A/n: So three things: 1) I am super happy with this story; 2) I have noticed a few words that seem to crop up whenever I write about the orange Islands, I blame this on Lilo and Stitch; 3) my next two chapters will probably be late due to migraines and the fact that pokéshipping week always falls during a 24 hour event that my workplace holds. Woo adulthood.

Staying with Rudy


He finds her on the beach, sitting in the sand with the surf just about reaching toes but never quite running over them, even in the biggest waves. Her arms are around her legs and her bag is beside her, Togepi asleep atop the bright red slash in the otherwise empty sand. Her shoes are off, just behind her and out of reach as she stares out at the darkening ocean. He's not surprised to find her there, it's where Brock said she'd be. But he doesn't know why she's sitting here in the sand and staring out at the water when there's a center and good food near by. And beds.

Ash would love to be asleep right now. It had been a tiring day full of water rescues and friends vanishing beneath waves and pokémon challenges. And he knows tomorrow holds more but Misty hadn't come back after dinner and that is just strange. She always comes back even though she'll occasionally skip the meal. Ash hadn't been worried at first; the gym leader had invited Misty to eat with him and surely he had something cool to show her. Ash had even been kind of jealous of her invitation. He wanted to see the gym leaders pokémon and strategies. But then dinner had been over and done for hours and Misty had still been missing.

Ash had asked Tracey if he should be worried but the pokémon watcher had only shrugged,claiming that Ash knew her better. And he did, they'd spent nearly every day together for over three years. They were friends or maybe even more than that. Best friends? But the word wasn't quite right. Misty would know what to call them. But she still wasn't back. He'd tried asking Pikachu what he and Misty were, but the electric mouse had only laughed at him and then demanded ketchup.

Ash made it another hour before he called Brock,, though it wasn't his idea. Tracey had finally gotten frustrated with his pacing and suggested that Ash call his "other friend, you know the one who stayed on Valencia?" Tracey didn't know Brock very well either. The two older boys had only spoken once or twice when Ash and Misty had gotten into such an argument that they needed someone from the outside to set them to right again. Ash hadn't been sure that he should call Brock. He had to be busy working with Professor Ivy and anyway, he thought he should look for Misty on his own because maybe that Rudy guy had done something to her.

It had been Brock who told Ash where to find her. And Brock who told him that he had to find her and talk. Really talk. Ash had sighed and looked away from the screen but somehow he had known what Brock had meant. He had blushed, redder than a charmeleon, and turned off the screen. But he had gone looking for her, first running and then walking alone along the shore, Pikachu staying with Tracey up at the center. Half an hour after he starts his walk, he finds her and freezes.

"Talk to her," Brock had said, "really talk to her." It had been so meaningful at the time but now he doesn't know what the older boy had meant. Still he's there and so is Misty so he may as well say something. But what?

"Hey Pallet-town." Misty says, saving him from starting the conversation. Her voice sound kind of stuffy, like that time they'd walked through the meadow and she hadn;t been able to stop sneezing. She moves quickly, a hand shooting up to her face to wipe her eyes with a fist and suddenly Ash is desperate to see her face. "What brings you out here?"

Ash walks around her so that his back is to the ocean and he can see her face. She surprised that he's done that, he can tell because her eyes widen for a moment before she ducks her head. But in that moment, he can see that her eyes are red and puffy like his mothers had been the last time Ash had seen his dad.

"Mist, are you Ok?" Ash asks, completely missing whatever it is that Misty had said. He reaches out and lifts her face and is unsure when it was exactly that he'd gotten on his knees in front of her.

Misty nods. "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

Ash wipes another tear from her face. "I may not know girls that well, but I don't think that they cry when everything is OK."

Misty blinks slowly, a long moment with her eyes closed and her dark lashes bright against a red face and then she smiles. "How'd you find me?"

"Brock told me where you were."

Misty nods again and takes a deep breath. "OK," she replies and then she's standing. "Run in the water with me?"

"But we'll get wet."

"That's kinda the point, Mr. Pokémon Master." Misty giggles, sticking out a hand.

Ash grins and reaches a hand up, letting Misty pull him to his feet. Without letting go of his hand, she runs towards the water dragging Ash along. The water's cold, chilled in the growing dusk and they barely make it into their legs before Misty is shrieking and running back to sit on the sand. Ash stares after her as she collapses back down until he's knocked over by a wave he doesn't see and pulls himself back to the beach, body covered in dry sand like breading on a cutlet.

Misty pokes him when he finally makes it back and the sand flakes off under her finger. Ash bats her hand away.

"So really, are you alright?" he asks again, brushing itchy sand from his face.

Misty shakes her head, eyes glossy once more. "Not really."

"Is it…" Ash starts, but whatever it is he is going to suggest is lost as Misty very quietly cut shim off.

"Should I stay?" She asks, looking away from Ash.

Ash blinks, sand falling from his lashes as they move, and cocks his head trying ti dislodge water from his ear. "What do you mean?"

"Rudy, he asked me to stay." Misty replies, settling back down facing the ocean with her arms around her legs. She seems so small on the huge beach and Ash almost wants to hug her. But they don't really do that and besides he's covered in sand.

