Problems of the Heart

by stringdog

In the game of love there are winners and losers and when the prize is Ash Ketchum there are many losers. Through a mix of circumstances Sabrina ends up helping the lost girls of Ash deal with the problems affecting their hearts after losing their battles for Ash's heart. Will Sabrina solve her own heart's problems in the process? Set in my Hearts Universe.

3. Misty III

Here it is, the third chapter in my latest Hearts Universe side story 'Problems of the Heart' released exactly when I planned to release it. This is the last of the Misty chapters as most girls will get 3 chapters with a roughly similar pattern, that being an initial meeting or exchange that let's Sabrina know that they like Ash, a full delve chapter into their feelings for Ash so that Sabrina can let them talk about him and help as best she can, and an update chapter of sorts. This won't always be the case and only Misty, Anabel and Angie will have their 3 grouped together in order either due to when they happened or in Angie's case them all happening over the course of a few days but those are chapters 8-10, the rest will be chronological as Sabrina gets the chance to talk to them. Anyway, Misty III is set right before the events of Part LXXX so about 6 hours before the start of Winning and is the only chapter in any side material that is set between two of the main stories as this occurred after the end of Dreams and as such there will be spoilers to the Indigo Conference from Dreams so you have been warned. This isn't as long or deep as the last one for obvious reasons but it does delve more into Sabrina's struggles and addresses one that will come up multiple times. However, that is all the administrative stuff and as there were no questions or guest reviews to respond to please time to sit back and get ready for the third Problem of the Heart.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Misty III

"Misty, how are things going?" Sabrina asked approaching her fellow gym leader. "You doing alright?"

"Sabrina, things are good." Misty embracing Sabrina in a hug that surprised the older woman before parting. "Care for a walk? I'm sure you want an update after the Indigo Conference and now is the best time for that."

"That would be nice." Sabrina said with a smile at how Misty sounded. "Plus, I don't know this place well so you can show me around a little."

"I know just the place to go." Misty said as she took Sabrina's arm and led her deeper into Professor Oak's ranch. "It's my favorite place here."

It was the day of Ash's party and Sabrina and Anabel had arrived early to help set up. Well Anabel had arrived early for that reason as her talents were needed with the Pokémon construction crew that were setting up the marquee. Sabrina, who had traveled with Anabel as Anabel had been staying with her before the party, had come to chat with Misty and get an update from her regarding how she was doing post Indigo Conference.

Several months ago, Misty had reached out to Sabrina for help with some personal issues regarding her anger and jealousy, especially in relation to her love for Ash and her interactions with his girlfriend Dawn. Sabrina had owed Misty an amends for what she had done to the water specialist when they first met, and she had still been under the control of her powers, so it worked out perfectly for Sabrina.

She'd approved of Misty's planned apology to Dawn for everything that had happened between them though at the time Sabrina didn't know what that was. It happen before Sabrina could meet Misty as she was seeing Ash and Dawn in Hoenn when Sabrina was next available, but Sabrina had still supported the idea. That had gone well and a month later when Sabrina arrived, she got the full story from Misty.

She heard how Misty had fallen in love with Ash, how her anger had always been an issue for her and how it got worse when her jealousy, almost exclusively directed towards women who expressed even a passing interest in Ash, was involved. This had culminated in the moment Misty had never expected to happen, meeting Ash's girlfriend.

Sabrina could understand that. Ash was dense beyond belief when it came to things like romantic attraction, especially when it was aimed directly at him. However, he'd somehow managed to figure out he had a crush on Dawn and had gone to find her. Sabrina was sure that if Ash truly looked back, he would have realized that he had one on Misty back in the day but alas it was too late for that. By the time Ash had gone after Dawn she had accepted her love for Ash and they got together after they confessed to each other.

Of course, that meant that Misty, and several other girls who Sabrina was now committed to helping as a way to repay Ash for all he did for her and so that they didn't let their love turn to obsession and cause problems. Well, that and the fact that her friend Anabel was also in the crushing on Ash boat and like the others had lost Ash.

