Misty in Kalos

If Misty had to describe Kalos with one word it would be 'beautiful'. It didn't quite encompass the whole thoughts she had, but it sufficed. And it was places like Courmarine City that made Misty regret having to have stopped travelling with Ash, along with some…private reasons. But it did make her appreciate the few times she could take a break all the more.

She had come to Kalos to train under Siebold, one of the region's Elite Four, and a Water-type Pokémon Master. It also meant that she could visit Ash, as Delia had told her that he was currently travelling here. And a quick phone call to the regional professor ensured that Misty knew exactly where her oldest friend would be. She wanted to surprise him, after all.

'Maybe I can actually confess my feelings to him,' she thought, with a slight giggle. They were both sixteen and Misty knew Ash wasn't quite as dense as most people believed. He just had his head filled with all things Pokémon.

"Pikachupi!" the familiar cry of an old friend caught Misty's attention, and she soon found herself with an armful of Pikachu.

"Hey, Pikachu," Misty said, grinning. "It's been a while."

"Pi Pikachu!"

Before Misty could ask where Ash was, a voice interrupted her. "Pikachu! It's rude to jump into the arms of strangers!"

The orange haired trainer turned to the voice and found it's source to be a honey blonde young girl about her age, who was accompanied by an even younger girl with lemon coloured hair. The older of the two turned to Misty with an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry about that. Pikachu doesn't usually do this."

Misty simply shook her head. "It's alright. Pikachu and I are old friends," she explained, scratching the Pokémon under the chin before adding. "Isn't that right, Pika-pal?"

"Cha~!"

"Pika-pal?" the younger girl tilted her head in confusion before her eye's widened. "Ah! You're Lure Girl!"

"Lure Girl?" Misty echoed. "Oh, he actually kept that?"

"Yeah!" the girl replied. "That makes you Misty! You used to travel with him! Oh! I'm Bonnie and this is Serena! Oh, and my brother Clemont travels with us, too! But he's with Ash, right now."

Misty blinked in bemusement. The girl certainly could talk. Looking at the older girl, Serena, she saw only confusion. Did that mean only Bonnie knew who she was?"

"Bonnie, what are you talking about? What lure?" the girl asked. Evidently, she had no clue who Misty was.

"Oh, it was back in Ambrette Town," Bonnie explained. "You and Clemont went looking for fishing stuff, but Ash had his own. I asked him where he got them and he told me about Misty. He even showed me a special lure that he said he wasn't going to use. I asked why, and he said because it was a present."

'Oh yeah, the fishing rod I gave him for his last birthday,' Misty recalled with a small grin. As much as Ash was terrible at fishing, her inner enthusiast refused to let the wannabe Pokémon Master be ill-equipped.

"O-Oh…" Serena's forehead creased a little, but she then smiled at Misty. "It's nice to meet you, then. As Bonnie said, I'm Serena from Vaniville Town. You must be from Kanto?"

"That's right. I'm from Cerulean City," Misty replied before glancing around. "Where is Ash? He's not one for letting Pikachu out of his sight."

"Oh, he's back at the Pokémon Centre," Serena explained. "He and Clemont are going over what Ash will do for his next Gym battle."

"That goof," Misty sighed. "If it's not food, it's Pokémon that's on his mind."

"You sound like you know him really well," Serena probed. Misty glanced at her, seeing an unreadable expression on her face.

"About as well as anyone who travelled with Ash for over two years, I guess," Misty nonchalantly replied. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd say this girl has a crush on Ash. Typical.'

"I see."

"Why did you stop?" Bonnie asked, with child-like curiosity.

Misty replied, "My sisters and I run the Cerulean Gym. But my sisters are pretty irresponsible and left on a world round cruise and forced me to take over permanently."

"Oh, that must have been annoying," the younger girl frowned, before brightening up. "Hey, that means you can be my brother's Keeper! He's a Gym leader, too. But he needs a lot of help."

"Keeper?" Misty was utterly bewildered and had to turn to Serena for help. Said girl took pity on Misty.

"Bonnie has been trying to find a wife for her brother since I've met them both," she explained, smiling fondly. "It's endearing, to be honest."

"I'll bet," Misty chuckled, before crouching down to Bonnie's level. "I'm sorry Bonnie, but I'm afraid that I can't be your brother's keeper. There's someone else who I like."

"Oh! Is i-"

Misty swiftly placed a finger on Bonnie lips and hushed her. "It's a secret, 'kay?"

