Pokémon and anything related to Pokémon don't belong to me. I own a handful of attacks and monsters, even some characters, but anything familiar belongs to their respective owners.

New Beginnings

Mt. Moon trail--

As their conversations died down, Ash and Misty eventually made it to the Mt. Moon trail, a road that was constructed around the mountain to provide safer travels between Pewter City and Cerulean City. Beside the trail was a beautiful river, which seemed to attract Misty's attention. "Such a beautiful sight, isn't Ash," she asked as she continued to gaze at the flowing river of tranquility. Ash looked to Misty with a smile and nodded. "I'll bet you saw many lovely places in Hoenn, haven't you?"

"Yeah. But none that I can think of at the top of my head." He smiled as he remembered all of Hoenn and it's many wondrous splendors. Though no names really came to mind, the recollections were equally as beautiful as they once were when he first saw them. "They were all beautiful, Mist." She smiled a bit and looked back into the clear water of the river. "But none of it compares to her now. She's grown so much prettier in two years," he thought as he looked up and down. His face turned slightly red as he looked away, adjusting his hat so that the visor was in front.

Misty saw his standard act of bashfulness and looked to him from the corner of her eyes. "Now would be a good time to tell him…" She inched closer to him, still looking to the flowing river. She stopped moving closer to him when she felt her knuckles brush against his. "Okay… Tell him now, Misty…" She took a deep breath and exhaled. Just as she was about to open her mouth to talk, they heard the howl of a Houndour followed by a Houndoom's.

Ash covered her mouth and smiled. "Shh… Hold on. Lately, Houndoom and Houndour around here have been howling together, somehow making a pleasant tune." He let go of her mouth and looked up into the night sky in admiration. They both listened to the sounds of the monster's synchronous howling. "Doesn't it sound great Mist," he asked, looking back to the redhead beside him.

She looked slightly down for a second, but smiled and nodded in response to Ash's question. "Yeah, it does…" "Damn… If only those Pokémon didn't start their little symphony…" Misty's smile slightly faded as she looked away from Ash.

"What's the matter," he asked as he listened to the symphony of howls and looked over to Misty.

"Nothing," she responded, looking back up to meet Ash's gaze.

"Misty…"

"Nothing is wrong, Ash!" Misty looked away again and crossed her arms as they continued walking.

"Same old Misty… It's probably best just to drop it." They started walking at a slower pace as the howling continued. It started getting dark quickly; it seemed like they weren't paying attention to their surroundings or the passage of time. "Hey, Mist. It's getting pretty late. Maybe we should camp here for the night," he suggested, gesturing to the darkened sky.

Misty nodded in agreement. She still didn't look to him. She wanted to tell him, but now she couldn't "I can't tell him now… It's not the right time." Her hand went to her chest and felt her heart beating. "It hurts… Why does it hurt me?…" Misty's attention quickly turned to Ash setting up a tent and having some trouble with the stakes. "Is it because I'm lying to myself? That I love him and I'm not telling him," she thought as she watched him fumble with the ropes and stakes. Misty allowed herself a laugh at her crush's expense.

"Huh? You think this is funny, Mist," he asked with a chuckle of his own.

"It's really funny. Someone who's been camping out for nearly eight years having trouble with a tent?"

"Well, this technology boggles my mind," he joked and pointed to her with the point of the stake. "It's very 'sophistimocated' stuff I'm dealing with," he continued, trying to sound smart.

The 'sophistimocated' part got her giggling a bit. She loved it when he acted like a fool. Though in the past, it wasn't intentional. "It's better when he's playing around," she commented to herself. "I've missed him so much."

Hours into the night, as Ash slept in the tent, Misty remained awake and gazed off into the midnight sky lost in thought. "Two years… It's been two years since I saw him last… And that was a long two years…" She sighed and pressed her knees to her chest. "Night after night, I've had dreams about telling my feelings to him. But for each dream, I've had a nightmare about telling him how I feel." She rolled onto her back and continued to stare off at the cloudy night sky. "What happens if I tell him, and he doesn't feel the same way? What if he laughs at me? What if… he found someone else?…" She didn't know what she would do if Ash had already found someone. Misty bolted up with a chill down her spine. "What if after first kiss I don't feel anything in it? That would be the worst… That I've been chasing someone that I can't ever have…"

Ash crawled out of the tent, wiped his eyes and looked toward Misty, still gazing up at the sky. He walked up to the redhead and sat beside her, looking to her. "Have you slept at all Misty," he asked, concerned.

