"So…what do you think, Misty?"
Misty looked at her reflection in the mirror. Despite her earlier fears, her sisters had done an admirable job of making her up for the wedding. (Except for a little too much lipstick – she'd have to wipe off some of that later.)
"Now let's get you into that gorgeous dress of yours," said Lily, who was feeling better now that she was over her nausea.
"Wait, I thought I was going to get dressed at Professor Oak's," said Misty.
"That's right. You don't want to get dressed here and have to walk all the way up there in your wedding dress. You'll get it all dirty," Violet said.
"Besides, our husbands are probably waiting up there right now. They've probably wondered what happened to us." Daisy buckled her daughter into her stroller.
"And your husband is waiting for you, Misty," giggled Lily. "So let's not keep him waiting."
My husband…it's finally happening.
Misty gazed at her reflection in the mirror once more. And staring back at her was a beautiful, confident young woman. Not the skinny, hot-tempered, twelve-year old girl that she had been when she had first met her future husband.
Misty smiled to herself. How many women could say that they met their future husband when they pulled him out of a river? Ash and Pikachu had been trying to escape an attack by an onslaught of Spearows by jumping into the river when Misty had fished them out.
Aw, it's just a kid. Oh, and a Pokémon! Oh, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
Not you! Look what you've done to that poor little thing! Is it breathing?
Yes, the two of them had come a long way since then. Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto…even a yearlong separation when Ash went to Houen didn't keep them apart. If anything, it reinforced their desire to be together, culminating a year ago in their engagement.
It was their "anniversary", so to speak. It was the day that Ash had first received Pikachu, and it was also the day he and Misty had first met. The three of them celebrated usually by going out to eat or having a party, but today, the three had decided to celebrate their special day by going on a picnic.
"Ash…earth to Ash…come in Ash." Misty waved a sandwich in front of Ash's face.
"Huh? Oh…sorry, Misty. Guess my mind was elsewhere." He broke the sandwich in two and handed half to Pikachu, who began nibbling on it happily.
"You're telling me," Misty replied. "You must be deep in thought if you turn down food. Want to talk about it?"
"Yeah," Ash said, taking a bite of his half of sandwich. "All I've done the last three days is think about what I'm going to do now with my life."
Three days earlier, Ash had celebrated his twenty-first birthday. And it was on that day that Ash had received the shock of his life. Ash's biological father, who had also been a Pokémon trainer, had died tragically in a rockslide during a journey to Johto many years ago. Unknown to Ash, Delia had kept the insurance money from her husband's accidental death in a trust fund for her son.
"And now that you're an adult," Delia explained, handing him the bank statement. "The money is now all yours. Your father would've wanted it that way."
Ash opened the bankbook and nearly fainted when he saw how much money there was in the account. "Oh my God. Mom…I...holy cow."
"And it's all yours, honey," Delia smiled benevolently.
Shaking, Ash sank down into a nearby chair. He couldn't believe how many zeroes there were after the first digit in the total amount of money in the account. "But…but I can't take all this. You should have this, Mom."
Delia shook her head. "Don't worry about me, Ash. Sam has everything taken care of as far as providing for me and Sami…and you, too. Speaking of which, he told me that he's going to give you a fairly large monetary gift later tonight at your party."
"He what? Oh man, he doesn't have to do that, Mom." Ash stared in disbelief at the bank statement once more. "I think I have more than enough money here to last me for a lifetime."
"Ash, you're Sam's stepson. Why wouldn't he want to give you a present for your birthday?" Delia gave her son a hug. "I can't believe that you're an adult now. Just a short time ago you were a little thing like Sami – running through the house barefoot, screaming at the top of your lungs, and getting into all sorts of mischief. Oh, where does the time go?" Delia sniffed and brushed away a tear.
"Aw, Mom…" Ash returned his mother's embrace. "Don't cry. Like you said, you've got Sami now. And she's more of a handful than I ever was."
"Oh, I don't know about that, Ash," Delia smiled. "You were always getting into all sorts of trouble. You and that impulsive streak of yours."
"Man, I have no idea what to do with all this money," Ash said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You don't have to decide what to do with it right away," Delia replied. "Take some time and think about it."
And for the last three days, that was the only thing that Ash had thought about.
"Well, you could go to college with it," Misty suggested. "Professor Oak did mention that."
"Yeah, but I don't think I could take being stuck inside a classroom all day. I'd rather be out training and looking for Pokémon. Right, Pikachu?" He scratched his faithful Pokémon's pointy ears affectionately.
"Pika," the little Pokémon nodded before returning to its ketchup sandwich.
