Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, all the rights are from Satoshi Tajiri and NINTENDO.

Original Title: Te elijo a ti para siempre
English Title: I Choose You Forever
Pairing: Ash Ketchum x Misty Waterflower
Beta Reader: EchidnaPower

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! The victory goes to our new Kanto Champion, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

Silence fell over the stadium as the referee made the announcement. The crowd hadn't been able to see what happened inside the smoke that rose once the two opposing Pokémon's attacks collided. By the time the smoke dispersed, all they were able to see was how the two opposing trainers returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs shortly after hearing the verdict from the referee.

Just as suddenly as the hush fell over the crowd, a sense of euphoria replaced it and the crowd roared with excitement, letting their new champion know that they had thoroughly enjoyed the show.

That's right... it was finally official, the dream had finally become reality. Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, now 22 years of age, had finally become the new champion of Kanto after defeating Lance the Dragon Trainer. And not only that, with this final victory, he had also become the world's greatest Pokémon Master. With a lot of hard work and dedication, he'd managed to defeat the champions of every other region; Lance had been the only one left standing in the way of him achieving his lifelong dream.

And he'd beaten him.

After the end of the official ceremony, all of Ash's friends approached him, offering their congratulations to the newly-crowned Pokémon Master with enthusiasm and joy. As soon as they heard that Ash would be facing off against Lance in the Indigo League Stadium, they cancelled all their previous engagements and made their way to the Indigo Plateau to offer their support. It was the least they could do for someone who had taught them and given them so much about during their own journeys.

They all came up to him one by one, giving him a big hug of congratulations as they too reveled in the joy that he was currently feeling.

"Ash! Congratulations bro!" Brock finally got his turn to greet his best friend, and the Pokémon Doctor wrapped him into a friendly hug. "You deserve this win more than anyone."

Ash had returned his friend's embrace with a powerful one of his own, then he pulled back to give a hard pat on the back with a smile. "Thanks Brocko, I'm glad you're here."

They finally pulled back, and that gave a certain young redhead the opportunity to approach the newly-crowned Champion, accompanied by a Marill that was sitting on her shoulder. Once they were face to face however, they found that words escaped them somehow. They just stood in front of each other, contemplating.

"Hey Mist, thanks for coming..." Ash finally broke the silence, looking down at his now little friend with a warm smile. It always amused him that after all the teasing she did when they were kids about her being taller than him, now the tables were turned. And he liked it.

"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you, Mr. Pokémon Master?" Misty smiled up at him as she raised her hand to him.

Ash just laughed at her comment and took her hand with tenderness. He felt the urge to wrap her into a tight hug, but a different pair of arms pulled him away from her.

"Ash, let's celebrate this victory!" Tracey exclaimed energetically.

"We have to celebrate with a big party!" Gary added as he jumped alongside them.

A chorus of "YES!" was heard all over the stadium, even Pikachu and all the other Pokémon who remained outside their Pokéballs voiced their agreement of the idea of a party. As far as they were concerned, they would have it right where they were now, since they didn't know where they should go. Everyone started discussing details such as what to buy and who would bring it, but someone quickly put a stop to their disorganized planning efforts.

"Ash, honey, I hate to interrupt," Delia walked up with her hands clasped over her chest and a soft smile on her face. "But I think you and your friends can celebrate better at home, don't you think?"

"I think your mom's right, Ash." Misty agreed as she walked up next to Delia.

"Me too," Serena also walked up and nodded. "That way it'll be more private, just between family and friends."

The new Pokémon Master smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right, girls." he turned to his mother and looped his arm with hers. "Let's go home Mom." He then turned to his friends and grinned widely. "We'll pick up this celebration at my house guys! Let's go!" With that said, Ash started walking out with his mother in tow, and the rest of his friends and Pokémon followed closely behind... all but two who stayed back a moment.

"You coming Misty?"

Misty was startled and taken out of her thoughts by Brock, who had placed his hand on her shoulder from behind. "O-Oh, yeah, of course! I'm sorry, Brock, I was... distracted…"

"Is everything ok Misty?" he looked at his best female friend with concern. "You know if something happens you can tell me…"

"I know Brock, but I'm fine, don't worry." Misty smiled reassuringly and patted the doctor's hand before gesturing towards the others who were slowly leaving them behind. "Come on, let's catch up with them."

The two people closest to Ash exchanged big smiles and quickened their pace to catch up with the large group of friends that was now waiting for them outside the stadium so they could go celebrate the fulfillment of the dreams of their best friend.

