Summary: U is for Unexpected
Pairing: Pokéshipping, Ash/Misty; a tiny bit of Contestshipping, Drew/May
Setting: Canon divergent. Pretty canon through Kanto and the Orange Islands, diverges more in Johto. Goes from OS001 through the rest of their lives.
Rating: K+ for the mention of sex.
Genre: Romance/Friendship
A/N: Just because I think people might be confused while reading it. Every paragraph is a different scene. They start off being pretty close to each other, just weeks or months apart, but by the end the scenes are all years apart. I just didn't want big line breaks between every paragraph, haha.
The biggest surprise was the first.
He was ten years old and certainly not thinking about death. Well, maybe Pikachu's but not his own. But later it occurred to him that he very well could have died—he and Pikachu both could have. Had it not been for Misty and her stray fishing line.
It was a surprise that she'd stayed. He wasn't bothered about it particularly, happy or sad. He'd definitely been confused—and the whole bike thing had definitely been annoying—but she…well, she was decent company. And Ash had always liked that.
Maybe he didn't really see her until the Gym Battle. Meeting Brock as a Gym Leader and then becoming friends was such a switch to finding out that she was a Gym Leader after the fact. He had been surprised and amazed that she was in such a position, but then, when he battled her, it added up. She was good. And at the time, he'd had too much pride to say it, or even consider it, but she was far better than him.
Ash had always loved his birthday, but his mom had warned him that on the road, there would be very little that she could do for him. If he wasn't staying at a Pokémon Center that day, then they might not even be able to talk until a few days after. And there would be little she'd be able to do for him in terms of a cake. When he woke up to the smell of sugar and Brock and Misty standing in front of him with a strange, flame-baked cake, he couldn't believe it. He knew Brock was behind the cake. But he'd told Misty his birthday one of their first days traveling together. And she'd remembered.
The first time he had seen Pokémon as a threat was when those Spearow had come after him. That had been a moment of realization for him. But at the same time, it didn't change anything. He still loved all Pokémon and continued to think the best of him. So it was a surprise all over again to encounter the destructive and threatening Squirtle Squad. And it filled Ash with a new and unfamiliar fear when they'd threatened Misty out of nowhere. Long after the panic of making it back in time to save her had faded, he thought that maybe that was the moment he realized they had become friends.
In hindsight, his life had already been put at risk once or twice by this point, but waking up in a sunken boat was the first time that he thought: Wow, we really might not make it out of this. But it was her; she saved them all almost singlehandedly. He'd had no idea that she was capable of that. And despite occasional jokes and jabs, truly, he never questioned her capability again.
There was a good moment. There was the nonsense with the Gastly and, frankly, the utter nonsense with Brock, but the maiden festival was a good time. Ash had always worn traditional garb for events at his mother's behest, and he'd never complained because he never wanted to upset his mom. But he didn't like wearing them. But when he saw Misty wearing one, it was different than when he'd seen his mom dressed up. She looked…special. That was all. And then they danced.
Then there was the first time he died. He didn't see it like that at the time, but later, when he thought about it—and when she yelled it at him—he realized, yeah, his soul had been outside of his body; he had died. And, strangely, it wasn't the last. Or even the second to last. It took him a long time to realize all that. But she'd known right away. Or feared for it, at least. She and Brock both. He, Pikachu, and the Ghost Pokémon had just been having fun. But when he saw the fear in their eyes, he hoped never to do it again. He did, of course. But he was always so, so sorry for it. Maybe more than anything else.
She could have been anything. He'd never been that bright or had any ambitions in athletics. He'd never thought about anything else but being a Pokémon Master. But seeing her play the part of the Misty Mermaid after only a day's rehearsal it struck him that she really was amazing. She was an actor, a water dancer like her sisters, she could have been a swimmer for sure, but she just loved Pokémon. Like him. He'd always loved that about her.
The League was something else. He'd never had feelings as big as the ones he'd felt during his first Pokémon League. There was excitement, fear, confidence, nerves, achievement, ambition, all rolled into a nearly twelve-year-old body. And he needed a tether to keep that all on Earth, to keep it all bound. His mom was that. Professor Oak was that. Brock was that. She was that. Time and time again, she was that.
And she'd been there when he'd needed her most, which was after. Even when he didn't want her there, she was there. And he was grateful.
He honestly hadn't been prepared for Brock leaving. Not in a way where he was distraught or lost, but where he didn't know what to feel at all. He'd never considered any element of a journey's end before; as far as he was concerned, he'd be traveling forever. But he wasn't alone in his feelings. Every experience was easier when you knew you weren't alone. And right beside him was someone going through the exact same confusion and loss. So he was okay. Because he had her.
