Thanks for the reviews everyone. And by the way DeathGoblin, I thought about what you said, and I think you're right. I've decided to only go with episodes that are important...or I can make a decent story out of. ^^ This is the longest chapter so far by far. I hope you all enjoy it. Please continue to read and review!

Chapter 9

Normal POV

After a quick lunch at the Pokémon Center, Ash and Misty went to find Dawn, who was busy working with her newly acquired Aipom for the upcoming Solaceon Contest. "We still have a few hours to kill before it gets dark, Ash. What should we do after we find Dawn?"

"We could always have a Pokémon battle," Ash replied with a certain gleam in his eye. "I've been curious to see how strong you've gotten since the last time we battled."

Misty instantly caught that gleam, and her blood began racing with excitement. "You're on!"

After a bit more walking, they found Dawn training with Aipom. "Alright, let's try it again, Aipom use Swift!" Aipom's tail started to glow, and stars came flying out of its tail. "Now, Focus Punch!" Aipom's tail glowed again, as it punched one of the Swift stars towards the circle of stars; it bounced around for a bit, but then fell short. "Aww," Dawn slouched her shoulders. "We were so close this time too."

"How's it going Dawn?"

Dawn turned to glance at Ash with a frown on her face. "We're trying to work on this contest move, but we seem to be missing something. Every time we use Swift, something goes wrong right at the end and the move falls apart!"

"Well don't worry, you'll get it eventually."

The coordinator relinquished a small smile at the encouragement. "Thanks for the support Misty, but I think I'm gonna take a break now."

"Hey, as long as you're finished with the field, Misty and I wanted to have a battle! Can we use it?"

Dawn's eyes lit up at the idea of watching a battle between the two. "Sure! I'll even give you a coin toss!"

Nodding determinedly at each other, Ash and Misty took their respective places on the ends of the field. "Call it off Dawn!" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright! Misty, heads or tails?"

"Give me heads!"

"Alright…coin toss!" Dawn pressed the button on her Pokétch, and the virtual Magikarp coin flipped and landed on heads. "Heads it is! Misty, you get to go first!"

"Alright!" the redhead grinned and pulled a Pokéball off her belt. "This is gonna be fun! Misty calls Politoed!" Misty tossed her Pokéball onto the field, and with a flash of light, her water-type frog appeared and clapped with a big smile on his face.

"A Politoed." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the new creature.

"Politoed, the frog Pokémon, and an evolved form of Poliwhirl. The curled hair on Politoed's head is proof of its status as a king. It is said that the longer and more curled the hair, the more respect this Pokémon earns from its peers." the Pokédex chirped.

As soon as he saw that there was a battle about to take place, Politoed got into a battle-ready stance, bringing a smirk to the black-haired trainer's face. "Don't expect me to take it easy on you Misty, get in there Pikachu!" Pikachu leaped onto the battlefield with a determined grin on his face, his cheeks sparking with electricity.

"If you take it easy on me, you won't last two seconds! Politoed, use Water Gun!"

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu jumped out of the way of the high-powered stream of water, then ran at full-speed towards the frog Pokémon with a white trail behind him.

"Jump Politoed!" the water-type leaped up and dodged the attack.

Then a predatory grin appeared on Ash's face. "Gotcha!"

"Huh?!"

"Pikachu, turn it around and use Volt Tackle!"

"Oh no!" Misty's eyes widened in horror. "Use Water Gun to stop him Politoed!" Politoed turned in midair and fired a stream of water at the incoming Pikachu, but Pikachu ran right through it and nailed Politoed with the powerful electric attack. "Aah! Politoed!" Politoed fell on the floor fainted; the super-effective and powerful surprise attack was too much for the frog to take.

"Politoed can't battle," Dawn exclaimed. "The winner is Pikachu!"

"Nice job Pikachu!" Ash pumped a fist. "Way to show what you're made of!"

"Pika!" (Thanks!)

The black-haired trainer crossed his arms smugly over his chest and smirked at his opponent. "What do you think of Volt Tackle Misty? Pretty powerful huh?"