When it came to Misty in particular, Ash, being the dense idiot that he was on these things, had decided to see her when he was in Cerulean on the way back to Pallet Town with Dawn after they had gotten together. That had been Misty's first meeting with Dawn, and it had not gone well in the slightest.

From that point on Misty had let her jealousy control her and she acted out in inappropriate and uncharacteristic ways. Fortunately, her love for Ash was pure and she hadn't been corrupted by that love turning to obsession and hate. It had allowed Misty, through a series of events including hearing Sabrina talk about her own mental health struggles, to realize she needed help or else she might go to far and ruin her friendship with Ash. It had been that talk from Sabrina that had given Misty the final kick she needed to get help.

Since then, she'd been diagnosed with anger and jealousy issues and was currently in an anger management program that was really helping her. Misty was also getting help from an expert who had managed to find ways to address her jealousy while Sabrina advised her as best as possible though their issues were noticeably different. Of course, none of that compared what had helped the most, Dawn's forgiveness.

Misty had finally had her long overdue heart to heart with Dawn, something Sabrina learned from Anabel that Dawn had had with all her other rivals before Pokémon got involved but Misty's emotional issues had prevented that. That heart to heart that had helped as it had allowed Misty to apologize and make amends with Dawn.

After that, Dawn had revealed that while she knew that their relationship wasn't the best, she never held ill will to Misty because of how important she was to Ash, something Dawn would never mess with because of how much she loved Ash as well. She'd forgiven Misty for her actions and they'd mended their relationship to the point that they were finally friends.

Sabrina had seen the proof of that during the Indigo Conference. Naturally, she'd watched it for the battles and to see how well Ash did in it. He'd beaten 7 of the 8 gym leaders in full battles and only didn't beat the 8th because he was so incompetent that he wasn't present to face Ash. That meant that Ash was a favorite for it in Sabrina's mind and he showed it during the Conference.

Ash had reached the final with only two close matches along the way. In the final he'd barely lost it to a talented trainer from Hoenn who Sabrina remembered from his gym battle as being one of only a few trainers worthy of facing her Alakazam last year. It had been an epic final that came down to the line and really could have gone either way bit alas it didn't go Ash's way.

It had been during the final that Sabrina had seen, well something that was unique for sure. Almost certainly Dawn was behind it, something that Anabel had recently confirmed, but at the time Sabrina had just theorized it.

Somehow, the Sinnoh girl had managed to convince Misty, Anabel, and a bunch of others who Sabrina didn't know but presumed that one was May who she'd heard about from Misty and another was likely Iris though the guy dressed in green she didn't know at all, to dress as cheerleaders for Ash in the final. The camera had made sure to capture that image for all to see so it was a sight Sabrina remembered well. However, unlike others watching, Sabrina knew there was more to it than most saw.

It was clear to Sabrina that at least 3, if not 4, were girls who had lost Ash to Dawn which showed a lot of maturity on all their parts to cheer like that for Ash. It was impressive that all the girls who did like Ash could put aside any negative feelings for him and dress like that to show their support for him.

Still, the most mature part was that Misty, in a cute blue outfit that suited her well even if it wasn't her usual style, was standing right next to Dawn on her right. It showed just how far the two girls had come together that Misty could be happy and cheering in a full cheerleader outfit while standing next to the girl who'd beaten her in love and caused Misty a lot of personal problems, not that any of that was Dawn's fault.

Anabel had confirmed Sabrina's theory regarding the nature of the cheer section when she came to Saffron after the Conference. The Salon Maiden had explained that the 4 nearest Dawn, so Misty, herself, May, and Angie, the last one being a girl in dark green that Sabrina didn't know at all, all had feelings for Ash that Dawn had discovered over the year. She'd ended up facing all 4 in battle, after having civil chats with 3 of them about their feelings and beaten them all but in a friendly way.

That revelation had stunned Sabrina as it meant that Anabel had also lost to Dawn, something she didn't expect. Sabrina had also not told Anabel about Dawn but that was a matter between them and not Sabrina and Misty which was what Sabrina was focusing on right now so no need to focus on Anabel's interactions with Dawn.

