Return
and Choice
Part 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, any of the characters, or anything of the sort. This is nothing but a fanfic and not official in the least bit. You know the rest.
"Ash?! ASH!" Ash Ketchum froze in his footsteps. He couldn't have heard that voice...could he? She was still back in Cerulean...unless...
"Guys...did you hear that?" he asked, turning around. Brock, May and Masato followed suit. "Misty?" he said, more to himself than anyone else, as a familiar redheaded girl tore down the hill toward him. "MISTY!" he yelled, before taking off at a run towards her. They met a few moments later in a spectacular crash that knocked Ash clear off his feet and onto his back on the grass. Misty was hugging the life out of him, and although he returned it for a while, he soon let go and started turning purple.
"What's this? Not even a 'hello' for me?" asked Brock, walking over with a grin. Misty finally let go of Ash and got up to give Brock a quick hug.
"It's so good to see you guys again!" she said. She seemed the same old Misty, except her shorts were a bit darker and no longer cuffed and her tank top seemed a bit closer fitting, while somewhat longer than the old one had been. Most noticeable though, was that she had traded her suspenders for a dark red belt and her hair was let down and slightly longer than it was before. Ash would have said something about the changes, but he was cut short as he bit his tongue to keep from crying out in pain - for Misty had just stood on his hand. Pikachu tugged at Ash's other hand trying to get him free while May and Masato watched on with dropped jaws. "Oh my god! Ash! I'm so sorry!" she said, leaping away from Ash's hand.
"It's alright," Ash said mournfully, looking at his now trampled hand as he stood up.
Misty looked as though she was having a debate with herself and then flung her arms around Ash again. Ash was totally unprepared for all this affection, especially from Misty of all people and just gave her an awkward pat on the back.
"Is she your girlfriend or something Ash?" came May's cross voice.
"What?" Ash asked, looking at May. Misty loosened her hold on Ash and looked in May's direction as well.
"You must be May," said Misty uncertainly, her hands still resting on Ash's shoulders. She didn't get a reply and stared questioningly at May who seemed to be holding back a temper. Ash hung his head, Brock smirked and Masato simply raised an eyebrow.
Pika-pika.
-----
"Hey Brock, what's up with those two?" Ash asked, in a low enough voice that nobody else could hear.
Brock looked up. On Ash's other side sat Misty, and next to Brock was May. The only problem was that although both Misty and May seemed to be busy eating, every so often they would look at the other, eyes narrowed. The reflection of the flickering campfire in their eyes seemed to represent the way they both felt. "Well Ash," Brock whispered, "I'd say they're having a territorial dispute."
"A what?" said Ash.
"They both want...actually, Ash...you need to figure this one out for yourself." Brock replied, going back to his plate of food.
"Gee, thanks a lot Brocko." Ash looked from Misty to May, sighed and stared down at his plate in utter confusion.
It was a very long meal with the worst kind of noise ever - complete silence. Finally, Brock walked down to a stream to wash up, taking May and Masato with him, and Misty rounded on Ash. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over to a hill overlooking a not very distant town and well out of hearing range of the others.
"WHAT is the deal with HER?!" she demanded, pointing to the shadowy figures down by the stream.
"What do you mean?" asked Ash, even more confused than he had been at dinner. "What's going on with you two?"
"What's going on with US?! What's going on with YOU!" Misty took a deep breath and then exploded on him again. "I leave you for what? Two months?? And you've got yourself a new travelling partner!"
"Misty...I told you about May from the time she joined us!"
"You told me you were teaching her how to be a Pokemon trainer!"
"And I am!"
"And she likes you!"
"WHAT?!"
"SHE. LIKES. YOU."
Ash blinked in surprise. Misty's face was now inches from him and had an oddly flushed look. "Uh...okay so supposing she does...why are you mad at me??" If anything, he was even more confused than ever.