"Impressive, looks like you and Pikachu finally have that move nailed down." Misty looked down at her belt after returning her fainted Pokémon, relinquishing a small, satisfied smirk when she saw Ash clench his fists at the jab she sent his way. "But get ready for this! Misty calls Azurill!" the water-trainer tossed out her second choice, and her baby Pokémon emerged from the red and white sphere and bounced cheerfully on her tail.

"Hmm, an Azurill." Dawn again pulled out her Pokédex.

"Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon. It battles by flinging its tail, which is bigger than its body. And it is also used as a flotation device in the water." the Pokédex chirped.

"You're gonna use Azurill?" Ash scoffed. "Pikachu's gonna beat her easy."

Misty raised an eyebrow with a knowing smirk. "You sure about that Ash?"

"Of course I'm sure! Pikachu, hit her with a Thunderbolt!" Pikachu stood still with his ears drooped. "Uh, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt."

"Pika pika." (No way.)

"What do you mean no way?" Then the trainer's eyes widened in realization and he smacked his face with his palm. "Oh no, not again!"

"Oh yes!" Misty giggled mischievously. "Azurill, go give Pikachu a big hug!"

Dawn looked on with a bewildered expression, as Azurill hopped over to Pikachu and started nuzzling his cheek, and Pikachu retreated, apparently not wanting to hurt Azurill. "What am I seeing?"

"Oh come on Misty, that's not fair!" Ash clenched his fists and stomped his foot in anger. "You did the same thing with Togepi two years ago!"

The redhead shrugged. "Well, like the old saying goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"

"Come on Pikachu, just a little static?" Pikachu shook his head no, then scampered over and hid behind Ash's leg. "That's a lousy way to win Misty." the black haired trainer muttered.

"Um...so...Pikachu won't battle," Dawn said in shock. "So I guess Azurill wins by default."

"Way to go Azurill!"

"Azu!" (Yay!)

"Yeah, yuk it up Mist, that technique won't work with this one!" Ash pulled a Pokéball off his belt and tossed it onto the battlefield. "Buizel, I choose you!" Ash summoned his recently acquired water-type, who emerged from his ball and stood tall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Bui bui!" (Ready!)

"Go give that Buizel a hug Azurill!" Misty said a little too cheerfully.

Ash smirked, but didn't say anything as Azurill hopped over to Buizel and nuzzled him. But Buizel didn't seem to enjoy it too much if his face was any indicator. "Buizel, flick 'er away!" The water weasel rotated his body and softly threw off Azurill, but the rejection of her affection caused Azurill to cry, so Misty called her back with a furious scowl on her face.

"Have you no mercy for baby Pokémon Ash?!"

"Sure I do, that's why I told Buizel to just shake her off and not attack her!"

"Bui!" (Yeah!)

"Fine," Misty snatched a ball off her belt and wound up her throw. "Let's see you beat this one! Misty calls Staryu!" Misty's final Pokémon - her ever faithful Staryu - emerged from its Pokéball and got into a battle-ready stance.

"Hyahh!" (Ready!)

"Cool, a Staryu!" Dawn exclaimed as she pulled out her Pokédex once more. "All these new Pokémon in one day!"

"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. It is an enigmatic Pokémon, which can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle." the Pokédex chirped.

"Alright, Buizel use Water Gun!"

"Counter with your Water Gun Staryu!"

The two Pokémon launched their attacks, and they collided with each other with a large splash, negating both attacks and nearly getting the coordinator girl who was refereeing wet. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry Dawn!" Ash refocused his attention back on the battle. "Not bad, but get ready for this! Buizel, Sonic Boom!" Buizel leaped into the air, and his tail began sending off shock waves of sound.

"Staryu, use Swift!" Staryu sent a shower of stars to meet the impending Sonic Boom, and again, they collided with a bang, negating each other and rendering them useless.

"Your Staryu's gotten really strong Misty, I'm impressed!"

"Your Buizel's not so bad either!"

"Now we'll show you what we're made of!" Ash pointed at the intended target. "Buizel, use Aqua Jet!" Suddenly Buizel became enveloped in a veil of water, and charged towards the sea-star at high speed.

"Wow! Look at that speed!" Misty's eyes momentarily widened at the display, but then she got back into it. "Jump Staryu!" Staryu jumped to avoid the attack, but Buizel managed to hit its bottom half before it could totally escape, and Staryu fell flat on its face. "Ahh, Staryu!"