Anabel had also confirmed that the cheerleading had been Dawn's idea. She'd personally invited all of them to the Grand Festival and the Indigo Conference to watch her and Ash compete in them. While May and Misty had made it to the Grand Festival, the others only managed to make the Indigo Conference.

As such, when Ash reached the final Dawn, who'd been in her outfit the entire time, revealed that she'd created matching outfits for all of them and had chosen the perfect colors for them. She had then persuaded them to all do it for Ash. They were joined by Iris, which finally confirmed to Sabrina who that girl was, and Cilan who had traveled with Ash in Unova but neither held no romantic feelings to him.

Anabel's report had showed Sabrina how far Misty had come so now she wanted a chance to get the update on how it was going from Misty in person. Sabrina had been honored that Ash would invite her to his party and had readily said yes as the number of people was manageable to her. She could see Misty, have an initial chat with May at least, and spend time with Ash and Dawn again while meeting some of their other friends. Anabel had been the one to deliver the invite and they'd come early for various reasons. One of which was about to start.

"Here we are." Misty said with a smile as they came to a large pond with reeds in it and a log overlooking it that she'd been leading Sabrina to while Sabrina had been thinking. "This is one of my favorite spots on the ranch. I come here sometimes to think and get away from things in Cerulean. Professor Oak doesn't mind at all and is always happy to see me. It's also where I comforted May after she learned that Dawn had beaten us and where I first said aloud that I was in love with Ash. We can chat here about what you want to talk about."

"It's a beautiful spot." Sabrina said as they took a seat on the log and looked out over the calm pond and feeling the peace and tranquility of the place wash over her. "Are some of Ash's water types there?"

"His Corphish is probably in the water but Seismitoad is too big for it now so he hangs out in the larger lake on the ranch." Misty said. "Not sure about Kingler, Oshawott, Buizel, or Croconaw though, they could be there, or they could be elsewhere. This ranch is perfect for all types of Pokémon with environments they can chose to enjoy so I never know where Ash's Pokémon will be at a given time."

"Trust a Pokémon Professor to have a place like this." Sabrina said looking around more and taking it all in. "And you said that it's where Ash keeps all his Pokémon."

"Yup he usually only takes Pikachu with him to a new region, been doing that ever since he went to Hoenn." Misty said with a nod. "I think he took Aipom to Sinnoh where she was traded to Dawn for her Buizel but otherwise it's only Pikachu who travels with him. I got in the other day and learned that Ash has a Riolu now, given to him as an egg by Cynthia after the Indigo Conference, and as it's new he's taking it with him to Kalos when they leave for it next week."

"That makes sense and Ash is finally heading out to Kalos." Sabrina said. "It's a beautiful region. I really enjoyed my time there, once I'd gained the control I needed to enjoy it that is."

"I haven't been yet but there is something I'd like to ask you before we talk about my progress." Misty said. "About Kalos that is."

"Sure what?" Sabrina asked.

"Do you want to come with me to the Wallace Cup?" Misty asked shocking Sabrina with the question.

"Um what?" Sabrina asked for confirmation. "What does that have to do with Kalos?"

"Wallace has invited me to the Wallace Cup again and as it is in Snowbelle City in Kalos I am going to go." Misty said. "I've never been there, and Ash will likely be in it while Dawn will be there given her history though whether she'll compete now that she's a Top Coordinator I don't know. It's a great chance to see them during the year so I am going. I figured that if I was going to head to Kalos I may as well offer you the chance to come. You spent a lot of time there and this could be a good excuse to return."

"Two years." Sabrina confirmed. "Longer than I'd intended but it really helped me find the control I needed. I can't attend the Wallace Cup though."

"Why not?" Misty asked confused.

"My telepathy isn't fully under control." Sabrina said sadly surprising Misty with the revelation. "I abused it so much back in the day by listening to everyone that I caused myself permanent damage. Now it's hard to turn off. I can suppress it for a while, something I'm doing right now, but it won't last past this conversation and it drains me mentally and physically to do so. I'll need a nap before the party because of it but it is worth it to keep it at bay while we talk."

