A/N: It's been so long since I've written a fanfic I must admit. This time I am going to try to update with a new chapter weekly, if not, biweekly. The first week of November is Pokeshipping week, so I expect to be finished with part I by then. Chapter Four is a bit of a shorter one, so I intend to have it completed soon. Enjoy.

-Sarah

Chapter Three: A Wild Engagement Appears

"Misty! I'm so glad you're here!" screamed Daisy.

It was early the next morning, and Ash and Misty were at Professor Oak's lab. Daisy had been the one to open the door, and she hadn't changed at all. The brunette was tall like her brother, but she was the nicer of the two. There was an Eevee down at her heels, meaning that Gary was here too. Misty was happy to have them here. For one thing, it had been a long time since she had seen both of them. Also, she hoped that Ash would cheer up if some friends surrounded him.

Ash was very quiet at dinner Misty had noted. Mrs. Ketchum had tried her best to keep the conversation light, asking Misty about anything new. The majority of the time had been spent talking about the Cerulean gym, her sisters, and when Ash had gone to bed, stating that he was tired, the couple of men with whom Misty had gone on dates, but nothing ever came of them.

"Guess what, Misty!" said Daisy, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "I got engaged!"

"What?" said Ash and Misty in unison.

"Who asked you?" asked Misty.

"Tracy asked me last week," Daisy said, putting her hand into their faces to show off a gold ring with a solitaire diamond in the center.

Even though they were not aware that Daisy and Tracy dating, Ash and Misty were not surprised that the person whom Tracey chose to marry was the granddaughter of "the great Professor Oak." Other than Misty, Daisy was the only woman Tracey saw frequently. Spending so much time together for all of those years must have worked its magic on those two. Being older than him, Ash wondered why Tracey had not done this sooner. The thought of a wedding left a pang in his heart, causing him to think of the cause of his unhappiness. He dwelled on this, even as Daisy invited the two inside.

"So when is the wedding?" Misty asked as she and Ash entered the lab.

"Oh, we haven't set the date, yet," Daisy replied. "We are having an engagement party in a couple of weeks. Misty, will you still be around? We'd love it if you could attend. You too, Ash, of course."

"Well, I told my sisters that I was only going to be gone for a few days, but I could come back or something."

"Oh good. Make sure that you have something nice to wear. It's going to be formal. I'll let Grandpa know you're here. He's out back."

Daisy walked down the small hallway, leading to the backfields. Misty and Ash stood together, somewhat awkwardly, for a few moments. They were unsure of what to say to each other. Breakfast had been eaten in relative silence. Ash still would not reveal the source of his depression to Misty. She wanted to know, but she thought it best to let him come to her on his own. It was Ash who was the first to break the ice.

"You don't have to come back, you know."

"Huh?"

"I mean," Ash started, realizing how it had just sounded. "You don't have to leave and come back. You could take a few weeks off from the gym. Your sisters could handle it, couldn't they? I mean they did run the gym when we were kids. Come stay with us. Mom would love it."

"I don't know, Ash. The gym is pretty important."

"Please," he pleaded. "It would mean a lot. I've missed you."

That had done it. He had told her something that had caught her in his net. She had missed him as well, more than he probably knew. She never thought that he would miss her as well. How could she possibly say no to that?

"Okay, fine." She resigned, knowing her sisters would have her head for this.

Ash cracked the first smile she had seen since she arrived in Pallet Town. It warmed her heart to see him somewhat happy. Her thoughts were a bit lost as she started to take in his face. He had grown into a handsome young man, much like the one in the Ketchum family pictures. Her eyes transfixed on his lips—lips that she wanted to press against her own. She imagined how blissful that would be.

"Earth to Misty!"

"Huh?" she said, breaking out of her trance.

Daisy was standing in front of her, waving her arms to capture Misty's attention. Ash was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go? How long had she been daydreaming like that? Several minutes must have past. Daisy smiled once she finally had gotten Misty's attention.

"Daydreaming about Ash again, are we?"

"No, of course not," Misty replied, a blush creeping up on her face.

"Uh huh. Sure," Daisy said, not believing her for a second. "Let's go upstairs for some tea while Ash is outside with Grandpa. I want to do some catching up with you."