"Well, now that you're a Pokémon Master…"
"The youngest Pokémon Master ever," Ash reminded her.
Misty rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, now that you're a Pokémon Master, have you ever sat down to think about what you want to do next? I mean, you've been going on trips with your stepfather and Tracey to look for new Pokémon."
"Yeah, and we did discover that cool new grass-type Pokémon," Ash grinned, holding up a Poké ball. "How many people can say that they have an Ivyon?" He threw the Poké ball and a dark green Pokémon that looked like an Eevee appeared in a flash of light.
"But don't you ever get tired of traveling, Ash? Haven't you ever thought about settling down?"
"Well, now that Tracey's getting married, I guess his traveling days are over. And Dad's lumbago is starting to act up again. The doctor said that he's going to have to have surgery soon to fix that herniated disc in his back. He won't be doing any traveling for a while."
"So I guess the trips are going to come to an end, huh?"
"I suppose I can always see if Gary and Professor Hale are planning any research trips," Ash said, stroking his Ivyon's leafy ears. "Maybe I can tag along with them sometime."
"Ash, aren't you getting tired of traveling all the time?"
"Misty, part of being a Pokémon Master is learning how to train all kinds of Pokémon. And with the new Pokémon that Dad and Tracey are discovering, I'm one of the few trainers – maybe even the only trainer – with these types of Pokémon. And with Pokémon like Ivyon on my side, I'll be unbeatable."
"Ivy," Ash's latest Pokémon nodded in agreement before bowling over Pikachu in a mock battle.
"But yeah, sometimes the trips do get a bit tiresome," Ash admitted. "Especially when Dad and Tracey start getting all excited and worked up over some new research project and start speaking in scientist-ese. I'm just standing there with a blank look on my face while they're going on about things like 'adaptive polymorphia' or 'phytomammalian synesthesia'."
"I'm impressed that you can even pronounce big words like that, Ash," Misty grinned mischievously.
"And I do miss having you around," Ash said, pulling her down atop him. "Especially when we're out in the middle of nowhere. I'll think about how much I want to hold you, to kiss you, to do this…" He reached inside her shirt.
"Ash, stop!" Misty squealed. "Someone might see!"
"Oh, it's just Pikachu and Ivyon. Besides, Pikachu's an old married man – he's seen it all before." Ash's hands resumed their journey upward inside his girlfriend's shirt.
"Yeah, but he hasn't seen us do it before," Misty said. She rolled off of Ash and straightened her shirt. "Seriously, Ash…what are you going to do now that you have all that money? Haven't you ever thought about what your next goal in life is now that you're a Pokémon Master?"
"Sure. That's why I'm traveling with Dad and Tracey. With all the new types of Pokémon I'm getting, I'll have an unbeatable team. And if I want to get into the Elite Four, I'll have to have a powerful team of Pokémon on my side."
"I should've known that you wouldn't be content with just being a Pokémon Master," Misty smiled knowingly.
"Yeah. And after the Elite Four, I'm going to be the League Champion someday." Ash said determinedly.
"But it takes a long time to become a member of the Elite Four," Misty said, resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. "You know that the minimum age for consideration is thirty."
"I know. But when they see what a fantastic trainer I am and what an awesome team I have, I think they'll make an exception for me."
"They didn't for Lorelei, and she's the youngest member of the Elite Four ever. She had to wait until she was thirty before they let her in. And you still have another nine years until you hit thirty. Have you ever thought about what you're going to do until then?"
"Well, not really," Ash admitted. "But now that I have all this money, I guess I should start thinking about that, huh?"
"You could give college a try, you know. I like it a lot. Celadon University is a great place. And since your stepfather is one of the most distinguished professors Celadon U. has ever had, you shouldn't have a problem getting in."
"Yeah, but you're a lot smarter than I am, Misty. Besides, you're studying marine Pokémon biology and that goes real well with being a Water Pokémon Master."
"And last year's Water Pokémon Alpha-Omega champion," Misty reminded him.
"But like I said, Mist…I don't think I can take being cooped up in a classroom all day. I'd rather be training or battling."
"Have you ever thought about running your own gym, Ash? That way, you could train and battle Pokémon all the time."
"Run my own gym? Hmmm, that would be pretty awesome. But I don't think any of the Gym Leaders are ready to retire just yet. Other than maybe Pryce, but I don't really want to go live in Johto."
"I didn't mean that, Ash. What I meant was start your own gym here in Pallet Town. That way, that'll give you something to do for the next nine years until you get into the Elite Four. And you can still go on trips with your dad when he's feeling better. And I know your mom would like having you close by."
