Battle Island, Kanto

Day 43 – June 19th

Brock stood at the stove in the kitchen, whistling merrily as he made himself breakfast. The eggs in the frying pan sizzled as he dug at them with a spatula and flipped them carefully.

There wasn't really anything that could ruin his good mood.

The breeder had spent perhaps a bit more time away than usual on his excursion, but given the proceedings that had occurred, taking a little extra time off had certainly been called for. Not only that, but with Ash gone in Johto chasing down the Legendaries of that region, there really hadn't been a rush to return to the Battle Island.

Plus, it gave Misty more time to be alone with her love interest, something Brock sincerely hoped would help any sort of budding romance between his two friends rather than destroy it.

He shook his head a little, a strange smile quirking at his lips. Ash's views of romance and all its encompassing fields were skewed, to say the least. Brock blamed part of it on Ash's upbringing, or lack thereof. That wasn't to say that he thought Delia Ketchum was at fault – in fact, considering her status as a single mother, Brock was impressed that she had made as much headway as she had in Ash's formative years – but that Ash's wandering lifestyle from his pre- to post-pubescent years had left him and romance as awkward dance partners. With the single-minded goal of becoming a Pokémon Master, the tumultuous phase of being at the whim of his hormones had never really struck Ash.

Given his own romantic attempts during their travels, Brock wasn't sure whether Ash should consider himself fortuitous or not. Certainly his inability to create a romantic attachment in his adult life seemed to be backfiring horrendously, considering his situation with Misty.

Brock wished his red-haired friend the best of luck in her goal. Ash had always been rather thickheaded with certain topics even on the best of days. At any given time in the middle of a hunt for Legendary Pokémon?

Misty had a better chance of teaching Psyduck how to swim.

[Good morning, Brock]

"AH!" yelped the dark-skinned male. His body jerked in surprise, sending the eggs in the pan flying into the air. A blue aura encased them at the apex of their flight, causing Brock to whirl around, frying pan raised reflexively.

Mewtwo stood before him, left arm raised and pointed at the breakfast meal floating in midair. The eggs were psychically lowered onto a plate that levitated out of a nearby cabinet, and the dish was placed upon the table. A small smirk graced Mewtwo's mouth as he shifted his attention to Brock. [I don't believe such a weapon will do you much good against me, though you are certainly welcome to try]

Brock managed to not look completely embarrassed. "No, I…uh…" He moved the frying pan behind his back so it was hidden from view. "Never mind." Then he peered suspiciously at the humanoid Pokémon. "How'd you get in here anyway? I didn't hear you teleport in."

[Through the door] he gestured. [The simplicity of such an invention requires little forethought to operate]

Brock continued to fix Mewtwo with an inquisitive look. "You don't have opposable thumbs to turn the knob," he pointed out.

[…Fine, I used my psychic abilities. Are you satisfied now?]

The breeder shrugged, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "For the most part…I just wanted to hear you admit it. So, why are you here?"

[The Chosen One is in trouble. He requires your assistance]

That got Brock's attention. "Ash? Where is he? What does he need? Which Legendary is he fighting?"

Mewtwo held up a hand to forestall any more questions. [You will receive all your answers when you get there]

"Yeah, but that'll take a couple of days. Doesn't he need my help now?"

The clone's eyes glowed blue, mimicked immediately by Brock's body. The breeder made a noise of protest, but before he could effectively say anything, he was gone. Mewtwo slumped slightly at the effort of teleporting someone such a long distance; after a moment, he moved towards the door and lifted a hand to the smooth knob, attempting to twist it with his three rounded fingers. It didn't budge. [Humans are far cleverer than they would let on] he mused with an annoyed glare at the knob. The Genetic Pokémon disappeared with a small 'pop', leaving the kitchen in complete silence.

When Meowth wandered in minutes later, he found a plate of Brock's delicious cooking sitting at the table. Deciding that the dark-skinned male would've eaten if he was hungry, he quickly bounded onto the table and devoured the meal, absently wondering why Brock had abandoned it.

-l-l-l-

Goldenrod City, Johto

Within the confines of her own room in the Goldenrod City Pokémon Center, Misty resisted the urge to squeal and dance around like an excited preteen. It was a difficult task considering the fact that her long-time crush and object of her affections had asked her on a date only a number of days ago.

Granted, Ash still had something to learn about timing, but the simple fact of the matter was that Misty was too thrilled about the prospect to even care about such a triviality.