"We've got it now!" Ash grinned victoriously. "Alright Buizel, use Sonic Boom one more time!" Buizel launched the Sonic Boom attack, and the numerous shockwaves struck Staryu in its back. When the sea-star Staryu turned over, its red core began to blink, signaling its defeat.

"Staryu can't battle!" Dawn announced. "The winner is Buizel, and the match goes to Ash!"

Ash threw a fist in the air in celebration. "You did it Buizel, way to go!"

"Bui bui!" (Oh yeah!)

While her boyfriend celebrated with his Pokémon, Misty called back her exhausted sea-star and looked at the Pokéball with a small but grateful smile. "You did a good job, take a break Staryu." she said softly. The redhead then turned her attention to the Pokémon Trainer on the other side of the field. "Well Ash, you've certainly shown me a thing or two, your battling has really improved since I last saw you."

Ash put his hand behind his head and chuckled bashfully. "Heh heh, thanks Mist, but remember I wouldn't have gotten very far if you hadn't gotten me on the right track all of those times."

"You're right," Misty smirked. "If it wasn't for me you'd still me moping over losing the Indigo League."

"Oh yeah?" Ash asked in a nasal tone.

"Yeah." A smirk spread across her face, she knew what was coming.

"Oh yeah?" Ash said louder.

"Yeah!" Misty replied, matching his volume.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?!"

"YEAH!"

Dawn stepped in front of them, afraid that something bad was going to happen. "Hey, knock it off! People are staring!" Dawn exclaimed as she pointed towards the spectators. But then the coordinator was momentarily left speechless when Ash and Misty looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. "Did I miss something?!"

"We used to do this all the time, didn't we Ash?" Misty smiled at the memories playing through her head.

"Yeah, we sure did."

Dawn observed the loving looks on both of the older trainers' faces and grinned mischievously. "They really like each other…hmmm…I think I'll play a little joke, get some revenge on Ash too." The coordinator tapped them on their shoulders and got their attention. "Say, it'll be a while before it gets dark, why don't we go swimming by that nearby lake?"

"Swimming?!" Misty beamed at the idea. "I'm in!"

"Sounds good to me." Ash added.

"Perfect!" Dawn clapped her hands together. "I'll go to the Pokémon Center and get our rooms for tonight, and you guys can go on ahead and get changed, I'll meet you there."

"Oh Dawn, as long as you're going there, can you go and pick up Charizard?" Ash asked.

"Sure thing!" With that said, Dawn ran inside the Pokémon Center.

Dawn's POV

"I can't pass up this opportunity, I'm sure Ash will thank me later." I couldn't help but grin at the sneaky little idea I'd come up with. I finally reached the front desk, and as usual, Nurse Joy was there awaiting trainers. "Hi Nurse Joy, Can I pick up a Pokémon for my friend Ash?"

"Oh yes, that's the boy with the Charizard. He was absolutely exhausted from flying for so long; he should be fine now though, wait one moment." Nurse Joy turned and went into the back of the center, and moments later she returned with a Pokéball in hand. "Here you are, is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Actually yeah, my friends and I need to get two rooms for tonight."

"Of course, I'll get you your rooms as soon as I can." Nurse Joy smiled and turned away to leave.

"Oh, can I make one small request?"

She turned back towards me. "What is it?" Nurse Joy. I smirked and motioned for the nurse to come closer, and then I whispered my plan into Nurse Joy's ear. When I saw a grin appear on Nurse Joy's face with an accompanying nod, I knew tonight was going to be great!

Ash's POV

Once we reached the lake that we would spend the rest of our day at, Misty and I split up so we could get changed into our swimwear. I jumped behind a tree and slipped off my backpack, and pulled out my red swim shorts. After I stuffed all of my clothes and my hat into my backpack, I slipped on my shorts and walked over to the water's edge. I happened to catch my reflection in the water, and I couldn't help but grin a little. "Hey, looks I'm getting some muscle on my arms, I wonder if Misty will notice."

