TITLE: Return of the Champion

AUTHOR: M. J. Adamson

EMAIL: aadamson [at] fullsail [dot] edu

DISTRIBUTION: This story is meant to be posted on FanFiction [dot] net and Tumblr [dot] com. Any other Web sites that may want to post this story must contact me at my e-mail for authorization.

RATING: T, for later chapters. Possibly a rating change later.

GENERE: Adventure/Suspense

SUMMARY: While discussing the fate of the Cerulean City Gym, Misty is abruptly called upon by Sabrina to meet her at the abandoned dojo only to learn that she has had a vision possibly relating to the disappearance of a trainer and that Team Rocket is somehow behind it – and the possible death of the former Viridian City gym leader, Giovanni.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I claim no ownership of the Pokémon series and any companies affiliated with it. This story is a revision of one I started publishing on November 28, 2003 and was later posted under the pen name M. J. Adamson at FanFiction [dot] net. It contains elements from the video games, anime series, and various manga-verses. If you would be so kind, please submit any constructive criticism and detailed feedback. Cheers!

Chapter Two:

Flashback

As the sun began to set and was slowly falling behind the mountains, the sleepy little town began to experience cooler temperatures than it had throughout the day, bringing relief to the Pokémon and its citizens. Like the rest of the Kanto region, Pallet Town was in the middle of a summer drought. Gardens were shriveling up and the vegetation in the surrounding fields had already begun to dry out. Most of the wild Pokémon had formed herds and moved onto other towns within the region, hoping to find some form of food; those that didn't nearly starved to death and were picked up by trainers who brought them to the nearest Pokémon Center. It was unfortunate that the summer Ash returned to his hometown that things weren't the way he remembered them, but upon seeing his mother and Mr. Mime and the dinner she cooked, he was reminded that no matter what, some things always managed to stay the same, even through the hardest of times.

Later that evening, Misty had shown up upon hearing that Ash had returned for a short break. Since the gym had started failing in Cerulean City, she'd been spending quite a bit of time with Tracey and Professor Oak, trying to think of ways to revive its status and discuss future plans for its eventual reconstruction. She was surprised that even Gary wanted to find a way to help with her dilemma, and she was thankful for his generosity. Ash would've flipped if he knew that Gary was in on the plan too. She knew he'd see it as a form of competition between the two, and so she snickered as she carried her plate out to the porch and took a seat on the steps.

"What?" Ash asked obliviously, his mouth full of food and a few crumbs spilling out.

Misty glanced over at him for a few seconds and smiled, shaking her head as she took a bite of the dinner Delia had worked hard to prepare. She squeaked a small sound of delight, the food tasting just like she remembered. It was sad that as a woman in her twenties she still hadn't managed to learn how to cook, but she figured that eventually she would grow brave enough to try and do so on her own. It was just something that would come with age hopefully. At this point, there was no hope for Daisy. She didn't even bother to cook.

"Nothing, Ash. I'm just glad to see you again," she said with a smile as her blue eyes watched the sun set over the mountains.

There was something about Pallet Town that was oddly calming to a city girl like her. Even though she had spent so many years trekking with Ash and Brock over mountains, through forests, and over seas, she never felt like she was outside of the city enough, but maybe that was just because she had been swamped with the duties of being a gym leader for the last few years. She figured if she ever settled down that it would have to be a place like this, although she wasn't quite sure who would take over the gym – Daisy?

"Things really haven't been the same without you, you know. I come and visit your mother and Professor Oak often, but Pallet Town is so much quieter when you're not around," she admitted as she set her plate down for a minute.

A saddened look crossed Ash's face as he finished his last bite. While it was true that he had returned to Pallet Town for a short break from his training-as-usual, he'd also had a different mission in mind – one he knew that would break both Misty and his mother's hearts but something he felt that was important he must do. He leaned forward and sighed, staring hard at the ground. He wasn't even sure how he was going to tell her, nor was he sure how he was going to tell his mother. He explained to Pikachu earlier that once he arrived in Pallet Town, there was no turning back from this, but he could see in Pikachu's eyes that he didn't agree with what he was doing. Nevertheless though, he remained loyal to him.

"Misty, this isn't easy for me," Ash began, his body turning slightly towards her as he lifted his eyes from the ground, "but this will be the last time you, mom, Professor Oak, Gary… will ever see me."

He took a deep breath, not knowing what was going to happen next but continued before Misty could say a word.