Her Pokémon – barring Gyarados – were clustered around the room in various areas, watching their trainer with a wide array of expressions. Misty picked up Psyduck and twirled the confused mallard around at arms' length. "He asked me out!" she exclaimed, unable to keep a hold on her enthusiasm.

As the redhead's bout of excitement carried on, she came to the conclusion that she should probably go shopping in one of Goldenrod's many department stores for a more appropriate outfit…nothing too outrageous or fancy of course, but something a bit nicer than what she usually wore.

After all, the first date was the foundation for everything that could, and hopefully would, come after. Here's to hoping…

-l-l-l-

Pikachu sat on the bed of Ash's room in the Pokémon Center, ears down, watching as his trainer paced back and forth. He made a small noise of worry, but Ash was too distracted by his own thoughts to pay it any heed.

"What was I thinking?" he mumbled, turning on his heel and striding the other way. "I don't know how to date. I should just call this whole thing off. Yeah…Misty'll understand, right?"

Pikachu shot him a look that clearly said, 'Do you even know her?' Ash chuckled nervously before resuming his pacing. The truth of the matter was that this situation was the first Ash could recall where plowing in headfirst with his normal brashness and take-on-the-world attitude was highly likely to backfire. The thought made him hesitate.

It was rather unsettling.

Almost as unsettling as Brock appearing out of thin air in the middle of the room, an empty frying pan in hand.

Pikachu, startled, instinctively unleashed a torrent of electricity which zapped both trainers. He stopped after several seconds, releasing an embarrassed noise when he saw the disheveled state of both humans. "Brock," Ash managed after a moment, "what are you doing here? How'd you even get here?"

"Mewtwo sent me…said you were in trouble and needed my help. So, who're we after? Lugia? Suicune?"

"Well, no. Actually…" he paused to scratch his head, unsure how to properly phrase what he wanted to say. "I've…kinda…already…caught all the Legendaries here."

"Oh…" Brock appeared almost disheartened at this revelation, his offensive stance slackening until the frying pan was held loosely in his hand, inches from the floor. "Well, what was the emergency, then?"

"Ah, well," Ash fidgeted, "I sorta…asked Misty out?" He cringed, half-expecting Brock to explode in raucous shouting, though in a good way or a bad way, he wasn't sure.

What he didn't expect was for Brock to just blink and say, "Oh."

"'Oh'?" the Frontier Brain echoed. "'Oh'?! That's all you can say?!"

Brock shrugged, finally placing the cooking implement on the bed next to Pikachu. "Congratulations?"

"Brock!"

The dark-skinned man laughed. "Well, what do you want me to say, Ash? Honestly, this has been a long time coming." He arched an eyebrow in mild curiosity. "Don't tell me this is the big emergency?" When Ash didn't respond, Brock knew he had hit the nail on the head. "I don't understand what the issue is."

"I don't know how to date, Brock," Ash said, exasperated. "And Misty's very…" he gestured helplessly, "romantically aware."

"So you're nervous."

"…Something like that."

"It's okay to be nervous," Brock placated, moving the frying pan further back to sit on the bed. He chuckled to himself. "Man, when I went on my first date, I was – what?" he asked at Ash's dubious expression.

"When did you go on a date?"

"Most recently? Couple days ago. I actually – what?"

"Someone agreed to go out with you," Ash checked. "You." In the moment of disbelief the raven-haired trainer was currently experiencing, his own problem had been thrown by the wayside.

"I feel like I should be insulted," Brock muttered under his breath. Aloud, he posed, "Ash, where exactly do you think I go when I leave the island?"

"Business?" tried the other male. "Family vacations?"

"No, Ash," he sighed. "I go to Celadon…where I've been dating Erika." The Frontier Brain was rendered slack-jawed, absolutely thunderstruck by the admission. Even Pikachu was caught by surprise. "We just got engaged, actually," the breeder continued after a moment.

"…I…I don't understand," Ash managed weakly. "You hit on Daisy when we arrived in Cerulean…"

"Olds habit, y'know? Erika's aware of that little flaw. She's not happy about it, but she also knows that I wouldn't actually do anything to jeopardize our relationship. It's become less of a problem over time."

"How long has this been going on?"

Brock shrugged. "A couple years now. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to jinx it." Ash opened his mouth to ask something else, but the older man cut across him. "Look, I get that we should probably talk about this at some point, but right now we need to focus on your issues."

