A/N: Hey everyone and welcome (back)! Time to hop perspectives now and take a look at thing's from Misty's point of view!
Misty's heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the sight of Ash. She had heard Professor Oak talking about him with his mom, but she didn't know Brock had met back up with him. She had missed him more than anything since the day they parted, she had to choke down the tears of joy as not to seem crazy in front of her two best friends.
"Ash! It's so great to see you!" His clothes were different and she noticed he didn't have his favorite hat, but she liked the new look. Amidst the bustling crowd and nearly tearful reunion she hadn't even noticed May and Max standing in the background.
"Oh wow! You're Misty?" May asked, leaning in closer in excitement, "It's so great to meet you, I've heard so much about you! Your Togepi is absolutely adorable!"
"Huh? Who are you?" Misty asked.
"Oh, sorry, I'm May! And this is my little brother Max," May said with a thumb-point to her shorter brother, "Ash has been helping me learn more about pokemon."
"Ash has been helping you?" Misty giggled, "I suppose he has come a long way since the day I fished him out of that river."
"Don't worry Misty," Brock said with a thumbs-up, "I've been here to keep these two in check." Misty smiled at the encouragement from Brock, but couldn't help but to feel a little worry anyway. Not for the well-being of the Ash or May, that was obviously in good hands, but at the fact that Ash had been away from her for so long. To make matters worse, he had been traveling with another girl the entire time and she didn't even know about it.
"Misty? What's wrong?" Ash asked. The question snapped her out of the small trance she had apparently fallen into.
"Just nostalgia, I suppose," she replied, not entirely lying.
"Yeah, the silver conference seems so far away now," Ash replied. "What are you here for anyway?"
"Oh, the professor bought me a ticket to come to festival! Lorelei of the Elite Four is supposedly one of the masterminds behind the whole thing and there's an entire workshop focused on caring for water pokemon."
"A member of the Elite Four is here?" Ash asked, hands already balled into fists. "Do you think I'll get a chance to battle her?"
"Two of them, actually," Brock answered, "And who knows. Maybe they'll enter into the battle arena."
"Same old Ash," Misty said. Seeing that he hadn't changed was a welcome sight. She had feared for so long that he would be a different person if they ever met again, or that he would barely even remember her. The stuff that boy got into, he would either end up dead or the most famous person alive. Eventually, anyway.
"Hey Brock, where's the room anyway?" Max asked, "Let's get outta this place."
"It's upstairs, c'mon," he replied as he began to lead the way. At the top of the stairs was a very long hallway with others intersecting it.
"Wow, this place is much bigger than it looks on the outside," Ash commented. Brock glanced at the door numbers as they passed by, counting higher and higher.
"Here we are!" he exclaimed, inserting the key into the door. The room was standard with two queen beds, a couch, a television and a few counters. "I offered Misty a place to stay with us, so we'll have to put the couch to use as a bed." He set his pack down on the floor. "The grand opening of the festival is tomorrow, but there's still plenty of stuff to do today. Just keep your pokegear on you if you go anywhere, and stick to the buddy system. This place is going to be jam packed all the time, and it'll be too easy to get lost."
Everyone nodded in agreement as they usually did whenever Brock gave orders. "Hey Max, let's go down and check out the rides," May suggested.
"Okay!" he agreed happily. He threw down his pack and raced out the door, followed closely by May.
"Be back in time for dinner, you two!" Brock yelled after them. After getting his effects situated in a corner of the room, he made his way for the door as well. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some business downstairs."
"Business?" Misty asked.
Brock couldn't stifle his excited giggles. "Yeah, the receptionist here is a pure angel! I'm going to help them get the crowd under control downstairs and hopefully win some hero points in the process!"
Misty sighed as he left the room. Same old Brock, same old Ash. It was almost as if nothing had changed in their time apart, which couldn't have made Misty happier. She would get a second chance, hopefully without a goodbye this time. She had been given an opportunity to say all of the things she wished she had said so long ago.
But let's not rush things, she thought to herself, it is still Ash.
