Misty sniffled as she clenched her backpack closer to her chest as she walked along the empty road that would lead her home. "Togetic..." a few tears escaped her eyes as she walked on home. She wasn't sure how she was moving, her whole body felt like lead, her heart felt hollow, and she just wanted to crawl under her covers and disappear. "It feels so empty." she clenched her bag tighter, not used to having nothing in her arms.
She had just released her newly evolved Togetic to protect the Togepi paradise back in the Hoenn region and the feeling of loneliness was starting to takeover. She had been with her little one for so long that it felt wrong not to carry something as she walked. The moment she realized how empty her arms were she grabbed onto her bag and didn't let go. She had been fine when she was with her friends but the moment she got on the blimp and realized just how lonely she felt without her little one she felt herself start to fall apart. She has been feeling like this from the moment she arrived back in Kanto. Even now as she walked back to the gym, filled with people and Pokémon who loved her, she still felt alone. "I'm home." she gave a weak call to her sisters to let them know that she was back and headed for her room. She needed to just hideaway under the covers and cry without any fears of anyone seeing her.
"Misty!" Daisy was the first to greet her sister but she stopped when she saw just what state her younger sibling was in. "Misty, are you like ok?" she followed her little sister's retreating figure up the stairs that led to their rooms above the gym.
"I'm fine. I haven't travelled in a while so my body is a little sore." Misty swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that wanted so badly to escape. She wanted to run into her sisters arms and cry, to cry as bad as she did the day her mother had passed away. She knew that she needed to let Togetic go, it had a duty to protect the Togepi and their paradise, but it felt like someone precious to her had been lost and she couldn't handle it.
Daisy could tell that there was something wrong with her sister, the way she was behaving scared her and she wanted to know what happened on her trip. "Misty, where's Togepi?" she noticed that her sister's little baby Pokémon was not with her and that scared her even more. Togepi was always with her, the two were practically inseparable. "What happened on your trip? Why isn't Togepi with you and why are you acting so strange?"
Misty stood their frozen at the top of the stairs, her heart stilled at the name of her beloved baby Pokémon that was no longer a baby. "Togepi or rather Togetic, evolved to protect all the Togepi that were residing in Hoenn. It didn't want anything bad to happen to them so it stayed behind to guard over them," just telling the story was breaking her all over again. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm really tired and I going to go to bed." She ran. Her wall was broken, the tears were falling and she had to practically run to her room. "Togetic..." she covered her mouth with one hand to cover up the wail that escaped her. She couldn't hold it in anymore, she couldn't stop herself from breaking down and crying her eyes out. The moment she closed the door to her room she released everything that she was feeling. She cried, hands covering her eyes as she fell to her floor and wept.
~X~
Daisy watched her sister go, wanting to run after her, to comfort her, but she knew better. Misty wasn't one to reveal any form of weakness to anybody and even if she tried she wouldn't be able to get her to open up.
"Like Daisy, what is going on?" Violet and Lily walked over to join their sister, wondering why she was just standing there. "Come on, we heard Misty get back so like let's go greet her." Violet suggested with a big grin.
"Like totally. We haven't seen our baby sister in over a week and I say this calls for a big family dinner party!" Lily practically skipped with joy as she thought over all the yummy food they could eat.
Daisy shook her head, stopping her two siblings from going up the stairs. "Guys, not now. Misty is..." she sighed, not exactly sure how to handle this. "I'm not sure what happened but it looks like Misty had to leave behind her Togepi and it's really affecting her." she looked up at the stairs that her little sister had just been standing on not moment ago and frowned. "Mom, what should I do?" she wanted to comfort her little sister but she knew Misty and she knew that no matter what she did she wouldn't be able to get her to open up.
Violet and Lily understood instantly, having seen how much their sister loved her Togepi and to hear that she had to let it go didn't seem fair to them. "So like what do we do?" Lily asked, looking to Daisy for advice.
Daisy wanted an answer just as much as they did. "I don't know," she sighed briefly before walking over to the video-phone and started to dial in a familiar number. "I think I'll call Tracey and like ask him to explain things. He should know what exactly happened to Misty when she went on her trip." or at least she hoped. It wasn't much but if she could just find out what happened then maybe she could find a way to help.