She didn't look to him. Her eyes were focused on the night sky above her. "Not much…"

"Well, what have you been doing all night?"

She hesitated to answer. "Oh, just thinking about the consequences of me telling you how much I love you," she thought. "Nothing. Nothing at all…"

He looked to her, slightly confused. "You know, you've been acting strangely since those Houndour and Houndoom started howling. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Yes. Don't worry about it Ash. I'm fine," she assured him, still not looking toward him.

He noticed she hadn't looked at him since he sat down. "Are you… mad at me or something?"

"No," she answered simply.

"Well, you're acting like it." He continued to look to her, though she still isn't looking at him. "Is it because of that two year separation?"

That hit her. "Two years?…" She stood up and looked down at the sitting Ash as tears welled in her eyes. Ash got to his feet and stood before her. Without another word, she dove into Ash's arms and started crying into his chest. "Ash, don't ever leave me like that again," she wailed.

Ash didn't know what to do. He held her closer and pat her back as she continued to cry. "I won't Misty. I promise I won't ever leave you again," Ash declared and rubbed her back softly. "I'm not as stupid as I was two years ago. It'll never happen again…"

Misty sniffled and looked back into his brown eyes. "R-really?… Never again?…" He nodded to her with a little smile. Wiping her tears away, a small smile crept onto her face. "You don't know how happy that makes me feel, Ash," she admitted, smiling even wider.

Ash chuckled a bit and wrapped an arm around her waist. He realized where his hand was and moved it up to her back, blushing brightly. "I wonder if those thoughts ever crossed her mind… If friends could become more than friends…" he thought, still holding the redhead close to him. He swallowed and decided to give it a try… But what if she didn't think it was possible? What would happen to him? "Being a Pokémon Master means taking risks…" He looked to Misty's green eyes with hopeful admiration. "Misty?…"

The aquatic trainer looked up from her daze to see his eyes staring into hers. With a slight blush, she responded, "Yes… Ash?…"

Still paralyzed by nervousness, Ash only managed to scratch the back of his head. And look to a nearby tree branch lit by the moon. "Do you think friends could become something more… than just friends," he asked with a slight hesitation.

"Wow… Has that thought really occurred to him," she thought, noticing his hesitation. "Well… why do you ask?" Misty didn't know what to say, so she answered with another question. "This might get Ash really nervous if he means what I think he does…"

Ash had a feeling she'd respond like that, so after the question was asked he prepared a response. "Ah, a friend of mine, Din, wanted to know if he should ask out a girl he knew since childhood. But since he doesn't know any other girls, and he couldn't very well ask her what she thought. Sierra is a smart girl and she'll see through a cheap front like that," Ash explained confidently.

Misty was a little stunned. Had Ash have been lying, Misty couldn't tell. When he lied, you knew it. But this time, she wasn't sure. "Din and Sierra, eh? Did you just make that up," she asked with a playful smile.

Once again, Ash had known Misty's reaction to his explanation. He had purposely used two people he did know for real, and Din had indeed asked him that question involving his crush, Sierra. "No, I didn't," he said, pulling out his cell phone, "They're right here in my address book." Ash scrolled through several numbers of trainers he's faced and befriended. "Din Raidros; Pyro-Master… Sierra Takémora; Ice Princess," he read and showed the skeptical redhead before him.

Once again, Misty was stunned. Ash might have been telling the truth, but she couldn't tell if he was. Then again, she couldn't tell if he wasn't. He sounded confident, without a hint of nervousness; a strong sign he wasn't fibbing. She sighed and looked down with a perturbed expression. "Okay then… Tell Din I don't think so," she lied. Recently, Misty had perfected her lying abilities and made them almost undetectable unless by a machine. "I want to tell him, but I'm not ready yet…" She thought of the consequences of that outright lie, and the thoughts weren't pretty… But she hoped Ash would wait for her to build up her courage.

