Misty

The rest of the next day was normal, as Ash promised. But it kept going on and on in this fake laughter as I got to know May and Max and kept Brock in line. There was a wall up between me and Ash, no matter how much I pretended to be normal.

And the time kept passing. And passing. And passing. It was late afternoon. My blimp left early tomorrow morning. I didn't want to go. I still had so much to do with Ash-

Ash grabbed my wrist as I walked into the Pokemon Center and held on. I turned, shocked to see how serious his expression was. He never looked serious like that except during battles. And it was different than normal. He looked solemn. For the first time I thought of him as mature.

Something was wrong with me if I was thinking that Ash Ketchum was capable of maturity.

I thought about this as I felt his hand firmly grabbing my wrist, secure but not too tight. His hand was warm. I had to stop myself from moving closer as he stared at me, his eyes not leaving mine. Ash was obviously speechless and frozen. I smiled. "You're still really slow. Not much has changed."

It felt so good to tease him in person. I couldn't talk to anyone else like this. Everyone else I met in Cerulean acted like I was some hotshot Trainer since I was the Gym Leader. I was put on some pedestal by all my challengers and my sisters treated me like I was no big deal. I didn't have someone who would treat me like a normal person.

Except Ash.

He let go of my wrist suddenly and stuffed his hand in his pocket. I hid my frown, though my body felt incomplete without his hand there, which was ridiculous.

Ash cleared his throat. "We haven't battled."

Battled? Why would we battle? The last thing I wanted to do was battle Ash right now. There were so many things I would rather do with Ash Ketchum and standing on opposite sides of a field, being his opponent, was not one of them.

"We promised we would in our letters. Remember?"

"Are you ready to lose, Ash?" I asked, smiling again. It was more forced this time. I was too focused on his face and it seemed like he was more focused on mine than the conversation too.

I couldn't take it any longer. I couldn't take knowing we'd be apart tomorrow. I couldn't take him not knowing.

I took a deep breath. "Ash-"

"Hey, where've you two been, huh?" Max came out of the Pokemon Center doors.

I looked at Max before glancing at Ash, taking a step back. We'd been too close together. I felt my cheeks redden. Ash stared at Max as if he'd never seen him before. "Hey. What's up?"

"Where've you been?" Max repeated impatiently.

"Oh. Right." Ash rubbed the back of his neck which I knew is something he did when he was thinking. Or nervous. Which was it?

"We were going to battle," I answered.

Max's eyes lit up. "Really? Cool. I want to watch. Let me go get May and Brock. Wait for us!"

Ash opened his mouth, but closed it when Max disappeared. He sighed and gave me a pained expression. "I actually wanted to battle you without anyone watching."

"Why?" My eyebrows turned down in confusion.

"Because I haven't had any alone time with you at all since you've been here," Ash said in a hushed voice very quickly, glancing at the Pokemon Center doors as if expecting people to emerge.

"Are you saying you want me all to yourself?" I asked as lightly as I could, trying to be casual.

Ash's eyes roamed over me. "Yeah. I am."

Silence.

"Misty-"

"Ok, here's everyone." Max burst through the doors again.

Now I was mad too. Ash saw it and paused in his own turmoil, giving me a questioning look. I gave him a curt nod and put on a weak smile as May and Brock came through the doors.

"You guys going to battle?" Brock asked.

"Yeah," Ash answered sullenly.

"Oh, this will be wonderful." May clapped her hands together once in delight.

"Yeah," I said just as sullenly.

I wasn't in the mood to battle. I knew Ash wasn't either- a first. Something was really on his mind and we didn't have much time left. I needed to talk to him by myself. Really, he was why I was here in the first place. The so called Togepi Convention had only been an excuse. I had wanted to see Ash. This battle was just another excuse.

"The field is over here." Brock started walking away from the Pokemon Center.

May and Max hurried after him, talking excitedly. Ash was about to follow them, but I grabbed his hand and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Let's raise the stakes."

"What did you have in mind?" He murmured back.

I had to think about it. I knew what I wanted. "Time. And honesty.."

He paused. "I think we both want the same thing."

Ash began walking towards the field, leaving me behind, my heart hammering madly against my chest. I said loudly, "I'm not going easy on you, Ash."

I heard him chuckle. "Misty, I would never go easy on you."

He kept walking. I smiled. That's why I love you, Ash Ketchum.

#

Ash and I stood across from each other on the battle field, a large one with a pool-perfect for Water types. The breeze blew my hair and I smiled at Ash as he smiled back. I saw his passion for battling spark in his eyes. He was focused now.

Battling is something everyone did. It was a natural part of life to show how strong a Trainer is with their Pokemon. Trainers and Pokemon learned from each other and about each other. Battling was a dance- dodges and moves of strength and grace all combined together to show which side truly understood the other well enough to take them down.

In that same way Ash and I would battle now, to learn what had changed between us in the past few months. I knew he was different. I was different too. Stronger. I'd gone through heartbreak being away from him. I'd learned to be without him, not that I'd liked it. Not that I ever would. And here we were, now, about to start this natural dance, this part of life we all knew.

This is when we'd find out how well we understood each other.

Without a word I released Gyarados. His giant body sent a tumble of waves crashing along the edge of the pool. Pikachu bounded forward.

Beyond the dazzling blue scales of Gyarados, the rainbows that glittered in the sun from the Hydro Pump attacks, the fizzling Thunderbolts crackling the air was Ash, his hair sprayed with mist and standing up, dust and wind and power whirling all around us. I didn't hear his commands as he made them, or even my own voice. But I saw him. I saw the way he put everything into our battle. How Pikachu responded to every command with absolute trust, desperate to do his best for his Trainer. How his Trainer was doing his best to prove himself to me.

