Back to the assigned themes for day three! Pokémon Journeys has been an interesting series for me thus far. Started off a bit slow in my opinion but has picked up over time! It is, however, perfectly set up for creating a fic like this. Inserting Misty into the Journeys setting just felt really natural, so I tried to write this story to feel like an actual episode of the series.

Please enjoy!

Misty in Pokémon Journeys

"Goh, where's Ash?"

The young trainer looked up from the wide assortment of breakfast food he'd been surveying, locking eyes with a newly arrived Chloe. As always, she was fully prepared for school, dressed in her uniform with her backpack slung over her shoulders. Yamper stood dutifully by her feet, yipping excitedly as he looked for any kind of attention from the girl.

"Beats me," Goh responded before returning his attention to the counter. "He was still asleep by the time I left our room."

Chloe folded her arms. "And that doesn't concern you at all? I haven't known him very long, but it's pretty clear that Ash isn't the kind of guy to skip out on a meal."

"No, why should I be worried?" Goh questioned, slowly starting to sound annoyed. "He likes to sleep just as much as he likes to eat. I'll be concerned when he actively rejects breakfast."

Chloe scowled at the boy, but he was too busy trying to pick out the components of his breakfast to notice it. She wished he could be just a little bit more personable! They'd known each other since they were little kids, so Chloe was very familiar with Goh's personality, but that didn't mean it didn't tend to rub her the wrong way every so often. She figured the older he got, the better he'd become at socializing, or at least understanding people, but that didn't seem to be the case. Ash was helping out a little, but she knew there was really only so much that could be done when it came to Goh. He just was the way he was, and any real change was likely impossible.

"GUYS! GUYS!"

Goh and Chloe both yelped in surprise as Ash came charging into the kitchen, still dressed in his pajamas. Pikachu was hanging desperately onto his shoulders, trying not to fall off from all the sudden movement. Yamper, meanwhile, was now growling and barking incessantly at the two, displeased with their sudden intrusion, while Raboot just sat in the corner disinterested.

"What?! What happened?!" Goh cried, nearly dropping his half-full plate.

Ash grinned and held up his Rotom Phone so the screen was facing Goh. "They're having a tag battle tournament in Celadon City today; we should totally go!"

Goh appeared unimpressed before finally asking, "what the heck is a tag battle?"

Ash gasped almost dramatically. "You've really never heard of a tag battle?!"

"Nope," Goh confirmed, looking back over his shoulder and grabbing an extra biscuit. "Enlighten me."

"A tag battle is when you team up with another trainer and the two of you battle together against other teams," Ash explained. "They're super fun! And usually at tournaments like this, you can win some really awesome prizes!"

"Oh, interesting!" Goh commented, carrying his breakfast over to the table. "That sounds right up your alley."

"You bet!" Ash chuckled. It finally registered to him that Yamper was in a frenzy, and when he turned his head, he found Chloe shooting him a deadpan look. "Hey, Chloe! You want to come with us?"

"No thank you," Chloe sighed. "It's a school day, remember?"

"Yeah, but a day off every once in a while couldn't hurt!" Ash cried. "Besides, I bet Yamper would love to participate in a tournament like this! Wouldn't you, Yamper?"

The puppy Pokémon settled down and barked again, this time in agreement. Pikachu jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and cheerfully greeted his fellow electric type, who began to rub their cheeks together.

"You're forgetting that Yamper isn't actually my Pokémon," Chloe muttered.

"Nah, I remember!" Ash refuted. "But I'm sure your dad would let you borrow him!"

"I don't need to borrow Yamper," Chloe sighed. "Forget not having a Pokémon, I don't even have a battle partner."

"You don't need one, you could always get matched up with someone at the stadium!" Ash explained. "But if you'd rather battle with someone you know, I'm sure Goh wouldn't mind teaming up with you!"

Chloe and Goh quickly exchanged harried looks before blushing furiously and looking away from one another, much to Ash's bewilderment.

"You know, your names kinda rhyme!" Ash exclaimed when neither once responded before musing, "Chloe and Goh…Goh and Chloe…you guys could name your team 'Glohe'!"

"Gross," Chloe replied simply before shaking her head. "And I already told you, I'm not coming."

"Plus, who said I wanted to enter the tournament?" Goh demanded.

Ash was disappointed by this revelation. "Wait, really? I thought you'd like it!"

Goh scratched his cheek. "I'm not exactly a battler like you are…remember the Battle Frontier Flute Cup? That was pretty embarrassing."

