Why

Misty Waterflower was going to kill him.

Ash Ketchum sat helpless, hat-less, resigned to his fate. Homicide would be the cause of his death. He had suspected this for a while: long before the days of legendaries, before his evenings were spent saving the world from deranged lunatics. The sight of a burnt bike on the shoulders of the steaming redhead, bursting into the Viridian City Pokemon Center – that had been his first clue. Somewhere, somehow, someday, Misty was going to kill him. And know he knew – he finally knew. Today would be the day.

Ash leaned back upon the bench in the Cerulean Gym's front lobby, shoulders slumped, watching patrons file out from the conference room's entrance. They buzzed and milled about, chatting and laughing, streaming outside to greet the night sky. Misty's sisters were out here now, too, smiling cheerfully, shaking hands with everyone, thanking them for coming. It was an omen, Ash knew. The autograph session was almost over. His life was almost over.

Surprisingly, the rest of the play had gone off without a hitch. He had no idea how Misty had managed to make it to the stage in time – especially considering everything that had, uh, happened – but her performance had been amazing. Every line, poignant. Both soliloquies, sublime. Ash was convinced that she was some kind of incognito star of theater, masquerading as a gym leader as a gig on the side. Misty Waterflower. Even her name flowed off the tongue like a pseudonym.

It was strange. Everything about her seemed too good to be true.

Ash scratched his head, looking to his right. He stared at the spiky-haired man sitting next to him, the friend he had traveled with during childhood. Every now and then, both now and during the performance, Brock would turn to him, looking like he was about to ask a question – and then immediately turn away. Ash was glad for that. He figured that one of those questions was 'How are you getting more action than me?', and that was not something he wanted – nor knew how – to answer. Action, thought Ash. Action for him involved perilous trials and Pokemon battles. Not women. Definitely not … that.

Pikachu, on the other hand, had no problem asking questions. The little mouse scurried back and forth across his shoulders, querying for details like an electric investigative reporter.

"Pika, Pikapi?" What happened in there, Ash?

"Chu-pika, Pikapi – Pikachu-pi?" Are you two finally together?

"Pi-ka, pika-chuuu?" Did you touch her-

"Pikachu!" shouted Ash, blushing red. Pikachu put a mousy paw behind its neck, ducking its head in apology. Ash groaned, rubbing his forehead.

How was he going to face her? He had no idea. The one thing holding him here – the only thing that gave him hope – was the kiss. Why had she done that? Again, he had no idea. He had been kissed before, of course. That girl from the Orange Islands, Bianca, the peck on the lips Serena had given him before leaving for Hoenn. But this kiss had been … more than a peck. Much more. Just thinking about it made him blush.

And then there was the other part of him – the small part – that wanted to sprint out the front door, to head for the airport, to spend the next three hours hiding out in a dimly-lit bathroom stall, keeping his head down until the coast was clear. His flight for Alola left tonight, after all. Today was the last day he'd be in Cerulean City. But Ash knew he couldn't do that. He had to say his goodbyes, at the very least. Better to see the murder coming than to have Misty track him down in a foreign country and strangle him in the dark. Besides, he was no coward.

"Ash."

Ash looked up, blinking. Misty stood in front of him, staring down at him from under the brim of his Pokemon League hat, a hand upon her hip. He sprang to his feet immediately. "M-Misty!"

(Well, not a total coward.)

"Pikachu-pi!" cried Pikachu, hopping from Ash's shoulder to Misty's, switching perches. Misty let out a giggle.

"Hi Pikachu," she cooed, smiling, rubbing the electric mouse behind the ears. It let out a happy 'Chaaaa~'. Misty turned her attention to Ash. "Sorry I'm late. I wanted to see you guys off, but the crowds were …" She trailed off, looking around. "Where's Brock?"

Ash didn't know, either. The larger man had vanished without a word. Soon, they spotted him at the far end of the lobby. Brock was down upon one knee, Daisy's hand within his own, reciting poetry or some terrible pickup line from PokeMatch-dot-com. She looked mildly interested, actually. Ash was surprised.

"Already?" said Misty, blinking.

Ash laughed. "Same old Brock."