"So his mother says he's been depressed since he got back? Well that's…unusual," Daisy said as she placed the teapot in the middle of the table.

The sitting room at Professor Oak's lap was gorgeous. The room was large and inviting. There was a small kitchenette in the corner, a table in the middle, and a couch with a television on the opposite side. It was up on the top floor, and was surrounded by glass windows, giving the perfect view of the grounds. Misty watched Ash and Professor Oak taking a walk around, meeting all of Ash's Pokémon along the way. The two seemed to be deep in conversation about something, perhaps why Ash was feeling so low. He could tell Professor Oak, but not Misty? She felt a little hurt by this.

"…Yeah," said Misty, turning her attention back to her friend. "I've never seen him this unhappy, except when he lost in the Indigo League. Do you know what it could possibly be?"

"Well, if he were a normal guy," Daisy started, "I would say that it's a girl problem. However, this is Ash we are talking about here. He wouldn't notice a girl if her boobs smacked him in the face."

"He only sees his Pokémon," Misty replied. "That's what worries me. Last night, he told me that he didn't feel like training anymore. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Well we are adults now, so I guess it's possible that it is a girl. I would think that he would at least tell my brother or Tracey about it, but I haven't heard anything of the sort."

"Where is Tracey, anyway? I want to congratulate him. Come to think of it, he didn't mention anything to me when I saw him yesterday morning."

"Oh that was my doing," Daisy said. "I knew you would come running as soon as you knew Ash was home. I told Tracey not to tell you because I wanted to do it myself. Anyway, he's still on that errand for Grandpa. He'll be back tomorrow."

"How does your grandfather feel about you marrying Tracey?"

"Oh, he couldn't be happier for us. My brother on the other hand is another story."

"He doesn't approve or something?" Misty asked.

"Not exactly. He's been moaning that he's too young to become an uncle like I'm already pregnant or something."

"Are you?"

"No, of course not," said Daisy. "But I told him, 'Who says that I even want kids?'"

"Oh well," said Misty. "If you don't want kids, then that's perfectly fine. It's your life, and that's none of your brother's business or anyone else's."

"Oh I do want kids. I was just making a point to him. Tracey and I are having a bunch of kids, and they are going to have the greatest play place of all. We need to get Ash back to Pokemon training. That way he can catch more for my future kids to play with."

"You have a one-track mind," sighed Misty.

"So do you," retorted Daisy. "I bet you would like a bunch of kids with someone."

"Well not right now. I'm kind of young for that."

"I see wedding bells in your future," said Daisy.

"I'm not exactly seeing anyone right now…so that's probably not going to happen."

"One of these days, he is going to smarten up, you know."

"Who? Ash?"

"What about me?"

The two girls turned to see Ash standing in the doorway, looking back at them curiously. Pikachu was not with him, probably still outside playing with the other Pokemon. Misty felt a bit panicked at the sight of Ash, concerned about how much of their conversation he had heard. Misty was hoping that he would have stayed outside longer because she knew that her conversation with Daisy would eventually turn to her best friend. Misty did not have too long to dwell on this anxiety because Gary had popped up behind Ash, looking smug as usual.

"Looking fine, Red! I swear you get hotter every time I see you," Gary said as he came into the sitting room, shoving Ash out of the way.

Gary Oak had grown into a handsome young man. Misty had to admit that she might have considered him as a potential boyfriend if it weren't the fact that his personality could still use some work, and that she had always had a thing for Ash. He hadn't changed his hairstyle in years, sticking with the same spiky hair he had as a child. The young Pokemon researcher was wearing a dark green polo along with his khaki pants and brown loafers. He strode up to Misty, smirking, knowing that his comment would illicit a snarky response from the redhead.

"Don't you have some other girls to hit on," said Misty.

"I missed you, too, Red."

"Yeah, whatever. What do you want Gary?"

"Can't I say hello to one of my closest friends? Are your sisters giving you a hard time again? Is that why you are so crabby?"

