Authors Note:

I finally finished this chapter! Wooo! And it's a long one! I did a lot more than I thought I could with this chapter.

This was such a great chapter to write and I hope you all enjoy it! It's filled with happy, funny, and suspenseful moments and I can't wait to read your reviews!

SO you have waited long enough so I'll continue this at the bottom!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its new characters that came out in the new season!


Chapter 7: Once by the Pacific

"So you really think this is a good idea?"

"Definitely! She is going to be so excited!"

"Even after all that's happened? She might get a little overwhelmed." The breeder urged his friend to think about what he was doing. "She might not like it."

Ash had reached out to Brock for help finding Misty the perfect birthday present but Brock wanted to make sure his friend knew what he was doing. The Pokémon Master had the tendency of making rash decisions that sometimes ended badly, even if he had the best intentions.

"Nope," Ash shook his head and then continued to his friend over the video phone screen, "I think it's going to go great!"

"If you say so. You do know Misty better than I do. When I get there I'll keep checking around and see if I can find any, but you know how rare they are in Kanto. And it gets pretty expensive to get them from other regions."

"I know, but I really want to make her birthday special."

"Well as I said before, I'll keep looking."

"Thanks again. I really owe you one."

"I'll add it to the list."

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash replied, "Heh, thanks…"

"I'm still surprised you remembered. Especially since she never says anything about it, most girls drop hints everywhere!"

"Yeah but you and I both know Misty isn't like most girls."

"Yeah, she's a lot stronger," Brock rubbed his ear, remembering just how tight of a grip the redhead had in her younger years.

"Tell me about it," Ash chuckled, knowing exactly what his older friend meant. "But I want to make this birthday special considering all that's happened lately and I think this is the perfect way!"

"Well, I think there are a couple other things that could make her birthday fun, too." Brock teased with a sly grin. "But only you would be able to pull them off."

"Umm, Like what?" Ash hesitantly asked the older male, even though he had a pretty good idea of where that would lead.

"Oh, I don't know. You could always start off the night by taking her on a romantic dinner date. Set the table with a pair of candles to set the mood. You would order a nice bottle of wine. After, take her for a nice walk on the beach, since she loves the water, holding hands the whole way. And then just before the sun is about to set you would turn to her, pull her close and land a big ki-"

"Brock! How many times do I have to tell you! We are just friends!" Despite his declaration, Ash was beginning to form blush from the story Brock was telling. Ash turned to look around to make sure the aforementioned redhead wasn't within earshot.

"Which is why this is the perfect opportunity to change that," Brock pointed out.

Ash turned back around but kept his head slightly down to avoided eye contact, "I can't do that Brock."

"You know, you never actually gave me a reason as to why you can't."

Shrugging Ash replied, "You wouldn't understand."

"Wouldn't understand what? How much you care about her? How you would put your own life on the line to save her? Or how much you are absolutely, head over-heals in lo-"

"Shut up! I think I hear her coming!" Ash began to panic. The last thing he wanted was for Misty to hear Brock saying this. He just got back to a good place with Misty and he didn't want to ruin it.

"Good! The faster this is out in the open the sooner you two can get together and live happily ever after." Brock attempted to look behind Ash for the redhead. Before he had the chance to see her, Ash began to fiddle with the phone until the screen went dark.

Misty walked into the room with Pikachu in her arms and walked over to where Ash was seated. She noticed how flustered he looked and wondered why he hung up the phone so abruptly right as she entered the room.

Tapping him on the shoulder she asked, "Who was that?"

"Oh!" Ash spun around quickly, looking obviously rattled and replied, "Ummm… it was just Brock."

"Why did you hang up so fast?" Misty raised an eyebrow and inquired, "You know I would have liked to say hello to him."

"Well he said he had to go.. umm.. do some breeder stuff… Yeah, he said he had to go try out new Pokémon foods." Ash finished with a big smile, hoping Misty would believe him.

"Oh… Well okay." Misty didn't really believe him but she didn't want to question him further since he would probably just stick to the same lame excuse. She stroked the top of Pikachu's head and continued, "I can just call him later."

"Oh well he said he would be pretty busy the rest of the day.." Ash panicked again, worrying that Misty would call Brock back and he would say something to her.

Frowning, Misty murmured, "Okay maybe another day," Misty's suspicions began to grow. Not only was she suspicious of him lying to her, but now she wondered why she couldn't call her friend. Ash wasn't the type of person to lie to the people he cared about.