He had the advantage, but I was not the Cerulean Gym Leader for nothing.

My ears only paid attention to the thumping of my heart, reminding me that I was alive. That I was truly battling for the first time I could remember. I'd been challenged before, but I had never been so consumed in a battle.

Ash's eyes burned from across the field, landing on me. His face contorted in pain, in impatience. Normally he wanted a battle to end, to be victorious. But I knew he didn't want this to ever end and that it was drawing to a close.

I didn't want it to end either, but I never wanted him to hold back. And I wouldn't either.

We both screamed our last commands. Watched as water and electricity met and brawled, two elements that did not get along. But I had never minded things that couldn't coexist perfectly.

Smoke clouded the field. We waited, unable to see each other through the fog. A moment longer that the battle existed, that Ash and I were in perfect sync, that we were alone and together despite the people watching. I was here. I was with him.

No one could take that moment away from me.

The dust cleared, revealing Pikachu and Gyarados had both fainted.

I returned Gyarados to his Poke Ball with a shaky breath, my entire body exhausted from the intensity. I had given my all. And he had too.

Which is why it was a tie.

"Good work, Gyarados. I'm proud of you."

Ash scooped up Pikachu from across the field and began patting his head soothingly. Pikachu smiled. The Trainer walked across the field. "Nice battle, Misty."

"Yeah. It was."

He stared at me like I'd disappear if he looked away.

"I'm hungry," Max said suddenly, reminding me that a world existed outside of the battlefield. I saw Ash jump at the same time I did. "What's a kid got to do to get some food around here?"

"Max, you have to be patient," May chided.

Someone's stomach rumbled. May's face got red.

Max gave her a smug look. "Tell that to your stomach."

"I guess it's time for dinner. Let's go inside."

"I'll be there in a minute," Ash said quickly, "Just want to make sure Pikachu's ok."

May and Max left without question, but Brock gave Ash a quick smile.

"Go inside," Ash said firmly, batting his hand furiously at Brock. Brock chuckled, but left.

I smiled. "Wow, since when are you ordering Brock around?"

"Since he's been annoying me the past couple days," Ash said bluntly. Pikachu perked up in his arms and stared at me.

I reached over and ran my fingers along the top of Pikachu's head and whispered, "I really did miss you."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about actually-"

"Ash."

"What?"

I hid my smile. "I was talking to Pikachu."

Ash stared at me with his mouth open and I started laughing.

"Misty, I'm trying to be serious for once in my life and you're joking around?" Ash scowled, flustered.

"Now you know what it feels like to be me." I stopped laughing and said shyly, "Besides, you were pretty serious last night."

Pikachu leapt from Ash's arms and nudged his leg before running towards the Pokemon Center.

Ash watched him go. He looked so pained. I touched his hand gently. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"You wanted honesty, right?" Ash asked with a grimace.

"Yeah," I said warily.

Ash looked around the clearing before meeting my eyes. "I seriously did miss you. I can't tell you how much I've missed you."

I blinked a few times, overcome with so many emotions. He really missed me? Sure, I knew he chose me, but I'd been thinking about that all day. As a friend. He'd always be my friend. Otherwise he would have stayed behind with me. He would have visited me. He would have asked me to come with them. He would have done something instead of send me just all his too short letters that pained my heart at the same time they gave me so much joy I couldn't stand it.

Ash continued, "Every day I think of you. Every single day. I can't get you out of my head. Things aren't the same without you around. I hate Contests truthfully. And when anything good or bad happens, I want you to be there, not anyone else. I miss fighting with you. I miss how angry I'd get at you when you'd say mean things. I miss making fun of your looks. I miss being with you all day, every day. I miss you, Misty."

Without thinking, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I buried my head into his chest and let out a choked sob, feeling that I was actually here with him after all this time. It'd only been a few months, but it'd felt like eternity.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you." I felt my eyes get wet. Ash's arms wrapped around me. "I don't want to leave again."

"I'm sorry I left you." Ash buried his head into my hair. "It was a mistake."

I shook my head because I couldn't speak. I'm still leaving tomorrow, I thought, I'm still leaving and we'll be apart again.

"I don't want you to leave," Ash whispered, pulling me tighter.

Ask me to stay, I thought, Ask me to travel with you.

"But I understand that you have to."

I pulled away from him, looking down, my throat clogged with pain. "Have to?"

And then my anger built. "I never had to, Ash! No one ever has to do anything! If you'd just said the word, I would have stayed. I would have told my sisters to find someone else. I would have given up so much for you, Ash. So much. And you're saying I have to go back? As if I don't have a choice in the matter?"

And then he did the stupidest thing I could have imagined- he smiled. He smiled at me. I didn't care if it was a sad one. The smile broke my heart.

"I know, Misty."

My heart shut down after that. I didn't want to hear anything he had to say. "Screw you, Ash."

And I turned and walked as quickly as I could to my room, ignoring every human being I passed as I went to pack my things. I wasn't going to see Ash Ketchum again, ever. He could stay in Hoenn with his new friends for all I cared. I had a gym to take care of. I had responsibility.

I stuffed all of my belongings into my bag and checked every space of the room for anything I missed. My foot almost slipped over something. I peered down at a piece of paper, the words searing off the page:

I will always choose you.

I picked it up and tore it into mismatched pieces to match the state of my heart, letting them crumple onto the floor. I walked out the door, not running into Ash as I made my way home.

Bad place to leave off, I know. This is so angst filled! You've got to get me credit for most dramatic Pokeshipping at least.

By the way, there's only one more chapter after this.

Pokémon Question of the Day: Which two Pokémon would you want to see battle and why?

-Flips