This is turning into a sort of one-shot collection of stories that take place during Trouble on the Way to Victory. I have a few prompts in mind that could lead into stories that fill in the gaps in the story, like the Hoenn trip. I might also elaborate on certain events that I only mention in the story, like parts of the Johto trip. No promises on when this will be updated. It will depend on what I can think up story-wise and how long it will take to write.

I got this idea from listening to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." It's one of the few songs of his that I like, so it's kinda weird for me to come up with an idea from his music. I would've expected inspiration from Aerosmith, Springsteen, Petty, Dylan, or countless others before Denver, but I guess you can't be too picky on where inspiration will hit you.

This one takes place after the events of the first chapter of Trouble on the Way to Victory. Hindsight tells me that this probably should've been included to the story, but it also tells me that it can work on its own.

It could be relevant to the main story, but it also could not. I haven't gotten to a point where I would want to reintroduce the character again. So unless I say so in the other story, this doesn't affect the main plot of the story.

The Boat Ride 'Home'

Staring at a blank screen with his jaw hanging, Ash could not believe that Brock had succeeded in getting a girlfriend. He had always thought that he would have one before Brock ever would, but life can be strange like that. You expect something to happen based on everything you know only to have it disproved right before your very eyes. Of course, he did not see who she was or even got a name, but Brock would never lie to him.

Once he finally got over what Brock had just told him, Ash finally decided that it was time to make his last call. As he went to punch in her number, he froze before he could even press the first number. He did not know why something as simple as calling his best friend about his plans would be this difficult to do. Maybe it was because the last time he told her that he was traveling she had this sad look on her face. Knowing who she was, he could only assume that it was because she wanted to go with him, but her sisters had made it pretty much impossible for her to spend more than a week away from the Gym.

He shook his head. It was not just that. While seeing her upset was definitely not one of his favorite sights, he knew that he wanted her to join him probably just as much as she wanted to be with him. Seeing the world for the past eight, going on nine, years allowed him to make certain connections that he probably should have made when they actually occurred. One such example was Misty. Separating all those years ago hurt, but what surprised him was how much it hurt as time moved on. Whenever he was near water or around Water Types, it would remind him of her. Whenever he saw girl with red hair off in the distance, he was almost tempted to call out to the girl but would stop himself. He did not want to be disappointed when he found out it was not her. After all these seemingly random occurrences happened, he would wait until everyone was asleep before digging through his backpack and pull out her handkerchief she gave him on their last day together. When she sent him the Mini Misty Lure, he could not have been happier. To him, it meant she still believed in him and wanted to see him succeed. Of course she had told him that many times over the phone whenever he appeared to be a little down after a particularly difficult loss, but the lure seemed to be the thing that made it sink in.

"Pikapi?"

Ash looked up from the video phone with his hand still hovering over the numbers. He turned towards the door that led to the rest of the boat and saw that Pikachu was standing there with a confused look on his face. Ash had left him in their cabin so that he could take a nap while he called everyone.

"I'm alright, Pikachu."

Pikachu shook his head and sprinted to him and leapt onto his shoulder. "Pi chu pika Pikachupi?"

Ash let out a small laugh. "You know me too well."

Pikachu merely nodded and prodded him to continue to answer his question.

"Not yet. I just can't seem to figure out what to say to her. You know how she gets whenever we call her about going off on a new adventure."

"Cha," Pikachu said with sadness present in his voice.

They heard a loud bang coming from far outside the room they were in. Ash took off to find the source, thinking that the ship was under attack. Seeing as no one was in the hallway he was in, he decided to head out to the deck to see what was going on. As he ran, more noises like the first were going off. Once he reached the upper deck, he saw lots of people looking up in the sky. He did the same and saw the source of the noise. Fireworks were going off signaling the last night that they would be on the boat before they reached Cinnabar Island.

