So this chapter gets a tad confusing…but I think it's all important. So we'll see how it goes. I don't own Pokémon.

Ch. 6 The Fight

Ash stared out over the rail and into the blue ocean. He had never noticed before how much the water reminded him of Misty, but she was gone now. Brock and Dawn approached his stoic figure from behind. Dawn of course lived in Sinnoh, and so had to go back. Brock was there as mostly a refusal to believe Ash truly intended to go it alone.

"Are you alright Ash?" Dawn questioned in a small voice. He only looked up from the water, not responding.

"You can't really want us to let you go on alone!" she burst out. Brock gave her a stern look, but continued on the conversation path.

"What she means is that you're part of a team Ash. You're Dawn's training partner; you can't leave her to fend for herself in her first year." He was met with a gruff "Humph!"

"Everyone else goes alone in case you haven't noticed. Gary, Drew, Kenny, Zoe, it's groups that aren't normal. You go with her since you came anyway."

"Ash, come one you can't just abandon a friend who needs you." Brock said.

"Why not, they all abandon me in the end." He said quietly before stalking off.

"Poor Ash." Brock said. "He's really taking the split hard isn't he?"

"But it was his idea to split up!" Dawn said.

"Ok, so maybe something else is making him act like this." Brock reasoned.

"Like maybe he still thinks he's going to die soon?" she said.

"Maybe." Brock shrugged. He knew darn good and well this was about Misty, but without anyway to be sure he wasn't about to bring it up. The two of them took Ash's place staring at the water.

The ship finally docked about an hour later. Brock and Dawn stood at the base of the gangplank waiting.

"He did get off right?" Dawn asked, scanning the crowed on her tip-toes, with piplup on her head. Brock looked up at the ship.

"He's giving us the slip, he's already gone."

"What?!" Dawn spun around. "You mean he just left without even saying goodbye?" her voice began to shake, and tears welled up in her sapphire eyes. Brock didn't trust himself to speak and so just nodded. Dawn turned away from the ship, bringing her hand up over her mouth.

"What if we never see him again?" she whispered, tears now streaming down her face. Brock put a comforting hand on her shoulder as the boat pulled away from the dock.

Ash watched the ship sailing away, wondering if Brock had stayed on it or if he had gone with Dawn.

"Guess it's just you and me again buddy." He mumbled. Pikachu gave a feeble "Cha." From his perch on Ash's shoulder. "Doesn't feel like the last times does it?" he reached up and patted Pikachu's head.

"Come on, we've got a badge to win."

Older Misty stared wildly around. She couldn't be sure but it looked like Celebi hadn't gone far enough forward.

"Crap, how am I supposed to know when I am?" she muttered.

"Well it's 2:30, but that really made no sense Mist." Her eye's snapped up and her hands began to shake. Slowly she turned to see Ash Ketchum standing there, rummaging in a bag.

"Ash!" she squealed. She ran and jumped on him, flinging her arms around his neck and sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Uh, hey Misty." He said, looking up at her with that stupid grin she loved so much.

Ash stomped miserably through the forest. Pikachu just stared up at him, having chosen to walk.

"Well buddy this is faster at least, I can see Sunnyshore through the trees already."

"Pi." Was the rodent's weak reply. Ash's stomach rumbled loudly. "Guess I should've learned to cook huh?" he laughed once. Twenty minutes later he was in the Pokémon center, watching as his team ate.

"Ash Ketchum?" the Nurse joy came over and he looked up.

"Yes?"

"You have a video message on that phone there." Confused as he was, he got up and flicked on the screen to see Brocks face.

"Ash, this is likely to be the last time we can get a hold of you, but just so you know, Dawn is wandering around Sinnoh. She said she was going to try to catch up with Kenny or Zoe until she finds out how they know where contests are held. May and Drew arrived back in Johto, and Misty is back at her gym. I'm going back to Suzie's. We'll all miss you, and hope that you change your mind."

The screen went black. "Well I guess it's just life as usual for everyone else." Ash sighed.

Nine years later, December 31st

"Has it not occurred to anyone that it's weird to be having a party at Ash's house without him?" Dawn looked around the room waiting for an answer to her question. She may have known Ash the least amount of time, but she had had the least amount of time to adjust to him not being around.

"We've always had it here." Brock said matter of factly.

"Besides, we only know where he is when he turns up for championships." May said. She sounded sad, but then she generally sounded sad these days. The reason for this was revealed as the minutes to midnight ticked by and the only couple in the room became more and more intertwined as they prepared for their kiss.

