I couldn't come up with a word for D, so I asked my Mom to give me a random word that started with D. The first word she gave me was "dog." Well...this is Pokémon, so that's not gonna work. The second word she gave me was "diamond." So, I came up with this :P

I'm gonna guess that Ash and Misty are around 19 in this chapter.

Diamond

Ash couldn't help but to walk around with the world's biggest smile on his face.

He had a great job as the Kanto Champion, and was currently training to challenge the Pokémon Master for his title. He had tons of fans and made a healthy living. His Pokémon were the best battle partners a guy could have possibly asked for, and best of all, he had the most beautiful girlfriend in the entire world.

Life certainly was good, and Ash couldn't help but to feel as though the weight of the world was far off of his shoulders. He was as happy as could be.

"So, Misty, when are you expecting that diamond?"

Ash skidded to a halt and allowed his eyes to widen out of shock. Pikachu, who had been perched atop his trainer's shoulders, allowed his ears to twitch as he leaned down to stare at Ash.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu murmured.

"Shh!" Ash scolded the mouse, pressing himself against the wall next to the doorway that led into the lobby of the Cerulean City gym.

"I don't know, Daisy."

"Well, haven't you been waiting like…forever for it?"

"I guess so, but I can't rush things. It's out of my control."

"Not if you put it into your control!"

"What do you mean?"

Ash bit his lip and peered into the room without making his face fully visible. He was able to see Daisy and Misty in the room; Daisy sitting behind the lobby desk and filing her nails while Misty was resting her elbows on the counter. She was still dressed from her training session: in skin tight, lime green spandex shorts and a printed sports bra with a blue and green windbreaker thrown over the skimpy ensemble. Normally, Ash would've been turned on by such a sight, but he was currently too preoccupied with the conversation going on between the two sisters.

"Just get extra bossy," Daisy sighed as though it were obvious. "You know, kick and scream and carry on. You're good at all of that, aren't you?"

"Thanks," Misty bit sarcastically as she scowled at the blonde.

"Don't mention it!" Daisy giggled, obviously having missed her youngest sister's acerbity.

"It just doesn't seem right to me," Misty murmured, resting her head in her hand.

"It may not be right, but sometimes when you want something done, you've got to do it yourself," Daisy concluded, waving her nail file in the air as she spoke. "Men don't understand anything, I swear."

"You do have a point," Misty finally admitted, lowering her hand and tilting her head to the side. "Guess that's what I'll have to do if I want to get the ring."

"Oh my gosh, you're finally taking advice from your big sister!" Daisy squealed, causing both Ash and Misty to wince. "I'm ordering Chinese food to celebrate!"

"Yeah, you do that," Misty muttered as she turned away from the desk.

Heart now pounding in his chest, Ash darted in the opposite direction, back towards the same front door he'd just walked through minutes earlier. The two glass panels slid apart and allowed Ash entrance into the outdoors, where he stopped only two feet in front of the building before bending at the knees and leaning down to try and catch his breath.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu repeated.

"Oh man, Misty wants me to propose to her!" Ash gasped. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet!"

"Pika pika-chu," Pikachu reasoned with the frantic young man.

"But I don't want Misty to break up with me!" Ash moaned. "I love her too much! Oh, what do I do?"

"Ash, what are you doing out here?"

The champion gasped dramatically and whipped around, staring at Misty with such a terrified expression that it threw the gym leader completely off guard.

"Jeez, Ash, you look like you just saw a ghost," Misty muttered. "Do I really look that hideous today?"

"No, no!" Ash cried, waving his hands in front of himself. "Of course not! You look beautiful! You always look beautiful, Mist!"

"Uh…right," Misty drawled, still confused by her boyfriend's flustered disposition. "Anyway, Daisy's ordering Chinese food for dinner. Do you want to come inside and look at the menu?"

"Yeah, sure, why not!" Ash laughed nervously. "It's just dinner, right? I love food! Like…love it!"

"Are they giving you some new energy drink, Ketchum?" Misty demanded with a raised eyebrow. "Because, if I were you, I'd stop drinking it."

"I'll look into it," Ash muttered, hanging his head in apparent shame.

"Well, it's nothing to beat yourself up over," Misty comforted her boyfriend in a bewildered manner. "You live and learn. Maybe you just need some food in your system. Come on."

Ash bit his lip once again and nodded his head, following Misty back into the gym. For once in his life, however, Ash couldn't even think about food.

All he could think about was potentially becoming an engaged man by the end of the week.

XXX

"…what?!"

"Exactly what I said."

Brock stared at his best friend in complete and utter shock. Ash, on the other hand, sat across from the older male with his face buried in his hands.

The two friends had met up at a pub located halfway between Cerulean and Pewter. Ash had called Brock the day before, telling the Pokémon doctor that he needed advice on an important subject. Brock, not wanting to leave Ash alone, agreed to meet up with him and discuss the issue. Now that it was out in the open, however, Brock was a little thrown off.

"You do know I've never had to deal with this before, right?" Brock questioned seriously. "I mean, I have in my dreams, of course, but real life…"

"I know you haven't, but I need advice," Ash groaned, finally picking his head up. "I can't go to Mom, because she'll freak out and get all excited and it'll just be bad. And if I tell any of our female friends, they'll just go blabbing to Misty. Hell, even Cilan might open his mouth! You're the only one I know I can trust, Brock."

