Author's Note: Whoops! I was so busy today that I almost forgot to publish this.

OoOoO

Ash's Trials

A FEW minutes after lunch concluded Misty eyed up a milk bottle toss booth. Ash could see that her cerulean eyes had lit up upon seeing the available prizes. From small Pokémon dolls to very large plushies that one could probably sleep on.

Both bought a round of balls. Misty went first (because ladies first as Ash's Mom always taught him) and she tried but her throws only got one stack.

"Ooh, that's one of the smaller prizes, miss," said the condescending employee.

"Well, I'll pick that one," said Misty through gritted teeth. She held a very small Poliwag doll in her arms. Now Ash was used to Misty getting giddy over any water-type product she could get, but when he saw how melancholic her lips and eyes were when she took the doll he could tell otherwise.

Eying the prize board, he could see a large Togepi plushie amongst several other cute Pokémon likenesses. Despite how obviously happy she was with Azurill, he still remembered how sad she was when Misty said goodbye to Togetic. Perhaps…

He walked up to the front and checked the softball's weight and did a faux practice swing. "Oh ho!" called the worker. "We have a bit of a ball throwing expert, huh?"

More than you know, thought Ash. With a hard swing Ash pitched the ball and knocked over the first stack much to the carnival worker's shock. With cheers from Pikachu, Ash knocked down the other two stacks with ease.

"Uh- we…WE HAVE A WINNER! Take a pick, son!"

Ash grinned both in and outwardly. He thought how happy Misty would be with a Togepi plushie, a nice reminder of one of her old friends-

Wait. As good as the idea sounded, Ash suddenly remembered that this reminder was of the past, a painful past. Togetic had left for a noble reason and Misty had accepted that and knew it was for many others' best interests. Given his still raw feelings about things – well, people – from his own timeline making uncomfortable reappearances and judgements on his life, giving her that plushie could be interpreted as tactless and needlessly bringing up her past.

"I'll take that…Tentacool plushie," he said suddenly. He accepted it along with the man's compliments. After taking a few steps away from the booth Ash turned on his heel and held the plush to Misty. "Here, I want you to have it."

"Wha? F-for me?"

"Yeah," said Ash with nod, "I won it for you."

"Aw, thanks, Ash." She held the plushie along with the smaller doll and hugged it. "So soft… I love Tentacools – never owned a plushie of one. This'll go great with my collection."

"Collection, ey?" Ash chuckled. "I'd like to see it one of these days. I imagine it's a sea of water-types." Pikachu hummed in agreement.

"Mm…we'll see about that someday," she smiled.

"Well, I'm just happy that you like it. Looked like you really wanted one and I wasn't about to let that guy talk down to either of us, especially when he laughed at ya for your throw. That was uncalled for. Bet he didn't see me coming," he went on proudly, "I was once the best pitcher on my school's baseball team – I know fine well what I'm doin'. That'll show him."

"The embarrassment you gave him with your throws was awesome! That was really well done back there. Although…Ash, were you planning on getting me the Togepi plushie?"

He nervously scratched his cheek. "Oh, you could tell?" Misty raised an eyebrow and he wisely looked down. "Er – yeah – I almost did but it struck me as a bad idea."

"Well, no, not a bad idea but it might've been awkward for me," backtracked Misty. "Thanks for changing your mind on that. It might've made Azurill here look like a rebound."

"Rebound?" echoed Ash. "That's…quite a word to use."

"Sorry, thought it'd be funny," she said with an awkward smile.

"Yeah, I s'pose if you put it that way I can see what you mean. Um, your sisters' relationship nonsenses, right?"

"Ex-actly. Right on the money. But no, really, thank you for this plushie."

"No trouble."

It pleased and relieved Ash to see that the date was going so well. They got along great as ever and he felt a lot of his anxieties disappearing as the afternoon went on.

"Jeez, Ash, you dummy. Over here," exclaimed Misty when they were inside of a mirror house.

"What?" replied Ash as he tried to look in her direction, it was hard to tell.

