Pairing: Ash/Misty (sort of?)

Rating: T

Genre: Humor/Romance

Summary: In which Ash shows Misty how they say goodbye in Kalos!

Requested by: (Crywonder, sort of?)

For Mrs. Nose, who was pretty sad about the ending!

XOX

The flight home from the Kalos region was a long one. Coupled with long goodbyes to great companions, endless experiences were added to his ever growing list of adventures, and now, at the end of another great journey, it was time once again, to hang up his hat before his next great adventure

"Mom, I'm home!" He called to the woman of the house, a small glimmer in his eye upon the scent of a freshly cooked meal. Clemont's cooking was phenomenal, but nothing could have ever compared to his mother's home-cooked meals made especially for his return to Pallet Town.

"Welcome home!" Her contagious, chirping voice boomed from the kitchen while she turned the corner to face her adolescent son.

He was the picture of perfect health. After another year in another region, facing new enemies and rivals, he was home once again. A large, torn up, young man, but safely home. With a careful hand, Delia wiped at a stray tear in her eye, he looked so much older!

"You're back!" She whined, rushing forward to collapse her arms around the boy and his pikachu, earning an earnest, warm hug in return.

"I missed you, mom!" Ash exclaimed. "How have you been?"

"Oh, the same ol' same ol', but forget that, tell me about your journey, did you meet anyone new?"

"Did I ever!" Ash practically shouted, pumping his fist up as his mother led him into the kitchen to fill the once empty house with tales of glory.

XOX

Waking up the next morning was a bit more difficult. He was undeniably jet lagged from the time change left over from the airplane, and his body was feeling the repercussions more now than ever. Actually, his body started feeling a lot of bad decisions once his head hit the pillow of his soft bed last night, and his clothes were discarded on the floor after a hot shower. But the region was over, and he only hoped to be better next time.

Only noticing now, that the sun invaded his personal space, and pikachu was curled up at the base of his bed, did he realize how sore he really was. The way his muscles ached in every turn and the temptation to sleep for another eight hours rose from the corners of his heart. How quickly he became a lazy slowpoke when the turnover of a new journey was not immediately present.

His mother talked about Alola once or twice—school- but he didn't fancy the idea of attending a school for pokemon on an island out in the middle of nowhere when he could clearly just go to another one of the closer regions and compete in another league for another chance to lose in the finale.

Was he still bitter about that? Ash groaned, slowly sitting up in his bed as the comforter fell to his bare waste. He wore pants, but he hadn't the energy to pull on a shirt after his shower last night; he was lucky that he made it to the bed at all. If his mom hadn't been shouting at him, he might have taken a nap on the rug on the washroom floor, and called it a day.

He was tired! Years training with no breaks, when he came home, laziness was too addictive.

"Pikaaaaaa." The mouse yawned with a tired squeak while turning over to hide his face from the light. Ash squinted to the yellow rodent and exhaled. At least pikachu shared his sentiments.

"You got the right idea, buddy." Ash mumbled tiredly in return. "Let's have another nap." He added, a goofy smile spread over his lips while he fell back into the confinement of his bed, and lapped the blankets around his entire body and embraced the gentle, calming nature of sleep once more.

Then,

"ASH!" His mom shouted from the living room below, and a very unpleasant noise escaped his lips; akin to a strangled animal.

"...Wwwwwhat?" He groaned while pulling the covers over his head and swearing to the holy gods he was going to fake some kind of illness if it meant a few more hours in bed.

"You have friends on their way to see you."

Ash's ears twitched, and he turned over to glare at his open door.

"Which friends?" Ash shouted back down to her. It didn't really matter who the friend was, but –his mind flashed a certain blonde in mild distress—but did not know why. He liked all of his friends, why would he be anxious around any of them?

After a pause—she was more than likely cleaning up after last night's dinner and television watching session—she called up:

"Misty and Brock, I think? She left a voice mail yesterday-!"