The hours flew by and before everyone knew it, evening came. As soon as they'd arrived to Pallet Town, everyone went directly to Ash's house... or at least most of them. Some had decided to go grocery shopping to help Mrs. Ketchum with the grand feast she was planning, while others went with Gary to Professor Oak's laboratory to check on the latest projects being researched and to give their Pokémon some time to rest outside of their Pokéballs.

This left two people who actually stayed behind with Delia to help her with anything she needed.

"Misty, Serena, can you come and help me get the tablecloths and the utensils?" Delia called from the kitchen.

"Of course, Mrs. Ketchum!" the two spoke simultaneously and quickly entered the kitchen to begin the search of what Ash's mother needed.

"Thank you so much for your help girls." she said with a smile as she chopped up some vegetables by the kitchen counter. "This must be perfect!"

"You don't need to thank us Ms. Delia, it's an honor to help you!" Serena said with a big smile.

"Don't you worry about a thing!" Misty said as she and Serena set up the tablecloth on the spare table in the kitchen. "Everything's going to be perfect tonight!" they then moved to the other room to set up in there, as that would be where they spent of their time that evening.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the Pokémon Master was relaxing a little bit in his bed with his partner, Pikachu. He was pretty happy about finally achieving his goal, his dream… but still… he knew there was still something missing for that happiness to be absolute.

And he knew what it was…

"You know Pikachu?"

"Pi…?"

He turned his head to look at the yellow electric-type laying next to him. "Today I'll tell her…"

Pikachu's ears perked up at that. "Pika pika…?! (Are you serious?!)" he asked in his own tongue.

Ash just laughed at the look of shock on his friend's face. "Yeah, Pikachu… today… I'll finally tell her how I feel about her. But I am… I'm a little nervous, though."

"Pikachu! Pika pikachu! Pika Pikapi! (Relax! You'll be alright! You're Ash!)" Pikachu rubbed his head against his trainer's cheek in hopes that the gesture would calm him. "Pikachu Pika… (Good luck…)."

"Thanks buddy." Taking Pikachu into his arms, Ash got up and smiled down at his partner Pokémon. "You're right; the worst thing that can happen is that she says no… So everything will be fine! Right?" his smile faltered a bit at the end.

"Pi pikachu! (That's right!)"

The confident reply brought his smile back. "Ok, now that we've cleared that up, how about going to Professor's Oak lab with the guys?" Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and smiled as a response. "I'll take that as a yes… Let's go!"

From the first floor, the three women heard the distinct sound of a door quickly opening and closing, and then the unmistakable sound of Ash running down the stairs - as always - was heard throughout the house.

"Mom, Misty, Serena, I'm going to the laboratory with Gary and the others!" Ash exclaimed before getting out of the house.

"Take care honey!" Delia shouted from the kitchen.

"Mr. Mime! (Bye!)" Mr. Mime said before closing the door and continuing with his labors. "Mime, Mime, Mr. Mime…"

Sighing in exhaustion, the redheaded girl continued her assignment for the party setup as well. "Ah," she sighed again. "No matter how much time passes, Ash will always be Ash, won't he?"

"You're probably right..." Serena suddenly blushed and smiled softly. "But that's what makes him so special and unique."

Misty just stood there looking at the Kalos girl with seriousness before continuing with her part. Even if she tried not to think about it, there was no mistaking the uncomfortable expression on Misty's face that appeared as a result of Serena's words.

Hours later everything was ready. The dinner was complete, the décor - as simple as it was - was ready too. But most importantly, Ash and his friends had gathered in the room, leaving none other than Ash Ketchum in the center. The champion raised a little glass of punch prepared by his mother and began to speak.

"I guess I should start with this: Thanks so much to all of you for being here with me on such an important day, guys." Ash smiled as he looked at everyone gathered in the room. "Today… I fulfilled my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. To be honest, I'm still trying to convince myself that this isn't a dream and that I won't wake up in my sleeping bag any second now." Everyone laughed when Ash said that. "But, now that I see all of you here, see that you're all real... I finally understand that I'm really here too..., but before I say anything else, I wanna say thank you to each and every one of you, because without your help, I wouldn't be here."

"Ash…" Misty whispered with a smile.

Ash glanced at the presents everyone had gotten him before continuing. "You all say I taught you something on our journeys, and that it was because of me that you all found your own success." He paused a moment to collect his thoughts. "But the truth is, everything was completely mutual. While you learned lessons from me, I was learning lessons from all of you. Everyone here has supported me on my journey in one way or another," he glanced at Misty, Brock and Gary. "Since the day I started my journey and was a total noob," then he glanced at May, Max and Dawn. "To the day I realized I had a responsibility to pass on my knowledge and experience to beginning trainers." Finally, he looked over at Iris, Cilan, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena. "Then I got to be the student again as I learned special techniques that were only used in specific regions." He swept his eyes across the room and captured everyone's gaze with a grateful smile. "I learned a lot from all of you, so that's why today I didn't succeed alone… You all did it with me! Thank you!"

