Distance Makes Our Love Stronger, a pokémon fanfic

Distance Makes Our Love Stronger

By Fox McCloude

Sevii Archipelago, Four Island…

Misty knew very well this training would be harsh. She knew it from the moment Lorelei offered to take her under her wing, in order to personally prepare her to become her successor in Kanto's Elite Four. Of course, she wouldn't pass up such a chance to become her great heroine's disciple, so she immediately agreed without hesitation.

Although at the time she never imagined she'd be doing battle training in an ice cavern, like she was doing now. Misty was surprised to see that a warm archipelago had a place as cold as the Icefall Cave, but Lorelei told her this made it the perfect place to train in extreme conditions, and she couldn't help but agree.

"Dewgong, use Icicle Spear!"

"Golduck, stop them with Psychic!"

Currently, the Elite Four member and the Cerulean Gym Leader were sparring in an improvised battlefield, a pond full of frozen rock pillars that served as platforms to stand on. Lorelei's marine lion fired off a barrage of ice projectiles, while Misty's blue duck raised his webbed hands, as his eyes glowed with a blue light.

The ice pikes stopped dead in midair before hitting Golduck, who then pushed forward to send them back at Dewgong. The latter dived into the water to dodge and hide, which clued Misty that they were preparing a surprise attack from below.

"Golduck, get ready; Dewgong will come out any second!" Misty warned.

The duck stood on alert, looking all over the place for his foe, while his trainer watched her mentor attentively. The older woman, for her part, kept a calm smile with an icy glare. That was her usual demeanor in combat; cold and unforgiving like ice.

A few bubbles behind Golduck alerted the younger redhead of the incoming attack, and she immediately took a preemptive action.

"Golduck, jump off that pillar and use Aqua Jet!"

The duck dodged what looked like a Horn Attack from Dewgong, who overshot him and landed with a splash on the other side, but quickly turned around to begin his counterattack.

"Use Ice Beam!" Lorelei called.

Dewgong's horn shot the freezing beam straight at Golduck, who came flying in his direction engulfed in a water layer. Said layer froze up, which would turn it into a more dangerous attack, should it hit its target.

Unfortunately for them, that wasn't the case; right before being struck by the frozen Aqua Jet, Dewgong leaped above him, striking with an Iron Tail that sent him off-course, crashing straight into one of the pillars. The ice broke apart and Golduck fell into the water, before he floated back up, completely unconscious.

"Golduck!" Misty exclaimed, running towards Golduck to verify his condition.

"Looks like we win again," Lorelei said, as Dewgong swam to her edge to get a few pats on the head. "Nice job, Dewgong."

"Drat, we were so close." Misty pulled out her Pokéball to return Golduck. "Well done, Golduck, we almost made it this time. Now take a well-earned break."

"You guys are doing pretty well. Though you still need to synch with each other a bit more," the older woman said as she adjusted her glasses.

"We're still a long way to reach your level," the younger one replied.

And so they were. It was a well-known fact that the Elite Four members had trained their Pokémon to make independent calls in determined situations, without needing to rely 100% on their trainer's commands. That gave them an edge in making them more unpredictable, as most trainers would know what to expect from hearing the other trainer's orders, to act in response, but the Elite Four members had surpassed that limitation by a long shot.

And if she wanted to be one, she needed to learn it herself.

"Well, I think that's enough for today," Lorelei said. "It's time to return home."

"Sounds good to me." Misty went to pick up her bag. Part of the training was also getting proper rest, and an ice cavern would always push her to the limit.

The Icefall Cave was also very dangerous, and only expert trainers would be allowed in it. In fact, Lorelei had to pull a few strings to let her in, arguing she'd be accompanying her all the while in case something happened.

Later at Lorelei's home…

Despite having gotten the hang of the Icefall Cave training, Misty always appreciated being back at her mentor's home, to take a hot bath once the day was over.

After getting out of the shower and getting dressed to allow Lorelei her turn, the girl went to the living room to wait for her, and having little else to do, decided to take a look at some of the photos adorning the table and shelves. She'd been too buried in her training to pay attention to them, and she spent a lot more time outdoors training than at home, as they usually came back only to eat and sleep.

