To Misty: A Green Backpack
A Short Pokemon Fan Fiction by Tokumeinohito
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Misty Kasumi Waterflower Slate lived a happy life.
At sixteen, she had returned to Cerulean to try to restore some honor
to the floundering Cascade Badge. At the same time, Brock had returned to
Pewter to help his father maintain the Slate gym. They continued dating
for two years before Brock finally popped the big question. Misty
Waterflower happily became Misty Slate on a fine June day in the most
picture-perfect wedding ever.
As leaders of two of the most quickly rising gyms in Kanto, Brock and
Misty were able to build a good life as a couple. They built a nice house
south of Mt. Moon for themselves, and less than a year later, Misty gave
birth to twins--one boy and one girl.
Now the kids were each five years old, and the Pewter and Cerulean Gyms
routinely rivaled each other for the title of the best gym in the Pokemon
League. Brock had opened a small breeding center on the side, which was
also doing quite well. Though she wasn't living a luxurious life, most
would say that she had it made at twenty-four.
There was only one blemish in her perfect life: Ash.
___________________________________________________________________________
He wasn't actually doing anything to aggravate Misty; in fact, she
hadn't seen him in person since that day eight long years ago. No, the way
that Ash had become a wound that just would not heal was through her mind.
Eight long years ago...
She had been sixteen and had just bloomed into quite the Waterflower.
Brock's hormones had finally settled down at twenty, and he had become
content to wait for the right person to come along. However, he had found
that person right under his nose, as Misty started to grow into a young
lady. They had started dating, with Ash's blessings, and soon, they were
the happiest couple under the sun.
Then, one morning, Ash left. Misty had not even been able to say
goodbye. All that was left was a shakily written, slightly tear-stained
letter...
___________________________________________________________________________
Dear Misty and Brock,
Wow, these past four months have been quite something, don't you think?
Each day has gotten brighter and brighter with love blooming before my very
eyes! Well, it's been four months and it seems that this relationship is
trying to go somewhere, except I am holding it back. But I'll be a third
wheel no longer, and I shall be gone this morning to let your love go to
even greater heights! I hope that you will continue on happily, and one
day get married; there could not be a better match made in heaven.
With the fondest blessings,
Ash Satoshi Ketchum
P.S. I'll send you the bike for a wedding present!
___________________________________________________________________________
That day marked a major turning point for Misty. Over Brock's minor
objections, Misty decided that since Ash apparently didn't want to have
anything to do with her, she wasn't going to have anything to do with Ash.
She resolved to forge a new life with Brock as the Cerulean City Gym leader
and to forget about Ash...about the bike...about the memories and the good
times.
She stayed true to her promise, returning to Cerulean, marrying Brock,
creating a family. And the fact that Ash decided to keep a low profile for
the next few years also helped her forget about him. But, every once in a
while, a memory, a good time with Ash, would sneak up on her when she would
least expect it, and would leave a cloud hanging over her usually cheerful
attitude.
Then, over a span of the past year, in the most amazing show of Pokemon
talent and dominance, Ash swept through in succession the Pokemon League,
the Orange League, and the Johto League. His name and face had started
popping up all over the place, and Misty couldn't take it. She slowly but
surely stopped keeping up with current events, just to stop from seeing his
face, still as cute a ever, pop up on the television or in the newspaper or
in a magazine or everywhere. In fact, she didn't even know that he had won
the Johto League until a package had come in the mail two weeks ago...
___________________________________________________________________________
Two weeks ago, a medium-sized package had arrived at her house. In it
were a green backpack and a short, terse, impersonal letter from some law
firm in Viridian...
Mrs. Misty Kasumi Waterflower Slate:
On February 14, Ashton Satoshi Ketchum--Pokemon, Orange, and Johto
League Champion--died in a cave-in while exploring the Unknown Dungeon at
the age of twenty-one. In his will, he left the enclosed backpack to you.
___________________________________________________________________________
Immediately after she had read the letter, she stuffed the backpack,
letter, box, and all into a dark corner in a closet somewhere and tried to
forget about it--to put it out of her mind as she had the owner years
before.
But just as its owner had before, the backpack and its arrival cast a
noticeable shadow over Misty's usually happy demeanor. Finally, Brock had
been able to pry out what was bothering her and had convinced her to bring
some closure to it all by actually looking through the backpack.
Now, she was sitting in her living room with the contents of the
backpack laid out in front of her. There was the usual traveling and
spelunking equipment. Then there were seven Pokeballs, one with a tiny
lightning bolt on it, another colored blue. Nothing really unusual there.
Then there was a Cascade Badge. There was a tattered, faded picture of a
black-haired boy and a red-haired girl both in kimonos seemingly enjoying
themselves dancing. Finally, a slightly crumpled plain white envelope that
said nothing but "To Misty". She had sat there for the past ten minutes,
trying to work up the courage to open the envelope.
Brock had decided to drop down in the living room again to check up on
her, and found her in that state. He finally was able to coax her to open
the envelope.
Out spilled a wad of assorted paper bills and a letter, which Misty
shakily took up and read. She noted that it was dated about a year
earlier...
___________________________________________________________________________
Dearest Misty,
I don't know why I'm even writing this letter, or doing this in my
will. What am I thinking...you're a married woman with two kids and here I
am, poor rejected Ash, still trying to steal your heart.
Well, there, I said it. I loved you all those eight years ago, and I
love you still. I don't think that you'll ever know how much your dating
Brock hurt me, but I knew that as long as you were happy, my heart could
wait. I watched for four months, always wishing you two the best of luck
on the outside, slowly tearing myself apart on the inside. By the time I
left you two, I was nothing but an empty shell.
