Hi all,

Here we go, chapter three!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters!

Hope you enjoy this next instalment!

Please review : )

…..

Their walk had taken a brief pause when Misty spotted her favourite ice cream shop along the main street of Cerulean City. Opting to leave their pokemon at home, the two had been making small talk, mainly about Misty's job as gym leader. Her strange feeling regarding his behaviour seemed to intensify when he declined ice cream, Misty knowing that he hardly ever said no to a meal, let alone a treat as delicious as ice cream. Shrugging her shoulders, she ordered herself a cup of the frozen dessert in strawberry flavour.

The two continued to stroll along the streets until they reached Cerulean Cape, the ocean breeze blowing through Misty's hair as she continued eating her dessert. A silence fell among them, Ash thinking about the all the times Misty told Brock and himself about the cape. He knew this was her favourite spot in the city, making him wonder why she had led them here. Looking out into the distance, Ash caught a glimpse of a herd of Lapras frolicking amongst the waves. He wished things were different. He wished the emptiness in the pit of his stomach would disappear and his love of Pokemon would return; but even with such beautiful scenery, all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep.

"So…" she turned to him, Ash taking notice of the way the afternoon sun hit her face. He concluded that it made her look stunning and radiant, but he didn't know why such thoughts danced in his head.

"So…" he countered, waiting for her next line.

"What brings you back here?" Misty enquired, her blue orbs connecting with his chocolate ones.

"I told you, I missed you..."

"Yeah… I don't believe you," she said bluntly, raising an eyebrow. A panicked expression overtook Ash's face.

"W-what? You don't think I've missed you?" he replied, his voice raising an octave, clearly offended at her assumption.

"I know you've missed home, but I don't believe that's the reason you're back…"

"Well…" Ash sighed. "I don't feel like talking about it."

"Okay…" Misty muttered, "how long are you staying?"

Ash huffed, growing irritated with all the questions. "Well…I was hoping you'd take me in for a few days… but I understand if you want me to go."

Misty offered him a warm smile, nodding slightly. "Don't be dumb. You know you're always welcome at the gym… but what about training? You'll be eligible to compete against the Elite Four in a few months…"

"I'm not really in the mood to train right now," he stated, shrugging his shoulders.

Misty stared at him, her mouth falling open in confusion. Ash refused to look at her, his attention planted firmly on the sea in front of them.

"But Ash!" she cried, standing in front of him. "You have to! You're so close to your Master Battle… What happened to you in Kalos!?"

"Can you leave it alone Misty?! Seriously!" he snapped at her, the red head taken aback by the sudden outburst. "Can we head back now? I'm kinda tired…"

"You go. I'm going for a run. I'll catch you later!" she announced, moving away from him and jogging briskly down the road.

What was wrong with him? He had travelled so far to see her, only to behave like that. Running a hand through his hair, Ash turned in the direction they had come from, the gym in his sights. He hadn't meant to snap at her and he instantly regretted it. He hoped things wouldn't be awkward between the pair when she returned. The last thing he wanted was to push her away too.

…..

Misty pressed down the path, as fast as her legs would carry her. She knew something big had to have happened for Ash to put off training altogether, especially when he was so close to achieving his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. They had their fair share of fights and bickering when they were kids, but his reaction to her question was different to anything she'd ever experienced before. He seemed… hurt, and that worried her.

With her gaze firmly on the ground before her, she continued running, not lifting her eyes for anything. She gathered her thoughts, wondering if he had returned to the gym safely and if he had cooled off. She wanted nothing more than too enjoy her time with him, however long it may be.

Deciding she was ready to smooth things over, she stopped along the path, turning around to make the journey back to her home. Well at least that's what her plan was prior to being knocked off her feet by a stranger running in the opposite direction to her.

"I'm so sorry Miss— woah. Misty?" the voice of a young man sounded, offering her his hand, which she gladly accepted.

"Georgio?" she replied, tilting her head as if it helped her to distinguish whether or not her eyes were deceiving her.

"Yep! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bowl you offer," he chuckled awkwardly.

Misty smiled sheepishly, dusting herself off. "It's fine, how are you?"

"I'm good! Decided to head back out here for some training… and you… how are you?"

Misty contemplated giving him an accurate answer. Why was he asking? Was he really interested in her wellbeing or did he mean how was she after their last encounter? The last time the pair had seen each other, had been a little less than a year ago, when he had hastily decided to move away, crushing Misty. They had dated for a little while, the boy's passion for pokemon pulling her in, allowing her to let her guard down for the first time in a long time. But it was over and after a year of being together, he had ended things with her.