Then as if Ash were lightning himself, he bolted from his bed and made sure he was clean and proper for the inevitable meeting of his former companions.

XOX

Since Ash usually had the patience of a toddler, waiting was near-physically impossible. To pass the time until his former companions arrived, he stopped in at the laboratory to visit the rest of his pokemon at Professor Oak's lab. Apparently, they all missed him because when faced with leaving to have lunch with his mother, they wouldn't let him go without a fight. Ash had to claw his way free from his pokemon, and make his way back to his mom's house with a hole in his sweater-that's right, Ash Ketchum only had a dorky blue sweater to wear until his mom finished his new clothes—and his hat missing. (Bayleef ran off with it at some point, but he wasn't inclined to chase her for it.)

Apparently over the last year, he outgrew everything else he owned. Therefore, mother's 'fat pants' and blue-sweater were his go-to attire.

"Mooom," Ash almost whined from the front door when he entered his house, hand stuck into the sweater and extending out to indicate the large hole that his pokemon somehow managed to tear into the knit. She was going to be livid.

"You're gonna kill me—but—" when his eyes rose from the ground where he contemplated the serious hole in his wardrobe, they met with cerulean green staring back at him and his heart skipped a beat... and he might have felt pretty silly with his hand poking out of the torso like a trapped animal.

"Misty?" he asked while said woman sprung at him in elation.

"Ash!" her voice rang cheerful in his ears while her strong hands clasped his shoulders and pikachu squeaked gleefully.

"Pika!" the mouse chirped at her while changing shoulders.

Senses overloaded, hand still awkwardly poking out of his sweater and the other dangling defenselessly at his side while the redhead shook him, he wasn't quite sure of the words coming out of her mouth other than she was very, very close to him, and for some weird reason, that was uncomfortable.

He wasn't the only one that had changed a lot—her hair was a bit longer, she wore a yellow hoodie with no sleeves, and green shorts not unlike the ones she used to wear—only longer. Her side pony tail was a bit straighter, longer, and hung limp off center her part, but it was her face that really got him. Gone were the child-like pudge she collected there over the years, and staring back at him was a young, fit woman, grinning from ear to ear.

"-Greninja?" She finished, the pokemon's name being spoken snapping him from his stupor.

"What?" He wondered while she released him and took a calculated step backwards; clearly, the excitement of seeing him again was drowned out by his own lackluster reaction to see her, and she blinked several times.

"I asked where greninja was? You know, water pokemon, water pokemon trainer—hello?" She gestured to Ash, then to herself, as if it made perfect sense that he would have shown her greninja.

Without thinking, he instinctively reached for the ball, then realized that he, in fact, no longer had it, and laughed in spite of himself.

"Well, the thing about that..."

Her shoulders slumped in her yellow, sleeveless hoodie. Ash was certain that her side pony tail might have even deflated just the slightest at her deflated movements.

"You released him, didn't you?" She groaned throwing her head back and whining.

"Well, yes, but I'm sure he'll come back some day. You can meet him then."

A noise crossed between a strangled groan and a flustered sigh escaped her lips while she brushed her hand through her hair; a noise only Misty managed to make. She was the only person that could be happy to see him, and so frustrated at the same time. Ash was grinning before he knew it himself. His muscles reacted naturally.

"Man... you finally had a fully evolved water pokemon, and you don't even-" She stopped herself, finally realizing the should-have-been intimate moment between the two of them after four long years of absence, and her lips finally pursed.

Seeing him for the first time. Taller, much taller—not quite as tall as she was, but catching up. She had grown easily another foot since they were ten, and Ash was no different. His shoulders were broad and square, and aside from the very feminine choice in clothing, he appeared a little more masculine—might have even had a bit of scruff growing on his square chin! He looked nice.

Rather than telling him that, the same old mock tone framed her words. "Nice clothes," She grinned. "New style for you?"

"Shut up." He retorted instantly, a fair word he hadn't used in a very long time.

Then, as the moment re-settled into casual, normal conversation, they both smiled like maniacs.