Noticing the look on Misty's face, Ash felt a little bad lying to her. "Sorry I would have asked him to wait but he seemed pretty busy."

Shrugging, Misty replied, "It's okay, I guess. So what are you gonna do now?"

Leaning his back against the table, Ash replied, "Well I promised the league that since I took such a long vacation I would make sure to stay in shape so I'll probably go for a run before it gets dark." He finished as he looked out a nearby window.

Misty gently stroking the fur on Pikachu's back. "Well they made the right call on that one," Misty said under her breath, thinking back to when she admired his training sessions.

"What was that?"

A blush began to form on her cheeks when she realized she said that out loud. Not wanting Ash to know what she really meant, Misty tried to recover with, "I-I just meant that everyone knows how lazy you can get! Making you promise to get off of that lazy couch potato butt of yours was a good choice!"

"Hey! I'm not that lazy anymore! I work very hard!" Ash defended from his seat.

"Oh yeah? Well when's the last time you worked out?"

Realizing that he really hadn't put forth the effort to work out in a couple weeks, Ash replied, "That's not the point! I'm still on vacation and I deserve to relax part of the time!"

Seeing as this argument could go on for some time, Pikachu decided to intervene. The electric type jumped out of Misty's arms, landing on the nearby table in order to shock the two humans back to normal. After the electric current stopped, they both fell to the floor groaning.

Picking himself off the ground and back to his seat, the yellow mouse's trainer grumbled, "You have got to stop that Pikachu."

"Yeah, you need to find a new hobby," Misty agreed as she smoothed out her hair and clothes.

Shrugging, Pikachu was just about to jump off the table when his trainer caught him by the sides and held him in front of him.

"Oh no. If you think that after that you are going to go run off and take a nap you are wrong. You're coming on that run with me now."

"Chuuu…"

"Nope. No buts. You are coming and that's final." Ash placed Pikachu down.

Going over to the mouse, Misty knelt down and said, "Don't worry Pikachu. I'll come with you," Misty sympathetically patted him on the head and received a grateful purr.

"Wait, you're going to come on the run with us?"

"Yeah, I've been pretty lazy lately too and it sounds like fun." Standing back up to her full height she asked, "Why?"

"Are you sure you are going to be able to keep up with us?"

Narrowing her eyes, Misty walked up to the Pokémon Master and asked, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Holding his hands out in front of him for protection he replied, "Nothing! I just meant that your leg is still healing! You don't want to hurt it again!"

Crossing her arms, Misty replied in a harsh voice, "Uh huh. Sure. It's been almost two weeks since I got that cast off so I'll be just fine. Now wait right there and I'll be right back once I change."

Misty walked out of the room and Ash leaned back again. "That was close."

"Sure was."

The voice startled Ash and he nearly fell out of his chair. Turning around he said, "Who's there?"

"Brock. You turned the screen off but you didn't hang up."

Ash pressed a button and Brock's face returned to the screen.

"You didn't hear any of that, did you?"

"Every bit. And I learned two things."

"Which are?"

"That you are totally in love with her and that you are a terrible liar."

Giving his friend a glare, Ash said "Goodbye Brock."

After Misty finished changing into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she went back down stairs and slipped on her brace and pair of running shoes. She found Ash and Pikachu outside stretching and silently joined the two as they all prepared for their late afternoon run.

As the trio continued to stretch, Ash couldn't help but sneak looks at the pretty redhead out the corner of his eye. Ash had always thought Misty was pretty when they were younger but she had really grown into a beautiful woman.

Ash looked away, afraid of getting caught, and began to stretch out his arms. He thought back and remembered how she always loved to stay in shape. Usually she would swim, but she would go on runs to help build up her leg strength. Before he could even realize, he was admiring her long, slender legs, which the short length of her shorts only helped accentuate. They weren't as short as the ones she used to wear but they showed off more than enough.

"You know it's not polite to stare."

Breaking out of his thoughts, Ash shot his eyes up and saw Misty Looking at him out the corner of her eye.

Seeing as he was caught, Ash did his best not to get smacked for staring at her, "I wasn't staring! I swear! I was just spacing out!"

"Sure you were." Misty playfully rolled her eyes as she continued, "So where are we gonna go on the run?"

Thankful that Misty didn't whack him over the head for checking her out; Ash deeply exhaled and said "I never plan anything out. I usually just go with the flow."