"I'm fine…" she shrugged, "I should get going though, it was nice to see you—"

"Wait!" He took a hold of her arm, pulling her back to face him, Misty staring into his eyes, eagerly awaiting his next words.

"Have dinner with me!"

"What?!" she uttered, taking a step back from him.

"Please… tomorrow night?"

Ash popped into her mind. She couldn't agree to a date. Not while he was here.

"I-uhh, I don't think—"

"Please Misty, just once. That's all I ask, I need to explain to you why I left…"

With a sigh, Misty nodded, unsure if she'd come to regret her decision.

"I'll meet you at the gym at 7!" he informed her with a grin. Misty turning back down the path.

She didn't know what had just gone down, but she could at least give him a chance. It wouldn't lead anywhere, she was certain of that. Her guard was up and Georgio had no chance of breaking down her walls after one dinner.

On her walk back home, it dawned on her that her night out would take away from her time with Ash and she really wanted to get to the bottom of his shock return. Seeing him on her doorstep had sent butterflies back into her belly, her heart racing as she flung her arms around him. Telling herself she was over him was easy… but there were moments when she knew that wasn't true. Not that it mattered anyway, he never saw her as more than his best friend. That much was clear and his lack of contact with her throughout his travels, proved it.

Upon her return to the gym, the sun had really begun to set in the sky, telling her that nightfall was well on its way. Taking one last look at the pink and orange landscape, she reached for the door's handle, pulling it open, only to be met with the faces of her three sisters, from beyond the threshold.

"Augh! Like there you are!" Violet grumbled in annoyance.

"We thought you got lost or something!" Lily voiced, throwing her hands in the air.

Misty chuckled to herself, finding the concept of getting lost in her own city rather peculiar, seeing as though she ran through the streets of it, almost every day. She noted the array of shopping bags littering the foyer behind her sisters, assuming they had found what they were looking for (and more), for their performance.

Daisy took a step forward, laughing at Violet and Lily's dramatics.

"We just bumped into lover boy, by the way…" Daisy teased, earning scoff from Misty.

"You could have told us he was coming!" Lily added, placing her hands on her hips.

"I didn't know," Misty growled in response, "and can you not call him that! What if he hears you?!"

"Maybe it'll get him to make a move!" Violet giggled. "You know Misty… that boy has gotten quite handsome, too!"

Misty rolled her eyes, turning in the direction of her staircase. She expected him to have retreated upstairs, thankfully meaning he would have missed the chance to hear her sisters' taunts. The youngest sensational sister was used to their jeers. They would rile her up every time Ash was included in conversation, even now! Misty thought she was a bit too old for their mockery, but ignored it, knowing it would not stop anytime soon.

Pushing open her bedroom door, she was caught off guard when she discovered Ash casually sitting on her window seat, Pikachu on her bed and Eevee asleep beside him. Upon hearing her enter, he jolted upright, his mouth open as the words fell out with urgency.

"I'm sorry—" he blurted, "I never should have yelled at you!"

Misty smiled, moving across the room to sit with him along the window. "It's okay... I'm just worried about you, that's all."

Without a second thought, Misty reached out and took his hand in hers, Ash blushing slightly at the sudden contact. He knew she was confused and he felt bad about leaving her hanging, but he really didn't want to dive into it all right now. He just wasn't ready to admit it all to her; the person whose opinion of him mattered more than he cared to let on.

"I'll tell you eventually, I just don't want to talk about it right now," he added, Misty nodding in understanding.

With a sigh, she recoiled her hand, crossing her legs and folding her arms haphazardly.

"Who else knows you're here?" she asked casually, not meaning to pry in anyway, but because she was curious.

"Well…" Ash chuckled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair before placing his hat back on top of his head.

"Ash…"

"Okay, fine! No one yet. But, I'm going to go see my mom eventually, don't worry!"

Misty's heart swelled in her chest as she pondered the reasons he had decided to come and see her, and only her. Although, she was happy for Delia, knowing she too would be surprised when he showed up on the doorstep of his childhood home. Misty made a point of going to see the woman whenever she could; their weekly catch ups were almost never missed. She loved Delia's company just as much as her cooking, but she wanted to make sure Ash's mom wasn't lonely, she owed her that much.

Entranced in her thoughts, a restless groan sounded from where Ash was sitting, the raven-haired boy rubbing his stomach, embarrassed of the sound it had just made. Misty stifled a giggle.