Ash was greatly affected by that, but he kept his face straight so Misty wouldn't see his reaction. He rested his chin in his palm and pretended to think her answer over. "Hmmm… Okay, I'll let Din know first thing tomorrow…"

"Tell him that I said I was sorry for raining on his parade…"

"Ah, it's okay Mist. Din's faced many a downpour in his days; a little drizzle won't matter." He looked around, taking note to the already dark sky darkening around him. "Well, I'm gonna go back to sleep," he mentioned as he stretched. He gestured to the tent behind him and looked to Misty. "Want the tent?"

She shook her head and turned away a bit. "No, it's alright. I'm just gonna stay awake a bit longer and watch the stars." Ash nodded and started for the tent again. Just before he got in, he gave Misty a short glance, sighed and continued in. Misty gave a sigh herself and watched the sky, her thoughts of her lie returning to haunt her. "Ash will wait for me… At least… I hope…"

In the tent, Ash had suffered quite a setback. He hadn't detected Misty's usual cracking voice as she lied, which he was looking for. "I guess she was telling the truth…" The master in the way of Pokémon thought more into it and found it only hurt him more. He loved her, but more than in the friend sort of way. He wanted her to know that, but now that she tells him she doesn't believed friends can become more, Ash discovered he could never make Misty his. If she didn't think it could happen, there's no way. She was out of his reach… With another sigh, he crawled into his sleeping bag and turned to his side. "I guess I'll have to see someone else…" Just as he closed his eyes, he thought of his old friend. "Let me see what she thinks…" He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and started writing a letter. "Dear Crystal…"

The next morning, they made their way down the trail, not looking at each other.. Occasionally, they'd glance at each other, but for no more than a second and they never met each other's gaze. It was a quite couple of hours to Pewter City. Misty sighed to herself a few times, but Ash never really noticed. Things were awkward until something had finally happened…

Pewter City--

"Hey! You Ash Ketchum," a trainer wearing a bandana over his hair and a pair of dark sunglasses called out, pointing to Ash.

"Yeah, I'm Ash. So who wants to know?"

The trainer smirked and picked up a Pokéball from his belt and pointed it at Ash. "I've come from Johto to do battle with the alleged Pokémon Master! And I won't take no for an answer!"

Ash shrugged and picked up one of his Pokéballs. "Fine then. Let's do it. Three on three." He looked to Misty and whispered to her. "Small fry."

"Three on three is fine! Go, Scizor," the trainer announced and tossed his ball out between him and Ash. The red bug appeared from the ball and clamped his claws together.

"Go, Typlosion," Ash called haphazardly, seeing as this won't take long. When the monster appeared from his prison, he roared powerfully, flames spewing from his back like an active volcano. "Attack it with Scorch Wheel." The flames intensified and began to fall all over him, engulfing Typhlosion. With another mighty roar, six fireballs erupted from his body and sent them spiraling towards the opposing Scizor. It never stood a chance.

"Ah! Scizor!" The flames had subdued and knocked Scizor out cold. With the added damage from the Steel type, he was defeated even before the attack connected. "Return." The Steel/Bug was recalled into the ball and the trainer looked up at Ash with a smirk. "That was just round one! Here's round two! Gyarados!" He threw out another ball and the giant serpentine monster emerged from the ball with a roar that rivaled Typhlosion's. "Attack with Hydro Pump!"

"Typhlosion, Sunny Day!" Without a moment's hesitation, Typhlosion roared to the sky and the clouds drifted apart and a beam of sun tore through them and around the competitors. The Hydro Pump hit him dead on, but with Sunny Day, some of the water was dissolved and caused less damage. "Now that that's out of the way, belt this Gyarados with Thunder Claw," Ash commanded and pointed to the opposing serpent. The flames on Typhlosion's back became surged with electricity, as with his claws.