Ash stood there watching Gary and Misty tease each other, realizing how close they must have gotten over the past few years. He had no excuse for being lax on his friendship with Misty. It should have been him joking around with her, not Gary. It had been a long time since Ash had experienced jealousy concerning Misty, not since they had traveled in the Orange Islands. She was his friend, sure, but why did he feel this way? He went up to the two of them, miffed.

"What's the big idea, Gary?" he growled.

"Oh sorry, Ashy-boy. Does it bother you that I'm talking to your girlfriend here?"

Gary was never the type to be oblivious, the antithesis of Ash. He knew what he was saying, expressing the elephant in the room. He knew the history that these two had. Misty had always loved Ash, even through the other casual boyfriends she had. Gary knew that Ash needed that little nudge, a little push here and there. It had been twelve years, yet the two were still dancing around their feelings. Gary knew that they needed to get it together.

"So Red," he said with a sly look. "I'm guessing that you heard about my sister's engagement."

"Uh yeah," she said, mildly confused. "What about it?"

"Need a date for the party? 'Cause ya know. I'm still available."

Misty was taken aback by his proposition. He never suggested anything like that in the past. She wondered if it was because Ash was there. Was he trying to get a rise out of him then? Or was he seriously interested in her?

"No, I'm good," she said, waving her hands.

"Ah, so you already have one then?"

"No, I just thought that you'd want to go with Green. Don't you have the hots for her?"

"Ah, you caught me. Yeah, I'm going with her. I was curious what you would say though. I guess that was a 'Sorry, Gary, but you're not my type,' huh?"

"You should have known that by now. It's not like I've never had a boyfriend or anything."

Ash had put on the TV to distract him from their conversation. He sat on the couch watching a news report on a swarm of Poochyena just up the road on Route One. Ash was tempted to leave to go catch one in order to avoid Gary and Misty's discussion. He could not understand why it seemed to make him uncomfortable. Daisy had noticed Ash, and did her best to divert the conversation by overwhelming the other two with getting a head start on planning her and Tracey's wedding. Ash was grateful to one of his oldest friends and intended to return the favor one day.

Ash and Misty spent the rest of the day at Professor Oak's. Tracey had arrived shortly before the two left to go home. They congratulated him, and he jokingly asked when they were going to get hitched. The two responded with flushed faces and nervous laughter. It was a short walk home, and Ash had barely uttered two words to Misty since he had joined her and Daisy. He would have said more to her, but Gary had gotten in the way. There was still something weighing on his mind, however.

"So are you going to find a date for the party?" he asked her as they traveled to his house.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, taken aback by his question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I thought we would be going together—as you know—friends, but if you want to find a date, I don't mind. It's whatever you decide."

"There's no one at the moment that I would ask, so going together as friends would be fine to me," she replied with a smile.

"Hey…Misty."

"Yeah?"

"Have you had a lot of boyfriends?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

Ash had never taken an interest in her love life. He was always so busy training his Pokemon that he rarely called or saw Misty. When they did speak, it was always about his journey or what was new at the gym. She knew that he would never outgrow training his Pokemon, but growing into a young man may have created other foci in his life than Pokemon.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Well," she said, unsure how much she was willing to tell him. "I've been on plenty of dates, and I have had a couple of more serious boyfriends, but right now I'm not seeing anyone."

"So you've obviously experienced a break-up before right?"

"Sort of, I guess. They were mutual for the most part. What brought all of this on?"

"Nothing. I was curious. You didn't tell me about any of them. I thought best friends told each other everything."

"You never asked. You were busy with your Pokemon all the time. It's not a bad thing. We've lived different lives since we were kids. It didn't bother me though, and I thought you had more important things to worry about than my love life."

"I'm sorry. Now I feel so self-centered. I should have paid more attention to you when we were younger."

"Don't worry about it. You can make it up to me by telling me what's been getting you down though."

"I don't know, Mist. I'm not ready to talk about it with you yet."

The conversation fell silent as they approached the house. The two could smell his mom's cooking. Ash's stomach grumbled, causing a giggle to erupt from Misty's throat. He smiled back at her sheepishly.

"I guess some things never change," she teased.

"Yeah," he said. "Last one to the house does dishes?"

"You're on!" retorted Misty before sprinting to the house with Ash and Pikachu at her heels.