"I think it's for the best that I leave – for good. I feel like I have to constantly watch my back to make sure that everyone close to me isn't in any danger, and if something happened to you or mom, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

Misty was absolutely blown away by his words. Ash wasn't always the most mature of the bunch, but he had always been responsible. Ever since he was a kid, he'd always been dealing with things that were way beyond his maturity level, but she had always figured it was because he felt like it was his obligation to lead the way since he didn't have a father around to guide him. And because he was so stubborn, he wouldn't let anyone else do so for him, but for Ash to be so selfish and run away from it all angered her.

"Ash Ketchum!" she exclaimed, her voice full of hurt.

"I'm old enough to take care of myself, and you know that I can hold my own in any battle that might cross my path. But your mother needs you! Even if you're not here most of the time, knowing that you'll eventually come back is what keeps her going."

He knew that Misty was going to react, but he figured that she would've at least maybe tried to understand what he was saying. At the most, he thought she would've just tried to talk him out of it, not scold him like he was five years old and without a clue. He clenched his fist and looked away, wanting to just block out what Misty had told him. He knew that his mother really did need him here, but at what expense? What if something happened to her while he was away, something that he could've prevented? He just couldn't take that chance. Too many people knew who he was, including small gangs of former Team Rocket members who still clung to their former glory. This was the main reason why he wanted to leave his loved ones behind. He just wanted to disappear off the radar.

"You just don't understand how dangerous it is out there, Misty," he tried to explain, but she would have none of that.

"I don't understand? Ash, how many times have I willingly leapt into danger with you? You think you're the only one dealing with things that you shouldn't have to, but it isn't true! You're so wrapped up in your own little world that you don't see that the people around you are suffering too!"

It was at this point that Ash knew there was something on her mind, something that she hadn't gotten the chance to tell him the last time they talked. He remembered clearly when he was at the Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City that she was holding something back from him, but she just shrugged it off like it was nothing and wished him the best of luck and to be safe on his journey. Now that he was sitting with her face-to-face though, he felt that it was time that she came clean with him, tell him what was on her mind.

"Misty," he said scooting closer to her, his hand coming to rest upon her own, "you need to tell me what's going on. You're so bad at hiding these things."

Upon seeing the smallest of smiles creeping upon his face to break the tension, she followed with one of her own, taking a deep breath and then closing her eyes. She even chuckled the slightest bit before nodding and looking up at him again. Yes, she knew it was finally time to tell him exactly what was going on, why she felt so defensive about his leaving.

"Ash, I'm not sure how much longer the gym can hold out. Daisy and I still do the water shows, and I'm still challenging the trainers that pass through the city, but we don't have the money to keep it up. The gym is old and needs repairs, but we just can't afford it. I'm scared of losing everything that I've worked so hard for… and I'm scared of failing Violet and Lily," she confessed as a lone tear made its way down her cheek.

Ash could hardly believe what was coming from Misty's mouth. Even if the situation did seem a little bit hopeless, there were always ways to get around it. They could start new attractions, like a walkthrough aquarium or museum of fossils found in the sea. He just couldn't understand why Misty was giving up so easily when there were so many answers in front of her. What he didn't realize was that solutions weren't enough. She needed the support of the ones closest to her, and ever since Violet and Lily moved away from the city that support had began to dwindle.

He moved closer to her, his arm wrapping about her waist. With a sigh, she gave into his comforting touch and surrendered her head to his shoulder. It had been quite a while since the two of them enjoyed a quiet evening together, even the stars had come out to greet them. It was a sight she would've never seen had she been in the city, but then again, she probably would've been too wrapped up in her duties as a gym leader to even think about whether or not she could see the stars. Times like these were what made the most sense to her, times when the grueling hours of day and night came to a halt and the small yet intricate gears that kept them going ceased to function, if only for a little bit. Only when the world seemed to be at a standstill, like it did now, did she ever truly see what she wanted out of life. She just hated that she couldn't count on Ash to be the one to provide it for her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you," she sobbed.

Immediately, that took the cake. He felt like he was stealing candy from a baby. She was trying so hard to desperately cling to him because her dream of becoming a renowned water trainer was quite literally going down the drain, and it wasn't too long ago that he had set out on the journey of a lifetime to claim a dream of his own. He owed everything he had accomplished to this point to that Ho-Oh he'd seen in the sky that day and the friends who had agreed to follow him on his journey, and he was more than sure that the Ho-Oh he'd seen would've wanted him to pay it forward.

"Y-you don't have to worry about that," he stammered as he pulled his hat down, a classic signal that he was shedding his own tears as well.

"I'll come back home… but only when it's safe, Misty. But I promise you, I will come back."