Okay, this chapter had me thinking for a long time but I finally got it finished. And now, for all those who have been patinetly (or not patiently) waiting, here is the final chapter.
Chapter 6: Follow Your Heart
Ash awoke the next morning. In his mind the events of last night seemed to be nothing more than a long sought-after dream. However, all it took was one look at the girl… no, angel sleeping next to him to let him know it was no dream.
"She really loves me. Pikachu was right after all," he said to himself. He smiled as he got up, careful not to wake Misty. He went to the window and opened it, letting the cool breeze flow into the room. Ash he stood in front of the open window enjoying the cool breeze a slight stirring behind him told him that Misty was waking up. He turned around just in time to see her open her eyes.
"Morning, beautiful," he said, smiling. Misty sat up on the side of the bed and looked at Ash. To her his smile outshined even the brightest sunrise.
"Good morning," she said, returning his smile. Ash walked over to the bed, leaned down and gently kissed Misty on the lips, which she returned. After the kiss Misty let out a content sigh and smiled.
"I could get used to waking up to that," she said.
"So could I," Ash replied. "So, you want to go tell the others? I'm sure they're interested in what we did last night."
"Yeah," she replied. "I mean, we were gone for quite a while last night." Misty got out of the bed and sat down at the desk in the room where her things were. She then took a brush out of her bag and proceeded to brush the tangles out of her hair. Once that was done she took out a rubber band and was about to put her hair into her trademark side-ponytail, but Ash stopped her.
"Leave it down," he said. "You look better with your hair down." Misty smiled and walked over to Ash. She placed her arms around his neck while had had his around her waist.
"You really think so?" she asked.
"I know so," he replied. The two then shared their second kiss of the day.
"So, shall we get going?" Ash asked.
"Just one minute," Misty replied. She reached back in her bag and took out the box with the necklace Ash bought her. After placing it around her neck she faced Ash.
"Okay. Now we can go," she said.
"Okay," Ash replied. They were about to walk out when Misty noticed something was missing.
"Hey! Where's Pikachu?" she asked. Ash looked around for his long-time Pokémon buddy, but he was no where to be found.
"I don't know," he replied. "Come to think of it he was gone when I woke up this morning."
"You don't think Team Rocket came back last night and took him, do you?" Misty asked, worry evident in her voice. Ash walked over and held her, trying to calm her down. As he held her he gently kissed the top of her head.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Pikachu's fine," he said. "He's probably with Flannery and everyone else."
"Yeah… you're probably right," Misty said. Convinced that she was over her slight fear Ash let go and backed away a bit.
"Come on. I think we've kept them waiting long enough," he said. He extended his hand to her. Misty smiled as she took Ash's hand in hers. The two then left the room on their way to the living room.
It was a typical morning for Flannery and her family. Mark and Gloria were inside having breakfast while Flannery and her grandfather were just coming back in from tending to the Pokémon.
"Everyone's doing great," Flannery said.
"That's good," Mark said. "After yesterday it's important that we keep them in fighting shape."
"That's true," Gloria said. "Ash and Misty won't always be here to fight for us." As soon as she mentioned them Ash and Misty walked in.
"Morning, everyone," Ash said.
"Good morning," Misty added.
"Well, you two sure slept in this morning," Mark said.
"We did?" Ash asked.
"You sure did," Gloria answered. "In fact it's almost noon." Ash and Misty looked over at the clock on the wall. Sure enough it read 11:57.
"Oh man! I didn't think we slept that long," Ash said.
"I know. We were supposed to let our Pokémon out earlier," Misty said.
"That's okay," Flannery said. "We took care of your Pokémon for you."
"Thanks," Ash said. "By the way has anyone seen…"
"Pikapi! (Ash!)" Before he could finish his question Ash was tackled by a small yellow blur. Fortunately Misty was there to keep him from falling over. Once Ash had regained his balance he focused on the Pokémon in his arms.
"So this is where you went," he said.
