Catching Up

ASH paced back and forth and forth and back. Noivern and Pikachu got dizzy just watching him. Ash didn't know it was possible to be both excited and depressed at the same time. On one hand, happy that Misty is in love with him; on the other, really upset with himself.

"I know now, I know now, I know now!" he muttered to himself. "Yet it still…it still feels like I'm dreaming…as if I haven't earned it…"

That night he couldn't sleep a wink.

He knew it was a bad habit but once more obsessively working became his escape. He understood Pokémon best, they never left him unable to speak. Whether it was the wild ones he and Goh would encounter, or settling disputes inside Professor Cerise's nature dome, Ash Ketchum knew and related to Pokémon the best.

Yet when it came to notable 'romantic tension' in the dome, it became clear to Ash that even Pokémon seemed more put together than him with their feelings. He knew how Misty feels, he could tell how he feels, but he couldn't say the words, even behind the security of texting her…

It was odd and he hated it. Nearly a month went by and he remained in emotional limbo.

One day Ash and Goh were sent to Pewter City to look at some Pokémon Fossils and the research being done on them. Ash couldn't really say he was excited, but there was no way he'd—

"Se-VIPER!"

"Swi?!"

"Whoa, WHAT?!" yelled Ash.

"Wow! A Seviper! And a Swinub too!" Goh immediately went for his Pokedex and logged the Pokémon. Feeling déjà vu and knowing Goh didn't have the same experiences that he did, Ash instinctively reached for his belt but-

"Wait, Ash Ketchum, right?" The boy in question looked up and was greeted by a familiar face. "Hi. Remember me, Lucy?"

Strangely the thought of 'Brock's fiancé' was the first connection Ash made instead of being the Frontier Brain of the Battle Pike. "O-oh, Lucy… Yes, I remember you."

"Good," she said. "Seviper, back into your ball." She did so before Lucy picked her Swinub up. "Terribly sorry about that, Seviper's in a fussy mood. I imagine it's because today they're getting looked at by Brock."

"Ah, yeah. I totally get it," said Ash, shoving down any uncomfortable feelings that were rising. "My Pokémon back in the day always looked forward to it too. How is he?"

"You can ask him yourself. I'm on my way to meet him. This way."

Propelled by being given an order, Ash followed her with Goh behind.

"Brock… Brock…" mumbled Goh. "Wasn't he one of the longest of your friends to travel with ya?"

"Yeah, me and Brocko go way back," said Ash proudly. "Then he left to become a full-on Pokémon Doctor."

"Oh! And how's that going?"

"Er…last I checked he was going from Center to Center. I believe he was at Oreburgh in Sinnoh a while back," began Ash.

"Right now, he's on the last bit of onsite training and practice at Centers and wants to open a clinic soon," explained Lucy. "Though recently he's had a hankering for cooking again; he just had spell at a diner which has reignited his passion for the kitchen."

"Oh? Very nice," said Goh.

"That's cool! Brock's always been an amazing cook," added Ash. "His stews are awesome."

"Not just stews. Plenty of other specialty's too."

Ash went silent.

They met with Brock soon enough. Ash's fingers twitched as they exchanged greetings with him. It was especially odd once he got a full view of Brock and Lucy's luxury home. He reflected on just how much he was missing out.

"…and these are the footprints of what seems to be a few Bunnelby," Brock explained to Goh. "The single-file pattern line implies that they hide their numbers from predators like Corviknight, a tactic perhaps in addition to their quick burrowing adaptation."

"Cool."

"Tea?" asked Lucy as she held out a tray with the refreshments. Everyone took one.

Brock heaved a sigh. "Most lovely, dear."

"Yeah," added Ash, "it tastes great. No wonder perhaps that Brock asked you to be his wife."

Lucy smiled. "Indeed! I know I'm not the best at emoting, but I promise you that I am looking forward to our wedding day."

Goh watched in bemusement as Ash blinked and nearly choked on his iced tea. "Oh… I- I would've thought after the announcement on FacePad that you guys would've been married by now," he wheezed.

Brock shrugged. "The wedding hasn't happened yet. I've been so busy that I've barely been able to do much about the arrangements. I have a few things lined up, but dates are an important thing to consider, and I haven't had the time to map it out." He paused as if to consider his next words. "Of course, I understand that not everyone is available at the same time, so I wasn't planning for it to happen until next year at least."

"Hey, Brocko," said Ash suddenly. "If you'd like…I'd like to help with your wedding plans."

