She walked down the streets of Petalburg City, breathing in the clean forest air. She drug out her steps, both dreading and yearning her destination. When she saw the small house past the lake lined in flowers that she had been pointed in the direction of, she felt a sharp pang in her heart. That could have been ours, she thought. Right near the lake, with all the pokemon around… She shook her head sharply and began to walk up the stone path to the quaint house.
Suddenly, however, a small child ran in front of her path. The woman staggered back and put a hand to her head, feeling lightheaded. It's him, she thought. He has children and they look exactly like him. But the child stopped and looked up at her, and the woman saw his big blue eyes- his mother's- before his father came running after him, laughing like the child was.
But the father stopped in his tracks when he saw the woman, a disbelieving smile on his face.
"Misty?"
Misty nodded, her throat thick.
The man quickly walked forward. "It's been so long, I can't believe that you're here!" He stopped, looking at Misty and shaking his head.
"Nice to see you too, Ash." She put on a smile that didn't quite ring true.
Ash continued to shake his head and smile, delighted but surprised. "Wow, I'll be right back!"
He ran off towards the house, excited.
Misty looked after him for a moment before the child tugged on her jeans. Misty smiled and crouched down to his level, a faraway look in her eyes. He looks so much like Ash…without the eyes…
"Do you know Daddy?" he asked.
"Yes, I do," she replied. "We went on our pokemon journeys together."
"Wow!" The child appeared to be deep in thought. "Mommy and Daddy went on their journeys together, too."
"That's right, your Daddy kept traveling, but I went back home to be a gym leader in Kanto."
The child's eyes lit up. "Just like Grampa Norman!"
"Yes," Misty gasped out. How could this all hurt so much? She had always known in the back of her mind it was May. It was always May. And their house here, in Petalburg… it all made sense. But seeing it was something entirely different.
"My name's Sam," he said.
"I'm Misty," she said, recovering.
And then Ash came back out, leading May by the hand, and Misty's heart stopped again. The look they gave one another, so full of love, and May. May was beautiful and charming and everything Misty couldn't be.
"So, Mist," Ash started. His casual use of his nickname for her made her heart flutter like she was fourteen again, calling him on the phone. "What brought you here?"
"Oh, I was investigating other types of water pokemon. I thought if I could find a feebas I could evolve it, because a milotic would be a great partner with Gyrados in double battles…" she trailed off.
"So how are you two doing?" she asked, trying to smile.
"Well, I'm a Frontier Brain, and working on being an Electric- type member of the Elite Four," Ash said. "And May is staying at home right now to take care of Sam, but soon she's going to participate in the Grand Festival again, and I think she'll win," he said, smiling at May.
"So, are you two married?" Misty asked bluntly.
"Yes, we are," May said cheerfully. Then a worried expression crossed her face. "Didn't you get the invitation? We invited you, I'm sure," she said, frowning.
Misty then remembered a memory buried in the back of her mind: a wedding invitation on fancy paper, and crying herself to sleep before burning it the next morning, swearing off Ash forever. But instead of saying that, she looked away from the couple and lied.
"Oh, yes! There…there was a huge league function that day, and I couldn't make it. I told you, right?" Her voice tapered out, no one believing it at all, and an awkward silence filled the space.
"Ash, could I talk to you alone?" Misty asked quietly.
"Sure, Misty," he replied.
May understood, taking Misty's hand and squeezing it before picking up her son and walking back into her perfect little world, not tainted by jagged red hair and a broken heart.
Misty looked up at Ash. He'd grown to be a few inches taller than her at his final height, and she focused on that, distracting herself from what she had to say.
"Misty?" he asked.
"I've loved you since I was eleven," she said, blunt.
She took a quick glance up at his face. He was shocked but more sad, his mouth set in a grim line.
"I'm sorry," he said, taking her by surprise. "I knew, this whole time, but I tiptoed around it, I ignored it, hoping it would go away. I led you on." His face was full of grief at the pain he knew she was in.
"Did you ever love me?" It's no more than a whisper.
"Maybe at some point," he said, pacing and running a hand through his hair. "But I was- I am so stupid. I don't know now whether it was platonic or romantic, or what."
"And you love her."
He stopped pacing and looked at Misty.
"Yes."
"Well, then," she said, stepping closer and playing with the collar of his shirt, her eyes filling with tears, "just don't forget me. And be happy. Ok?" she said, smiling a sad smile.
He nodded, unable to speak.
She started down the stone path before turning around one last time.
"And tell Sam to pick Treecko, or he's gonna have a hell of a time with my gym when he gets to Kanto," she said, smiling again. He smiled back.
Ash watched her leave Petalburg and his life, seeing that small bob of red hair bounce till Misty had disappeared behind the trees. And for a moment, he saw his life over again, with Misty there every step of the way. Maybe he'd have become Champion, or a Gym Leader. Maybe he'd be terribly unhappy. Maybe he'd be co-leader of Cerulean's Gym. He stood there a moment, running through all the possibilities. But he shook his head and walked back up to his house, a small smile appearing on his face as he thought of his wife and son, because they were now his dream.
Author's Note: I felt like I needed to write something that wasn't N/White because I'm writing so much of them. I also finally wrote some Advanceshipping, which is good for me because I don't particularly see the pairing. Anyway, if you feel so inclined, review so I can get better at writing!
Sofia