Bonus Chapter

Set during Alola, Lana's perspective of Ash and Misty

It was some time during the plane ride to Kanto that Lana first noticed. Actually, if she really thought about it, maybe it was even earlier than that. When their class was first told that they would be taking a special field trip to The Kanto Region, Ash was disappointed. While Lana understood why, this was his home region, so it would not be as much of a field trip for him as the rest of the class, she noticed his attitude switched to excitement in record time at the mention of "special guests". Then he was more eager than anyone else in the class. Lana did not pay much attention at the time, but, on the plane she noticed Ash's anticipation was at an all time high. But this was a very different kind of excitement than she had seen before. Again, Lana did not think too much about it, although it was interesting how excited Pikachu also was about returning to Kanto. She did not realize that Pokemon were so intuitive like that.

Before they even left the Kanto airport, she thought maybe she had possibly figured it out. Ash was one step ahead of everyone hurrying through the airport. So much that he nearly missed exactly what he was evidently looking for. A young man, who Lana soon learned was Ash's friend, Brock, was being overly flirtatious with the flight attendant. That is, until a young girl, Ash's friend Misty, aggressively pulled him away by the ear. It was quite the scene. But as he saw this, Ash's eyes lit up like headlights and Pikachu leapt into Misty's arms in a way Lana had only ever seen Pokemon do with their own trainers. That was when she suspected.

As Brock and Misty introduced themselves to the group, Ash's elation only continued to grow. As they made their way to Professor Oak's lab, Ash boasted about how much fun they were going to have with his friends. Lana could not help but notice that his interactions with Misty were quite different than those with Brock. Both of them were recapping fond memories of other times Misty surprised him when he came home from other regions. As they toured the lab, it almost seemed like Ash and Misty were competing with each other about nearly everything, but not in a malicious way; more like showing off. There was a lot of teasing back and forth. It was even more interesting how nearly all of Ash's older Pokemon obeyed her as if she was their own trainer, not just Pikachu like she had noticed earlier. They did not act like this with Brock. When they were placed in separate groups, they continued to talk about each other the entire time. That was when she knew.

When their class left Pallet Town, they took a bus to a hotel in Viridian City for the night before moving to Cerulean City in the morning. Ash did not join them, but rather, decided to stay at his mother's house and would meet them at the Cerulean City gym the next day. Brock and Misty were still there when the class left. Lana wondered how late they would stay or if they would even leave at all. She must have been preoccupied as she was thinking about it, since she barely even noticed when they arrived at their destination. At one point, Mallow even had to snap her out of it.

"Hello!" Mallow hollered at her, "did you even hear what I said?"

"What?" Lana said, realizing she had not, "sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"What's going on?" Mallow asked.

"Did it seem like Ash was acting strange since we got here?"

"Strange how?"

"I don't really know how to explain it," Lana replied, "he just seems to be acting different from usual. His Pokemon kind of were too. Did you notice that at all?"

Mallow thought for a moment. "I guess I just assumed he was happy to be home and see his friends," she said while trying to see what Lana was getting at, "although, now that you mention it, I'm not sure I've seen a Pokemon take to another trainer the way Pikachu acted with Misty. I don't remember learning about that in school."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Lana exclaimed, "I feel like Ash was acting different around her, too. So were some of his other Pokemon."

Mallow continued to think about it. "I guess maybe a little bit," she said. To which, Lana smiled.

The next morning, they all met at the Cerulean City Gym as planned. Ash, Brock, and Misty were already there when the rest of them arrived, so Lana was not sure whether or not they came together. When they walked in, they met Misty's Psyduck, a derpy looking Pokemon who appeared perpetually confused. Psyduck recognized Ash right away and it reacted similarly to how Pikachu did with Misty. It was rather cute how excited Pikachu and Psyduck were to see each other.

Professor Kukui went on to explain gyms and badges, as they are common in other regions. As Ash began to brag about how he had won all eight Kanto badges. Misty immediately followed with a sarcastic, teasing comment. At this point Lana wanted to put her theory to the test.

"I want to battle with Misty!" Lana exclaimed when Professor Kukui said they would start practice battles. She looked over to Mallow to join her.

As Lana and Mallow prepared for their battle to begin, Ash excitedly shouted from the audience, "Hey guys! Misty may not look it, but she's tough. Give it all you got!"

Misty looked up at him with a smile. "What do you mean by that, Ash?" she yelled, "I look tough enough!"

'That was almost too easy,' Lana thought to herself. Mallow looked over at Lana as if something also piqued her interest.

The battle, on the other hand, was not easy at all. Lana enjoyed battling Misty, since they had a shared interest in water-type Pokemon. She could tell that she was a successful Gym Leader and that battling her for a badge would be a challenge. Since it was a practice battle, she ended it before any Pokemon were hurt.

