"Hello, this is Nurse Joy at the Saffron City Pokemon Centre. How may I help you?" asked the young red haired woman in a pale pink and white nurse's outfit in response to the ringing phone once she had lifted the receiver and the image of the caller became clear on the video screen.
"Hi there Nurse Joy, I was wondering if Misty Waterflower was around." replied the raven haired young man in a distant Pokemon Centre.
A slight squeal erupted from behind Nurse Joy as Misty abandoned her post at the reception desk where she had been helping Nurse Joy to spin around on her toes and eagerly snatch the receiver from the Nurse's hand at the mention of her name in Ash's voice.
"Ash! I thought you'd fallen down a hole you've been gone so long!" exclaimed Misty while Azurill trilled happily from her perch around Misty's neck.
"Yeah, sorry I haven't called, we kinda go a bit…lost?" he grinned sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.
"There's a surprise." She smirked back at him. "So where are you now?"
"Err we're in a small town, about a mile or two from Saffron City but a storm's brewing up here so I can't leave until tomorrow but we should be with you at least by this time tomorrow." Ash triumphantly grinned while people continued to go about their daily business in the background. "So what have you been doing while we've been working?"
"I've been helping out Nurse Joy as there was nothing else to do here. We've had some fun but I really can't wait to leave." She gazed at him with imploring eyes at this last statement in the hope he would hurry back quicker so that she could leave sooner.
Before Ash could formulate an answer and reply, a small yellow rodent burst onto the scene and leapt onto his trainer's head with an excited "Pika!" of delight.
"Hi there Pikachu. Have you mastered your Volt Tackle yet?" Misty giggled while Azurill trilled her delight at seeing her "Uncle" Pikachu.
Pikachu held a bemused expression for a moment and Ash hurriedly began, "Yeah, it took a while but he's almost got it. Right buddy?" he looked up, almost suggestively back to his pokemon who smiled and nodded broadly.
Slightly confused by their behaviour, Misty frowned for an instant before dispelling her worries into nothingness. Her next sentence was rudely interrupted when a red blur cannoned into Ash from behind, knocking to the floor. That blur looked oddly familiar… Ash and Pikachu momentarily reappeared from where they had been pushed to the floor with identical faces of terror. However Misty was more interested by the new person who had appeared beside them. She was slightly shorter than Ash, with light brown hair, a red shirt and a red bandanna with a distinctive white semi pokeball design on the side. Misty's breath caught in her throat at the realisation that it was May, her brother Max joining them on the screen. 'What are they doing in Kanto? Sh-shouldn't they be in Jo-Johto?' she thought to herself but was interrupted when the overhead PA system in the Pokemon Centre behind Ash activated to announce, "Welcome to Olivine City, Jasmine our local Gym Leader will be holding a display battle..."
Every sense faded into darkness as the realisation hit her...Ash hadn't gone to train in the woods...he…he had gone to Johto...leaving her in Saffron, a place he knew she hated, to go and see that...that...words could not describe how she felt at that moment about the young co-ordinator. As tears filled her eyes she let the receiver fall from her limp hand, slowly backing away from the screen where Ash was babbling frantically to explain the situation. But she didn't want to hear. She had seen enough and without further thought, raced straight up to her room with sobs that racked every fibre of her being.
"Misty wait!" screamed Ash as the person he cared most about in the world ran off and out of sight. Momentarily Nurse Joy appeared with a worried expression with the receiver in her hand but Ash ended the call immediately before she could inquire. He had seen her eyes though. Her expressive eyes that screamed her emotions to the world however hard she tried to cover them up with threats and violent tendencies. They had been full of tears, hurt and distrust.
"May." He rounded on the young girl next to him who was busy greeting Pikachu. "Do you have any idea what you have just done?"
"What do you mean Ash? I thought you'd have been pleased to see me. It's been ages and I just can't wait to catch up and-" She began but was quickly cut off.
"Misty now thinks that I've completely deserted her to see you!" raged Ash as his temper rose and all he wanted to do was scream at the clueless coordinator. "Come on Pikachu, we have to go, now!" and without further ado Ash sprinted out of the Pokemon Centre with Pikachu zipping at his heals to leave May and Max speechless and confused.
"How could he…how could he!" continued to run round and round Misty's head in intensifying circles. Since receiving his phone call and seeing…Her! Of all people! Misty had been travelling back to Cerulean for the entire day and almost the entire night through. Sure, her life there might be dull, boring and full of monotony but it was better than this. Being left behind in some godforsaken town by the person you considered your best friend, the same person you had loved for longer than could be remembered, only to find he'd lied to you to go off and spent some time with a younger, prettier version.
She collapsed to the ground as the pains of hunger made her stomach rumble in complaint with the lack of food from walking without stopping for anyone or anything that had resulted in true exhaustion. The hurt and pain she felt coursed through her so deeply she knew she could never, truly heal again, and it was all caused by the person she had hoped could bring her the most happiness in her life.
