Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter. I knew I would end up writing a special story as soon as Misty and Brock's return to the anime was announced and this was so exciting to write. It was great to go back to the original pairing that I first joined FanFiction to write about. It's pretty sentimental but here it is. I hope you enjoy!

Ages:

Ash: 16

Misty: 16

Disclaimer: I own the story and the mention of Jessie and James' twins names :3

I breathed out a serene sigh as I pressed my front paws against the glass of the plane window and peered in wonder at the world below. It was so fantastic. I had travelled along many of the paths that I was high above with some of my best friends in all the world. I had soared high in the sky with them. I had dove deep below with them in the depths of the ocean. I had experienced snow storms. Tornados. Dessert sun. Peaceful towns. The hustle and bustle of cities. Everything to be experienced on a journey. And with amazing people at my side.

It was six and a half years on from my first journey with Ash, Misty and Brock but now they were all coming to an end. Or so, that's what Ash said. He seemed sure about it when he was a very close runner up in the Kalos League. He had Misty as his girl now, he was ready for a change, he said. I believed him. I thought it was plausible that with new found romance, he'd be ready for a change. But I felt somewhere in my gut that he'd end up journeying again. That's what I felt. I didn't realise that we would all be going on the biggest journey of all in the not so distant future.

I stayed sitting on Misty's lap in the window seat with my back legs pressed against hers and my paws still almost attached to the window glass with awe. I couldn't help but think. I couldn't help but ponder. I couldn't help but reflect. All the battles we'd won. All the Pokémon we'd crossed paths with. All the people we met. Every hello. Every goodbye. Ever tear. Every smile. Every win. Every loss. Every mistake. Every lesson. I felt so fulfilled. And I knew it was down to the people that I'd shared bits of my life with.

Misty gave me a soft smile and hugged me closer to her lap before turning around and smiling all the more when Ash returned from stretching his legs and walking up and down the plane aisles. As he flopped back down in his seat next to his girlfriend, I couldn't help but reflect again. Over him.

He had been acting funny. Misty just put it down to him getting ready for big changes in his life and I understood. But I couldn't help but think there was more to it than that. The orange haired female and I both knew Ash more than anyone. But I couldn't help but think I was the right one out of the pair. He had still been himself the entire journey home. Still hungry. Still beaming at other people's Pokémon. Still almost getting lost. He was still Ash. But less Ash if that made sense.

He began to get quieter as we got ready to board the plane. Misty assumed it was boredom already at sitting in a plane for hours. I didn't. But I didn't try and figure out what was wrong. I just assumed it would become obvious to me soon enough. It didn't. I did begin to realise something really was up when Ash and Misty didn't fight over the window seat. He just let his girlfriend take it up right away. He told us it was because he'd be the one wanting to move his legs. Misty nodded her head at this but I knew, like me, she realised that was very unusual behaviour. They bickered over everything. And for once, I hadn't heard too much of it on the plane.

Misty moved to nuzzle into her boyfriend's neck as soon as he sat down and breathed out contentedly. She held onto him for as long as possible and I didn't really blame her. I knew she'd been waiting for these times with him for a very long time.

"Nice wander, Ashy?" she asked gently before letting out a quiet yawn, her nose nuzzling against his neck as she shut her eyes and I wondered if she was going to take a nap.

Ash just nodded his head and took his gloves off to massage his fingers bare and replied to her almost hastily.

"Yeah." He mumbled and wrapped one arm around her shoulders to hold onto her while his other arm went behind his head to give extra comfort. Before he even spoke again, I knew he was going to. It was the haste in his first word and the look in his eyes that made me predict. "Do you remember the day we first met?"

The orange haired female opened her eyes from nestling into her boyfriend to blink upon hearing his questioning and began to straighten out her bangs as she looked at him half in confusion and half with fondness at the memory.

"Of course I do, Ash." She nodded her head and although she didn't smile, her eyes did. I knew why. I understood why and I agreed. That day would go down in history. Her partially softened expression soon went to completely puzzled as Ash was suddenly asking that on a plane. "Why do you ask?"

Once again, the raven haired male was quick to respond. He shrugged and moved his other arm to join the right one behind his head, much to Misty's disappointment. But he didn't notice. He just shrugged again.

"I don't know." He asked vaguely before almost snapping out of it for a minute and he turned to give Misty that warm and goofy smile of his, his own eyes lighting up like hers had done previously. He looked like an innocent little kid. "Isn't that something couples normally think about? How they met?"

Seeing Ash's sweet smile made me do so as well so of course it made Misty smile. She softened again and reached out to stroke the unique freckles on his cheek before that hand went back to her bangs. She blushed a gentle rose pink.

