So, I was going to add the next episode, when I noticed that they skipped a whole day's worth of possibility between the Unown and the contest. So...I decided to fill up that day with some originality from my imagination. Keep listening to that theme song, and keep using your mind to add Misty to it. ^^ Anyways, I appreciate all the reviews that you've all given me, and I hope you continue to read and review this story, and my others as well. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 11

Ash's POV

I woke up to find that Misty was already awake and dressed in her regular clothes, watching a TV show with the volume down. She looked over to me and smiled. "Morning Ash, how do you feel?"

"Morning Mist, I'm still a little sore, but I feel a lot better now than yesterday."

"Good to hear, you wanna go get some breakfast?"

Now this got me excited, I was starving since I didn't eat dinner yesterday. "Oh yeah, let's go! C'mon Pikachu!" It was practically instinct to call for my little buddy, but when I looked around the room, I noticed that Pikachu wasn't there.

"Ash, Pikachu slept with Brock and Dawn last night."

"Oh yeah…" I chuckled with my hand behind my head. "I forgot."

Misty giggled. "Well get dressed and we'll head down. Brock, Dawn, and probably Kenny are eating already."

"Hey yeah! Kenny still has to teach Turtwig Energy Ball!" I slipped on my vest and walked out the door, with Misty walking beside me. Once we got to the cafeteria, we spotted our friends sitting at a table and already enjoying their breakfast. "Hey guys!"

"Pikapi!" (Ash!)

"Hey Pikachu, how are ya?"

"Pika pika chu?" (I'm alright, you?)

"Hey big guy, how ya feeling?" Brock asked.

Now I could answer both questions at once. "Still sore, but I'm ready to go!"

"Well that's good," Kenny spoke up. "Now I can teach Turtwig Energy Ball."

"Sounds good to me, but first…" I rubbed my hands together and stared at the buffet line. "I need to chow down!"

Normal POV

Ash ran to the cafeteria line, leaving the rest of the group alone. "Pi ka." (Oh boy.) Pikachu said exasperatedly.

"Don't be too hard on him Pikachu," Misty said as the electric mouse hopped on her shoulder. "He didn't eat dinner yesterday, remember?"

"Pi pi Pikachupi." (You're right Misty.)

"Boy, just yesterday he couldn't walk without cringing in pain." Kenny said in awe. "Now, he's moving like nothing happened."

"That's just Ash." Misty said in admiration. "His determination and will never lets him stay down for long."

Ash came back with a huge plate of eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns. "This should hold me over until lunch!" he said excitedly.

Brock shook his head in amusement. "I'll never understand how you can eat so much and stay thin."

"Probably all the training I do with my Pokémon." Ash shrugged as he handed Pikachu an open packet of ketchup. "I keep them in shape, and they keep me in shape."

"Pi pi ka chu!" (You said it!) Pikachu nodded happily in agreement as he poured ketchup all over his Pokémon food.

"Well," Misty got up from the table. "I'm gonna go get my breakfast now."

"I'll come with you!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed. "I wanna tell you what I have planned now that Ambipom has evolved!"

"As for me," Kenny wiped his mouth with a napkin and picked up his cafeteria tray. "I'll get Breloom ready outside so we can continue training Turtwig to use Energy Ball, I'll be waiting gang."

"See you in a bit Kenny." Brock watched as the last of their friends walked away from the table, then he turned his attention to Ash. "So, Ash. Can you tell me now?"

Ash sighed and finally gave in as he gave his friend a pointed look . "Look, all I did was show Daisy how much fun battling was. She didn't need Misty there anymore after that."

"Wow, that's pretty clever, especially for you." Brock said with a smirk. Ash gave a small smirk back before diving back into his meal. "You know, you should probably give Misty a present or something. Just to show your appreciation."

Ash choked a bit before looking up at his friend. "But Brock, what could I give her? I mean, there's nothing I have that she would want."

"I actually have an idea about that. You interested?"

Ash huffed in exasperation. "Quit acting like a salesman Brock, just tell me!"

"Fine," Brock scoffed. "Take the fun outta everything. Anyway, I heard Misty tell Dawn that her favorite Pokémon was Tentacool and Tentacruel-"

"There's a shock."

Brock simply continued, "But…she mentioned that she had always wanted a Vaporeon."

Ash's expression turned thoughtful. "You know, I think I remember her mentioning that when we found Mikey's Eevee a couple of years back."

Brock smirked, "Oh look, the brain of Ash Ketchum finally kicks in."

"Ignoring that…" Ash deadpanned. "Where would I find a Vaporeon though?"

"That's the hard part. Maybe you could evolve an Eevee or something."

"But Brock, I don't have an Eevee, not even with Prof. Oak."

"Look, Ash, maybe you can trade for one…I can't give you all the answers!" Brock exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Then why did you give me the idea?!" Ash asked in the same tone.

"Because I wanted to help you guys!"

Ash sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe I can trade one of my Tauros?" he shrugged.

"Now you're thinking." Brock nodded in approval. "It's not like you don't have any to spare, so go find a trainer who has an Eevee with him!"

"Sure Brock, after I finish breakfast."

Brock gave a satisfied chuckle. "Fair enough."

Just then, Misty returned with Dawn and Pikachu, who hopped from Misty's shoulder to Ash's shoulder. "So what did we miss?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing much." Ash said without looking up.

"What's wrong Ash?" Misty asked.

Ash's eyes turned wide when his girlfriend started questioning him. "N-Nothing!" Ash exclaimed suddenly, "I…uh…I-I'm going to go…call my mom." he quickly got up from the table and ran off towards a videophone. "Now what do I- wait! I have another idea!"

Misty's POV

Ash ran off, looking really frazzled. I had to wonder what was wrong. "Ash probably swallowed something the wrong way." Brock said with a chuckle. I looked at him for a second, Brock was the first-aid expert of the group, so if he wasn't worried, I guess I could relax. But something in the back of my mind said otherwise.

"He's acting awfully strange."

Ash's POV

"Hello again Ash, what can I do for you this time?"

