A/N: For those of you who are unfamiliar with Pokeshipping Week, it is normally celebrated on tumblr and maybe a few other sites the first week of November and leads up to Pokeshipping Day on November 7th. This one-shot is for Day One of Pokeshipping Week, which has the theme "If Misty Never Left." I meant to finish this on Sunday, but life and everything had bogged me down. I plan on having six more coming up this week, with hopefully at least two more posted today as I am trying my best to catch up. I hope you like it. This one stands alone and is not related to TLOC.

-Sarah

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.

The sun was setting on one of the hottest days of the summer. The heat was insufferable, so the nightfall was a relief to the two teenagers who were settling down for the night. The Pikachu that was out with them began to collect twigs to use them as firewood. The girl gathered her orange hair in a side ponytail before beginning to build the fire. Her companion was working on preparing the stew, chopping vegetables such as potatoes and broccoli. The boy wanted to add carrots, but the girl would never have that, and he valued his life after all.

Once their dinner was made, the two sat together on a large rock in front of the fire. They chewed their food in silence, enjoying the stillness that nightfall had brought. The sole sounds were those of some crickets and the snapping of the fire before them. The boy stared at the girl for what seemed to be ages before asking the one question that had been smoldering inside him.

"Hey...Misty?"

"Hmm?" She turned to face him, her last bite of stew resting in her spoon. She put it back down in her bowl.

"You know that guy from earlier?"

"Yeah? What about him?"

"Why did you turn him down?"

She turned to face him, taken aback by his inquiry. It had been the two of them for some time now, ever since Brock had left them to go to medical school to become a Pokemon doctor. However, never in that time had Ash ever asked her about the boys who approached her, and there had been quite a lot, especially in recent weeks. They would meet some trainers along the way, and one was always bound to hit on her or ask her out. She had always declined, but this was the first time that Ash had wondered why.

"I wasn't interested. It's pretty simple." She shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what else to say.

"Why not? I mean he's what you would consider attractive, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to date him. I had only just met him."

"That doesn't mean that you couldn't go a date with him. It could have been fun."

"Ash, what is up with you? You normally don't ask questions about my love life."

He paused. It was his turn to be lost for words. The truth was that he did not know himself. When they had been talking to that other trainer earlier that day, he felt weird when he watched the guy flirt with Misty. He had this sudden need for Misty to pay attention to him instead. It was a strange feeling for him, so unfamiliar that he could not make it tangible. Thinking about it deeper, he then knew that it had been this feeling that caused him to bring up the subject, but he did not want to tell Misty if it turned out to be nothing.

"I don't know. I was curious, I guess."

"Oh."

Part of her wanted to tell Ash the truth, that the reason she had rejected dozens of extremely suitable young men was that she had feelings for someone. They were so strong that it sometimes kept her up at night. All she could do at times was think about how she felt. For years it had eaten away at her, clawing at her insides, desperate to escape. It made her anxious to think about what could happen if it actually did. Which would be worse? The person was, of course, the boy beside her, slowly changing into a man, and in spite of the awkwardness that puberty had brought, she still loved him after all that time.

Misty did not answer further, leading Ash plunge into his own speculation. He could be dense at times, especially when it came to girls, but he was getting better at it. The time spent away from Brock actually helped more because he was not constantly relying on him to explain. Ash was able to learn and grow on his own. There were two conclusions that crossed his mind—that either Misty did not wish to date anyone or that she already had someone she wanted to date.

"Are you not interested in dating? Is that it?"

"No, that's not it! None of these guys are my type," she snapped quickly, her voice piercing the air.

"So you have a type then?" He had to admit that he found enjoyment in irritating her.

"I mean sort of, it's not like I haven't ever liked anyone before!"

"Do you like someone now?"

"Wha—why would you think that?" Her voice jumped an octave, and even though it was dark, Ash could still see that her cheeks were turning red.

"Ah, so there is someone."

"No, you've got it all wrong!" She shouted, shaking her head and waving her arms.

