Disclaimer: I don't own anything
From young, his mother told him that she hoped he would one day be, not only happy, but more than that.
Ash had never known how that was possible, but, thinking slowly, he thought he might finally realise what his mother had meant.
And everything came back to Misty.
At first he had thought of her as a nuisance.
He had already promised her that he would give her a new bicycle. Did she have to follow him around? And it seemed like all she ever did was criticize him.
"This was the wrong way", "That isn't right"…
All they ever did was fight, and he really, really wished she would just leave him alone.
Then he started to think of her as a coach.
He had to admit that she helped him a lot, throughout their journey together. He hadn't realised it then, but her advice had been of great help to him.
The arguments and quarrels still occurred, but were less frequent.
That was when he started to regard her as a friend.
He supposed that was when he was at Lavender Tower, when he had been revived and saw how worried she was. Of course he was much too dense to know it then, but that episode allowed him to get a glimpse of her true nature.
She was always there for him, cheering him on, and giving him her support. It never once wavered. Not even in the Orange Islands, when the Trovita Island leader Rudy had tried his best to get her to stay with him.
When she had to stop travelling with him, and return to take care of the Cerulean Gym, he recalled feeling extremely sad. He had never ever felt that way before, and at the time did not know why he was feeling like that. The handkerchief she gave him, together with other gifts from her, were precious mementos which he made sure to always keep with care.
They had been through so much together, shared so many experiences, that it was hard to believe he would now have to travel without her. He had seen her kind and caring heart, her compassion and her passion. He had seen her strong, and when she was at her most vulnerable.
In the years to follow he would find many other companions to travel with, all of whose company he enjoyed. But, and he kept this to himself throughout, he felt like something was missing.
He didn't really know it then, keeping it too himself such that no one but Pikachu knew. He missed travelling with her, missed how she would be terrified at the sight of a harmless Caterpie, and missed those famous quarrels they shared. He missed her.
And when he realised that, he came to another realisation.
He loved her.
That was how she became what she was to him today. Much more than just a friend, a best friend, or even a confidant. She was his partner.
Ash smiled and turned in his sleeping bag to look at see the sleeping form of Misty, right next to him. He could hear her gentle snores, and could see her chest rising and falling in repetition. He reached out his hand to brush her hair behind her ear
That caused her to turn on her side, and, opening her blue eyes, looked straight into his.
"Ash, what time is it? Why are you awake?" Misty asked.
"Sweetheart, I couldn't sleep, so I was thinking. It's four. Sorry I woke you," he replied.
She smiled and said: "That's ok. What were you thinking about then?"
"You," was his answer.
"Me?" she queried.
"Yeah you, and just thinking of how I fell in love with you and how you make me feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he said with a smile.
She gasped at what he had said. Leaning her head up, her lips met his in a kiss that was warm and sweet, yet passionate at the same time.
When they broke apart, Misty snuggled against him and rested her head on his chest.
"I love you," he said, kissing her hair.
"I love you too," she replied.
They lay there together in silence, under the stars, until she fell asleep once again.
He lay there for a while more, contemplating. When he was younger he always knew he wanted to be a trainer. It was his dream.
He followed the dream, catching pokemon and winning battles, which made him happy. But in doing those, he had met her, became friends with her, grown to love her and fallen in love with her.
And being with her, knowing that she felt the same way, well that made him more than happy.
He felt..complete.
He smiled, as sleep eventually overtook him as well.