Putting her hand to her face, she replied, "Now I know why we always got lost…"

"Hey!"

"I was just kidding ya big baby. Come on lets go."

"Alright." Ash looked down toward Pikachu to ask, "You ready too buddy?"

"Pika!"

Ash lined up next to Misty and Pikachu, one on each side and said, "Great! Now you sure you'll be okay Misty?" Ash playfully teased.

Misty winked down at Pikachu and said, "The only thing I can say is that if you liked these shorts before, you're really gonna like the from behind." As soon as she finished, Misty and Pikachu took off leaving behind a bewildered Ash.

"Wait what?" Realizing what she meant and that he was left in the dust, Ash sprinted forward yelling, "No fair! Get back here!"

After the run, the trio found themselves on the shore at the south side of Pallet Town. The sun was just about to hit horizon and the sky was streaked with different shades of pinks and violets.

As they walked close to the shore, Misty now had her shoes, socks, and brace in one hand in order for her feet to feel the cool water coming up in waves. Ash, still in his running shoes, was walking next to Misty, opposite the water, with Pikachu resting on his shoulder.

"I told you before; you never would have been able to beat me here if it wasn't for that head start!"

"As if!"

"And then that group of paparazzi popped out of nowhere and distracted me!"

"Distracted you!?" Misty exclaimed, "You were eating them up! If I hadn't doubled back to pull you away from them then you probably would still be there!"

"Pipika!"

Looking toward Pikachu, Ash questioned, "Who's side are you on anyway!?"

"Pikachupi." Pikachu pointed out and then jumped off of his shoulder and into Misty's free arm.

Crossing his arms, the Pokémon's trainer mumbled, "Loyal Pokémon my ass."

"He's loyal to me." Misty giggled.

"I'm his trainer." He pointed a finger toward his chest and continued, "He should be loyal to me!"

Misty stopped walking which caused Ash to stop and turn to see what was wrong when she said softly, "At least you get to be a trainer."

He didn't know how to respond to that. Ash knew Misty loved being a trainer and how much she missed it.

She then turned and sat down at the edge of the water, just far enough so that the waves would only reach her feet. Ash silently sat down next to Misty and was about to apologize before her soft voice stopped him.

"You don't have to apologize. I just miss it is all." Misty looked out toward the water, thinking about all the times she shared with her Pokémon. "Being on a team and working together with the Pokémon you raised yourself. You spend every day with them. You live together, sleep together, and battle together. They become more than just your team." Lowering her voice even more she finished with, "They become your family."

Ash nodded and said, "I know what you mean." Turning his head toward the girl he suggested, "You could always go visit them at the gym, couldn't you?"

Shaking her head, Misty replied, "No. That's a bad idea. My sisters and I aren't on good terms and I don't think I'd be able to face them. It would cause too many problems."

Turning back toward the sand he said, "I'm sorry Mist."

"It's okay. Really." Misty turned to Ash and gave him a small smile. "I still get to see them on TV sometimes, performing in the water ballets. So I know that they are being taken care of." Looking at the Pokémon in her arms she continued, "Plus, I still get to spend time with the best Pokémon of all!"

"Pikachupi!"

Nodding, Ash said, "That's right! No Pokémon is as good as Pikachu!"

The small group fell silent for a few moments until Misty decided to change the subject.

"So your mom remembered my birthday."

"Oh really?" Ash teased. "Is that coming up?"

Rolling her eyes, Misty said, "In fact it is. And I knew you would forget."

"I didn't forget! I was just teasing you! It's only a week away!"

"And how do I know your mom didn't just remind you?"

"Because I made sure to make my vacation long enough so that it past your birthday, so there!"

Misty looked at Ash and asked, "Really?" She knew he took off to help her get settled, but she never thought that he would think so far ahead.

Ash shrugged slightly and sheepishly replied, "Well yeah. I knew you were going to be around and after everything I thought it would be nice to spend that day together." Giving her a small smile he finished with, "Just like old times."

Smiling at the thought Misty replied, "That sounds really nice. But please nothing big. I already told your mom that and I want to make sure you know too. She wanted to make a big party and invite everyone there but I don't want anyone fussing over me. All I want is to sleep in and relax all day."

"Gottcha. Nothing big."

"Thanks."

Silence fell between the two human again as they brought their attention toward the falling sun. They had gone far enough down the beach so the sound of the waves going back and forth drowned out any other sound.