"It's been so long!" Misty gasped, the first to say exactly what he was thinking.

"I know! How has life as a gym leader been?" He looked around expectantly, recalling his mother's very plural use of the word friends. "Is Brock here, too?"

"Brock?" Misty echoed, touching her fingers to her lips—why would he notice that?-and crinkling her nose, "No, he couldn't make it because of school, but he did give me something to give to you." Misty maneuvered around Ash so naturally, to her satchel she stashed on the coat rack beside the front door.

"Ooh, presents." Ash mused playfully while pikachu squeaked.

"He didn't tell me what was inside, just to keep it away from the pool." Misty handed Ash the small container, wrapped in a traditional white cloth and his stomach jumped.

"I haven't had these in forever." He noted, snatching the box from Misty greedily, and hording the object away from her.

"Well maybe if you'd visit more than once every three years..." She chided, poking her finger into her ear to glare daggers down at him, a feat he returned with skill he might have otherwise lost.

"I forgot how much I missed this." Ash added sarcastically while tearing open the box to reveal a careful collection of sorted and neatly arranged...

Destroyed dumplings.

"I might have dropped it a few times." Misty added while Ash spun at her, tears in his eyes.

"Misty!" He whined, "These were Brock's fried dumplings!"

She didn't look impressed, hands on her slim waists and determined to look away from him while both he and pikachu quite possibly over reacted. The rodent melted from her shoulder, betrayed by her accidental mishandling of the food.

"Well, maybe he should mention that next time. I wasn't aware it was food." her face twitched, "Then again, it is you, so I should have just assumed..."
"Hey." He muttered, meeting her glare. No real hostility to one another, just a slow reaching smile before they both started to laugh.

XOX

Misty hadn't changed too much, at least, not emotionally. She was still the same hot-headed, sarcastic fire breathing water dragon, but she looked different. After spending a few years away; with a coordinator who cared more about her looks than sleep, a wild woman who could care less, and then Serena, who looked like a portrait (according to Bonnie) twenty four seven, upon better inspection, Misty was a breath of fresh air.

She rode her bike into Pallet Town—Ash only laughed a little—and in such a manner, she had scuff marks on her bare knees, dirt on her ankles and sun marks over her limbs. Pale as she was, she burned if left in the sun for too long, and according to his mother, she was only in Viridian City when he arrived; and decided she would stop in since she was already out.

Her attire, though Ash couldn't fathom why he would notice, was basic. Practical, sensible Misty was always reliable to remind him of the simplicity of the Kanto region, where fancy, amazing pokemon trainers were more traditional. More like him.

By the afternoon, they had gone over a million times the pokemon Ash met in Kalos, Ash introduced Misty to new members of the gang—though she was still disappointed about not meeting Greninja, she was pleased with meeting goodra. Delia cooked lunch, and for a little while, it was as if nothing changed since they were kids.

...but as the morning ended, he realized that there were little things that had changed between them.

The way she shifted when he came to close—which was odd—they used to touch all the time. Or how she never really met his eyes for longer than a second, and her stories were always about how wonderful it was at the gym. She didn't complain much, or vent—she hardly mentioned her sisters, and outside of cooing over water pokemon, they didn't talk about much else.

That afternoon, they sat around the deck staring into the meadow and contemplated having a pokemon battle. Ash really wanted to battle his old friend, but she claimed that she only had corsola with her, and did not seem as inspired as he was. Actually, she seemed only half-as-passionate she once was, and he wasn't sure why that bothered him so. Maybe it was just because it had been so long since they last met.

"If you keep getting runner-up, you're not going to get to your dream." She grumbled, face squished into the palm of her hand while she gnawed on the inside of her cheek.

"Hey—I improve a little bit every time."

"At this rate, I'm going to beat you." Misty hummed, reminding Ash that in a way, they, too, were rivals.

"What happened to all that talk about you being better?" Ash joked, grinning back at her.