"Well I guess that's true. I wouldn't know, though. You're my first boyfriend." She giggled airily and playfully kissed his nose before continuing. "Maybe it's different for us because our meeting was as friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend. Well… Not even friends at first. But yeah, of course I think about it."

Ash smiled all the more to himself at hearing Misty ramble, knowing this meant that the subject she was talking about meant a lot to her. He soon found himself pouting slightly, however, and his nose scrunched up.

"Maybe I'm your first boyfriend but that's not to say you haven't been interested in other guys before." He mumbled with truthful innocence but accidentally made his girlfriend flush defensively. Before he could begin to list Rudy and Danny (the only two he'd actually noticed showing an interest in Misty or vice versa in his eyes), the water type trainer stuck her nose in the air.

I was sure glad that Ash had chosen her and not some girl who went along with what he was saying just because he was saying it. He didn't need a cheer squad. Sure, Misty was one of his biggest supporters but she was real with him. She always had been. And that's why they were perfect. They seemed to possess the qualities that one and other lacked and or needed in their lives.

"Don't act like you've not had some girls sickeningly all over you, Ash Ketchum." Misty retorted but in a much calmer voice than she would have done as a ten year old. " She adjusted her side ponytail and shut her eyes to show she was sure of the words she was saying while Ash just blinked innocently at her. "Melody. Macey. Anabel. Angie. And even some Pokémon. Latias and your Bayleef."

She opened her eyes to see her boyfriend pouting back at her, his eyes wide and full of innocence. His arms moved to fold over his chest.

"Half of those are nonsense. They're just friends. And my Pokémon just love me like a trainer so I don't know where you're getting your weird fiction."

Ash was getting oddly worked up at his girlfriend listing the female who had 'allegedly' had a thing for him and Misty was just finding it amusing. She smirked at her boyfriend not liking a taste of his own medicine and playfully pushed the brim of his cap down over his nose so he couldn't see.

"You sure are easily het up, Ashy Boy." She hummed teasingly and used Gary's nickname for him to wind him up innocently more and it worked. He blushed and kept his arms over his chest and only unfolded them briefly to adjust his cap. He stuck his nose in the air after folding them again and huffed childishly.

"I came back from the aisles to be cute and share memories with my girlfriend but I think I need another walk after sitting with you for two minutes."

And with that, he flounced off leaving Misty and I to share a giggle at him before going back to looking out the window together.

We were flying over Kanto and very close to landing. Even though the windows were of course closed, I swore I could smell home in the air. Kanto had its own very specific scent, just like the rest of the regions did. It smelled crisp. It smelled sunny. It smelled like champions and I knew my best friend was going to be that very soon after he had just recently accepted the offer to become Frontier Brain of Pallet Town. Now he was going to be home, he had fewer distractions to do even better training. Pokémon Master was still his dream and he still believed he could achieve it. We did too. Well, once he stopped huffing.

I almost believed that Misty was sharing the same thoughts as me because, at the same time, we both turned away from the windows and looking at the clouds to share a smirk and a giggle. When she looked back at the ground below for any partings in the clouds for sights of the sea below, I focused my attention on her.

She was so pretty. She was so pretty normally but even more so looking out for water. And even prettier still now that she was openly in love with my best friend. I was so happy for her. He was coming home to Kanto for good. No more paying visits to Delia to hang out with her while getting little titbits of information on the raven haired male. She would be in that little house with them 24/7.

Finally, everything was paying off. All her hard work at the gym and training the water types to their greatest potential not because he told her to but because that was her dream. He encouraged her on the way but she knew she achieved that because of the strength of her own heart. She hadn't said too much to me at that point but I knew she had been lonely growing up. But I knew that wasn't going to be the case for much longer. She and Ash would be living in Pallet Town with Delia. Gary would be stopping by from researching in his Grandfather's lab. Tracey would most definitely still be popping in to catch up. And even more wonderfully yet very strangely, Jessie, James and Meowth had quit Team Rocket at last for a better life for themselves and their twins Jazmyn and Justin and the new little one that was growing. They were in between jobs and soon to be homeless after leaving headquarters. Delia was such a hospitable woman; she had offered them all a place to stay as long as they needed it. How marvellous! After everything they had done.

Ash had been reluctant at first but Misty was more open to the idea since getting a soft spot for James and keeping in contact with him after the Rocket trio came back to Kanto to have their twins before pursuing Ash once again after the Unova League. She was keen over her life becoming all the less lonely, even if it meant putting up with all the ex-rockets.