"I didn't know that I'm sorry to hear that." Misty said. "I wouldn't have guessed you had a lingering issue like that."

"I keep it under control well and have learned how to deal with it." Sabrina said. "But it is a permanent reminder of my past abuse of my powers. When you abuse alcohol or narcotics there are long term health problems you have to deal with when you get clean, this is my long-term health problem from my addiction. Still, this is a fair price for me to pay for my past sins and one I'm willing to pay to gain and maintain control."

"I guess if it is this or what I experienced when we first met then this is much better." Misty said unable to fully understand what Sabrina was going through with it but trying her hardest. "So how do you deal with it?"

"I have regained as much control as I think I can over it so that it is just a low-level buzz in my head most of the time but if it starts to pick up I focus it on Kadabra or Haunter who I have a links with." Sabrina explained. "Most of the time I only get surface thoughts that I can't identify beyond a word here or there or maybe a strong emotion every now and then. It is annoying, but I can live with it. If Haunter is out, I focus on him and things are good and doing tasks like battling allows me to ignore it. I can suppress it for an hour but if I don't get somewhere private it can be bad when it comes back."

"By bad I take it you hear more than surface levels." Misty said.

"Correct." Sabrina responded with a nod. "And as I don't like to invade thoughts anymore it's tough. I still hate myself for actually liking that in the past and pushing myself to the point of damage to perfect it. This is what I deal with for my mistakes, one of the many reminders I have that keeps me from relapsing."

"Still doesn't explain why you can't attend the Wallace Cup." Misty said getting Sabrina's issue as best she could but knowing she was missing something about it. "Unless it's a numbers thing."

"That is precisely what it is." Sabrina said. "Too many people turn the buzz in my head turns into a swarm, and I lose control. Add in the excitement and energy something like a Contest has and the intensity is ratcheted up to a level I have no hope of keeping out. When that happens all the thoughts slam into me in one go and I can't prevent the stream from hitting me at full force."

"I take it you learned this the hard way." Misty said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't know what it is like."

"Correct, it happened at a Pokémon Showcase I attended in Kalos." Sabrina said with a nod, her voice pained at the memory, but she pushed on with it. "Thankfully, I wasn't in the crowd but a private box at the time, but the influx of so many happy fans caused me to collapse and have a seizure as I couldn't process it. Olympia and Haunter got me to safety before I could lose control but from that day I knew I could never attend large events that had excited people."

"You can't attend any large events?" Misty asked a little startled by that limitation Sabrina had to live with.

"None." Sabrina said with a hint of regret in her voice. "Another price I am paying for my abuse of my powers. I can't attend Contests, Conferences, Showcases, or anything like that. It's why I'm always out of town during the Saffron Contest which the Committee schedules around my week off out of respect to me. It is a shame as they do look fun to be at but when you abuse something to point of addiction you have to live with the consequences of your actions. All of them are better than being the monster I was when I was under the sway of my powers though so I can easy live with them."

"I see that does explain it." Misty said. "Never mind then. I'm sorry that you have to deal with it, but I am happy to hear that you have come to terms it."

"Coming to terms with your consequences is part of the healing process." Sabrina said before she surprised Misty. "But just because I can't attend the Wallace Cup doesn't mean I don't want to go to Kalos."

"You'll come with me?" Misty asked confused.

"I'll come but I won't come to Snowbelle." Sabrina said quickly moving the conversation along from the more serious talk about her struggles they'd just had. "I haven't been to Kalos in over 4 years, and I have a close friend there I want to see again while also seeing my mentor out in Anistar City. I could use the time off as well. I haven't had a true holiday in 3 years so this can be it. Dad can run the gym while I'm gone, he's my backup and has plenty of experience running it."

"Alright sounds great." Misty said with a smile. "It's towards the end of the year as there is more to prepare with it being held in an expansion region so around the time that we get fewer challengers."

"That is good." Sabrina said with a smile. "Send me the details after the party and I will make plans. I'll bring my whole Kalos team, they'll like being back in the region."

