Hey Everybody! Sorry for the long delay between published chapters. Work has been crazy this year, but has finally simmered down. The good news is the next chapter is already prepared, and so I'll publish it next Sunday (November 25) for your reading pleasure. Now please, go and enjoy the story, and if you want, then REVIEW PLEASE!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokémon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this story are solely based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive and monetary funding.

Characters' Ages:

Ash: 18

Brock: 23

Misty: 18

The morning after their show found the Waterflowers hard at work. Lily and Daisy were collecting trash in the bleachers, while Misty and Violet scrubbed the tiled floor around the pool. In the pool itself, several water Pokémon scraped the siding and LED casings.

"It's so gross and humid."

"I'm actually sweating through my bra…ugh."

"Can you guys stop complaining for like ten minutes?"

"Easy for you to say. You're used to being out in the wild and looking like a caveman all the time."

"Oh, ha, ha."

"Don't stick your tongue out at me! I'm basically your elder!"

"Yeah, I guess you are." Misty sat up on her knees and looked up at her sister. "What are you? Like, thirty now?"

"What?!" Daisy threw her broom down at Misty in a rage, surprising the redhead and eliciting a chuckle from their sisters. "Don't you ever say that!"

"I think we might need a break, girls," Violet interjected diplomatically. She stood up and waved the others down. "Why don't we sit by the pool for a minute and cool down?"

"We have been working, like, all morning," Lily reasoned. "We'll come down if Misty doesn't make any more jokes about how old we are."

Dipping their feet in the water, the four released a combined sigh of relief. For a few minutes small talk prevailed as each sister related their favorite act of the show the previous night.

"So we're not going to address the Donphan in the room?"

"Which would be?"

"That you're abandoning us again?"

Misty snorted. "You're all in your twenties. I don't think grown women can be abandoned."

"You say that, but what's gonna happen to the gym after you leave?"

"What do you mean? Exactly what's been happening – you're going to continue to improve and make this gym something to be proud of! You girls don't need me anymore to keep Cerulean respectable."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Like, we know that, little sis. I think what Lily is saying is that it won't be the same with you gone. It's only been a couple weeks, but it's felt really nice having you back here. God knows we weren't the best sisters for you growing up - "

"I don't want any more apologies," Misty interrupted. "We've all been over this. After losing Mom and Dad, and having to deal with all the responsibilities of the gym, it's not your fault."

"It was our fault, though, Misty," Violet insisted. "We may have had a lot of pressure on us, but that didn't mean we had to treat you the way we did."

"We were, like, super petty," Lily agreed.

"And that's why it's been so nice having you back here, and in a good place. The last time you came home, we were still being selfish brats; trying to get you to stay here with us and save the gym rather than go back out on your adventure."

"And the time before that, you were heartbroken because you and Ash had split up because of me," Lily reminded.

"We haven't had this good a time together, like, ever! It's the first time that I've felt we weren't just sisters…we're actually friends now."

Misty blushed and looked away for a moment. "That – that's really sweet, you guys. Thank you." She turned back. "But Daisy, you remember our conversation before I left Cerulean last time. My life is leading me on a different track than yours. This is your home now, not mine."

Daisy nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"And if you're really gonna leave us, then the least you could do is let us beg you to stay."

"Well, I guess I can't stop that," Misty laughed. "But I'm not leaving just yet. We have another couple of days, and plenty of work to do around here. I'm proud of you for not rehiring the cleaning staff to save money, but that means we've got another few hours of scrubbing -"

"All those in favor of procrastinating?" Daisy asked with a mischievous grin.

"Aye!" The other two sisters shot their hands up in unison.

"Like, sorry little sis, but it looks like you've been outvoted."

"Let's go to the mall!"

"Or the salon!"

"Wait!" Misty interrupted, at the top of her lungs. "If you three are really gonna force me to hang out with you all day and not get the work done that we have, then the least you can do is let me choose the activity."

An hour later, the four found themselves sitting on an old pier by a wooded lake.