Ash thought about Misty's suggestion for a few moments. "You know, Mist, you might be on to something."
"And with the money you have now, you can easily afford to build your own gym."
"'The Pallet Town Gym, led by the youngest Pokémon Master ever, Ash Ketchum'. I really like the sound of that," Ash smiled. "You know, Misty, you're pretty smart. That's why you're in college, and I'm not." He drew her closer and kissed her gratefully.
"Yeah, but I'll be through with college at the end of this semester," Misty said. "And then I'll be looking for something to do."
"How about helping me build and run Pallet Town's first gym?" Ash suggested. "You and me. We'll be an unstoppable team. The youngest Pokémon Master ever and the smartest Water Pokémon Master ever."
Misty's eyes widened. "You and me…together? Ash, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Yeah. Stay with me here in Pallet, Mist. Help me make the Pallet Town Gym the best one in all of Kanto…no, the whole world. Because with you at my side, I know I can do it."
Misty's eyes began to glisten with tears, and she threw herself into Ash's arms. "Oh, Ash…yes! Yes, I'll marry you and stay with you in Pallet forever."
"Oh, Mist…" Ash wrapped his arms around her then he suddenly realized what she had just said. "Wait a minute…marry?!"
Misty lifted her head from Ash's chest. "Ash, didn't you just ask me to marry you?"
"I…uh…I asked you if you wanted to stay here in Pallet with me and help me build the gym," Ash gulped anxiously. "I didn't ask you to marry me. At least I don't think I did."
"But why would you ask me to stay here with you if you didn't want to marry me?" Misty said, her anger rising. "And I'm not going to move in with you, if that's what you're asking. I don't believe in that sort of thing."
"Now wait a second, Misty. Calm down and…"
"I will not calm down, Ash Ketchum!" Misty shouted angrily, pushing him away. "Not until you tell me exactly what you meant when you asked me to stay here in Pallet with you!"
"Misty, what I meant was that I want you to stay here in Pallet with me. And I want you to help me build and run the gym."
"So you're asking me to be your business partner, is that it?" Misty said sarcastically. "I thought I meant more to you than just that." Misty gathered up her picnic basket. "Good thing I found that out before I invested any more time in this relationship."
"Misty! Wait! You're blowing this all out of proportion!" Ash grabbed her arm. "Misty, for crying out loud, I do love you! I love you more than anything in this whole world. I love you more than training Pokémon even."
Misty's gaze softened. "Then why don't you want to marry me? I thought that's what you meant when you asked me to stay by your side."
"Misty…I…I…I'm not sure I want to get married just yet."
"Why not, Ash? I thought you said you were going to settle down now."
"Well, yeah, but…" Ash was starting to sweat nervously.
"And if you want me to stay here with you, then what did you mean exactly?"
"Misty, what I meant was that I want you to stay here with me in Pallet. I can't imagine not having you by my side. We've been together for so long that I don't think I could take it if you did leave."
Misty moved closer to him. "Then what are you saying, Ash?"
"What I meant was…well, kind of what you said, but it just didn't come out right."
"Ash, are you trying to say that you do want to marry me after all?"
"Well, I mean…yeah. That's kind of what I had in mind when I said that I wanted you to stay by my side and help me run the gym."
"Kind of had in mind?"
"Well, did have in mind, actually. Like I said, it just didn't come out right."
Misty gently took Ash's face in her hands and looked him straight in the eye. "Ash, I want you to tell me the truth. Tell me exactly what you meant."
Ash looked deeply into the crystal-blue eyes of the woman he loved and decided to let his heart do all the talking. "Mist, I love you more than anything. And I don't think I could take it if you left. That's why I want you to stay here with me in Pallet. And when I said that I wanted you to stay by my side, what I meant was as a couple…like forever."
"So are you asking me to marry you, Ash?"
Yeah…I guess I am," Ash smiled.
"In that case, I accept." Misty finished her statement with a kiss that sent Ash reeling.
"Wow…can we go straight to the honeymoon now?" Ash said with a goofy grin once their lips parted.
Misty giggled. "You sound just like Brock."
Violet's voice snapped Misty out of her reminiscence. "Hey, Misty…quit fantasizing about your wedding night and let's get going!"
"Yeah, if you're late for your wedding, then there won't be a wedding night," Daisy smiled, gathering up the box containing her sister's wedding dress.
"And Ash would be upset, to say the least," Lily smiled, holding out her hand to Misty. "Come on, Little Sister…let's get the last of the Four Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City married off."
To be continued…