Time to get back to Ash, who by now is feeling the effects of those painful memories. Thanks for the reviews so far, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I own nothing except the story.

Chapter 3

Normal POV

Days passed, and Ash was still suffering from the effects of Misty's absence in his life. He always tried to put on a smile, give the impression that everything was alright. He would occasionally laugh or make a joke, but it was never with the same energy and vigor that Ash was known for. To his credit, Ash was able to fool Dawn, who remained blissfully unaware of Ash's inner turmoil.

Pikachu and Brock, however, knew immediately that something was very wrong.

Ash would lose focus during training sessions, leaving his other Pokemon confused until he finally snapped out of it and got back to the task at hand. Getting his attention for anything outside of training was even more difficult. There were times when it seemed like he'd tuned out the entire world. He kept Dawn in the dark by claiming he was pondering battle strategies for the next gym.

Then Ash did something truly strange.

Usually whenever he went to a new region, his costume would renew as well. But all of a sudden, Ash opted to change his ensemble to something a bit more...nostalgic, and it even managed to get Dawn's attention.

Ash knew it was a desperate attempt, he'd just been feeling so lonely lately that he needed to try something to shake off this awful feeling in his chest and stomach. So he began wearing his old clothes, the same ones he wore when he was traveling full time with Misty. At this point, it barely fit the growing boy. The look was almost comical in that sense, the sleeves of his ratty vest squeezing around his armpits. He had hoped that wearing some memories would make him feel happy, but nothing could've been further from the truth.

He felt worse.

If seeing Misty's handkerchief was the trigger that sent Ash careening into his own memories, then putting on his old clothes eliminated any hope of him climbing back out. Images of everything he'd been through wearing that outfit flashed in Ash's mind like a rapid-fire slideshow, filling his already aching heart with even more longing that threatened to burst it from the inside. Misty had been with him practically since Day 1 of his journey, four years ago. She'd watched him go from a rookie trainer who didn't even know that pitting a bug against a bird was a bad idea, to a champion-level trainer that could take down some of the toughest challenges anyone could face.

But more than that, Misty had become a defining presence in his life. As the memories replayed over and over again in his head, Ash found himself realizing that even back then, seeing Misty happy filled him with so much joy and gratification. The relieved smile she gave him when he regained consciousness in the Lavender Tower, he remembered feeling so special in that moment, that she cared about him so much that she would shed tears over him.

Then there was Maiden's Peak...that night was possibly still the most fun he'd ever had in his life. Just those few hours of dancing at Misty's side, the two of them dressed in kimonos while Misty had her hair down for the occasion. He remembered being left speechless by the sight. He had teased Misty for "looking like a girl for once" the first time he saw her in a swimsuit, but it wasn't until he saw her in that kimono that Ash actually realized just how pretty Misty could be.

And the examples just kept coming. Her coming to his rescue on Shamouti Island, the glamour she displayed during the Queen of the Princess Festival, her offering her blanket to him so he wouldn't injure his hands any further while trying to thaw out Charizard, her unwavering support of his goals and always pushing him to be the very best he could be. She was a driving force in his career as a trainer...and not having her there with him now made him feel empty inside.

But still, he didn't change out of the outfit, as doing so in his mind made him feel like he was trying to throw Misty to the side. The last thing he wanted was to remove her, if anything he wanted her closer. He shrugged off Dawn's inquiries as best he could, claiming he was feeling nostalgic and that he wanted to go back to his roots by wearing his old clothes. Dawn accepted that answer, but Ash could tell that Brock wasn't buying it.

He could feel Brock's gaze on him almost constantly, like he was a new species of Pokemon being studied in a lab. There was a part of Ash that wanted to snap at him, tell him to mind his own business. But that's when Misty would come back into his mind, and he could practically hear her telling him to calm down, that Brock was just concerned and wanted to help. So he kept his mouth shut, just wishing for the awful feeling to go away as he trudged along with his companions, completely oblivious to the conversation being had.

"Well," Brock said as they walked down the path they were on. "According to this map, we should hit Solaceon Town in just a few days." Brock checked for a reaction, and he sighed internally as he watched Ash dragging his feet behind him and Dawn, not even acknowledging that he'd spoken. "His attitude has to have something to do with what happened a few days back."

"Brock," Dawn whispered as she sidled up next to the Pokemon Breeder. "What's wrong with Ash? I don't understand, there has to be more than what he's been telling us."