Misty loved being so close to the ocean. The cool water felt so nice meeting her feet and the smell of the salty water made her feel so at piece.

As Misty admired the water, Ash was watching the sky as a beautiful pallet of warm colors danced across it. The pinks, oranges and yellows spread across the horizon. The two loved how they could just enjoy being in each other's company again.

As Ash was admiring a particular shade of orange just above the horizon, something flickered in the distance. A softer shade of orange was racing across the sky extremely quickly. "What the.."

Hearing Ash's voice brought Misty back into reality. Following Ash's gaze Misty saw what he was transfixed on. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure."

As they continued to watch the strange shape, it made a sharp turn in their direction and then a nose dive straight toward the water. Just when it was about to hit the water it changed direction again and started straight toward Ash and Misty.

The creature was going so fast that it caused waves to come up on both sides of it as it skimmed the water.

As is raced closer, Ash realized it was going too fast for them to make a run for it, so he dove toward Misty and Pikachu.

"Get down!" He yelled as he pushed them to the sand and shielded them. He was just in time as the creature whipped past, bringing a mixture of seawater and sand over the trio.

Cautiously, Ash poked his head up to check for anything dangerous. After making a quick scan of the beach and not seeing anything he said, "That was close".

From underneath him, Misty said, "Yeah it was," but when she noticed the position they were in her cheeks began to blush, "umm... Ash?

"Yeah?" Looking down, Ash realized that he was lying face down on top of Misty, who was on her back. His arms were on both sides of her, keeping him from crushing her. Their faces only inches apart and they could feel each other's breath. When Ash looked down, their eyes met. Neither could think of a moment when they were so close together. Something sparked between them, something that neither had felt so strongly during their years of separation.

The Butterfree's were dancing in her stomach as a warm sensation rose in his chest. Both were so transfixed on the other that they couldn't move. They both felt the heat from being so close together rise to their cheeks but it wasn't the kind of warmth that you wanted to get away from. It was the kind that felt nice, and that you wanted more of. Kind of like if you were wrapped up in a warm blanket on a cold winter night. Neither one wanted to break eye contact.

Only a few seconds went by that felt like an hour to the two. They could have stayed like this for a long time if they hadn't heard the muffled cry of, "Pikapi! Pikachupi!" coming from in between them.

Ash rolled off Misty into seating position and apologized for squishing Pikachu. Seeing the moment was gone, Ash got to his feet. He grabbed Misty's hand and helped her up, both avoiding eye contact and getting caught in the moment again. After standing Misty looked up and past Ash to see what had attacked them.

Ash noticed the wide-eyed look on Misty's face and realized that whatever it was behind him. He turned around and became face-to-face with a familiar Dragonite.

Deadpanning, Ash said, "You have got to be kidding me."

Misty walked around Ash and saw that they weren't really under attack. Seeing the unamused look on Ash's face she asked, "You recognized this Dragonite?"

"Oh I know the Dragonite." He said coldly, "And I also know exactly whose it is. Its Lances."

"You mean head of the G-men and former Kanto Champion, Lance?"

Crossing his arms, he replied, "Yup."

"Why do you think his Dragonite is here?"

In response to her question, the orange dragon handed Ash a letter. Ash accepted it and opened it.

"What does it say?"

"It says that Lance needs to see me at the league for a consultation."

"Consultation on what?"

"It doesn't say." Ash put the paper back in the envelope and handed it back to the dragon-type. "Well you can tell Lance that I'm on vacation. There are plenty of other people there that he can talk to."

This response didn't go over well with Dragonite because he walked forward in an attempt to grab the Pokémon Master. Ash tried to struggle out of its grip but the dragon was much stronger than him.

Misty took a step back from the fight and warned, "I don't think he's going to take no for an answer, Ash."

Seeing his trainer in a struggle Pikachu jumped forward and sent a low grade electric shock at the dragon. Pikachu also recognized Dragonite as a friend and didn't want to hurt him. He just wanted him to let go of his trainer.

Dragonite let go when he was hit with the shock but wasn't happy about it. Turning toward Pikachu, Dragonite was about to attack when Ash jumped between the two to stop them.

"Alright stop it! We are all friends here remember." Ash turned toward the dragon and said, "Pikachu only attacked you because you were trying to take me away. He didn't want to hurt you, right Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded and apologized for the attack, which Dragonite accepted. "Alright. Now that that's settled, I'm guessing Lance gave you specific instructions to bring me to him, whether I agreed or not."