Naturally, there were some family photos; there was one of Lorelei when she most likely wasn't older than eleven or twelve, surrounded by a red-haired man and a purple-haired woman who looked a lot like the adult Lorelei (they probably were her parents). She also saw another where she stood in the Whirl Cup's stadium, holding up the Mystic Water pendant given to the winner (she recalled having watched that battle, which inspired her in the first place to chase her goal), and many others in different stages of her life.

However, Misty took notice that in most of the photos Lorelei was accompanied by someone else. In the most recent one, she was standing next to a young man taller than her (which was saying a lot, as Lorelei was notably above average height, even without her heels), with blue-purple short hair, and eyes of the same color. She could see them together in different stages of their life: wearing an elementary school uniform, in what seemed to be a Pokémon league tournament in the Indigo Stadium, and even one where they were playing together at the beach.

All of them shared something in common: they seemed rather close with each other, and very happy.

"Who is he?" the young redhead asked.

"Who are you asking for?" Lorelei's voice replied, catching her off-guard. She finished bathing and getting dressed much quicker than Misty expected. "Oh, watching my photos, I assume?"

The woman glanced around and quickly realized what she was watching. Misty giggled nervously; even though Lorelei didn't seem angry about it, she couldn't help but feel like a child caught in the middle of some mischief.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"No need for apologies," the woman interrupted, as she approached and grabbed the photo Misty was checking. "If I didn't want people to see these photos, I wouldn't leave them in my living room in plain sight."

"I guess so," Misty replied. "I hadn't stopped to see them before, but I noticed this guy appears a lot in them. Who is it?"

"His name is Frey Solorge. A childhood friend and old rival of mine. And also… my boyfriend since a few years ago."

Misty raised her eyebrows. She'd followed Lorelei's career for years, but she'd never learned that she had a boyfriend or fiancé of any sort. And since Lorelei said it without hesitation, it didn't seem like it was a hidden or secret relationship.

"Not many know about our relationship," the Elite Four trainer said. "It's because our jobs keep us apart often, so we can spend months without seeing each other."

"I see," Misty nodded. "What does he do?"

"He's an agent of the Pokémon G-Men. I think you know what that means, don't you?"

"Of course."

She obviously didn't know all details, but from their encounters with Lance, she knew the G-Men did undercover operations to dismantle criminal organizations. A high-risk job that required great skills, and surely didn't leave much free time for leisure.

Something similar to what happened between her and Ash, and it made her feel some kinship with her mentor.

"Check this out," Lorelei grabbed the photo showing them in the Indigo Stadium. "This was the first time we both competed in an official tournament. He began his journey one year before me, so he was a bit ahead of me in experience. Though he always said I had the potential to be better than him."

"Really?" Misty asked, a bit surprised.

"I don't know if he said it to be nice to me, or because he liked me and he tried to impress me," Lorelei replied. "But he'd always be egging on me to surpass him, and whenever he beat me, he'd say it was luck, and that I would win the next time."

Misty giggled. That sounded very different from someone she knew, who wasn't quite a rival full-time, but wouldn't pass up the opportunity to show off to impress her whenever they faced each other. Of course, he'd always admit defeat with dignity whenever he lost, once he'd let it sink in.

"This other was when we fought for the spot in the Elite Four," Lorelei added, grabbing another photo. They were again in the Indigo Stadium, but they looked much older, with Lorelei much closer to her present self. "It was the toughest battle we ever had. Our win-loss record against each other was evenly matched, so that battle would break the tie."

"Incredible," Misty said. "I would have loved to see that battle."

"I won by the hair, if I may add. Although that time, Lance was so impressed with Frey that he decided to recruit him for the G-Men, and he accepted. After that… well, we've spent many long periods separated."

Misty recalled how Ash told him that Lance also approached him with a similar offer once, but he rejected it, arguing he didn't want to feel tied by a job like that. Although sometimes he would collaborate with them, he never wanted to join them full time.

"So then… how do you maintain your relationship?" the younger redhead asked. "I mean, it can't be easy, being separated from each other for so long. Don't you miss him?"

"Hmm, of course I do," Lorelei replied. "Long-distance relationships are never easy, especially when you need to balance them with work. But we manage."

"How?" an intrigued Misty asked.

In response, Lorelei gave her an inquisitive look. "Why the sudden interest?"