"Will do." Misty said smiling.

"Now let's move onto what I want to talk about as that is a happier topic I believe." Sabrina said. "How's your progress going? You seemed in a good place after our week together so tell me, how was the Conference? That was the next time you saw Dawn after everything so the most important thing."

"It was great, I had so much fun supporting Ash and staying in the house he was eligible to have made to feel like old times back when I first fell in love with him." Misty said and Sabrina could hear the radiant happiness Misty's voice at it which was a good sign. "I was surprised I was so comfortable with it. I hadn't had any issues before the Conference, but I knew seeing and staying with Dawn again could have problems despite our mended relationship."

"And did it?" Sabrina asked glad to hear that Misty hadn't had any issues before the Conference.

"Surprisingly few problems." Misty said. "There is still low-level jealousy there whenever I see them together, that I can't get rid of just as you have that buzz you were talking about, but the desire to act like a bitch or flirt with Dawn isn't there anymore, or at least I can control it when the urge hits."

"That is great." Sabrina said smiling at Misty and her progress. "I am proud that you've been able to regain control over those emotionally driven action."

"I'm not solely responsible for this." Misty said shaking her head. "With Dawn it is a two-way street to make our friendship work. I was only able to fully control everything because Dawn was respectful around me and May when we were in the house and only really held Ash's hand or cuddled him in the evenings around us, nothing more. Even at night when they were sharing a room, something that was hard to deal with, but I shared with May, so we got through it together and I didn't hear anything which helped a lot."

"Wait you shared a house with them?" Sabrina asked confused as it just hit her what the living arrangements on the Plateau had been for them. "I know they stayed with you when they were in Cerulean and you made them sleep in separate rooms, which is understandable as it is you house so your rules, but I didn't know you could stay with them during the Indigo Conference."

"It's allowed for trainers competing in the Conference and anyone who has been a registered traveling companion." Misty said. "I didn't realize that at first, but it worked out well for us. I got to stay there as I was registered as a companion in Kanto and Johto. So, all of Ash's companions other than Brock who was present but we never saw him during the Conference, and Max who was competing in Hoenn were there."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Sabrina said. "You're all in the same place so you can all help Ash and be there for him."

"Yeah it was just like old times only with more of us." Misty said with a fond look in her eyes at past memories. "There was plenty of space, so we added Lyra, the girl who told Dawn she had a crush on Ash and who I went a little too hard against because of that, and her boyfriend Khoury as Lyra was also competing. After that it was the filled by 4 Unova trainers who Ash knew while there and were in the Conference as well. One was Cameron, the guy he faced in the quarters."

"Oh, the match that changed everything." Sabrina said deciding to circle back to the Lyra thing if there was time for it. "And revealed this new fairy type to the world. I did not see that one coming. I dropped my tea cup when I watched it and had to clean up the mess."

"Yeah, that one." Misty said recalling what it was like to watch that revelation. "I was shocked that Ash used his Mr. Mime in such a situation, but he had a plan and showed it off perfectly. My ears were ringing for a week thanks to Iris, who is now terrified of fairy types, but we learned about them from Professor Oak. That was their official reveal to the world, but the research started with my match with Dawn and explains a lot."

"I'll admit I was surprised that Ash had a Mr. Mine thought it is good to know that mine is now also a fairy type as well." Sabrina said. "I've done some more reading into the discovery and I think that steel types might have an advantage on fairy types, but I can't confirm that yet. Regardless, it does explain what happened to Dawn's Togekiss when you used a dragon type attack on it."

"That it does." Misty agreed. "And as for Mr. Mime, or Mimey as his mom has nicknamed it, Ash had never used it before in battle and he caught Mimey in his first year as a trainer. It usually stays at home with Delia but it's Ash's only fairy type apparently, so he needed it."

"At the right time no less." Sabrina said. "It was an epic match and then he cruised through that semifinal against Lyra, who I'm glad to see you have no animosity towards, though the Porygon v. Porygon2 matchup was unexpected, to reach the final."