"Oh, I am, but that's beside the point."
Then, as quickly as things became normal, they grew awkward as conversation topics grew scarce.

They were never really the best at talking. Their charm lied within their bickering, but they didn't have much to bicker about anymore. No middle ground—nothing in common.

Ash wasn't who he used to be five years ago, and neither was she. Now that he looked at her, physical appearance really was the least changed of their lives.

Ash was a more mature, more patient and accepting individual that learned to put himself aside for the greater good, whereas, Misty was less tempered, goodhearted and driven than he remembered. She talked about water pokemon in much of the same light as before, only now, she actually knew more than he ever could have imagined—quirks about certain ones that could tip the scale in her favor in battles. She was still smart, and they were slowly reaching their goals—but something felt off.

Maybe if Brock had been around, their meeting wouldn't have been so stressful, but Ash felt like he was walking on pins and needles every time he looked up at her. The light of the day did not quite reach her eyes, and the way her lips fell into a natural frown made his skin crawl.

After years of separation, she sat right beside him—but she never felt further away. A different path, using the gym as her foundation, other goals, new friends—a huge job and responsibility; and where was he at? Another league in the ground and out a powerful pokemon.

Had Misty been around even a year ago, Ash might have mentioned these aforementioned ideas to her so she could quickly dismiss them and encourage him that he will get there some day. He wasn't so sure now.

Looking up at her once more, the image of a sparkling blonde crossed his mind, and he somehow felt very disappointed—maybe a little ashamed that Misty was sitting so close to him; and he unconsciously moved away.

XOX

When the start of twilight began, she was off to route one, tugging her bike along with her. Delia insisted that he and pikachu walk her to the end of the town, and so they traveled together in silence. Ash wasn't the best at reading people—there was still a lot he did not understand—but he thought that she might have looked a little sad as the day went on.

Maybe she noticed that something was off, too?

"So," He felt obligated to speak to clear the suffocation air around them. "Do you ever leave the gym to travel at all?"

"Sometimes, mostly just around Johto and Kanto regions—some times I get out to Hoenn to-"

Ash choked, not intentionally, at the mention of hoenn from Misty's lips—how often did she go there? Often enough that she might, well, run into a certain blonde?

Seeing the apparent panic on his distressed face—she came to a stop, clicked down the kick stand and whirled to face him with her hands on her hips.

"Alright, Ash Ketchum." She inhaled, eyebrows knit carefully, lips pursed and jaw cocked. "What's wrong with you? You're acting like a stranger—some buffoon or something! Spit it out, whatever it is!"

Confused, Ash's brow crinkled.

"Spit what out? I haven't done anything!" He insisted while she stomped her foot into the soil, eliciting crunching noises while pikachu twitched and cowered behind his trainer.

"Well you've done something, I can see it on your face! You've been weird around me the whole day!"

"Well so have you!"

"I have not! You're the one who keeps zoning out and making googly eyes randomly whenever I mention-"

"I am not!" Ash denied, interrupting her—and act that made her twice as enraged. He couldn't stop himself, though.

"You're the one who decided to stop in willy-nilly!" When they were kids, the words would have had the desired effects, Misty's face jarring to one side and her shoulders leaning back.

"Well!" She snapped, reeling away from him. "I guess I shouldn't have even bothered after all!" She shouted, throwing up her arms and dragging her bike along with her. "Just forget about it, you don't have to pretend to be my friend anymore! Not like you were for the last three years, anyways!"

Shock, or surprise crossed into his eyes while he watched her back leave him. Shoulders high, head low and her feet scuffing the rocks in a hurry to get away from him. The way she spoke caused him to flinch—followed immediately by guilt. Why did he say that? He didn't mean that!

Why did she always get under his friggin skin!?

"Misty, wai-"

"Prepare for trouble!" They always came at the worst time, didn't they?

Upon hearing the motto, Misty stopped immediately, and Ash thought better—actually, they couldn't have picked a better time.