"C'mon," she said, reaching for his hand again, this time rather casually, and pulling him in the direction of her door. "I'll make us something to eat…"

"You… you'll cook?" he ridiculed, Misty shooting him a glare.

"I'm not ten anymore, you know! I can cook…"

Oh he knew she wasn't. The body he couldn't help but rake his eyes over when she wasn't looking, proved it. He decided to keep that opinion to himself, he'd rather not receive a smack or a mallet to the head from her.

Ash laughed instead, putting his hands up in defence. "Alright, let's go. C'mon Pikachu!"

"Pika!" the little mouse bounded across the room, Eevee now awake and trailing along behind them also.

They had made it to the kitchen, Misty telling Ash to sit on one of the stools behind the counter. He obliged, knowing he would be able to observe her methods and therefore see if her meal preparation had in fact, improved.

Pikachu leapt onto the counter in front of him, Misty placing Eevee beside him. Ash smiled at the pair, chatting away to each other with words, only they could understand. Before getting started on their meal, Misty waltzed over, placing a bowl of pokemon food on the bench, pulling out an object from behind her back and handing it to Pikachu.

The rodent's eyes lit up as he realised what the small, red bottle held. Chirping happily, he began, licking away at the ketchup, a satisfied smile on Misty's lips. Ash wasn't a fan of Pikachu's ketchup obsession, mainly because there were times when his pal would eat nothing else and Ash would have to fight with him to hand it over. Misty, on the other hand, had always been happy to fuel his addiction.

Ash watched as she began to cook away. She had combined a range of ingredients, forming mince patties with her hands. Heating a frying pan on the stove, she placed a dash of oil in the centre, followed by the patties when the oil began to sizzle. While they were cooking, she began to chop some vegetables; tomatoes, lettuce and onion, all added to the queue. It shocked Ash, how she did everything so swiftly and with great ease. Maybe she had improved, he concluded.

Satisfied with her work, the red head began constructing her burgers, ensuring to add some cheese to the tower. When she had finished, she placed a plate in front of Ash.

"Here you go. Cheeseburger, à la Misty!" she grinned, setting down her own plate and joining him on the other side of the counter.

Ash thanked her, digging in to his burger, his tastebuds in a frenzy as the food passed his lips. "Ugh, these are sooo good!" he moaned, his mouth still half-full as he took another bite.

Misty shook her head, laughing at his actions. For a moment, she was sure the old Ash had reinhabited his body, she wanted nothing more than for things to go back to normal for him. But then again, things returning to normal would include him being whisked away on a journey and she wasn't ready to let him go just yet. Taking a bite into her own meal, she tried to distract herself from that thought, enjoying his company for the time being.

"So…" he said, wiping his mouth with his hand and swallowing the final bite of his burger, "since when have you been able to cook like this?"

Misty blushed, it wasn't exactly a compliment but it was nice to hear, nonetheless. "Well, I guess you could say, I practically begged Brock to teach me so I could…" she stopped herself there.

"So you could what?" he enquired, Misty feeling warm all of a sudden.

Was it worth telling him that she had learnt to cook a few years ago to impress a boy. She had been dating him for a little while, before inviting him over for a home cooked meal. Knowing she was hopeless at it, she enlisted Brock's help in the form of some much-needed lessons. She doubted he would care. Even at twenty-two, she hadn't known of Ash showing an interest in girls, his mind was filled by thoughts of pokemon, only.

"Well…" he chuckled, "are you going to leave me hanging here?"

"I guess I sort of learnt… to cook for a date…"

He was silent for a moment, unable to find the right words to respond to that.

"Oh." Was all he could get out.

"Yeah…" Misty continued, Ash forcing a smile on to his face.

"Have you had many… you know… dates—ah, boyfriends?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders in attempt to make the conversation light. He wasn't sure exactly why he cared, but there was something odd about the image of her with another man, which seemed to make its way into his mind.

"A few, I guess…" she voiced, still feeling awkward about having this discussion with him. "What about you?"

"Boyfriends? Zero," he laughed, Misty smiling in reply. He had a way of easing the tension, and in that moment, she was grateful for it.

"You know what I mean!" she huffed, still wanting an answer.

Ash nodded. He had only had one girlfriend (if you'd call it that) on his journey, but that was something he'd rather not get into right now.

"Less than a few," he said, Misty confused by the vagueness of his statement. Less than a few as in none at all? Or as in more than one?

Deciding the details of it weren't that important, she collected their plates and moved towards the sink, Ash thanking her again for the meal.