"I always knew Misty and Psyduck made a great team!" Ash shouted from the audience.

Lana looked at Mallow for affirmation.

When it was his turn to battle, Ash eagerly declared he wanted to battle Misty. She appeared equally as excited as the two quickly exchanged ribbing about who would win. When it time for their battle, Ash bolted from his seat to assume the position. Misty began playfully teasing him again before the battle even started. The banter and the battle both escalated very quickly. Lana could not tell which was more interesting. It was obvious that this was not their first battle against each other. Rotom could not even keep up with it. She even noticed Kiawe and Sophocles whispering back and forth to each other. She also saw Brock had a very knowing smirk on his face. Afterwards, as they were talking about the battle, they began to badger each other again until Brock intervened. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

When they took a break after the battles, Lana used the opportunity to talk to Misty.

"Your skill with water-type Pokemon is so inspiring!" Lana told her.

"Well thank you!" Misty beamed, "it has always been my dream to be the world's best water Pokemon trainer."

"I would say you're well on your way," Lana complimented, "Water-type Pokemon are my favorite, too! The way you have your Gyarados so well trained is impressive. That must have taken a lot of work."

"It was certainly a challenge," Misty laughed, "but of course it was worth it in the end. I remember the first time Ash saw it; he was so surprised."

Lana grinned. "I bet he was!" she exclaimed, maybe a bit more dramatically than she intended. "Do you battle each other a lot?"

"I wouldn't say a lot," Misty thought out loud, "but it's always intense whenever we do. I wish we got to more."

"How often to you see each other?" Lana asked, now more genuinely interested than trying to prove something.

Misty sighed, "Whenever he comes home," she said with a slightly more downtrodden voice, "I've visited him in other regions a few times. We're both so busy so it's hard."

"I understand," Lana told her, "You should come visit us in Alola!" This was an idea she thought of right on the spot, but she liked it.

"I would love to be able to do that!" Misty beamed, "it sounds like a beautiful tropical paradise! Ash and I used to travel to a place that sounds kind of like it. Have you heard of the Orange Islands?"

Misty and Lana continued to talk for a while. They had a lot in common, particularly their shared love a water Pokemon. Misty probably did not even realize how much she talked about Ash during that conversation, but Lana was mentally keeping count. The remainder of the day consisted of more workshops and hands-on lessons about gym battles and badges. Lana continued to pick up on subtle and not so subtle hints between Ash and Misty the whole time.

Later, when it was time to go back to Alola, Misty and Brock gave the group replicas of their badges. Lana decided one day she wanted to earn a real one, or maybe use it as encouragement to learn more about water Pokemon. Lana expressed interest in coming back, which Misty thought was a great idea. But then when Ash, Brock, and Misty said their goodbyes to each other, Ash encouraged them to come visit Alola. Lana had an idea.

On the plan ride home, Ash's demeanor was the exact opposite of what it had been on the way there. Rather than growing excitement, this time, he was withdrawn and kept to himself. He had a distant, sad look on his face that Lana had never seen before. He was not engaging with anyone or paying attention to what was going on around him. He just sat quietly looking out the window. Pikachu seemed equally as upset.

Lana turned to Mallow, "Remember what I told you earlier?" she asked. Mallow nodded. "Look," Lana said gazing in the direction of Ash.

"Wow, he looks really down," Mallow said sympathetically, "what do you think is wrong?"

"I have a guess," Lana said

"You think it's because he misses his friends?" Mallow asked.

"Exactly," Lana affirmed, "but I think one in particular."

"Are you sure?" Mallow questioned.

"Just look at him!" Lana said, "have you ever seen him like this?"

"I guess not," Mallow said.

"He wasn't like this while we were there," Lana continued. "And you should have heard the way Misty was talking about him, too. It's probably been like this for a while."

Mallow turned to look at Ash again. He still had a despondent, distant demeanor and was clearly not paying attention while Sophocles was trying to talk to him. "I wish there was something we could do to help."

"Maybe there is," Lana thought out loud, "before we left, Ash was telling Brock and Misty that they should visit him in Alola. Misty and I had mentioned it, too. Maybe we could help make that happen."

"How?" Mallow asked.

"I feel like we got to know Misty pretty well," Lana said optimistically, "I'll talk to her about it."

"You think that would work?" Mallow asked.

Lana glanced over at Ash again. "If she looks anything like that right now, then I would say yes", she replied confidently.

Ash's mood improved progressively over the next few days until he was eventually back to acting like his old self. Lana wanted to make sure he was okay, so she waited until after that to revisit her plan. She finally reached out to Misty.

'Here goes nothing,' she thought to herself.