Ash looked like he wanted to say more – the things Brock was telling him were rather difficult to wrap his head around – but at his friend's serious countenance, opted to let the words die on his tongue. If Brock had dating advice to give him (and Ash could barely believe that that was what was about to happen), then perhaps it was better to listen to what his friend had to say. "Okay."

"Good," Brock nodded. "Now, what are you nervous about?"

"I already told you, I don't know anything about dating!"

Brock arched an eyebrow. "That's it? I figured you'd have doubts about ruining your friendship with Misty or something."

Ash shook his head, simultaneously waving his hand in a gesture meant to swat away the idea. "No. The way I see it is that being in a relationship wouldn't be too different from us hanging out like we've been doing, except for, you know, the other things boyfriends are supposed to do…which I don't really know anything about."

The breeder hummed thoughtfully as he mulled over the problem. "Okay," he began, "how about this. Your interaction with Misty won't be any different because you're of the mindset that talking and acting with her in a relationship will be similar to how you treat her as a friend, right? Well, just think of the date as an extension of that. Instead of a date, it's just two friends going out to do…whatever you're going out to do," he finished lamely.

"You think that'll actually work?"

"I don't see why not."

Ash remained skeptical. "And what happens if Misty expects something –" he gestured vaguely, distinctly uncomfortable with the words he was grasping for, "— romantic of me."

"Then you follow her cues." The Frontier Brain looked at him with a blank expression, and Brock exhaled a breath of incredulity. "Unbelievable… Look Ash, just because the stereotypical relationship portrays the male figure as being at the helm doesn't mean that that dynamic works for everyone. Misty has more interpersonal experience than you do, and she knows it. But she's been looking forward to this moment for too long to push too hard, too fast. She knows that this is new to you, and I sincerely doubt she'll do anything to jeopardize what this could be. So if, if she instigates something, just go with what you feel. There's nothing wrong with acting on your feelings."

"That's how I got into this mess in the first place," Ash muttered.

"And you probably shouldn't think of this so negatively."

The Frontier Brain took a deep breath and let it go. "You're right. I'm going to see this through, and what will happen, will happen." He tossed a grateful half-grin at his friend. "Thanks for the help, Brock."

Brock inclined his head in acknowledgement, smirking all the while. "That's what I'm here for, Ash. Now, maybe we should get you ready for your date."

"…You're taking way too much enjoyment out of this."

"You have no idea."

-l-l-l-

Ash waited downstairs in the lobby of the Pokémon Center for Misty to appear. With Brock's help, he had gotten dressed in something more 'date appropriate', though the outfit was, in all honesty, not much different from what he normally wore. A casual blue button-down shirt was buttoned over a black t-shirt, matched by a pair of tan khakis and his usual sneakers. The fact that he looked so normal had him questioning Brock's expertise, but then his older friend had pointed out that if Ash was trying to make the transition from platonic to romantic slow, starting out casually was the best way to start.

Even still, Ash felt a little naked without Pikachu perched on his shoulder. The small creature had opted to stay behind in the hotel room with Brock and relax from the weeks' worth of travel. Only habit had him walking around with half a dozen Pokéballs clipped to his belt.

"Ash?"

The Frontier Brain whirled at the voice and came face-to-face with Misty. He was somewhat relieved to find her dressed just as simply as him in a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a yellow blouse. Her shoulder-length, fiery hair was loose from its normal ponytail, leaving Ash momentarily stunned with how different the style was; the other instances she had done so during their journey seemed very distant in comparison to the current moment. He cleared his throat. "You, uh, look very pretty, Mist."

"Thanks." She gave him a brief once-over. "You look very…normal."

Ash pouted, more for effect than out of actual hurt. He wanted to try and break how tense he felt by getting an early start on making their outing feel like any other, normal get-together. "Aren't you supposed to say that I look handsome?"

Misty covered her mouth with the back of her hand, but the creases at the corners of her eyes belied her smile. "Maybe next time."

"I'll hold you to that."

"So," Misty prompted after a moment of silence, "where are we going?"

"Goldenrod apparently has one of the world's biggest movie theaters," Ash said, heading for the doors. "Cushy chairs, massive screen, buttery popcorn…thought we could go see the latest movie in true style." He pulled open the glass door of the Pokémon Center and leaned against it to hold it open, twisting his head to look back at her. "Interested?"

The redhead moved to go through the exit, gracing him with a grin as she passed. "I'm interested in whatever you've got to offer, Ketchum." She turned so she was walking backwards and called out to him, "Who knew you were such a gentleman?"