When one door closes, another opens. Before they were even able to settle into a routine without Brock, in walked Tracey. Tracey, who was a great, welcome addition to their group. But he was different. Different from having Brock. And different from having Misty. Not even in a good or bad way, but enough to notice. That was all. He just noticed.
Starting a new journey hadn't been the plan. Well, of course it had been the plan, but not here, not now. But when he decided to stay in the Orange Islands for a while longer, he knew that she was staying as well. She was there for him—there supporting him. Whether he had a plan or not, whether they were staying or not; she was there. The life of a traveler held no certainty. But he had that.
He'd seen her smile a million times. Really, he knew it by heart. Usually, her mouth was closed, but her eyes would squint, so he would know that she meant it. That it was a real smile. But sometimes her mouth would go wide, almost trapezoidal in shape, uneven and uncontrolled. That was when she thought something was really funny, or maybe something really wonderful had happened. He didn't even remember what had triggered it, but one day, she gave that rare second smile, and his chest felt warm. And he couldn't help but smile too.
He was being a jerk. Maybe he wasn't the most self-aware kid on the planet, but he liked people enough to know when—on the rarity that it occurred—he didn't get along with someone. And he did not like this Danny guy. And Misty was kinda pissing him off. But that was a separate thing.
She wouldn't talk about it. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened on Trovita, but she was acting differently. Even days later. Tracey wouldn't talk about it either, and it seemed like he knew more than Ash did. Even though they'd been together the whole time while Misty had been out. He was confused and he didn't like being confused, but he also wasn't the type to dwell on stuff. And if everyone said that he'd understand later, then he would just have to trust that he would.
She'd saved him. Not for the first time and not for the last time, but just like the day they'd met, she pulled him out of the water and saved him from drowning. But it was different this time. This time it wasn't a rogue hook from an anonymous fishing pole. This time, it was his friend, his best friend, risking her life in the cold, dangerous waters as she swam for him. She could have sent out one of her many Water Pokémon. But she didn't. It was his life in hers. And he was safe.
She'd been there when he lost. His worst moment into the days where he'd been at his worst. And now she was here when he won. He was proud of his Pokémon. He was proud of himself. But when he saw her smiling so big, so proud of him, his chest swelled. His heart felt bigger than it ever had. And it was only the start.
It was like Brock had never left. But at the same time, the group dynamic was different. Brock didn't seem to have so many fights to break up. They were just getting along. It was smooth, it was easy, they were happy. Well, they'd always been happy, but now they were good. Really good.
It was a weird thought, Chikorita having a crush on him. He'd never really considered anything like that before—certainly not coming from a Pokémon. But somehow, it got him to thinking. It was never good when that happened.
He was usually the one to fall headlong into the water, but this time it was her. Ash watched in shock as she, with Pikachu and Marill in hand, fell into the stream and was dragged away from him. And in that instant, he wondered how she handled watching him fall so many times. They'd both witnessed Brock fall off that bridge back in Kanto, but this was different. With a frightening urgency, Ash leapt to his feet and ran towards the stream, with promises of saving her flying from his lips.
There was nothing spectacular about the first kiss. There was no proclamation of love or affection, and there wouldn't be for a long time. Maybe it wasn't even supposed to happen, but on an insignificant night, filled with insignificant talk, she leaned over and gave him a little kiss. And they blushed and they did not talk about it. It was the first and even then, he suspected it wouldn't be the last.
It wasn't romance, or even a relationship. They didn't go on dates. They didn't hold hands. The things they said weren't any different—they still fought as they always did, though it was less than in the old days. It wasn't about any of that, though. It was the shy smiles, the warm blushes, the secret thoughts that made it exciting and new. They shared something now, something neither of them had ever had before. And, for now, it was just for them.
He hadn't thought about crushes since Chikorita had made hers obvious, but this girl Macy suddenly put the topic on his mind again. And, abruptly, he realized that Misty probably had a crush on him. And, though there was no way to tell, nothing to compare to, really, he probably had one on her. He didn't know what to do with that, but, if anything he smiled more often when he looked at her.
Another loss. But, for some reason, this one didn't sting as much as the first. Maybe it was because he was older, maybe it was because he'd experienced it before, maybe it was he'd made it further this time. Or maybe it's because he knew how good the after was. He'd lost, but now he had a whole new journey to look forward to. He didn't know where they'd go next, but he was certain that, somewhere, there was another round of badges to collect, and another League for him to try his luck at. And that made the losing not so bad.