Misty's POV

I jumped behind a bush and slipped off my backpack, and then put on my favorite red swimsuit. I quickly finished adjusting everything, and was about to come out from hiding, when I felt something slimy touch my leg. Reluctantly, I looked down, and I found a Wurmple crawling up my leg. I actually felt the color leave my face, and I gave an ear-piercing shriek.

Ash's POV

"AAAAAHHHHH!" My head shot up at that, I knew that scream anywhere. I rushed over to where the scream came from with Pikachu running behind me.

"Misty!"

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!)

When I got there, I saw Misty standing from behind a bush, looking down at something. "Misty! Misty what's wrong?" Misty slowly turned her head towards me, and I felt my heart start to race when I saw her face. "Misty, you're pale! What happened?" I asked softly.

Misty pointed her finger down towards her leg, and I followed where she was pointing and saw a Wurmple on her leg. "Get…it…off." she squeaked.

I gave a sigh of relief, seeing that the problem wasn't as serious as I feared. "You really gave me a scare Misty; I thought something terrible happened to you." I took a deep breath to try and get my heart rate down.

"Something terrible did happen!" she shouted at me. "I'm being touched by an ugly, slimy bug Pokémon!" I shook my head at that, and got on one knee, gently removing the bug-type from her leg. It gave me a glare as I removed it, and it crawled away in a huff.

"I guess some things never change, eh Misty?" I chuckled and looked at her, but my smile faded when I saw that she was still frozen with fear. "Hey, Mist, it's gone, you can relax now."

She blinked a few times, and finally fell to the ground, curling up into a ball as she trembled from the experience. "I hate bug-types…they make chills go down my spine." she whimpered.

I scooted next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's ok. The bug is gone now."

Misty's POV

I was absolutely paralyzed with fear from that bug-type, I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest from that traumatic experience...that is…until Ash wrapped his arm around me. "Hey, it's ok. The bug is gone now."

His voice soothed my frayed nerves, and I felt the color return to my face with a vengeance as I started to blush, wrapped in his embrace. "Thanks Ash." I whispered as I closed my eyes and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"No prob Mist."

I smiled at that, I loved it when he used that name for me. It was his own personal pet name for me, and I loved it to bits. "I'll have to remember to come up with a pet name of my own."

Dawn's POV

"Where are those two? I figured they'd be swimming already." I looked around for them, and I could've sworn I caught a glimpse of red hair behind a rather large bush. "Misty, is that you?"

Normal POV

Ash and Misty's eyes grew wide simultaneously when they heard Dawn's voice. "Uh, yeah. I'm just about done changing!" Misty called out. She then stared intensely into her boyfriend's eyes. "Stay down!" she whispered. When she received a nod from him, she removed herself from his embrace and walked out from behind the bush. "Hey Dawn!"

"Hey Misty…" Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong? You look flushed."

The water-trainer felt her heart rate quicken. "Oh…um…i-it must be the heat!"

"Oh," Dawn's brow furrowed in suspicion. "Ok."

Ash's POV

"I've gotta get of here!" I was just about to crawl away, when I saw the Wurmple show up again, but this time, it had an angry Dustox with it. "Oh…crud." The Dustox fired a Poison Sting in my direction, and I went crazy trying to dodge it. I jumped out of the bush screaming with the Dustox giving chase. I finally leaped into the water to avoid further harassment from the bug/poison-type, and that was when it finally gave up and flew back to where it came from. Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't still in trouble. "Great, I escaped the Dustox, but now I have to face Dawn, and probably an angry Misty."

Misty's POV

I watched as Ash jumped out of the bush and ran away from an irate Dustox, which was firing Poison Stings at him. Then I chanced a glance at Dawn, who now had a sly smirk on her face. "Did I interrupt something?" she grinned.

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. "Ooooh, if that Dustox doesn't get him, I'll kill Ash!"

As soon as the Dustox gave up on waiting for Ash to surface, Dawn and I walked over to the water's edge, where Ash emerged, gulping in much-needed air. "Sheesh, I thought that thing would never leave!" I glared at him with rage. How was I supposed to explain to Dawn why we were sharing the bush I was changing in? I grabbed my mallet and whacked him back underneath the water. "Hey, what was that for?!" Ash asked angrily when he surfaced again.