"Do you like her Ash?" Misty asked, her voice softer now, but her eyes still narrowed at him, her body stiff.
"No! Well not like that...as a friend, Mist...what's the big deal?"
For whatever reason, this seemed to calm Misty down and she turned and walked away from him. "Nothing." She said, sitting under a large tree and looking up quickly, as if to make sure there were no bugs sleeping overhead. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed down at the lights of the town below. After a moment, Ash looked over to the camp to see Pikachu still playing with Togepi, then followed Misty and sat next to her, leaning against the tree trunk. "So," said Misty, still watching the town. "Did you miss me?"
"Huh?" said Ash, looking at her. He found that he couldn't help smiling. "Of course I did Misty."
Misty turned and grinned at him. "Good."
"Hey guys," came Brock's voice, making them both jump as they had not heard him approach. "The rest of us normal humans and Pokemon are going to bed now, so don't stay up too late."
"Goodnight Brock" Ash and Misty replied in unision, as Brock walked back to camp, giving them a single dismissive wave as he went. May seemed to be sitting up in her sleeping bag, trying to make out what was going on.
"Just out of curiosity Ash, where have Team Rocket been?" Misty asked.
"Er - they're around. They're still after Pikachu."
"Do they ever give up?"
Ash grinned. "Nope."
"I need to catch some new Pokemon you know." said Misty, changing the topic yet again. "I only brought Togepi with me, I left the others at the Cerulean Gym because my sisters Pokemon are so weak! Oh, I miss Psyduck already."
"I thought Psyduck drove you crazy Misty?" said Ash.
"Oh...he does but..." Misty turned her eyes toward the sky. "I still really liked him."
"You sure have a weird way of showing it Misty."
"Oh come on Ash, you know what I mean...or have you forgotten Charizard already?"
"Of course not!"
"Well, there you go."
There was a long pause, following which Misty sidled herself up against Ash and rest her head on his shoulder. For some unexplained reason, Ash felt his face become hot. He could not remember Misty's hair feeling so soft, maybe it was because she always used to have it pulled tight in a spiky ponytail...or maybe it was because Misty had never done this before.
"Ash?" came Misty's voice. "Hey, Ash!" Ash blinked and looked over at Misty, who had now sat up again and was waving a hand in front of his face. "What are you dreaming about?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Ash lied.
"Well, I'm going to bed...night Ash." said Misty, who paused for a second, kissed him quickly on the cheek and then got up, looking a bit red despite the darkness.
"Night...Misty..." said Ash, touching his cheek and looking up at her questioningly.
Misty turned and headed back toward camp, but stopped after a few steps. "Hey Ash,"
"Yeah Misty?"
"It's good to be back."
With that she made her way back to camp, Ash following a minute later.
-----
PIIIIKAAAAAAAA......CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ash jumped, at least as much as he could in a sleeping bag, which meant he jolted upward and then fell over face down. He twisted himself around in his sleeping bag and found Misty standing over him like a giant, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. Togepi was squealing excitedly as he sat up and Pikachu was looking most satisfied about his morning shock. "Good morning Ash." Misty told him, her smirk turning into a grin. "I see you still can't wake up on a morning without getting a charge first."
"Har. Har. Har." said Ash, getting out of his sleeping bag while Misty continued watching him with an amused expression. Brock and Masato seemed totally uninterested at the scene and May appeared to be keeping an eye on them out of the corner of her eye. He got some things out of his backpack and went down to the stream while Misty went to help Brock with breakfast.
"What were you two doing last night?" May asked in a rather flat voice, walking up behind him with her arms crossed. Ash fell over into the stream.
"Nothing!" he spluttered, scrambling back out. "She's my best friend! I'm allowed to stay up and talk to her after she's been gone for two months aren't I?"
"Hmph!" May narrowed her eyes and stalked off.
"Now what am I going to do?" Ash asked himself, heading back to camp where the others were already eating. "Hey! You could have at least waited on me!"
