A/N: Thank you so much everyone for the support in the first chapter! Please enjoy the next part of the story :) Be warned, it may be awhile until my next update, blame uni work.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon

"Pikachu-Pi?"

It had been half an hour since the abrupt departure of Ash Ketchum from the Cerulean Gym and Misty still had not moved from her now statue-like position. Pikachu was running out of ideas to gain Misty's attention; he had already exhausted yelling her name, pulling his face in the way he previously used to cheer a crying Togepi, tugging on her legs and was now seriously considering a mild thundershock.

Ash Ketchum came back. Ash was in my gym. He was standing right there. After four years, he came back. He hugged me. I yelled at him. He tried to explain. I wouldn't listen. He hadn't contacted me for four years. I was right to be upset. I shouldn't have yelled at him. He left. I told him to leave… Round and round the thoughts went in Misty's head, her brain and heart trying to determine if she felt justified or regretted her actions.

"Pikkaaa-chuuu!"

The brief pain and tingling sensation down her body alerted Misty again to Pikachu's presence. That's another thing, why is Pikachu here? How could Ash have forgotten him, moreover, how could Pikachu forget to leave with Ash?

Whatever the reason, it wasn't this adorable rodent that Misty was mad at. His master however was a different story, though her sanity could not afford to dwell on that for the time being. The maze would begin again. So instead the teen brushed her hair away from her face, bent down and tried to pick up Pikachu although the mouse had other plans and instead started sprinting away from her and towards the pool.

"Pikachu! Come on! You need to get back to Ash, if you don't go now you might not catch up with him in time!" Misty called out after the pokemon, first jogging then running after the mouse as he skittered across the floor towards the pool. When the teen finally caught up with him, he had found her beloved water pokemon still waiting in and by the pool. All of Misty's pokemon cried out happily and moved towards Pikachu, overjoyed to see an old friend again. All except Gyarados who eyed the mouse cautiously and would have fired a Hyper Beam if she did not already know Misty's wrath and the consequences of a well placed thunderbolt on her water/flying type body.

Misty finally caught up and momentarily stood to enjoy watching the reunion of the pokemon friends before remembering with a single reproachful look from Gyarados that dinner had been delayed.

"Sorry everyone! Here's dinner, you too Pikachu…" Misty called out after quickly retrieving the abandoned specialized PokeFood sacks as well as a case of Pikachu's favorite blend and pouring them into varying sized food bowls. This is how it is meant to be… Misty thought to herself, watching the pokemon in front of her as she sipped some soup and dipped her legs into the pool …Without a certain someone coming in whenever they please, completely disregarding how they have treated certain others in the past and then leaving another best friend behind. He should really stop using that word so carelessly…

That night and the following week slipped away from the redhead, following the same daily pattern as the previous four years although with an exception; now with every buzz of the door or ring of the phone, Misty's heart started beating double time, wondering if Pikachu's owner had returned to collect him.

After yet another week had passed without contact from Ash (although, it wasn't like this was out of the ordinary), Misty began to worry. Surely he hasn't abandoned Pikachu… Pikachu and Ash were always inseparable… Just where on Pokéarth has Ash Ketchum disappeared to? Her resolve wavered. She caved. She called Brock.

*Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call! Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call! Phone Call!*

"Hello? Harrison Residence" called a high pitched and breathy voice from a small, surprisingly wide-eyed girl holding the receiver to her ear, giving Misty a view into what appeared to be a modern lounge room though with obvious childish modifications. Clothes hung in the background, kids ran past screaming their heads off and Misty could see colourful handprints up against the opposite wall. Poor Brock…

"Oh, hi! My name is Misty and I was wondering if I may speak to Brock please?"

"Okay! Brroooockkk!" called the little girl, dropping the receiver and bounding away looking for her eldest brother.

"Hi there Misty, what can I do for you? Although, I think I may already know." asked a handsome tanned skin man in his mid-twenties after picking up the phone no less than a minute later. It seemed that in his time studying Brock had matured and had become quite the ladies man (that is if what they said in hushed voices at the Pokemon Center were true). Though admittedly, the appeal was lost when said man was wearing a floral printed apron.

Misty quickly explained what had happened and Brock, playing the understanding big brother knew exactly how she felt. He had seen how Ash had treated Misty over the years though he also knew the reasons behind why.

Fortunately for Misty, he knew where Ash had fled to after the failed reunion considering Ash stopped by before leaving for Cerulean and had told him his plans.

The Unova Region.

"You can't be serious Brock. Gary was right Ash is such a loser! First he goes off to Hoenn bringing only Pikachu with him and now he goes to a brand new place and doesn't have the decency to take his best friend with him. What a twerp… How did he even get there so quickly?!" Misty was outraged. At the very least Ash should take better care of his pokemon. Never mind that she was secretly jealous that he could still travel the world, and now do it so fast.

"Don't judge him too harshly before you know the full story Misty. I know he has treated you horribly but please at least try listening to him properly next time you see him. If not for him, for me."

"What makes you think I will see him again?"

"Because I know you. You won't be able to leave matters the way they are Myst. Besides, Ash only treated you that way because - "

*Click*

A blank screen faced Misty as she held the receiver back onto its cradle. She was aware how rude it was to hang up on her oldest friend but she didn't want to hear anymore. The Unova region. Well that's just great. How long is he going to wait to come back for Pikachu? Wait… no… it can't be… He doesn't really expect me to bring Pikachu to him? A scowl formed on the gym leader's face at this thought. He really has become a pompous jerk. I have better things to do thank you very much, for starters, I can't even leave the gym unattended –

"Why, like, hey there baby sister!" called an all too familiar voice throughout the hallway leading to the family home above the gym. Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear… Well, in this case devils. Misty thought to herself when she saw what could either be a chance for freedom or her worst nightmare.

In this case, Misty chose freedom. Before her sisters could ask for any more favors from her, Misty flew up the stairs into her aquatic themed room (complete with an oversized fishtank in the corner that housed various sealife that reminded her of the real sea, a balcony to the outside world, sky blue walls and king sized bed where Pikachu now lay) and started throwing whatever she could find in her wardrobe into her old rucksack.

"Misty, what are you, like, doing? You could at least say, like, hi to us, you haven't seen us in like, four years!" Daisy asked upon entering Misty's room and noting the chaos within.

"I'm leaving Daisy. You have had your fun these last few years so I am going back out on an adventure. You owe this to me, after springing running the gym on me that time and leaving me with no instructions whatsoever." Misty turned to face her sister with a determined expression and her rucksack a final tug. "And if you even try to turn the gym back into the joke it was before, I swear I will train Politoed to dowse your face in water every time you finish putting on your makeup. EVERY time."

She started to make her way towards the door and shrug past her sister when she froze. It clicked. 'Myst'. Brock called me 'Myst'. Only Ash has ever called me that before. Another head shake and step forward. It was officially time to move on from that particular former friend and the best way to do that was to find him to return the current constant reminder of him that was walking along beside her towards the pool, offering his opinion in his own way of speaking.

"Alright, return Gyarados! Staryu! Golduck! Corsola! You too Azumarill" Misty cried to her team, recalling her pokemon to their balls and Azumarill to her side.

Breathe in, Breathe out. Misty chanted to herself, trying to settle her excitement as she stood at the doorway of the gym with her sisters' voices echoing behind her, threatening to catch up with her and hold her back. Whilst the reason of the adventure was not exactly what she had hoped, it was still an adventure to other lands and she was not about to give that up. Misty pushed open the door, her mouth rapidly growing into a long forgotten smile. She was free.

The now travelling Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym started running with two euphoric pokemon by her side. Next stop, Vermilion City.