Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I'm so glad my first fic isn't a COMPLETE failure haha. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I'm still trying to keep Ash's POV as close to the episodes as I can, but of course this is a Pokeshipping story so it may venture a bit away from them at times ;) For those who are getting tired of the angsty feel of this fic (I know I am) let's just say that it won't last much longerrrr! :D Thanks again and enjoy!

"Aww c'mon Ash! We should be celebrating! You did just make it to the next round you know!" Dawn smiled. Ash deserved to enjoy himself after his win against Nando!

"Thanks Dawn. And thanks Brock. But honestly, I'm kind of beat. I think I just want to head to bed." Ash tried to smile at his friends, but it was forced.

He wasn't lying; he was really exhausted. More than once today he'd thought that he might not make it past the 1st round, and that had really stressed him out. Then, when he'd finally beaten Nando, Ash had started celebrating like crazy with Brock, Dawn, Barry, and Pikachu. The celebrating had lasted a long time, it was late, and he was tired. All he wanted was a good nights rest.

And, if he was lucky, maybe he'd have another dream about Misty tonight.

Ash was confused when he remembered how much he'd wanted to be with her, the longing he'd felt for his friend. He'd never really felt that way about anyone before, and it was kind of frightening. Ash wasn't the kind of guy to let his feelings get in the way of what he wanted to do, and that morning he'd almost done just that. He was great at keeping his emotions under his control. But right now, he felt like he would die if he couldn't get his kiss. He blushed.

Geez. I'm acting exactly like Brock. Who knew hormones could be so much to handle?

Ash knew it wasn't of much use to try to forget about her. Even when he'd been battling today, he'd felt like he could feel her with him, cheering him on. It was crazy, but he knew that something weird was making him think of Misty so much, and maybe if he dreamed of her again he could figure it out. Then he could go back to being normal again.

Brock chuckled, as if he knew a secret.

"All right Ash, if that's what you want. A good nights sleep is always a good thing anyway…"

Dawn pouted. "But Brock, Ash should be celebrating-"

Brock stifled his laughter. "Now Dawn. Ash already celebrated. Besides he'll probably be … celebrating … in his sleep anyway." Ash gave Brock a look. What was with HIM?

"Brock? What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Oh, I just mean that you'll probably dream about scoring, er, WINNING, all night." Brock snickered.

Ash tried to hold back a blush, but failed. No one but Brock seemed to notice.

"You guys are so weird sometimes. Hey, it's Kenny! Wait up! Oh, night Ash!" Dawn scampered away after an old friend of hers, eyes glowing.

Brock couldn't possibly know about his dreams right? Nah. That was crazy.

"Whatever you say. So can you give me the pass code? I'll just go up and crash."

"Yeah sure, it's 5-5-4-3-2-7-1. Just don't leave the room once you get there okay? Last thing I need to do is be looking for you late at night when I could be-" and then, Brock was gone. Hitting on some pretty girl was apparently much more important than lecturing Ash. For once, Brock's hormones had worked in the younger boys favor. He smirked. Now, Ash would have the whole room to himself and Pikachu until Brock and Dawn finished celebrating. He figured they wouldn't be done for at least a couple hours. It would be the perfect way to clear his head. Thinking, and sleeping.

GRRROWL. Ash felt a surprise pang of hunger.

Fine, he would eat something too. Stomachs didn't fill themselves after all!

"Pikapi?" Ash looked up at his shoulder at his first Pokemon.

"Come on Pikachu, I'll order you LOTS of Ketchup."

Ash had just downed 6 slices of pizza (thank goodness for room service) and was feeling completely stuffed. Pikachu had had his full share of ketchup as well and was now sleeping soundly on Brock's bed.

Doing his best to be quiet, Ash crept closer to the small TV that sat in front of the three trainers beds. Once he found the remote he flipped through the channels until he found a Kanto news station- and then he watched.

All these memories of Misty had really made him miss Kanto too. It felt nice to see what was going on in the place he called his home. No matter where he traveled, he could always tune into a Kanto news station if he was really feeling homesick, and tonight wasn't any different.

"And congratulations to Ash Ketchum, a young trainer for Pallet Town representing Kanto in the Sinnoh League. We're all rooting for you Ash!" Ash felt his heart beam with pride. It was moments like this that made his hard journeys worth it. He was going to be a Pokemon master someday, but for now he was content with just training his Pokemon, and doing his best. It was great to know that so many people were supporting him!

"In other news, Cerulean Gym remains the Gym to beat here in Kanto. It's leader, water Pokemon trainer Misty, hasn't lost a match in weeks and seems to be getting stronger each day. So, for all you trainers out there who want a Cascade Badge, make sure to train very hard! This has been Hannah Mains, signing off."

Ash sat back from the TV and gave a loud exhale.

They'd shown her picture, and he'd barely recognized her. When he closed his eyes it was like the image of her had been burned into his retinas somehow. Her hair had been down and hadn't quite reached her shoulders; like the time she'd worn her kimono for that party years ago. She had been standing with her sisters, but for some reason he couldn't really remember what they'd looked like. Ash embarrassingly noted that her sky blue bikini had been hard to miss. Misty wasn't the skinny runt that had left him back in Kanto anymore, apparently. She was almost a – a woman. He pulled at his collar, feeling tense, a drip of sweat running down his neck. Even her face was different than he remembered. She looked like she had been through a lot since they split up, and that made him kind of upset. She'd probably done so many things without him by now, that she wouldn't even think of him as anything more than the kid she'd left behind. Ash grunted, and then softened.

He couldn't bring himself to be angry with her, even if he may have wanted to. When he'd seen her eyes through the TV, he saw the Misty he recognized as his best friend. Even though she was smiling, her eyes were still full of life and determination. He knew that she hadn't changed on the inside, even if at first glance she looked like someone who Brock would be close to. Not Ash.

She may look… different then he had been picturing her in his dreams. But she was still Misty. Besides, everyone had to grow older sometime, he reasoned. Ash had gotten older too, after all.

Ash switched off the TV and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. He knew one thing for sure- there was no way solving his feelings about Misty were going to be easy, but the best way to start would be to face her head on. And by head on, he meant in his dreams. Because there was no way he could face her in REAL LIFE.

He'd wanted to kiss her when he still saw her as a scrawny tomboy.

Now, it was gonna be a lot worse.

Ash cringed. Time to sleep…