Seeing Dragonite nod as glumly said, "Well I guess I don't have a choice." Turning toward Misty he continued, "I'm sorry Misty but I have to go. You'll be alright to walk home?"

"Yeah I'll be fine."

"Okay. Hey why don't you go home with Misty, Pikachu? Keep her company." Pikachu nodded and jumped onto the redheads shoulder. "Alright, I'll see you both tonight then."

The two waved as Ash and Dragonite took to the sky. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Indigo Plateau thanks to Dragonite's speed. Once on the ground, Ash got off the dragons back and marched up the front steps and through a pair of automatic doors.

He entered the main lobby which was mostly empty except for the secretary sitting at the desk at the opposite end of the room. Since it was the league's off season, this place was pretty empty.

Usually he would stop and say hello to the older woman but he wasn't in the mood for conversation today. Ash started down the hall on the left that lead to the section of the building that housed the G-men offices. The amount of people increased the further he went into this section of the building.

Ash walked past the offices and desks, straight toward the heads office. Everyone saw that the Pokémon Master wasn't happy so they got out of his way rather quickly.

Without knocking, Ash entered the office and closed the door firmly behind him. The room was rather large for a one man's office and the back wall was filled with different monitors displaying different images of the building and certain areas of Kanto. The man in charge sat in his chair with the back facing Ash, obviously not fazed by the intruded barging their way into his office.

Ash crossed the room and stopped in front of the desk. Crossing his arms and he said, "You know I'm on vacation right?"

Turning the seat around Lance replied, "Ash! Good to see you!"

"And that you have an entire department full of officers that aren't on vacation."

"Yes but none of them are as good as our very own Pokémon Master."

"So you send your Dragonite to kidnap me? Cut the crap Lance. Why am I here?"

Seeing the angry look on Ash's face, Lance decided to get to the point.

"Fine. So we've been getting more reports of some of the schemes Team Rocket has been planning." Lance took a folder and slid it across the desk for Ash but he still didn't seem that interested. He had personal experience with Team Rocket and knew they weren't that big of a threat anymore. "I know they have fallen over the past few years but they seem to be making a comeback. This isn't just about some unskilled grunts trying to steal trainer's Pokémon. We have received reports of something much, much bigger."

Now Ash is interested in what is going on. He takes the seat across from Lance and picks up the folder and scans its contents. "How big?"

"Really big. We're talking explosives and dangerous firearms."

"You think they are going to attack one of the cities?"

"That's one of the possible scenarios. We are also concerned that they are going to sell these to other organization in order to build their own up or use them to make their mark in another region."

"So what's the plan?"

"Right now, it's to keep a close eye on their activity. Try to get as much information out of them as we can."

"What about the undercover agents? If Team Rocket wants to make their mark with explosives, they have no problem sacrificing grunts in the process."

"That's another concern we have. We want to get them out safely and without detection. I have a special team working out that strategy as we speak. Now, the reason I made you come down here instead of waiting until your vacation was over is because of your location." Lance handed Ash another folder before continuing, "A lot of the activity we are seeing has been taking place in their normal cities, Viridian being their base of operation and Vermillion because of its port. Now there is another spot we suspect is going to get some activity because of its closeness to Viridian and the ocean."

Ash knew exactly where this was going. "Pallet Port."

"Exactly. We needed you aware of what is going on so that if there was anything suspicious going on you would be aware."

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out and contact you directly."

"Thank you. Now before you go there is one more piece of business I'd like to go over."

"Okay."

"So," Lance leaned forward and stated, "I hear Misty is back in the picture."

"What!? How did you know that?" Ash was completely thrown off by the statement. Not many people knew Misty was staying there and he especially didn't think Lance knew.

"I have my sources. Now spill, man. What's going on between the two of you?" Lance vaguely knew about their relationship and now that she was back in the picture he was hoping for the best. Ash wasn't exactly the same after she left. He would always volunteer for the most dangerous mission and became even more reckless than usual.

He wanted his friend to be happy, but more importantly, not to get hurt again. Ash was very secretive about what happened between the two childhood friends so he didn't know very much of what happened.

"Nothing! We are just friends."

"Is that why you took this long vacation after she showed up in your life again and she is staying at your house? Because you are just friends?" Lance's expression turned serious when he said, "I just want you to be careful, okay? Lasts time you two split you got pretty messed up."