~X~
Soft sniffles escape Misty as she buried her head in her pillow. The lights were off in her room and she tried her hardest to keep her cries low so no one could hear her but it seemed like her efforts were in vain. There were so many tears that she couldn't stop herself from wailing every so often. The only thing that was blocking out her cries was her pillow that was now soaked. "Togetic," she wept, clenching tight to her pillow and blanket, desperately wanting it to be her beloved Pokémon. It's been only two days since she had to say goodbye and this was already the second time she's cried. The first was the moment the blimp took off and she found a secluded corner. The instant her friends were out of sight and she was alone she broke down crying and her tears lasted until the blimp landed.
Her now red puffy eyes scanned her nightstand that held precious pictures of her, her friends, and her family. There were so many photos of her and Togepi when it was still just a baby that seemed to fit just perfectly in her arms. The moment she and the baby Pokémon set eyes on each other she felt an instant connection with it. They bonded from day one, the day Togepi decided she would be its mother and she loved her role from the very start. "If I had known this would happen then I never would have gone to Hoenn." now she was regretting more than ever for turning Gray down on going with him on his trip. Is she had gone with him then she still would have Togepi with her and she wouldn't be feeling this sad and miserable.
"Am I really that selfish?" she gave a hollow laugh, wanting to slap herself at the sudden thought. She missed her precious Pokémon dearly but Togetic was now the protector of the entire Togepi paradise and she should be proud of it. If she hadn't gone then who knows what would have happened to Princess Sara and the Togepi living in the kingdom. The kingdom could have been overthrown and all those people and all the Togepi could have easily been enslaved or even killed. Her little Togetic just helped saved an entire kingdom and she should feel proud but she couldn't find it in her heart to feel anything at this point.
"Gary," her eyes set on the picture he had given her back at the lab, the one where Ash was dressed up in a pink dress by Gary's older sister. It had been her favorite ever since she got it but not for the reasons most would think. Sure she found Ash wearing a dress very amusing, she made sure to keep this picture next to the one of him in a dress when they went to the Celadon Gym, but she loved the picture mostly because it had Gary in it. He was only a kid in this picture but he was smiling happily and it made her smile in return.
Or it used too, at the moment she couldn't find the strength to smile. "I wish you were here." somehow he seemed to know exactly what to say to make her feel better. When she told him about her parents he gave her no pity or treated her differently, instead he just held her and let her cry. She's never been comfortable crying in front of others, she always felt the need to be strong, but when she was with him she didn't feel like she needed to act brave or strong or anything else. She could cry with him and still feel as strong and proud as she always did.
Right now she really wanted that, she wanted him here with her but she knew it was just wishful thinking. He was on the island right now, working on a big project that can help start his career as a research and she couldn't call him up to ask him to leave all that behind just because she was depressed. She had already e-mailed him to say that she wouldn't be joining him on the island and made sure that her phone and computer were completely off. She knew if she spoke with him she would break down crying and she didn't want that.
Before all this happened she had been looking forward to meeting up with him. She was even planning on confessing, but now she couldn't even think about love. All she wanted to do was cry and go to sleep, to pretend that even for just a few precious moments that she still had her precious little Togepi in her arms and that she didn't feel so empty.
~X~
And so for the next few days Misty put up a front that there was nothing wrong. She tried to act as she always would but she would often catch herself having her arms in the position as if she was holding her precious little Togepi. Her eyes would always tear up whenever she would remember that her little baby was now fully evolved into a Togetic and was no longer in her life. Her sisters tried to talk with her and to cheer her up but she would just shut them out, preferring to be alone. She was even ignoring Gary's calls, this time on purpose. She always kept her phone off so he couldn't get her. She knew the moment she heard his voice her resolve would break and she would come crashing down into a fit of tears and sorrow.
She needed to be strong and get through this. It was all she knew how to do. Yet even as she told herself this she would find herself turning on her phone and looking at all the missed calls she had, all of which from Gary. A smile would make its way onto her face whenever she saw his name flashing on her phone but that smile would soon disappear as she shut it off and let herself fall back into the safety of her bed and cry out all the pain and misery that she was feeling. She wanted to get over this, she wanted to be happy again because she knew that's what Togetic wanted for her. All her Pokémon wanted that. Even now as she was in a battle against a newbie trainer she wasn't all there and her Pokémon could see that. They felt her growing more and more distant and it worried them all. They all wanted Misty to be happy again and it seemed like fate was finally working in their favor.