"Yeah, but that was your first tournament," Ash contested. "The more experience you get, the better you'll become!"

"It's a nice thought, but I just don't think it's for me," Goh laughed nervously. "I'll come with you, though! Who knows, I might find some cool Pokémon to catch around there."

"Great!" Ash cheered.

Once they'd both finished breakfast, Ash and Goh headed out to catch a bus to Celadon City. It wasn't too long of a ride, and after an hour spent chatting and playing games on their Rotom Phones, the boys arrived at their destination.

Naturally, the stadium was bustling, the plaza full of entrants and spectators alike. Some practiced nearby with their Pokémon, while others visited the merchandise booths that made up the tournament's mini marketplace. It was almost too much activity for Goh, but for Ash, it was like a dream come true, and it all served to further fire him up.

"Isn't this so cool?!" Ash exclaimed.

"It's something alright," Goh chuckled nervously. Beside him, Raboot kicked at a rock, pretending it was a soccer ball.

Ash continued looking around frenetically, not sure where to stop first. Pikachu, who was up on his shoulder, had been doing the same thing, but soon stopped and twitched his ears. "Pikachupi?"

Leaning down, Pikachu nudged Ash with his nose, gaining his trainer's attention. "What is it, Pikachu? Is there somewhere you want to go?"

Pikachu looked back up and motioned forward with his head. Ash glanced in that direction, and as soon as he saw what had interested his partner, the boy's face lit up like the sun.

"No way!" Ash laughed wildly.

Before Goh could ask him what was so funny, Ash darted away from him, causing the boy's blue eyes to widen. "Ash! Wait up!"

Ash didn't seem to hear him, however; at the very least, he didn't bother to stop. He just kept running in the same direction, dodging other trainers and spectators with a harried poise that managed to both impress and embarrass Goh all at the same time.

"He never learns," Goh sighed. "Let's go, Raboot!"

The new trainer and his partner followed after Ash as quickly as they could. While Goh was actively making sure to avoid running into people, Raboot was much surer on his feet and navigated around them flawlessly. Although they still weren't close to Ash, Goh managed to hear his friend shout over all the other noise in the plaza.

"Misty!"

"Ash?!"

The raven-haired boy had finally stopped, enabling Goh to catch up with him. Letting out raged breaths, Goh complained, "what did you run off like that for?!"

Ash turned his head and saw just how out of breath Goh was, causing him to realize that he had left the newbie trainer behind and instantly making him feel guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry! Guess I got too excited and didn't think."

"So, nothing new?"

Ash scowled and whipped his head back around. "Come on, do you have to tease me every time we see each other?"

"Of course, I do! You know I can't resist."

Goh raised a thin, dark eyebrow as he looked over the girl standing across from them. She had an ivory complexion, hair as red as fire, cerulean eyes that reminded him of sea glass, and currently sported quite the mischievous smirk.

"I'm assuming this is another friend of yours…?" Goh asked warily. He had already been introduced Ash's friends from Alola, and while the meeting had ultimately ended well, it didn't really get off on the best foot. The boy was not really looking for another repeat performance of that and already had his guard up.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered, taking a step out of the way and motioning towards the girl. "Goh, this is Misty! She's the Cerulean City gym leader. We used to travel together; I met her on my very first day as a trainer!" Turning towards Misty, Ash presented, "and this is Goh! He's my fellow research, uh…fellow."

Misty giggled at Ash's inelegance before looking up at his new friend. "Hi, Goh. Nice to meet you!"

"You too," Goh returned, his voice still cautious, but now also laced with intrigue.

"I didn't know you were gonna be here," Ash said to Misty, inclining his head.

"I could say the same about you," Misty replied, placing her hands on her hips. "Although, I shouldn't be surprised! You do seem to turn up wherever there's a competition."

Ash shrugged. "What can I say? I have a nose for it!"

Misty shook her head and turned her attention back onto Goh. "So, are you and Ash partners for this tournament?"

"Me?" Goh asked, pointing at himself. He quickly realized that was a dumb question; obviously Misty was asking him. Rapidly shaking his head, he refuted, "no. I'm not much of a battler myself. I just came to cheer Ash on!"

"He also came to see if he could find any Pokémon to catch," Ash added, flustering the other boy.

"Oh, right!" Misty exclaimed. "You're trying to fill up your poke dex and catch Mew, right?"