Hey Misty! It's Lana from Alola. It was so nice meeting you and Brock before. Thank you again for showing us your gym. There is so much more I want to talk to you about, especially with water Pokemon. Hopefully we can chat soon. -Lana

Lana was not sure why she was surprised when Misty responded so quickly. She knew that a slow introduction and small talk would be the way to go; after all, she did not know the full backstory. She tried not to even mention Ash at first so Misty would not figure out what she was up to, although Misty would often ask about him. For the next several days the girls would continue to communicate with each other. Lana even felt like they were becoming pretty good friends - something she saw as an added bonus if her plan did work out.

Finally, after much back and forth, it came up organically.

When I used to travel, one of my favorite things was seeing and catching new water Pokemon from other regions. Kanto is great, but it's so exciting to see what else is out there. -Misty

'Now's the chance!' Lana thought as she typed, deleted, and re-typed her response.

You should really visit us in Alola! You would love all the tropical water Pokemon we have here. Brock should come too. I think Ash would be excited to see you two. -Lana

Lana took a deep breath. For some reason this made her very nervous. She had never executed a plan like this before. She was anxious to see if it would actually work.

I would love that! I'll talk to Brock and my sisters and see when we can both get away. I'll let you and Ash know. -Misty.

Lana smiled at the response, it was easier than she expected. But then she had another idea.

What if we didn't tell Ash? I think it would be more fun to surprise him. -Lana.

Even Better! Actually, let's surprise everyone! -Misty.

From there, the two young women began planning. Per Misty's request, Lana kept it all a secret. She did not even tell Mallow, who, thankfully, did not ask much else about this after Ash's mood improved. The timing worked perfectly. Misty and Brock were both able to clear their schedules while the class was on a break from school.

When it was finally time for Misty and Brock to arrive, Lana was bursting with excitement. She was excited to see Misty and Brock again, but more excited for Ash to see Misty. Right when Ash and Sophocles were starting to make plans for the time off, Lana knew it was time to share her big news.

"Attention, please," she announced, "I am happy to say, we have guests today!"

"Huh?" everyone questioned.

"Alola!" Brock and Misty beamed as they entered the room.

"Misty!" Ash shouted as he ran over to them, "and Brock!"

"I hope you like surprises," Misty said. Ash was slightly taken aback when he learned the Lana and Misty had kept in touch the whole time since leaving Kanto, but warmed up to the idea almost instantaneously as Lana noticed his eyes practically sparkling as he looked forward to the week. Lana considered this mission accomplished.

The group had a great day exploring Alola. They ate at local restaurants, visited shops, tried Mantine riding, explored Treasure Island, road Executor and overall had an amazing time. Lana noticed once again that Ash was showing off more than usual. She also noticed Misty frequently playfully teasing him with friendly competition, just like they did in Kanto.

Later, Lana noticed Misty sitting by herself watching the sunset, so Lana joined her. Misty told her that being in Alola made her feel so relaxed and happy. Lana smiled to herself, as she was fairly certain she knew why. After a brief interruption from Team Rocket, they were able to enjoy the evening again. After the battle and before Lana even realized, Ash and Misty had walked away into the distance together.

"We need to head back soon," Lillie said with concern, "do you think we should go get them?"

"I think it's better to leave them be," Lana answered with an ambiguous smile, "they know how to reach us if they need help finding the way back."

Lillie protested a bit, but eventually Lana convinced her that it was for the best. But when they never came back that night, she began to worry. She thought to herself that things could either be going perfectly or something terrible happened to them. She deeply hoped it was the former, but refused to outwardly show any concern. She shot Misty a quick message knowing that she was the more likely of the two to respond, but all she got in return was a thumbs up. Lana convinced herself that was good enough.

The following morning, Ash invited everyone to come meet them for breakfast on the beach. He did not provide any further information about the night prior other than that Brock stayed with them. The spent the afternoon on Akala Island, which had a much different vibe than the previous day, but still very fun. Once again, they watched the sunset, which brought out the more sentimental side of both Ash and Misty. Seeing Brock interact with them made Lana think that he knew exactly what she had suspected this whole time, and probably more. Watching the fireworks that night, Ash, Misty and Brock all thanked each other for a wonderful time. Ash and Misty smiled at each other while Brock smiled smugly to himself. They talked about their dreams and ambitions while encouraging one another before turning it back to Pokemon battling. They were so preoccupied with each other that Brock even had to remind them that he was still there. Lana was elated. Her plan could not have been executed any better.

When it was time for Misty and Brock to leave, Misty thanked Lana again for such an amazing time in Alola. She gave her one of her special homemade fishing lures as a token of her appreciation. Lana could not wait to use it. They promised to continue to keep in touch and made plans to schedule another visit.