The group began to applaud after Ash's speech. His words had touched everyone's hearts with their genuine sincerity. That was one of the unique qualities Ash had, he would always manage to do or say something that would get them emotional.

That was Ash Ketchum, a symbol of motivation in everyone's eyes.

"Well, now that I'm done embarrassing myself in front of you guys," Ash got a big laugh from that. "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

CHEERS!

And with that, the victory celebration for Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum began.

The hours seemed to fly by, with the light and cheerful atmosphere never fading. That was an advantage that came with being young, according to Delia, who after a couple of hours decided to see herself out and let the young people have a good time, following Professor Oak's lead as he too had left earlier on.

After a while longer, both the living room and the kitchen were fully occupied, filled with various groups of people having friendly chats with each other. The youngest trainers, Bonnie and Max, were discussing their journeys and training techniques, as well as the different kinds of Pokémon they had in their respective regions.

As for the group of coordinators and female Gym Leader, they were discussing the adventures they had gone on after leaving Ash to pursue their own goals. But it didn't take long for the topic to suddenly change.

"So May," Dawn leaned in towards the brown-haired girl with a mischievous grin. "Has Drew already confessed his feelings for you?"

The question turned May as red as her Blaziken. "Wha-wha-what are you saying, Dawn?! Don't be silly!" May took a swift drink of her punch to avoid talking anymore about that particular topic, but she could tell by the sly looks on her friends' faces that they weren't going to let it slide.

"Oh, come on May," Misty spoke up. "We all know that there's something between you two, so don't try to avoid it…"

"No, Misty, don't help her!" May leaped up from the living room couch to try and silence the redhead, leaving her glass on the coffee table. "Besides, you're one to talk, seeing as you're in the same boat as I am!"

"Oh, so you admit that you have feelings for Drew!" Dawn grinned victoriously, that is until May gave her the same glare she saw her give Team Rocket when May visited Sinnoh for the Wallace Cup and Team Rocket stole their food. "O-Ok, I'm sorry…" she whimpered.

Once May silenced Dawn, the two coordinators focused their attention on Misty. "So, Misty… what about you?" May said with a smirk as she turned the tables on her older friend.

Misty was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Wha-what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Misty…" May said teasingly. "Or do you think we don't notice those stares that you and Ash give each other?"

Misty flushed red and screamed at the brown-haired coordinator. "Stares?! Don't be ridiculous kid!"

"She's not being ridiculous, Misty." Dawn said seriously. "I'm sorry, but I just can't help you out here. We all know how you feel about Ash, and that there's been something between you two since we were ten." she paused a moment to collect her thoughts. "Believe me, since the day he outright refused to let me borrow the lure you gave him all those years ago... I knew that the person who gave him that lure had a very special place in his heart. In other words, you, Misty!"

Everything Misty heard from her friends caused her heart to pound faster and harder. The very thought that she could have something with Ash embarrassed her in a way. The very thought that... he felt something for her since they were kids...

"No… that can't be…"she thought to herself, taking a glance in the other room where Serena was talking with Iris... and Ash."Because… she's here…"

From the looks of things, they were all having a great time together, if their laughter was anything to go by. But suddenly Iris left them alone, so Ash and Serena apparently decided to leave the kitchen. That surprised Misty for a moment, but her train of thought was interrupted by Iris, who had walked over to them.

"Hey Iris, where have you been?" Dawn asked.

"Oh, I was talking with Ash and Serena just a moment ago." she took a seat next to Misty and closed her eyes, a tiny frown appearing on her face. "It seems that our queen's going to make her move."

"WHAT?!" May suddenly barked. "Are you serious?!"

Iris opened her eyes and looked May dead in the eye. "Why wouldn't I be serious?"

"Is she really going to…? After so long?" Dawn practically whispered. After a few moments of silence, Dawn briefly glanced at Misty before putting her full attention back on the dragon trainer. "How did you find out…?"

The thousand and one questions that their friends were asking Iris were becoming increasingly hazy to Misty, who just stared towards where the love of her life and her most dangerous rival had gone...and her mind began to wander.

"You know Misty?" Serena spoke up while they waited for the championship battle to begin.

Misty looked at her,"What's wrong?"

