"Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone."
That was all the note said. It had been slipped under Ash's apartment door, which he couldn't trace back because there was no return address nor any way of knowing who wrote it. He hated anonymous messages. Got too many of those.
Well, Pokemon don't count, so why not?
Cerulean was peacefully quiet tonight. On weekends, the place would be hopping. But it was a Tuesday, and not a very important one, at that. No one would notice the newest resident, Ash Ketchum, sneaking out of his apartment close to midnight. Even the ones who did wouldn't think much of it, just one of the top trainers in the country going for a late-night stroll.
The bridge was over the river and near downtown, or at least had a nice view of it. The lights of the city made the buildings seem closer than they might have really been. And it was chilly out, too. So he bundled up in his jacket.
The footsteps that interrupted him came from the opposite direction he came in. He cursed forgetting Pikachu, but the little mouse was sleeping so peacefully he'd felt it mean to wake him.
He did reach for Charizard's ball, and made sure he still had his Mega Evolution bracelet on.
"I didn't think you'd come," a familiar feminine voice said to him.
He had to laugh at himself for his nervousness and near-paranoia. "Misty, did you have to be anonymous?" he asked while turning around to face her.
The Cerulean Gym leader smirked as she leaned against the edge of the bridge. "Come on now," she winked. "You know me, I love romantic cliches."
"Uh, okay," he said as Misty walked up to him.
"Come on Ash, no one's around," she giggled while slipping an arm around his. "Why are you so nervous?"
"Well, I kinda wasn't expecting this," he said with a blush.
"Okay, I see what you mean," she said. "Sorry I made you worried."
"At least I'm not worried anymore," he said. He gently kissed her forehead. "By the way, can we have a battle right now?"