Ash stood up again and said "Well that's not going to happen since nothing is going on." He realized that his friends cared about him but he was getting tired of people butting into his personal life.

Ash turned to leave when Lance said, "Wait, tell me what happened! I want details!"

"Ugh… You are worse than Brock.."


Later that week, Ash woke up early in the morning to prepare for Misty's birthday. He had to do a lot before Misty woke up otherwise his plans would be ruined.

Throwing the covers off, Ash got to his feet without disturbing the sleeping Pokémon in his bed. He tiptoed out of his room and checked to make sure that both women in the house were still asleep. After returning to his room in order to gather clothes for the day, he made his way to the bathroom to shower.

Once showered and dressed, Ash went back to his room to put his pajamas in the hamper and get his wallet, keys, and Pokédex. He was just about to leave when he heard Pikachu rustling under the covers.

"Pikapi?"

Ash walked over to the bed and whispered, "Its okay Pikachu. I'm just running to the Professors and then to see Brock. It's pretty early so you can stay here and sleep in. But if Misty wakes up before I get back you have to keep it a secret okay?"

Pikachu nodded before yawning and snuggling back into the warm blanket.

Ash went down the steps quietly and ate a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast. He put the bowl in the sink and went over to a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote Delia a quick note that he went out and will be back soon and put it on the refrigerator.

Ash went over to the front door and slipped on a pair of sneakers and one of his signature hats. He took one of his old backpacks he prepared late the night before out of a nearby closet and slung it over his shoulders. Locking the door behind him, Ash started off down the road toward Professor Oak's lab.

Once he reached the lab, Ash rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. Tracy opened the door and seemed a little surprised that Ash was there so early.

Stepping aside for Ash to come in he said, "Hey Ash. You're sure here early."

"Well I needed to get an early start today. I have to get to Pewter City and back quick so I asked the Professor if he could get me one of my old Pokémon that should be able to handle the trip."

"I see. The Professor has been out back all morning. Come on I'll show you where he is."

"Thanks Trace."

The two made their way to the back when the Pokémon Watcher asked, "So why do you have to get to Pewter and back so fast? Isn't today Misty's birthday?"

"It is. But Brock has been keeping Misty's present for me so that it would be a surprise and I need to go pick it up."

"Oh that makes sense," the two stepped outside and Tracy pointed in the direction of where Professor Oak would be, "He should be over there."

"Alright, thanks again!"

"Anytime Ash. See you later!"

Ash was about to question why Tracy would see him later, but before he could, a burst of fire brushed over him. Laughing, Ash brushed off his clothes and ran up to meet his old friend.

"Nice to see you to, Charizard." Charizard then grabbed Ash for a big hug and licked his cheek once before putting him down again.

"I see you two are enjoying your reunion."

Ash turned to see the gray-haired Professor coming to meet them, chuckling from the odd display of affection.

"Sure are Professor. Thanks again for transporting his here."

"Not a problem Ash. It always warms my heart to watch a trainer and their Pokémon reunite after time apart. But I have been wondering why you needed Charizard on such short notice?"

"Well I need to go pick up Misty's birthday present from Brock and I need to be back as soon as possible." Turning back toward Charizard he asked, "What do you say big guy? You up for the trek?"

The strong fire-type roared in response and lowered himself so Ash to could climb on board.

"Thanks Charizard!" Ash excitedly climbed on Charizard's back and he stood back up. "Sorry to leave so soon Professor Oak, but I don't have much time."

"No need to apologize, my boy. I understand. Safe travels." The gray-haired man waved the two off.

"Will do. Bye!"

Charizard took flight and started toward Pewter City. It only took a little over half an hour before the city was in their sight. Ash pointed out where the Pewter gym was and they began their decent. Charizard landed in front of the gym and Ash hopped off.

"Wow Charizard! You got a lot faster since the last time we flew! You can take a rest now and I'll call you when I'm ready to leave."

Charizard nodded before going over to a nearby shady spot. He laid down on his side to relax.

Ash turned and started toward the house next to the gym. It was on the opposite side of the gym that the family house is on. Brock had it built when he became a successful and popular breeder and he decided he needed his own space for his work. The Pokémon Master knocked on the door and, when it was open, was greeted by a happier than usual Brock.

"Well you sure seem happy this morning," Ash said as he stepped into the living room.

"Well it's just a beautiful day! Isn't it?" Brock exclaimed.