"You snooze you lose!" Misty said merrily, biting into her toast.
Ash sighed and sat down, finding himself not really caring anymore that Togepi had just emptied a glass of orange juice on Pikachu's head.
"So we'll head down to the town, get a room at the Pokemon Center and then check out some of the sights...that sound good? Brock was saying while brushing some crumbs off the map quickly. "There's no Pokemon Gym at this town, but we could use a rest and we can stock up on supplies while we're there too."
"Shoums goo' to fe Frock!" Ash tried to say through an overstuffed mouth. Every turned to stare at Ash, who swolloed and repeated himself. "I said, it sounds good to me, Brock."
"You need to grow up, Ash." said May.
"Some things never change." Misty added wiht a grin.
Masato seemed deep in thought. "I think I'll check out the comptuer store when we get there."
"Nerd." His sister teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Well if you want to turn your back on technology, don't come begging me for help later." Masato replied in a completely serious voice, drinking the last of his orange juice before Togepi could get hold of the glass.
-----
They arrived in the town shortly before lunch and got a room at the Pokemon Center. When the boys returned to where the girls were sitting, Misty looked positively happy about something, while May seemed to be fuming over. "What's up with May?" Masato asked Misty as they headed out the door towards a nearby burger place.
"Oh I was just telling May about the adventures Ash and I had in Kanto and the Orange Islands." Misty replied
"Those were fun." Ash said, getting into the conversation.
"Yeah, and you can thank me for that." said Misty.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if it hadn't been for me, you'd still be trying to get out of that river."
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"COMPUTER STORE!" yelled Masato, dashing off into a nearby store, leaving Ash and Misty with their mouths hanging open.
"That nerd, I swear!" May muttered, marching off after him. "We'll meet you guys there!"
Not long after, they passed a stall selling makeup. Behind it were a man with blue hair, a woman with absurdly long purple hair and a Meowth. All were wearing heavy makeup and it was hard to see what they really looked like. "Oh cool!" Misty cried, walking towards it.
"Oh no," Ash said, taking her by the arm, as Brock took hold of the other one. "Last time you went trying on makeup, you came out looking like a clown!" With that, he and Brock marched a struggling Misty away, who was saying that she needed something to match her new belt.
"Wait!" cried the man.
"We'll give you a fifty percent discount!" the woman called after them.
"Forget the stall, get them!" the Meowth said. There was a scrambling sound followed by a loud crash. Knowing exactly what had happened, Ash took a quick look back, rolled his eyes at the giant hole in the ground in front of the stall and continued to march Misty away with Brock.
While they ate, Ash was amused to find May return, fawning over a new Pokegear (she kept saying about how it had internet access) while Masato gave her sour looks every few minutes. Soon enough though, they were finished and heading for a Pokemon Exhibition at a nearby mall. However, just as the place came into view, Misty let out a stifled scream and the others turned around to see her being pulled into an alley by two people in black outfits.
"MISTY!" Ash yelled, leading the way into the alley. "You!" There was no mistaking who these characters were. Butch and Cassidy.
"Alright kid, no playing around this time. Our boss wants that Pikachu, so hand it over." Casidy was saying, while Butch restrained Misty.
"Ash don't!" Misty yelled, kicking out wildly, but not hitting anything.
"Shuddup kid." said Butch, covering her mouth. In the distance a siren could be heard.
"Well we don't have the time to stick around here right now," said Cassidy. "So we'll be in touch. You can have either the redhead or the Pikachu, the choice is yours. We'll be in touch."
"See ya!" Butch added, throwing down a ball which errupted into thick, choking smoke.
"Taillow! Blow this smoke away!" Ash yelled, grabbing a Pokeball and tossing it blindly in front of him. As the smoke cleared, Officer Jenny arrived on her motorcycle, asking what had happened. Ash couldn't answer, he was just staring blankly at the place Misty had been seconds before. "Misty..."
