You

[Ten years old]

The bottom right hand square shut off, the picture minimizing to a small dot before ending its transmission. The flat panel display was part of a four square design, each featuring a different legendary Pokemon cut from stone. A giant mythological bird with long fiery pinions was the feature, and he still swore he saw it just a few hours ago, despite the Professor's discouraging comments. Ash's head lowered with dejection, eyes meeting with the shiny tile floor.

"Now I've got you!"

"Huh?"

There she was - that skinny girl from the lakeside. Her stance was wider than usual, panting for air, holding something with one hand up above her head. It was horribly disfigured, its bright orange and red design reduced to a charcoal like gray. The once two perfect circles at each end were broken and warped, their original shape gone completely. The blackened monstrosity shook in her grip, any more pressure exerted on it and he was sure it would disintegrate right in her hand. The sharp stench of fused metal and burnt rubber filled the entire lobby and he cupped his hand over his nose from further intruding his senses. But the deadly pierce from her eyes proved more intimidating as she sucked up enough oxygen to scream her lungs out.

"I knew I'd find you here!"

"Hey, what happened to your bike?!" he pointed, finally recognizing it.

"What happened to my bike!?" she shouted angrily, stomping towards him. "You happened to my bike, you little loser! This is what's left after you stole it to save your Pokemon! Now I can see why your Pokemon is in the-whoa, whaa, whaaaaaaaa!"

CRASH!

Immediately, he was at her side. "Let me help you!"

She slapped his hand away. "I don't need you help! And you're gonna pay for what you did to my bike!"

"I'll make up for it. I promise I will, really," his eyes shifted away. "But I can't do anything about your bike until..."

She shot to her feet, balling her hand right below her chin. "I don't want any of your lame excuses, kid! I just want a new bike right now!"

"It's my Pikachu," he whispered softly. "My Pikachu's not too good."

"Huh?" Suddenly, the anger in her voice vanished, and those same green eyes once filled with so much rage were softened with concern. He peered back to the unopened sliding doors leading to the critical care treatment room, the small light above still a steady neon red.

"Is it very serious?" she asked gently, hands falling to her side.

"I think so," his voice quivered. "And there's nothing I can do to help now."

"Oh..."

[Twelve years old]

He twirled seamlessly to the music, feet stepping and body swaying in sync with the hard driving rhythm of the beat.

"Alright, Starmie! Time to dance!"

His Pokemon obeyed the command, easily dodging Squirtle's water gun attacks.

He spun around again and flipped his auburn colored hair, letting it fall back against his forehead. "Misty, this is for you. A very special dance. Starmie, spin yourself into a Thunderbolt attack!"

Rudy's Starmie gained enough velocity until its purple crystal-like appendages blurred like a table top. As its speed increased, a narrow bolt of electricity surrounded its entire body and launched toward its unsuspecting opponent.

"But... how?"

"Dance, Starmie!" Rudy smiled. "A victory dance!"

"Squirtle! No!" Ash shouted.

High above them, in a fan propelled air balloon, the spectators of the Gym match looked on.

Tracey hooked his fingers over the side and gasped in disbelief. "I can't believe it! His Starmie can use electric attacks!"

"Alright!" Mari shouted. "My brother Rudy's gonna win the match!"

"Squirtle's a water element and it's weak against electric attacks. This doesn't look good."

Misty had been quiet the entire match. Yes, she was concerned when Pikachu lost to Rudy's Electabuzz, and her spirits were lifted when Bulbasaur evened the score at one apiece. But she couldn't manage any more emotion than that. The only thing she was able to do was vaguely answer little Mari's question about her and Rudy's talk the night before. He asked her to stay with him. She was physically at the match but her mind was someplace else, somewhere far off and elusive, imagining all possibilities of accepting Rudy's request. How staying at Trovita would affect her life. And how much her life would change if she had to move on without...

"Ash! What are you gonna do, just stand there and let him beat ya?!"