When they said their goodbyes, there was much sadness. Lana was not sure if it was more than last time or if she was just more observant to it now, but it seemed more intense. Conversations between Ash and Misty were vague and distant with promises to see each other again soon. It looked like there was so much that both of them wanted to say but neither of them was willing to say it. While observing this, Lana and Brock made eye contact with one another and Lana could just tell that they were thinking the exact same thing. With a friend as flirtatious and forward as Brock, how could they be so resistant to just say what they were both obviously feeling?

As Misty and Brock left to board their plane, Ash watched them go with a distant, sad look on his face; the same look that Lana saw when they left Kanto. She felt bad, but now she had a better idea of how she could help. When they got back home, Ash immediately withdrew from the rest of his friends. Lana wanted to talk to him, but decided it might be better to give him some space. She remembered last time how he had little to no interest in talking to anyone. While her plan was overall a great success, she had not prepared for this part.

The next morning, Ash's mood had not improved much. But now, Lana decided it was better to talk to him since, after all, this was her idea to begin with. As Ash was sitting by himself away from everyone else, Lana sat beside him. Neither of them said anything for a few moments until Lana was the first to break the silence.

"You really miss her, don't you?" Lana asked. Ash did not say anything, but rather he just turned to face Lana still with a despondent look on his face. "Misty," Lana clarified, "you seem to miss her a lot since she left."

"Brock left too!" Ash quickly defended.

"Ash," Lana reasoned, "you and I both know that this is not about Brock." Ash did not say anything. He lowered his head in order to avoid eye contact with Lana. "You can talk to me about it if you want," she told him gently, "I get it. If you don't want to, that's fine too, but I'm here for you.

Ash sighed. "You'd think by now this would get easier," he mumbled, "but it doesn't. I guess it is what it is; at least right now."

"What do you mean by that?" Lana asked.

"I'm in a good place," Ash began, "The Pokemon School is teaching me so much as a trainer. She's in a good place, too. The Cerulean City Gym is one of the best in Kanto now. She did that. We're exactly where we're supposed to be."

"That's a really beautiful way to look at it," Lana replied softly, "your paths will cross again."

"I know they will," Ash said in a more upbeat tone that before, "it's never goodbye, just see you later."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Lana told him.

For the first time that day, Ash smiled. He then stood up to join the rest of his classmates. "Hey Lana," he said before he left. She looked his way in response. "Thanks for bringing them here," he told her sincerely.

"You're welcome," she replied. Before rejoining her classmates, Lana decided to send another message.

How are you feeling today? - Lana

A little jet-lagged. A little bummed. But I'm doing okay. Thanks again for a great vacation. -Misty

Do you want to talk about it? -Lana

Goodbyes are always a little hard, that's all. But we'll be alright. I appreciate it. -Misty

I'm here if you need it. -Lana

Lana shook her head and wondered to herself once again how Brock's knack for expressing love at first site never rubbed off on his younger friends at all.

It was when their class was fishing that Lana saw a different side of Ash when it came to Misty. She and Ash had separated pretty far from the rest of the class. They got stuck in a current and and tossed to a small patch of land. While they were there, they saw the legendary Kyogre, however, it looked like it was struggling. As a water-type expert in training, Lana knew she could help it. She pulled out her fishing pole along with the Lure that Misty had given her.

"It's Misty!" Ash shouted with a smile on his face as he saw it.

"It sure is," Lana affirmed, "it's a gift." She noticed Ash stare at the lure for just a few extra lingering moments before she covered it with antidote to give to Kyogre. After much struggle with a Pokemon hunter that was after it, she was even able to hook the Kyogre using her lure with the help of hew newly evolved Primarina's beautiful song. While she was not able to capture it, she was able to express her admiration of it before letting it go.

On their way back to rejoin the rest of their class, Ash made a comment about how powerful Misty's lures are. He even showed her the one that she gave him a while ago that he now considers a good luck charm ever since he won the Battle Pyramid. Lana was happy to notice that he was not sad while he talked about it, but rather nostalgic and proud.

When they got back to dry land, Lana had to tell Misty about it too.

You'll never believe what just happened. I used your lure that you gave me and I caught Kyogre! Thank you again for it! -Lana

You caught Kyogre? That's amazing! I've never even seen one in person! -Misty

From now on, this is the only lure I'm using! -Lana

You are very welcome! Did Ash show you his? -Misty

He did. He said it's come in handy a lot. -Lana

:) -Misty

Lana would never know if her intervening really played a role in Ash and Misty coming to terms with their situation or if this was something that they figured out on their own. They were not there yet, but she knew improvement when she saw it. The progress was coming from both sides and she was glad to see it. She was happy that they were learning how to deal with it. She was even happier to be helping out two people who she cared about. Maybe one day, with or without her help, they would not be so afraid to say those words out loud. Until then, she was there for them.

I wish I could stop by, and maybe say 'hi'. Wish I could just stop by and lay by your side.