~X~
"Hello, anybody here?" Tracey called out as he entered the Cerulean Gym with Professor Oak standing right beside him. "Daisy? You here?" he called out again, surprised that no one was coming to visit them. He had practically gotten yelled at to come and visit the gym and now that he was here it seemed like nobody was around.
"Tracey!" Daisy suddenly appeared in the doorway and practically skipped over to him. "It's about time you got here. I was like wondering what was taking so long," She pouted only for a moment before she noticed what was in his arms. "Is that a Pokémon egg?" she asked, pointing to the light blue egg that was in a container.
"That it is," Professor Oak stepped forward, a smile on his face as he explained. "It would seem that Tracey's Marill found itself a nice mate back at the lab and it produced this egg."
"I was planning on giving it to Misty when she got back from her trip but now I'm not so sure if I should." he and Professor Oak had heard from Ash and Brock what had happened and from what Daisy told them sounded like Misty wasn't dealing with it very well. He was worried that giving her this egg might be like a slap to the face and he didn't want to cause her anymore pain than she was already feeling.
Daisy offered them a sad smile, "I know what you mean. Misty is in a very sensitive state right now and we all have to be extra careful around her." as she said this Violet and Lily passed by carrying to big bags full of what looked like egg cartons, pillows, and other random objects.
"Excuse me, Daisy, but if you don't mind me asking. What exactly are your two sisters doing?" Professor Oak asked the blonde, confused as to why the two sisters were carrying out bags of household goods.
"Well we've been trying our hardest to not remind Misty of her Togetic so we decided to throw away all eggs and all egg shaped objects that we own." Daisy informed them with a bright grin.
"And it's working?" Tracey raised an eyebrow, not too sure in their plan to help.
"Sadly it's not," Daisy sighed, both arms crossed across her chest as one hand rested on her cheek. "Misty noticed the missing stuff right away and then like yelled at us when we told her that we like threw them out. Not too mention that she totally keeps buying eggs even after we told her not too. It's like a real bummer."
Tracey gave a weak laugh, "Yeah, that sounds like a real problem." he and Professor Oak sent each other a sideway glance. They knew that while their plan had good intentions it would never work. If anything it would just add onto the stress that they were sure Misty was feeling.
"It like totally is, and that's why we called you guys. I was like hoping you could help cheer her up," she said this with a bright grin before narrowing her eyes at Professor Oak. "Speaking of which, where is that grandson of yours and like why isn't he here, helping my baby sister?" she leaned forward, hands on her hips as she wanted for an answer. She wanted to know why exactly the guy that she knew Misty liked and that she knew liked her back was not there to help make her feel better.
Professor Oak gave a weak chuckle as he replied. "Well Gary has been rather busy lately with his new research projects. Even I haven't spoken with him that much." he explained, hoping that it would help keep Daisy calm.
It didn't. "Well if he actually cared for Misty then he would get his butt over here!" she all but shrieked. She has been worrying about her little sister for days and not once did that Gary ever try and call her.
"Now wait a minute," Tracey intervened before any real damage could happen. "Gary doesn't even know what's going on with Misty. When we talked to him yesterday he said that he hasn't been able to get a hold of her for days now. He's really worried about her." he added.
"Well if he's so worried then he should be here and not be like on some dumb island!" she cried, showing how annoyed she was at this whole situation.
"Daisy? What in the world are you screaming about?" The group froze when Misty walked through the doors, a towel wrapped around her shoulders as she dried herself off. She had just finished her latest gym battle when she heard her sister shouting. "Tracey? Professor Oak? What are you two doing here?" she didn't know they were coming to visit, if she had she would've prepared tea or something.
"We were in the neighborhood and decided to drop by," Professor Oak was the first to reply, deciding it would be best to keep the situation light so not to upset her. "How have you been my dear? I know that being a gym leader can be tough and I hope you're not overexerting yourself or your Pokémon." he offered her a kind smile as he spoke, one he would often give to his grandchildren whenever they were feeling sad.