The hardest thing he'd probably ever done at that point was leaving Charizard at the Charicific Valley. For some reason, that goodbye, even though it hadn't been permanent, had been the heaviest weight to bear. Perhaps it's because they'd been through so much, perhaps it was because he'd struggled for so long to get Charizard back on their side, and it felt like they'd only just become friends again. But the idea of leaving Misty was so much harder. She'd been there since before Charmander, before Brock, before everyone but Pikachu. And she'd been by his side the whole time. And just like with Charizard, he didn't want her to leave, but he couldn't hold her back. So le let her go. But before that, he kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her.
It was a hard decision to start over again. New region. Just Pikachu. No Misty. No Brock. Just his experience and penchant for good luck. Gary was an influence, of course, but it was more than that. He'd relied on Misty and Brock so much in the past, but now he didn't have them. Not in the same way at least. It was time to trust himself, and know that they would still be there inside him.
Most people begin relationships when they're together; theirs began apart. They couldn't talk often, because it was typically many days between towns and access to a phone or mail service. Plus, she was busy and they were, after all, in different time zones. But the effort that was there was different. She had seen more than three years go by where he rarely phoned his mom, Professor Oak, or Brock while he'd been away. They didn't usually have much new to talk about, but that wasn't the point. The talk was nice, but the contact was better.
He was glad that she wasn't jealous of May. At this point, he knew that Misty was not immune to jealousy by any means, but something about being in an actual relationship must have calmed her. Or maybe the distance just meant that she had no choice but to trust him. He certainly trusted her.
The Gym's reputation was soaring, and he was so proud. Now that he'd challenged just about two dozen Gyms, he really had perspective on what had been only his second Gym Battle. And, with all due respect, the Cerulean Gym had been a mess. And he was willing to bet it hadn't gotten much better in the past few years. But after only a few months of her being in charge, it was rising in the ranks in Kanto, past Forrest, Aya, who'd taken over for Koga, and A.J. the new Viridian Gym Leader. That was according to the articles Brock had helped him find, at least.
Since being with her, he had gotten better at keeping in contact with everyone in his life. His mom, Professor Oak, and his other friends—when he could. Sometimes letters were the only way, since traveling friends weren't always at Pokémon Centers at the same time. But he did his best—or at least, much better than before. Something else to thank her for, he figured.
He'd been worried about how to act when she came to visit in person. What were the expectations now that they were 'together?' But the worry ended up being for nothing. As soon as she came, it was as natural as it had ever been. Not to say that it was the same as it had been when they'd first started traveling again—no not at all. They held hands, they kissed, and now when people made jokes about them…well, he still blushed, but it felt very different. But it wasn't just that lovey-dovey stuff. They were too distracted by the Mirage Kingdom for the most part anyhow. It was good to know, though, that they were still them.
The L word came so naturally he almost missed it. She said it first, and he had to do a mental rewind to check that he'd heard correctly. But of course he had and of course she'd said it, because the truth was that he loved her too. And she definitely didn't miss it when he said it back.
There was one thing that struck him on his journey through Hoenn that he couldn't help but get stuck on. May had only just started off as a Coordinator, but she was already well on her way to the Grand Festival. She was following her dream parallel to Ash challenging the Hoenn League. But Brock and Misty—who had had dreams long before Ash had come along—hadn't done the same. They'd been his support, following him where he'd gone, always done what he wanted. And that quickly concerned him. But when he spoke with Misty, she told him one thing. That a person could have multiple dreams, and somewhere along the way, traveling with him had become her dream as well.
He'd kinda thought that when the year was up and her sisters returned, she would come back to him. But, at the same time, he wasn't surprised when she didn't. She'd found her place in the world and, slowly but surely, she was on her way to becoming a Master. So he kept traveling. And she stayed there. But they were nevertheless together.
Their first date was a year in, when he was in Kanto for the Battle Frontier. The truth was that he didn't care what they did, where they went, or that they even went on an 'official' date, save for one thing; he knew that she wanted it. She was a romantic, and that was that—he was going to ask her out. They went to a fancy restaurant that his mom recommended, and it cost what a week's worth of meals on the road would have. But to see her face…it was worth it and more.
When he entered the Battle Frontier Hall of Fame, he was hit with a dilemma. If he became a Brain, he'd be able to stay in Kanto, fighting really strong Trainers and meeting new Pokémon. And he'd be close to Misty. But he wanted to keep traveling. And he wondered if that was selfish.
He went off to Sinnoh with Brock, and she, again, stayed behind. It was routine, and they were happy, but for the first time, he wondered something. How was this going to be sustainable? He asked her and, for once, she admitted that she didn't know. As he went through the Gyms, one thing was clear: he'd made the right decision to continue traveling. He loved meeting new Pokémon, and Dawn reminded him how much he liked meeting new friends. If he was going to have to stop one day, it wasn't just yet.