"Today, once this battle is over… I'm going to confess my feelings to Ash." she declared firmly, looking at Misty seriously.

Misty, who didn't know what to say, simply returned her view to the stadium. "Oh... and why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you because you're my rival, and it's only fair that you know the moves I'm going to make." she said before the referee entered the stadium, followed by Ash and Lance. "Look, there they are! Good luck Ash, you can do it!"

The redhead simply didn't want to say anything more, so she decided to just concentrate on the battle that was about to begin.

Misty didn't really know how much time she spent lost in her thoughts, remembering that frustrating moment in which her most powerful rival declared to her that she was going to tell Ash how much she loved him. But she finally snapped out of her sadness when her friends stood up suddenly, watching on shock as the Kalos Queen ran through the kitchen again and out the back door, followed closely by a certain blond young man with glasses.

"T-That was Serena…" Dawn finally said, staring at the door in shock.

May nodded slightly. "And she was crying."

Iris, who hadn't stood up to get a better view, just turned a little before she resumed her previous position on the couch, as she pulled at her hair in awkward discomfort. "Guess he rejected her..." Iris turned to look at Misty. "Hey, why don't you go see how the little brat's doing?"

"Huh? But why would I-" Misty cut herself off when she felt a large hand gently grip her shoulder. She turned to look up and saw Brock standing behind her with a grim expression on his face. "Brock?"

"I think you should go to him Misty."

"B-But…"

Brock gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet. "You know Ash, if he feels he hurt someone he'll be depressed. He needs someone to lean on…"

"I agree." Cilan said as he too walked over to add his input. "I think it's the best choice to make in order to sweeten the bitter taste that has fallen into the environment."

"Come on Misty," Gary said from the kitchen. "Just go and spend some time with the loser."

Misty just looked at her friends for a while. She was hesitant, unsure of whether or not she should listen to them or not. She could feel her heart beating painfully fast in her chest from the situation. Part of the reason she didn't want to go to Ash was because she didn't know if it would really be right. Judging by the way she ran from the house, Serena had just been rejected by him… and for her to go to him now, taking advantage of the situation…was just so unfair to her.

"Pikachupi… (Misty…)"

Her attention was again diverted when a familiar little electric-type hopped onto her shoulder with a sad expression. "Pikachu…" she whispered.

"Pikapi… (Ash is…)"

The redhead looked at Pikachu for a few seconds before she finally relinquished a small smile and picked him up before placing him on the ground. "Don't worry Pikachu," she gently caressed his head. "Your dummy trainer will be fine, ok?" With that, she got up from the couch and headed to the backyard, where Ash was sitting on the wooden fence, staring up at the sky.

Slowly, Misty opened the door that linked to the backyard of the Ketchum residence, which let her feel the cool night breeze gently kiss her skin. She saw him, his shoulders slumped, it was obvious he was hurting. Misty softly closed the door in an attempt to make sure he didn't notice her presence, but…

"I hurt her, Misty…" he said without even looking in her direction.

"Ash…"

The trainer lowered his head in shame. "I hurt her…I figured out Serena was in love with me a long time ago, that's why I tried to be more distant with her… to let her know that I didn't want anything more than friendship… but still, I just…"

"That's how love is, Ash, sometimes it hurts..."

"But you know that I hate to hurt people if I can avoid it, Mist…" Ash whispered.

Misty, who now was at his side, put her hand over his. "I know Ash, but… no one said love was that easy." Misty said in a whisper, looking at the starry sky.

"Yeah, I know…"

This wasn't going anywhere, she needed to lighten the heavy atmosphere that had surrounded them due to Ash's depression over hurting Serena, so she decided to use a tried and true tactic. She pulled her hand from his and crossed her arms under her chest. "What? What do you know about love, Ash Ketchum?" she said with a teasing smirk. "As far as I remember, that's not your area of expertise; I mean, knowing how naive you are…"

"What did you say?!" he turned to her with an angry frown.

"What you heard smartass!" she mussed up his hair as if he were a ten years old kid again.

Swatting away her hand in annoyance, Ash huffed and turned away again. "Okay I'm a little slow, but I'm not stupid."

"Well, we're seeing some progress after twelve years, that's good."

"Hold your horses, as if you were an expert!"

"Still way more than you… otherwise I'm in serious trouble." Misty said dramatically.

A small vein leaped from his head instantly. How could this woman still rile him up so easily? "Ugh, I don't know why I bother."

"And I don't know why you still try, Ketchum." she leaned over the fence and grinned. "You can never beat me, you know that."

"That's not true…" he looked at over the top of his shoulder. "I've beaten you before."