Bonnie's eyes widened, and she nodded her head vigorously. Misty grinned before standing up. She then turned to Serena and said, "Shall we head to the Pokémon Center? I kinda want to surprise Ash."

However, before Serena could answer she was interrupted by an achingly familiar voice. "So this is where you three were at. I was wondering wh-Misty! What are you doing here?!"

Immediately ticked off, Misty turned to Ash with an angry look. "That's how you're gonna say hi to an old friend? No 'Hey, Misty!' or 'How's it going, Misty!' I would have even taken 'I missed you so much, Misty!' But no, Ash Ketchum's way of saying hello is 'What are you doing here!'"

"It's not like that!" Ash swiftly protested. "I'm just surprised, that's all!"

"Well maybe if you'd answer your phone or checked your e-mail, once in a while, you'd know more about what I'm up too!" Misty retorted, tartly.

"I do! I called you last month and you didn't pick up!" Ash argued.

"I was in the middle of the annual Gym Leader Meeting!" Misty growled, though inwardly she was delighted at how easy the pair had slipped into old habits. "What was I supposed to do, up and leave? That would have gone down well with the PIA."

"And what stopped you from calling after?" Ash challenged, arching an eyebrow. "I definitely didn't have any missed calls afterwards."

"Well, I…"

"Ha! You forgot!" Ash crowed, with a smug expression.

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"You guys are way too funny!" Bonnie interrupted, laughing. Misty blushed at how childish she was being but exchanged a fond glance with Ash.

"Guess it's kinda a habit now, huh Mist?" Ash chuckled. Misty might have imagined it, but there was something missing from Ash's usual demeanour.

"I guess so," Misty agreed. "Now, I've met Bonnie and Serena, so introduce me to your other friend."

"Oh right! Misty this is Clemont, the Lumiose City's Gym Leader," Ash introduced. "Clemont, this is Misty, an old friend of mine from Kanto. She's a Gym Leader like you."

"It's nice to meet you," Clemont said, politely. He was a soft-spoken teen, a few years younger than her and Ash.

"So, Misty," Serena began, "what brings you to Kalos? Other than visiting Ash, I mean. Isn't the league in season, back in Kanto?"

"It is," Misty confirmed, "but my oldest sister, Daisy, is taking over as Gym Leader full time. I'm actually here to train under Siebold."

"Sie-Siebold?" Clemont spluttered. "As in the Elite Four member Siebold?"

"That's right," Misty nodded. "I need to train under the same Type Master as my own speciality to get my own accreditation as a Water-type Pokémon Master. It is my dream after all."

She then looked to Ash, waiting for the usual snarky comment from him. Only to be surprised at the look of sheer pride on her crush's face.

"So, moving up to an Elite Four then? Who's retiring? Agatha?" Ash asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh…Um…No, that's not it," Misty stuttered, more than a little flustered at Ash's comments. "They're splitting the Elite Four and Regional Champion for Kanto and Johto. I don't quite know how it's working out, but I'm shortlisted for the Johto Elite Four."

"Misty, that's amazing!" Ash exclaimed. "Even being shortlisted is a great achievement!"

The sentiment was echoed by the Kalosians, as Misty blushed. "I probably won't get selected though. Word is that Koga has also been chosen, and he has more experience that I do."

"It's still an achievement, Mist," Ash insisted. "So, well done."

Misty simply smiled before asking, "So what have you been up to since you got here?"

While Ash, with help from the others, regaled her with tales, Misty took the time to examine Ash more closely. It was hard to notice, but he stood a little less tall than he normally did, and his usual smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Speaking of his eyes, there were bags there, hidden by his tan skin. Overall, he looked exhausted. And while she took all this in, she struggled to figure out how to get Ash on his own. She needn't have worried, though. Ash provided an opportunity on his own.

"Hey, guys. Mind giving me and Misty some time to ourselves?" Ash asked his Kalosian friends. "We'll meet you back at the Pokémon Center."

Bonnie was about to answer, but Clemont interrupted her. "Sure thing, Ash. See you later."

Serena looked as though she wanted to speak up, but simply shook her head and followed after the siblings. Leaving Ash, Misty, and Pikachu.

"Let's walk and talk," Ash suggested, leading Misty down a path towards the harbour.