Misty tried to return the smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes and they could all see just how hard she was trying to act happy. "Don't worry, I've been making sure that both my Pokémon and I are in good condition," she answered honestly. "Speaking of which, since you're here how about I make you both something to eat. Mrs. Ketchum taught me how to make pan-fried tofu with egg and I know that it's your favorite professor." she said to the old researcher, trying to act like her usual cheerful self but found it to be difficult.
"Like sorry Misty but you're going to have to make something else," Daisy said with a weak grin. "We're like totally out of eggs."
"Again," Misty frowned, arms crossed as she sent a mild glare towards her eldest sister. "I just bought a whole new carton yesterday."
"Yeah you did, but like we told you that we're on this new diet that totally says we can't eat any eggs." Daisy said, obviously lying.
"And what kind of weird diet is this where you can't eat eggs? Which are in fact very good for you?" Misty asked, tapping her foot impatiently. She's been hearing for days now that her sisters were on some new diet that didn't allow them to eat any eggs and she was starting to get tired of the obvious lie. Not to mention that they kept throwing away certain objects from their house and gym and she had to keep replacing them.
"Well...um...?" Daisy was at a total loss. She didn't know what to say at this point so she decided to do what an actress does and improvise. "Look! Tracey brought you this totally cute and adorable Pokémon egg." she pulled the young watcher in front of her as a sort of shield between her and her younger sister.
"An egg?" Misty lost all interest in her sister and now set her focus on the small container in front of her that held the little light blue egg.
Tracey gave a weak chuckle, a little surprised by the sudden way things happened. "Yeah, my Marill just had this and I was going to give it to you when you got back from your trip, so..." he was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure how to continue without hurting and/or insulting her.
He didn't have to think very long for his next words because Misty stopped him by grabbing the egg container and holding it close. "Thank you very much. I promise that I'll take good care of it. Actually I think I'll head up to my room now and find a nice warm blanket to wrap it up in," with that said she practically sprinted up the stairs to her room and ran all the way.
Once inside her room she let herself slide down against the door until her butt hit the floor and took the egg out. "It's warm." She muttered, holding the small Pokémon egg close to her chest, just like how she used to hold her little Togepi before it became Togetic and she had to let it go.
~X~
"Well it looks like that didn't help too much." Tracey sighed from his seat at the table. After Misty ran out on them Daisy offered them a cup of tea and they headed into the kitchen.
"It's only been a few days since she's had to let go of her Togetic so we can't expect her to just get over it so soon." Professor Oak added in, taking a sip of his tea as he thought over the situation involving Misty and trying to come up with some ways that could help her.
"Still she was kind of acting like her old self so that's a good thing, right?" Tracey said, recalling how she didn't seem so sad when they spoke with her.
"I'm sure that she's putting up a brave front so not to worry us," Professor Oak informed his young apprentice. He's known Misty for a long time now and he can tell when she's truly happy and when she's trying to pretend she is for the sake of others. "We'll just have to be patient with her and do our best to support her."
"Yeah, but if we don't do something quick then she could end up becoming very depressed." Tracey added in, thinking of the sake of his friend and what could happen if they didn't help cheer her up soon.
"I know you're worried Tracey, I am too but this situation that we're dealing with is a very delicate one and if we go about it the wrong way then we could do some serious damage to Misty's feelings and more." Professor Oak let out a long sigh. He didn't like this anymore than Tracey did but there was not much they could do without causing more damage. "Perhaps if we-!"
"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" Daisy had been sitting quietly, listening to the two discuss how to help her sister but all she's heard so far was a bunch of useless words. "I don't care what kind of important research work that kid is doing. You call him up right now and tell him to get his butt over here!" she jumped over the table, grabbing Professor Oak by the collar of his shirt and dragged him over to their video phone.
"Daisy, hold it!" Tracey quickly grabbed her arm so she could release her hold on the professor and not choke him to death in her iron grip. "I know you're worried about Misty but what can Gary do that we can't? Calling him will only add more problems."