"I'm not sure." Brock looked back at Ash once again, seeing the boy's head lowered while Pikachu rested on his shoulder, looking just as despondent as the electric-type fed off of Ash's depression. "But I have a theory, I just need an opening to try and see if I'm right."

Dawn nodded quietly, giving a very tiny chuckle as a thought came to her. "You know what I just realized?"

"What's that?"

"We haven't been attacked by Team Rocket in a while. I was just thinking that if they showed up right now, it would give Ash something else to focus on for a little bit. It's actually kind of weird to have a few days without someone trying to steal our Pokémon."

"Well, I don't know about you Dawn, but I'm not exactly complaining about it." Brock turned to Ash, hoping a little conversation might elevate his mood. "What do you think Ash?"

Ash's POV

"Misty…I can't seem to get you out of my head…ever since I saw your handkerchief again, I've been dreaming that you were here again, on the road, having fun, heck…I even enjoyed the arguments we had. I know we'll always be best friends, and I know you're at the gym chasing your own dream...but I can't help but wish you were here with me."

"Ash? Ash?"

"Hmm?" I was faintly able to register Brock asking me something, and I raised my head and looked at my two friends, who were looking at me expectantly. "Oh, Team Rocket? Yeah, they haven't attacked in a while, have they guys?" I looked at my two traveling partners, and by the looks on their faces, it seemed like I had said something I wasn't supposed to, since they both were acting like they had to break some kind of bad news to me. "What?"

All of a sudden I felt the ground underneath me start to give, and we all fell in a hole. "Oh no, not again." I could feel an intense anger erupting inside me as I grit my teeth and my fists clenched, the only time we ever randomly fell into holes like this was when Team Rocket was about to try something. "Now the balloon will show up, and Team Rocket will start their lame motto again. Well, not this time!"

Jessie: "An evil as old as the galaxy!"

James: "Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

Just hearing those words triggered me. Those three losers were such a waste of time, and I already had enough weighing me down without them trying to cause trouble. "I am not in a good mood today Team Rocket, so I'll tell you your destiny now!"

Jessie scowled after I cut them off. "How dare you interrupt our motto?!"

"Yeah! Dat's really all we got in dis dumb racket! We even decided ta pull out an old favorite for dis occasion!" Meowth added.

"Get out of here…now!" I could feel my face was hot from just how angry I was getting, there was a tiny voice in the back of my head telling me I was letting that rage spiral out of control, but somehow it felt good to lash out at something...well, if I was going to do that, it might as well be Team Rocket. "I'm warning you, you guys try to bother us today and you're not gonna like what happens!"

"Well twerp, what's got you so upset?" Jessie asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, you're usually all happy-go-lucky." James added in the same tone.

That was all I could take. "That's it! Pikachu, get them out of here with a Thunderbolt!"

"Piiiikaaa Chuuuuu!"

I smirked as I watched Team Rocket disappear over the horizon. But not before hearing them cry their all too familiar cry.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

*PING*

Normal POV

Brock and Dawn stood in shock at how angry their friend had gotten, jaws dropped as they watched Ash breathe heavily, his whole body heaving from the emotional exertion. Neither of them could believe this was really Ash, even Brock had never seen him snap like that in all the years he'd known him. "Brock," Dawn whispered urgently. "That was-"

"I know, I'll handle it." Brock started walking towards the huffing trainer, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Ash, are you-"

"C'mon guys, let's get out of here." Ash's voice was still dripping with anger as he shrugged off Brock's touch, and he climbed out of the hole with a boost from an old root that had been unearthed by Team Rocket's trap. In a way, it felt good to punish Team Rocket like that, but at the same time he felt angrier than ever. Exploding like he did, there was no real relief from his heartache, and that only frustrated him more. He wanted to hit something, scream at the top of his lungs until his throat was sore, anything to feel normal again. But no matter what he came up with, he just didn't see it helping. Grunting defeatedly, Ash turned around and reached into the pit to help Brock climb out, leaving him to take care of Dawn. He made sure to turn his back to Brock before the breeder could say anything to him.

Once she was out of the pit, Dawn warily made her way over to Ash. She'd been accepting Ash's excuses up until this point, but now even she couldn't deny that something was seriously wrong with her mentor. She nervously tapped his shoulder to try and get his attention. "Umm, Ash, is something bothering you?"

Ash didn't bother to turn around. "Never mind, let's just move on."

As he watched Ash walk ahead of them, Brock frowned and made a decision, placing a comforting hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm gonna talk to him when we set up camp tonight. I want the old Ash back, too."