"Can't you do that somewhere else?" Tracey piped up from his place on the sofa next to them. The red-headed girl turned to face him, sea colored eyes flashing. "Right, sorry, don't hit me Misty." He cowered back.

"Maybe we should just go to the other room." The boy whom she was intertwined with spoke.

"How are we supposed to know when it's the New Year then Drew?" she snapped. He sighed.

"That's a good point, but there is a T.V. in uh, Ash's room." He hesitated on the end of the sentence as he knew Misty was prone to explode at any specific mention of their absent friend. Dawn had only gone unscathed earlier because Drew had her otherwise occupied.

"Well I'm not moving." She said in a normal voice, earning stares from the on-lookers.

"Uh, thirty seconds guys." Brock said, handing out flutes of sparkling cider. Everyone had one, and they began to count down.

"10…9…8…7…6…" Misty snaked her arms around Drew's neck while his wrapped around her waist.

"5…4…3…2…" BANG! The door flew open with a crash.

"Happy New Year Guys!" The sound of glass shattering sounded through the room as May, Dawn, and Brock dropped their glasses. Then the sound of a kiss coming to an abrupt end.

"Ash?" May was the first to choke out the name, but his eyes weren't on her. He saw only the two whose hair could be a carrot. (Green and orange? No? Yeah, I just couldn't come up with anything better…and thought it was sorta funny. It's not)

"Uh, hey guys." Ash said, all his previous enthusiasm gone.

"Ash, where have you been? We haven't seen or heard from you since the Champion League." Dawn demanded. Misty continued to glare at him, and kept hold of Drew, though his hands had instantly dropped from her waist.

"Just training. I've been around Mt. Moon." His eyes darted between May, Drew, and Misty. "I was actually hoping to make it down to Cerulean City, but I got caught up." At this Misty huffed and strode out the back door, oblivious to the falling snow.

"Well, don't you think you should go after her?" May snapped. Both Ash and Drew took a step toward the door, then stopped and stared at each other. May made a weird gurgling noise and then slumped into a chair, hiding her face.

"Sorry Drew, but I really need to talk to her." Ash said, taking another step.

"Your funeral." Drew muttered, moving aside. Ash disappeared into the dark.

"Misty!" Ash called out into the snow filled yard.

"Go away Ash, you're good at that!" she called back. He followed the sound of her voice back to the corner by the fence.

"Mist, come on."

"Don't call me that Ash." She spun around, eyes sparkling in the dark.

"Don't you try and play the victim here Misty." He hissed.

"And why not? You're the one who disappears."

"And you're the one who keeps going home!" she had been about to retort, but stopped, mouth agape. "That's right Misty. You're the one who always left me out on my own."

"On your own!? Brock, May, Max, Dawn, what were they?"

"You know what I mean! The forest Misty!" She looked away.

"Why would you bring that up, that was nine years ago?" she said softly, all anger forgotten.

"It could have been fifty years Mist, it wouldn't change anything."

"Ash, you can't understand what happened. It was for your own good."

"For my own good. Is that it? You're not actually going to tell me anything?"

"I can't. You have no clue how much I want to tell you, but I can't, and you know why."

"Does Drew know? Is that how you lured him away from May, you told him your little sob story and he felt sorry for you?" Ash sounded more hurt than angry, but it was hard to tell. "Or are you too wrapped up in your own little world to notice how hurt your friend is?"

"Of course I can see it Ash, I'm not you! I can actually notice people's feelings; I'm not oblivious to the world. And Drew and May wasn't my fault, it was yours. That's right Ash, they fought over you, not me, you. You may have been out on your own Ash, but you still affected us all!"

"You know what Misty, you're right. There is a lot I can't know and even more I don't want to. I don't see any reason to be around. Why don't you just get back, I'm sure your boyfriend will be wondering where you are." He turned around.

"Well fine Ash, just walk away again!" she shouted.

"Tell them I said goodbye, they deserve it." Ash sneered, and he walked out the gate, leaving her in the snow.

Her glare faded. "What did I just do?"

So…it's sorta short, and mostly just arguing. Ash is alive though! But of course that isn't the end, she didn't go far enough for us to know for sure!! But it takes a break here so that's just that. I tried to explain a little bit of how Misty and Drew ended up together, but it's rather vague I know. I dunno I just sorta like the idea of them being together if Ash and May are…but that in no way makes me an Advanceshipper or a Waterflowershipper…but just because I don't support it doesn't mean I can't write it. Any who…next chappie soon, and review please and thank you!!

STL