Five Years Ago

Misty was tired. No, exhausted. No, even further than that. It seemed as if every day, more and more refugees were pouring into Cerulean City. Misty's hometown was nearly about to burst from the people alone, and yet there was still the matter of the Pokemon that they were bringing with them. There were injured and sick, as well as elderly and even a few orphans. And Misty was in charge of it all.

Well technically, the League champion Lance was in charge. But it was rare he made an appearance. The police tried their hardest to maintain order, but survival and desperation began to blur the line between right and wrong. Before she knew it, Misty found herself as the head of police, head judge, glorified baby-sitter, strategic advisor, head of defense, and countless other hats. It was becoming too much.

"Misty!" A voice suddenly called out. Before she knew what was happening, Misty was surrounded by nurses. She realized she was sitting on the ground, but had no recollection of sitting down.

"Are you okay?" One of the nurses, an older man, asked. Misty nodded as she forced herself up. Had she collapsed? She took a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" Another one of the nurses asked.

"Please, you should sit down." Another stated, offering a chair. Misty waved them off as politely as she could, but with only a few hours of sleep over the past week, her patience was wearing thing much faster than usual. The nurses looked at her skeptically, but backed away. If anything, they realized that Misty was reaching a boiling point. Suddenly feeling a need for fresh air, Misty exited the Pokemon Center, unsure of what she needed there to begin with.

For once, Cerulean was rather peaceful. Or at least, as peaceful as a city whose population had at least tripled in the past six months could be. Thousands made their way to and fro, their voices a chaotic cacophony. Tired and wanting a break, Misty made her way towards the cape. While she wouldn't be alone, no one would bother her. After all, even with all of these people, it was still considered a couples' place. They would all be focused on each other.

As Misty made her way to the cape, giving out half-hearted waves and smiles, she couldn't help but notice the relatively large amount of people walking away from the cape. Many of them couples. As she got closer, she could something of a crowd and towering above it a beautiful Dragonite. Lance was here. Misty was only a few yards away when Lance broke through the crowd and met her eyes.

"Ah, Misty, I was just about to start looking for you," he said, his voice in its unique tone of kind-heartedness with a steely undertone.

"Everything is going well, we've recently balanced the budget to keep the food prices low enough for the refugees to get some food, but I don't know how we're going to set up an orphanage and-"

"Misty," Lance said, cutting off Misty's status report, much to her surprise.

"It's not about that," he said, almost with a laugh. "There's someone I want you to meet." Misty followed Lance towards the cape, her curiosity bubbling through the cloud of sleep deprivation her head was currently in. Once they broke through the crowd, Misty's eyes floated around until they landed on a silver-haired man. Despite his hair color, he didn't seem old, but carried himself with an elderly grace.

Before either of them had said anything, the man turned from the woman he was chatting with to face Lance and Misty. His face registered with the former gym leader instantly.

"Y-you're Steven, aren't you? From Hoenn?" Misty asked, shocked to see someone of Steven's status in this glorified refugee camp. He smiled.

"Yes, I am." Steven said reaching out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Steven couldn't help but watch Misty as she finished her checklist of supplies for Cerulean Cave. Normally, she would have surfed on one of her Pokemon, but Steven had offered to take the bag over so that Misty could swim to the cave. To most people, a 2.5 mile swim would be impossible. But Misty put much more pressure on herself than most people.

With her stuff ready, Misty made sure her bikini wouldn't accidently come off and then dove into the warm Cerulean City water. It was fresh water and, despite Team Rocket's best efforts, totally clean. In fact, Misty almost considered it refreshing as she began her swim. Steven couldn't help but think the girl was beautiful. With Misty safe in the water, Steven boarded his Metagross and the pair made their way to the Cerulean Cave coast.

Once there, Steven sat on the grass and waited for Misty, wondering why she decided to swim two-and-a-half miles in a bikini to begin with.

Lance always thought Vermillion City was nice. It was the perfect blend of urban and rural and the city's port made sure that it always smelled just vaguely like the sea. Even when he and Red arrived, Lance couldn't help but enjoy the feel of Vermillion City if only for a brief moment.

