Authors Notes: Some of you might have guessed what I'm up to with these rapid uploads. Now let's see if my lazy ass can actually pull it off.

Let's see if any of you can guess the target date.

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The boat to Sinnoh was well on its way. Soon, it would be beyond the horizon, en route to a port far away.

Misty watched it go.

At the edge of the docks she sat, watching the boats come and go. Long ago, this was one of her favourite hobbies. As a very young child, she'd watch ships come from and go to lands that might as well have been different worlds to her young mind. Misty briefly looked in her pocket, finding her ticket to Hoenn still there. Hoenn was a land rich in water mass and Pokémon, it was the perfect place for her to go. Plus, she could visit her little Togetic, hopefully. She wasn't quite sure she'd how long remain in Hoenn for the duration of her journey, or how long she'd be gone, but she would be coming back to Kanto, back home.

Home, and him. That was going to be an interesting meeting. Everything was out in the open now. "Awkward" could work to describe their eventual reunion. Ash would likely try to play it cool, but sooner or later he'd stumble into the topic. If his speech was anything to go by, he'd find some way to blame it all on himself. A few rounds with the mallet would be required, but they'd get through it. Then, maybe, it could be just like old times.

"Misty!"

Great, she was hearing his voice, guess she really was crazy-"Misty!"

She turned, finding-"Misty!"

Ash!

He was-stumbling forward. What had he done? Ash forced his body forward, fighting against his shaking body-"Ash!"

He fell forward, hitting the ground as she rose up, rushing in his direction, as both their respective Pokémon followed them. Ash forced himself halfway to his feet-he fell again. "Dammit! Misty! Misty!"

"Ash!"

She reached him, kneeling down, and reaching for him, oh what had he done to himself? He met her arms with his, pulling himself forward, and his arms to her shoulders, holding her like a lifeline, in shaking hands, his eyes meeting hers, so desperate, and-Complete.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm an idiot, I'm sorry, Misty!"

"It's not your fault, Ash!"

"It is my fault! I should've figured it out sooner!"

"It's not like I made it obvious!"

"What are you-?" He pulled himself closer. "I love you!"

"Wha-?" Did she just hear that?

Ash smiled. "I love you, Misty. I love you the way I wanna spend the rest of my life with you." His smile widened, becoming a true "Ash" smile. "I've loved you for a long time, I just never realized it 'til now." He met Misty's suddenly blank gaze. "Uh, Misty? You in there?"

"Y-you're in love with me?"

"Yeah."

..."How long?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. I did when back we were travelling together."

"So...years."

"Uh huh." Where was she going with this?

"So for years, you loved me, and didn't know it." Was it him, or was her face turning red. "While I loved you, knew it, and had to wait. I turned down dates, hoping you'd ask me one day, and you loved me all along..." Her face was definitely turning red. And it took my letter, and me about to try moving on from you to get you to realize that you love me?"

He gulped, a foreboding sense building up within him. "Yeah."

Misty's eye twitched, her face a blazing red. The sun was suddenly blotted out, an instrument of death coming down-

(There was a damn good reason Ash wasn't afraid to find himself on the business end of even his own Pokemon's attacks. A damn good reason...)

WHAM!

"You are an idiot, Ash Ketchum!"

Clutching his head, he glared at the love of his life. "Who's the bigger idiot!? Me? Or the girl who fell in love with me?"

Misty brandished her mallet threateningly. "Still you!" She averted her eyes her tone becoming closer to a whisper as her face flushed pink. "Because you...you love me too." She smiled. "You really do?"

"I really do." He grinned. "Guess we're both idiots."

"Yeah, but you're the bigger one, by far. This is what it takes, really?" She sighed. "What am I gonna do with you, Ash?"

"I can think of a few things."

Talking, hugging, kissing, walking back to Pallet Town hand-in-ha-"OWWWW!" He clutched his latest concussion. "What the hell!?"

"You pervert!"

"What are you-?" His face flushed. "I wasn't thinking about that!" His face flushed deeper, he was now, he threw his arms up in front of his face. "Nonononono, not again, not again!"