Mari frowned. "You want him to win?"

"Misty?" Ash looked from the battlefield to the red balloon, floating a few hundred feet away, above the thin rock cliffs formed from the island's naturally occurring whirlpools. Even though she was far away - and he could barely make her out as a tiny dot - her voice remained powerful and clear.

"Come on! You're the only one you can bring out Squirtle's real power!"

"I know that! I'm not stupid!"

"Then just don't stand there, do something! You already beat Rudy once you can beat him again!"

Rudy sighed, for he was already defeated. "She wants him."

[Thirteen years old]

"Will I see you again?"

"You will. I swear."

[Fifteen years old]

Her fingers flexed around the bars, shaking them as hard as she could. The door moved a millimeter to the left, coughed a metallic chink but did not budge any further. She gave a heavy sigh and knocked her forehead against the bars, producing an equally heavy noise.

"So, anymore bright ideas?"

"Quiet!" she barked, refusing to relinquish her tension. It wasn't a good idea - she knew that already - but like always her stubbornness got the better of her. "We're only in this situation because of you!"

"Me?!" his finger immediately pointed to his nose.

"Yes! You!" Her hands peeled off the cell door and shot in the air, as if wanting to inflict some physical harm on him right then and there. The impulse quickly died however, as her arms flopped back to her side in surrender. "This always happens! We follow your stupid advice and we end up getting captured! The only time I visit you guys and this happens!"

"Hey, it couldn't have been that stupid. You followed it, didn't you?"

"Don't start with me, Ash!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

In the corner of the cramped brig sat two observers. They remained quiet, exchanging a glance or two every so often. The first leaned to her left, shielding one hand over her mouth so her voice wouldn't carry. "Do they always fight like this?"

The older boy smirked slightly and folded his arms against his chest, with a subtle nod to confirm her inquiry.

"That's crazy. It's like they're a bunch of two year olds." Dawn readjusted her white cap and rose to her feet. "Come on guys, I'm sure there's plenty of blame to go around."

"We should have called the police like I wanted to!"

"There wasn't time! We needed to stop Team Galactic now!"

"We're doing a wonderful job of that, by the way!"

"It's not like I was planning on getting captured!"

"Then tell me, what are you planning next?! 'Cause I'm dying to know!"

With an exasperated sigh, Dawn walked back to the corner and slid to the floor. "Well, that didn't work."

Brock chuckled. "Why do you think I didn't get involved in the first place? After the first couple hundred you learn to let a few pass."

They let the bickering continue a few more rounds: A sarcastic comment, a belittling remark, an irritated groan - it was more like some bizarre verbal skill than an argument.

"Brock?"

"Yes?"

"I swear, if we ever get out of this cell, I'm partnering up with you."

He laughed. "You know, I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

[Eighteen years old]

Sent from ASH 11:01 - did you see it?

Sent from MISTY 11:02 - of course I did, you idiot! what do you think I was watching the last two hours? how does it feel?

Sent from ASH 11:03 - awesome! we're celebrating right now! :D

Sent from MISTY 11:05 - wish I could be there

Sent from ASH 11:07 - then be here

Sent from MISTY 11:10 - are you joking?

Sent from ASH 11:12 - does it look like i'm joking?

Sent from MISTY 11:13 - this isn't a video phone, dork :p

Sent from ASH 11:15 - still. I want you here.

Sent from ASH 11:20 - Misty?

Sent from MISTY 11:20 - don't move. i'm coming.

[Twenty years old]

He gently cupped her face before pressing his lips firmly against hers. She titled her head slightly while wrestling back for control, grabbing his jacket by the collar and tearing it off his body. It was his favorite jacket, but it flopped to the floor followed immediately by his shirt. She glided her hands over his arms to his stomach then up his chest.