As Misty let out a sigh, Ash looked her over, furrowing his brow. Something about her appearance seemed odd. Her hair was down, for one thing. Not only that: her outfit was strange. Different, but … familiar. A short khaki jacket over a yellow top, her usual denim short-shorts, a red bag slung over her shoulder. Something like … traveler's gear. But that didn't make any sense. Why wear something like this right after the play?

"So Ash-"

Ash's gaze shot up to meet hers. Better to not give her an excuse to blind him. Literally. Not figuratively.

"Since we're returning things …" said Misty, taking off Ash's hat. She plopped it back onto his head with a fair amount of force. Ash laughed nervously. He had followed Brock's advice, but leaving her seashell top upon her dressing room doorstep like some weird sort of olive branch seemed incredibly stupid, now.

"T-thanks," he managed.

Awkward silence.

Misty turned her gaze to Pikachu, smiling. "Pikachu, do you think I could have a moment alone with Ash? There's something that we need to talk about."

Pikachu nodded, smirking. It covered its mouth with its paw, whispering into her ear. "Pi-chupikapi," Ash thought he heard. Something like 'Take it easy on him.' He sulked. Gee, thanks buddy.

Misty smiled, watching as the yellow mouse hopped to the floor, scampering away towards Brock and her sisters. "Something a bit cuter to distract Daisy for a while, right?"

"I don't know, Mist. I think Brock's plenty cute."

Misty's smile grew brighter, but she didn't laugh. Ash swallowed involuntarily. He felt like his throat had tied itself into a knot.

Awkwarder silence.

Misty stared at him, narrowing her eyes. "Well?"

"I-I'm sorry," said Ash, holding up both hands. Better to plead for his life while he could. "Look, it was an accident. I didn't mean-"

"That's not what I'm looking for, Ash."

Ash blinked. She doesn't want an apology? Why? How? How was that possible? And that meant … oh Mew, what did she want? His life, of course. Ash cringed, waiting for the deathblow.

A moment passed.

"You don't know, do you?" said Misty.

Ash looked up at her, completely oblivious. Know? No, he didn't. "Know … what?"

Misty didn't respond. Not at first. Her lips began quivering. Her eyes shimmered. Slowly, her hands balled into fists. "Ash … You …"

"Misty?"

"YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE!"

Ash recoiled, pulling back as if a hydrothermal geyser had erupted in his face. Anger swelled within him. What the hell was her problem? "I'm unbelievable? I'm trying to apologize!"

"Well you're doing a lousy job at it! And besides, that's not what I want!"

"How am I supposed to know what you want?! Do I look like a Kadabra?!"

"You're ugly enough to be one!"

"Not this again …" came Brock's moan. Ash glanced towards his voice. They had been loud enough to attract attention: both Brock and Misty's sisters had walked over to see what all the fuss was about. A few random show-goers were staring at them. Brock was holding his forehead. Pikachu was grinning again.

"Misty, what's this all about?" asked Lily, seeming annoyed.

"Seriously, this is ridiculous," said Violet, brushing away a stray lock of hair. "Can you two get a room? Or like, a boxing ring?"

"Pi, chupi-ka-pichupi." You're a little late there, Vi-

"Pikachuuu," moaned Ash, clutching his hat. He wanted to dig a hole in the lobby and tunnel his way to the airport, now.

"Ash wouldn't know what to do with a room," said Misty, crossing her arms, giving him a sidelong sneer. "Oh, wait, I know. He'd use it for room service!"

"Better than your cooking!" yelled Ash, jabbing a finger at her. "You almost killed me in the Orange Islands! Food poisoning!"

"Killed you? I saved your life!" shouted Misty, mirroring the motion. "You should be glad that dunces float!"

Brock approached. "Come on you two, let's not-"

"Stay out of this, Brock!" they shouted in unison, turning their fingers his way.

Brock balked, holding his hands up defensively. He took a step backwards. "Uh … Okay."

Misty turned back to Ash, fuming. "Why did you even come here, Ash? Just because I called and asked you to?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why?"

Ash hesitated. His face was getting warmer. "I, uh … wanted to visit."

"Why did you want to visit?"

"I … What does it even matter why?" he protested. "I just did!"

"Oh, you just did," echoed Misty, mocking him. "Why, Ash? For the bike shop? Wanna buy me a ten-speed?"