Ash raised an eyebrow at his friend's strange behavior and said, "Umm, yeah I suppose. So I'm on a tight schedule so if I can get Misty's present that would be great."

"Of course! I'll be right back." Brock left the room, leaving Ash alone.

Shaking his head, Ash mumbled, "Weird." Taking off his backpack, Ash went over to the couch and began taking out the items he needed to wrap Misty's present and placing them on the coffee table in front of him.

Brock returned with a small box and handed it to Ash. Ash took it and opened it to see it was exactly the way he wanted it.

"Perfect!" Smiling up at his friend, Ash said, "Thanks again Brock. How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it, Ash. If anything I should owe you. If I wasn't looking for that present I never would have met up with the girl of my dreams!"

"Oh so that's why you're so happy. Wait, you met the girl of your dreams and you aren't huddled in a corner crying? That means she actually bought one of your cheesy pickup lines!"

"They are not cheesy! They are carefully thought out phrases of love!"

"Mmhmm." Ash continued his attempt to wrap the gift. "Whatever you say Brock-o"

"And I didn't even have to say anything. She came up to me!"

Genuinely interested in who she was, Ash asked, "Really? So who is this girl? What happened between the two of you?"

"I don't think I should tell you." Brock sat down next to his friend, watching his less than satisfying wrapping job. "Especially since you won't tell me what's happening between you and Misty."

"Well that's because I don't want you interfering." Ash became agitated with the trouble he was having.

Brock sat down next to Ash, "Here, let me. You can hand me the tape" Brock took the gift and began folding the paper neatly and tightly. Holding out his hand for another piece Brock said, "I promise not to interfere."

Resting his chin in his hand Ash responded, "And that's what you said last time. And then I had to lie to her because you were about to confess my love for her."

"So you do love her! I knew it!"

"Ugh." Ash now put his face in both hands and mumbled, "You are unbelievable."

"Well if you would just admit it I wouldn't have to trick you into saying it." Placing the bow on top Brock handed Ash the completely wrapped gift.

Ash cheered up at the sight of it. "Wow this looks great! Thanks again."

"Don't mention it."

"Well I've been here longer than I was supposed to so I better get on my way."

Brock walked Ash out to the front porch and Ash called for Charizard.

"Tell Misty I said happy birthday."

"Will do. Alright let's get going Charizard."

Before Ash was out of ear shot, Brock shouted, "Oh and give Misty an extra big kiss for me!"

Ash turned his head at the outburst but didn't have enough time to make a response because he and Charizard were already in the clouds.

It wasn't long again before they were back in Pallet Town and Ash let Charizard go back to the lab. Ash walked in the house and heard movement coming from the kitchen. Following the sounds, Ash found Delia and the two Pokémon residents enjoying breakfast.

"Oh Ash your back! I thought you'd be a little longer."

"Nope I needed to get back fast so I can set up for Misty's birthday. She isn't up yet, is she?"

"Not yet. She was sound asleep when I checked on her a little while ago."

"Good. I don't want her to wake up before I get everything set up. What time are you leaving for the Pallet House?"

"I was just about to leave actually." Delia got up and placed her dishes in the sink. She turned around and asked, "Do you want me to leave Mimey here to help you?"

"No its alright. I have Pikachu to help me, right buddy?"

"Pika!"

"Alright dear. I'll be home around one today." Delia walked over to the door and put her purse over her shoulder.

Following his mother, Ash said, "That's early for you."

"Well I have my own little surprise for Misty. Bye Ash." Before Ash could question it, the door was closed.

'Well she's up to something.'

Turning toward Pikachu Ash said, "Alright Buddy, let's get to work!"

Misty wished she could spend all day in bed. It was her birthday after all and she could do anything she wanted. Unfortunately, Misty wasn't the lazy type that could stay in bed and stare at a wall all day.

By around 11:30 she began to get very restless and decided she might as well start her day. Getting out of bed, Misty walked over to her closet to decide on an outfit for the day. She debated just a t-shirt and shorts but since it was her birthday and no doubt Delia would be taking picture, she decided on a sleeveless, solid light blue, high-necked blouse and a pair of faded blue jeans.

Gathering the clothes, she made her way to the bathroom. After the shower, she got dressed and began to towel dry her hair. She pulled out a blow dryer and began drying her red hair. Once she was satisfied with the soft wave in her hair, she decided to leave it down. It had grown out just beneath her shoulders and looked nice down. She returned the dryer and cleaned the rest of the bathroom.