She lowered her mallet, slightly, her face flushed."Guess I should be flattered." Misty looked up and down Ash's form with a frown. "You're a mess, Ash. What happened?"

"Had Pikachu Flash Step me here-I won't do it again, I promise!" Misty lowered her Mallet, slowly. "Can't take it again, heh heh." He leaned back, putting his weight on a body part better equip to handle it. He moved a leg across the ground, back and forth slightly. "Oh, I think some feeling's coming back"

She gave Ash a flat look. "Can you, for one day, not do something completely crazy?"

"Uhhh, I can try?"

She shook her head. "Just hold still for a while." She sat down next to him, leaning on his shoulder. "Sit here, and don't do anything."

"OK."

Pikachu and Azurill approached, the former jumping into Misty's arms, giving a happy "chaaa" when she started petting him. Azurill glared at Pikachu, who'd dared to poach her spot. She gave a curious glance to Ash, as if trying to place the face...

Misty smiled. "You remember Ash, don't you? He's the one who frustrates me." Azurill puffed out her cheeks, hopefully with just air..."He also makes me very happy."

Azurill beamed, and-"Zuril!" bounced into Ash's lap, making herself comfortable. Ash lightly scratched behind her ears, earning a happy cry. Ash felt Misty slide her fingers through his empty hand, and he clutched gently. He leaned his head on hers, smiling, looking out to the ocean.

"I love you."

"I love you...more."

...no. He wasn't doing this, he wasn't rising to such an obvious attempt to start something. He wasn't gonn-he was doing this. "Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do-!"

Ash's words died somewhere in his neck, at the point Misty's lips were connected to it. Ash just knew the second her lips parted she had a smug smile on her face. He glared down at her.

"Cheat."

"All's fair in love and war."

"With you they're pretty much the same thing."

"Either way, I win."

"Whatever."

That smile was still there. He didn't have to see it to know it was there. He rolled his eyes, just content to sit there with her for a while, and enjoy the long overdue moment, watching the waves dance to the rhythm of passing boats. In the distance a boat was making way towards them.

"Oh." Misty raised her head. "My boat." With that, she stood up, Pikachu falling to the ground as she took a few steps towards the vessel.

"Y-you're leaving?" He got up and followed, a slightly-irate Azurill jumping away from him. "Misty, I'm sorry, whatever you're angry about-"

She turned around, smiling. "I'm not angry at you. You got that? This wasn't about you, Ash. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time. You, Brock, everyone. You all found yourselves out there. I didn't. I need to find myself." Her smile faded, her expression turning serious. "I need to do this, for me. And I can't do if you're constantly distracting me."

"...won't distract you."

"Mmhmm." She couldn't keep it up, she smirked at that one. "Ash. When I said 'my whole life', I meant it. We're young, we've got a long time to take a real go of this, of us. If I don't find myself out there, I'll regret it, and I don't want that. I want us to be pure, nothing hanging over it. No lingering doubts that we didn't finish something. You, you reached your dream. I wanna just really find mine. I've put it on hold for years, but now it's time." Ash opened his mouth, about to say-"You can't come with me, Ash. You've got a job, remember? You're Grandmaster. So go do it properly." She smiled, slyly. "I'll come whack you if you start slacking off."

"Misty," Ash began, "tell me to quit the title, and I'll do it." Misty's expression morphed into pure disbelief. "I'm serious! If it comes between the title or you, you win!"

Misty's eyes welled up, and she jumped into Ash's arms, tightly grabbing onto his neck. He held her tightly too, the raw emotion of his words flooding back into him. He'd done good, for the first time in a while. She moved her lips to his ear.

"I won't let you do it, Ash." She pulled back, meeting his gaze with a loving smile. "You earned this, and I won't let you throw it away for me. I've heard one thing about love. You gotta sacrifice for it sometimes. if being with you means you gotta spend more time as Grandmaster than with me sometimes, then I'm ready to pay that." She broke their embrace, as if seeing the doubt in the back of his mind. "Do you want to drop the title?"