"Make it double-"

"Jessie and James?!" Misty's sour mood dissipated quickly and Ash breathed a sigh of relief while she turned to where they had emerged from the forest line, holding some new pokemon-catching contraption. Misty's hands fell on their hips while James and Jessie shrieked about disrupting their motto, but meowth, unaware it was, jumped forward.

"Meowth that's right!"

"You guys are still following this brat around?" Misty laughed, jabbing Ash with the new nickname.

"H-hey, I'm not a brat." He urged though no solace made itS way to Misty's eye.

"Oh, no, it's the original twerp." Jessie mouthed, pointing to Misty and then indicating to her own maroon-red hair. James crossed his arms.

"Didn't you two break up?" With a smirk he watched as Misty's right eye twitched dangerously.

"Yeah, we thought after that ki-"

"Agghh!" Ash shouted immediately at the start of the 'k' word! No one was supposed to mention the 'k' word! Not that he ever thought of it!

His sudden outburst drew the attention of Team Rocket.

"Oooh, what's this? She doesn't know?" Meowth grinned and Ash pumped his fists up.

"Shut up! It's not like that!"

"Not like what?" Misty hissed, siding temporarily with Team Rocket. "So you are keeping secrets!"

"What's it matter to you, you said we weren't friends anymore!"

"Well, hey!" She started in her defense, "That's because you were-"

While the duo was distracted, Jessie and James looked to one another, then to meowth, and then to pikachu who was helplessly watching his two favorite trainers bark at one another very loudly in the middle of a thievery, and Team Rocket took their chance. They pounced at pikachu, catching him in their cheapest invention yet; a metal container, lined with rubber so he couldn't cut or zap them!

"Wait, Pikachu!" Ash screamed, realizing their motive right away.

Misty didn't hesitate to follow after Ash, after Team Rocket who were a good ten feet in front of them.

"This is your fault!" Ash was quick to blame while Misty huffed.

"My fault!? He's your pokemon! Take better care of them!"

"I take great care of my pokemon!" He screamed back at her and Misty huffed in response, coming to a complete stop.

"It's fine, I'll take care of it." Misty whipped her bag around to reveal a fully-loaded belt of pokemon, and Ash had never felt more betrayed in his life.

"You have all of your pokemon?"

"What kind of gym leader would I be if I didn't leave prepared?" Misty chanted, removing a blue and red ball and launching it with great effort and speed to surpass Team Rocket's lead.

"You said you didn't have—you lied to me!"

"Yeah, well I didn't want to kick your butt so soon after a defeat! Maybe if you had greninja-"

"So that's what you came here for?"

While they bickered, at Team Rocket's end, a very large, very angry gyarados appeared from the pokeball Misty carried—red in color and Ash shrieked while a chill ran down his spine.

"Gyarados, use water gun!" Misty shouted and the giant pokemon leered back to prepare.

"I choose life!" James shouted, releasing pikachu with a great thrust back in Ash's general direction where the raven-haired young man raced to catch him.

"James don't!"

"We don't have any pokemon Jessie!" He whined and meowth clawed himself onto Jessie and James' shoulder.

"Enough of that, prepare for impact!" the cat yelled while the water torpedoed out of gyarados' mouth, collided violently with them, and pushed the trio back to Ash and Misty, where she hovered over them, grinning.

"Did you miss me?" She mocked them, much to their disgruntled anger while Ash released pikachu from his little entrapment. The three of them were appalled by her statement, and growled in return.

"I'm sorry, buddy." said Ash remorsefully.

"Pika, pikachupi pika!" The mouse chirped, grinning at Misty while the two of them stood up to stare down Team Rocket once again. The trio were already on their feet, fists raised while Misty and Ash both crossed their arms confidently.

"So, do you want to blast off again, or should you just run for the hills?" Misty chanted, earning a willful smirk from Ash while the trip flinched visibly, knowing without looking at the lumbering, pseudo dragon pokemon was already inching towards them.