Thunder Claw Electric ATK:100 ACC:100 An attack that takes two turns to prepare. Has a 20 chance of causing Paralysis. Worenx Note(WN): The name originates from Capcom's Megaman VIII. This variation is mine, but the name is Capcom's

"Quick! Attack it with a Hyper Beam," the trainer shouted, pointing to the surging Typhlosion. Gyarados took in some energy to its mouth and fired a large beam from it. The beam collided with Typhlosion, dealing a fair amount of damage, but not enough to knock it out. "Damn!" With Gyarados exhausted from his attack, Typhlosion dashed to his target and slashed at it with his electrified claws, damaging it tremendously and defeating it.

Misty couldn't help but gawk at how much stronger Ash's Pokémon had become and how much he improved his battling skills. "Two years is a long time, after all. Too bad after my fight with May, I pretty much gave up battling." She sat on a rock and watched as the trainer recalled the K.O.'ed Gyarados. "This should be good."

"You may have beaten my heavy hitters, but you can't handle what I have next! Ampharos! Show em' what you're made of!" He tossed the ball in the middle and the yellow monster emerged in a thunderous flash. "Thunderbolt!" Ampharos swaggered his tail as it began to surge with electricity. With a wave of his arms, a large bolt fired out towards Typhlosion.

With a yawn, Ash pointed to the Thunderbolt. "Counter that with Ground Scimitar." Quickly, Typhlosion dug his claw into the ground and slashed upward, unearthing the ground and blocking the Thunderbolt with it. With the attack cancelled, Typhlosion kicked the earth formation and sent it hurdling towards Ampharos. It connected and knocked the yellow creature to the ground.

Ground Scimitar Ground ATK:75 ACC:90 An attack that always starts first and blocks any attack besides Flying, Water, Grass and Ice types. The turn following, deals Ground-based damage.

"No! I didn't stand a chance," the once confident trainer cried as he dropped to his knees. He stood back up and took off the bandana covering his hair fiery red hair and dyed yellow spikes in front. With a flick of the wrist, he removed his sunglasses revealing a pair of crimson red eyes. "Very well. I'll accept my loss. But hear me out," he started and pointed to Ash. "I will redeem myself on Sleight Island! Remember the name Catra Worenx," the trainer shouted before dashing off.

"What was that all about," Ash asked Misty, scratching his head.

"I dunno, Ash… But perhaps we should get to Professor Oak's lab and we might just be able to understand what just happened," the redhead suggested.

Ash nodded and crossed his arms. "Maybe the Prof. knows something about this." He looked back to Typhlosion and gave him a thumbs up. "Good job!" With pleasing his trainer, the titanic beast of volcanic flames roared a loud, victorious roar. Ash recalled his Pokémon into his circular home with the red beam. "Let's go, Mist," he said, attaching the ball to his belt and gesturing for Misty to walk in front of him.

Viridian City Pallet Town--

Misty looked around from the hill overlooking Pallet Town and sighed. Pallet has always been her home away from home, and the cool, pleasant air drifted to her senses once again. "Mmmm… A smell I haven't smelled in a long while," she commented.

"Yeah, it has been awhile since you were last here." Ash recalled the time before he left for Johto when he and Misty spend a lot of their time in the Ketchum household. It was during her fist visit, before the Pokémon League competition, that he started developing feelings for the fiery redhead. "Boy, that was a long time ago… almost eight years…"

"How's your mom, Ash," she asked, concerned about Delia.

"She's fine. After we talk to the Professor, you could visit her. I'm sure she'd be glad to see you." Misty nodded; she'd like to see his mother again. Delia was one of the few people that knew how she felt for Ash and it would be nice to have someone to talk to about it. "Alright then, let's go see the Prof.," Ash said and started down the hill towards Oak's lab. Misty smiled widely and followed Ash quickly.

Once they opened the door to Oak's lab, Ash and Misty were greeted by their old friend, Tracey Sketchet from the Orange Islands. "Hey guys! How've you been," he asked excitedly and ran to Misty with a hug. After greeting her, he turned to Ash. "So you finally went to see her, eh Ash," he asked and gestured to the redhead.

