Hello there everybody, and welcome back to another exciting chapter of "A Long Distance Ship!" Today is November 7th, 2023, and if you know your Pokemon anime history, then you know why this day is special for me and Pokeshippers all over the globe! Twenty-one years ago today, Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower parted ways after 275 episodes traveling together. So every year, people who wish Ash and Misty to be together honor the past in their own special ways. One year ago today, I commemorated Pokeshipping Day 2022 by posting the first chapter of the story for you guys to read! And now, one year after Ash and Misty exchanged their first emails (at least in the real world. For the narritive, I would say the first emails were exchanged five or six months from where we are now), I am going to share with THIS chapter, with major progress for Ash's journey and a tease of what is to come for Misty's in my other story... now without further delay, let's get this party started!

ashketchum497
To: misskwaterflower049
Subject: Vs. Norman

Hey there, Misty. I finally had that gym battle with Norman (highlights attached, of course). He certainly showed me why he is one of the tougher gym leaders that I had to face off against if the little preview was not enough already. But Pikachu, Torkoal, and Grovyle helped me sneak out the win as I learned a few new things about my Pokemon. Namely, my Grovyle's Grass moves become more powerful the more damage it takes. Anyways, it was enough to earn me my fifth badge. Max, however, wasn't too happy to see his dad lose and in a move that a North Petalburgian would make, stole my badge and ran off to the greenhouse. Norman and I had to tell him that losing only helps both trainers grow stronger, and it is a part of being a trainer and especially a gym leader. I told Max that I could just look for another place to earn my fifth badge, but he ended up giving it back. We plan on spending the night here in Petalburg City before heading to Littleroot Town tomorrow as a stop on our way to my next gym battle. It shouldn't be long!

Ash

misskwaterflower049
To: ashketchum497
Subject: Gym Battles

Hey there, Ash! I just watched your gym battle against Norman, and I got to say that you both gave it your all back there. Norman had some pretty tough Pokemon out there, but you had your Pokemon use their moves and abilities to their absolute fullest out there. You talked about how Overgrow helped Grovyle knock Slaking out, but your Pikachu's Static ability also played a huge role against his Vigoroth. Good job on winning your Balance Badge, Ash! And you were not the only one who had a great gym battle today. Gilbert came back today for a rematch against me, wanting to prove himself against me and Togetic. And sure enough, he managed to overcome Togetic, and used more Pokemon than just his Bulbasaur to battle. That is not to say that his Bulbasaur didn't play a big part in the battle. It did, but it was nice to see that I helped him grow as a trainer. I will send you the highlights of the battle. Hope you enjoy them, and have a safe journey to wherever your next gym battle may be!

Misty

And that is it for this chapter of "A Long Distance Ship"! I hope you all enjoyed this special treat for Pokeshipping Week of seven straight days of Pokeshipping goodness! I am going to be taking Friday off, but it will be back to the usual Monday-Friday-Monday schedule for the rest of Season 7 starting on the 13th. So don't forget to favorite, follow, and review to show how much you love this series. We would have reached 20,000 views by now IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE FACT THAT THE VIEW COUNTER STILL ISN'T FIXED YET! Uh, anyways, have a great Pokeshipping day, everybody!