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" One of the citizens in the city exclaimed as he ran up towards the two former Pokemon League champions. He looked tired, but at the same time hopeful. Lance inwardly smiled.

"Where are they at now?" Red's voice asked, coldly slicing through the warm Vermillion air. Lance glanced sideways at Red. To say the boy had a grudge would be a vast understatement. Lance cut in before the citizen could reply.

"That doesn't matter now," Lance said, his will clashing invisibly against Red's. "We'll do rounds, make sure everyone is in fighting shape, raise morale, and surprise Team Rocket when they attack again." Red grudgingly and silently accepted this and allowed himself to be led by the citizen into the western half of Vermillion City. Lance turned slightly to watch as Red and Pikachu checked, re-checked, and then checked their surroundings again. Each of them was looking for a target for their aggression. Whenever Team Rocket was involved, only one thought crossed their minds: revenge.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Steven asked, handing Misty a towel from her bag.

"Of course." She said with a small laugh. "Shouldn't a water-type gym leader enjoy being in the water?"

"Fair enough," Steven replied, returning Misty's smile. He watched as Misty slid on a pair of shorts, taking special care not to seem too creepy or interested. Misty didn't seem to notice either way as she finished putting on a pair of boots and tied them tight. And just like that, the two of them were prepared for the type of training one could only receive in Cerulean Cave.

At one point, only strong cave-dwelling Pokemon resided there. But thanks to Team Rocket, all sorts of Pokemon now called the cave their home. The incredibly dichotomy was, as Lance once pointed out, even though Team Rocket had used the cave for their nefarious purposes it had since grown into a home for all sorts of Pokemon. "From death, always springs life" he had stated.

A flock of Zubats flew across the roof of the cave and a pair of Wartortles swam across the top of the water without a care. Steven and Misty were close to the mouth of the cave, but it wouldn't be long before they needed a light of some sort. Just to save the trouble, Steven again summoned his Metagross who proceeded to float lazily behind the two humans.

"Hey Misty, what are you thinking about?" Steven asked after a few minutes of walking. Most of the cave's Pokemon avoided the humans. The more aggressive and dangerous ones lived deeper in the cave, giving Steven the freedom to talk without worry. The former gym leader sighed before answering.

"I'm just worried about Red." She responded, her voice heavy with worry. Misty honestly hated talking about Red around Steven. She noticed the way he looked at her, the way he perked up around her, and it made her feel worse. To his credit, Steven didn't seem deterred that he wasn't on the carrot-top's mind.

"Don't worry, he's with Lance. He won't do anything reckless." Steven responded, much in the way Misty figured an older brother would.

"He still dreams about that Team Rocket prison," Misty stated. Steven nodded behind her.

"I heard they were absolutely horrible."

"I'm sure Red had it worse than usual, him being the one who defeated Team Rocket beforehand." The two continued in silence after that, both conflicted between wanting to know the horror of a Team Rocket prison, and not wanting to imagine such horrors. Suddenly Metagross let out a groan.

"What? This high up?!" Steven exclaimed as Misty released her Swampert which barely managed to hold back a Steelix. The two Pokemon squared off when a roar shook the room. And then another. Suddenly, Misty and Steven found themselves surrounded.

"What is this? Steelix and Onix never nest this close to the mouth of the cave." Steven said, more to himself than to Misty who was well aware of the fact. The former Gym Leader released two more of her Pokemon, a Rapidash and an Emolga. Steven covered her from behind with his Metagross.

"I can do this," Misty stated, not taking her eyes off the wild Pokemon.

"I know, I won't interfere. Just making sure you don't get hit from behind." Steven replied, staring down the two Onixes behind Misty and in front of him.

"Team Rocket wouldn't hesitate to attack from behind."

"You wouldn't be facing Team Rocket alone."

Thanks Varee and MasteringAMuggleLife, you two are my first and only reviewers hahaha. To Varee, that is a question you'll find the answer to much later :PAnd Mastering, I honestly have no ideas what the end pairings will be. Thanks again you two.