"Is it Tracey? Brock?"

"Knock it off, Ash."

"I want to know. Tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I told you, already. I don't have a crush on anyone," she said, standing up. Ash shifted uneasily, feeling the heat of her fury.

"Okay, whatever you say, Mist." He put up his hands in defeat. He knew that she was lying, but he was not about to force it out of her. She was close enough to murdering him as it was.

"I'm going to bed," she said and stomped away without another word. Ash sighed, knowing it was best not to bother her anymore and proceeded to do the same. After putting the campfire out, he crawled into his sleeping bag, seeking to sleep himself.

Later that night, Ash lay in his sleeping bag, Pikachu curled up next to him, unable to sleep. The conversation with Misty haunted him. She wouldn't tell him who her crush was, and he knew that she had a crush because why else would she be blushing? The gentle hum of the crickets soothed him and allowed him to steady his mind. It was sharp and alert, on the brink of an epiphany.

She had feelings for someone. This part was conclusive. There were a few reasons, he had deduced, for not telling him. If it were someone he didn't know, then she would have had no problem because he couldn't possibly reveal her secret to the person. They were supposed to be best friends, so it bothered him that she was keeping a secret from him.

He turned, glancing at Misty's sleeping figure. The thought struck him like lightning, causing him to jolt upright on the spot. There was a possibility that he was the person whom she liked. Realization was slowly washing over him as the thought stewed inside his brain. He saw her bike propped up against a nearby tree, the bike that he had once destroyed, but was returned to her by Nurse Joy years later, completely repaired. When she had gotten her bike back, he expected her to go her separate way, maybe not at first, but eventually. As more time passed, his wonder continued to grow. What kept her here? If the reason were that she had feelings for him, then it would all make sense.

He thought back at the past couple of years. When he was younger, he thought nothing of her behavior towards other girls, such as Melody or Macy. However, now he had the knowledge that she probably had been jealous because those girls showed an interest in him. Had that been what Rudy meant all of that time ago? He had said that Ash was a lucky guy, and Ash knew that Rudy had been interested in her. Could that mean that Misty chose Ash over Rudy? Is that what happened?

Ash put his hand up to his chest in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. It was as if every cell in his body had been set afire. What was going on with him? This was Misty we were talking about here. She was his best friend, nothing more! Or was she? He had never seen her in that light. Perhaps it was because they had spent the past six years growing up together that he never noticed her. Or maybe it was because he had been naïve, and his sole interest had been in Pokemon.

It was not until the idea of Misty wanted him that he realized that he must want her. As he stared at her, all he could think about was how beautiful she was. He had a strong desire to shake her awake, say that he knew everything, and tell her that he loved her too. He restrained himself, however. There was a part of him that was uncertain. What if he were wrong? What if she was in love with someone else, like Brock or Tracey, or even, and it made Ash sick to think about it, Gary. Now that he was aware of his feelings for her, he wasn't sure if he could handle that kind of rejection.

"Are you almost ready to go?" Misty asked him as she was rolling her sleeping bag.

Ash did not answer, for fear that his words would get tangled, and he would seem foolish. He was exhausted, functioning on minimal sleep. He had tried to get some rest, but he continuously tossed in his sleeping bag, unable to think of anything but Misty. Is this how Brock felt about every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny? His stomach was in knots just looking at her.

"Are you still mad that I won't tell you who it is?"

"No, that's not it—wait so you do have a crush on someone!"

"Wait, that's not what I meant!"

"Uh huh, sure…"

"Whatever," Misty grumbled, picking up her bag. "I'm leaving, so you better hurry up because I'm not stopping."

Ash rushed to finish packing his bag, knowing that Misty wouldn't truly leave him behind. He had been right about everything. He knew it. As he and Pikachu jogged to catch up with her, he planned to tell her how he felt at dinner that night. There was nothing to fear. He smiled as he chased after his new dream, knowing that their journey together was just beginning.