I tried to forget about you, to move on, but I just couldn't. For a
while, something about every single waking moment reminded me about you.
You even invaded my dreams, sometimes in a good way, but many times in a
nightmarish way. Many times, the friendship of my Pokemon, especially
Pikachu, was all that kept me from calling it quits right then.
After a year, I was finally able to slowly cope with life after you.
However, I still trained a Tentacool extensively in hopes that one day you
would break up with Brock, and I might get a chance and finally pop the big
question and give you the best-trained Tentacruel in the world as an
engagement present. But I guess (and probably subconsciously knew) that
wasn't destined to happen.
I was there on your wedding day. I don't know why exactly I went, but
I did. I hid in the shadows in the back for most of the service. Seeing
you go up the aisle in that gorgeous white dress...you looked like the most
delicate, beautiful angel ever produced by heaven. Then, I saw how happy
you were as you got married to Brock and became Misty Slate, instead of
Misty Ketchum, and I knew that even if I could do something to ruin your
perfect union, I wouldn't because you were happy and that was all that
mattered. Since I hadn't been able to save up fast enough, I didn't have a
bike for you, but I did bring a water stone and a moon stone and I left
them as I quietly slipped out of the area.
Did you know I came by to visit you once? I was the challenger in the
Pokemon League cap who used a Butterfree and a Pidgeotto to win but refused
the badge. I dyed my hair blond and convinced Pikachu to get in his
Pokeball for once, since I didn't think that I could take a face-to-face
meeting if you actually knew who I was. I stayed behind to play a little
with Junior and Mary a bit. Those kids of yours were quite cute, and I
hope they become as successful as their mother and father.
It was then that it finally really sunk in that the love I held would
forever be unrequited, as it should be. That was a week ago. Now I'm
writing this letter as a person who is trying to let go of a crush from
seven years ago, who knows that that crush will never blossom into mutual
love, but who just can't let go.
If you're reading this, I've probably died. Maybe it will be by
accident, maybe it will be forced, maybe it will be natural...I don't know.
All I know is that I hope that this doesn't change in any way your
relationship with Brock. I know that that's wishful thinking from a
lovelorn soul who can't move on from first love that you might have ever
harbored any feelings for me, but I want you to understand that I am just
trying to find some kind of closure for myself by doing this.
Well, I've dumped my emotions for long enough. I'm going to bring my
letter to a close soon. But first, explanations of what I hope you'll find
in my backpack. There should be seven Pokeballs. Recently, in my travels,
I came upon my old Butterfree. Having brought my first six back together,
I decided to release Muk and Kingler. (Muk actually decided to stay on
with Professor Oak.) Now I've decided just to use these six: Butterfree,
Pidgeotto, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard, and Pikachu. Since all of these
Pokemon were the most comfortable with you and Brock at the beginning of my
journey, I have decided to leave them to you. I am sure that you will
treat them well. If I wasn't able to get them back into their Pokeballs
and into my backpack in time, you can ask Professor Oak for them. I think
that he'd be glad to give them to you if you tell him the reason. In
addition, in the blue Pokeball is the Tentacruel that you always wanted.
I've worked hard to train that Pokemon, and I hope that you get along with
him very well.
The Cascade Badge I won from you is also probably in there, along with
a picture of you and me at the summer festival on Maiden's Peak. These are
the only mementos that I have of you, and I have kept and probably will
keep them with me to help me remember you.
Finally, there is the money in this envelope. I've been saving slowly
from day one to get you your new bike, and I finally just recently gotten
to my target amount. I hope that this will cover the cost of any new bike
that you want. Well, I told you I was good for it, didn't I? I just hope
that inflation doesn't drive the price up too high.
Sigh, however funny I try to be, I just can't hold back my tears. I'm
writing this in an attempt to close one chapter in my life, and although
much of it was bitter and depressing, I will never forget the best part of
my life: the time I spent with you.
With the best and final regards,
Ashton Satoshi Ketchum
___________________________________________________________________________
As Misty read the letter, her tears joined those that had blurred the
ink a year earlier. Finally, as she finished, she dropped the letter
beside the lovingly collected money for the best custom bike in the world,
and she fell into her husband's comforting hug, knowing also that this
might be a close for an important chapter of her life as well.
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Author's Notes
Wow! I thought up the idea of Misty going through Ash's backpack which
he had left her in his final will as I was going to bed one night, and have
felt so inspired that I just had to write this little angst-filled
(hopefully) fanfic. It feels good to write off an inspiration, especially
if you suffer from permanent writer's block. ^_^
Anyways, I hope that you felt rewarded for the time you wasted reading
this melodramatic foray into human emotions. I'm pretty sure the central
idea (the final letter from Ash) is mine, though you never know,
considering the amount of fan fiction that I've read. There are probably
many influences from many different sources, too. Nonetheless, the long
time it took to write this little piece of sadness was mine, so please tell
me what you think, even a simple "I liked it" or "I hated it", either
through the email below or (for those of you on FanFiction.Net) through the
review box even further below. Thanks.
Feedback goes to tokumeinohito@yahoo.com
All fan fiction by Tokumeinohito is archived at
http://www.geocities.com/tokumeinohito/
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Disclaimer
In the United States, Pokemon and its affiliated characters, creatures,
machines, and concepts are copyrighted and/or licensed by Nintendo of
America; Game Freak; Creatures, Inc.; 4Kids Productions; and many others,
none of whom the author is affiliated with. This fan fiction is not for
profit and is not intended in any way to be harmful to the above-mentioned
companies.
This fan fiction was first released on July 4, 2001.