Ash nodded with a smirk and slipped his hands in his pockets. "Yup. Sure did, Trace. Of course I was biding my time for those two years."

Just before he named off another, obvious lie, Misty covered his mouth. She looked to Tracey with a big smile. "I think it's safe to say he was scared, Trace."

Tracey laughed a bit at Misty's reaction. "You guys haven't changed a bit," he commented with a slight chuckle. Of course, listening to them, they haven't changed. But looking at them, they were completely different and Tracey found it hard to look away from the voluptuous Misty's more mature form. "Well, the Professor's waiting for you inside Ash. I'm gonna go somewhere to sketch. Later guys. Nice seeing you again, Mist." With his trusty sketchbook and sketching pencil, he stepped beside them and started off for his secret sketch spot.

As soon as Oak saw Ash and Misty walking up, he placed his pen down on his desk, stood up and greeted them. "Why, hello Misty! My, how you've matured," he greeted the former Cerulean Gym Leader and shook her hand. "Oh, and hello Ash," he said flatly to Ash with a joking smile.

"Oh… I see how it is," the Master said flatly with the same playful smirk. "So, Prof., what exactly is this challenge you wanted to tell me about," he asked, very interested.

The Professor straightened up and kept his hand in the pocket of his lab coat. "A new island has been discovered, somewhere off the coast of the furthest Orange Island, called Sleight Island," he started after clearing his throat. "As the name implies, you must apply every bit of your craftiness to survive. You go around the island, gathering the six card keys; Alpha, Beta, Delta, Theta, Gamma and Sigma; to gain access to the middle city known as Omega, where the finals will begin."

Ash looked confused at the Professor. "Doesn't sound so crafty to me."

"Ah, but there's a catch," Oak continued, "See, in each of the cities, the leader of the area will assign a random Pokémon that you, the trainer, must capture. If he or she says to capture a Pikachu, you must go out and capture a Pikachu."

"Still doesn't sound tough…"

"I'm not done yet. They show you a photograph of a specific Pikachu, and you must capture that very Pikachu. If it has a gash over its left cheek, you must find the Pikachu with a gash over it's left cheek, catch it, and use that Pikachu to fight him or her. You can train it as much as you want, so long as you use it."

Ash admitted that it did sound pretty tough. He remembered playing a card game on his VG-Boy and the harder version played using a "closed deck" system where you must use a predetermined deck that you cannot change. "Wow Professor…" This challenge was very interesting, and Ash, being the thrill seeker he is, couldn't help it. "This sounds awesome! Sign me up," he declared, thrusting a fist out before him. Misty smiled and giggled a bit.

(WN): VG Boy is a made-up video game system like a GBA SP. The game Ash is referring to is an adaptation of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories; Reverse/Rebirth mode.

"I was hoping you'd say that, Ash. Gary is already on the first boat there. Perhaps if you leave tonight, you won't far so behind," the Professor explained. "Gary found out about this about a week before I did. I wish I could have told you sooner."

"That Gary! Oooh, I'll kill him," Ash growled and clenched a fist. "Wanna come with me, Mist? This will be a great opportunity to catch up!"

"Oh, I'd love to Ash," she exclaimed. Her bright smile soon faded into a small frown. "But… don't I need a ticket?"

Oak smiled at Misty again. "I was hoping Ash would have the courage to visit you yesterday and make amends with you. I thought ahead and," he said as he reached into his lab coat pocket again, "got a second ticket for you, Misty." Her smile was revived as he produced two boat tickets to Sleight Island, one for each of the aspiring teens.

"Oh, thank you so much, Professor," Misty exclaimed and hugged the authority on Pokémon knowledge.

"Yeah, thanks, Prof. You rule!"

"Well, don't waste you're time thanking me. You can do that later! You two better get packed and be at Vermillion City by sunset," he explained to them.

Ash and Misty nodded, thanked the Professor again and went on their way to pack their things. This new challenge seemed very enticing to Ash Ketchum. He hoped he would dominate with his incredible battling skill and prowess. "I'm the Pokémon Master! This should be a piece of cake," he thought with a wide smirk as he and Misty walked to his house.