"What could've happened to him?" Dawn looked on in concern. "He looks like he's hurting so much! Is his mom okay? There's gotta be something!"

"I have an idea. Just please, be patient."

Now with that whole incident behind them, the trio continued their trek towards Solaceon Town, with Ash resuming his previous silently depressed state. It wasn't until about an hour of awkward quiet passed that a young trainer came out of nowhere, challenging Ash to a battle. The idea of a battle caused Ash's blood to race, and for a moment he forgot all about what was bothering him. "Yeah, I'll take you on!"

"Hey, maybe this'll get Ash back on track!" Dawn said hopefully.

"Yeah…maybe." Brock had his doubts, but he decided to play along for the moment and stood in-between both the trainers. "You guys'll need a ref!" Stepping aside so that he wouldn't be in the crossfire, he called out the rules. "This'll be a one-on-one match, battle begin!"

"Alright, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash threw out a Pokéball, and Ash's new water weasel emerged in a flash of light, his arms crossed over his chest with a determined grin on his face.

"Okay, I choose Butterfree!" In another flash of light, the younger boy's choice of Pokémon appeared, hovering in place as it awaited its orders.

"I'll start first! Buizel, use Water Gun!" As soon as the order was made, Buizel whipped his head back and whipped it forward again, as a powerful stream of water went flying straight for the Butterfly Pokémon.

"Dodge it, Butterfree!" The other trainer's Butterfree floated out of the way just before any impact was made.

Despite the clean miss, Ash was actually starting to enjoy himself again, as the familiar rush of a Pokémon Battle got him excited again. "Alright! Now I can finally get focused and enjoy myself a bit!"

"You can do it Ash!" Dawn yelled from the sidelines.

Ash's POV

"You can do it Ash!"

I froze, and I could feel my eyes widening at the sound of that voice cheering me on. "Misty?!" It couldn't be possible, but it sounded so much like her that I couldn't help but look around to see if maybe, just maybe, Misty had made a surprise visit to the Sinnoh Region. I saw Brock, and Dawn, and my opponent and his Pokemon was there too, but there was no sign of Misty anywhere. "Misty, where are you?!"

Normal POV

The moment Ash started swiveling his head around after she cheered, Dawn frowned in worry and rushed over to the breeder and looked up at him. "What's going on Brock? Who's Misty and why is Ash looking for them?"

"Misty, huh? So my theory was right."

"I dunno what's going on here," The boy said with a raised eyebrow. "But I think it's best if we wrap this thing up quick! Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" The Butterfree floated over Buizel, spraying a sleep-inducing powder, and sure enough, Buizel fell asleep seconds later.

"Huh, what the?!" Ash jumped when he realized that Buizel had fallen asleep.

"Now Butterfree, use Dream Eater!" Butterfree's eyes began to glow, and Buizel began to toss and turn as his dream was eaten right in his own mind. The resulting torment caused Buizel to faint.

The black-haired trainer stood there stunned for a moment before heading over to kneel down behind his only water-type. "B-Buizel…are you okay?"

Buizel slowly sat up and held his head in one of his paws. "Bui bui." (I'll be fine.)

"T-The winner is Butterfree." Brock was honestly shocked by how easily Ash went down. He knew his friend was struggling, but not even he thought it would get this bad. "This needs to stop."

"You did great, take a nice rest." Ash sighed and returned Buizel to his Pokéball, and stood up with his eyes closed and fists clenched.

"Ash…lost?" Dawn stated in disbelief.

Pikachu bounded next to his master with his ears drooped. "Pikapi?" (Ash?)

"Hey uh...it was a nice battle!" the boy said.

"Yeah…" Ash looked up and tried to smile. "It was great."

"Well...thanks a lot man! Seeya around!" the boy ran off with his Pokémon behind him, and once he was out of sight, Ash's fake smile vanished immediately.

With tension obviously in the air, Brock walked up to the slumped Pokémon trainer and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon guys, let's set up camp."

"Sure Brock." Ash shrugged off the breeder's hand and just started walking to the nearest clearing, his head bowed and his hat shielding his eyes from anyone's sight.

It didn't take long for the trio to set up camp, and as soon as everything was done, Brock sent Ash into the nearby forest with Pikachu to get some firewood so he could get started on dinner. "Alright, he's alone now...now's my chance." Turning to the coordinator who was speaking to her Pokémon, Brock spoke up to get her attention. "Hey Dawn, I'm gonna go look for some berries, okay?"

Dawn nodded, knowing the real reason Brock was leaving so suddenly. "Sure, Brock, we'll be fine...take care of Ash, please."