Ash laughed and jogged to catch up to his friend. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he informed her as he pulled even and slowed down.

Misty arched one ginger eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to give me an example?" she asked when he didn't continue.

"After you didn't tell me I'm handsome? I don't think so."

Misty rolled her eyes. "You're going to hold a grudge? Fine, I concede. You look very handsome."

"See, now I don't think you're being sincere."

"Ash," she tried again, and the change in her tone caused him to look at her, "you're very handsome. Really."

He swallowed at how serious she looked, and the knowledge that their current outing was more than just friendly one made itself known once again. "Th-thanks." There was a brief pause before he admitted, "I had a crush on Gary's sister."

Misty blinked. "What?"

"When I was younger," he elaborated, "before Gary and I became rivals, I had a huge crush on his sister. She was pretty, and really kind…"

"What, is that all the criteria it takes for you to like someone?"

"No." Then he smirked. "You're not all that kind."

Misty punched him in the arm. "Some girls would take offense to that, Ash."

"Hey, isn't it enough that I like you in spite of that?"

She batted her eyelashes playfully. "So you like me, huh?"

Ash opened his mouth to respond, but then stopped and considered his words. I guess I did say that. Still, the thought wasn't one that he was comfortable with musing over so early into their date. "Can we just…not talk about this right now?" he requested quietly.

Misty peered at him for a moment with curious blue-green eyes before nodding in tactful agreement. Given how long it had taken to get up to this point, the redhead was willing to not push beyond Ash's comfort zone in order to maximize the result of their outing.

They arrived at the Goldenrod Multiplex in short order. Heeding some last-minute advice Brock had given him, Ash allowed Misty to pick the movie before buying them a small bucket of popcorn to share; Brock had also advised against getting too much to snack on at the theater so that they didn't fill up before lunch. Ash didn't think he had much to worry about in that regard, given his seemingly bottomless pit of a stomach, but decided that it was better to listen to his older, more experienced friend than to dismiss his words as out-of-hand.

No matter how hard it was to believe that Brock had been dating for who-knew how long.

Ash only paid the movie half his attention (Misty had chosen some sort of flick with a romantic subplot that didn't really appeal to him, but he had already been warned that that was a possibility), focusing instead on how things were progressing so far. Brock had given him suggestions for things to do during the movie – the two more highly recommended options had been to hold Misty's hand or put his arm around her shoulders – but Ash wasn't entirely sold on enacting either idea. He wanted a date that would allow him to focus more on how well he and his best friend mingled together without worrying about making any overtly romantic gestures, to better determine whether or not he actually wanted to become engaged in a relationship with Misty.

In some ways, he supposed it was a dangerous juggling act, trying to balance his feelings, Misty's feelings, and their interactions together, but hopefully the ends would justify the means. Misty had so far been less pushy with openly displaying how she felt about him, something which Ash found himself immensely grateful for. The less pressure he felt, the more likely he was to make the right decision.

After the movie ended, Ash led Misty to a simple delicatessen nearby. They sat down at a metal table outside, a blue- and white-striped umbrella providing shade from the sun. "So," Misty began, picking up a fry and dipping it in ketchup, "what else don't I know about you?"

Ash took a bite of his burger and then a sip of his soda, a thoughtful look upon his face. "I never told you why I didn't keep the League Champion title, did I?"

"Mmm…no, you didn't. I was always sort of curious about that, what with how gung-ho you were about it in our childhood, but after a while, I just forgot to ask. After you and Brock moved, you always seemed too busy with some new research to just sit down and catch up."

"In all fairness, researching the Legendary Pokémon took a lot of time. But, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." He paused in his eating, letting his burger hang loose in his hand as he hung his head to hide his shame at his actions. "I've had it pointed out to me recently that I haven't been a very good friend."

"Ash, that's not –"

The Frontier Brain shook his head vigorously. "No, let me finish. Everything in my life has been about Pokémon…about traveling with them, raising them, battling them…looking for the next big adventure, always shooting for the goal of Pokémon Master. I took time off before I re-challenged all the Kanto Gym Leaders so I could better understand Pokémon, all so I could achieve my dream. But by the time I actually became the Champion, I knew that I didn't want to take over the position…it just wasn't going to be as fulfilling as I had built it up to be in my head. So I decided to let it go so that I could spend my life doing what I wanted; I could continue to battle by becoming a Frontier Brain, but I could also forge my own path."