"No. I just … I-I wanted to see you. That's all!" Warmer.

"Why?"

"Because!"

Misty counted fingers. "Because I'm your friend? Because you missed me? Because you wanted my help to catch water Pokemon?"

"B-because …" Hot.

"Because WHY?!"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" he shouted.

A hushed silence fell over the lobby. Ash blinked, slowly glancing around. Everyone – everyone – was staring at them. Daisy had both hands over her mouth, wide-eyed. Misty's other sisters stood gawking at him, floored. Even Brock looked surprised. Pikachu was the only one who already seemed to know the answer. The little mouse gave him a 'paws-up', smiling.

Ash turned back to look at Misty. She looked stunned. Her eyes were shimmering again.

She didn't know, he thought. She thought I didn't know, either.

How many days had it been since the boat to Hoenn? How many days since 'goodbye'? He had lost count. Too many, he knew. Too many sunsets against a foreign horizon. Too many years spent away. Too many sleepless nights on the road, gazing up at the dark sky, at the only bridge between them, whispering the words to the stars.

I love you.

Misty gave the floor a little stomp, leaning forward, blushing. "Well you could have just said that in the first pl-"

Ash cut her off with a kiss.

The gym lobby erupted into cheers. Whistles pierced the air soon after. Ash parted lips with a blushing Misty, spotting Daisy with two fingers between her lips, whistling away. Brock had his arms crossed, grinning. Pikachu was shaking pom-poms – where he had found them, Ash didn't know. A random patron sprinted away from the crowd, bursting through the gym's exit, weeping dramatically. Ash blinked. Wasn't that the guy from Kalos?

"I knew it! I totally knew it!" Daisy practically scampered up to Ash, hugging him as if he was her new brother-in-law. "How could you not fall for someone that pulled you out of a river? Plenty of fish? Lucky catch? It's like destiny, or something!"

"D-destiny," said Ash, blushing profusely. What was it with him and women today? "I guess it kinda is."

A rigid hand poked Misty in the shoulder from behind. She stumbled, looking up at a now-smirking Brock. "Only took you two half a decade."

Misty sighed, smiling. "Sometimes it felt like two decades."

Lily stood with Violet, watching the scene before them unfold from afar. "Vi," she murmured, "remember that guy Misty mentioned? The one that was obsessed with her?"

"Rudi? From Trovita Island?" Violet tilted her head in thought. "Isn't he still single?"

"Yeah."

"So like, what about him?"

"Dibs."

"Hey!"

Ash scratched the back of his neck nervously. So many people had crowded around them, gawking at them as if they were a celebrity couple. His head was whirling. His gaze settled on Misty – smiling, her fingers laced behind her hips. She was beautiful. He always thought so, secretly. Ever since Maiden's Peak. Maybe ever since the day they had met.

"I should cancel my flight," he said. "I can't leave now."

Misty shook her head. "You don't have to."

Ash looked at her in bewilderment. "What are you talking about? We just-"

"Nope." Misty put a finger to his lips, cutting him off. She reached for the inner pocket of her jacket, pulling out a slip of paper, handing it to him. "You won't have to, Ash."

Ash blinked, examining the document. It was a plane ticket. Cerulean City, bound to Alola. November 7th. Seat 54, First Class. The seat next to his.

"How did you …?" he murmured.

"Remember that call you made to Brock just before you bought your ticket? The one about in-flight dessert?" asked Misty, ending with a snicker. Ash sulked. "Well … I might have been in the background for that."

"But you're a gym leader. What about-"

"We can handle that!" said Daisy, giving him a sharp nudge in the shoulder. "Misty, like, did so much work for the ballet this year. Writing the script, choreography, stage planning. Everything. So when she asked for some time off again to travel, we like, totally couldn't say no. I mean, it's only six months, and since we held this one a month early …"

Ash blinked. A month early? He remembered, now: the water ballet was usually in June and December. It was November. It was also two weeks since he had gotten back from Kalos. Misty had called him on his way out of the airport, practically ten minutes after he had touched down.

Wait. She was traveling with him for six months?

Ash looked at her in wonder. "You planned all of this?"

"Like you said, Ash," – Misty broke into a grin – "when it comes to us, there's no such thing as coincidence."