"Huh?" she said in confusion. "When, according to you?"

"Don't you remember?" he smirked at her. "I defeated you in Cerulean City, when we battled for Togepi and of course when we fought for Totodile."

"Oh, come on Ash, don't go there." she closed her eyes and rested her chin in her hand. "You know that if our battle at the Cerulean Gym hadn't been interrupted by Team Rocket, I would've beaten you easily."

Ash, wanting to tease her a little more, began to poke her head with his forefinger. "But that fight was settled when we fought for Togepi and Totodile, and guess what? I beat you in both!"

With a vein popping out of her head, Misty swatted Ash's finger away and narrowed her eyes at him with a smirk. "But then I beat you in the Whirl Cup, and the best part was I beat you, with Psyduck." she grinned at him as his face contorted into a frown as he remembered that embarrassing moment when he forgot about Psyduck's headache.

"I let you win," he finally said. "Don't be so happy."

"Oh, Ash, come on, it was only natural for you to lose. I mean, I was meant to be the world's greatest water Pokémon Master even back then after all." she replied with a smile.

Bowing his head, Ash let out a sigh before he gave her a side-eye look. "Sometimes I wonder where you get so much ego…"

"I'm in a good mood Ash, don't provoke me…" was the only thing Misty said as she squeezed her fist tightly.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry…" Ash put his hands up before looking back up at the starry sky along with his best friend.

Silence soon overtook them once more, with the only sounds coming from nature and a few wild Pokémon in the distance. It was almost therapeutic in a way, and that was something Misty had come to love about Pallet Town ever since she was a child, unlike Cerulean City. Of course, it wasn't that she was uncomfortable with her own hometown... but there was just something about her friend's hometown that enchanted her ever since she first visited all those years ago, it had this charm that made you fall in love it with the moment you arrive.

The irony of it all wasn't lost on Misty. She was in love with the same town that the man she loved happened to grow up in... not that it really mattered, since Ash would never know that. She didn't want to risk their friendship for the sake of a childish personal wish. She shook her head and pasted on a smile as she glanced at him. "Feel better now, Ash?" she asked before looking back up at the moon above.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks…" he replied without tearing his gaze away from the sky. Although he did place his hand over hers, and just moments later Misty reciprocated the affectionate gesture, and Ash's smile grew a little. "You know what Mist?"

She glanced at him in confusion. "What, Ash?"

"I like being with you…" he whispered, squeezing her hand a little tighter.

She smiled softly, letting those beautiful words flood her heart as she too strengthened her grip on his hand, "Me too Ash, I like being with you…"

A cool breeze began to blow through Pallet, and Misty turned her face to revel in the feeling of the gentle wind kissing her skin and blowing through her long and wavy orange hair. She was blissfully unaware of how Ash was staring at her, admiring her angelic appearance.

Ash couldn't help but quietly admire how beautiful Misty's hair was now, then he set his eyes on their hands that were still clasped and smiled warmly at the sight. Ever since they first met as kids, they would somehow always end up holding hands, it had become a rather common occurrence for them over the years...of course now, he enjoyed it a lot more. He finally turned away from her, and took a deep breath before speaking up again. "Hey Misty, tell me something... Are we really happy?"

"What?" she looked at him oddly. "Are we happy? What do you mean, Ash?"

"Well, I mean just that. Do you think we're happy right now, Misty." he still hadn't let go of her hand.

The redhead slowly shook her head at him in confusion. "Sorry, but… I don't understand what you're asking."

Ash sighed and closed his eyes as he rattled his brain for a way to answer her. "How can I put it?" After a few moments of though, a soft blush appeared on his cheeks. "What I'm asking is… if you believe that you and I, right now at this point in our lives, do we consider ourselves happy people. I mean, we've both reach our goals, or in your case you will very soon, since soon you'll be joining the Elite Four, but… that's all? Do you think that's all it'll take for us to be... happy?"

Misty finally understood what Ash's point was. If she thought about her being happy or not… she could easily give him an answer: No. It's not like she wasn't happy right now, but there was something missing, keeping her happiness from being absolute. She looked at Ash for a moment, who for some strange reason was looking towards the ground, then she closed her eyes and replied to his question as honestly as she could. "I think we're happy, yeah…" she began. "Or at least... I wish you to be happy."

"Misty…"

Misty let out a small laugh before opening her eyes, "You know? Even if I said that we were both happy... I feel like my happiness isn't complete, something's missing, something very important." she said. "I know what it is but... it's something I just cannot get."

"Huh?" Ash asked with a concerned expression. He hated how despondent she sounded, if there was anyone who deserved to be happy in life, it was Misty. She deserved more happiness than anyone in the world. "And why not…?"

