On The Day You Return

She never thought the day would come.

The day they'd all eventually had to go their own way.

She'd never thought she grow this close to them. They were her friends, the brothers she never had, though with Ash... She felt a connection that was different than her friendship with Brock.

It was over the bike Ash practically stole from her and grilled. She chased him to the ends of the Earth if she had to for him to pay the damages, and she did. City after city, storm after storm, each blast off as Team Rocket continued to annoy them... She wanted her bike back, though she never expected to grow this close to him. Over time, she over saw the parasite he was, and admitted to herself he wasn't a bad kid.

Then it hit her.

She had feelings for him.

Out of all the things Ash put her through, having a crush on him was the last thing on her list. Once he got her the new bike, she'd be back to Cerulean in no time. Though when Ash said he planned on going back to Pallet Town and Brock had to go back to Pewter City for family, she didn't know why she felt so heavy... Her sisters called her to come back to her hometown, since she was needed urgently.

If only there was another town they could go to for another Pokemon tournament, if only Brock didn't had to go back to Pewter, if only her airheads of sisters didn't need to depend on her so much...

Would she still be traveling with him?

Despite the setbacks, Ash did taught her a lot. He taught her so much during their time together... She loved him for it, and their time together made her so happy. Why couldn't they travel more together?

If she didn't go back to Cerulean, Daisy, Lily or Violet would probably set a fire on without knowing. They had the looks, the charm, though Misty was pretty much the backbone. It tore her apart when she learned that the three of them had to move on without each other sooner or later...

Now there wouldn't be anymore days where she'd wake up and argue with Ash. No more days of him getting in her hair, or literally putting bug Pokemon in her hair. No more days of lecturing him or helping him get out of trouble...

The pest needed her, and she needed him.

She couldn't let him see her cry. It would only make it worse... On the day that he comes back, she'd hope she'd be there. They'd be apart from the Pokemon they would have caught together, the times where she'd get him out of the trap he was in, the times he needed shelter from the rain, the times they'd learn about new Pokemon together...

If there was ever a time Ash lost a major Pokemon tournament, or if anything drastic happened to him, she'd drop everything and head over to wherever he was, no matter how far the distance. Even if they can't be together, there would never be a day the dark haired boy wasn't on her mind. He would get himself in trouble two seconds flat without her around.

For better or worse, she always got him.

"Ash...!" she called out to him.

If she didn't say anything now, she'd regret it forever. The young boy turned to look at her.

"If you need anything..." she began. "Just so you know... I'll always be here for you."

A smile grew on Ash's face. He flicked the brim of his hat and half-waved, half-saluted her. He continued to walk to the door with Pikachu by his side, watching his silhouette fade away...

'I'll always be there for you, Ash... On the day you return, I promise you. I'll be there...!'

Go ahead and say goodbye, I'll be alright
Go ahead and make me cry, I'll be alright
And when you need a place to run to
For better, for worse, I got you...

- I Got You - Leona Lewis