Ash smiled at the Pokémon Professor who was sending a friendly smile back at him over the videophone. "Hey Professor, can I make a temporary exchange?"

"Of course my boy! Just tell me who you'd like me to send over and who you'll be giving me in exchange."

"I'm sending you Staravia, and I want you to send me one of my Tauros."

"Is this for an upcoming battle?"

"No, I'm actually looking to trade one of my Tauros for another Pokémon."

The Professor nodded. "Understandable. Truth be told, I was wondering when you would get around to making use of the surplus of Tauros you have here. It's certainly no problem taking care of them all, but even the best of trainers would have a hard time making sure they're all trained. I'm sure that whomever you plan on trading this Tauros to will be able to give it some more hands-on care."

"Good point Prof. Oak..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Gee, guess I kinda owe it to 'em to find 'em some better homes, eh Pikachu?"

"Pika..." (Yeah...)

"Oh no, please, don't misunderstand me Ash!" Prof. Oak exclaimed with a wave of his arms. "Your Tauros all love you very much! There's no need for you to feel any remorse!"

"Well, if you say so I guess..."

"I say so." Prof. Oak nodded definitively. "Now then, give me just one moment to retrieve one of your Tauros." he walked away from the screen for a few minutes, and soon returned with a Pokéball in hand. "Alright then Ash, place Staravia's Pokéball in the slot and I'll make the exchange." I did as he said, and within a matter of moments, I had one of my Tauros in my hands.

"Thanks Professor, I'll call again later for Staravia."

"Okay then Ash." Prof. Oak smiled wistfully. "If you don't mind my asking, what kind of Pokémon are you looking to trade for?"

"Oh...um..." I could feel heat rushing to my face. "Well, I'm hoping to trade for an Eevee."

The Professor's smile grew wider. "Ahh, looking to give Misty a Vaporeon as a gift I presume?"

Now I could feel a blush on my face at full force. "H-How did you-?!"

"I could tell by the look on your face my boy, your mother told me about you and Misty and I for one am simply thrilled to see the two of you together. After all, there's no greater joy than falling in love with your best friend and having them reciprocate your feelings." then he lifted a finger and closed his eyes, and I had to suppress a groan as I knew what was coming next. "With you I can laugh, be serious or silly, with you I can be myself, and know that no matter what, you will love me."

"Good thing Dawn isn't here." I sighed a little and gave the Professor the best smile that I could. His poem may have been poorly timed, but it wasn't wrong. "Well, wish me luck Professor, now I gotta find a trainer with an Eevee to trade."

"Oh of course! Good luck to you Ash, let me know when it's time to get your Staravia back!" Prof. Oak then hung up, and once the dial-tone returned, I looked up a very specific number and called an old friend who could probably help me.

"Hello?"

"Mikey, that you? It's Ash from Pallet Town."

"Oh, hey Ash! Good to hear from you again after so long!"

"Yeah, it has been a while." the boy had clearly grown up since the last time we saw him. He'd gotten a haircut from the looks of things, and his face didn't have as much baby fat as it did when we first met. But what was the most obvious was the confidence shining in his eyes, it was clear that he'd been doing well with whatever he'd been up to for the past few years. "How are you and Eevee doing?"

"We're doing really great! Eevee's gotten really strong; we actually managed to beat my brothers a whole bunch of times!"

"Good to hear." I smiled at him for a moment before looking down, somehow I felt guilty for getting right down to business. "So...Mikey, as much as I'd like to say this call was just to say hi, I do have a small favor to ask."

"Hey that's fine, sure, what is it?"

I wasn't quite sure how to put this. "Well…um…have you or any of your brother's Pokémon…like…had a baby or something?"

"You mean, you wanted to know if any of our Pokémon have bred yet."

"Yeah…that."

Mikey smiled. "Actually, my Eevee and Rainer's Vaporeon recently had an egg that hatched about three months ago." he tilted his head in curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." I decided to tell him what it was I wanted, and a grin appeared on his face that continued to grow until his face couldn't stretch anymore as I told the story. "So, you and Miss Misty got together…well, as long as it's for the right reason. Anything to see her smile." I raised an eyebrow a little at Mikey's tone, he seemed a little too fond of Misty for my tastes. "Don't worry Ash, I'm not gonna try and steal her from you or anything."

Noises came out of my mouth before I was finally able to make words again. "I-I wasn't worried about that!"

"Uh huh, sure you weren't."

The smirk on his face only made me wanna crawl under a rock. "Okay fine, you got me."

"It's fine," Mikey waved it off. "I'll admit I did have a bit of a crush on her when I was younger, but that was a long time ago and we've both grown up. She's too old for me anyway. But that doesn't mean we aren't still friends, we pinky-promised!"

"I remember." I chuckled at that, clearly Mikey still had some of the little kid I used to know in him. "Well, what would you like in exchange for the Eevee? I have a Tauros here I could trade, maybe your Eevee could use a Pokémon to help it improve its Take Down attack?"

"That's perfect!" Mikey's eyes lit up in excitement. "I've been looking for a Pokémon that could help Eevee's Take Down get stronger!"

"Cool!" But then a thought occurred to me. "Hey…wait a sec, are your brothers cool with this?"

"Oh please, I'm the only one who takes care of the poor thing!" Mikey scoffed with a laugh. "Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers but they only want to make sure they never lose to me and Eevee again."

"Gotcha." I couldn't help but laugh back. "Well, guess we're all set, ready for the trade?"

"Sure thing, just gimme a sec!" Mikey ran off and within moments, he returned with a little Eevee in his arms. "This is our little Eevee, say hi Eevee!"

"Eevee!" (Hi!)

"Eevee, Ash is an old friend of mine, and he's got lots of Pokémon for you to be friends with. He wants to give you to another very special friend of mine who also has lots of Pokémon, and she's gonna want you to evolve into a Vaporeon like your daddy. Are you excited to evolve?"

"Ee ee!" (Yeah!) the little Pokémon nodded in excitement.