Misty nodded slowly in understanding. Gym Leaders were active for approximately nine months of the year, from the time they reopened on the first of August to when the Indigo League competition began in late April. Barring special tournaments, the Champion really only battled once a year, at the end of the competition (either in a showcase amongst the Elite Four or against a challenger who made it past them). Unlike the Indigo League, though, the Battle Frontier ran year-round, as there was no equivalent to the Indigo League for the challengers to compete in after collecting all the Frontier Symbols.

Ash continued to talk. "I wanted to leave myself options for the future, so I wouldn't be stuck in a position I might eventually get tired of." He grinned humorlessly. "It's kind of ironic that, by not accepting the position of Champion in order to have a future, I actually closed off my future. I became so engrossed in my work that the people I considered my friends instead just became people I relied upon for data or knowledge."

"Like Sabrina."

He bobbed his head in agreement. "Yeah. And I just sort of lost interest in interacting with people around me. I never really thought of the consequences of what I was doing, and how it would affect my friends."

A heartbeat passed before Misty admitted quietly, "I always looked for you, you know."

"What?" Ash replied, confused.

"At the Pokémon League Summit," she clarified. "Every year, I hoped that you would show up, just so we could catch up and you could see me as someone other than 'Misty the tomboy', or 'Misty the best friend'. I guess I thought that, somehow, I could get you to change how you thought of me. Kinda silly, huh?"

Ash wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, especially since he was consciously trying not to, but his hand reached across the table and grabbed Misty's. The Cerulean City native seemed surprised by the gesture, for she looked up at Ash with shock written in her blue-green eyes. "Well, we're here now, aren't we?" he posed with a small smile.

His friend's face relaxed until her expression mirrored his. "Yeah, I guess we are."

"And…maybe next time…I'll see you at the Summit," he continued, a little unsurely. "Or, you know…maybe we can go together?"

Misty squeezed his hand, assuring him that his query wasn't in vain. "I'd really like that."

Ash coughed once and withdrew his hand to continue eating, still uncomfortable with doing something so out of his element. His body and his mouth had just gone through the motions without really consulting his brain; perhaps that was what Brock had been referring to when he mentioned listening to what he felt. "So," he tried, attempting to not focus on what had just happened, "how's the —"

Ring-ring-ring, phone call, phone call!

Misty couldn't help but laugh at the annoyed expression on Ash's face as his phone went off. "I still can't believe that's your ringtone."

"It's the only thing that's annoying enough to make me want to answer it, just so it'll stop," he explained. He placed it to his ear and said, "Yeah?"

Even across the table, Misty could hear Jessie's voice clearly on the other end. "Oi, twerp! Brock came back the other night, but now he's nowhere to be found. We've looked everywhere for him and –"

"Don't worry about him," Ash interrupted. "He's out here with me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm –"

"He's in Johto?" returned Jessie's incredulous voice. "How'd he get there in less than a day?"

"That's not important. Look, I'm kind of in the middle of a date here, so –"

"A DATE!?"

Ash yanked the phone away from his ear at the disbelieving yell. The ex-Team Rocket member volleyed off one question after another, causing the Frontier Brain to sigh in exasperation. "Bye Jessie," he said, hanging up in the middle of the older woman's rant. "Sorry about that," he offered Misty.

The redhead had a hand covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her amusement. "No no, it's fine."

"No, it's not. If I didn't have to answer the phone on the off-chance that I'm needed for something…" He sighed again. "I don't know what this is," he conceded, motioning between himself and Misty, "and I don't think I'm very good at this type of thing, but if I'm going to give it a try, I want to give it my all, without any sort of…interruption."

Ring-ring-ring, phone call, phone call!

"What?" Ash growled into the phone.

This time, James' somewhat androgynous voice burst forth from the speaker. "Jessie just told me that you're on a date!" The purple-haired man sounded like he was practically sobbing. "What about the twerpette? How could you be so insensitive to her feelings?!"

"My date is the twerpette…I mean Misty!"

James seemed to recover almost instantly. "Oh." There was a brief pause, followed by, "Put me on video so I can see this for myself."

"Goodbye, James," Ash grit out, hanging up. "Sorry," he apologized, "again."

"Really, it's fine," Misty assured him. "It's actually a bit funny how much James cares about your romantic life."

"Yeah, well, I've never really given him anything to obsess over before. Plus, I think he's secretly always rooted for us to be…ah, together."

Misty laughed at that. "All those years following us…who would've guessed? Should I be insulted that we're still referred to as 'twerp' and 'twerpette', while Brock gets an actual name?"