Left alone now, Ash and Misty settled into their temporary home. Misty washed Togepi up while Ash laid back on the bed, not saying a word and staring into space. While Misty had noticed Ash's silence, she decided not to press any issues. For all she knew he was just dreaming of battling in the festival.
"Hey Misty?" he called out. She poked her head out from the bathroom and saw him still laying down, looking at nothing in particular while Pikachu napped beside him.
"Yes Ash?" she replied.
"I…I need to talk to you," he said, straining to find the right words. Misty could feel her heart beating faster. Ash was rarely as serious as he was now, and she had only been back together with him for an hour or so. Something was definitely wrong.
Or right, she allowed herself to hope.
"What is it? You know you can tell me anything."
"Right, and that's why I think now's the time to say this," Ash said as he sat up and leaned over the side of the bed. Pikachu looked up as he shook the bed around.
This is it, Misty thought to herself, I never would have thought he would have been the one to say it first. She could feel butterfrees in her stomach as she waited for the words to come out of his mouth.
"I've just been feeling really weird lately…something I've never felt before. Now that you're here, I think I know why and what these feelings mean. I hope, anyway. I'm not really good with things like this…" He twiddled his thumbs a bit and shuffled his feet. Pikachu's ears and face perked up.
He's still as dense as a rock, and it's still the cutest thing in the world. Oh, Ash, just say it already you big dummy!
"…but I think I'm in love with May."
Misty felt her whole world shatter. In a single word, the drop of but one name, the only thing she had every truly wished for with all of her heart was now forever out of reach. In the few months the two of them had been apart, he had not only finally grown feelings, but they were for somebody else. She used every bit of willpower she had and then some to keep herself from bursting into tears, although she couldn't stop the few that had already made their way to her eyes. Luckily, Ash's focus was still on the nothing in front of him so she had time to wipe them away without him noticing, although Pikachu caught it. His ears drooped and he laid his head down on the bed.
"But I don't know what to do," Ash continued, "Which is why I'm really glad you're here," he said looking up. Misty had managed to hold a smile that Ash couldn't quite see through. "I don't know what to do, I just feel so…so…different, around her. It's like when she's around everything changes. I want to let her know that, but I don't know how. All I've ever really done is battle, and that's not going to help me much here. You'd know better than anyone how to be romantic and all that stuff, so," he said with a hopeless shrug of his shoulders, "can you help me?"
What was she supposed to do? Even if she wanted to there was really no way she could tell him no.
"Of course I can," she said in the cheeriest tone she could manage, "What else is a friend for?"
"Thanks Misty," Ash said, visibly relieved, "I didn't know what I was going to do until you came along."
Ash's pokegear started ringing in his pocket. He fished it out, answering it. "Hey Brock! …What? Whaddya mean you volunteered me to help? Fifty Boxes? But I don't wanna…hello? Hello?" He stuck the pokegear back into his pocket and made for the door. "I guess we'll have to do this another time, offered my services to help unload one of their trucks." He paused when he reached the door. "Which reminds me, please don't tell him. We know how he is with girls…"
Misty forced a giggle, "Promise."
"You coming, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Piiikuh…" Pikachu replied, pretending to be tired.
"Alright then, see you when I get back." And with that, Ash left a devastated Misty alone to recap the worst five minutes of her life.
I'm the dummy, Misty thought to herself. This was it then; she had to help the person she loved to tell the person he loves that he loves her. She flopped onto the bed with Togepi and stared into the empty space above her. Ash was onto something, because it was actually a very peaceful nothing to stare at. Pikachu cuddled up beside her, showing his sympathies for her in the best way he could.
Well if this is the way it's going to be, then I'm going to make sure he gets everything he deserves. Misty silently nodded to herself in agreement. I might have missed my chance, but I'm not going to let him down now that he's not a stupid boy anymore.
"Whaddya say Pikachu?" she asked, "Think we can do it?" Pikachu cooed nervously, unsure of how they had even arrived at the place they were in now.
"I know we can," Misty said to herself. "Ash Ketchum, prepare to become a gentlemen."
A/N: Sorry if it was a little more on the sad side. I promise it won't be like that all the time!