I personally didn't know how to feel about Meowth and I living in the same house after everything but I thought that if Misty could trust and have faith, then I could too. Inside I was hoping he would take up the offer of taking over the noodle business though. I couldn't help it. He had double crossed me one too many times. But I didn't hate him. It was just a Pokémon Rivalry. And it would soon become a playful one.

I snapped out of my long and reflective thoughts to realise that Ash had been forced to sit back down after the plane had alerted everyone to put their seatbelts on because it was near landing time. My eyes studied his face and I expected him to still be huffing but he wasn't. Their bickering before (which I felt I almost cursed us with because I said they hadn't bickered much) was clearly water under the bridge. There was no huffing or grudges held. It was almost like it hadn't happened.

Misty was back to cuddling into her boyfriend's neck but I could see her mouth longing to twitch into a playful smirk. It was clear she was still amused by how she managed to wind Ash up so very quickly. I shook my head fondly and, right at that moment, Ash came out with another question.

"Do you remember when you gave me your Mini Misty when I was struggling to beat Brandon?" he asked with the same innocence in his eyes and I could clearly see it now his hat was pointing backwards.

I couldn't help but study his face even further. There really was something going on with him. The lack of bickering (at least for most of the journey). Him not whining for a window seat. The amount of wanders up the aisles he has taken. The questions based off past experiences. Like I said before, none of this was really weird for him. He was a sweet and restless and teasing and nostalgic kind of guy. But again as I mentioned before, he was just a little off and I knew it.

Misty blinked her aquamarine orbs just like the first time he had asked a question but this time, she softened all the more. She was clearly enjoying her boyfriend sharing memories with her and nuzzled into his neck further, making me realise I had missed some of his questions earlier in my deep thought.

"Of course I remember that." She nodded her head and lovingly entwined her fingers with his now gloved ones again but didn't have a chance to speak because he did once again. His voice was a little off and almost hasty.

"Why did you do that?" he asked before realising we couldn't see into his head and so didn't know what he was talking about. He clarified himself. "Why did you give me one of your lures?"

The orange haired female furrowed her brow upon hearing this and I did too. I continued looking up at Ash as he patted his lap to indicate he wanted me to get onto it for a cuddle. Climbing onto him, I raised a playful eyebrow. It was obvious to me why she had given a lure to him. He was in a tough spot and she was showing she was there for him, as well as it being a good luck charm and him having a piece of her with him.

Misty confirmed this by telling him the same words I believed before poking him playfully, nuzzling her porcelain cheek against his shoulder. She smirked bemusedly again.

"Dawn told me how protective you were over that and how you wouldn't let anybody touch it." She mumbled playfully to see how he would react but this time, he didn't do anything. Aside from nod and just move onto the next thing. He asked another question.

"Why did you give me your handkerchief on the day that we said goodbye? Was it really just to make things easier to carry or did it mean something to you?"

Misty was beginning to raise an eyebrow at all her boyfriend's questions and began to quickly share my belief that something was up with him. There wasn't something wrong with him. Just something different. And I longed for that to be apparent as soon as possible.

It was clear to me that Ash and Misty had discussed these things together many times since they got together at the start of Ash's Kalos journey so it was confusing Misty why he was asking her all over again. Like he didn't know at all. Like he didn't know her at all. Or more rather, like he wasn't listening. Misty's answers began to get more impatient with her boyfriend but not angry or loud as it was time to board off the plane together.

Ash stayed asking questions all throughout getting off the plane and collecting luggage and even heading out to the cab home. I stayed thinking of one of the most painful of my goodbyes to the sounds of their distant voices.

I didn't like to reflect too much or deeply sometimes because I felt like it stopped you from experiencing what was next. But saying goodbye to Misty and Brock with Ash was one of the most gut wrenching things I'd ever experienced. They were so young and had done so much together but they couldn't fight it when their paths had to go in different directions.

'Take care' were the words that Misty last uttered to Ash before she cycled towards the Cerulean Gym to start her official duties.

'We'll miss you' were the words that Brock last spoke to Ash before he walked back to his family in Pewter City.

Such simple words. Such simple phrases. Yet they stayed with me for at least the beginning part of the Hoenn Journeys. It was crazy to me how a bunch of people who worked so well together would have to say goodbye. But that was it. That was life. It was meant to happen and all of them grew so much and changed yet when we all reunited, it was like we had never been apart.

I had said goodbye to many people after that. Tracey. May and Max. Dawn. Cilan and Iris. The Kalos Gang. But Misty and Brock's departure was one of the first that I remembered in great detail and because it was the first, it was most painful. I was almost a pro at goodbyes at that point but still to that day, the memory of our goodbye to Misty and Brock in the sunset brought me to tears.