"So," Ash said, changing the subject, "where are your sisters? I haven't seen them since they bombarded me earlier…"

"Oh, sorry about that," Misty laughed, "You know what they can be like sometimes."

"It's okay, they weren't all that bad… I think I gave them a bit of a scare, that's all."

Misty laughed, imagining Lily, Violet and Daisy's distressed faces when they returned from their shopping spree and found Ash in the foyer. She cast her mind back to his original question, deciding to answer it.

"They have an underwater ballet performance tonight. Chances are the arena is already packed…" she responded.

Ash remembered the last time those words filled his head. Underwater Ballet. Misty had been the star of the show, the intrusion of Team Rocket, forcing him into the water as well. He thought of how she looked that day and how it made him feel. It confused him then, now it just made him feel awkward. She was his best friend, yet her beauty pushed feelings of giddiness into the pit of his stomach.

"You can go and watch it, if you want," she suggested, Ash shaking his head.

"No… That's okay, I think I'd rather hang out with you," he added; Misty's stomach somersaulting from beyond the fabric of her shirt.

"Okay…" she said, blushing slightly. "Let's go."

…..

The next morning, Misty woke to the sounds of her alarm at 6am. She had the most wonderful dream. Ash Ketchum, her best friend, had returned from his journey afar. He had shown up on her doorstep and they had the most wonderful day together. Rubbing her eyes and yawning slightly, the sound of a voice pulled her out of her trance.

"Augh, good morning…" he groaned, his voice thick with sleep. Misty smiled happily to herself, realising she had not been dreaming. There he was, lying on the floor beside her bed, his sleeping bag unrolled and Pikachu snoozing lazily on his pillow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she muttered, swinging her legs over the side of her bed.

"That's alright, I couldn't sleep anyway," he lied, clearly trying to make her feel better about her alarm disrupting his slumber.

"Oh… Well I'm going down to the pool. I like to swim before my matches start for the day… I'll catch you later," she told him, moving from her bed and towards her bathroom to get changed. Her schedule wasn't as jam-packed today. She only had one or two matches earlier in the day. A morning swim, still helped keep her nerves at bay and her mind at ease.

When she reappeared, her body was covered by some sweatpants and a t shirt, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. She tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake Eevee still sleeping soundly on her bed.

Ash huffed, contemplating whether or not, he should try and go back to sleep, watching her exit the bathroom, stepping around him to move through the door. Falling asleep would have been easy if she was in the same room as him, but as she wasn't, he found himself thinking about her.

With a sigh, a hopped up, discarding his charizard-covered pyjama pants and his plain grey shirt and replacing them with a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. His hat, had been placed on Misty's desk hours ago, and he intended to leave it there. It was a symbol of the determination he once had for Pokemon training; the item for which he had to send in about a million postcards, was his trademark, now he wished it would disappear, serving as a reminder of his failure.

Pacing down the corridor, he found himself in the battle arena, opting to sit in the first row of chairs beside the pool. Misty had no idea that he had entered. She continued to fly through the water, swimming a strong freestyle up and down the pool.

She felt at home in the water. It was her safe space; to think, to dream, to cry sometimes… Today, she was trying to disintegrate her feelings for Ash, dubbing them as nostalgic, the butterflies she felt in her stomach when they spoke, strongly opposing this notion. You don't like him that way. She continued to tell herself. These are just old feelings resurfacing because he's here, they'll go away soon. She continued. Oh, who are you trying to kid here? Stopping abruptly in the middle of the pool, Misty fought to catch her breath. Was she really falling for him again? Surely that wasn't possible after just one day together.

Scanning the arena breathlessly, she caught a glimpse of a mop of black hair sitting along the edge of the pool. He pretended not to notice her staring at him, but eventually gave up the act, meeting her eyes and offering her a warm smile. Misty swam towards the ladder at the pool's edge, pulling herself up, deciding her morning exercise was now over.

Ash's breath hitched in his throat as she did so. She wore a red bikini, the top tying securely at the front, making her chest more defined under the fabric. The colouring stood out against her pale skin, which was dripping wet; her auburn locks even longer now, due to the water they held. Her torso was toned, and her flat stomach glistened as the arena's harsh lights hit her. He tried his best to look away, but had no such luck.

"Uh— here," he gulped, offering her the towel draped over the seat next to him.

"Thanks!" she chirped, accepting it and wrapping it around her body, joining him poolside. Ash let out the breath he had held in, now that her body had been hidden from view. He wasn't girl crazy, like Brock, but he was still a guy, and he knew what he liked when he saw it. Shaking the thought from his mind, he focused on her face, attempting to forget the way her features sent his pulse racing.