Misty made a quick stop in her room to put her pajamas away and make her bed. She decided that she stalled enough and if she didn't go down stairs now, Ash would start to worry about her.

She went down stairs and found the house completely empty. This wasn't an odd occurrence for her, to be alone on her birthday, but she thought this year would be different. That she could spend it with people that were close to her.

Sighing, Misty walked over to the couch and lay down on her back. 'Why did I even bother getting out of bed today? This ceiling looks just like the one in my room.' She closed her eyes and tried to forget about today.

While she contemplated going back to bed, Ash came in through the back door and spotted her lying on the couch. Noticing the sad look on her face and couldn't wait to change it.

Ash quietly snuck up to the redhead and tapped her on the shoulder. When she didn't open her eyes, Ash shook her shoulder, "Misty?"

She opened her eyes and turned her head to face him. "I thought you were out."

"I was just out back. Why do you look so sad? You should be happy! It's your birthday!"

"Well it doesn't feel like my birthday."

"Well let's change that." Ash grabbed her hand and pulled her off the couch. He lead her through the kitchen and out the back door.

"What are we doing?"

"Just come with me." Ash continued to lead her down the porch stepped and over the tree that provided shape for the spot he picked.

Ash lead Misty to a picnic he set up for her. She saw sandwiches and fruits and everything she loved spread out on a blanket. "What is all this?"

"Well I said we were going to spend the day together, just like old times. So what better than a picnic outside, just like we used to on the road!"

Kneeling down before the display, Misty examined all the food. It all looked so delicious and looked like it took a while to prepare. "I don't know what to say."

Sitting down next to her Ash said, "Don't mention it. I hope you're hungry! There is a lot of food here."

Misty smiled and remembered she hadn't eaten anything all day. She picked up one of the sandwiches and said, "I'm starved!"

After the two had their fill of food, Misty laid back on the blanket and said, "Wow Ash. You really out did yourself this time!"

Leaning back on his elbows he said, "Well it is your birthday! I wanted everything to be perfect."

"Well it was!" Placing a hand over her stomach she insisted, "I couldn't eat another bite!"

"I hope you lying. Because I saved the best for last!" Ash sat back up and pulled a small cake out from the picnic basket.

Misty sat up to see the cake. It was just big enough for two people. It had a chocolate frosting and when Ash cute into it she saw that it was chocolate on the inside too, just how she liked it. "When did you have time to make this?"

Handing her the plate, Ash confessed, "Actually, mom did it at the restaurant."

Misty took a bite out of it and sighed at how good it tasted. "It's as delicious as it looks. I'll have to thank her later." Looking at Ash she gave him a smile and said "This really has been the best birthday ever."

Happy with how well everything turned out so far, Ash decided it was time for the best part. "I think you should wait until after I give you your present to say that."

"You got me a present on top of all this?!"

"Sure did!"

Ash took out the present from the bottom of the basket and handed it to Misty. She looked over the small package. It was wrapped in a silver paper with a deep blue bow on top. The wrapping was perfect and she almost didn't want to unwrap it.

"Well don't just stare at it. Go on, open it!"

Looking back down, she began with the bow. She took it off and, giggling, placed it on Ash's forehead. He laughed as he took it off and put it on the blanket.

Misty took the paper off and found a small white box. Opening it, she pulled out a necklace. It had a black, satin cord and at the end was the biggest surprise of all. There was a blue pokéball. It had the same design as the regular pokéball but this one was a sapphire. It was attached with a special blue accessory that let it hang from the cord but also looked like a piece of jewelry.

She took the pokéball off and held it in her hand. She placed the necklace back in the box so she could focus on the small orb. Pushing the button in the center, the ball enlarged. She looked toward Ash and he just nodded in encouragement.

She turned the ball away from her and let the Pokémon out. As the red light died down and she was faced with a pair of bright brown eyes and she couldn't help but smile.

"Happy birthday, Mist."


WHO'S THAT POKEMON!?

AHAHAH Sorry guys, couldn't resist. You are just going to have to wait until next time to find out!

And I promise, the next chapter won't take nearly as long to write.

So, I loved this chapter but I want to hear about what you think about it!

There is also a poll on my profile page that i want everyone to vote on! It's about what Pokemon Ash gave to Misty! Please Vote!

Please review! I love hearing your feedback and I'm always open to suggestions.

Till next time!