"I told you to stay down!" My eyes grew wide after I said that and I glanced at Dawn, who was looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

"Would you rather I got hit by that Dustox's Poison Sting?!" Ash yelled back at me.

I had a response locked and loaded, but it fell dead when I realized what Ash had said. Would I really have preferred that? He was just trying to keep himself from getting hurt, maybe badly! When did the dense Pokémon trainer get so good at our arguments? Maybe realizing he actually had strong emotions inside of him, had forced him to grow up even more than he had already. "Um…well…no." I was stumped. Ash had a smug grin on his face; he was obviously pleased that he had beaten me. "Wipe that smile off of your face Ash Ketchum!"

"Why?" his grin only grew. "Shouldn't I be proud that I finally beat you at this?"

"No!"

"You need to cool off," Ash pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "How 'bout joining me in the water?"

"Sounds good to me!" Dawn exclaimed. "Just let me go change!" Dawn was about to go to the same bush that the Dustox went to when I stopped her.

"Uh, Dawn, don't go over there!"

She turned around. "Why not?"

"That Dustox went that way remember?" Dawn's eyes grew in realization, and she turned to head for a different bush. Then I turned to Ash, who was now floating on his back in the water peacefully. Suddenly an evil thought popped into my head, he would pay for defeating me in a battle of wits. "Hey Ash…" I said before bracing myself to jump.

"Yeah Mist?" he replied without opening his eyes.

"Heads up!" I dove into the water and tackled Ash under the water. I looked at Ash and laughed inwardly. He had his cheeks puffed out and his eyes looked bewildered. He quickly swam to the surface and I followed after him, unable to hold in my laughter any longer once I surfaced. "The look on your face was priceless!"

"Well I'm so glad you enjoyed it." he said sarcastically. Then I suddenly found myself being dragged underwater; Ash had grabbed my foot with his feet and pulled me under. "Turnabout's fair play!" Ash laughed.

I resurfaced and gave him a glare, and he smiled and gave me a peace sign with his fingers. Somehow I couldn't find it in me to stay mad at him. "C'mon Ash, let's see what we can find down there!" I dove underwater and Ash followed me down. I grabbed his hand so we would stay together…and just because I wanted to. The water was clear and blue, and we could see the sun shining above us. We spotted all sorts of Pokémon, such as Clamperl, Magikarp; we even saw a Gorebyss which I thought was extremely beautiful. I wanted to stay down longer, but Ash was starting to tug on my arm, saying that he had to get air.

We resurfaced and he started gasping breathlessly. "I'll never understand how you can stay down there for so long."

"I was practically raised in the water, remember?"

He smirked and then turned towards the shore. "Hey Dawn, you comin' or not?"

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here and get some sun." Dawn was laying on a blanket on the grass, and she was now in a two-piece, yellow swimsuit with her hair tied into a long ponytail.

"Hey Ash," he turned back towards me. "It's such a nice day out, why don't we let our Pokémon have a little fun too?"

He smiled. "Great idea Mist!" Ash swam back to shore and pulled out his Pokéballs, then he went and pulled mine out too. "C'mon out everybody!" I watched his Pokémon emerge next to mine, and was amazed when I couldn't really recognize anybody besides Charizard, although I did remember briefly seeing some of them before.

"Hey, great idea!" Dawn got up and ran over to her backpack, tossing all her Pokéballs into the air to release their inhabitants. "C'mon out everyone!" Soon all of her Pokémon emerged as well, and they immediately began playing with my Pokémon.

As for Ash's Pokémon, they had all looked at me upon release, and they came over to get a good look at me. "Meet Misty everyone." Ash said.

"Twig!" (Hi!)

"Star staravia!" (Pleased to meet you!)

"Bui" (Sup.)

I finally got to Chimchar, who held out his hand for me to shake it. As I did so, I remembered something that Pikachu told me.

"It's a long story too."

That peaked my curiosity. "Hey Ash?"

"Yeah Mist, what's up?"

"Pikachu told me there was a story behind you getting Chimchar. Can I hear it?" I thought it was an innocent question, but I felt tension in the air afterwards, when Chimchar and Ash looked at each other with forlorn expressions. "W-What's wrong?" I asked nervously.