"Busy day?" he asked, relieved when she shook her head.

"Fancy watching a battle today?" she questioned him, lifting her hands for effect.

Ash swore he could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes, but decided that was silly of him. But, he did want to spend time with her and she had no choice but to battle, so watching a few matches wouldn't hurt, he supposed.

"I guess I could watch one or two…" he said, Misty jumping up from her seat.

"Great!" she exclaimed, "about time you see how much better I am, then you!" she winked, Ash trying to pretend her words didn't sting him just a little.

Usually, a comment like that would've resulted in a scoff or a sarcastic remark thrown right back at her. Now, he had nothing to say; her words were most certainly true. He was sure that she would have improved immensely, with years of rigorous training and constant battling, her strategies would undoubtedly be hard to beat. He remembered a time when that was irrelevant to him. He was so busy focusing on his own growth, that he hardly even noticed her as a person, let alone as a competitor. It was stupid of him… allowing that to happen.

"Uh, hello!" a hand appeared in front of his face, waved around frantically. "Earth to Ash? I was only joking!"

"I know, sorry, I must've zoned out for a second!" he defended, a crease appearing between Misty's eyebrows as she folded her arms.

"Well… okay," she voiced, turning towards the arena doors, leaving him glued to his current position. It was only when she disappeared down the hallway, that he realised he probably should catch up to her.

"Hey! Where are you going?" he called, quickening his pace through the long corridor. The sound of her laughter echoed further down the aisle, Ash unaware of what was funny.

He also happened to be unaware of the trail of water, Misty's long hair was tracking through the hall. Still jogging to meet her, his bare feet felt cold against the tiles until he finally stood about a foot away from the red head. Then it happened. He attempted to halt when he finally reached her, but this idea soon slipped from his mind, when he quite literally began to slip, his feet giving way underneath him. Ash tried to steady himself, Misty inattentive to what was happening behind her.

"Woah!" he yelped, stumbling backwards but not before her reached out and grabbed her arm, sending them both crashing into the ground.

The pair were rooted to the floor for a moment. Ash landed flat on his back, Misty on top of him, their faces dangerously close as they both gasped for air. Looking into her eyes, Ash bit his lip, trying to steady his breathing, certain that she could feel the beating of his racing heart.

"Are you crazy?!" she shrieked, pulling herself off him and kneeling beside him, her towel still tied around her body. It would be a lie if she said that being this close to him didn't excite her just a little; her face was crimson and her pulse was rapid.

Neglecting to answer her question, she spoke up again. "Ash?! Are you okay?"

"Sorry!" he blurted, sitting up quickly. "I didn't mean to drag you down with me… A-are you alright?"

"I'm fine you idiot!" she laughed, "you cushioned my fall! Come on." Offering him a hand, she pulled him up off the floor, Ash rubbing his arm awkwardly when he was upright once again.

"Well—that's lucky for you! I fell flat on my back! Next time, dry your hair, Miss Gym Leader!"

"Next time, keep up, Mr Pokemon Master!" she threw back.

He didn't say anything to her. It had been a while since he had heard that nickname. Frankly, just like his hat, it too was a reminder of his failure as a trainer. With the fear that she'd question him, he negated to stop her from calling him that. Instead, he just waltzed towards the kitchen, hoping to find something to soothe his rumbling stomach.

"Where are you going?" Misty asked, noticing he hadn't followed her up the staircase.

"I'm getting something to eat… you coming?"

"Of course you are!" she snickered, Ash raising an eyebrow.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he snapped back.

"No… nothing!" Misty laughed again, "I'll meet you downstairs soon… I'm having a shower."

Disappearing into the kitchen, Ash found himself quite flustered at her words. Red faced and embarrassed of his reaction, he couldn't help but think about what hid under her towel. He shook the thought from his mind. It wasn't the first time his head wandered there, much to his chagrin. This was Misty he was thinking about… his best friend.

Maybe it was because he hadn't seen anyone of her calibre in a while (what was he saying, he'd never seen anyone like her ever), or because it had been a long time since a girl had made him feel… that way, or maybe it was the way they had suddenly connected mere moments ago; looking at her now, sent him into a frenzy.

"You probably just missed her," he mumbled to himself, pouring a glass of orange juice.

He could say that all he wanted… he knew there was something different about the way he felt while being here.

Even he wasn't that dense.