"Y-you will, Ash?" Brock sounded shocked. "Hallelujah!" He jumped up from the couch and held onto Ash's shoulders. "I never thought I'd see the day! I thought I'd have to forcefully negotiate with ya to get you to come to my wedding! Ain't no way I was going to do so without my longtime best friend!"

"Y-ya were?!"

"You bet! I was really worried that I'd have to find someone else to be my Best Man."

He tried, but failed, to hold in his tears. "Thanks, Brock," said Ash as he rubbed his eyes. "I…I just… I was scared…for a second…that I missed another grand event for one of my friends. I… I really want to be more involved in all your guys' lives..."

The former Gym Leader nodded thoughtfully and gave a sympathetic grin. "I had heard from people like May and Delia that you've been so busy lately that everyone thought you didn't have time for them. I never believed that, though. If anything, I respect that you put your dreams first and foremost."

"Thanks, Brocko. I'll try my best to be more of the friend I think I am."

"Attaboy." Then Brock got close again. "By the way…you got a girl who you can invite along…?"

"Uh…" mumbled Ash. "Y-yeah…of course I do…"

"Who is she…?"

"W-wouldn't you like to know…" said Ash, trying to sound sarcastic but failing.

"Mm, I think I know who it is." Ash paled and Brock took the hint. "If you're not too scared, I dare you to bring her for when Lucy's arranging the plans for the aisle walking."

Ash shook his head; the dare got him back to his old self. "Yeah! Course I'm not scared!"

"I'm so boned…" sighed Ash. He just had to promise to bring Misty along when he wasn't even sure anymore.

"Pika! Pikachu chu, pi pika Pikachu, chu, Pikapi."

"I know. I know!" replied Ash. "I just…don't know why I'm hesitating. I know how I feel, and yet I doubt myself. I see how things with my friends have turned out and I'm scared I'll do it to her too."

It was then that his phone went off. It was a text from Misty asking when he was available to see her. Ash paled. He just wasn't ready for that. If he agreed, he'd have to face hers and his feelings.

Ash texted back a quick sentence explaining he felt too tired and didn't have the energy for it. Misty sent back a message of understanding. He put the phone down and held his eyes, shaking. "What am I doing…?"

He didn't see Misty for some time, yet she texted a claim that she understood why. Pikachu scolded him for it but Ash ignored him even when he'd get a Thunderbolt for his stubbornness. Meanwhile the preparations for Brock's wedding were finally in motion. Ash as promised assisted in finding deals, venue, and budgeting.

The time when Ash was to bring Misty along was nearing. She knew of the wedding but Ash hadn't told her about his part to play in the event, he wanted that under wraps. Being around just Brock eased Ash, but then one day…

"May! There you are! Have Lucy and I got a fun part for you play in the wedding."

Ash turned and paled. He wasn't ready to see May, not after what happened.

"Hey Ash," she greeted.

"Hey…" he replied. Luckily for him Brock was too busy enthusiastically explaining his plans for the festivities for her to get involved with Ash.

Then they got to the tedious physical invite cards. Whether it was bad luck or some sixth sense on Brock's part, he and May were paired to take the whole lot to the post office.

May brought her son along in a stroller. It was just big enough to support one box of invites, so Ash carried the other. They walked along in silence save for May's motherly cooing to her kid.

He'd just finished stuffing the last stack into the chute when his eyes turned and met May's blue ones. Ash immediately averted his gaze but before he could act further…

"Hey Ash, I have something for you." May then reached into her purse and produced a DVD case. "My wedding video, it includes the reception 'n' everything as we wanted it professional filmed." Ash blinked and reached for the case. "I'm sorry it took so long to give it you, but it felt wrong to just mail it to you."

Ash grimaced as he felt the plastic case. "May…why wasn't I invited to it?"

He looked up and saw her fidgeting. "Honestly," she began shakily, "I didn't mean any malice. We hadn't talked since Sinnoh. When the date and time were arranged it just seemed wrong to pull you from all the way in Alola, especially when I heard through the grapevine that you'd only just flown back and forth from Kanto a few days prior."

"So you assumed for me," Ash interrupted. He kept his gaze away from the baby as he felt partial guilt doing this to a mother but he had to make things clear. "You assumed I wouldn't have gone to hell and back for an event as important as that?"

"Yes…" replied May shakily, "y-you're right, Ash. There's no excuse for what I did. But-"

"But what?" he said harshly.