"This way," came the vague reply. Ash's senses were a lot more heightened than the average person, at least to some extent. That was how he was able to see things on the battlefield before anyone else did. After getting Misty to repeat herself, he followed her voice from around two corners. "Heh, found me at last, eh?"

"Thanks to you for calling out to me. It's not easy in this place."

"It's a good thing you have an acute sense of hearing."

"Only thanks to your voice."

Misty blinked and looked the other way. Not that she could hide, the mirrors betrayed her and showed the blushing tomboy. "Give yourself more credit," she said, and walked off. Ash cocked his head to the side. He wasn't sure if he had said something that really earned that reaction.

The fun afternoon continued, but soon evening came. "It's getting late," said Misty as she looked toward the mountains where the sun was starting to set. "Ash, are you needed back home in Pallet Town? If so, you need to get going now."

"Oh yeah! Man, I completely forgot!" cried Ash. "I promised Mom I'd help with the family restaurant tomorrow."

"Damn! Right – er – I know the buses only go for so long at night so let's-"

"That's nice of ya but I've got it from here."

"Ash, you only showed up here by bike."

"Yeah, well…" Ash dug out a Pokeball and then tossed it. "I've got a Dragonite that can fly me home no problem. All I need to do is figure out how to transport the bike."

Her jaw dropped. Dragonite meanwhile was so excited by the new face, she jumped the orange-haired Gym Leader as soon as she saw her. "Whoa! Goodness aren't you a sweetie of a Pokémon! Wait a minute!" She paused and made a face of fury at Ash. "You never told me you caught a Dragonite! When the heck did this happen?! What else have you caught since signing up with Professor Cerise?"

Ash cringed from being under verbal fire and paled. He had completely forgotten to share with Misty all his new Pokémon pals. "Oh, I'm so, so sorry, Misty. I'll have to introduce you to them at some point. I just really can't right now."

"Right, I get ya," said Misty sincerely as she wrestled out of Dragonite's grip. "Come on, I know of a store nearby." She grabbed Ash by the wrist and tugged him along.

Using the newly bought heavy duty rope, Misty helped Ash tie the bike and secure it to Dragonite's torso. "You good?" Ash asked her.

"Dawr!"

"Heh, good girl." He turned to Misty and noted that the sky was starting to darken. "Thanks for your help. I'm sorry you had to help me with this."

"It's no trouble at all," replied Misty before pointing a finger at him. "Thank you for the date today – it was fun."

He felt embarrassed upon hearing that, and his anxieties came back. "Y-yeah, you're welcome. Th-thanks for agreeing to go on it." He stretched his hand out for a handshake but instead Misty opened her arms out for a hug. Before he had time to process, she already closed the gap between them.

Ash's heart couldn't take it and his hands moved nervously. He could only manage a soft pat in return as his chin got the full feel of her hair and his shoulder the feel of her face. Misty pulled back. "It was my pleasure," she said with a smile.

"Mine…as well…" said Ash in a daze.

"Keep your head up high, Ash Ketchum," she said softly. "I truly believe our friends haven't forsaken you, but…they're still jerks for doing that to ya."

"Yeah…you're right."

"But hey, innocent 'til proven guilty, yeah?" And she flashed another kind smile. Ash gulped.

Is this the part where I kiss her…? he thought. Something said yes, but something else held him back. It turned his warm sweat cold and stiffened his joints. "Right, it's about time I g-go," he said stiffly and quickly climbed onto Dragonite's back. "I'll be sure to call!"

"Yeah!" called Misty as Dragonite flapped her wings into the sky. "I look forward to it! Hopefully we'll go on a date again soon!"

"Another date!?" exclaimed Ash, stunned. Or that was what he would've said but her remark was so left field that he instead got the words stuck in his throat. All he managed was a "Another..ack!"

He coughed the jam out and opened his eyes again…only to see that Dragonite had already flown faraway enough to turn Misty into a speck.

"She…wants to go on another date," Ash whispered to himself. This should've excited him, this was sort of what he wanted but like that moment of hesitation earlier, it made him nervous. It was like there was a chain or a rope restraining him, it tightened, and it hurt. Only…he was the one tightening it. "Does she mean it… will I screw up…?" he whispered ominously.