"You're wrong," Daisy walked away from both men and stopped in front of a family photo that was hanging on the wall. "Our parents held a very strong bond, so strong that when something happened to one of them the other was effected as well. When we lost father our mother couldn't handle it, the one she loved the most was gone and her heart couldn't handle the pain so she died," she touched the picture with one hand, her fingers running over the image of her mother before stopping on her sister's. "Misty is exactly like our mother. I can see it when she and Gary talk with each other, the bond between is almost exactly like our parents. That's why he has to come. He's the only one who can get her to smile again." A few stray tears fell from her eyes. It hurt to know that she could do nothing to help her little sister, but she couldn't let that bother her now. She had to focus all her energy in getting Misty back to her happy self.
"I understand," Professor Oak was beside her in an instant, one hand resting on her shoulder. "I only saw them once when they were at my lab together but I could see that there was a very strong connection between them, and I'm sure that it's only grown stronger since the last time I saw them. If you say that only Gary can help your sister then I'll call him." he would do it. Even if it meant dragging his grandson out here, then he would do it. Of course he was sure that it wouldn't take much to get Gary out here. He could see it the moment the two showed up at his lab with Pidgeotto, they held a strong connection with each other. Even when Misty was travelling with Ash he could see a certain spark that went off whenever the two did meet. At the time he called it a simple crush but now he knows that it is so much more than that.
Daisy felt more tears come into her eyes when she heard the good news. "Thank you." finally her little sister was going to be happy again.
~X~
Gary drummed his fingers on the desk he was assigned to as he went over data that he already knew by heart. "What's wrong with Misty?" he's been trying to get in contact with her for days now but she hasn't answered to any of his messages and he was starting to get really worried. He knew something had to be wrong, but with her ignoring him he had no way of knowing. He first took notice when she e-mailed saying that she couldn't meet up with him. Not only did she not explain why she couldn't meet up with him but instead of calling him like she usually does she sent him an simple message saying "I can't make it. Sorry." He tried calling her the moment after he read her message but all he got was her answering machine. He's tried calling her everyday but so far he hasn't gotten any sort of response. Not even her sisters were answering when he called the gym's phone and it only added to his worry.
He knew something must have happened for her to be acting like this but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what. For a moment he thought he did something that could have angered her but he knew that she would have bitten his head off if he did anger her. "And while I'm stuck here, who knows what is happening back in Cerulean." he didn't know what happened but his gut was telling him to get of this island and get back to Misty.
Sadly he couldn't just leave. The professors and other Pokémon researchers were finally starting to take him seriously and if he left now then it would be like all his hard work and efforts went down the drain. Yet even with this knowledge he was very tempted to buy a ferry ticket and head straight for the Cerulean gym. Even now, he was already looking at the ferry times and if he left now he could just make it to the last ship and be in Cerulean in a day's time.
"Gary?" the young researcher nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Dora walking up behind him and quickly minimized the ferry page to bring up the Pokémon data page instead. "How's that proposal I assigned you going?"
"It's going very well. In fact it's all finished." he wouldn't say that he finished it over an hour ago and spent the rest of his time looking up ferry times for Cerulean City.
"Very good, I'm impressed," Dora gave him a bright smile and scanned the proposal that she assigned the young man. "Now, if you don't mind I would like you to-" she was cut off when Gary's computer started beeping and said he was receiving a video call. "Hmm? Seems someone from the Cerulean gym wishes to speak with you." she gave him the ok to answer the call. She happened to like Gary very much, he was a very hard worker and she didn't care if he took a personal call every once in a while. He was a hard worker and she and her team were thinking of giving him a permanent job on the island so it didn't really bother her if he just relaxed once in a while.
Gary nodded and opened the video call, his heart pounding in his chest at the thought that Misty was finally talking to him. "Hello?" he cleared his throat, trying not to sound so excited and keep a professional tone in front of his boss. The minute Dora left he was going to rant and yell at her for making him worry so much.
"Hello, Gary, I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important." both researchers were surprised when Professor Oak appeared on the screen.
"Grandpa?" Gary was shocked to see his grandfather but he felt his heart give a tight clench. If his grandfather was at the Cerulean gym then that must mean something terrible must have happened to Misty. "What are you doing in Cerulean city and at the gym? Is there something wrong with one of the Pokémon?" he couldn't ask right out if Misty was the one in trouble. He had to act professional in front of his boss but he knew that his grandfather would understand what he really wanted to know.