Just thinking of him brought on more tears and sobs to amplify the intense feeling of loneliness she now held. Her pokemon were in her bag, probably hungry and upset themselves after being hurriedly returned with no explanation where they had remained ever since and would continue to do so until called out. Azurill's confused expression swam before her eyes as she was withdrawn in a red flash of light. He had done this. He was the one responsible for the pain she felt and the pain of her pokemon. If she hadn't come with him in the first place Azurill would have never been on the brink of death, Gyarados wouldn't be partially blind and none of them would be unexercised or hungry as they were now.
All the sorrow in her heart became anger and fury to mix in with the pain. Well, never again. Never again would she let him, or anyone else get as close to her as she had allowed him to become.
She clenched her fist tightly and hit the ground, determined to keep going and get back to her Gym as fast as possible before any more hurt could befall her. She struggled to her feet to place one foot before the other and get far, far away from Him.
"Misty! Misty!" a distant voice riding the wind made her pause for a moment before striving on. Now it seems she was hearing things and would have to run from his physical form as well as every memory she held of him.
"Misty! Misty!" There it was again...shaking her head, she continued towards Cerulean at a faster pace.
"Misty!" a hand caught her from behind, halting her progress. Spinning around, she beheld the last person in the world she wanted to see.
"Get away from me!" she screamed, wrenching her hand from his grasp and turning back to the road before her to get away from Him.
"Misty will you please listen to me!" he pleaded, coming around in front of her, blocking her path.
"Ash, will you just leave me ALONE!" she cried, feeling the tears accumulating around her sore eyes again, as if she hadn't cried enough over Him.
"Misty." he tried again, refusing to let her pass.
"Pika pikachupi, pi chu pikachu!" (Please Misty, let him explain!) Implored Pikachu from the ground with large brown eyes.
Unable to stay strong again against both him and Pikachu she remained where she was in silence while fighting the tears in her eyes by glaring somewhere over his head into the darkness that engulfed them.
With a despondent sigh, Ash sank to the ground, removing his backpack and going through his things before bringing out a small box with a blue ribbon binding. "The reason I was in Johto, was to get you something for your birthday."
This being the last thing she had expected, Misty remained standing, completely speechless. Without a word, she took the box from him and slowly removed the ribbon, opening the box to reveal a gold chained necklace. The pendant was the size and shape of a shrunken pokeball, except the button to release a pokemon was an azure blue sapphire that glinted in the moonlight above. The top half of the pokeball was plated in pure gold while the lower half was a shimmering silver. Gently, she lifted the necklace off its velvet black bedding and stared in wonder from the pendant to Ash.
"This was the reason I had to go to Olivine." he explained, lodging his hands deep into his pockets with his head hanging to stare at the ground and avoid the pain in Misty's eyes.
"But...but what about May?" she questioned, buying herself time on how to react to his actions.
"That was a complete coincidence." he stated, lifting his head slightly. "Honestly I had no idea she and Max would be there."
"Pika pika!" backed up Pikachu.
"Ash I- I don't know what to say..." she replied, "I'm sorry. For everything..."
"You have nothing to be sorry for Mist. I was the one who took off. I was the one who lied to you and I don't blame you in the slightest for running. Now come on, aren't you going to open it up?" he asked with a gentle smile.
"What do you mean?" she asked, mystified.
"It's not just a necklace," he smiled, taking the jewel from her. With a small, sideways tug, the pokeball detached from the chain and he gave it a small tap. Misty gasped as the sphere expanded to a normal sized pokeball and silently received it from him. "Go on, give it a throw." he stated.
Fearful of damaging the beautiful ball, Misty gave him a second glance before launching it high into the air. In a white light that lit up the whole area, a pokemon began to take shape. Gasping, her expert water eyes lingered over the blue creature with two strong tentacles and a pair of identical giant red jewels on either side of its head.
"Tenta-coooooool!" it purred.
Looking from Tentacool to Ash, she slowly approached the pokemon. "The reason I was in Olivine was so that I could catch a Tentacool and there's a jeweller only in Olivine that specialises in making custom pokeball jewellery, so I had to go to Olivine rather than the nearest beach." he explained in a soft voice.
Turning, Misty approached Ash and put her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry I doubted you." she sobbed.
"Hey, it's ok" he replied reassuringly, returning her hug and gently rubbing her back. Pulling away gently he brought her face before him and whispered "How about we go to the nearest town and stay there until after your birthday?"
"That would be nice..." she whispered back, slightly holding her breath at how close they now were. Gently, Ash smoothed away her tears from her face with his thumb and slowly brought his face down to hers to place a gentle kiss over her lips. It was just a small kiss. Sweet and gentle. A tiny kiss, full of friendship and caring for the other. It might be just a kiss of friendship but inside Misty could feel herself falling apart from his gentle actions. Suddenly, she was healed.
After returning her new pokemon and re-attaching the ball to the chain, Ash swept away her hair to do up the clasp. Together they walked with Ash's arm around Misty's shoulders, her arm around his waist towards the nearest city with Pikachu following quietly behind.