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Chapter 5: Mistaken Identity?

"We're almost there, Misty. As soon as we cross this bridge we'll be in Castelia City." The girls' trip through southeast Unova had been an enjoyable one so far. After passing through Pinwheel Forest they found themselves on the final stretch to Castelia City, and Misty couldn't have been happier.

"That's great news," Misty said. "The sooner we get to Castelia City the sooner I can call Professor Oak about my findings."

"Did you discover something interesting?" Iris wondered.

"Well, from what I can tell the habitats for Water Pokémon here aren't much different than those found in Kanto," Misty replied.

"That's not surprising. After all more Pokémon from other regions have been spotted here in Unova in larger numbers over the past few years," Iris explained.

"And I noticed more than a few of them are… Bug types," Misty groaned.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I never would have imagined you were afraid of Bug Pokémon," Iris admitted.

"They're one of my biggest fears," Misty said. "Just the thought of them is enough to send shivers down my spine."

"Did Ash ever catch any when you traveled with him?" Iris wondered.

"He did. The first Pokémon he captured was a Caterpie, and at first I was terrified of him. But once he evolved into a Butterfree I was okay with him," Misty replied.

"Was that his only one?" Iris asked.

"No. He also caught a Heracross. Strangely enough I didn't freak out over him catching Heracross," Misty commented.

"Well I know while he was in Unova he caught a Sewaddle that's now a Leavanny," Iris said. "So that gives him two Bug types."

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

"At least he doesn't have any Ice types," Iris commented. Misty looked at her.

"You mean he never mentioned his Glalie?" she questioned. At the mention of a Glalie Iris froze up and looked at Misty fearfully.

"G-Glalie? He has a G-Glalie?" she stuttered.

"I'll take that as a no," Misty assumed.

"No, he never said anything about having a Glalie!" Iris shrieked. "I didn't think he had any Ice types!"

"Well as far as I know Glalie is his only one, so you don't have to worry," Misty said.

"As long as he keeps it away from me," Iris stated. Misty continued to look at the budding Dragon master.

"She's just as bad with Ice types as I am with Bug types," she mused. She was snapped out of her train of thought when Iris shouted excitedly and looked up ahead of them.

"Look there! I can see Castelia City!" she exclaimed. Misty looked ahead. Through the thick fog she could barely make out the tall buildings that signified Castelia City.

"Looks like we're just about there," she assumed.

"Not really. We've still got the rest of this bridge to go," Iris corrected.

"That shouldn't take too long," Misty retorted. "Just how much further do we have to walk?" Iris brought a hand to her chin as she began to think.

"Well, considering we're not even halfway yet I'd say…"

"Not halfway?!" Misty interrupted. "Just how long is this damn bridge?!"

"Skyarrow Bridge is the longest in the entire Unova region. If I had to judge on its distance… I'd put it around one mile," Iris explained.

"A mile?!" Misty griped. "We've got to walk an entire mile to get to the other side?!"

"Roughly. I may be off by a few feet, but I'd put it in that range," Iris figured. Misty let out a long, tired sigh.

"What I wouldn't give for my bike right now," she groaned.

"Finally!" After for what seemed like an eternity Misty and Iris reached Castelia City. Iris looked no worse for wear, but Misty was exhausted.

"I can't believe that wore you out. I thought you used to travel with Ash all over the world," she said.

"I… did… but that was… years ago," Misty panted. "I've been… busy at the Gym… for about ten years now."

"Sounds like you need to get out more," Iris commented.

"Easier said than done," Misty replied.

"If you say so," Iris said. "So, I guess this is where we part ways."

"You're heading back to the Village of Dragons?" Misty questioned.

"Yeah. I've got some things I need to take care of," Iris explained.

"Oh. Thanks for bringing me this far," Misty said.

"You're welcome. I really enjoyed the time we spent together," Iris replied. The two girls bid each other farewell before going their separate ways. Now that she was on her own Misty decided her first course of action would be to find the Pokémon Center.

"Okay, Misty. Let's get searching." She headed deeper into the city, searching for the Pokémon Center.

After a few minutes of searching Misty finally arrived at the Pokémon Center. As soon as she walked in through the double doors she found the nearest booth and collapsed on a bench.

"Man, I'm beat," she panted. Castelia City was much larger than she expected, and finding the Center took much longer than she anticipated. She spent a few minutes giving her tired feet some much needed rest, during which she thought about the best course of action to finding Ash.