"Because it's not something I can just go get, Ash, it's as simple as that. It's something that, even if I want it, I would run the risk of not getting it if I tried and... I'd get hurt."

Ash was silent for a moment after hearing that, just watching the melancholy face that had appeared on his redheaded friend's face. Her words left him thinking, and he realized that they were in the same situation, even if she didn't realize it, and she probably wouldn't believe it. Of course he was… no, is known for being somewhat dense and easily distracted, but he had grown… he was human too, with feelings and fears. And although it took him a while longer than some others… he could realize the feelings that had blossomed in his heart…, and exactly when they did. But just like her, he was afraid of being hurt, and that's why he felt bad for hurting his friend Serena. Nevertheless…

"It's funny, you know?" he said after a few moments of extra thought. "Because I'm in the same situation." he saw that he now had her full attention. "I feel that even after finally getting to become the Pokémon Master, my one true goal in life... there's something else out there that unless I have it, my happiness won't be absolute either."

She relinquished a melancholy smile and chuckled. "There will always be something we lack to be happy, but what we can do?" She finally stood up, leaving behind the warmth of Ash's hand. "At the end of the day, we just can't have everything we want."

"That's right…" Ash replied. "But we should always be willing to take a few risks to see what we can get." he looked her right in the eyes. "I know I'm contradicting myself regarding not wanting to hurt anyone if I can avoid it, but this is different. I don't want to give up… at least not until I know I tried, because, somehow, I know it's worth it."

"Huh?" she watched as Ash also stood up and dusted his pants off. "And why do you say that?"

At his friend's question, Ash just smiled. "Misty… let's be happy." was all he said.

"Um... I don't understand, Ash..." she said with a hand on her hip. Ash was really starting to act strangely, it was good to see he didn't seem upset over rejecting Serena and making her cry anymore, but still...

The young man simply approached the redhead and took her hands into his own, looking her in the eyes. "Just that, Misty, let's be happy, you and I."

"But what are you talking about?" she asked in utter confusion. "How do you expect us to just start being happy if we both know what we want is practically impossible to get? It's not as simple as just going to the store and buying it Ash..."

"It's hard, I know, especially when one of the persons involved is too stubborn... but it's not impossible." he laughed slightly and again looked deeply into her eyes. "So let's try to be happy Misty, you and I, together."

"What...?" For the briefest of moments, her heart stopped. Had she… heard right? Did Ash use the word: together? No, Ash had to be joking, or at least referring to something else entirely... What else could it mean? He was clearly referring to… well, yeah, that. But she couldn't bring herself to believe that this was happening; after all, this was Ash.

Was he really giving her a very direct hint?

"Misty?" Ash was suddenly a little nervous because of her silence. He knew it would've been a major shock for her to hear him saying those kinds of things, but he was playing his best card. Maybe he had to be more...direct? "Man, I was hoping I wouldn't have to say it so directly, but I guess I should've guessed it wouldn't be that easy, right Ash?" he thought to himself. "Well, here we go…"

Without saying a word, Ash pulled Misty in and wrapped his strong arms tightly around her torso, causing the redhead's eyes to open wide in shock and a deep blush to wash over her cheeks. She wanted to yell at him, tell him to let go and let her breathe, but… she was so shocked that her voice failed her. "A-Ash… what…?"

"I love you…" he said in her ear, provoking a silent gasp from. "I love you, I love you… I've loved you for so long." he hid his flushed face in the shoulder of the temperamental redhead, with each word he spoke becoming more and more earnest, his embrace growing stronger with each word.

"Ash, but what are you-?"

"I know it's hard to believe…" he cut her off. "But even when we were kids I knew you were special. Maybe at the beginning I didn't understand what I felt… and that's why we always ended up fighting most of the time, but the funny thing is..." he paused a moment as he searched for the words to describe his feelings. Misty had frozen in his arms, just silently listening with a huge blush on her face. "You're what I need to be happy, I understand that today more than ever." he whispered before pulling back a little so he could look her in the eyes, which were totally wide with her cheeks as red as her hair. "Misty, let's be happy together… please, stay by my side…"

Misty never imagined even in her wildest dreams that she'd find herself in this situation, or that she'd ever hear the words she'd just been told. She didn't know what to say or do… should she follow the same cliché of films and novels: Crying while jumping into his arms and kiss him before telling him how much she loved him too and that she didn't want to be anywhere else but at his side? As stupid as it sounded… that's what she wanted to do, at that moment all she wanted was to reach her arms around the neck of her now more-than-a-friend and kiss him with all the pent up intensity that she could muster after so many years of waiting.

