Ash Ketchum strolled lazily along the dusty road leading to Pallet Town, his plodding steps matched by his faithful companion's light jog. He looked down at the small electric mouse Pokemon keeping pace obediently at his heel, smiling as he met Pikachu's eyes. One brief connection like that was enough to impart many years of memories. Ash could still vividly recall the day when he and Pikachu became partners, could still feel that initial shock that established the relationship of respect and trust that he valued so much today. He remembered the Spearow incident that followed and the wonderful moment when Pikachu finally began to understand their potential as a team. And even more vividly now he could recall a moment when, after thinking all hope was lost and resigning himself to a fate of drowning, he felt a fishing hook sink into him and let fate drag him away. "Yes, that's how it all began…" Ash thought to himself fondly, "she just snagged me."
The girl appeared to be around his age, with orange hair pulled to one ponytail at the side. She dressed without concern to fashion or appearance, although she succeeded at both incidentally, but with function in mind. Her shorts were tight, her shoes sturdy and functional, and she had even gone to the added precaution of wearing suspenders. Had Ash not been dizzy from lack of oxygen and on the verge of passing out, he would have been struck by the girl's natural prettiness and dynamic attire, a definite contrast from the plain and predictable town from which he had came, but he found himself more concerned with the indifference and near contempt that his savior was treating him with. But yes, it was a thing to be treated to, for even in her coldest apathy or most fiery passions, she treated everyone with a kindness and unmistakable love that warmed Ash's heart just to witness. He could still feel the same overwhelming admiration that sprung forth when he realized that the girl's top priority was helping the poor Pokemon in his arms. Even while confronting Ash about the bike that Pikachu demolished, her compassion for the guilty Pokemon outweighed all grievances. Watching her face twist from fury to sympathy in one fluid yet dramatic motion was a common occurrence that Ash secretly delighted in. Many times their petty arguing would boil higher and higher until the sheer irrelevance of the whole thing flipped their emotions to laughter or tears, bringing them even closer through the struggle.
But that was all in the past. A decade of adventures tossed them to all corners of the globe and had them face an unimaginable assortment of people, both friend and foe. Thinking broadly, Ash was overwhelmed with the amount of experiences, both good and bad, that had occurred to him as he journeyed from league to league on his quest to become the Pokemon Master who strode into his hometown today. It seemed unreal that so much could have happened to him. Really, what stuck in his mind most were the seemingly mundane moments. Sitting around a campfire, lying in a tent, walking through endless woods to a hypothetical city that corresponded with no map… And Misty was there through it all. There were times when she was not with them, and his party constantly grew and shrank with friends from all locations, but whenever he was without Misty, he missed her. And when he was with her, he missed her all the more: it was both a blessing and a curse for the young Ash that this wonderful girl with whom he could spend such happy times was so close, and yet always one step too far away. Yes, Ash had always harbored something special for Misty, it rose within his heart every time her fiery temper beckoned it, it swelled into his throat whenever he saw her sad, it rose with his feet on every step and settled into the deep recesses of his brain with the setting sun. It existed, this much was undeniable, but in his youthfulness and vigor, Ash never fully realized what had blossomed between the two.
He stopped at the edge of Pallet Town, surveying the houses rippling in the heat setting sun. Pikachu stood attentive at his feet. Ash looked down at his oldest friend and recalled fondly a time when they stood at a much more equal height, a time when he used to look up to a young gym leader both literally and figuratively. But now he was a man, his boyhood dreams had matured into a legacy of success. He once stood in ignorance of a girl who loved the world with all her heart, unaware of the reflected love that he shone back on her. But now, having reached a realization that had taunted him for over a decade, he resolved to stay in Pallet Town for only one night before embarking to Cerulean City. His mind was swirling with dreams about what Misty, now a young woman herself, might look at, and her reaction to him walking once more in the gym's doors. But he could never dream of the adventure and relationship that awaited him…