"I think I'd rather be cleaning," Lily sighed as she cast a line into the water. The other sisters followed suit.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Same."

"Oh, hush," Misty sighed as she baited her lucky red fishing rod and followed her sisters' actions. "You agreed to let me choose what we did, and this is what I wanted to do! I used to come here all the time when I was a kid."

"Is it weird that I've lived at the gym my whole life and never knew this was here?" Violet asked.

"Don't look at me. I didn't know either."

"How could you not?" Misty asked, amazed. "It's literally less than a mile away…on our own property! Where do you think I used to catch the Pokémon for the gym?"

"You found a Gyarados here?"

"Um, no. But I did catch a few Magikarp! And Goldeen! And one of the Staryu! This lake isn't very big, but it has a lot of diversity. It's where I learned to love water Pokémon."

"You know, I do remember coming here at least once before," Daisy chimed in, uncharacteristically hushed. "It was when I was really little, before Lily was even born. It was with Dad."

The other sisters gaped at the comment. "You went here with Daddy?"

"Uh-huh. I remember he took me out. He used the rod Misty's using now, and I had one of those kiddie ones that was really small. We spent like an hour out here, before I started whining. Even back then I remember I didn't like sitting quietly catching gross Pokémon."

Misty was surprised. "I always thought Dad only hung out with me. My only memories of him are out here."

"You're not the center of the universe, little sis. After I told him I didn't wanna fish, he took me to get my nails painted instead. After that, we would go on dates every week."

"Dates?"

"Yeah. Like I would dress up and he'd wear a polo and we'd go to a fast food restaurant or some little kid cartoon movie. At the time, though, I felt really grown up. Mom would take pictures before we'd go sometimes."

Violet gasped. "What?! Daddy never did anything like that with me!"

"Probably because I was the favorite," Daisy teased.

"No, he did something similar," Lily chimed in. "But it was him and mom. They would take me and Vi to that park with the pool where all the little kids learned how to swim. Remember?"

Violet looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I think I do. Isn't that where we used to play volleyball in the kiddie pool?"

"Yeah! And Tommy spiked the ball in your face and your nose started bleeding everywhere!"

"Yuck, don't remind me!" The other sisters began cracking up. "Quit laughing you guys! Mom had to hug me for like an hour before I'd quit crying. Then there was snot and blood all over my suit."

"Dad went and bought you a new one the same day so you wouldn't be embarrassed!"

A few moments passed as the laughter subsided.

"To be honest, I totally forgot about that pool."

Lily gave a sad smile. "Me too. It's just been so many years."

"…"

"I wish we'd had them longer," Misty whispered as her voice cracked.

For once, her sisters didn't respond. In fact, for the remainder of the morning not another word was spoken. But as they looked out over the gentle ripples on the lake and listened to the cicadas, Misty could swear they had never been closer.

Author's Notes: I'll admit I'm proud in a small way of this chapter. It's nothing big, but one of the C-plots I developed for this story way back in 2009 was the development of Misty's sisters and her relationship with them. I wanted to transform them from airheaded harpies (as the show largely portrays them) to sympathetic characters. More importantly, I wanted them to all grow closer with Misty. I feel like this chapter is a good culmination of those efforts. It's not a standalone effort – if you don't believe me, read the previous chapters where Misty stayed in Cerulean. You can see (I believe) the slow evolution of their sibling dynamic to a more mature one in every new interaction. A small, noticeable way I did this was by reducing the Valley Girl expressions they used over time. Count the number of times they say "like" in the first chapter they appeared in (chapter 19) and compare to now, if you want to see proof of this.

To be honest, I don't think we'll see much more of the Waterflower sisters after this chapter. The next installment is all about Ash, and from there we enter the story's final arc. More importantly, I feel like I've done everything I can with these sisters, and anymore time spent on them would either be a) retreading old ground, or b) destroying what I worked so hard to build with respect to their character arcs. Additionally, I want our heroes focused on what's ahead of them, and it's hard to write about the future when your character is interacting quite literally with their past – much as in real life.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you next week! Please let me know what you thought in a review!