don't because I've thought about it too. But the thing is Mist that in the end, I'm alive. There are still millions and millions of things that could happen to me. There are still so many adventures that I could go on."

"But it's not the same!" She cried out. If they got caught now, it would entirely be her fault.

"Of course it isn't. And it never will be. But why should that hold us back?"

"Because people and Pokémon are dying Ash!"

"Oh and sitting around and stating the obvious is going to help them?"

"You think you can save the world from those demons?"

"I saved you didn't I?"

She could feel Ethan watching them, his golden eyes shifting from one face to the other, waiting for them to continue. She scowled at him and he looked away immediately. It was just like them to end up arguing after spending only a few hours together. And she hated to admit it, but Ash had clearly won this time.

"Why did you come for me first?" She whispered haughtily, "And what makes you think I'm going to help you with whatever you're planning? I'd rather crawl into a dark hole and die."

"I came for you first because it won't feel like an adventure unless I start it with you by my side and you're too proud to actually crawl in a hole and die without trying to show the Kingdom what you're made of." He looked so smug, she wanted to punch that smirk off his face. She raised her fist but before it could connect with his already bruised face he added, "Also, not all of your Pokémon are dead."

Her hand dropped back to her side as she stared at him, "Are you trying to blackmail me Ash Ketchum?"

"Trying to? I already know I'm winning." He scoffed.

"Don't you for a second think that I'm going to forget what you said about not being able to start anything without me." It was her turn to smirk now. The blush that covered his cheeks lifted a great weight off her chest. He was right, so what if their world was no less than hell right now, they would make it better. Together. And that thought finally made her smile.

"Can you guys go back to fighting instead of flirting? It's kinda disgusting." Ethan murmured while observing his shoes. But Misty could see a hint of a smile forming on his face.

-x-

Reviews are always appreciated.