"We'lla git you next time!" Meowth hollered, poking out his paws to claw his companions, and they darted into the woods, leaving Ash and Misty alone to handle their relationship issues.

Once the trio were in the forest, the two of them let out a playful sigh then looked at one another.

There was supposed to be some kind of companionship a sense of gratitude and gratification that once they looked at one another the arguments would clear up, they would be as they were—yet, when Ash looked up at her green eyes, nothing was there.

Nothing but the wide gap that forged between them between three long years of absence. What in the world was he thinking? Would this happen with Brock, too? Misty was a part of his family, and he barely recognized her anymore; that intense gaze in her eyes, how confident she stood while watching him with what he expected were the same thoughts.

They were miles apart, separated by a canyon, and the only way over was a thin, unraveling rope splitting hairs at the center.

"Misty, I-" Ash started, the excitement ended and emotions running high. He felt like he needed to say something—wanted to—anything would have felt better than what he was feeling right now.

"I think maybe we should-"

"Pikachu!" The mouse hissed, leaping from Ash's shoulder and jumping a foot higher than the two of them to let out a bolt of lighting so intense, so destructive that it connected to leaves, igniting them, and bounced to the only source of metal around them.

"My bike!" Misty shrieked, hands shooting up while the small pokemon hit the dirt and looked up at his trainer.

Ash, meanwhile, was pale as a ghost, stomach flipping and face twitching.

"...Pikachu, what did you just do?" He questioned while the mouse then happily scampered away between Misty's legs so she wouldn't throttle the pokemon, and down the road back to Delia's house. Misty turned at him first, recalled gyarados and screamed.

"What the hell! That bike was expensive!"

At those words, Ash felt his world slowly start to crumble. Memories flooded in, and the urge to laugh mixed with the urge to hide.

"Ketchum!" She screamed violently, turning at him with narrowed eyes, compared to his wide eyes.

"I—I...I gotta go!" he managed weakly before scampering as quickly as humanly possible away from the fiery redhead.

"You owe me a new bike!" She screamed, pointing at the ruined heap that sat on top of the hill in a broken mess.

XOX

Misty didn't leave right away, she told on him first.

Of course she did, she told Delia everything—that he was keeping secrets, about that time he didn't change his underwear, how much of a potty mouth he had, and the fact that he owed her now for two bikes—the first one didn't count because technically Nurse Joy replaced it, but this one was a high tech, innovative bike she paid with out of her own pocket to withstand the greatest hills and the worst terrain.

Delia was simply appalled that Ash would ever be so destructive! And with pikachu, too! She was going to have a word with the two of them while Misty gathered her paperwork and details for a train pass the next morning.

When his mother walked into the room, Ash was seated at the edge of the couch, chin cradled in his hands and pikachu asleep at his side. Everyone loved pikachu, Misty didn't blame him at all. No, it was Ash's fault even though it was pikachu who released an unsolicited thunderbolt without Ash's instruction. Pikachu didn't even explain why he did it—just that he was confused and trying to help with Team Rocket.

What a liar! Ash thought while glaring down at his long-time companion. If he survived the next conversation, he was going to have words with the pokemon.

Then, Delia walked in, and leaned over the couch to look at her teenage son, eyebrows raised and lips puckered into a sort of smile. The way the living room's light reflected off her features, he felt his skin crawl. He was a dead man.

Goodbye cruel world—dreams of being a pokemon master, goodbye! Then she spoke.

"Oh, Ash." She sighed. "You're so much like your father. Just make sure you don't do anything too stupid next time, okay?" She cooed, pinched his cheek, left a brief kiss there, then left immediately.

That was it?!

Misty came around the corner a second later, more disgruntled than she had been before. Her hair was let down, revealing the short bob that framed her face, and an intense glare that made his skin crawl. Without knowing it, his face flushed immediately, and he swallowed against the lump in his throat.

"Well, I hope you're happy! I can't leave until tomorrow morning now." Misty grunted, flicking him on the nose to bring his attention back to her.

He had been spacing out a lot today.