Professor Oak held a frown on his face as he spoke. "Well actually Gary that's actually why I'm calling. I need you to leave the island for a bit and meet me at the gym as soon as you can. Something has happened here and I need your help," he offered a small smile towards his old researching friend. "I hope you don't mind but I'll need to borrow my grandson for the next few days."
Dora shook her head, "Of course not. I know that you wouldn't be calling Gary back unless you absolutely needed him. I don't mind if he heads to Cerulean City, so long as he can come back here as soon as possible. Your grandson is very bright and we need him to help work on our latest project."
"I promise that I won't keep him for very long. This should only take a day or two." Professor Oak told them.
"Very well, then I will inform the staff of this." and with that said Dora left them to inform their team of the sudden change.
Once she was gone Gary jumped at his opportunity. "Grandpa, what's going on? Did something happen to Misty? She hasn't been answering any of my calls and the e-mail she sent me wasn't like her at all." he was really worried. If his grandfather was calling him back to Cerulean than that meant that something really terrible must of happened to her.
"It would seem that on Misty's trip to the Hoenn region her Togepi evolved into a Togetic and she had to leave it behind. She hasn't been handling the separation very well and we were hoping you could come back and try to help her." He explained to him grandson the details of what was happening in their lives while he was on the island.
"But what can I do?" he wanted to do all he could to help her but he didn't have the slightest clue of where to even start. If he messed this up then it could mean the end of his relationship with Misty. It was already very little from the start and he didn't want to ruin his chances on expanding it. Besides that he was worried that he would only end up hurting her even worse and he didn't want that.
"You shouldn't doubt yourself, Gary," Professor Oak offered him an encouraging smile. "The main reason why I'm calling you is because I know that you're the only one who can help Misty."
"Really?" Gary's heart suddenly felt very light. Hearing that he was the only one who could help make her feel better made him happy. He knew that he should be worrying about her wellbeing, and he was, but just hearing how much of an affect he had on her life made him very happy.
Professor Oak nodded. "Yes, we all feel this way and that's why we want you to come back. We need you to-" he was cut off by Daisy pushing him aside and grabbing the phone herself. "Listen here you little twerp! If you don't like get your stupid butt over to Cerulean within two days then I'm calling Officer Jenny and I'll have her make sure that you don't get within one hundred feet of Misty! Do you hear me!?" she practically screamed into the phone, causing Gary and everyone around her to cover their ears.
"Daisy, calm down." Tracey appeared next, dragging Daisy away from the phone and holding her back.
"Jenny will do it too. I set her up with her husband so she owes me one. I swear if he doesn't show up in two days I'm setting Misty up on a date with the hottest guy in Cerulean and then he'll have no one to blame but himself!" Daisy went on to keep ranting on how she would keep Gary away from her little sister as Tracey dragged her out of the room.
"Sorry about that," Professor Oak took back the control of the phone and sent his grandson a soft smile. "She's very worried about Misty and she's starting to get a little emotional."
Gary nodded, "Grandpa," he clenched his fist, eyes set on his grandfather as he spoke in a clear even tone. "I'll be in Cerulean by tomorrow afternoon." he swore that he would get there even if he had to swim there. Nothing would keep him away from Misty, she needed his help and he was going to do everything in his power to help her.
Professor Oak was a little surprised at his grandson's reply before smiling. "Very well, I'll see you tomorrow then." With that said he ended the phone call and let out a soft sigh. "My, my, you certain have grown up, Gary." he said to himself, thinking of how his grandson used to act and how he was behaving now. He almost couldn't believe they were the same people but it looks like one girl was able to change him into a good man. "And he'll only continue to grow with time."
~X~
Once Gary hung up with his grandfather he quickly got back on the ferry homepage and bought the first ticket for the next ship heading for Cerulean. Once he had it he quickly packed up all his belonging and made a dash for the docks. "Misty," he could see her happy smiling face in his mind. He knew how much she loved her Togepi and hearing that it evolved and she had to let it go must of broken her heart. "I'm coming." nothing was going to stop him from reaching her. He would get to Cerulean City and do whatever it takes to get to smile and be happy again.