"Don't worry, Doc Brock is in the house." And with that, Brock took off in Ash's direction.

Ash's POV

"Geez, what is wrong with me?!" I yelled at myself in disgust, that battle was pathetic, I didn't even get the kid's name and I lost to him, all because I couldnt focus for more than ten seconds at a time. "I'm hearing Misty, I'm seeing Misty, I'm dreaming about Misty! I wonder if a Hypno got a hold of me while I was asleep and put some sort of curse on me."

"Pikapi, Pikachupi pi pi pika chu." (Ash, Misty is not a curse.)

I sighed. "I know buddy, but I can't explain it! Why is it that all of a sudden I just want Misty around again?! I never had this problem up until now!"

"Pika pika pikachu pi pi!" (Because you like her for gosh sake!)

"Of course I like Misty! She's my best friend! But that doesn't explain why out of nowhere, thinking about her makes me feel sick all over! That would only make sense if I didn't like her!"

"Piiiiiika." (Ohhhh gosh.) Pikachu slapped his own forehead. "Pika pika pika chu, Pikapi!" (That's not what I meant, Ash!)

Clearly, Pikachu meant something different than what I did. But if that was the case...did he mean that I liked Misty the way that Brock liked Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny? I scoffed at the very idea. Misty was my best friend, there's no one in the world I would rather hang out with besides Pikachu, but that didn't mean I liked her that way...right? It was then that I started to question what my true feelings towards Misty were. Sure she was my friend, but was I starting to like her as something more than that? And if that was the case, was that why her absence was hurting more than it ever had before?

"Hey, Ash!"

I turned around and saw Brock running towards me, and he looked pretty tired. "Is something wrong, Brock?"

"Yeah, something is wrong, it's you."

I gulped. I knew Brock could tell something was wrong, he'd been watching me like a Fearow for the past several days. But I couldn't let him know he was right, I wasn't ready for the lecture I'd get, so I put on a smile and denied it. "There's nothing wrong with me, Brock." I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't believe me. "Really!"

"Ash, you lost to a beginner trainer with a Butterfree."

"So? Everyone has a bad day every now and then."

"Not like that."

I grinned helplessly and shrugged. "He's not buying it."

"Pi pikachu Pikapi." (Give it up Ash.)

I figured the jig was up. Brock wasn't falling for my act, and I was already too tired to keep it up any longer. I slumped in defeat, closing my eyes and resting my head in my hands. I just needed it all to stop.

"Sit down Ash." I complied, and put down what little firewood I did manage to find. "During the battle with that kid, do you know why you lost?"

"Because I lost focus, that's why! But…let's see what Brock's idea is." I shrugged. "Why Brock?"

"You were looking for Misty." Brock raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear her or something?"

"Oh crud. He definitely knows..." I sighed inwardly. I guess I couldn't blame him for being concerned, it wasn't like I was doing a good job of hiding my feelings. "Well, I might as well stop hiding it, maybe I'll get lucky and he can help me."

"Well, Ash?" Brock asked again.

I sighed out loud this time. "You got me Brock. I could've sworn I heard Misty's voice, when I did, I lost track of what I was doing."

"It wasn't just today Ash, how long has this been bugging you?" I admired Brock's ability to be patient with me with this. It made things a little easier, but not much.

Brock's POV

"This being patient thing is driving me crazy! I know why Ash is freaking out, but he needs to figure it out on his own…stay cool Brock."

Ash's POV

"It started a few days ago..." I looked up, and Brock made a face that said to continue. "After the battle with Dawn, I went to get my hat and put it back on…but something fell out." I took a deep breath and pulled out Misty's handkerchief to show Brock. His face now looked like he knew something I didn't. "Misty gave this to me before she left...not sure why exactly, but I've always kept it with me. For some reason…whenever I see it these days, it hurts me…on the inside."

Brock's POV

"Ash, you're a terrific trainer, but sometimes you are the densest person I know." I was there when Misty gave Ash that handkerchief, and when I saw it happen, I knew why she did it. Misty was in love with Ash, and if everything that had happened over the past few days was any indicator, Ash was now in love with Misty too. I really didn't want to have to spell it out for him, it would've been best if Ash learned this on his own...but seeing how much he was suffering, I knew I had to make it obvious for him, for his sake. I leaned forward, looking him straight in the eye. "Ash, I'm gonna ask you this, and I want you to be dead honest with me." I said in the most serious tone I could manage. Ash nodded in understanding. "What are your feelings towards Misty?"