Misty blushed. It wasn't an accusing look, but even then he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. She held a deep respect for Lorelei as a trainer, and she wasn't sure if it was okay to talk to her about her personal issues.

In battle she could be cold and merciless, but out of it she was a warm and kindhearted person, although Misty still had a hard time separating both facets, even after training under her.

"Well… I too started dating someone," she finally admitted, rubbing her hands together. "Just like you guys, sometimes we have a hard time meeting each other. I had to take care of my gym and he… well, he's not able to stay in a single place for too long. He's always traveling and searching for the next adventure."

One of the things she missed the most was being able to travel with the same freedom as before, but overall, not being able to travel with him. All those adventures and misadventures they had together had become precious memories for her. Even though she couldn't say she was unhappy now, those memories sometimes felt like the happiest times of her life, only for sharing them with Ash.

"It's not like I'm worried we'll break up or something, but… it's not easy, not being able to see him as often as I'd like to," she confessed.

"I know, I understand how you feel," Lorelei said. "After I started in the Elite Four, and Frey entered the G-Men, we scarcely met each other for about two years. We both had responsibilities we couldn't afford to leave aside, which obviously made it hard."

"And how did you manage it?" Misty asked.

Lorelei smiled again, this time with a bit of melancholy. "Written letters, phone calls… sometimes he even brought a souvenir from his missions. And I always tried to leave him a message with Lance whenever he went on duty. What mattered the most was that we keep in touch, and that I always remind him how much I loved him, like he did me."

"Is that it?" Misty asked. That sounded too simple; she was expecting something more… spectacular, maybe.

"Trust me, a simple gesture sometimes is the best," Lorelei assured. "Calling each other just to hear our voices, whenever we feel bad or anything, can make a sea of difference. Of course, we must try not to be inopportune."

Misty nodded; she wouldn't like to call Ash in the middle of a championship match, or that he called her when she was halfway through a Gym battle she was about to win. That said, she did feel like calling him just to hear his voice, and talk about anything, get up to speed.

It may sound corny to expect he would call her just to say "I love you", but she didn't deny she would like that. And if he couldn't, should she do it herself? Probably yes.

"Many don't see it this way, but I believe distance makes our love stronger," Lorelei continued. "Being separated for so long makes our meetings, those moments we share, even more special for us."

"Yeah, that I can agree on," Misty nodded. She didn't deny it; having abruptly interrupted her adventures with Ash made her feel really sad (not to mention very mad at her sisters), but that only made her even happier during their reencounters, seeing him again after so long.

True, they were just friends at the time, maybe best friends, but she already knew in her subconscious that there was something more between them, something stronger and deeper.

"Maybe I should call him later," Misty said. "Truth be told, I really feel like talking to him, I need to hear his voice."

"Feel free to use my phone if you want. Just don't hold the call for over two hours, okay?" The woman winked at her, before standing up. "Anyway, it's time to heat our dinner, are you hungry?"

Misty giggled again and nodded. After a long day, they had earned a good meal before hitting the sack. But since Lorelei had offered her, she would grab the phone later to call Ash. One of the downsides of coming to train here was that her cellphone was out of the cover range, so he couldn't use it to call Ash or anybody else.

That night…

After dinner, Lorelei went to her room, leaving Misty in the living room so she could do her phone call without interruptions. The younger redhead was grateful to her mentor for this, as she really wanted to have a private talk with Ash.

At the time he was probably home, assuming he was still in Pallet Town attending his duties as Coliseum Gladiator, but she still didn't dare to dial the number. She didn't know why exactly, but maybe it was a mishmash of questions "What if he's not home?", "What if he's tired and doesn't want to be disturbed?", "What if he gets mad at being called for something so trivial?"

Misty finally shook his head; to hell with that, it was Ash after all. Her best friend, her traveling companion, and more importantly, her boyfriend. He wouldn't be mad at something like that. She raised the auricular and dialed the number. Nerves momentarily struck back as the communication signal went off, but they quickly dispelled as she heard the call answered on the other side.

"Hello?"

"Ash? It's Misty," she said without hesitation. Recognizing Ash's voice helped her calm down more. "Hope it's not a bad timing."

"Say what? No, of course not, I'm glad you call. Truth is, I've been wanting to talk to you for a while."

"Really? Well, we can do it now."