"Well alright then, you be good okay?" Mikey returned the Pokémon to its Pokéball and placed it on the console. "Alright Ash, ready to trade!"

I placed my Pokéball on the console, and within a matter of moments, Tauros was sent to Mikey, and I received the young Eevee. Having the Pokéball in my hand, I felt excitement bubble up inside me, and I couldn't help but cheer. "Alright! I got an Eevee for Misty!"

"Hold on a sec Ash, you said you wanted to give her a Vaporeon right?"

My joy was quickly deflated, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, Eevee won't evolve without a Water Stone! Do you have one?"

I did a face-fault, "Aww man!"

Luckily, Mikey had my back. "Don't worry buddy, I'll send you a Water Stone now."

"You can do that?"

"Oh yeah! Technology is awesome nowadays, now you can send small objects back and forth between people instead of just Pokéballs! If it fits in the slot, it'll send!"

"Wow, that's cool!" I watched as Mikey showed me a Water Stone and placed it on the console, and seconds later it materialized in front of me. "Awesome! Thanks a lot man! I owe you one!"

"Hey, like I said, anything to make Miss Misty happy," Mikey said with a smile. "She's the one who helped me decide to become an Eevee trainer instead of evolving mine in the first place, remember?"

"Yeah…Mist is something else alright." I pretty much zoned out thinking about her, but Mikey's voice snapped me back out of it.

"Well I'm glad I could help Ash, but now I gotta go, there's still some training to be done today. Give Miss Misty my best!"

"Seeya Mikey, I will, don't worry!" I hung up and held the blue crystal up to the light, letting it sparkle. "Alright, now that I have an Eevee, I'll have to decide when to give it to her." I stuck the stone in my pocket and started daydreaming again, if everything went the way I wanted, Misty would be really happy. "Maybe she'll even kiss me again. "I was jarred from my thoughts when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around me, accidentally knocking Pikachu off my shoulder. Luckily (and unluckily) I knew who it was. "Waaah! Geez Misty, warn a guy will ya?" I fought to catch my breath after the shock.

"Where's the fun in that?" Misty replied playfully.

When did Misty get so darn cute? She was making it awfully hard to keep my plan a secret. "Is Kenny still out there?"

"Yeah, he's there," she smirked at me. "But he may fall asleep if you don't get out there now."

That was an out. I smiled and stood up as Pikachu hopped back onto my shoulder. "Alright, let's get going!" I ran outside with Misty by my side, and found Kenny on the verge of passing out. "Guess she didn't see the stone...perfect!"

Normal POV

"Took you long enough." Kenny yawned and stretched before getting back up. "You ready to get started?"

"Sorry, I had something to do, but now I'm ready!" Ash pulled a Pokéball off his belt. "Turtwig, come on out!" After the throw, Turtwig popped out of his ball with a determined expression. "Alright Turtwig, ready to learn Energy Ball?!"

"Twig!" (Yeah!)

"Alright," Kenny focused his attention on the small grass-type. "Turtwig, you have to focus all your energy into your leaves in order to get the power you need!"

"Tur twig!" (Got it!)

"Alright, Turtwig, Energy Ball!" At Ash's command, Turtwig concentrated his energy, and the two leaves on his head started to glow as a ball of energy began to grow in his mouth. But then the ball prematurely detonated, knocking Turtwig onto his back. "Oh no, Turtwig!" Ash hurried over to check on his Pokémon, "Are you okay?" he received a nod in response.

Kenny crossed his arms in mild concern. "I think we should work on just keeping the Energy Ball in form for now."

Ash glanced at Kenny for a moment and nodded in agreement before turning back to Turtwig. "Hey don't worry Turtwig, nothing wrong with taking it slow."

"You must be a different Ash," Misty lazily pointed at her boyfriend with a smirk. "Because the Ash I knew would be in a big rush to learn a new move."

Ash put his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "Heh heh..."

"But Turtwig does already have a handle on concentrating hard, which is half of the battle." Kenny explained, his Breloom agreeing with a nod.

"Thanks Kenny," Ash stood up and faced the shorter boy. "But hey, I don't wanna hold you up too long, you probably have to get back to your training right? After all, the contest is tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's right." Kenny said with a nod before tilting slightly to look past the taller trainer where Dawn was working. "And it's obvious that Dawn's working really hard."

As if on cue, Dawn waved the others over to where she was working in excitement. "Hey guys! Come on over here! I want to show you what I'm working on with Ambipom!" Ash, Misty and Kenny glanced at each other for a moment before walking over to where Dawn was training, and without preamble, the female coordinator got started. "Alright, watch this! Ambipom, use Swift!" Ambipom did a handstand, and started spinning around with her tails upright.

Stars started flying as Ambipom continued to spin, twisting higher and higher into the sky until they began colliding with each other in a colorful and grand display. "Wow! That's awesome Dawn!" Ash exclaimed.

"It's like being inside of a rainbow!" Misty added.

"That's so pretty!" Dawn laughed with joy and ran onto the field to kneel in front of her newly-evolved Ambipom. "You earned this Ambipom, enjoy!" She handed Ambipom one of her homemade poffins, which Ambipom eagerly ate. Dawn's other Pokémon then walked up to her, wanting their own share of Dawn's tasty treats. Dawn turned around holding three more poffins. "Here you go; it's my way of thanking you all for working so hard."

"Dawn, Rainbow Swift was one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!" Misty exclaimed.

"You sure gave it your all, didn't you Ambipom?" Dawn asked knowingly.

"Ambi pom." (Sure did.) Ambipom said, making a circle with her tails, which was her symbol for friendship.

"I've been thinking…" Dawn said thoughtfully. "We didn't do very well in the Hearthome Contest because we got way too involved in double performances. But this time it's just Ambipom and me and we're going to work on showing off one move as much as we can!"

"Good strategy Dawn, and I think Ambipom is right with you." Brock said. Ambipom flipped into a handstand, keeping the symbol formed.

"Yeah, thanks!" Dawn stood tall and glanced down at her two-tailed monkey. "So whaddya say Ambipom? Once more from the top?" Ambipom began doing back flips, all too eager to show off some more.

