disclaimer: i don't own anything.

notes: contains platonic pokeshipping. eat it up.

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Thought I lost you, I gave you away.

On the evening of her wedding, Misty is with Ash. She hasn't eaten since early morning, so he brings her a plate of appetizers to share. Ash takes a sip of a sugary lemonade before handing it to her. Misty accepts it thankfully, twiddling her fingers in nerves.

Ash thinks to himself how funny it is to see her munch in her wedding dress.

"Be careful not to spill anything, that's probably the nicest thing you own," he teases, taking red bean mochi from the shared plate between them.

"Says the kid who owns one good pair of jeans," she retorts, and pokes him hard on the forehead. He flinches and laughs along with her.

"Not a kid," Ash emphasizes, patting his chest. "A Master."

Misty rolls her eyes at him which only causes his smile to widen more. He isn't wrong after all as he is the Master.

They set their shared treats aside. Misty adjusts her pearly white mermaid gown and dusts off the nonexistent crumbs.

Ash stands takes a step back and looks at her. Her eyebrows perk up at his undivided attention.

"…. What?"

He tells her, "You look beautiful."

Ash is sincere, no sarcasm or teasing to his voice. He smiles softly, picturing the brazen girl he used to know telling him to shut up and dance as she twirls in her rose-colored yukata.

Misty was always a firecracker but the woman in front of him glows.

"Thank you, Ash." She is the brightest he has ever seen her.

"Misty, you're getting married. I almost don't believe it." He helps pull her from the seat as she adjusts herself and her bouquet. Ash takes notes of the slight height difference. She always had a good few inches on him but now he easily sees over her head.

"Believe it," she replies. "You are part of the wedding party."

"I'll be there for the honeymoon too—" Misty pinches Ash's side and he returns a pinch in response. "Come on, I love Alola!"

Their snickering subsides, and the two of them fall silent. Ash gets a wistful look in his eye as he watches her bite her lip. The time is approaching. Minutes before the beginning of her new life, and of all people she chooses to spend the time with, it's him.

For Ash, it is a bittersweet honor.

He offers his arm and she takes it with a nod. Music and laughter awaits from them outside, yet the duo remain strangely quiet.

Misty halts. Her long hair rustles against his shoulder. "Wait."

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"I've known you long enough to know when you have something to say."

"I don't, I promise."

"Ash Ketchum," she warns. Misty twists his arm, so he faces her. He nudges her back, but her expression isn't playful. Her nose flares up, like it always does when she's serious.

"Nothing, it's just—remember when we were kids and you said you and I would be married someday too? I guess it's starting to hit me that it's coming true. You were always so wise about junk like that."

A tender smile breaks across her face. "That was forever ago, huh? We sure did have a lot of adventures," Misty draws. "But in some way, this is its own adventure, or at least that's how it feels to me."

"You're right it's just that…." Ash shrugs. "It's so stupid but it feels like….I'm losing my girl, ya know?" He laughs awkwardly to himself and she raises a curious eyebrow. "NOT in that way or like, chauvinistically. What I'm saying is that the Misty who I traveled with…the person I shared my first adventure with is starting a new part of her life."

Misty's blue-green eyes flashed brightly.

"You've been my number one girl for so long and now you're getting married…it's a lot to process…but I'm just being ridiculous and sentimental. We should go—"

Ash begins to walk away. Before he could take another step, she yanks him back and pulls him into an embrace which brings him speechless.

"Ash," Misty says as she pulls away from their hug, hands still locked. Misty beams, fire and warmth in her eyes, and tells him clearly, "I'll always be your number one girl. Always."

She tightens her grip.

"You're my best friend."

He looks down at her with the same amount of warmth and care. Even at this age, the redhead still brings him back down to his senses.

"You hear me, Ketchum?"

Ash lets out a curt laugh and nods. "I hear ya."

"Good."

He scratches the back of his neck. "I know I don't always say this, but I love you, a lot. You're my best friend too."

For as long as he has known her, she has always had trouble saying those three-letter words. For as long as they've been friends, she has always shown him love. She leaves those words for good moments.

"Oh Ash," Misty laughs his name, almost like she was talking to that gung-ho kid she used to know. "Even when you pressed Caterpie to my face, I knew you would be important to me," she admits. "I'm always going to love you and that's not something that will change, you hear me?"

Their friendship tested through distance and time yet here they are.

"I hear you," he replies, with a low whistle. "Man, when did we turn into such saps?"

Her stern scowl subsides into a gently curved smile. "Age does wonders, my friend. Now—let's go before you make me late for my wedding."

"I promise I won't make you late to you next one, Mist."

He jokes because they both know there won't be such a thing. Ash lifts her hand and presses her knuckle to his lips to which Misty's eyes widen in surprise. He let's go of her hand and offers his arm once again. Misty laces her arm gently through his, squeezes it, and he leads her to the ceremony.

The Oak grounds covered by their loved ones. Friends, family and pokémon. Decorative twinkling fairy lights and candles brining the area to life. Leave it to Gary Oak to have a ceremony at twilight.

Under the oldest tree in Pallet Town, stood the groom. The Master watches from where he stood as his oldest friend turned to them. Ash is taken back by Gary's sharp eyes softening at the sight of his bride.

From his side, Ash hears her breath faintly hitch and Misty presses her fingers deeper into his upper arm. Her excitement was beginning to rub off on him as all eyes crept towards the bride.

Two of his oldest friends, two influential demons that struck his every nerve. One of Ash's most heart stopping moments in life was walking in on an eighteen-year-old Gary and Misty curled around one another on his mom's extra futon after coming back home from traveling. When Misty initially told him, she was dating Gary in a postcard sent prior to his return, Ash thought it was a prank. Misty wearing Gary's white button down in bed was proof it was not.

What Gary and Misty have begun small, almost insignificant but grew to become deep and sincere. A Kanto-Johto Elite Four member marrying the Leagues' head Professor gained regional attention, yet it was a quaint celebration. Leave it to the popular couple to keep their celebration private.

Ash may not have seen how it started or who first pined for who, but he watches them and sees a pair of equals that deserve each other. He thinks of his mementos from Gary and Misty—a half pokéball wrapped in a pink handkerchief now kept in the pocket of his suit.

His past self would never believe that in the future Gary Oak and Misty Williams would fall in love. And that he would be the one to give her away.

"Ash?" She asks, bringing him back to reality. Misty calls for Ash but her focus, her everything remains fixated on the man waiting for her. Soulful music begins to play, and Ash Ketchum puts his entire energy into not shedding a tear. Before he can guide her forward Misty quietly whispers something to him. Softly, she tells him, "Thank you."

And it flows through his ears. From the corner of his eye, he looks down at the joy drip from her face like honey which makes Ash feel his own sort of happiness. Soon he will bring her to meet Gary at the other side of the aisle and let go. He will hold on to her words, that flowed through his ears to pressed into his heart. And for a short moment, it stops beating as he grips his free hand around her arm.

With that, they step forward and the tears shed anyway.

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notes: inspiration comes from the song "wedding dress" by matt Nathanson. it was supposed to be way shorter but i got dramatic. it mainly focuses on ash and misty and one-way i see ash being part of an ego wedding. no matter what! to me, ash and misty are best friends and i feed off their friendship and love. please review! xoxo