She quivered a little. "Y-you…you never gave the idea that such things would interest you!" she cried. Ash blinked. "Ash, you're a friend and I have nothing short of deep admiration and respect for you, but when we traveled, you always made it clear to me that love was way down your priority list."

"Right, as if that means it's right to assume I wouldn't care about a wedding," replied Ash crossly. May shrank back. "Thanks a lot, May. Some friend you are. Y'know, you're just like everyone else, cold, uncaring, disho-"

"Ash!"

"What?"

"I'm sorry." May bowed her head to the ground. "You're right," she said, quivering, "it was a dumb, stupid decision – one I regretted as soon as I realized I was looking for your face at the dinner. It was my fault entirely with a choice made with a brain over a heart."

Hearing her tearful apology. Ash felt the red-hot hate dissipating away. "Thanks, I guess. I'm sorry for that."

"You're not wrong for feeling that way."

Ash grimly and somberly nodded. "Hey, by the way…" he muttered, "I also want to apologize for what I said at your house in Hoenn…about comparing June there to Skitty…"

"Wha…what're you talking about? It was just a joke – I knew what ya meant."

"Oh."

"What? Thought I was offended? I'm not that uptight about motherhood vs being a Trainer."

It hadn't been ideal but that shouting match with May had made things a lot clearer for Ash. He felt more at ease knowing he hadn't completely been forgotten about. He hoped more than anything else that his involvement with Brock's wedding would make his other friends and associates aware that he wasn't as unavailable as many seemingly assumed.

The few friends he did manage to encounter after that saw a much happier Ash Ketchum. His Mother was pleased to see him in higher spirits, Dawn began talking about non-Pokémon related things with him more than before, and Professor Cerise and Goh were both pleased to see him working less frantically.

"So Ash," Brock said one morning to him not long after his confrontation with May, "in two days Lucy wants to take the walking arrangements and practice seriously. You and your date ready for it…?"

"Y-yeah…totally," said Ash, avoiding eye contact.

"Good," said Brock with a smile that one'd have when they're up to something. "I look forward to meeting her."

Ash tried reading romantic confession advice online, he tried his various friends, Gary, Chloe, Dawn, but nothing they said gave him further clarity and all of them had the audacity to tell him his "feelings were obvious."

"So, you're going to tell Misty how you feel?" asked Delia one morning.

"Yeah, I am." Ash paused as he placed a bowl into the sink. "…Mom, do you have any advice for telling someone you love them?"

"You know how she feels – and you have been the one asking her out. You'll know what to say in your heart to her."

That morning Misty had a public demonstration of her Gym Battle training. Ash managed to catch the last few minutes. He was impressed, the Gym's benches were crowded with onlooking Trainers.

Amongst this crowd, to his bemusement, were numbers of photographers – presumably from the modeling magazine Misty mentioned. Perhaps more distressing, however, were those who were just there to ogle at her. The comments alluding to her nice figure made him angry but watching her command her Pokémon instantly took him out of it.

"Starmie, use Psybeam! Azurill, Hyper Voice! And Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" All three Pokémon roared and fired their attacks. The already pummeled targets were hit and got either incinerated or fell to pieces!

"That was a good show of strength," Ash said to Misty after the demonstration had ended.

"Thank you. I do have a reputation as a powerful Gym Leader to keep up. Yet, y'know, not impossible for any rookies who come my way." Ash chuckled. "So what's the agenda today?"

"Well, today I was thinking lunch at this diner…" Then he told her a skeleton of what he wanted to do with her that day. They were just exiting the Gym when Misty stopped, and Ash turned to face her.

"So have any problem that you'd like my advice on?"

"Huh?"

Misty looked confused for a second and then gently held his left. "Ash, I'm asking if there's anything bothering you right now."

"Oh." He brought his right to clasp hers and gently rubbed it. "No, not this time, Mist. This time it's just about us."

Misty's face brightened.

As they ate lunch at the diner, Ash felt more at ease than usual. Talking to Misty about trivial things, work, and Pokémon was relaxing to him, especially now as they discussed his current standings with his friends.

"…I'm just glad my friendship with May wasn't actually as…"

"Dour?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that – dour as I thought it'd be. I'm kinda surprised with how quickly I forgave her for everything."

"That's good. When was this? You haven't been to Hoenn in months."

"Uh." Ash froze. "I ran into her here in Kanto. Y'know…for Brock's Wedding."

Misty blinked as it clicked in her head. "Ah, makes sense."