"Sounds great Dawn, good luck to you!" Ash then turned to walk away, but not before chancing a serious glance in Brock's direction and motioning with his head for the breeder to follow him.

But unfortunately, he wasn't going to get away that easily. "Where are you going Ash?"

Ash grimaced before pasting on what he hoped was a convincing smile and looking over his shoulder at his curious girlfriend. "I'm just gonna take a walk." he said with a thumb pointed in the direction he was headed.

Luckily, Brock had gotten the hint. "I'll go with you Ash."

"You want me to come too?" Misty asked.

"No!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed. "I need someone to battle with!"

"You've got Kenny right here don't you?"

"I can't spar with him! He's my rival tomorrow!"

"You know I can hear you right?" Kenny deadpanned.

Ash laughed and just pretended Kenny hadn't spoken, "Well Misty, looks like you'll be busy for a while."

"I…guess so." Misty tried to smile, but she couldn't help but feel a small pang in her chest over not being able to go with her newly-christened boyfriend. "Well...see you later Ash."

"Seeya Misty, have fun!"

"Pika Pikachupi." (Bye Misty.)

The redhead watched her friends walk off, and then after allowing herself a small sigh, she summoned her Staryu and got to helping Dawn with her training. "Alright Dawn, tell me what I need to do."

Brock's POV

"Where the heck is Ash taking me? It must be important if he stopped a battle for it." Ash was leading me to an isolated area close to the lake, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me why whatever we needed to discuss had to be done in secret. Finally we stopped, and then Ash pulled out a Pokéball. "Ash, if you wanted to battle me, we could've done it at the Pokémon Center." He didn't respond, but he did toss the ball onto the ground, and my jaw dropped when I saw what popped out of it.

Now it all made sense.

The little Eevee squealed with glee after being released, and hopped into Ash's arms to lick his face with affection. "Uh, hi there little guy." he said with a smile.

I was dumbfounded, how had he managed to get his hands on an Eevee so fast? "Ash…where…I mean how…when did you get that?"

"I called Mikey, I hoped he could help me, and I got lucky."

Then it clicked. "You mean…you got a young Eevee from Mikey from Kanto?"

"That's pretty much what happened."

The Eevee hopped out of Ash's arms, and hopped into mine affectionately. That's when I was able to get a closer look at the little Pokémon. "You know Ash; this little guy is actually a girl."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"Just something a breeder knows." Eevee hopped out of my arms, and started carrying a conversation with her new friend Pikachu. "So, do you know what moves Eevee can use yet?"

"No, I guess I should find out though." Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan the creature.

Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into one of seven different Pokémon.

"Okay, now find out what moves she can use."

Ash pushed some buttons on his Pokédex, and it beeped to signal the completion of its analysis.

The moves that this Eevee can use are Quick Attack, and Shadow Ball.

"Awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Eevee knows Shadow Ball!"

I smiled. "That must mean that Mikey's Eevee learned Shadow Ball, and this Eevee inherited it!"

Ash grinned with excitement and glanced down at the small Pokémon chatting with Pikachu. "Well whaddya say we see what you got Eevee?!"

"Ee vee ee!" (I can't wait!)

I watched Eevee go over to cuddle Ash's leg in obvious affection, and I couldn't help but notice certain similarities to another Pokémon Ash had in his arsenal from watching the two interact. "Oh boy, I hope this doesn't turn out like the whole Chikorita and Bayleef situation."

Misty's POV

"Staryu, use Water Gun!" Staryu launched a high-powered stream of water at Ambipom for what was probably the fifteenth time, it felt like I'd been battling with Dawn for at least a half-hour, if not more. As a Gym Leader I was well accustomed to the rigors of Pokémon training, but usually there was an actual goal in mind.

"Ambipom, make your friendship symbol!" Ambipom did a handstand and put her tails in a circle, letting the Water Gun fly right through. "That looks really good!"

It wasn't that Dawn was bad company or anything, but I was getting kind of bored of being Dawn's "battling" partner. There wasn't even a real battle, it was just me and my Pokémon firing off different attacks, and letting Dawn figure out how Ambipom could use it to their advantage. I wished that I knew where Ash was, something had to be bugging him, because he wasn't acting like himself, not even like the new him.

He was too uptight, too jumpy. But out of courtesy for Dawn and her contest, I couldn't just ditch her to go find out what was up. I was stuck until Dawn finally had enough. And since Kenny was on the field next to us, I had a feeling she wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. One of the downsides of rivalry I figured, no matter how friendly it was.

Normal POV

"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!"

"Sudowoodo, dodge and then use Double Edge!"

The two Pokémon continued to spar with each other as the test of Eevee's ability continued. The little Pokémon fired off a black ball of energy at the rock-type Pokémon, but Sudowoodo was able to dodge it and rev up to attempt a brutal tackle that would've caused a significant amount of damage.

Had it actually managed to land.

"Eevee, dodge it with Quick Attack!" With the extra burst of speed, Eevee easily ran out of the way of Sudowoodo's Double Edge and made a sharp turn to go back and strike the rock-type's back. The amount of damage was minimal due to Sudowoodo's typing and greater level, but the maneuver itself was enough to satisfy Ash, who stopped the battle after the hit. "That was awesome Eevee!"

"Pi pi ka chu!" (Yeah, that rocked!)

"Ee ee!" (Gee thanks!)

Brock smiled and pulled out a Pokéball. "Thanks for your help Sudowoodo." The breeder received a smile and a salute from his Pokémon before he was called back into his Pokéball. Then Brock looked up at Ash who was again cuddling with the affectionate Eevee. "Well Ash, I think this Eevee is perfect for Misty."

"Not yet it's not."

"Vee?" (Huh?)

Ash placed the confused normal-type back on the ground and pulled the water stone out of his pocket, and the little Pokémon's confusion immediately morphed into excitement. "So Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon for Misty?" Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out her paw to touch the stone.

"Ash wait!"