The bed consumed her like a cloud, as she fell backwards, still engulfed in his hold. She moaned softly as his kisses moved down her neck and collarbone. Her top was cast aside too - he must have slipped it off without her knowing as he pressed further into her bosom, spurning another faint moan. His fingers slid up her thigh, guiding her closer until their bodies perfectly flushed together. She countered by lassoing her slender legs around his waist, grabbing the nape of his neck with one hand and snaking through his messy hair with the other.

Her mind flooded with so many sensations it blurred into nothing, nothing but raw emotion - and she let out a weak cry before he took her breath away entirely.

This time he ceased his work against her smooth milky skin and met with her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she gasped. Her hand touched his cheek, reassuring him one more time. "It's just, I've been waiting forever for this."

"Really?"

She could feel his warm breath against her lips, easing from his previous labored condition, and the strength in his form keeping her safe. And she smiled, smiled because he still didn't quite understand. But that didn't really matter, because his body felt so warm against hers, and for the first time he was kissing her back.

"Of course, Ash. It's always been you," and kissed him again.

[Twenty one years old]

Swearing. Shouting. Screaming.

"You're impossible!"

"You're the impossible one!"

"Oh, real mature, Ash!"

"Look who's talking!"

"Listen," she stopped to take a much needed breath. "I'm tired of this! I'm tired of waiting around for you!"

"Well, don't do me any favors! There's the door!"

"Damn it! Don't you even care?!"

"Of course, I do! But you're making this too hard!"

"Me?!"

"Yes! You! I can't do this anymore!"

Her head lowered, catching a tear before it ran off her face. "I don't know how I ever could have loved you."

It was a whisper, she meant to say it that low, and she wasn't quite sure if he heard it. Maybe his ears were still ringing from all the shouting they did before. But any doubt was crushed when he murmured the same words back to her, in a more resentful, painfully confident way she didn't bother to rub off the new tears devastating her face. A few seconds later and he was gone, with the door quickly shut behind him.

Silence. Shaking. Sobbing.

[Twenty four years old]

The telephone poles - strung together by thick black cables - would easily have given him a headache as they passed every two seconds. But he was used to it by now, sitting in his seat for the last two and a half hours in the same cramped position staring out the window.

Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga went the engine of the train, always drowned in the background. At times he forgot it was there. The steel clickity-clack of the wheels against the rail kept him awake more than anything. His seat rattled at the bends and the inclines, keeping him from achieving any real rest. So he defaulted to the window, less clean when they departed, now subjected to a blinding case of glare. His count of the poles reached a number too high to keep track of and he gave up the small past time just as she walked by.

"Here." She handed him a thin styrofoam cup and sat in the seat opposite to his.

He looked into the half brown half gray liquid ripping in his hand. "What is it?"

"Earl Grey." She carefully sipped hers, both hands on the cup. "At least that's what the guy at the food cart said."

The steam from his cup heated his face, and he blew it away into nothing. "Tea?"

Another small sip. "Yup."

The train hit a small leg of turbulence just as the cup reached his lips, and the liquid got everywhere but his mouth. He scowled and dried his hands against his jeans.

Stifling a laugh, she handed him a paper towel. He thanked her silently and soaked it against his shirt.

Next stop: Route 28 to Mount Silver - The announcement was garbled by static but still clear enough to hear. Both Ash and Misty looked to the ceiling, to the small speaker above their heads. Misty stared into her cup, now half empty. She had procrastinated the whole trip. That 'thing' she meant to bring up hours ago had crept up on her. The low rumbles of the train seemed to lesson and the engine sounded dull enough to carry on a conversation. If there was a time to bring up something meaningful, now would be the time to do it.

She cleared her throat. "Ash, do you ever miss me?"

"What?"

"Do you ever... miss me," she said again.

He laughed, not a humorous one, but one of surprise. "Misty, that was years ago."

"I know." She paused, hoping he would take the reigns. Leading this particular conversation was something she wasn't keen on doing. "Do you?"

He rubbed the back of his head with a few stammers to prelude his response. "I-I don't know. I guess sometimes... every so often, I miss you. Why are you bringing this up now?"