"Sorry..." He managed weakly, unable to hold his gaze while his heart hurt so badly.

He didn't want to talk to her about anyone.

"Sorry? You ruined my bike, again! I let the last one slide because it was replaced, but do you know how long I spent saving up this time?"

Watching her complain at him, his stomach churned quietly. The way her face pulled into a scowl, the cute crinkle of her nose and twitch in her left eye when she had nothing more to say made his head foggy, and his palms sweaty.

"I—uh.." He mumbled, earning her attention. Her solid gaze on him now, he didn't feel like a couch was far enough away and he sunk backwards.

"Serena wouldn't have tattled on me!" He hissed in his best defense, though Misty's eyebrow quirked, and a new door opened flood gates.

"Who's Serena?" She asked skeptically, shoulders back while the apparent flush over Ash's cheeks dissipated.

"A girl I met in Kalos."

"Really?" Misty questioned, flipping over the back of the couch with a greater interest while her shoulders relaxed, and she crossed her arms and settled into the seat beside him.

"I meant to ask you earlier, how was Kalos, anyways? You know I love the French-like qualities they have there—I've always meant to visit but..."

His eyes widened for a moment, remembering all the details of their first travel—almost three years spent together and practically inseparable. The canyon between them shrunk just a few inches when Ash sat forward.

"I guess I skipped a lot of that, huh?"
"We were pretty focused on pokemon, to be fair."

"Which reminds me, you have all of your pokemon, we need to battle!"

Misty sighed, "Tomorrow. It's too dark outside right now."

"Where did you find a red gyarados, anyways?"
"I thought we were going to talk about the Kalos region?"

"After!"

"Ash.." She sighed, amazed at his one-track mind before she grinned at him.

They were going to have a lot to talk about tonight, after all.

XOX

The following morning went by quickly, Delia made breakfast, Misty slept on the couch after Delia insisted that they were too old to share a room now. Then after a long night, Misty was preparing to leave once more. At some point, Gary, Tracey and Oak had made their way over to see the redhead, for some reason, no one wanted to join in yesterday's commotion, though Ash would have killed for a third wheel at that point.

Pikachu was disappointed greatly that she was still leaving after yesterday's light show. So much so, he spent the afternoon whining about how unfair it was, and telling Ash to make more time.

Ash didn't understand why, they were up until ungodly hours of the night talking about everything—making up for lost time, sharing stories—real stories about their struggles to reach their goals, their emotional distress, new people they've met, and everything in between. But.. Ash understood, it wasn't long enough. Misty was like a heat wave in the middle of winter, without it, he froze.

By the time goodbyes were being had, the awkwardness, hard feelings and general discomfort passed, and they were as good as normal. So much so that Misty even shoved him on her way out of his house.

"Don't forget to wire me money." She warned him, pointing with a well manicured finger, directly to his face.

"I won't forget."

"And you can use that time to call sometimes, too."

Flustered she was announcing this in front of his friends—though he had nothing to hide, after all—he looked away from her and crossed his arms.

"I might."
"You better!" Misty hissed while passing a heartfelt goodbye with Delia, and smiling happily to the older woman who became something like a surrogate mother to Misty over the years.

Now the goodbye felt right, familiar, like he was being kicked in the stomach repeatedly and he wanted to hurl. There was a reason he didn't call her often—each new meeting with the redhead left sore reminder of his long-lost companions, and if he didn't know how busy she was, he might have asked her to come with him to save himself the misery.

But never in front of his mother, he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea!

Seeing that he had been zoned out again, Misty brought him back with a gentle punch to the shoulder and nudged him carefully.

"If you get the chance, you should swing by the Cerulean City gym, and we'll have that rematch?" Her grin was earth shattering, and made his heart thunder in his chest.

For once, he was grateful he didn't understand the full working cogs behind his reactions—because this one felt scary and unreal.

"I'll catch you later, okay?" Misty tossed quickly twisting a wave, then a nod, at the three four watchers of her goodbye—people she saw three times more often than she ever saw Ash, and his heart leaped into his throat.