"I don't fault Lyra or Iris for what they did, they just helped friends." Misty said. "I am just upset it wasn't me that got the help but there's nothing I can do about it."

"That is the best way to look at it." Sabrina said. "And it shows your control over your issues."

"It does." Misty said with a nod. "I won't lie, I want to slap both of them for helping Dawn and not me, but I won't because that's not fair to them."

"Progress like that is what I am happy to see." Sabrina said with a smile. "But let's get back to Ash, I know how happy talking about him makes you and we still have to discuss his final."

"He has a way of making me happy and furious at the same time, but such is the nature of love." Misty said. "I knew Ash would make the final though. He showed throughout the Conference that he had little competition. A Hoenn girl in the last 32 was a challenge but Ash's will overcame hers and Cameron in the quarters was tough but other than that, the only people I saw as able to truly challenge Ash in a battle were Lucas and Brenden and I only noticed them during the final battles. I think that final could have gone either way."

"It was a heartbreaking loss." Sabrina said. "I felt for Ash. It was a tossup in the end, and he lost this time."

"I did as well but Ash was resilient and has already bounced back and is focused on winning it all in Kalos." Misty said smiling. "Another reason why he's so amazing."

"I know and I'm not attracted to him." Sabrina said. "Speaking of the final. That outfit was interesting. I heard that it was Dawn's idea for you guys to wear them."

"It was." Misty said with a chuckle at the memory of Dawn revealing them to the girls. "She gathered all her rivals together the night before and proposed her plan which I have to admit shows a lot of courage to get us all together like that. She'd even made the outfits ahead of time and chose the right colors for us and all."

"That's oddly mature of her." Sabrina said knowing this from Anabel, but Misty was confirming Anabel's story. "And sweet to do for Ash."

"Yeah, I was surprised when Dawn asked us to join her as cheerleaders for the final." Misty said. "But we'd spent over 3 weeks together by that point and nothing had happened, so it was possible. We got along without a problem and even discussed how to help Ash train at times just the two of us, so I didn't think of it. When I saw her plan, well I was a little nervous as I didn't know what to do and it wasn't what I would normally do but Dawn chose the perfect color for me. After that I agreed to do it for Ash and had a great time doing it."

"The blue really did really suit you." Sabrina agreed. "And that's great that you two are getting along so well when it comes to doing things for Ash. That was where things were bad so again this shows your progress."

"Yeah, we're actually friends now, I didn't think that possible until I heard your talk and realized I needed to change thigs." Misty said with a smile. "Thank you, Sabrina. Your talk was what gave me the strength to confront my issues and apologize to Dawn to fix our relationship. Then telling you my story and learning from your experiences allowed me to find the help I truly needed to deal with my anger and jealousy."

"You're welcome but in the end, it was your own initiative to get the help you needed, something few can claim." Sabrina said. "I just helped where I could and now you guys are in a good place."

"Completely." Misty said. "Sure, I'm jealous but I always will be, and I know that I'll never move on from Ash, I love him too much for that and I accept that, but I can be friends with Dawn and be normal with her. Ash is still in my life and important to me, as I am to him, and that's the best I can ask for. I have to accept that I lost my love to someone who loves him as much as I do, and I finally have done that. Dawn understands and is respectful to me and I am to her. I was even there the day after Ash lost to make sure he was ok after it."

"I'm glad you are doing so well." Sabrina said with a side smile at Misty's progress. "But now you have to keep it up. While you aren't an addict like I am, things like this can always come back and you could, for a lack of a better word, relapse."

"Yeah, that's what I'm most afraid of." Misty admitted. "So, I am doing everything I can to avoid it because I don't want to be like I was when I first met Dawn. I will keep this up and keep getting help to manage my anger and temper my jealousy. Tonight, is going to be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to celebrating it and the battles that will occur tomorrow are always fun to watch. Nothing could cause a problem."

"Nothing?" Sabrina asked.

"Ash and Dawn, well mainly Dawn as Ash is too dense, are too respectful to be overly affectionate in public and I am getting better at handling them being cute together, so I have to make myself deal with it." Misty said. "Of course, I want to be the one being adorably cute with Ash but alas I can't be so being able to hang out and have fun with him and Dawn when they are being so is something I can manage."

