Part LXXIX: Back Where the Journey Began
"There it is!" Ash said pointing to the white house in town below them. "Home."
"One of them for us." Misty said with a smile at Ash. "The other is in Sinnoh."
Ash just nodded before he and Pikachu began to run down towards the house, thankfully letting go of Misty's hand in the process as they sprinted away. Misty just rolled her eyes and chuckled as she and Piplup made their way after Ash at a more leisurely pace. Misty knew that if they were in Sinnoh then she'd be the one running home but as they were in Kanto this was their final destination of the year.
Misty did miss her home in Twinleaf Town. It had been over a year since she'd been there, or even to her home region, as she'd gone from Unova to Johto to Kanto, briefly to Hoenn, and then back to Kanto. Plus they were heading straight to Kalos when they were done here so she wasn't sure when she would be home again but as much as she missed it, it would still be there when she did return.
She knew as well as anyone that home was where your heart was and Misty's heart was with Ash, forever and always, so to her home was wherever he was, which more than often was on the road as the man she'd fallen in love with couldn't stay in one place for long. However, for a short while it would be back here at his actually home in the quant town of Pallet that reminded her so much of Twinleaf Town but had its own unique charm.
They had spent a few weeks slowly making their way back here after the Indigo Conference and their little chat with Cynthia and her gift to Ash the day after the Conference ended. There were a few reasons for it, primarily to spend a little time together again after the Conference. It was great being with friends but after most of the year being just them Misty felt they needed it again to finish the year out correctly. However there were other reasons as well
They also needed the alone time to begin work with Ash's new Riolu while Misty shifted her focus to Vulpix full time as her Fox Pokémon had been caught too late to be used this year. Piplup had not taken well to Riolu but after a few training battles that Piplup won more than he lost, though Riolu was getting strong fast thanks to a drive to beat Piplup, the two had become friends. Something about beating each other up for a few days had really bonded the Pokémon.
They had decided that in addition to Pikachu and Piplup, Riolu and Vulpix would be joining them in Kalos from the start but everyone else would be staying at the ranch initially though Misty at least intended to bring her other Pokémon in from time to time on an as needed basis. Still there would be plenty of new Pokémon to catch out in Kalos so that would be part of the fun they had there.
There was one more reason why they had been taking a little time to get back, they had to let the other Conferences and Grand Festivals that their friends were in, watching, or helping with end. That way as many as possible could make the party this year for Ash's 18th birthday party this year.
Unlike the year before, this wasn't going to be a surprise party so the planning was already in the works having begun during the Indigo Conference though Ash hadn't been part of it until after the Conference ended. It was also going to be a bit smaller than anticipated because a few couldn't make it.
The first being the Pokémon Professors who other than Professor Oak as the host couldn't make it. His officially discovery of a whole new Pokémon type had rocked the Pokémon world and the professors were dealing with that. Some were confirming them but the others were busy investigating the remaining question; why now? Why had fairy types suddenly appeared and what was their origin? Professor Juniper was leading that research but the others were all too busy to attend as they all had to deal with the fairy type reveal.
Already one of the gyms in Kalos, the Laverre City Gym, had officially been recognized as the first ever fairy type gym in the world being reclassified from the normal type gym it had originally been. Apparently the leader there, a woman called Valerie, was similar to Emily in one aspect, she liked cute, predominantly pink Pokémon that all turned out to be either normal turned fairy types or were some other types that just added a fairy type to become duel types. She'd even changed the badge to the Fairy Badge to honor the new type.
There was also a gym in Galar that was apparently in the process of changing from psychic to fairy type but that was still ongoing as unlike the Kalos gym it still had a type it could be. Valarie, didn't have any normal types anymore so she had to change her gym's type.
Regardless the discovery had shaken the world and it was still feeling the fallout of it as people adjusted to the new type and everything that came with it. The biggest thing was the type's immunity to dragon type attacks while being weak to poison types, a fact that had completely shifted how the types interacted with each other in battle.
Other than the Professors a few other attendees from the year before wouldn't be making it. Harrison had declined as he was still in Sinnoh facing the Battle Frontier there. Richie was unable to make it as well as the Galar Conference, or whatever it was that they had out there, was just beginning and he was in it. Lastly Tyson was unable to attend due to the special Elite Four replacement tournament going on over there that he was taking part in.
On the female front, Macy had asked if the imposter was still there. After learning that the imposter was her term for Misty and that yes Misty was still Ash's girlfriend she had turned down the invitation saying she was heading to Hoenn for a bit but wouldn't say why. Meanwhile Casey had apologized but she was at the World Series of Pokémon Baseball in Unova and couldn't make it.
The rest however had confirmed they would attend again but in addition to them there were going to be a few new faces this year from their travels. Again there were some who couldn't be invited or politely declined to come.
Emily would have been invited but she was already in Kalos so Misty expected their paths to cross there while Mollie would be in Unova by the time the party started. Erika, meanwhile, had politely declined saying she was a little too old for it without actually giving her age. The other new friends, or in some cases old friends of Ash's that they'd met on their journey that year would be coming.
Anabel had confirmed she'd be in attendance during the Indigo Conference and was bringing Sabrina with her as she was with the Saffron City Gym Leader at the moment. Thankfully the numbers weren't high enough to cause a problem for Sabrina so she would be there and they could talk to her a bit about Kalos as she'd been there herself.