Ash's face scrunched up right before my eyes; I could tell that those rusty gears in his head were turning as he pondered my question and sighed. "Brock, I'm honestly not sure…I mean, she's my best friend and all, but I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that's saying I want more."

"Hmm…is he finally getting it?"

"At first, I thought I was just hungry…"

"Ugh…only you would think that Ash."

"But even after I ate something, I still felt this burning sensation whenever I thought about her…and it's been amplified ever since this thing made a reappearance." Ash held up the handkerchief for emphasis.

"Time to point out the obvious, it's now or never." I sat down next to Ash and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Ash, what would you say if I could tell you exactly why you felt that?"

"I would be pretty grateful, that's what."

"Okay, brace yourself…" I felt Ash's entire body tense up when I told him that, as if he knew I was going to say something he didn't necessarily want to hear. "You…love…Misty." As soon as I said the word 'love,' Ash's eyes started to bug out. "And cue the denial."

"How can you be so sure Brock?!" he yelled in both frustration and shock.

"Because that's the way I feel every time I see Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy!" I started to daydream without even realizing it. "My heart feels like it's on fire and my stomach feels like it's full of Butterfree! And all I want is to fulfill those feelings inside of me by-" I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my side.

Normal POV

"Croagunk!" (Cool it!)

"This…feeling…isn't part…of the…equation." Brock strained and fell over as the effects of Croagunk's Poison Jab took its toll on him. Ash and Pikachu sweat-dropped at their constantly love-struck friend, but Brock was able to recover quickly, and he got back to the conversation at hand. "Anyway...I'm serious Ash. That feeling you have really is love. I'm surprised it took you this long to start feeling it," Brock sighed. "I wish it had happened when Misty was still around."

"Well, Brock, it's too late now I guess." Ash hung his head and shook it despondently. "Misty's back in Cerulean being a Gym Leader...besides, she wouldn't feel the same anyway."

Brock shook his head in sympathy. "I wish I could tell you this man, but if I told you that Misty loves you, she'd flatten me." Brock breathed out through his nose and squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Ash, you don't know for sure she doesn't feel the same way."

"But, Brock," his head suddenly whipped up, his eyes wide with terror. "If I tell her and she doesn't feel the same, our friendship will be ruined!"

"Now this, I can help with." Brock took hold of both of Ash's shoulders and made sure he was looking right at him. "Wrong, Ash! You two will be able to stay friends no matter what, you've been through thick and thin together, and that won't be thrown away by a risk that must be taken."

"Are you sure, Brock? I mean..." He looked down at the ground and started wringing his hands. "If I change the way things are now, it might get worse, I mean...Misty does have a tendency to get angry."

"I'll admit that's true," Brock gave a slight side nod. "But I know for a fact that Misty is the kind of friend that you can trust with anything." He looked Ash in the eyes. "You do trust her don't you?"

Ash looked at the breeder in training incredulously. "Of course I trust her!"

"Then what's the problem?"

For a moment, Ash tried to come up with a problem, but when he found that he couldn't think of one, Ash sat a little taller and smiled. "You know, Brock, maybe you're right."

"Don't act so surprised," Brock grinned. "I have experience with girls and stuff like that."

"Yeah," Ash scoffed with a smirk. "A total of three."

Brock raised an eyebrow at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"When you see a girl, Croagunk jabs you. Before that, May's little brother Max would pull you away by the ear. And of course, good ol' Misty, she'd either yank you away the way she taught Max, or come up with some other way to shut you down!" Ash laughed as he counted Brock's past failures with girls on his fingers.

Brock face-faulted once Ash finished, knowing he had just been bested by the usually dense Pokémon trainer. With a quick recovery, Brock stood up. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He held out a hand and helped Ash up. "Come on, we better get back to camp. Dawn's probably getting worried by now."

"Hey, Brock?" Ash said as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Thanks for talking to me…but…can I ask a favor?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"Don't tell Dawn what we talked about, please!" Ash suddenly seemed very worried. "She'd never let me live it down if she knew about this. She'd probably try to see if Misty liked me back and ruin everything!"

"Pikapi, pi pi pika chu." (Ash, I really think she does though.)

"I wish I could find out Pikachu, but she's at the gym now." Ash sighed and slumped his shoulders, and the duo headed back to the campsite in uneasy silence. Ash only felt slightly better, but it was clear that his heart still hurt. After all, knowing why he was hurting didn't change that the solution was still the same. And unfortunately, that cure seemed agonizingly out of reach.