Ash slowly got back into the water and looked up. "Chimchar was abandoned by his trainer, because according to him, Chimchar wasn't strong enough." Ash petted Chimchar's head, and I could swear that Charizard was listening in, probably since his story was similar. "Paul treats his Pokémon as slaves, not friends or companions. He treats them horribly, and Chimchar was the most abused out of any of his Pokémon. Paul forced Chimchar to put himself into life-threatening danger, just so he could activate Chimchar's Blaze ability. When he couldn't get Chimchar to use it, he abandoned him." I felt a pang in my chest for both Ash and Chimchar as the story continued. "I decided to take in Chimchar as my own Pokémon, and we've become great friends, ain't that right Chimchar?"

"Chim char!" (That's right!) the monkey smiled.

I couldn't help but smile a little at their interaction, but something about the story was still eating at me. "One last thing Ash…"

"Yeah?"

"You said his name was Paul…how did you know that?"

"Paul is Ash's rival!" Dawn suddenly jumped into the conversation as she rushed over to the edge of the shore. "And he's a total jerk to everyone! All he cares about is making his Pokémon stronger anyway he can!"

"Let's just say, he's Gary times ten." Ash said.

I imagined what that would be like, then shuddered at the notion. Some awkward silence passed, until I ended up needing to wipe my face off after my boyfriend splashed me with water. "What was that for Ash?!"

"It was getting too quiet," he laughed. "I had to break the silence!" I splashed back, and dove underwater to avoid the counter-splash. Ash followed me underwater and tried to give chase, but I knew he didn't stand a chance at catching me. Swimming came naturally to me, and I could maneuver better than Ash could ever dream to.

After a few more rounds of splash-fighting, races, and an argument or two, I finally got out of the water when my fingers and toes had turned all wrinkly. We returned all our Pokémon, then I laid down on the blanket, and admired the sunset that was before me. But looking at it filled me with a strange feeling of sadness. "It looks like the day I left Ash." I closed my eyes to try and relax, and I felt someone lay down next to me, although I had a feeling I knew who it was. "Hey Ash." I said softly.

"Open your eyes, I'm not Ash." My eyes popped open and I saw Dawn laying next to me. "Ash is changing into his clothes over there." she pointed over by a nearby tree. "You really care about him don't you?"

"Care is an understatement." I thought. "Yeah, I do." I said softly.

"I have to know," Dawn tilted her head curiously. "What is it you like about him?"

"I can't even count all the reasons." I decided to tell Dawn the story as I saw it, I could probably get used to having another girl around. "Well, when we first met, Ash was just getting started on his journey; he borrowed my bike to avoid the Spearow, and ended up destroying it."

"You told me that already, but that can't be the reason you like him!"

"It's not, in fact, I hated him for it. I found my bike trashed outside of the Pokémon Center in Viridian City, and I was ready to kill him! But then I saw his concern for Pikachu, who was badly hurt by the ordeal. After Pikachu was deemed fit, I started following him so he would repay me for my bike. At first, we really couldn't stand each other, but I saw how much he truly cared for his Pokémon…as his friends…not his servants. I admired that. We eventually warmed up to each other and became friends."

Dawn looked around before commenting, making sure Ash was still out of earshot. "That's a strange way to fall in love."

"Maybe," I hummed as a content smile spread across my face. "But I don't think I would change anything even if I could."

"That's so sweet! Ash is lucky to have someone like you!" I blushed at her compliment.

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

We turned to see Ash walking up to us, and Dawn gave me a smile before getting up. "Nothing much. Ok, my turn to get changed, see you guys in a minute." She ran off and left me and Ash alone, and I turned my head back to the sunset, memories flooding my mind.

Ash's POV

Misty was being uncharacteristically quiet, she was looking at the sunset with a thoughtful expression. "Hey, what's on your mind?"

"The sunset…" she said without averting her gaze. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah…I guess it is."

"But you know…it reminds me of a sad time."

I was surprised to hear that. "When was that?" I asked softly.

She hesitated for a moment, then she answered. "When I had to leave you the first time…" I could tell from her voice that she was upset. "The sunset looked just like this."

I frowned a moment, trying to think of what I could say to her to make her feel better, then I smiled as I came up with an answer. "Yeah…but you know? Now it looks like it's celebrating the fact that you came back. Try to think of that when you see a sunset from now on."