As the display was nearing its end, one series of fireworks exploded into images of Water Pokémon. Ash kept staring at the night sky even after the last of the fireworks were shot off. His hand went to his back pocket and pulled out Misty's handkerchief and held it tight. He was broken out of his trance when Pikachu poked his cheek and pointed down to the lower deck. Ash walked over to the railing and watched as many of the ship's guests were dancing. The two of them watched and laughed at some of the more ridiculous moves people were doing.

His mind began to wander. Seeing all this dancing reminded him of his first dance. He knew he was in love with the girl, but this was a new experience for him. Misty would always talk about how romantic certain things were while they were traveling and would say things that would confuse him about the two of them. He never gave any of those comments much thought until he was no longer traveling with her.

Pikachu's ears twitched, and he turned around on his perch on the railing. A girl was standing behind them staring at Ash. Pikachu nudged Ash and pointed to the girl once he turned around. He looked her over trying to figure out if they had met before. She looked vaguely familiar but was not entirely sure from where.

"Wow, Ash. I know that it's been years since you last saw me but come on. How can you forget about me?"

After staring at her for another moment or so, she figured it would take a little more to remind him. She opened up her bag and pulled something out of it. It was an ocarina, and she began to play. The song was so familiar to him, and it started to bring back memories of his last trip to the Orange Islands.

"Melody?"

"It took you long enough to figure it out."

"You can't really blame me. It has been quite a long time since we last saw each other. It's almost like we are two entirely different people from those two in the past."

"Not entirely true. You are still trying to become a Pokémon Master, right? And me? Let's just say the only thing that has changed is my appreciation for my island heritage."

"I wasn't talking about that," he said as he motioned to her appearance. She had more of a womanly figure than when they last saw each other. The only thing that he recognized about her was the pair of sunglasses that were sitting on top of her head.

"Quit it Ash. What would your girlfriend say if she knew you were hitting on another woman?"

"Misty's not my girlfriend."

"I didn't say it was Misty, but since you brought her up, where is she and Tracey?"

Not entirely sure why she did not press the issue like so many had done in the past, he decided to play along. "Well, Misty's in Cerulean City running the Gym there, and Tracey is working with Professor Oak."

"Do you at least keep in touch?"

"Well, Tracey always says hi whenever I call Professor Oak, and I always try to call Misty whenever I get a chance."

They started catching up, telling each other stories of their lives since he left Shamouti Island. When the topic changed to what Ash was doing on a boat leaving the Orange Islands for Cinnabar Island, he told her about needing some time to unwind and his plans for the upcoming year.

"I've called just about everyone that would want to know, but I just can't seem to find a way to tell Misty."

"And you claim she's not your girlfriend," she said with a laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's go over what you just told me you told everyone else. First, you say you are going to travel to most of the other Regions training and catching Pokémon. Then, you tell everyone but this Brock guy that you want this one to be on your own. Now, based on that, I can assume that Brock is a very good friend of yours to be willing to have his company over the other people you talked to. You want to tell Misty the same thing you told Brock, but you said that she is kinda forced to be Gym Leader by her sisters. You secretly really want her to travel with you so that you can be with her again and maybe tell her something."

"Well, I do want her to travel with me again, but I don't want to tell her what I think you want me to tell her."

"Just stop denying it already! I know you want to. Whenever you mentioned something Misty did, you would get that certain look in your eyes that practically screams it. Even if it isn't my place to say this, she sort of told me she feels the same way about you in her own weird way."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now that was years ago, so she might have moved on and gotten a boyfriend by now."

"She doesn't."

"Then what are you waiting for? Instead of calling her, surprise her by showing up at her Gym. Tell her how you feel and rescue your damsel in distress from the dungeon tower."

"Are we talking about the same Misty here?"

"Just do it!"

"Okay, okay. You don't have to be so snappy."

"When it comes to you, I think I do."

She then spent the next hour or so explaining exactly how he would go about doing this. As she did, he began to think of his own ways to do it. It was a bit more elaborate and required participation of someone he met while in Hoenn, but it was perfect.

"I think I know what I'm going to do. I need to make a few calls first, but I think everything will work out."

"Good, now, get going. You're only delaying the inevitable."