Part 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, any of the characters, or anything of the sort. This is nothing but a fanfic and not official in the least bit. You know the rest.
"Ash?! ASH!" Ash Ketchum froze in his footsteps. He couldn't have heard that voice...could he? She was still back in Cerulean...unless...
"Guys...did you hear that?" he asked, turning around. Brock, May and Masato followed suit. "Misty?" he said, more to himself than anyone else, as a familiar redheaded girl tore down the hill toward him. "MISTY!" he yelled, before taking off at a run towards her. They met a few moments later in a spectacular crash that knocked Ash clear off his feet and onto his back on the grass. Misty was hugging the life out of him, and although he returned it for a while, he soon let go and started turning purple.
"What's this? Not even a 'hello' for me?" asked Brock, walking over with a grin. Misty finally let go of Ash and got up to give Brock a quick hug.
"It's so good to see you guys again!" she said. She seemed the same old Misty, except her shorts were a bit darker and no longer cuffed and her tank top seemed a bit closer fitting, while somewhat longer than the old one had been. Most noticeable though, was that she had traded her suspenders for a dark red belt and her hair was let down and slightly longer than it was before. Ash would have said something about the changes, but he was cut short as he bit his tongue to keep from crying out in pain - for Misty had just stood on his hand. Pikachu tugged at Ash's other hand trying to get him free while May and Masato watched on with dropped jaws. "Oh my god! Ash! I'm so sorry!" she said, leaping away from Ash's hand.
"It's alright," Ash said mournfully, looking at his now trampled hand as he stood up.
Misty looked as though she was having a debate with herself and then flung her arms around Ash again. Ash was totally unprepared for all this affection, especially from Misty of all people and just gave her an awkward pat on the back.
"Is she your girlfriend or something Ash?" came May's cross voice.
"What?" Ash asked, looking at May. Misty loosened her hold on Ash and looked in May's direction as well.
"You must be May," said Misty uncertainly, her hands still resting on Ash's shoulders. She didn't get a reply and stared questioningly at May who seemed to be holding back a temper. Ash hung his head, Brock smirked and Masato simply raised an eyebrow.
Pika-pika.
-----
"Hey Brock, what's up with those two?" Ash asked, in a low enough voice that nobody else could hear.
Brock looked up. On Ash's other side sat Misty, and next to Brock was May. The only problem was that although both Misty and May seemed to be busy eating, every so often they would look at the other, eyes narrowed. The reflection of the flickering campfire in their eyes seemed to represent the way they both felt. "Well Ash," Brock whispered, "I'd say they're having a territorial dispute."
"A what?" said Ash.
"They both want...actually, Ash...you need to figure this one out for yourself." Brock replied, going back to his plate of food.
"Gee, thanks a lot Brocko." Ash looked from Misty to May, sighed and stared down at his plate in utter confusion.
It was a very long meal with the worst kind of noise ever - complete silence. Finally, Brock walked down to a stream to wash up, taking May and Masato with him, and Misty rounded on Ash. She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over to a hill overlooking a not very distant town and well out of hearing range of the others.
"WHAT is the deal with HER?!" she demanded, pointing to the shadowy figures down by the stream.
"What do you mean?" asked Ash, even more confused than he had been at dinner. "What's going on with you two?"
"What's going on with US?! What's going on with YOU!" Misty took a deep breath and then exploded on him again. "I leave you for what? Two months?? And you've got yourself a new travelling partner!"
"Misty...I told you about May from the time she joined us!"
"You told me you were teaching her how to be a Pokemon trainer!"
"And I am!"
"And she likes you!"
"WHAT?!"
"SHE. LIKES. YOU."
Ash blinked in surprise. Misty's face was now inches from him and had an oddly flushed look. "Uh...okay so supposing she does...why are you mad at me??" If anything, he was even more confused than ever.
"Do you like her Ash?" Misty asked, her voice softer now, but her eyes still narrowed at him, her body stiff.