"Now that I'm here I should start asking if anyone's seen him," she said to herself. "Nurse Joy would be the obvious first person to ask." She got back to her feet and headed for the desk. As she approached she almost bumped into a trainer who had just picked up his Pokémon.

Oh, sorry," she apologized.

"No, I wasn't watching where I was going," the trainer replied. Upon hearing his voice Misty looked up. The trainer was a man and had a Pikachu riding on his shoulder. He wore sunglasses which made it difficult for Misty to determine his identity, but there was something about his voice and the Pikachu that piqued her interest.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Do I… know you?" she inquired.

"I don't believe so," he replied.

"I see. It's just that I'm here looking for someone and you remind me of him," Misty explained.

"I tend to get that a lot," the trainer replied. "With all the people who pass through here on a daily basis there are those who think they've seen me before."

"Oh," Misty said. She felt a bit disappointed.

"I'm sorry I wasn't who you thought I was," the trainer said.

"No, it's not your fault," Misty told him.

"I hope you find who you are looking for." He bid farewell to Misty and headed out of the Pokémon Center. As he left his Pikachu looked back at the Cerulean City Gym Leader. His eyes had a look of longing in them as the doors shut behind them. Now that he was gone Misty continued on towards the front desk where Nurse Joy was waiting.

"May I help you?" the nurse offered.

"I was wondering if you could help me find someone," Misty replied.

"I'll do my best. Who are you looking for?" Nurse Joy inquired. Misty then reached into her bag and pulled out a photo. It was one of her, Ash and Brock after they had returned to Pallet Town after one of the League tournaments.

"I'm looking for this boy," Misty said, pointing to Ash. "He's much older now than when this picture was taken, so I don't know if he even looks the same now." Nurse Joy looked at the photo.

"I may be wrong, but he looks a lot like Mason," she commented.

"Mason? Who's he?" Misty wondered.

"Mason Cruz. He's a trainer who frequently comes to Castelia City," Nurse Joy answered. "He's well-liked by everyone here. He's always helping out people in need around the city."

"Sounds a lot like Ash," Misty mused. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"He just left. I think you may have passed him when you came in." Upon hearing that Misty's eyes grew wide.

"That guy with the Pikachu I bumped into!" She thanked the nurse for her help and dashed out of the Pokémon Center. Once she was outside she looked around to see where the trainer had gone, but unfortunately she found no trace of him anywhere.

"Ah damnit! I missed him!" she swore. She was about to head back inside when she was approached by a young boy.

"Excuse me, miss," he called.

"What can I do for you, little boy?" Misty asked. The boy handed Misty a sheet of paper. She took it and looked to the boy with a curious expression.

"I was told to give this to you," he explained. Misty looked at the sheet of paper and saw that it was a letter.

Head to the Cruise Dock and present this letter to the ship captain there.

On the bottom of the letter was the paw print of a Pokémon. This left Misty more confused than she already was.

"Who sent me this, and why would they want me to head to the docks?" Those questions and more floated around in her head. She figured the only way she'd get any answers was to head to the dock the letter had mentioned.

"Do you know where I can find the Cruise Dock?" she asked the boy.

"Sure. It's the one right across from the Pokémon Center," the boy replied. Misty thanked him for the information and headed in the direction he mentioned. It was a relatively short walk to the docks. They stretched along the city's southern edge with numerous piers with ships of all shapes and sized docked. Looking ahead Misty saw a pier in front of her where a small ship was docked. A short man in a sailor's uniform stood by the vessel.

"That must be where I'm supposed to go," she assumed. She approached the dock and called out to the sailor, getting his attention.

"What can I do for you, miss?" he asked.

"Are you this ship's captain?" Misty inquired.

"Aye, that I am," he confirmed. "Captain Wade's the name. And you are?"

"I'm Misty, Gym Leader of Cerulean City in the Kanto region," she replied.

"My, you're a long way from home, miss. What brings you all the way out here to Unova?" he asked.

"I'm searching for someone, and I was hoping you'd be able to help me. Misty then showed him the letter she received. Wade took one look at it and nodded.

"Ah, looks like old Mason wants to meet you," he commented.

"Mason? He's just the guy I'm looking for," she mused.

"Come on aboard, miss. I'll take you to him," Wade said.

"Thank you," Misty said. She followed Wade onto his boat, and moments later the two of them departed.

"So, just where are we going?" Misty wondered.

"To Mason's home," Wade answered.