Ash freaked out at Brock's outburst, and in doing so, he accidentally lost his grip and tossed the stone into the lake. "Oh no! The water stone!" Ash panicked. "Buizel, I choose you!" Ash threw out the Pokéball, and Buizel leaped out of his ball and dove underwater to retrieve the stone. "C'mon Buizel…get it!"

After a few tense minutes, Buizel hopped out of the water holding a blue stone. "Bui bui!" (Got it!)

Ash let out a breath he wasn't even aware he'd been holding and took the stone from his water-type. "Thanks a lot Buizel!" he returned the weasel to his ball, and then he turned to Brock with an annoyed scowl. "Well, what is it?"

The breeder had his arms crossed in obvious disapproval. "You weren't really going to just give Misty a Vaporeon for no reason, were you?"

"Uh, yeah. What did you expect?"

Brock sighed in exasperation. "Ash, you can't just give it to her! You have to make it emotionally worth it!"

Now it was Ash's turn to sigh - rather dramatically - as he tilted his head towards the sky. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to make it count inside her heart!"

"And how do I do that exactly?"

"Pi ka." (Good grief.) Pikachu face-palmed, for once he agreed with his trainer, why did humans always have to make things so complicated?

"Ash…I can't spell everything out for you!"

"Fine," Ash screwed on a determined smirk. "Just give me some tips then and I'll figure out the rest!"

Brock sighed and finally gave in to Ash's demand, "Okay, let's walk back and I'll explain a few things you could do." Ash recalled Eevee, and walked back to the Pokémon Center, intently listening to Brock's advice.

Little did they know that they were being watched the whole time from behind a bush by an all-too familiar trio. "How sweet! The twerp wants to give the red-headed twerpette a Vaporeon as a present!"

"Quiet Jimmy boy, dey'll hear us!"

"James, Meowth, shut up already!"

"Sorry Jessie."

"I have to say, the notion is admirable," Jessie said with some pride. "I support the idea."

"Wait," Meowth narrowed his eyes at the magenta-haired woman. "Does dat mean dat we won't even try ta nab dat dere Eevee?"

"Of course not Meowth! We'll let the twerps have their romantic moment…" she grinned evilly. "And then we'll steal their soon-to-be Vaporeon for Jessilina!"

"Sounds great!" James suddenly frowned. "Only one problem."

"Yeah, dose two twoips are da best Pokémon battlers in deir whole twoipy group," Meowth slumped dejectedly. "Dey'll clobber us."

"And-and the redheaded twerpette has a Gyarados!" James squeaked in terror.

"Not to worry," Jessie waved a hand dismissively. "We'll just dip into our savings and have Meowth build a robot perfectly capable of withstanding any attack!"

"What do you mean our savings?!" James clenched his fists in a sudden burst of anger. "The only ones with savings are me and Meowth! You spent all of your money on that dumb Jessilina outfit!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Aah!" James jumped back. "W-What I mean is, that even with all of our cash combined we wouldn't have enough to build a robot anyway."

"Then we'll make just an arm," Jessie screeched. "But I want a Vaporeon!"

Meowth sighed and shook his head with a helpless shrug. "Why even try ta argue?"

Ash's POV

We reached the Pokémon Center after a short walk, and Brock had been filling my mind with ideas, although some of them made me feel a bit weird. Like scooping Misty up bridal-style? I'm not married to her...although the idea didn't bother me much, which was actually kind of surprising. One idea I actually liked though was letting Misty be the one to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, I would definitely use that.

And styling the Water Stone into a necklace…that one would be a little tougher for me, but Brock insisted on it. "Hmm, looks like Misty and Dawn have had enough." Brock said as he observed the empty battlefields.

"Yeah, well I guess that means we can do some more training with Turtwig!" I was about to run inside the center to look for an opponent, when Brock held me back.

"Ash, I have one last thing to say."

I was stunned by Brock's seriousness. "Yeah?"

"When you finally give Eevee to Misty, timing…is everything."

"What does that mean?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

"B-But, what does that mean?!" Brock walked away without another word. "Brock?!" I couldn't believe it; he was just going to leave me hanging! "Timing is everything, what does that mean?!"

"Pikapi, pi chu chu pi ka." (Ash, you can do it, I know it.) Pikachu patted the side of my head to support me.

"Thanks Pikachu, I guess I'll just have to do my best, like a Pokémon Battle!"

"Pi pi ka chu!" (That's the spirit!)

I walked into the center, where I was greeted by Dawn, Kenny…and Misty. "Hey Ash, what's up?" Misty asked.

"Nothing much, just trying to get the last bit of kinks out of my body."

"How's Energy Ball coming along?" Kenny asked.

"We'll get it working eventually." I turned to Dawn. "How's your training going Dawn?"

"It's going great!" she beamed brightly. "Me and Ambipom have that contest in the bag!"

"You still have to beat me, Dee Dee." Kenny teased.

The female coordinator scowled. "You call me 'Dee Dee' one more time, and you won't even get to the contest in one piece!"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!"

"That's more like it." Dawn spoke with satisfaction, but she still wore a frown.

I chuckled at their bickering, then I turned to my girlfriend. "Hey Misty, how about helping out me and Turtwig with a little more training?"

Her smile was infectious. "Sure Ash, no problem."

She got up to join me outside, and together we walked out to the battlefield. Hopefully, I would figure out what Brock meant by what he said if we spent some time alone.

Normal POV

"Those two sure are spending a lot of time together, aren't they?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

"Yep," Brock nodded with his arms crossed. "It looks like Ash is really happy to have Misty back."

"And it looks like Misty isn't exactly sad about it either." Dawn laughed.

Brock just smiled and stared off in the direction he saw his two friends walk. "Good luck Ash, I get the feeling you'll need it."

Outside on the battlefield, Turtwig was facing off against Misty's Politoed. "Turtwig, use Energy Ball!" Turtwig concentrated his power, and a small ball of energy materialized in his mouth. "C'mon Turtwig, you can do it!" Turtwig managed to get the ball to grow a bit, but it then detonated inside of his mouth, and Turtwig fell onto his back. "Oh no, Turtwig!"