Ash rolled his eyes. "No. Apparently it's just habit. Personally," he continued, leaning forward as if to divulge a particularly important secret, "I think they just respect Brock more."

"It's entirely possible," his friend agreed, nodding sagely. There was a beat of quiet before both burst into laughter. "They've come a long way, haven't they?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

The Frontier Brain made a noise of agreement. "I think we all have. Which reminds me…I was going to ask how the gym life was treating you."

Misty hesitated before answering, "It's…okay."

"Just 'okay'?"

"It's just…not the life I imagined it would be. I do well in the battles, but maintaining the entire gym is time-consuming and difficult, and my sisters don't really help me. Even this," she said, gesturing around in reference to their entire journey so far, "is only possible because none of the gyms are really open during this time. I'm just…" she paused, considered her words, then pushed forward, "I'm just not as happy as I should be."

"And what would make you happy?" Ash prompted softly.

Misty bit back the immediate response of, 'Being with you'. It was an extremely cheesy thing to admit aloud, and was more likely to jeopardize whatever was going on between her and Ash. Not to mention that she didn't really want to come off as some sort of clingy fangirl. "I want to be a master Water Pokémon trainer," she decided. "It was what I told you when we met, and it's still my goal. But taking care of the gym makes finding time to go out and catch new Pokémon a bit difficult."

"Well, maybe you should leave."

"ASH! I can't just leave! The Cerulean Gym is my home…what would happen to my sisters? Where would I even go?"

"Misty, calm down. I didn't mean to sound insensitive. But think about it like this: you're putting your concern for your sisters and the Cerulean Gym's reputation ahead of your own happiness. Is that really what you want? You don't have to respond," he advised when his friend opened her mouth, "it's just something for you to think about."

The redhead allowed Ash's words to wash over her. In a weird way, the raven-haired trainer had a point. When they had split apart after the Silver Conference, it had been because her sisters had wanted her to come back to take charge of the gym, allowing them to go do what they wanted while her happiness was sacrificed. Even now, Misty knew that she would have to return to her duties as the Cerulean Gym Leader before the Pokémon League Summit in order to prepare for the upcoming year of battles; Daisy, while the most proficient of the three remaining Sensational Sisters at battling, was still nowhere near her level. The gym record had reflected as such when Misty had left to travel with Ash and Brock the second time around.

It was a bit sad to realize that she had put her life on hold so she could take care of a place her sisters never seemed to fully appreciate.

The annoying ring of Ash's phone interrupted her musing. An irate expression on his face, he opened the phone to video so whoever was calling could see how irritated he was. "This had better be good," he warned.

Jessie's face took up the screen, though the image was shaking and the former Team Rocket member was clearly distracted by something off-screen. "We're under attack!" she shouted.

"What?!"

"Yanmega, SonicBoom! Seviper, Poison Tail!" James' far away cry of, 'Carnivine, Bullet Seed!' could be heard, and Ash saw his Bulbasaur edging away in the background, leaves flying from under the bulb on his back. "Team Rocket's attacking us! I don't know how long we can – Seviper, no!" she cried as the massive serpent soared past the screen.

Ash almost wanted to laugh at the irony of the ex-Rockets being attacked by Team Rocket, but a sudden wind had burst into existence alongside a deafening chopping sound. He and Misty looked up to find a black helicopter hovering above the street, a dozen Team Rocket agents descending upon their position. "Stay safe!" he yelled into the phone. "They're targeting us here, too!" He hung up and stood alongside his date as the grunts all pulled out Pokéballs. A slew of Golbat, Yanma, Grimer, Graveler, and Houndour – among some other Pokémon – appeared in flashes of light.

One of the grunts stepped forward. "Ash Ketchum, give us your Pokéballs and no one will get hurt."

Ash stared at the small army before him. He was tired of being sucked into the plots of crime syndicates, tired of being targeted by Team Rocket for his Pokémon (no matter that it hadn't been tried in about five years), and tired of interruptions on his first true date. He had wanted everything to go smoothly to see if Misty was someone he could actually picture himself with, to start to repair the mistakes he had made in his life by ignoring his friends…to see if he could actually succeed in something other than Pokémon. Jessie and James' interruptions he could forgive, as they were more concerned than anything else, but this?

Team Rocket was going to pay.

In one smooth motion, he unclipped two Pokéballs from his belt and tossed them out. "If you want them so badly, come and get them!"