"You mean he doesn't live in Castelia City?" Misty questioned.

"No, he just visits from time to time. He lives on an island not far from the city, though," Wade replied.

"Oh. Does he live alone?" Misty inquired. Wade took some time to think before answering.

"Well, he has his Pokémon there to keep him company, but as far as other people I don't think so," he responded.

"He must get lonely living all by himself," Misty commented.

"If he is lonely then he hides it well," Wade said. As the trip continued Misty began to think about what kind of man this Mason Cruz was. If he was the same person she bumped into at the Pokémon Center then Wade was right about him hiding his loneliness.

"Ah, I see his island now," Wade announced. Looking ahead Misty saw an island coming into view.

"We should be there shortly." As Misty watched the island grow larger she began to feel her nerves getting the best of her. Just what did Mason want with her, and why did he want her to come to him?

"I'll find out soon enough," she said.

Minutes later Misty was standing on a dock on the island. Looking around she took note of the fact that the dock wasn't as large as the ones she saw in Castelia City, meaning that it wasn't meant for large ships.

"Guess he doesn't get many visitors, or maybe he doesn't want many," Misty commented.

"I'll be heading back to Castelia City now. Have Mason give me a call when you're ready to head back," Wade called.

"I will, and thanks." Misty waved farewell to Wade as he sailed his ship back to the mainland, leaving Misty to continue the trip to Mason on her own. She barely took a few steps when she heard someone calling out to her.

"Excuse me? Are you the one Mason was expecting?" Misty turned to the voice and was surprised to see a young girl approaching her.

"I though Wade said he lived alone. So who is this girl and why is she here?" she wondered.

"Mason told me to expect someone to come. Are you who he's talking about?" the girl asked.

"Y-Yes… Yes, I am," Misty answered. She handed the girl the letter and let her look it over.

"Hmm… Yup, this is his handwriting alright," the girl confirmed. "Follow me. I'll take you to him." With a word of thanks Misty followed the girl as she led the Cerulean City Gym Leader deeper into the island. Along the way Misty looked around and noticed numerous Pokémon living there, some she recognized from other regions.

"Are all these Pokémon Mason's?" she asked.

"Mostly. There are a few wild Pokémon that live here, but most of the Pokémon here are his," the girl explained. Misty continued to look at the Pokémon. Over time something started to look strange to her.

"These Pokémon… why do they look so familiar to me?" she wondered.

"Well, we're here!" Misty was snapped out of her thoughts by the announcement they had arrived at their destination. Head of them was a small two-story house. Misty took one look at the house and gasped.

"T-That house… it looks exactly like…" Before Misty could finish her thought process the girl walked up the front door and went inside.

"Come on in. I'll let Mason know you're here," she said. Misty followed her inside. She looked around and was once again shocked by what she saw.

"Even the inside," she thought.

"Mason! Your guest is here!" the girl called.

"I'll be right there!" It was the same voice she heard in the Pokémon Center, meaning that she was finally going to meet the man who Nurse Joy spoke so highly of back in Castelia City. As she waited a yellow blur sped into the room and jumped into her arms. Looking down she saw the same Pikachu she had seen in the Pokémon Center.

"Pikachupi!" Misty gasped. There was only one Pikachu that had ever called her that. The Mouse Pokémon looked up, his eyes staring into hers.

"P… Pikachu? Is that… really you?" she asked. The Pokémon responded by licking her cheek. Overjoyed Misty wrapped her arms around the Pokémon and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, Pikachu! It is you!" she exclaimed. A happy "Cha!" came from the equally excited Pikachu. After a few seconds Misty loosened her hug.

"Wait! If you're here then that means…" Before she could finish the same trainer she met in the Pokémon Center appeared. Misty looked up and saw he was no longer wearing his sunglasses, meaning she could finally see his face. What she saw nearly brought her to tears.

"He was really looking forward to seeing you again… as was I." Pikachu jumped out of Misty's arms as she ran forward and dove into the open arms of an old friend.

"I never thought I'd see you again, Ash!" she cried. "I missed you so much!" Ash held Misty in his arms, letting her release all the emotions she had built up inside of her.

"I missed you too, Misty," he replied. It was a reunion long overdue, but nearly ten years after their journey together ended, and five years after he vanished from the remains of his once-time hometown, Misty had finally found Ash.

Five years is a long time to be apart, but none of that matters now. Misty has found Ash, but now where do things go from here? Find out in the next chapter of Regrets & Redemption!

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