"Tur twig." (Oh man.) Turtwig moaned.

"Hey, don't worry Turtwig, sooner or later you're bound to get it! You work too hard not to."

"Pi pi ka chu pika pika!" (Yeah, you're already getting good!)

"Twig! Tur twig tur!" (Yeah! Let's try again!)

"Hey Ash, I'm gonna get an attack in too!" Misty grinned. "Politoed, use Double Slap!"

"Waah! Turtwig, jump!"

Turtwig responded to the quick order and leaped into the air to avoid Politoed's attack.

"Now I've got you! "Politoed, Water Gun go!" Politoed managed to turn around and nail Turtwig with a Water Gun attack, sending the small turtle higher into the air before falling into the mud.

"Oh no, Turtwig are you alright?" Turtwig shook the mud off his body and grunted out an affirmative. "Alright, use Razor Leaf!" Turtwig launched his attack quickly, and Politoed had no time to react before getting hit.

"C'mon Politoed, you can do it!" After taking the super-effective attack to the face, Politoed jumped back into battle-ready stance.

"Alright, Turtwig, use Energy Ball!" Fueled by the adrenaline rush of the battle, Turtwig managed to create the ball at full size. "Alright, you did it Turtwig! Now fire!" Turtwig launched the attack, but it fell well short of the target.

"Tur." (Aww.) Turtwig moaned.

"That was awesome Turtwig!"

"Twig?" (Huh?)

"The way you made that Energy Ball so quickly, that's major improvement!"

"Twig, tur tur twig!" (Yeah, I guess it is!) Turtwig said happily.

"Take a nice rest, you did great." Ash returned the grass-type to his Pokéball, and Misty returned Politoed on the other end of the field.

"I'm impressed Ash." Misty smiled. "You've really grown into quite the trainer."

Ash's hand flew behind his head, and he chuckled, "Thanks Mist, I appreciate you helping out."

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Misty giggled. Suddenly Ash's stomach started to rumble, signaling its never-ending alarm of hunger. "You haven't had lunch yet, have you Ash?" Misty asked playfully.

"Heh, I guess not." Ash replied sheepishly. Pikachu sweat-dropped.

"Well, now is as good a time as any." Misty offered her hand to the boy, and he happily accepted and gave it a squeeze. They looked at each other for a few moments, before finally walking into the center to get something to eat.

"Aww, how cute!" Jessie gushed from behind a bush.

"When are we gonna make our move?!" Meowth asked impatiently.

"Did you get our robot done yet?!"

"It needs a few more adjustments," James sighed. "But it should be done soon."

"Then we'll make our move when it's done." Jessie said matter-of-factly. "In the meantime, just keep an eye on them!"

After a quick lunch, and a few more training sessions and friendly battles, the sun began to set, showing off a grand display of oranges, reds, and yellows. "The sunset is just so beautiful." Dawn said dreamily, her chin resting on her closed fists supported by her elbows.

"Yeah…I think I'll go for a walk. It's been too long since I had some 'mother/child' time with Azurill." Misty said using air-quotes. She then called out Azurill, who squealed happily in Misty's arms upon arrival. "C'mon Azurill, let's go for a walk."

"Azu!" (Yay!) With that, Misty walked out the doors of the Pokémon Center with her Pokémon in tow.

Misty's POV

"It's so beautiful out here, isn't it Azurill?"

"Azu." (Yeah.)

"You know, Ash has changed so much…as hard as it to believe, he's actually matured in so many ways. The way he battles, the way he treats and trains his Pokémon, the way he treats his friends…even the way he treats…me." I blushed just thinking about it. I carried Azurill all the way to the lake, and just stared at the sunset's reflection on the water while Azurill splashed around, with my thoughts racing about the young boy who had opened his heart to me like I always dreamed.

Ash's POV

"Hey Dawn, where'd Misty go?"

"She went out for a walk with Azurill, the beauty of the sunset was just too much for her to resist she said."

"Uh, sure." Out of the blue, something Brock had told me reached my mind.

"Timing…is everything."

It was so perfect! The "beautiful" sunset that Dawn had mentioned was something that Misty would love! And she would probably be near her favorite thing: water! The time was now! I ran out of the Pokémon Center leaving a very confused Dawn behind, and took off in the direction of the lake. When I finally got close enough to see her and stay out of earshot, I called out Eevee. "Ee vee!" (Hi!)

I shushed Eevee, so that Misty wouldn't hear. "Okay Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon?"

"Ee ee vee!" (I sure am!) Eevee hopped up and down in excitement.

"Okay, then just sit tight in your Pokéball, we're going in." I called Eevee back and quietly walked up to Misty, who apparently hadn't noticed my presence. "Hey Mist." I said quietly.

Misty suddenly screeched and jumped almost five feet in the air, maybe I should've made my approach a little louder. "Ash, you idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

I could see the anger flaring in her eyes, so I backed up a few steps, holding my hands up in defense. "Sorry Misty, I didn't mean to scare you." Misty seemed to calm down a bit, but her frown didn't disappear. I sat down next to her, and was relieved when she didn't object. But I wasn't there just to sit, I had something I needed to do. I just had to build up the courage. "Hey Misty, have I told you how glad I am to have you back with me?"

I saw a small smile emerge on her face. "Several times Ash."

"But you know, I've been thinking…you gave me your handkerchief so that I had something to remember you by."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"I realized that since you're back now, I don't really need it anymore." I took my hat off and handed her the handkerchief, which for some reason she took rather harshly.

Misty's POV

"Oh swell, he doesn't even want the stupid thing anymore! Well fine then!" I snatched it out of his hand and got up to leave with Azurill, but I was held back when Ash grabbed my hands.

"Misty, you gave me something of yours as a memento, but no souvenir could take the place of you actually being here." he told me, looking straight into my eyes. I suddenly lost my rage and blushed, those cocoa eyes of his could really make my heart melt. "You know, I never gave you anything to thank you for coming back with me."