Misty's POV

I was amazed at Ash's insight. He was right, since I was back for good; there was no reason for me to dwell on past pains. Now, all I needed to think about was my future, and be happy that I was finally back with Ash…where I truly belonged. I wrapped my arms around him and admired the sunset, suddenly looking at it filled my heart with joy instead. It wasn't a symbol of my leaving; it was a symbol of my return. Ash hugged me back, and laid his head onto mine. I felt like I could stay there forever, wrapped in his embrace…but it wouldn't last for two reasons: I was still in my suit and had to go change, and Dawn had returned.

Normal POV

"Ahem!" Dawn cleared her throat.

Ash and Misty released each other, blushing furiously. "I'm gonna go change." Misty said softly. Ash nodded, and Misty walked back to the bush away from the Wurmple infested area.

Ash's head suddenly shot up, and he looked around the area in confusion. "Hey, has anyone seen Pikachu lately?"

"No," Dawn looked around as well. "Not really."

Ash's head continued to swivel around, but then his eyes locked onto Pikachu who had just walked out of a nearby bush. "Phew," he sighed with relief. "Hey Pikachu, where ya been?"

Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and replied: "Pika pika pi pi ka chu Pikachupi." (I didn't want to interrupt you and Misty.)

"Heh heh, thanks buddy," he scratched the electric-type behind his ears. "But you don't have to worry about that. You're free to hang around whenever you want."

"Pika pika pi pi pika?" (I know, but who said I wanted to?) Pikachu winked.

Just then, Misty came back from behind the bush in her regular clothes, and the trio walked back to the Pokémon Center, with two members walking hand-in-hand. At the Pokémon Center, Ash, Misty and Dawn had gone in to check on their sick friend. "Nurse Joy said I'll be well enough to get out tomorrow." Brock said cheerfully.

"That's a relief!" Dawn wiped her brow with the back of her hand in relief.

"Yeah, but Dawn," Brock raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Next time there's a secret or something, try to refrain from getting people sick."

Dawn sweat-dropped and laughed nervously. "Sure Brock, sorry again."

The breeder smiled sincerely. "Hey don't worry, we're all friends here. Now you guys go and get some rest, I'll see you in the morning." Goodnights were exchanged, and the younger members of the group walked out of the room, leaving Brock to get some sleep.

They walked over to the front desk, where Nurse Joy was waiting for them with two room keys. "Here you go, have a goodnight." she said with a smile.

"Well, here ya go Ash, g'night!" Dawn handed one of the keys to Ash and tried to walk away as fast as she could.

"Hey Dawn, where's the key to my room?"

Dawn froze and slowly turned around when Misty asked her question, and she fought to look as natural as possible. "Oh, did I forget to mention? They only had two rooms, so you and Ash will be sharing his room." Dawn said casually.

"What?!" Ash and Misty said in unison, blushing hard at the thought. Pikachu looked at them both in shock.

"Yeah," the coordinator looked at them innocently. "Why…is something wrong with that?" Both Ash and Misty started mumbling incoherently, thinking about what they could say without offending each other too much. They finally gave up, and Dawn gave a satisfied grin. "See you guys in the morning!" She skipped away to her room, grinning madly the whole way. "That'll teach Ash to keep secrets from me!"

As for the couple, they walked up the steps to their room, not once even bothering to look at each other, out of fear that the awkward feeling would get worse for both of them. Finally, Ash decided to break the silence. "Well…at least there'll be two separate beds." Misty nodded and gave a small smile, then Ash opened the door and they immediately face-faulted in shock. The room was small and had only one bed. "You've got to be kidding!" Ash exclaimed in horror.

"Only one bed?" Misty gulped.

"No way, there's gotta be a pull-out couch or something!" Ash began tearing the room apart, looking for any signs of another bed.

"Ash, how can there be a pull-out couch if there isn't even a couch?!"

"Well, maybe a portable cot then?"

"There's no room for one moron!"

Ash glared at the girl who was yelling at him. "Look, it's not my fault Dawn did this!"

Misty was about to answer back, but for the third time that day, her response died on her tongue before she could get it out. He was right, it wasn't his fault. Dawn did this. "Geez," she whined. "Stop winning the argument!"