Goh was visibly surprised. "Yeah…how'd you know that?"

"Ash has told me all about you!" Misty elucidated, much to Goh's surprise. "Ever since he got that Rotom Phone from Professor Cerise, he texts me nonstop. Although I have to admit it's much easier than when we used to write letters to each other!"

"Hold on…letters?!" Goh practically gasped.

"After we traveled through Johto, Misty had to go back to the Cerulean Gym," Ash added, sounding a bit forlorn. "But we always made sure to keep in touch! It was usually letters, but we'd also give each other a video call every now and again!"

"I might not be traveling around with Ash anymore, but he keeps me up to date on all of his adventures," Misty giggled. "What new Pokémon he's caught, what new friends he's made…even when I'm miles away, it makes me feel like I'm still with him."

As she said that, a delicate blush graced her cheeks. Goh blinked, the gears in his brain starting to turn more intensely now.

"So, who're you competing with in the tournament?" Ash asked her, snapping Goh out of his thoughts.

"I don't have a partner," Misty admitted. "I didn't have much time to prepare, since I just found out I could come this morning. I was just going to have them randomly match me up with someone."

A smile so big grew on Ash's lips it seemed like it might crack his face. Goh, ever the astute boy, took notice of this as well.

"Then why don't we enter as a team?" Ash excitedly suggested. "It'll be perfect! We already know each other's battle styles, after all. Plus, I've always thought we work really well together!"

Misty's blush intensified. "O-okay! Yeah; that sounds great! I would love that!"

Goh let out a long breath and knitted his eyebrows together. If he wasn't mistaken…

"Awesome! Let's go register!"

Again, Ash's booming voice broke Goh out of his stupor, even though this time it wasn't him being spoken to. Goh looked ahead just in time to see Misty nodding wordlessly and turning on a heel, heading in the direction of the registration tent. Ash was about to follow her, but before he could take another step, Goh reached out and grabbed him by his arm. Looking down, Ash's eyes wandered from Goh's hand all the way up to his face, which looked extremely pensive.

"Huh?" Ash murmured. "Goh, what's up?"

Leaning in a little bit closer to his friend, Goh nearly whispered, "You never told me you had a girlfriend."

That statement was followed by a long beat of silence. And then, a hearty laugh. "What?! No way, Misty's not my girlfriend! She's just a friend!"

Goh's face didn't change. "Ash…do you hear how she talks about you? Or how you talk about her? It sounds to me like you two are a little more than just friends."

"Nah, that's just how friends talk," Ash rebutted.

"Okay, but…what about the letters?" Goh pressed.

"What about them?"

Goh resisted the urge to groan. "Ash, do you realize what century it is? Love letters are super old fashioned! They're the basis of literally every romance novel ever written and every romantic movie ever produced."

Ash scrunched up his nose. "Love letters?! No! They were just plain old friendly letters! Besides, how do you know that?"

"Chloe told me," Goh admitted with a grumble, ever so slightly blushing. "She likes that kind of stuff."

"Does that mean you and Chloe write each other letters?" Ash asked.

"No!" Goh immediately refuted, his blush intensifying.

Now Ash just looked confused. "Not even friendly ones?"

Despite his best efforts, Goh could feel himself becoming more flustered. "No. And we're not talking about me right now! Or Chloe, for that matter." Clearing his throat, he continued, "Okay, well…how about the way she looks at you? Didn't you notice how much she was blushing? Especially when you talked about working together as a team?"

Ash chuckled again, more gently this time. "She was excited, that's all! Besides, you were just blushing when you were talking about Chloe, but I know that you guys are just friends."

Goh just rolled his eyes and said nothing.

"Trust me, she's just super fired up for this tournament," Ash assured his friend. "Misty loves battling just as much as I do. And she's amazing at it, too! Wait until you see her in action!"

Before Goh could carry on, Ash shook himself free from his grasp and once again ran off in Misty's direction. This time, Goh didn't move a muscle, simply staring at Ash's back as he caught up to his gym leader "friend."

"And I'm the one who doesn't get social cues?" Goh muttered to himself while Raboot looked up at him with staid eyes. "Even I can tell that those two are made for each other!"

Yes, I snuck a little bit of GohxChloe in here. I think they're pretty cute together; they actually remind me of Ash and Misty in a lot of ways! Chloe is another character I'd love for Misty to meet. They're both so sassy, I think they'd get along so well (especially when it comes to teasing Ash and Goh, lol).