"Oh," Now I understood why he was giving back my handkerchief. "Ash, you don't have to get me anything, I'm just glad to be here." I called back Azurill and began to walk back to the center, just to try and keep my emotions from getting out of control again, but Ash stopped me again.

"Misty, how many Pokémon do you have with you?"

"Um, five…why?"

Ash handed me a Pokéball, and I looked at him in curiosity. "Go ahead Mist." he said.

I tossed out the Pokéball, and an Eevee popped out of it and hopped into my arms affectionately. "Um, thanks Ash." I stroked the little Pokémon's fur, which earned me an affectionate purr from the brown creature.

"Don't thank me yet."

Okay, what was he up to? And…why was I not able to figure it out before it happened? Ash walked up behind me, and placed something around my neck, which made me blush furiously. I looked down, and gasped quietly at the stone around my neck. "A-Ash…is this…what I think it is?" I whispered.

"You said that you always wanted a Vaporeon," Ash said sheepishly. "This is just something to say…thanks."

I could feel tears forming in my eyes...again...what Ash just did was so touching, I wasn't sure why I was still surprised by this, since I knew how much Ash had matured, but that didn't stop me from crying. "You know what? I'm not even gonna try and keep appearances anymore, when it comes to Ash, my heart is an open book."

"Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked, apparently thinking my tears meant sadness.

With Eevee still in my arms, I hugged him tightly and cried happily over his shoulder. "T-Thank you Ash…I love it so much."

Ash wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly, which made me cry more. Eevee hopped out of my arms to avoid getting squished and watched us. I was just so happy, I was going to have my dream Pokémon, and it was all because of Ash. "It's not over yet Mist; you still have one thing left to do." he said lovingly.

I wiped the tears from my eyes, and took off the necklace. "Ready Eevee?" I asked softly, my voice cracked a little from crying. Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. Eevee began to glow white, and after growing a little and changing shape, it emerged as a Vaporeon. When it finished evolving, it rubbed against my leg affectionately, and I gave it a tight hug.

Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into water as well.

"Thanks again Ash." For a moment, Ash and I just looked deeply into each other's eyes, not saying anything, but all of a sudden, a giant arm appeared from nowhere and grabbed Vaporeon right from my arms.

"Va po!" (Help!)

"Aah! Vaporeon!" I screamed.

"What's going on?!" Ash yelled.

"Listen, is that the voice of two lovebirds I hear?" a voice said.

"Oh no, not them." I thought.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear." Another voice said.

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"You guys have some nerve taking away Ash's present to me!" I screamed furiously.

"Actually, we found the whole scene quite touching!" James exclaimed from the robot arm.

"Yeah, I got all choked up!" Meowth exclaimed sincerely.

"I'm actually quite happy for you two," Jessie snarked. "But that won't stop me from taking your Vaporeon!"

Then Ash stepped up and raised a clenched fist. "If you guys think that I'm just going to let you take away Misty's present, you're out of your mind!"

"Fine kid, you wanna fight, you got one!" Meowth yelled. The arm started flinging sand at me and Ash, which he shielded me from with his body.

Of course I didn't stay behind him for long, as much as I appreciated his chivalry, I was a little too ticked off to stay out of the battle. "Misty calls Gyarados!" I called out my water dragon, who gave a frightening roar.

"Aaah! It's her Gyarados!" James screeched.

"Keep it together James! It can't hurt us in here! We've got their Vaporeon!" Jessie pointed out.

"Oh yeah! You hear that twerps? Anything you hit us with will hit your Pokémon!" James laughed.

"Misty, tell Gyarados to use Hydro Pump!"

I looked at Ash in shock. "But Ash, we'll hit Vaporeon!"

"Just trust me Misty!" Ash repeated with an intense stare. "Tell him to attack!"

I was about to give another rebuttal, when suddenly his plan clicked in my mind. Truth be told, it was genius. With a knowing smirk, I nodded and turned back towards my Pokémon. "Gyarados, use Hydro Pump! Full blast!"

Gyarados fired his attack, and Team Rocket adjusted the robot's angle so that the attack would hit Vaporeon, just as we expected. "Now Vaporeon, use your Acid Armor!" Ash yelled. Vaporeon took the hit from the Hydro Pump and dissolved into the water, then rematerialized on the ground, and ran to me.

"Aaah! Where did it go?!" Jessie yelled. "Meowth, did you let my Vaporeon slip through your fingers?!"

"Dey musta used dat Hydro Pump somehow!" Meowth exclaimed in fear.

"That's right you clowns, now don't ever mess with my Vaporeon again!" I grinned and pointed at the robot. "Gyarados, send them blasting off with Hyper Beam!" Gyarados fired the ultra-powerful beam at the robot, and with a screaming Team Rocket inside, the robot blew up. But instead of blasting off, they landed on the ground painfully. "Ugh, why would they not blast off this time?"

Normal POV

"I'm not giving up my Vaporeon like that!" Jessie yelled.

"You mean my Vaporeon you creep!" Misty snarled back.

"I won't be bothered by unimportant details! Dustox, let's go! Use Poison Sting!" Jessie called out her poisonous moth, who seemed to sneer at the now slightly unnerved redhead.

"Carnivine, let's go!" Carnivine popped out of its ball, and turned around to give James a painful bite of affection. "Forget me! "Use Bullet Seed on the twerps!" Dustox and Carnivine fired their attacks at Ash and Misty, which headed towards them at high speed.

"Misty, Vaporeon can use Shadow Ball!" Ash exclaimed.

"Really?!" The redhead smiled and pointed at the incoming attacks. "Alright then Vaporeon, use Shadow Ball!"

Vaporeon leaped up and fired a ball of ghostly black energy, which cut right through the Bullet Seed and Poison Sting attacks and struck Dustox and Carnivine. "Hey, that's not fair! Dustox, use Whirlwind!" Dustox flapped its wings in retaliation, possibly a bit too hard, as it also affected Team Rocket, and almost lifted Jessie into the air. "Not so hard Dustox!" Jessie screamed.