"That is actually a good idea." Sabrina said. "It will help you be comfortable and supportive of their relationship."

"Thanks, just keep an eye on me." Misty said. "I may be comfortable, but a second set of eyes keeping me in check can't hurt."

"Of course, I was going to anyway." Sabrina said. "I'm the closest you have to a sponsor, sorry again I have to use terminology that I know and apply it to this even when it isn't exactly accurate, so I'll be there. I've helped Anabel out already though she had already begun the acceptance so it was a different kind of help, and I will try and speak to May tomorrow. I think I'm in a good place to counsel any of you who need it."

"That is probably for the best as there are a few of us." Misty said. "You're good at this and not into Ash in that way so you are the best for it."

"I've lived through something similar in the sense of letting an emotion turn to obsession only it was worse in my case because it became an addiction." Sabrina said sadly. "I will do anything to make sure others don't become like me. It's not just the addict who suffers but all those who know and love her as well. I was lucky that I managed to get my family back together after what I did but others aren't, and I will do what I can to prevent that from every happening again."

"You've done amazing Sabrina." Misty said surprising herself and Sabrina by taking the older woman's hand as they sat together on the log. "Remember I'm one of the few people who saw you at your absolute worst and now I have seen just how far you've come since then. I could never have imagined being able to have this talk with you, let alone being friends after all that happened between us."

"Thank you, Misty, that means a lot to me." Sabrina said with a smile before giving Misty's hand a squeeze before letting go of it and getting up. "But I think that's all I wanted to know. It is clear that you have come a long way since you emailed me and made terrific progress with your issues. This is why it is good to catch them early and nip them in the bud then. I'll keep an eye on you tonight to make sure you're doing well but let's rejoin and help out."

"Agreed, I should be good, nothing short of Brock showing up with a girlfriend would surprise me at this point." Misty said with a laugh as she got up as well. "Like that would ever happen though. Ash is one thing; Brock is a whole other animal when it comes to the fairer sex."

"You'll have to tell me about him." Sabrina said chuckling as they began to walk back to the main area where the party was being held. "I don't really recall his personality seeing as I wasn't in my right mind back then."

"Alright so Brock is a lady's man, but the ladies don't like him." Misty began linking arms with Sabrina again as they walked. "I used to always save them from him by dragging him away from the ladies by the ear. They always turned him down except maybe one, I think, and I almost revealed my crush on Ash to him when that happened. So, the idea of him with a girlfriend, I'm not sure I could process it."

Misty continued to explain Brock's history to Sabrina as they made their way back to the main area to lend a hand. She was truly in a good place. Sure, Misty still had some issues that wouldn't go away, but she had them under control now and they wouldn't rear their ugly heads anymore, well around Dawn at least they wouldn't and that was the most important thing.

It would take something monumental like Brock showing up with a girlfriend or even more improbably a fiancée to break Misty but there was no way that would ever happened. Misty was going to have a good night with her friends and celebrate the love of her life's 18th birthday. Yes, it was going to be a great night. What could possibly go wrong.

Anyone who also follows Winning will know that there is some nice foreshadowing for the conclusion of Winning's first Part so I couldn't resist that little tease in this. The other main thing to mention here is that this chapter is important as it sets up Sabrina a way to go to Kalos and as such she can now add Serena to her help list if they meet up while she is there, along with another special chapter that will come while in Kalos but that's all I will say on it. As this chapter also showed, Sabrina still has lingering issues from her abuse when dealing with her telepathy and how it is now unstable and it shows that despite her control she is still suffering the damage she did to her mind with her abuse, this will come up again and again throughout Problems to help show how Sabrina is coping with her past. The next 3 chapters will go back in time, the only time this happens, and address Sabrina helping Anabel while giving a glimpse into their friendship. Anyway, that is all I have for now and given the content all I will do is ask that if you want to read more that you favorite or follow it and let me know what you think of it in your reviews or PMs to me. Until next time.

Stringdog