"Alright, I'll see you when we land at Cinnabar." He waved back at Melody and sprinted back to the videophones.

When he reached the videophones, the first person he called was Liza of the Charicific Valley. Ash wanted to talk with Charizard about his plans and see if he wanted to return to the team. He gave him the option of returning once their journey was done so that he could continue his relationship with Charla. Once he agreed and the conversation was finished, Ash told him to fly straight to Cinnabar Island so that they could meet up before getting on another boat to head home.

Before he made his next call, he noticed that Pikachu was sound asleep. He did not understand why. He had taken quite a long nap a few hours ago and seemed to be full of energy. He did not bother him so he proceeded to make his final call.

xxx

When Ash woke up the next morning, he was excited about the prospect of returning home for the first time in a long time. As the morning progressed however, he started to wonder if his home was truly where he thought it was. Sure, spending time with his mother would be great and it felt like home, but at the same time, it felt a little incomplete the more he thought about it.

He had wandered back to the same spot he talked with Melody the night before and watched as Cinnabar Island grew closer with each passing minute. He continued to stare blankly in front of him and did not notice that Melody had walked up next to him and sat on the railing.

"Still thinking about your girlfriend?"

Ash jumped at the sound of her voice. "Whoa, why'd you sneak up on me like that?"

"Thought it would be fun. You didn't answer my question."

"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend, yet. But, yeah, I am. I'm so excited to get home, but now it doesn't seem like its home anymore."

She thought for a moment then said, "You know the phrase 'Home is where the heart is'?"

He nodded.

"Well, maybe you just need to figure out where your heart is. Before you get your ticket for your next ferry ride, take some time to yourself and listen."

"Listen for what?"

"Some people say that home calls to you if you listen hard enough. Whether it's a song, the noises of home, or a person's voice, you'll know when you hear it."

"Can you hear it calling you?"

"Sometimes. That's why I rarely leave the island unless I have to, and if I've been gone too long, I can hear that song I play calling me to return."

"Thanks, Melody."

"Don't mention it. You should probably go back to your room and grab Pikachu. It looks like we will be docking soon."

She leapt off the railing and began to walk back to the cabins. He followed not too long after she left and went to wake up Pikachu. Once he got everything packed and Pikachu was safely on his shoulder, he made his way to the deck and waited until it was alright to get off the boat. Melody eventually met up with him and began talking about what she was planning on doing in Cinnabar.

Once they made it off the boat, they said goodbye and went their separate ways. Ash decided to find a quiet spot away from the tourists and try what Melody had suggested. He found a small secluded area a few miles from the port and sat down on one of the rocks.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

Ash smiled down at his friend and scratched behind his ear. "I just need some quiet time, Pikachu. I'm trying to listen for something."

Pikachu cocked his head and looked up at his trainer. Ash's eyes were beginning to close, but he kept his hand behind Pikachu's ear.

After what seemed like hours, Ash began to hear something slowly growing louder. At first, it did not sound familiar, but as it grew louder, he recognized what it was. Someone was humming a simple tune, but when Ash opened his eyes, no one was anywhere near them. He stood up and walked up to the ocean waters. The song was what Misty used to sing when she thought everyone was asleep. There were parts of the song that he could never hear because of how softly she sang them, but he knew the melody well enough.

Pikachu leapt up to his shoulder and stared in the same direction Ash was. When he saw nothing, he poked Ash and asked, "Pi pika chu?"

"You don't hear it?"

"Pi?"

"I guess not."

Pikachu gave him a look that probably questioned his sanity, but Ash smiled.

"I'm not crazy, Pikachu, but how would you like to meet up with Misty and try and convince her to join us for one last great adventure?"

"Pika!" he yelled and threw his fist in the air.

"Good, now let's get ready to go to Cerulean City. I hope Charizard can find us before we have to get on a boat."

So that was the first installment. Hope you all enjoyed it. Now if you are unfamiliar with my bigger story, have read this, and liked it, go ahead and read Trouble on the Way to Victory.

Reviews are always helpful. Plus depending on what you guys say, I might get the motivation to make more of these.