"No! Well not like that...as a friend, Mist...what's the big deal?"
For whatever reason, this seemed to calm Misty down and she turned and walked away from him. "Nothing." She said, sitting under a large tree and looking up quickly, as if to make sure there were no bugs sleeping overhead. She wrapped her arms around her knees and gazed down at the lights of the town below. After a moment, Ash looked over to the camp to see Pikachu still playing with Togepi, then followed Misty and sat next to her, leaning against the tree trunk. "So," said Misty, still watching the town. "Did you miss me?"
"Huh?" said Ash, looking at her. He found that he couldn't help smiling. "Of course I did Misty."
Misty turned and grinned at him. "Good."
"Hey guys," came Brock's voice, making them both jump as they had not heard him approach. "The rest of us normal humans and Pokemon are going to bed now, so don't stay up too late."
"Goodnight Brock" Ash and Misty replied in unision, as Brock walked back to camp, giving them a single dismissive wave as he went. May seemed to be sitting up in her sleeping bag, trying to make out what was going on.
"Just out of curiosity Ash, where have Team Rocket been?" Misty asked.
"Er - they're around. They're still after Pikachu."
"Do they ever give up?"
Ash grinned. "Nope."
"I need to catch some new Pokemon you know." said Misty, changing the topic yet again. "I only brought Togepi with me, I left the others at the Cerulean Gym because my sisters Pokemon are so weak! Oh, I miss Psyduck already."
"I thought Psyduck drove you crazy Misty?" said Ash.
"Oh...he does but..." Misty turned her eyes toward the sky. "I still really liked him."
"You sure have a weird way of showing it Misty."
"Oh come on Ash, you know what I mean...or have you forgotten Charizard already?"
"Of course not!"
"Well, there you go."
There was a long pause, following which Misty sidled herself up against Ash and rest her head on his shoulder. For some unexplained reason, Ash felt his face become hot. He could not remember Misty's hair feeling so soft, maybe it was because she always used to have it pulled tight in a spiky ponytail...or maybe it was because Misty had never done this before.
"Ash?" came Misty's voice. "Hey, Ash!" Ash blinked and looked over at Misty, who had now sat up again and was waving a hand in front of his face. "What are you dreaming about?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Ash lied.
"Well, I'm going to bed...night Ash." said Misty, who paused for a second, kissed him quickly on the cheek and then got up, looking a bit red despite the darkness.
"Night...Misty..." said Ash, touching his cheek and looking up at her questioningly.
Misty turned and headed back toward camp, but stopped after a few steps. "Hey Ash,"
"Yeah Misty?"
"It's good to be back."
With that she made her way back to camp, Ash following a minute later.
-----
PIIIIKAAAAAAAA......CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ash jumped, at least as much as he could in a sleeping bag, which meant he jolted upward and then fell over face down. He twisted himself around in his sleeping bag and found Misty standing over him like a giant, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. Togepi was squealing excitedly as he sat up and Pikachu was looking most satisfied about his morning shock. "Good morning Ash." Misty told him, her smirk turning into a grin. "I see you still can't wake up on a morning without getting a charge first."
"Har. Har. Har." said Ash, getting out of his sleeping bag while Misty continued watching him with an amused expression. Brock and Masato seemed totally uninterested at the scene and May appeared to be keeping an eye on them out of the corner of her eye. He got some things out of his backpack and went down to the stream while Misty went to help Brock with breakfast.
"What were you two doing last night?" May asked in a rather flat voice, walking up behind him with her arms crossed. Ash fell over into the stream.
"Nothing!" he spluttered, scrambling back out. "She's my best friend! I'm allowed to stay up and talk to her after she's been gone for two months aren't I?"
"Hmph!" May narrowed her eyes and stalked off.
"Now what am I going to do?" Ash asked himself, heading back to camp where the others were already eating. "Hey! You could have at least waited on me!"