But, she was still Misty Waterflower, the proud Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym, a woman of character. There was no way she was going to give in to that stupid stereotype. True, she was jumping for joy on the inside, because her first and only love reciprocated her feelings with the same intensity that she felt, but that didn't mean she would show her sensitive side so easily.

"Well, Ash Ketchum, what made you think that I would accept just because you suddenly confessed to me?" she asked before freeing herself from his embrace and stepping away from him. "All that stuff you said was so nice, and I really wasn't expecting it..." she smirked at his confused expression and closed her eyes. "But let me tell you something Mr. Pokémon Master, I'm not that easy to catch."

At that declaration, Ash just laughed with a certain amount of relief and crossed his arms. "So are you telling me that you're like a super rare Water Pokémon that can't be caught without a special kind of Pokéball? Like say... I don't know... a Master Ball, perhaps?"

Misty finally opened her eyes and rested her aquamarine orbs on the boy and smiled. Although she didn't like being compared to a Pokémon… at least Ash catalogued her as a rare one, and a water-type to boot, so she played along. "Yeah, something like that." she said. "You will never catch me if you don't have a Master Ball, Ash." she said with pride over how she was handling the situation, even if inside she was dying to just jump into the arms of the love of her life.

"Ah, well if that's the case there's no problem then." Ash grinned and pulled something off his belt, and much to the bewilderment of Misty, Ash was now holding the extremely and widely-acclaimed Master Ball. When had Ash gotten one of those anyway?

While the redhead questioned such a small detail in her head, Ash walked over to her, wrapped his left arm around her waist, and with his other hand, he touched the Master Ball to her forehead, pretending to throw it as if he were trying to catch that strange and extremely rare Pokémon, which definitely had to be on his team.

After a few seconds he pulled the Master Ball from her forehead so he could see the expression of his beloved mermaid.

Blinking, Misty just touched her forehead with her right hand, slightly blushing. "What was that?"

"Oh nothing, I just threw the Master Ball to catch this rare Pokémon." he said with a huge and mocking smile, "But first I had to use my Wrap attack to keep you from moving."

"Are you really treating me like a Pokémon?!" she shouted angrily as she realized what he'd just done.

"Uh oh, Misty's using Growl," he laughed. "But it's not very effective."

"Stop treating me like a Pokémon!" the redhead started beating on Ash's chest in protest. "This takes 100 points off your confession Ash Ketchum!"

"And now she's using Double Slap, but it's still not very effective." he couldn't help but laugh at how red she was; he loved to see her that way, it was as if she was turning back into that girl he met when he was ten. "Now Ash used Charm." that being said, Ash gave her his best puppy-eyes, trying to bring her guard down. However, her reaction was totally different than what he was hoping for. "And it wasn't effective against the Mean Look of Mist!"

"Ash, this isn't funny! Be seri-!"

"Finally Ash Ketchum decides to use Sweet Kiss to defeat his opponent…" Ash interrupted her before leaning in close and placing his lips over her, and he could tell almost immediately that his 'attack' was 100 percent effective.

Misty's eyes opened wide at this sudden act, making her blush even more. But soon the pleasant sensation completely dominated her senses and carried her away; she stopped trying to escape from his arms and instead he wrapped her own arms around Ash's neck. Then Ash used his other arm to hug her strongly, even lifting her a little off the ground.

Both of them had waited for this for so long and they just couldn't think of anything else, except to mold themselves to each other and become one. Neither of them had experience in this type of situation, but details like that were no problem for either of them, as they had always learned everything together... and this wouldn't be the exception.

Their lips moved in a delicate dance, giving them every few seconds a little space to take breath of air before quickly going back in for more. Neither of them had ever felt a sensation quite like this before, it was like a sweet and addictive nectar that they couldn't get enough of, and it was reserved exclusively for each other.

Eventually however, even with the small breaths they took, their lungs required a greater amount of oxygen than they provided, so slowly, giving each other little kisses on the way, they separated their lips, only to end with their bodies flush with each other.

"And it was super effective…" Ash whispered after recovering his breath, earning a small laugh from the girl who was wrapped in his arms.

Sighing a little after the laugh, Misty looked up at Ash with determination. "You're a fool…" she placed a hand on his cheek and smiled tenderly, "But you're still the same fool that I fell in love with a long time ago…"

"Mist…"

"I love you Ash," she confessed with a huge blush. "I've loved you since I was a little girl, I love you now, and I swear I will love you for the rest of my life... which I want to spend with you." she finally expressed her greatest wish, her eyes letting loose several tears of joy which were quickly wiped away by the world's newest Pokémon Master.