Ash's mouth opened, and froze. Did he?

Ash wasn't a fan of, well, getting hounded by fans. He'd always dreamed of having adoring crowds chanting his name, but actually having them, well the dream didn't quite match the reality.

Except, for the children. Pretty much any time he left the house now, the children of Pallet would follow him, wanting his attention, his autographs (he was thinking of making his own signature), and stories. Oh they loved those. He could sit at the town fountain and tell a story of any battle, and they'd listen with rapt attention (he was saving a bloodless version of his fight with Quentin for when the crowds started to thin). The three new trainers Gary had taken him to see off, he'd made their day, if not their entire week (or month). In the end, were only convinced to leave town when he'd escorted them to its borders.

"I'll get strong, I promise! We'll both get strong!" He was a hero to them, to children. He could get it now. Andre had inspired Quentin, Quentin had inspired him, now he could inspire…

"No. I wanna keep it." His breathing quickened. "D-does that make me bad? Getting it, I made a lot of-"

She put a finger to his lips. "You're worrying too much. Yeah, you screwed up a bit. You fixed it. That's what you do, what you'll always do."

"Can't you stay? Just for a while?"

Misty smiled, sombrely. "Ash, if I stay, I won't ever leave." She turned to look at the boat, just pulling into port…"I'll stay 'til the boat's about to leave."

Ash pulled Misty to him. "Okay." He inhaled her scent, deeply, determined to imprint this moment in his memory. He was dimly aware of the crowds nearby reacting to the boat arriving, its passengers from Hoenn were leaving. Soon, those en route to Hoenn would be boarding...

"So, Ash," Misty began, "why do you love me?"

"Ummm. Because you're…you?" Oh wow, this was hard to put into words. "You're just like, my favourite person ever, Misty, and I..." he felt his face begin to flush. "When I picture myself happy, it's with you. Okay, that sounds corny, but-" Okay, he needed his own 'stop talking' button for Misty, this wasn't bloody fair!

"It was, but it was sweet." She hugged him tighter, briefly, and was so in turn, for the one brief instance before she had to say the words, it was one moment they were determined to make last, to sear into their memories, in the hopes it would last until their reunion.

"I gotta get going."

Their embrace parted, but their hands did not, holding the others' tightly. Misty smiled. "I'll be in touch, and I'll be watching." Her smile turned dark, a darkness that sent a chill down Ash's spine. "If I find out you've been chasing someone else while I'm away, I will kill you, Ash Ketchum."

"No one else I wanna chase, Misty."

"Goodbye, Ash." She leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Misty."

Still smiling, their hands parted. Misty joined the crowds, taking the stairway up onto the ferry to Hoenn, but she still remained on deck, Azurill once more in her arms, looking down at her-was it too soon to say "boyfriend?"

"Tell your mom I said goodbye!"

"Okay!"

With the blaring of a horn, the boat began moving, picking up momentum all too quickly. He walked, then ran after the boat, after her.

"Make sure you go see Brock!"

"Done it!"

"And May, and Dawn too!"

"Done!"

"Don't you dare forget Max!"

"I haven't!"

"And don't do anything too stupid!"

"I'll try!"

"Ash, you promise me right now you won't do anything stupid!"

"I'll try! Best I can do!"

"Pikachu, keep an eye on him!"

"Pika chu!" Will do!

Ash stopped running, there was no more ground to run upon. He slid to a halt, waving to Misty as the boat took her further, and further away. Part of him wanted to dive into the water, chase after the boat and go with her, but he would not. Words ceased to be spoken with the pair simply waved, their affections plain in their animated moments as the distance between them grew, further and further. Soon, Misty became noticeable only her bright hair, which grew smaller and smaller, until she was-gone, beyond the horizon, but Ash stood there even so. He would go home, eventually, but he would not follow. He would do the task he had taken on, and he'd promised her he'd do. She'd done a job that fell to her, and she'd spent years awaiting his return.

It was his turn to await hers.