"Pikapi…"

OoOoO

Days went by. Despite Misty's encouraging words, Ash's hands still hesitated to type out anything or make phone calls to his other friends. The jump made him nervous. Luckily, his hands were forced.

He was at the Oak Corral looking after his Torterra when Gary caught him by surprise. "Oh, hey Ashy-boy!"

"Oh! Uh, hey. Sup…?" greeted Ash.

"I haven't seen you since…" He looked scratched the back of his neck, "…my wedding day."

"Y-yeah…caught me off guard with that."

""…"" The two boys stared at each other a bit. "Yeah…I'm sorry I never had the decency to tell ya 'bout it, Ash. It was a real dick move on my part."

Ash, caught off guard for a moment, considered. "It wasn't a good surprise, to be honest."

"I understand," said Gary quietly. "Leaf wanted everything perfect for the day and we were worried about attendance. I know the responsibility that comes with field research for a Pokémon Professor, and I misjudged your energy – I allowed myself to think you wouldn't be interested after all the traveling Gramps alludes you went on. I really messed up back there, sorry man."

"Thanks, Gary. That…that means quite a bit."

"I'll be sure to tell you about the honeymoon and the baby shower an-"

"Okay! Too much info!" shouted Ash.

"Torterra!" The sudden volume rise had frightened him; he stood up and started to rampage. He knocked Ash and Gary down, put his weight a bit on them, and stormed off.

"Did we deserve that?" asked Ash after the shock wore off.

"In so many words, yes," replied Gary. "You especially."

"You started it."

"You're the one who raised his voice."

"You still started it… You're not invited to my wedding till the day of, by the way."

"Ouch. Ever heard how 'two wrongs don't make a right'?"

"I have, I just choose to ignore it."

"Okay, fair enough."

OoOoO

When Delia found out about the date, the squeal she let out hurt Ash's ears something terrible! "Oh, my son… He finally has realized how he feels about Misty."

"M-mom! It's not like that," said Ash defensively.

"But you said 'date', right?"

"I called it a date because…it just felt like the right thing to call it. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't think too hard about it!"

"Mime? Mr. Mime…?"

"Pi Pikachu. Chu Pikapi…"

"Ah. I see…" said Delia, and without another word merely smiled and turned back to the sink.

Ash had an inkling that his Mom only saw too well…

He slowly did his best to keep up with his friends, but the gap remained in his mind. Yet he still gritted his teeth and tried to be present – but the comments he left on the various social media platforms never seemed to quite do it. He was glad work somehow kept him running into Dawn, and tried to engage her about her private life as much as a friend could do.

A real moment of uncertainty came when he stumbled upon May and Drew. Ash wasn't sure at all what to say, not least when May invited him to hold her son. The 25-year-old Trainer stared at the baby in his arms. "Cute," he managed to say.

"You're lucky you caught him in one of his better moods," said May. When Ash took a closer look, he could see that May was trying to hide bags underneath her eyes with makeup that clearly wasn't applied properly. It made him guilty to think there was nothing he could do to help.

"I see. Well, aren't you well behaved." The baby whined a bit before going quiet once more. Ash tried to grin. "Well, easier right now than Skitty right, May?"

"Yes… I…suppose." Ash grimaced and felt a wash of guilt at his poor attempt at humor.

Trying to get back with his friends was harder than he thought. He didn't hear what May said next.

OoOoO

The mid–morning summer air with a breeze was perfect for a date – yet Ash frowned at himself. The encounter with May had shaken him up slightly and when his Mom saw him looking down, suggested – nay, demanded – he go on a date again. Once date feeling low, always date when feeling low.

She had even gone through the trouble of making sure he wore 'more suitable dating clothes'. A dark blue T-shirt with a short sleeved unbuttoned dress shirt on top. "Ugh… Last time I wore just my usual shirt…"

"There you are!" called Misty. Ash looked up – and lost his breath.

A summer yellow blouse with formal black shorts. Slight makeup on her cheeks and a bejeweled hairpin. "Oh? Well, what do you think?"