Ash put on a smug grin, he was beginning to enjoy outsmarting Misty who used to always be able to beat him in a battle of wits...but that feeling quickly wore off, replaced instead by a feeling of tenderness which showed on his face. "Hey, look, I'll grab my sleeping bag, and you can sleep on the bed. How does that sound?"

Misty's POV

Ash was offering me the bed…in the old days there would be a race to see who would get it, and now Ash was telling me to just take it? "Ash, are you sure? I mean, you probably haven't slept in an actual bed in a while." I asked him, slightly in awe.

"Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure." he replied with a grin. Was this really the same Ash? It seemed too good to be true. "Go ahead, it's all yours." Ash gestured towards the bed with his hand. I couldn't stop myself from looking at him affectionately. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek in thanks. "You're welcome." the tender tone in his voice gave me goosebumps. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as we made it out to be.

After we took our showers, we watched a quick movie together. I couldn't even remember what it was about, I was so tired from all the swimming as it was. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard Ash say goodnight to me, just before I zoned out completely.

Ash's POV

Right before the Pokémon movie ended, I heard a soft breathing coming from my shoulder. At first I thought it was Pikachu, but when I looked I saw a head of flaming red hair. I admired her for a few seconds before I set her down carefully and pulled the covers up over her, which she snuggled herself into out of unconscious reflex. "G'night Misty." I whispered.

Just then, Pikachu came bounding in from out of nowhere. "Pikapi, pi Pikachupi pika?" (Ash, is Misty asleep?)

"Yeah, she's asleep, but where do you keep disappearing to?" I asked him as I set up my sleeping bag next to the bed.

"Pi pi pika pi ka chu." (I was checking on Brock.)

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "Alright then. We'll go to sleep as soon as I set up the sleeping bag."

"Pika pika ka chu pi pi?" (Why not just sleep in the bed?)

Pikachu was obviously unaware of what he just suggested. I blushed hard at the thought, but I had to try and keep my cool. "Nah, she deserves her privacy. I'll just let her have it."

"Pika, pi." (Oh, ok.)

"Hey, no worries buddy. C'mon, let's get some sleep." I slipped into my sleeping-bag, and Pikachu bounded over to me and took his usual place next to my head. Curled up into a ball, he gave a yawn and fell asleep quickly. I petted the head of my best Pokémon pal, and tried to go to sleep myself…but that would prove to be pointless.

Misty's POV

I woke up at what I saw was 1:00 A.M., shivering from the cold inside the room. What was it with hotel rooms that they had this compulsive need to make the room what felt like sixty degrees? If I was this cold, I could only imagine what Ash was feeling, since he was right next to the A.C. unit. I looked over the edge of the bed and saw Ash, shaking violently. "Ash, you awake?" I asked softly as not to startle him.

"Yeah, I'm up."

I was feeling so bad for taking the bed now, I left him there to freeze, I could even hear his teeth chattering…sure he offered the bed to me…but I couldn't help but feel guilty. "I can't believe I'm about to say this." I gathered up all my courage, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Do...d-do you want to…share the bed?"

Ash turned to me with eyes that showed curiosity and a little hesitance of his own. "Misty…are you sure?"

I giggled, his face was so cute right now. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have offered." I blushed and smiled as I quoted his earlier statement.

Ash's POV

"Should I take her offer? I mean…it is pretty cold in here…" One last chill that ran down my spine from the air conditioner made up my mind. There was no way I would get any sleep if I turned blue overnight. I gave her a smile and made my way under the covers of the bed, making sure to give Misty her space. "Hey, thanks a lot Mist." But the gap was quickly closed when Misty wrapped her arms around me, and snuggled close to me.

I heard her whisper something, but I couldn't decipher it since she was already half-asleep again. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to me, and she gave a small, but happy sigh. I couldn't help but smile, she looked so peaceful sleeping there. And the tranquility that had filled the air was starting to take its toll on me. With Misty close by, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Misty's POV

Ash put himself under the covers, and I cuddled up close to him. I felt his warmth wash over me like a hot shower. I was already half-asleep when I whispered out something that came straight from my heart. "I love you Ash."