"You snooze you lose!" Misty said merrily, biting into her toast.
Ash sighed and sat down, finding himself not really caring anymore that Togepi had just emptied a glass of orange juice on Pikachu's head.
"So we'll head down to the town, get a room at the Pokemon Center and then check out some of the sights...that sound good? Brock was saying while brushing some crumbs off the map quickly. "There's no Pokemon Gym at this town, but we could use a rest and we can stock up on supplies while we're there too."
"Shoums goo' to fe Frock!" Ash tried to say through an overstuffed mouth. Every turned to stare at Ash, who swolloed and repeated himself. "I said, it sounds good to me, Brock."
"You need to grow up, Ash." said May.
"Some things never change." Misty added wiht a grin.
Masato seemed deep in thought. "I think I'll check out the comptuer store when we get there."
"Nerd." His sister teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Well if you want to turn your back on technology, don't come begging me for help later." Masato replied in a completely serious voice, drinking the last of his orange juice before Togepi could get hold of the glass.
-----
They arrived in the town shortly before lunch and got a room at the Pokemon Center. When the boys returned to where the girls were sitting, Misty looked positively happy about something, while May seemed to be fuming over. "What's up with May?" Masato asked Misty as they headed out the door towards a nearby burger place.
"Oh I was just telling May about the adventures Ash and I had in Kanto and the Orange Islands." Misty replied
"Those were fun." Ash said, getting into the conversation.
"Yeah, and you can thank me for that." said Misty.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if it hadn't been for me, you'd still be trying to get out of that river."
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"COMPUTER STORE!" yelled Masato, dashing off into a nearby store, leaving Ash and Misty with their mouths hanging open.
"That nerd, I swear!" May muttered, marching off after him. "We'll meet you guys there!"
Not long after, they passed a stall selling makeup. Behind it were a man with blue hair, a woman with absurdly long purple hair and a Meowth. All were wearing heavy makeup and it was hard to see what they really looked like. "Oh cool!" Misty cried, walking towards it.
"Oh no," Ash said, taking her by the arm, as Brock took hold of the other one. "Last time you went trying on makeup, you came out looking like a clown!" With that, he and Brock marched a struggling Misty away, who was saying that she needed something to match her new belt.
"Wait!" cried the man.
"We'll give you a fifty percent discount!" the woman called after them.
"Forget the stall, get them!" the Meowth said. There was a scrambling sound followed by a loud crash. Knowing exactly what had happened, Ash took a quick look back, rolled his eyes at the giant hole in the ground in front of the stall and continued to march Misty away with Brock.
While they ate, Ash was amused to find May return, fawning over a new Pokegear (she kept saying about how it had internet access) while Masato gave her sour looks every few minutes. Soon enough though, they were finished and heading for a Pokemon Exhibition at a nearby mall. However, just as the place came into view, Misty let out a stifled scream and the others turned around to see her being pulled into an alley by two people in black outfits.
"MISTY!" Ash yelled, leading the way into the alley. "You!" There was no mistaking who these characters were. Butch and Cassidy.
"Alright kid, no playing around this time. Our boss wants that Pikachu, so hand it over." Casidy was saying, while Butch restrained Misty.
"Ash don't!" Misty yelled, kicking out wildly, but not hitting anything.
"Shuddup kid." said Butch, covering her mouth. In the distance a siren could be heard.
"Well we don't have the time to stick around here right now," said Cassidy. "So we'll be in touch. You can have either the redhead or the Pikachu, the choice is yours. We'll be in touch."
"See ya!" Butch added, throwing down a ball which errupted into thick, choking smoke.
"Taillow! Blow this smoke away!" Ash yelled, grabbing a Pokeball and tossing it blindly in front of him. As the smoke cleared, Officer Jenny arrived on her motorcycle, asking what had happened. Ash couldn't answer, he was just staring blankly at the place Misty had been seconds before. "Misty..."