"I…well, I thought I was going to be the only one looking smart." If that had bothered Misty, she didn't show it.

"Well, it is a date, after all." And before Ash could process, Misty was already pulling him along for it.

They explored a local arcade museum, had a meal at a new sushi place, Ash showed off his new Pokémon friends to Misty at a local battlefield, and soon they were gazing out to the ocean in the company of a retired tugboat. Despite his happy feelings on the date and how Misty's energy had once again dragged him too quickly for his negative feelings to take hold, the quiet made them surge backup.

He spilled to Misty about it. "I wouldn't think too hard about it. Taking care of a human is tougher than a Pokémon. That's all May meant, I think. Sorry, just trying to see the best in the situation."

He accepted her explanation, but he still had one more issue. "Hey…Misty, so…why'd you agree to go on a date with me before?" It still didn't feel real to him yet…

It didn't take her long to answer. "It's because I want to be with you, Ash." He blinked in surprise. "I never told you this…but somewhere along our first few months together I fell for you. You were always so positive and fun, brash and brave, always dedicated to your friends. At first I tried to reason that it was merely a Growlithe crush, but I got older and older and those feelings never left."

"W-wait," interjected Ash. "You knew since…ten?"

Misty smiled awkwardly. "Perhaps, I can't really recall. I only say so because looking back, I'd always thought so highly of you. My feelings did waver a bit in my teens. My hormones surged and I grew impatient hoping you'd call, visit, say something that would tell me where we stood together. In the end, I was too busy and always too tired to try. You never left my thoughts, though, and I just came to terms with it all eventually. I love you, Ash – and I knew I owed it to myself to tell you rather than let them peter out or be left as pent up regrets."

The Trainer was stunned, but Misty kept on talking. "I never told you because I was scared, scared you wouldn't reciprocate or wouldn't know what to do and we'd grow distant as a result. We're best friends, Ash, I never wanted to compromise what we had as kids and teens… Kinda makes what I'm saying now as hypocritical…"

Ash gasped and grabbed her by her shoulders. "Misty! I…I had no idea…" She had held on to her feelings for so long. Longer than he had being conscious of his own. She was so much stronger in this respect than him.

"I did hide them pretty well… It hurt a little bit – but you can't complain when you don't say how you feel." She gave a light, yet sarcastic laugh to herself. "Ash, please, right now you don't need to give me an answer. I know you're going through a rough time. It's so thoughtful to be so worried about where you stand with your friends these days. So please, I can wait…"

"I…" Once more Ash grabbed her by her shoulders. "I lo…l-" It was as if the world was shaking, his head ached and was out of breath. He knew what he wants to say, what he has to say to her…yet the words couldn't come out.

"I can wait," repeated Misty softly. There was no antagonism in her voice – all Ash could see was a soft, understanding smile. Eyes gently piercing his soul. "There's no need to rush. I've loved you for this long, I can wait a bit longer. Asking me out twice already makes me so happy. We're adults now, so we can use words and time."

Ash tried to push past this blockage, but something kept his words in his throat. Eventually, he gave up trying to fight this invisible wall. "I…I understand. Thanks."

She didn't respond, and merely rested her head on his shoulder. But despite how she felt, Ash couldn't help hating himself any more than he was right there and then.

The date still went on, however, and Ash was lucky that Misty's positive feelings pulled him along once more. He had to leave after dinner to make it to a hotel for an airplane he and Goh were catching the next day.

"Bye Ash. Safe travels and don't do anything stupid in Unova, understand?"

"Well, yeah, course I will," replied Ash crossly.

Misty rolled her eyes playfully. "Keep an eye on him for me, Pika Pal."

"Pika!"

"Er, thanks," muttered Ash. "I'll leave a message when we get there. Bye." He paused. "Lo…l…lo…" He felt guilt and frustration with himself as soon as he realized that he couldn't say it. What's stopping me…? "I like you."

"I know, thank you," said Misty, her cheeks red with affection. Ash smiled as he climbed atop Noivern – as they flew off, he frowned and tightened his fists, anger rose within him…at himself.