"H-hey." Ash stammered, then quickly swallowed back his nervousness. Why was he nervous, though? "I forgot something else about Kalos-" Ash grabbed her hand, keeping her in place before releasing her once he had her attention.

"Oh?" She blinked curiously, their conversation about Kalos was the leading topic of last night. Though Ash would never admit that Misty's infatuation with Kalos was the reason he kept bringng it up. Yet, he missed one of the most important parts that he, himself, was still awestruck over.
"How they say goodbye—" He didn't really deliver the message well before cutting himself off. He didn't think much about it, after all, he wasn't thinking with his head—undeniably thinking with his heart—However, he would tell anyone who asked him that he wasn't thinking at all.

After all, it was normal. Misty loved the Kalos region—she should know how they said goodbye!

...but, this didn't just feel like a brief parting; if Misty said goodbye to someone like this, Ash might have actually been fairly upset. Slowly Ash realized everything in the split second his lips touched Misty's—how grave a mistake he had just made. He knew at that very moment, that he, Ash Ketchum, was the largest imbecile on the planet. What in the world kind of excuse was that!?

When he moved away from her, he knew not to let that thought reach his eyes as mixed emotions from his childhood played back like a broken record. How had he forgotten so many things about a kiss—that wasn't normal, that wasn't a goodbye—Serena liked him!

And then she kissed him and he didn't know until he kissed..

Holy shit, he just kissed Misty!

He just used the 'k' word.

When he moved away from her, he tried not to look mortified, but Misty's expression reflected everything his heart was screaming. Horror, awestruck, wide eyes and a beet-red face he was somehow keeping crammed at the very corner of his mind. Her hands shook at her sides and she might have screamed if Delia didn't beat her to it.

"Who told you that's how you say goodbye to young women, Ash!?" Delia screeched loudly, and he personally thanked the heavens for the intervention.

He could handle his mother, but if Misty looked at him again, he might have passed out from emotional-exertion.

He kissed Misty, Serena kissed him, and everything immediately became way more complicated. Though, he would never tell her that.

XOX

Somewhere off in the Hoenn region, Serena, who just stepped off of her boat and into the new region held her red hat on her head and looked forward with determination. A new journey, a new adventure, and a million ways to become a better person and trainer. The next time she and Ash met, she would be everything and more.

Hustling down the steps to the dock, she hummed to herself with a skip in her step. Contests were her new goal, becoming a stronger, and more determined young woman was her second, and her third was somehow convincing Ash that he loved her, as much as she loved him.

Yet, when her foot touched the board walk, a heavy shiver ran down her spine, and she looked up to listen to what sounded like the faint sound of Ash screaming?

...What in the world.

Author's Note:

Head canons:

Ash isn't lazy, but he isn't opposed to having a 'lazy' day sleeping in when there isn't a demand for him to do anything else.

Ash and Delia off-camera totally have a perfect son and mom relationship where they stay up all night swapping war stories and watching tv and eating popcorn because Ash is a mommas boy and you should love the poor cinnamon roll for it.

I was going to write this as if he was still oblivious to EVERYTHING, but even I was starting to get frustrated by his 'dense nature'. No one is that oblivious. (especially if you consider the years of experience he has behind him?)

The way I took it (And you would have to PM me to talk further) Ash didn't understand what exactly it was that Serena had done, or what it meant to her. And if he -did- understand, his reaction following his 'sparkling eyes' was enough to demonstrate that he didn't think of her in that way(? At least, if you include his previous experiences.) Ash was just heavily living in denial, because no way would anyone try to romance him, right? That denial is slowly broken down through this short fic.

Let me know what you thought about the scene? I'm not saying it wasn't a special scene for amourshippers, but there was a lot to be left up to the viewers and imagination, and mine is that Ash would put it out of his mind, then slowly come to terms with it during the worst possible moment ever.

I'm not sorry.

NINT