Giselle, a teacher at Pokémon Tech that Misty had met for the first time during a side adventure they'd had but who knew Ash from his first adventure in Kanto was also coming. Apparently she was bringing a boy called Joe with her, the boy who Ash had helped when they had all met so many years ago.
Misty had a sneaking suspicion that there was more there than friendship but she'd know more when she saw them. She also had a feeling that there was more to why Zoey was coming with Georgia but Misty would get the chance to grill her best friend on that when she arrived.
All of the guests would be coming the day before or the day of the party so the next week in Pallet Town would be focused on setting up the party and destressing after a long year. Given how it ended, they really needed this before they set out for Kalos and their next adventure.
As Misty caught up with Ash and took his hand for the final part of the journey to his home she smiled. It had been a long year but it had all come back to where it had begun and there was still just a little more to do to fully wrap up the year.
First though, they had to get home and enjoy some of Delia Ketchum's cooking that Ash was already excited for. Misty just kept smiling as they entered the house and got ready for the week.
-break-
The week in Pallet Town before the party had been a busy but fun one for the young couple. The party preparations had been tiring but they had to be made so they made sure to work hard to get everything ready. At least this time they had Ash to help, plus Gary had come back rather than return to Sinnoh before the party so there was a lot of hands to go around.
However, the first day back Misty had had something special to do before any party prep, something that she dragged Ash to for help with. Misty was a Top Coordinator now with her very own Ribbon Cup, it was time to get even more pictures with her Pokémon and it.
She'd already gotten plenty at them on the Plateau with the Pokémon she'd used in the Grand Festival but all her Pokémon had been a part of it as they had all made her the coordinator she was, even Vulpix who never competed in a Contest, and as such they all deserved time with it. Of course before Misty could take the pictures she had been mobbed by her Pokémon that hadn't seen her all year and had to deal with that, as well a Discharge from Pachirisu and an Eruption from Typhlosion, first.
Once that was done and Misty had sorted her hair out she had begun taking pictures. Each of her 14 Pokémon got individual pictures with her and the cup with the exception of Ambipom who couldn't make it as the World Pokémon Ping Championships had just started so they tried to watch her in it as much as possible.
Then there were group ones like pairing who had fought together on many occasions. Pairings as Mamoswine and Typhlosion or Piplup and Togekiss or Vileplume and Pinsir, though they all had to wait for another picture of just Spiritomb and Banette with the cup as they had been the pair who won the final.
However all that paled to her favorite picture, one that she'd made several copies of and sent most home to her mother though Ash had had one framed and added to the wall in his room in the section for this year's adventure. It was next to a cute, couple photo of them together and the various things Ash had won that year, mainly his silver medal and participation pin from the Indigo Conference and HopHopHop Town Ribbon. Still the picture was Misty's favorite.
It was the group shot that took forever to set up and had required a rapid-fire set of pictures before it deteriorated into brawl when Mamoswine accidentally stood on Espeon's forked tail. it was of Misty smiling and holding her Ribbon Cup in her arms and all her Pokémon with her. Piplup was in the cup itself beaming at the camera. The rest of her Pokémon had been arranged around her so that they were all there.
Pachirisu was on her shoulder. Pinsir and Espeon to each side with Vileplume and Furret in front of them. Vulpix and Buneary sat patiently at her feet. Meanwhile Mamoswine was on one side behind her and Typhlosion standing on his hind legs on the other side as they were the biggest. Lastly Togekiss hovered over her head with Banette and Spiritomb on either side of her. Ash had taken several shots of this so that Misty could find the one she liked best before the brawl started and Misty had to run to him to protect the cup.
They were all staying at the ranch now and getting on with all of Ash's Pokémon well. Togekiss had fully taken over as the mother of the ranch relieving Bulbasaur of his duties as mediator so that he could deal with Heracross sucking his sap alone. The rest just enjoyed the place as Ash's new Pokémon mingled with the old. Only Pikachu, Piplup, Vulpix and Riolu were kept with them as they were coming to Kalos with them, though Mimey did live in the house as well.
After the picture day it was basically 6 straight days of getting everything ready for the party and spending as much time with their Pokémon as possible. Thankfully they had experience and a bunch of willing Pokémon to help. Add in that Dawn, Iris and Cilan all showed up a few days early to lend aid and things had gone by a lot quicker.
However that was all sorted now and the guests had begun to trickle in. Only those arriving the day of, that being tomorrow, like May, Max, Anabel, Sabrina and Brock were still not present. Misty couldn't wait to see them all again, especially the ones who they hadn't seen on the Plateau, and she knew Ash was just as excited bit that was still a day away.
At the moment they were just lying in Ash's bed as sleep took hold of them. Ash was on his back and Misty had her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist as hers was across his stomach. Their Pokémon were already asleep on pillows by the window while the couple were nearing it but they still had enough consciousness left to reflect one last time one the year.
It had been a fun one. They had seen Kanto and a little of Hoenn as a couple, had a few adventures together and reunited Ash with old friends and Pokémon along the way. Misty had finally achieved her dream and won the Grand Festival to become a Top Coordinator and while Ash hadn't won the Indigo Conference he had reached the final and come closer than ever before to winning it so he knew that he could win the next League Conference he entered.
Yes it had been a good year. One dream had been accomplished but there was another dream still out there to reach. As sleep took them Ash knew that he would accomplish that dream one day. It took heart to win but as Misty had proven, dreams could come true and Ash was going to make sure his did as well.
That was the last thing he thought as he fell asleep ending another year on his journey to become a Pokémon Master. When he awoke his next adventure, his Kalos adventure, would begin.