"Why would you stay?" Ash asks, settling himself beside her.

She breathes out slowly, arm brushing against his as she does. "Because there is so much I can learn here. Did you know his starmie can use thunder?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "A water pokémon using an electric attack, it's...who does that?"

"Really?"

Misty turns towards Ash, quick attack fast. "Mew damn it, I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

Ash shrugs, "little late for that."

"Ash, please." Misty pleads, "forget I said anything?"

Ash looks up, eyes wondering the dim sky as he pretends to consider it. "Well…"

But Misty knows him too well, she knocks his shoulder with her own with a grin. "Jerk."

"Scrawny," Ash responds, smiling himself. "But….is it just because he's a good trainer?"

"He's not just a good trainer, Ash, he's amazing."

"And I'm not?" Ash can feel tears pricking his own eyes, though he's not sure why. Misty hasn't said anything mean and he's not hurt.

Misty scoffs, "It's not about you, Ash. For once, once in this stupid journey this is about me."

"What do you mean 'stupid journey'?" Ash asks. Misty takes a deep breath and and squares her shoulders and Ash cringes. He knows this move, this breath, It's the second before a fight, and he doesn't want to fight. Not yet at least. He holds up a hand, "What do you mean for once?"

Misty stops mid breath and Ash can almost see her pulling the words back into her mouth as she tries to answer his question. "I mean…" she trails off and pulls her hands out from her legs. "I mean," she starts again, hands in front of her. She breathes in, deeply. "I mean that everything we do is about you. There have been a few times that we've stopped to do something for me or Brock or Tracey but this whole…"she trails off again and opens her hands from fists, mouth set in a line. "Thing has been about you and your dreams and it's never about my dreams or Brock's or...Tracey's. I guess."

"What do you mean, we've done so many things for you."

"Oh really?" Misty replies in a tone that Ash knows means trouble. "Name one."

Ash grins. "Princess day."

Misty nods. "Knew you'd get that one. Name another, Ketchum. I dare you."

Ash thinks, he really does. He thinks and picks through days until his head hurts but nothing else comes to mind. In more than three years the only thing they've done for Misty has been a day. A single day. It's probably the same for Brock. But he…"You can leave."

"I know." Misty replies, "that's why I'm asking if I should stay."

"Well...why wouldn't you?" Ash responds. It's weird that his heart beats harder as he asks it and his stomach twists with the words. He hopes...well...he's not sure. Maybe he hopes that there's a million reasons not to stay and only the one reason to. Maybe.

"My bike?" Misty questions. "Though you could always send the money here...or to Cerulean." She pauses again, tongue darting out to lick her lips as she thinks.

Ash swallows hard. "What about me?"

"Ash it can't just be about you." Misty says again, tiredly.

Ash shakes his head. "No," he says, heart beating hard. "I mean, what about me and you?"

"What me and you?" Misty whispers, turning to face him.

"I mean...wouldn't you miss me?"

"Of course I would, Ash. But I miss my sisters too and I'm not heading back to Cerulean until I have to."

"But, you'd miss me differently than your sisters, right?" Ash, forcing the words out even though his face feels like it was hit with a flamethrower.

"I guess," Misty says, biting her lip. "I mean...you're my…"

"Your what?"

They stare at one another for a moment as the last of the light fades. Misty throws her arms up in frustration when the first of the stars wink in. "I don't know Ash, what are we?"

"Friends?"

MIsty takes a deep breath at the word, "OK," she says and smiles, "friends. Well...we're friends with Brock and we still talk to him even though we're not traveling with him anymore. We can still talk."

"Maybe," Ash says, carefully, "Friends is wrong. Best Friends?"

Misty's smile falters. "Yeah, like you and Pikachu."

Ash shakes his head, the word still wrong. "No...we're...different then that."

Misty blinks. "Right, less important. I am, afterall, just here until I get a new bike." she gins again, but the words are empty.

Ash bumps her shoulder with his own. "No," he says and Misty starts at his words. "Don't say that. It hasn't been about the bike forever."

"Oh really?" Misty asks.

"Really. Mist, I wouldn't have gotten here without you, I wouldn't have gotten past the League without you. We're...we're partners." Ash says, nodding to himself. "Yeah..partners." He smiles. That's the right word, it's what they are. Partners. And Partners stick together.

"Partners?" She asks, grinning so widely the her face looks like it will split. "Just what does that mean then, partner?"

"Well," Ash starts. "Partners stick together, no matter what."

Misty frowns. "So...I can't stay because we're partners and have to stick together?"

"No," Ash replies. "It means that maybe we stay because we do a lot for me and partners are equal."

Misty blinks and rocks back, resting her hands on the sand so that she can watch Ash as she speaks. "Really? We'll stay? Even though it might be a while?"

Ash nods. "

What about the GS ball?"

Ash shrugs. "Tracey can take it if he needs to."

"What about the Orange Crew?"

Ash shrugs again. "I guess...I...stop for a while? I mean if you can learn a lot from Rudy, then I probably can too…"

"Really? You'll just...take a pause...for me? And we stay? Together?"

Ash nods but whatever he is going to say next is cut off by Misty tackling him in a hug.