I was nudged back to reality by Ash in the taxi home and we were nearly back in Pallet Town when my best friend pulled me close. Misty's head was on Ash's shoulder and she was thoughtfully looking out the window while his eyes were staring into mine. He smiled softly at me and stroked the red circle of my cheek.

"Do you remember the day you and I met, Pikachu?" he asked in a more gentle and warm voice than I had ever heard him spoke in before, before he leaned forward and nuzzled his forehead against mine. "It was the same day that Misty and I met. The best day of my life."

The orange haired female turned to give her boyfriend a loving smile upon hearing this and pressed a kiss to his tanned cheek before getting out of the car. We were home.

I stayed thinking about the day I met my best friend – my brother – my everything – even after he paid the taxi driver and got all of our luggage out and wandered down the path towards his house.

That day was the greatest day of my life too. It's weird how I knew this because I didn't really remember much of my life before Ash but I knew the day that we laid eyes on each other was the most precious. I didn't trust him at first. I couldn't let myself. But then I saw such purity in him. He wasn't like other humans. He was pure. He was determined. But he was soft. I saw so much of myself in him and so much of himself in me. He was who I longed to be like. We soon became partners in every possible way. He really was my everything. Ash was like my spectacles and the day I met him, everything stopped being so blurry and started being so clear.

When I turned my nose to nuzzle into his ear, I was brought back to the present and I realised we were standing outside the front door of Ash's childhood home. Misty kissed my cheek and got Ash's key out of his backpack for him before handing it to him with a smile.

"Home sweet home, Ashy." She said simply and with a soft smile before blinking when she saw he was looking kind of distant and almost looking around for something that wasn't there. She looked at him and finally addressed his behaviour.

"C'mon what is it, Ash? You've been funny this entire time? Are you regretting it? Are you wanting another journey? Just tell me. Please."

I looked at my best friend and I saw that he had opened his mouth to speak multiple times but didn't find the right words to say what he was feeling. That was normally Misty's thing. We shared a look before going back to looking at the raven haired male together.

He let out a quiet sigh with his mouth still open as he tried to think of the words. I figured that he might need space and so jumped onto Misty's shoulder to nuzzle her instead. It was in that moment that Ash suddenly stumbled across the words he needed.

I didn't know whether it was my paw touching Misty's shoulder or her fingers reaching to stroke my cheek. She didn't know either. But it happened. And it was perfect.

Ash reached for Misty's other hand and held it tight in his, his smile warmer than the late evening sun and his eyes shining with all the love and enlightenment in the world.

"Everybody has been asking me if I'm excited to come home." He began, having our full attention right away. "They ask if I'm excited to see my mom. Of course I am. They ask if I'm excited to see my Pokémon. Of course I am – ecstatic. But they mostly ask if I'm excited to come home and for some reason I don't know how to answer that."

Misty and I both blinked at our best friend but we didn't say a word, not wanting to put him off his train of thought. But nothing could. He was speaking from his heart. I shivered.

"Now I know why." He began again before making it more personal to one of us. I didn't mind. "Now I know why, Mist. It doesn't matter where I go in the world. It doesn't matter how far I travel. It doesn't matter the obstacles I'll face. Because I have you as my girl now and you at my side every step of the way. When I'm lost, I search for you. When I'm unsure, I think of you. When I need comfort, I seek your arms."

He paused to lick his lips before continuing and Misty and I were already emotionally enveloped in every word he was saying.

"Now I know. I found my belonging when I was ten years old. I lost it when we had to be apart. But I found it again and I am never letting it go. Even when I'm standing right outside my house, I don't need it. Because my home – Mist – it's with you."

I was moved to tears and couldn't move aside from when I jumped onto the window sill. I used all my energy for that and to hold in my tears. Misty didn't bother as she tackled her boyfriend with a hug and held him in the arms he sought comfort in.

Ash breathed out with the same emotion and for almost the first time, he didn't hide his emotions with the brim of his hat. His tears were there for everyone to see. His love for Misty was there for everyone to see and especially her. I was there to see every step of their beautiful journey.

Ash soon brought me into the hug too and smiled tearfully as he didn't let either of us go. His words were music to our ears as he nuzzled us both. He sniffed.

"I'm home."

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 I tried hard to balance more mature 16 year old Ash and Misty along with their usual antics and I hope I achieved that. It was a lot of fun and I'm sure the episodes will give me more inspiration for more basic/less far into the future fics. I can't wait. Thanks again and I will be back next Wednesday because I have another chapter for Misty's return so see you then!

AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3