"Let's end this now!" Fighting through the gusting wind, Misty shouted one last command. "Gyarados, use Flamethrower, and Vaporeon use Shadow Ball!" The two Pokémon stood their ground and fired, causing Team Rocket to finally blast off once the attacks hit.

"Oh great, our savings went for nothing." James moaned.

"Look on the bright side!" Jessie said cheerfully.

"What bright side?! We're blastin' off wit nuthin' ta show for it!" Meowth yelled.

"Thanks to Dustox, I got an idea on what to do for the contest tomorrow!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Oh great, but in da meantime…" Meowth paused.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

*Ping*

"Alright! Way to go Gyarados! And of course, you did great too Vaporeon!" Misty cheered. Gyarados roared in celebration, and Vaporeon rubbed against Misty's leg.

"Wow, it's dark already Mist," Ash said in shock. "Guess that battle took longer than we thought. We should probably get back before the gang gets worried."

Misty nodded and recalled Gyarados, and almost recalled Vaporeon, but she stopped herself. "Ash," she said quietly. "I don't think I can ever repay you for this."

"Mist, the way you can repay me, is to just be yourself and train that Vaporeon like the water-type master you are!"

"I will, I promise!" Misty squeaked as she hugged Ash again, and then gave him a peck on the cheek.

Ash smiled softly and pulled back so that he could pull out a Pokéball. "So, shall we walk? Or take Charizard?"

"You know," Misty smiled and took Ash's hand into hers. "I don't think I'm in any rush to get back." Ash smiled back and squeezed Misty's hand, and started the walk back to the center, with Vaporeon walking by their side.

Once they reached the Pokémon Center however, they were greeted by a short, blue-haired ball of rage. "Ash and Misty! Where have you two been?!"

"Pi pi plup pi plup?!" (Don't you know what time it is?!)

Brock was about to berate them as well, when he noticed the Vaporeon sitting next to the couple. "It's okay Dawn, just relax." he said with an understanding grin. Dawn gave a huff, and went back to the table they were sitting at. "So, who's this?" Brock asked.

"This is the Vaporeon that Ash gave to me!" Misty had to fight to keep herself from squealing at the top of her lungs.

"Really?" Brock feigned ignorance. "What moves can it use?"

"Well, it used Shadow Ball and Acid Armor against Team Rocket but-"

"Team Rocket?!" Brock cut off the redhead midsentence. "Is that why you guys were out for so long?!"

"Uh, yeah." Ash replied. "They showed up right after Vaporeon evolved from Eevee."

Brock hummed and then relinquished an understanding smile. "Well, I'm just glad you two are alright."

"Oh my gosh!" All of a sudden Dawn was no longer upset, as she zipped back over and knelt down to pet the new Pokémon. "Misty where…or should I say when did you get such a beautiful Vaporeon?!" the coordinator gushed.

"Actually," Misty felt her heart swell as she took a glance at the trainer standing next to her. "Ash gave it to me a little while ago."

"Really?! That's so sweet!" Dawn gushed again. Ash and Misty just blushed, but not necessarily out of embarrassment.

"Well," Brock finally spoke up again. "Come on guys, let's get some dinner and head to bed, we have a long day tomorrow."

"Brock's right, c'mon Ash!" Misty said happily.

"Uh, I'll catch up with you in a minute." Ash said. Misty shrugged, and ran to the Pokémon Center cafeteria with her new Vaporeon, Dawn eagerly following to spend more time with the new water-type.

"Well Ash," Brock raised a triumphant fist and grinned. "Looks like ol' Brock was right after all."

Ash just chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "Yeah, thanks Brock, you were right when you said that timing was everything."

"Made all the difference to Misty, didn't it?" Brock asked knowingly.

"Not just that Brocko."

"What do you mean?"

"Team Rocket couldn't have timed their attack worse." Ash laughed and ran off to the cafeteria, leaving a confused Brock in his dust.

After dinner, Ash, Misty, Brock and Dawn went up to their respective rooms to sleep. "Pika pika, pi ka chu Pikapi." (I'm really proud of you Ash.) Pikachu said as Ash got ready for bed.

"Thanks Pikachu," Ash gave a relieved sigh. "I'm kinda proud of myself too."

"Pika chu chu pi ka." (You should be.)

Then Misty entered from the bathroom where she'd changed into her pajamas, giving a yawn and a stretch. "Hey Ash." Without another word, the redhead crawled under the covers and snuggled into her pillow.

With a smile, he followed her in with Pikachu hopping onto the bed, then he noticed that there was another figure sleeping at the foot of the bed. "Hey Misty, aren't you going to put Vaporeon into her Pokéball?"

"Nah," the water-type trainer raised her head slightly to glance lovingly at her snoozing Pokémon. "I'll let her sleep with us tonight, lets a trainer connect with her Pokémon, you know?"

Ash just smiled. "Yeah, I get it."

Then Misty shifted over so she could press her back against Ash's chest, sighing with contentment as she reveled in his natural warmth. "You know Ash, these past few days with you have been better than the entire two years we spent together."

"Yeah, I think so too Mist, your timing to come back couldn't have been better."

She gave a soft smile even as she started to doze off. "And I promise," she whispered. "Vaporeon will be well taken care of."

"I know that. She's got a water Pokémon Master raising her." Feeling bold at that moment, Ash leaned in and kissed the water-trainer on the top of her head.

Misty blushed at the compliment...and of course the tender kiss he gave her, and cuddled closer to Ash. "I love you Ash, thank you so much." she whispered.

"I love you too Mist, you're welcome." And with that, Misty fell asleep, leaving Ash the only one awake as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and gave one last glance at the snoozing Vaporeon at the foot of the bed. "I guess the advice Brock gave me works in more than one way…timing really is everything."
_

A/N: Hi there, just a quick message for those reading this story in 2017. Bear with me as I'm editing this story to be - quite frankly - better than it was when I first started. Reformatting paragraphs, changing small things here and there to make it a more enjoyable reading experience, etc. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trying this story, and I hope you continue to enjoy it even as it currently is. See you in the next chapters!