"The great Ash Ketchum has made the biggest catch of his life." he began, making Misty laugh again even as she shook her head in amusement. "Nobody in the world has a powerful Gyarados-"

"Hey!" Misty complains, but Ash stops her hand before it hit him.

Ash laughed and stopped her hand before it could slap him for the remark, looking into her eyes with a loving expression. "That can transform herself into a beautiful Milotic." he whispered, and brought her hands to his lips and placing several sweet kisses on the back of them.

Misty's heart couldn't handle so much emotion, so again tears of joy started coming out of her beautiful eyes, which were worthy representatives of the sea that she loved so much. This time, the young woman didn't allow the object of her affections to dry the expression of her happiness and just hugged him, resting her head on his chest and feeling him place his cheek on her head and start rocking her back and forth in their embrace.

Oblivious to everything else, especially the many friends who were watching from the kitchen door, Ash and Misty were lost again in that perfect world in which they were the only ones there…where nothing could ruin their happiness.

The spectators, who had quietly celebrated the moment when they saw their friends kiss, were finally giving them some space.

"Oh, how lovely…" Bonnie whispered. "That's what I want for my brother!"

Max, who was beside her, just smiled at what she said. "Hopefully Serena can give him a chance one day." he said as he watched the two Kanto trainers outside. "You better move away; we'll get caught at this rate."

"Ok."

May couldn't help but give one final glance at the touching scene with a wicked smile. "We'll let them have their moment, but they'll have to tell us everything tomorrow!" May exclaimed as she too walked away from the door.

"I can't wait for the interrogation we're going to give them!" Dawn giggled with glee at the thought, but then she narrowed her eyes and smirked at May. "And by the way, don't think for a second that you'll be able to avoid talking about Drew, May, I've had enough of your cowardice.

"WHAT?!"

"Ah…" Cilan gracefully moved away from the door as well. "This scene has finally taken on an exquisitely sweet taste, despite the small touch of bitterness that had inadvertently disrupted the recipe a mere few minutes ago."

Iris just sighed and followed Cilan. "Stop saying stupid things…"

"It was just time for the loser to see what we all noticed when we were kids."Gary said as he walked alongside Tracey. "Even I noticed it Tracey, and I wasn't around them all that often…"

"I know what you mean," the observer replied. "I only traveled with them for a short time, but it wasn't hard to noticed that tension."

Gradually, everyone returned to the party, leaving the new couple alone for a while; the only people who stood there for a moment, watching what he waited for years to see were...

"Let's give them some space for now, ok Pikachu? We'll tease them later…"

"Pika Pikachu! (Ok Brock!)" Pikachu said as he watched from the shoulder of his trainer's best human friend. The little electric-type was also happy, happy to see the two most important humans in his life finally together, enjoying the love that even he knew they both shared.

Brock smirked and left the door the place to continue celebrating without the host.

Outside, the new couple was enjoying the warm weather while cuddling. Misty delighted her ear with the sound of Ash's heartbeat, while he got drunk on the intoxicating scent of Misty's gorgeous orange hair. Finally, the Pokémon Master broke the silence and looked down at his beloved Misty with a tender smile.

"Misty…"

"Mmm?"

He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. "I choose you…" he smiled wider when she laughed at his attempt to continue their earlier joke, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him in response, and he did the same, strengthening the embrace and bringing them closer together than they ever had been before. "Misty, I choose you… forever…"

Suki: Ah… finally… I… finished! *goes to her bed and let her brain rest a little*. Hi guys, I'm Suki90, a Spanish Fanficker. I'm here right now… trying to improve my English a little by translating my own fanfic called "Te elijo a ti, para siempre".

I posted this one-shot before but I realized that it had a lot of mistakes, and well, I decided to delete this story and publish it again so everyone can read the awesome work my friend EchidnaPower did with it! EP, thank you so, so much for your time! You're awesome!

And since I deleted the first version, also my 4 reviews are gone. Thank you so much for those who left me before a review before:

1. SuperSonicBros123: I'll have to see. I'm gonna try, I promise you that :D

2. babu roy c: Thanks! Oh... ah, but I don't like harems at all hehe...

3. Tropicallight: Thanks! I hope this version is better thanks to Echidna!

4. CharlieBoneFan: Thank you so much, hope you enjoyed this new version!

Also thank you for the 6 followers, 22 favorites and for posting this in a Community called: "Pokemon's Many Relationships".

I hope you all enjoyed this new version!

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Suki90, presented.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!