Twin roars forced all the Rockets to pause as the capsules opened to reveal Raikou and Entei. Their leader recovered first. "Push forward!" he shouted, and a cacophony of sounds echoed around them as all the Pokémon surged towards the Legendary Beasts.

"Raikou, Discharge! Entei, Fire Spin!"

Golden-yellow lightning shot out and struck half of the airborne Pokémon; a handful of them dropped out of the sky, the Electric-type attack too strong for them. Meanwhile, columns of fire rose around several of the Grimer, trapping them within an inferno. A Houndour expelled a Flamethrower at Entei, who immediately countered with one of its own.

Ash threw a protective hand out to the side when Misty looked like she was going to join the battle. "Ash, let me help," she insisted.

"No. Raikou, Thunder Fang!" The Thunder Pokémon leaped into the air to meet a Golbat's Leech Life, zapping the large bat into submission. "They're after me," he continued. "Team Rocket always seems to show up when I'm in the middle of something important…gym battles, Battle Frontier challenges…this…Entei, hit those Houndour with Eruption!"

Entei roared, causing pillars of fire to explode from underneath all the Houndour. Howls filled the air as the canine creatures were overwhelmed by the Volcano Pokémon's flames. Ash's eyes flitted to the approaching form of a Graveler curled in on itself in a Rollout attack. "Entei, look out!" The large creature attempted to stop its attack on the Houndour and move away, but the Frontier Brain could tell that it wasn't going to be quick enough.

A blast of pressurized water slammed into the Graveler's side, sending the boulder of a Pokémon careening into a Raticate. Ash glanced at Misty, who stood with a Pokéball in hand and Politoed at her side. "It was my date, too," she informed him.

"…Fair enough." They started to synchronize their attacks, Politoed taking out the Rock-types that Entei and Raikou were less effective against while the Electric-type attacked the aerial opponents and its fellow Legendary Beast targeted the grounded creatures.

After several minutes of beating on the Rockets' Pokémon, the leader hollered, "Fall back! We got what we came for, fall back!" All the criminals withdrew their Pokémon and retreated back into the helicopter, leaving Ash and Misty to watch them, confused.

As the whirlybird flew away, Ash and Misty recalled their respective companions. "What just happened?"

"No idea," Ash admitted, pulling out his phone, "but I'm about to find out." His fingers moved along the phone to return Jessie's call, but the device went off before he could find the number he was looking for. "Hello?"

"It's Brock," came his friend's voice. The older male sounded a bit out of breath. "The Pokémon Center was attacked by Team Rocket. By the time I found out, it was too late. The weird thing is that they only took one of your Pokéballs."

"Just one?" He had left a handful of his Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, so it was strange for them to leave the rest behind…

"Yeah," Brock confirmed. When the Frontier Brain didn't say anything, he prompted, "Ash?"

"Sorry, just thinking. Look, we'll be there soon, okay?" He didn't even give the breeder time to respond, instead hanging up and dialing Jessie. She assured him that they were all okay, but they weren't able to prevent Team Rocket from sneaking into the lab and creating a mess of his research notes. Further inspection revealed that they had also made off with another of his Pokéballs.

Ash ended the call and sighed wearily. Two of his Pokémon kidnapped by Team Rocket…two Pokémon that, given the attack he and Misty had just fended off, they had thought he might have on his person. The knowledge was rather foreboding, as it narrowed down the list of possible Pokémon he might've just lost to the villainous organization. "I'm sorry," he said, turning to Misty. It felt like that was all he was telling his best friend today. "Something bad has happened, and I need to figure out what's going on. Can we just…put this on hold? Temporarily?"

Misty nodded in understanding, though her hung head spoke volumes about what she thought. "Yeah, sure…"

"Hey," Ash murmured, and Misty lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I'm not giving up on this, if that's what you're afraid of. I just…need time." He reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing it. "Okay?"

She smiled tentatively at him before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "Yeah, okay. Baby steps, right?"

"R-right." Stunned, it took him a moment before he managed to say, "We should go meet up with Brock."

"It'll be good to see him again. Oh, and for what it's worth, I had a really good time on our date."

Ash spared her a small, genuine smile. "I'm glad."

I've waited a long time for this to happen, Misty thought as they hurried towards the Pokémon Center. I can wait a little longer.

-l-l-l-

Spear Pillar, Sinnoh

A mile above the peaks of the Spear Pillar floated an enormous airship; it was shaped like a flying saucer, steel grey with a maroon stripe rimming the edge, with a diameter half a mile long. Multiple propulsion engines were affixed to the bottom of the ship, all set into pivots which allowed them to swivel in any direction; half of them were activated, expelling streams of hot air and flames to keep the airship hovering in place.