Misty twirled her finger around the auricular's cord. The only downside was that this phone was an old model without a screen, so she could only hear him, but she took what she had. Anything just to communicate with him.

"So… how have you been?" he asked. He sounded a bit shy from the other side. "Have you done well in your training?"

"Oh, of course I have," she assured. "Although I still have a long way to go, if I want to beat Lorelei when we get to our official match."

"I know you will," Ash said. "You're the greatest Water Pokémon trainer I know, after all."

Misty's heart skipped a beat, as a smile made its way into her face. It meant the world for the redhead that he believed in her like that, and those encouraging words would always give her strength to go on, even in the hardest moments.

Both started getting up to speed about what they'd been doing; Misty talked about how hard Lorelei's training had been, while Ash told her about the many challengers coming to his Battle Coliseum, even though he was planning on leaving the position in order to participate in the Champions League soon. That made the girl happy, to know that, just like she continued to fight for her dreams, he did the same with his own.

And the conversation would have gone even longer, if it wasn't because Misty saw the clock, and realized they'd been talking over one and a half hour. She was so happy to talk to Ash, and time just went flying.

"Oh my, I wish I could continue talking to you, but if I go on I'll exceed my limit," Misty said.

"I get it. Don't worry, I'm happy I could hear your voice, I really miss you."

"You'll go see me when I face Lorelei, right? You promised me," the redhead reminded. She hadn't forgotten that from the last time they met, and she still held him to that word.

"Of course, you know I wouldn't miss it for the world," Ash replied with determination. Especially because I know you'll win."

"You better." Misty twirled her finger around the phone's cord again. "Um, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Just wanted to say… I love you. You know that, do you?" she asked shyly.

She almost forgot to say those words. She was so happy to talk to him after so long, she'd almost forgotten that small, yet extremely important detail.

"Of course I know," he replied, "but it doesn't hurt that you remind me. And you know that I love you too, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," she assured.

The girl remained silent, waiting for the boy to say goodbye to hang up, but he didn't. Even through the auricular she heard a bit of his breathing, like he too was waiting for her to say goodbye.

"So, should we hang up already?" Ash asked.

"Obviously," she replied. "You can hang up first, if you want."

"But you were the one who called, you hang up first."

"No, you do it first. Aw, come on, who cares about who hangs up first?"

"On the count of three?" he suggested.

"Sounds fair to me… one…"

"… two…"

"THREE!" both said in unison.

Misty stayed put, waiting for the sound of the phone being hung up on the other side, but it never came. Naturally, she was waiting for Ash to hang up first, but he did not.

"Hey, you cheated," he replied from the other side.

"Look who's talking," she replied. If the phone had a screen, he probably was puffing up his cheeks at the time. Even so, she just laughed it off. "Some things never change, do they?"

"No, and it's better that way," he replied in the same manner. "Well, bye. See you in a few months, I guess."

"I'll be waiting for you. Bye, Ash."

And then, she finally hung up, since there was no point in extending the call. Lorelei did say no more than two hours, and she didn't want to give her reasons to get mad, or worse, to call off their training after getting this long.

That night, Misty could go to bed much more at ease, but overall much happier and more motivated to continue her training. Having talked to Ash, to know that both, despite being physically apart, sill held onto each other in spirit, would give her strength to fulfill her dream, and seeing him again on the day of the match was an even bigger incentive.

Lorelei was right; distance only made their love even stronger.

FIN.

Author's notes:

How's it going, people? Oof, at long last, I found some time to finally translate this minishot. In case it's not clear enough, this one acts as a prequel of sorts to my oneshot for the PokéShipping Week 2019 "Water vs. Ice", as it takes place while Misty trains under Lorelei. During that time, she and Ash couldn't meet one another face to face until the day of the official match, but that doesn't stop them from having one another in their hearts. Also, if anybody asks, the boyfriend Lorelei mentions here, Frey, was originally a character I created for the Pokémon Reset Bloodlines universe, but given that he's my creation, I feel with the liberty to use him outside too. Maybe I'll do a story of them in its own continuity, since it's one of the few OCxCanon pairings I have (I could count them with one hand and still have fingers to spare).

Anyway, there's nothing left for me to say, hope you enjoyed this little story. Multitasking is tough and slow, but I always try to go forward, if just a bit. Until next time!