They went silent after that, choosing to dig into their food. It was as Ash thought, being with Misty now has a sort of calming effect on him. This had been true months ago but now he was sure of it. It helps that he's starting to feel better about his relationship with his friends – she'd been so instrumental in that, probably more than she realizes. All this made him appreciate her more and more…

"Ash," said Misty as she chewed on some noodles, "you seem…troubled. Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry…just was spacing out."

"Ash." She put her spoon down and looked firmly at him. "That's the sort of face you've made whenever you were worried these past few months."

"No, really, it's not like that. Just…I like the little shine to your fingernails." She stared at him. "Really, I mean it."

The stare down continued until Ash pointed at the mess Azurill was making – it was after that Misty decided he was being truthful.

The date went well. Ash took her to see a research display and art gallery – she in turn surprised him by taking him to see a mini-Pokémon racecourse.

Evening came and the two friends were finishing two gelatos they'd gotten at the local fairground. They leaned against the nearby park's railing facing the setting sun.

"Whoa, we've got a great view."

Ash paused in thought, finished his gelato, and looked around; no one was nearby. "Hey Mist…a word?"

"Yeah?"

Ash had a deep breath before beginning. "Misty, thank you for telling me how you feel, hearing that really touched me. I honestly can't word how grateful I am for all your support these past few months. I've always valued you even when I didn't know what it meant – probably wasn't…mature enough to put it all together…"

"Ash…"

"And what I've put together is that: I love you too. I'm…sorry if that was obvious."

He heard her breathing slowly. "Don't say it like that…."

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Everyone else seems to think so. I mean, I subconsciously asked you out; as a kid I was always jealous whenever you gave your attention to another guy…seems obvi-" Misty cut him off by grabbing his hand.

There was a long pause before she spoke. "I know more than anyone else how difficult it is to distinguish 'like' from 'love.' Just hearing you admit that to yourself is something special. It's easy to say like, and I would've accepted just that – to know the difference and say it, that's bravery, Ash. Don't beat yourself up over whether it was obvious or not, only you could make that call." She squeezed his hand further, as if to imply she didn't want to hear any objection.

Left speechless, Ash's only reaction was to reach out and hug her firmly. Loosening up a bit, the two caught eyes and without words, softly pressed lips for a simple yet electrifying kiss. Ash felt all his anxieties, fear, and any other burden fade away.

"I love you," said Misty.

Ash's reply was without hesitation. "I love you too."

Change still happens in Ash's life but he'd learn to accept them, adapt to them. His relationship with Misty brought him immense happiness. The fabled day of Brock's Wedding soon came. Ash felt strong feelings of affection as he followed Brock down the aisle with Misty in a white dress next to him.

"You look beautiful," he whispered to her for the umpteenth time as they stood opposite each other at the altar. Misty's response was a blush, a wink, and held a finger to her lips to shush him.

"Y'know…I'm really happy to have met you," Ash told her quietly at the reception as they sat together at a table.

"Me too, Ash…" she replied. "Me too…"

"Yeah," said Ash, squeezing her hands before leaning in close. "It's nice…'cuz I finally caught up."

"What did you catch…?"

"My love for you." Misty smiled happily as they kissed happily once more.

Fin.

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! That is the end of the story – I might honestly add on to this one day for the ending, but I felt things were dragging on and on and I didn't want to overstuff this as a lot was going on as I brought Ash's arc to its end.

This was originally supposed to show up during Pokeshipping Week this year but between the three previous chapters and writing for that (I still have the last three days to complete…) I just couldn't and got writer's burnout. Hopefully you all enjoyed reading.

Note about this story: chapter one especially was inspired by real life, and as a lot of reviews I received for this indicated certainly struck a chord, which was the intention. About four years after graduation, I began seeing old high school classmates' LinkedIns and/or social media accounts and I was shocked by what I saw, so much had happened in the rough four years since high school. It still is surprising to see what's been happening. From marriages, folks expecting kids, battles with personal demons, the death of friends and family members, to some hardcore travels across the seas for both vacation and work purposes.

Change is inherently a part of life of course and I accept that wholeheartedly. I'm very happy for my cohorts but it made me think about how these sorts of changes would work on a fictional character. Generally what I consume doesn't dive deep into these things – I usually write Ash Ketchum as a sociable guy or one who doesn't encounter radical change. This time I decided to apply those feelings to him and make a story out of it. Chapter 1-2 were derived from this and the rest worked itself out as I penned them both.