Maybe journeys became stale for some, but for him, this one felt very different, primarily for one reason: Paul. Gary had been a good rival in Kanto, but after a while, they weren't challenging each other anymore. Their paths hardly crossed, and they'd become quite different from one another. And now he was a researcher, of all things. Paul was first real rival in a long time, and maybe even more of a challenge than Gary. With Gary, it had been petty childishness that had pushed him. Now, it was something greater. Of course, he could really test himself against, Paul, but there was also a point to be proven. And he wasn't going to settle.
Though he hadn't realized it at the time, he knew he'd experienced jealousy in the past. He thought he knew the extent of it in terms of his relationship. But he hadn't realized that it could manifest in other ways, one of those being jealousy of others' relationships. Sure, they were only in the budding stages, but May and Drew were able to have that at each others' side, traveling together. And even though he wanted it all the time, that just made him want Misty to be there more than ever.
Lorelei stepped down from the Elite Four, and Misty's name was on the short list of replacements. He'd never been immersed in League politics before dating her, but now he followed every move of the Kanto League. Usually Gym Leaders were first choice to fill the slots, then Frontier Brains, then Trainers with other accolades, like League victors or even Top Coordinators, though that was uncommon. Regardless, in the current moment, he hardly cared about his career as all eyes were on hers.
She got it. And that only meant one thing. For most of the year, she could travel again. With him.
As soon as he got her back, Brock left. It turned out that in all his time riding along with Ash's dream, he had been working on his own. And he'd discovered that that wasn't the dream he wanted anymore. He was going to be a Pokémon doctor. And for that, he needed school. So on the happiest of notes, ones again, they went their separate ways.
This time, things really were different. Even though her dream was well in the works, now they made sure to make time for the both of them. They spent more time by the ocean. More time catching new Water Pokémon and training together. He developed a real patience for fishing. Their relationship was tested for the first time and they found out that yes, indeed, they could be together always, and still love one another.
The first time they made love it was awkward, as it tends to be. It was messy and, at times, uncomfortable, but it was also lovely and amazing. He'd been a little surprised to find himself ready for such a thing but, with her, it was the easiest choice he could have made.
They went through the Leagues, Unova and Kalos, and they waited as the Alola League became up and running. He was always better, and always closer. Always closer, but never there. But maybe it was better that way because, as he often joked with her, he'd have no idea what was next if he ever made it.
They were married young, both nineteen and blissful beyond all belief. Brock was the best man and Pikachu was the ring bearer. It was small, but perfect. It was early, but long, long awaited.
Then there was talk of children. They both wanted them, but then he wouldn't be able to travel anymore. That was less an issue for her, because she was an Elite either way, but without traveling, what did he have? Then Blaine retired, leaving the Cinnabar Island Gym conveniently open.
He became the first traveling Gym Leader. Sometimes you would find him at the Gym, and sometimes you had to find him elsewhere, not always close. The child in him loved the game of it all, and he wondered how Misty had ever complained about being a Gym Leader. She argued that she hadn't complained often. But she didn't argue long, because she loved being able to come back to an island home.
They had three, which was at the same time way too many and hardly enough. Part of him wanted to have enough kids to have a family baseball team. But she drew the line at three, and he was just fine with that. Of course, they were all Trainers, and one by one, they left the house on journeys of their own, just as their parents had done so long ago.
When the kids were gone there was one choice to make: stay settled—as settled as they'd ever been—or begin travel again?
Was it even a choice?
The most fun they had was when they would not-so-accidentally stumble across one of their kids journeying. They would cry out that eye contact had been made and assume a no holds Battle. It wasn't exactly fair, but no one objected. That wasn't the Ketchum way.
They grew old together. And when she got sick, the journey had to stop. But it was the perfect time to recall how easy it would have been to have missed all of this. They might have spent their whole life as friends or not even that, had it not been for a few surprises along the way. They were sad, but they laughed.
Then you closed your eyes, you took my heart by surprise. I wasn't expecting that.
A/N: This is an almost songfic inspired by I Wasn't Expecting That by Jamie Lawson. Super cute song and I definitely suggest a listen. The last italicized line is the last line of the song too. This one took a while because it blocked me for a while; I couldn't get the pacing right. Which is kinda why it goes from the small time skips to the long ones. So I wrote half of it over, like, two months and half of it tonight, haha. But I just love this song and thought it was a great opportunity to do something different with Ash and Misty. I was able to toss a bunch of little headcanons for them into this as well as write my first story with them procreating in a long time. Go me! I don't think I've ever read a story in quite a style like this before, so I'd love to hear what any of you have to say about it! Did you like it? Were you confused? Let me know!
Btw, I am over 50K into a currently unpublished story. So things ARE in the works. I promise.