Delia was in the living room, watching the latest news on the new challenge attracting many trainers across Kanto. When her son walked into the room, she jumped up and saw a flash of red hair. "Oh my goodness! Misty? How have you been, sweetie," she cried to the redhead and ran to her for a hug.

Ash smirked at the gesture. "Hello son. How was your night? I missed you," he said, playfully imitating his mother's voice. "Hi mom. My night was great. I missed you too."

Misty couldn't help but laugh. "It's really nice to see you again, Ms. Ketchum," she greeted with a slight Japanese bow.

"Please, call me Delia, Misty. You're pretty much family," she responded. Though she knew what Ash said, she decided to go on with her little gag.

With a sigh, Ash continued talking to himself, "Did you hear about the new challenge all the trainers are going on about?" He crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes I have. I am going to give it a shot, mother. Wish me luck." He clapped his hands once and smiled widely. "Oh! good luck, son! Make your father and all of Pallet proud!" He stooped when he realized he had an audience.

Both Misty and Delia laughed at his overreaction. "Okay. I'm sorry Ash. But it's been almost six years since I saw her," she said and hugged her son, kissing him on the cheek.

"Well, I got to get packed. Afterward, I have to take Mist home so she can pack," he explained and started for the stairs. "Sorry we can't stay long, Mom! You two catch up!"

As Ash ran up the stairs to his room, both women looked each other in the eyes. Delia suddenly clapped her hands, startled Misty, and smiled at the redhead. "So, have you told Ash?" Misty knew just what Delia was talking about. Had she told Ash her feelings? She looked away and shook her head a bit. "You haven't?"

"I can't, Delia," she admitted, turning to Mrs. Ketchum. "I love your son so much, but I can't let him know yet." She held her chest a bit and looked away again. "What if he doesn't love me back?… I don't think my heart an take that…"

The older woman knew how she felt. She put her hand on Misty's shoulder and gave her a hopeful smile. "Well, good luck over there. This will be a long hard journey for Ash, and you'll be with him every step of the way." Delia pulled Misty into a tight embrace. "You're bound to find each other one night. You will know if it's right the moment you kiss. And if he doesn't think it's right, and he just might, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of good men like my Ash," she explained to the young woman in her arms.

Misty returned the hug and smiled. "Thanks Delia. I'll remember this over there."

Ash returned from his room with his bag over his shoulder and saw his mother and Misty in each others embrace. "Hey, did I miss something," he asked with a chuckle.

Delia and Misty stepped out of each others arms and looked to Ash. "No, I just told Misty how much I've missed her visits."

"Sorry to have to pull her away, but we've got a tough schedule to keep up with," he apologized and kissed his mom as he walked by. "Come on Mist."

"Coming, Ash. It was nice seeing you again, Delia," Misty said with another Japanese bow and headed out. Just before Delia closed the door, she waved to her son and Misty and wished them the best of luck. They decided to fly to Cerulean on Ash's Noctowl to save time. As they were in the air, Misty continued to think about what Mrs. Ketchum said and hoped that when she and Ash kiss, they would both feel that it was right. But she was more focused on when to kiss him. She feared that if they kiss too early or too late, their friendship would be destroyed. "It's all in the timing," she declared as they flew off towards Cerulean City to gather her stuff for their first journey in a long time.

End of Chapter II

Journey; Part I

Worenx's Corner

Worenx: Wow! Chapter 2 turned out really nice, Shade!

Shade: Well, I didn't think so. It took me long enough, that's for sure…

Worenx: Lemme guess, writer's block?…

Shade: No, it just took me awhile to come up with what to write! Yes, writer's block!

Worenx: Yeesh! Watch it, Shade! Trianni's have sensitive ears, remember?

Shade: Whatever… Now leave, I've got Super Elf to work on…

Worenx: Wow! More initiative than Chachi ever had!

Shade: I SAID GET OUT!

Worenx: Ow, ears! EARS! Leaves

Shade: It's about time… Maybe now I can get some work done… Computer crashes …Grrrr…