Automatically, she broke eye contact. "I find myself missing you more and more. I don't know, maybe it's because you're leaving."

"Not leaving. Training."

"It sure doesn't feel like it."

He leaned forward, the empty cup dropping from his hands and rolled away somewhere.

"You're right, it doesn't. The Four sent me on this assignment. I don't know when I'll be back."

The train curved around the bend of the mountain, revealing a low forest valley. A towering snow capped Mount Silver was at the end, and Misty's eyes followed the tiny railroad track all the way to where they were.

"No matter what happens in our lives, Ash... I'll always miss you."

"Yeah, I'm going to miss you too."

Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-c hugga

[Twenty five years old]

Pink! Pink! Pink! He flinched every time the gavel tapped against the wooden stand. The audience swept the room away with whispers and conversations too blended to make out. The Dragon Master had enough and rose from his seat, pounding the gavel again.

"Order! Order!"

The crowed hushed into a stunned silence. All eyes glued to the four masters sitting in their chairs.

"Master Ketchum, I must ask you to restrain yourself."

"How can you say that?! This time they've gone too far! You have to do something!"

"We are aware of the situation," Agatha butt in coldly. "Nothing has changed of that fact!"

"They have my mother," Ash said as boldly as he could. "We need to save her! We have to get her back!"

"We cannot make a decision solely on personal matters, you know that. I'm afraid more time is needed for us to make our decision." In one fluid motion, he tossed his cape over his shoulders and turned. "This hearing is adjourned."

As soon as the sound of Lance's gavel reached his ears the four masters were already gone. Another wave of crowd noise claimed the room and Ash couldn't take it anymore. He sprinted down the aisle, splitting the audience in two and pushed the doors open, letting them seesaw shut. The murmurs of the crowd leaked out with every swing, like a broken record on a phonograph.

The pressure in his chest tightened, and he groaned angrily, gnashing his teeth together. The jeers from the audience flooded the tile hallway only for a moment, quickly followed by a familiar voice.

"Ash."

He didn't bother to turn. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, Ash. I really am."

"This isn't right," he growled.

"I know."

"I shouldn't have to jump through all these hoops just to do this!"

"I know!"

"Misty." His head lifted from its previously crestfallen position. "Why are you here?"

"I'm worried about you."

"What are you worried for?"

"I need to know that you won't take things into your own hands."

"What do you expect me to do?! Stay here and wait while the council decides when to act?!"

She didn't say a word. She knew him well enough to know when he had already made up his mind. She had seen it before, when he was ten - boldly trekking the arduous road from trainer to master. That same resolution ran through her body, when he kissed her so passionately all those years ago. And she could still remember how low his voice was, when he broke her heart a year later - ending something that never really began in the first place.

"Come with me."

"Come with you?"

He took a step closer. "Yes, I can't take Team Galactic by myself. I need you. I don't trust anyone else to do this with me but you."

"Ash, I..."

"Misty," his voice broke as he said her name, hand gently settling on her shoulder, as if the needed support relied on her touch alone. "I need to know if you're with me."

She didn't answer him, not initially. But her hand reassuringly rested on his - just like it did a hundred times before - through overwhelming gym battles and villains, in a much younger, simpler life. She drew closer, in a familiar way where he wouldn't have hesitated to take her in his arms, and he in hers.

"Ash," she whispered in a voice, reminding him of a time long ago, where she picked him over a smug Trovita Gym Leader far away in the Orange Archipelagos. And a memory of a beaten Pikachu lying unconscious on a hospital stretcher, with as much tender concern in her eyes as his, for a Pokemon she didn't even know yet.

"I have always been with you."

A/N - It's kinda suppose to be a Pokeshipping chronology. Some scenes were from the show, obviously some I made myself. In my head, this is how I imagine them ending up. They're the "once and future" couple, always with a glimmer of hope. In your review, feel free to let us know which scene was your favorite.

One more to go! I have something special planned for the last chapter.