Inside the floating fortress was a room where a man cast in shadows sat on a veritable throne. Surrounding him were four projections of his employees, a large picture of Giovanni before him and the images of Archie, Maxie, and Charon placed behind his chair. A Pokéball transporter was located beside him, and as he watched, a second Pokéball appeared in a flash of white energy. "Hm, excellent work, Giovanni," he stated, picking up the sphere and weighing it in his hand. "I now have the first two pieces of my collection."

"And our arrangement?" Team Rocket's leader prompted. "I told my men to only target those two Pokémon because you promised me Mewtwo."

"That I did," the man agreed, "and you will receive him when my agenda is completed." He swiveled his throne to face his remaining employees, ignoring the scowl on Giovanni's face. "Speaking of which, I would like a status report on everyone else's progress."

"My apologies for Team Aqua's delay," stated Archie. His voice seemed to echo around the steel walls of his surroundings, as if he was housed within a relatively confined space. "Given the depth of the area our target roams, pinpointing its location has proven more difficult than previously expected, and thus my previous estimation has been thrown off-track. We are closing in on it, but there is no definitive time that we might catch it."

"Team Magma has had similar issues," Maxie affirmed. "The drilling process has been more slow-going than previously anticipated, especially since we're trying to avoid drawing undue attention. I guess that we'll be here for another week or two, but that is a rough estimate."

Charon adjusted his glasses. "I have made a breakthrough with regard to the ancient relics needed to capture Team Galactic's targets. My team is currently following up on additional research which may lead to the location of the items we require. I, too, would prefer not to make any time estimation on how long it will take to secure the targets."

"Very well," nodded the man. "I find your progress acceptable. I have waited a long time to get to this point…I can be patient a while longer yet. When you achieve your objectives, contact me immediately." He disconnected the video streams linking him to the leaders of the infamous crime syndicates before standing up and walking away.

The connecting room was massive in comparison to the control room he had just come from, lights flickering on to illuminate it as he strode from one end to the other. Two pedestals popped up from a mechanism in the floor as he approached, small hemispheres gouged out of their centers to provide resting places for Pokéballs. He deposited both spheres Giovanni had been tasked with acquiring in the pedestals, and force fields leaped into existence as he withdrew his hands. A smirk formed on his lips at how well his plan was succeeding so far. "Celebi…the time-traveling Guardian of the Forest, controller of greenery…manipulator of life…

"Ho-oh…Guardian of the Skies, reviver of the Legendary Beasts…master of death…"

He made a quarter-turn to the right and moved so he was standing before the room's wall, where a large frame hung. Matted behind the glass, and ridiculously small in comparison to the size of the frame was a gleaming card – shifting colors from blue to purple to indigo – with an intricate, ancient design of Mew on it. His eyes shifted from the first piece of his collection down to the glass case beneath it, which would lead to the final piece of his medley.

Inside it was a simple wooden flute, three feathers – white, violet, and blue – attached to a bulbous portion near the mouthpiece. "Life and death…land and sea…time and space…and the Azure Flute. The keys to unlocking the greatest masterpiece of my collection…"

Lawrence III's smirk was reflected back in the glass containing the Azure Flute. "Soon enough, Arceus, you will be mine."

-l-l-l-

Author's Note: Yeah, this was a much bigger pain than I thought. I just…couldn't find the inspiration to write. Finally found the time and energy to pick it up again, so I hope it came out okay. As for how the Rockets knew which Pokéballs to take, I imagine there's some sort of scanner or something that Pokémon Centers have, which Ash also has to heal his Pokémon (through Brock's Blissey).

Unfortunately, I have to announce a temporary hiatus on this story. Embarrassingly enough, I don't have the rest of this planned out chapter-wise. I need to actually sit down and plot out the following chapters. I'm hoping to not be gone as long as this last break was, but I make no promises (this last year of school is, well, schooling me so far), so please don't ask when the next chapter will come out. HOWEVER, if you like my writing, I will be putting out a short Pokeshipping story soon-ish. Hopefully, that will whet your appetite for some romance.

Also, thank you everyone for the amazing comments! I went back and looked them all over (because it's been awhile), and I really appreciate everything you all said. If I didn't respond to a question you had, I apologize; please, leave another review on this chapter and I promise I'll get back to you!