Brock smiled at the younger male. "That means a lot, Ash."

"So do my male parts, and I don't need Misty cutting them off," Ash grumbled.

"Aw, you had to ruin such a nice moment," Brock sighed.

"Sorry. I'm just stressed."

"I know you are," Brock comforted with a smile on his face. "I was just teasing. So, Misty's expecting a ring, huh?"

"That's what she and Daisy made it sound like."

"Well…you love Misty, don't you?" Brock asked.

"Of course I do, more than anything," Ash replied. "But…I don't know if I'm ready to be married yet. We're still so young!"

"Right," Brock pressed. "But…you love her?"

"Yes…" Ash murmured, shifting his eyes from side-to-side.

"Then I think you should buy a ring and hold onto it," Brock settled. "You know you love Misty, and you'd like to be married to her someday. If she starts to get too impatient, you get down on one knee and propose. Besides, there's no rule on how long an engagement is supposed to last. Just because you and Misty are getting engaged doesn't mean you have to get married the next day! Some couples are engaged for years before they actually get married!"

"I always know I can count on you, Brock," Ash chuckled with a smile on his face. "You made me feel so much better, just like that!"

"I try," Brock sighed laughingly.

"So…what kind of a ring do I buy for Misty?" Ash continued, his eyes flickering with confusion.

"Don't you worry about that, Ash!" Brock cried in a determined fashion, pounding his fist just once against the table and alarming both Ash and Pikachu, who was currently sitting beneath the table eating out of a ketchup bottle. "I'm here to help!"

XXX

That same afternoon, Ash returned to the gym with his wallet a little lighter and his pants pocket a little heavier.

He had chosen a ring, with the assistance of Brock, that he figured was perfect for Misty. Reaching into his pocket, Ash pulled out the black velvet box and flipped it open, examining the piece of jewelry that was nestled inside: a ten karat white gold band with two rows of round diamonds surrounding a larger center diamond. It had cost Ash quite a pretty penny, but it was very beautiful, and Ash just knew Misty would love it.

Or…at least he hoped she would.

The front doors to the gym slid open, and Ash hastily stuffed the ring box back in his pocket. As soon as he had the box hidden, Misty emerged from inside, her whole face looking quite angry.

"Hey there, Mist," Ash greeted timidly. "What's up?"

"I'm furious, that's what's up!" Misty stormed, causing Ash's eyes to widen. "Do you know how long I've been waiting, Ash? DO YOU?"

"Uh…I…"

"I swear, someone is going to get an earful if I don't get this thing by the end of the day!" Misty seethed.

Ash almost choked on air. The end of the day? He was going to have to propose to Misty by the end of the day?!

Maybe I should just do it now, Ash thought alarmingly to himself. Because she really doesn't sound happy, and she's not going to be until I give her what she wants!

"Misty…" Ash began slowly, bringing the red head's harsh glare back onto himself. "Um…I was just wondering if-"

Just as Ash was sneaking his hand into his pocket, and before he could get down on one knee, a truck pulled up in front of the gym, its horn causing Ash to jump nearly five feet in the air. Misty looked over her boyfriend's shoulder and watched as the delivery man approached her with a large, almost flat cardboard box.

"Package for Misty?" He asked, reading off of the box's mailing label.

"It's about time!" Misty snapped, taking the box from the visibly frightened worker. Remembering it wasn't him she was mad at, Misty smiled sweetly at the stranger and crooned, "thank you!"

"Uh…don't mention it…" the man murmured before running back to the safety of his truck.

Ash watched the man sprint, and then looked back at Misty, who was now holding the package beneath her arm with a big smile on her face. "What's in the box, Mist?"

"It's my diamond!" Misty giggled, leading Ash's eyebrows to shoot up his forehead.

"Wh-what?!" Ash stammered.

"During a battle a few weeks ago, one of the challenger's Machamp misfired its focus blast and destroyed the diamond-shaped ring that was part of the new water ballet my sisters have been planning," Misty explained. "It was hanging right above the pool along with the heart, star, and circle shaped rings. And, whenever a challenger's Pokémon destroys gym property, it's the League's responsibility to replace it."

"But…what…huh…" Ash panicked.

"I asked them to send us a replacement ring right after that battle, and they'd been slacking on it ever since," Misty sighed. "I finally got fed up and asked Daisy what to do. She told me to start complaining constantly, and that seemed to do the trick, because here's my ring!"

She motioned towards the box, not even noticing that Ash's jaw had been dropped for the past five minutes and refused to go back up.

"My sisters are going to be so excited that I finally got it!" Misty squealed. "Now they can get the show back on the road!"

Before Ash could formulate any words, Misty turned around and ran back into the gym, calling excitedly for her three older sisters. Ash, on the other hand, could only hang his head and moan desolately while Pikachu laughed at his trainer's misery.

"I wonder what the return policy on engagement rings is…" Ash muttered.

For one that I didn't think of in advance, I really like this one :P I could see this as an actual episode, if the characters in Pokémon would actually age...siiiigh.