Eventually, they reached a pier that had a few benches. Sitting down on one, the trio looked over at the setting sun across the ocean horizon. It was a companionable silence, with Misty simply offering what comfort she could while Ash idly stroked Pikachu. She wouldn't rush Ash. He would talk when he felt ready.

Soon enough, she was correct as Ash spoke up. "Pikachu nearly died."

Misty softly gasped, but Ash didn't appear to notice. "What happened?" she asked.

"What else? Attack of the legendaries," Ash snorted, with a bitter laugh. He paused for a few moments before continuing. "We were in a small town called Avignon. There was a minor tournament taking place."

"And you just had to compete," Misty stated more than asked, giggling.

"You got that right," Ash replied, grinning slightly. "Anyway, after the fact, we met a Mythical Pokémon called Diancie. She was being attacked by a couple crooks because she could make diamonds with her powers. But her powers were weak and the diamonds didn't stick, so she was trying to find one of the main Legendary Pokémon in Kalos called Xerneas."

"So you being you, you decided to help?" Misty guessed and received a bitter chuckle in response. "Oh, Ash. What happened next?"

"To make a long story short. We succeeded in finding Xerneas, and Diancie could make permanent diamonds," Ash told her. "But the crooks from before got to Diancie and took her to…Took her to there."

"Where?"

"To Yveltal."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out, discomforted by Ash's inadvertent manhandling.

"Sorry bud," Ash apologised. "Anyway, the fighting for Diancie awakened Yveltal. Who was angry."

"I'll bet," Misty quietly remarked.

"Yveltal has this move that petrified the target. Oblivion Wing," Ash explained. "And Pikachu was hit."

Misty wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Clearly, Pikachu recovered if he was he now, but Ash was obviously still distressed. Silence stretched for a few minutes more before Ash spoke up again.

"I'm just…tired, Misty," he sighed. "Tired of having to deal with two or three disasters a year. By the time my Pokémon and I reach the league, we're all so exhausted that we can't battle to our fullest strength. It's just not…fair! I bet if we didn't have to deal with all that stuff in Sinnoh, we would have beaten Tobias!

"And I know saving the world is important!" Ash continued, preventing Misty from speaking. "I get that! But why does it have to be me?"

"Because the world will otherwise turn to ash?" Misty joked, trying to raise the mood. It was corny, but it must have worked because Ash managed a slight laugh. "Ash, no one would begrudge you from running in the opposite direction of trouble. It's not your…I don't know, your duty.

"But I know you, Ash," she added. "It's not in your nature to run away when people need help."

"…Yeah…" Ash muttered, frowning. "I think…I think I'll retire from the league circuit after this season."

"What?" Misty blinked at the sudden non-sequitur.

"Yeah…I've been putting a lotta thought into this," Ash went on. "It's just...I've been travelling for almost seven years, y'know? There's not much else to see."
"But, what about your dream to become a Pokémon Master?" Misty was utterly confused by that point.

"I don't need to win a League conference to become one," Ash shrugged. "It's a pretty non-specific title, after all. Not some rank that's above Regional Champions, or something. I'm actually planning on taking Scott up on his offer as Frontier Brain."

"Really! That's wonderful!" Misty congratulated.

"Yeah. He actually called me again after I came back from Unova," the Kantonian trainer revealed. "He's planning on opening a second Battle Frontier in Johto. He wants me to Head that one."

"That's great!" Misty said before frowning in thought. "But…What if you do win the conference?"

"Try my hand at the Kalos Champions League, and see how far I get," Ash shrugged. "I don't plan on staying here if that's what you mean."

"Oh…" Misty fell silent, squirming a little. "We'll be closer, then," she added.

"Yeah, I suppose we will," Ash agreed, with a warm grin.

"I-"

"Misty," Ash interrupted. "I…Ah, I'm no good with words."

And with that, he gently grasped Misty's hand and interlaced their fingers. Misty blushed at the contact before turning to Ash.

"You mean…?"

"Yeah…Yeah, I do," he replied.

"Oh…"

This was the last thing she expected from a goof like Ash. But, she couldn't complain. After years of...whatever it was between them, they were both finally getting somewhere with their feelings.

"Hey," Ash began, interrupting Misty's thoughts. "What d'you think about a holiday in Alola after the conference? I think we both will need a break."

"Yeah…I'd like that."

Author's Note: I'm not entirely sure how I missed out on PokéShipping Week being a thing since it's been my go-to ship for years. Anyway, this is my first entry into this week.