"Pi! (Yup!)" Pikachu replied. As Ash scratched Pikachu between his ears he looked over at Misty. She looked at him and immediately knew what his intentions were.
"Okay. Now that everyone's here we have something to say," Ash said. Everyone turned their attention to him. Before continuing with his announcement Ash wrapped his arm around Misty's waist and pulled her close to him.
"Misty and I are officially a couple now," he announced. Everyone in the room smiled, but didn't seem too shocked or surprised at the news. The reason came shortly after.
"We all saw when you two came home last night," Flannery said.
"What? But there wasn't anyone up when we came inside," Ash said. "We found Pikachu sleeping in the window."
"We were up when you two first got back. We went to sleep shortly after that," Mark explained.
"So there really was no need for us to tell you, was there?" Misty asked.
"No, but that doesn't mean we're not happy for you two," Gloria said. "In fact we all knew you two would get together eventually." The new couple smiled as they were quickly surrounded by a happy family.
"Way to go, sis," Flannery said.
"I'm so glad you found a boyfriend," Gloria said. "I can't wait until I'm a grandmother."
"Mom!" Misty was clearly embarrassed by her mother's outburst. However, that was soon forgotten as both she and Flannery saw the necklace Misty was wearing.
"Isn't that…" Before Flannery could finish her question Gloria answered her.
"It is," she said. "It's the same necklace I've been asking your father to get for me." Mark and Mr. Moor stopped taking with Ash so they could take a look at the necklace as well.
"That is the necklace you've been asking me to buy you," Mark said.
"Every time we came back to Lavaridge I tried to get your father to buy that very necklace," Gloria said, "but seeing it on you makes me glad he never did."
"It does look beautiful on Misty, but how did you come up with the money for it, Ash?" Mark asked. "I've seen how much it costs and it was quite a bit."
"It wasn't as difficult to pay for as you think," Ash said. "The rewards for trainers placing high in League competitions is pretty good. In fact I've been saving the money I've won from those competitions for years now. Of course I had a bit on hand just in case, and when I saw that necklace I knew I had to get it for Misty."
"I see," Mark said. "If you had enough to get that necklace just from your winnings then you must be more talented than we thought."
"Ash has placed well in every competition he's entered," Misty said. "He was Top 16 in Kanto, Champion of the Orange Islands, Top 8 in Johto and Hoenn and he just conquered the Battle Frontier." If Mark and the others weren't impressed before they were now.
"That's an impressive résumé you've got there," Mark said. "Any thought on where to go next?"
"Well, I was about to head to Sinnoh before I had to come to help Misty," Ash replied.
"I hope this didn't put too much of a damper on your plans," Gloria said. Ash looked at her, his trademark grin on his face.
"Are you kidding? If I hadn't taken this detour from my original plans Misty and I may never have gotten together," he replied. Misty moved up to Ash, a huge smile on her face, and kissed him.
"You know, for that reason alone I'm almost glad this little situation came to be," she said. "After all this helped me get back with my real family as well as find the best boyfriend a girl could ask for." In response to her heartfelt comments Ash gently kissed her back. Mark, Gloria and the rest of Misty's family were happy to see the relationship she and Ash had now. After they broke the kiss Ash thought of something.
"You know we should call everyone back in Kanto and let them know what's been going on over here," he said.
"Good idea, Ash," Misty replied. "I'm sure your mother will be happy to know you've got a girlfriend now."
"As will Daisy and the others about your new boyfriend," Ash replied. With that decision made Ash and Misty headed out of the room, hand-in-hand.
"Where are you two off to?" Mark asked.
"The Pokémon Center," Ash replied. "I hope you don't mind watching our Pokémon until we gat back."
"We'd be glad to," Flannery replied.
"Thanks," Ash replied.
"I'll pick up Azurill on our way out," Misty said.
"That's fine, dear," Gloria said.
"You two have fun while you're out," Mark said.
"We will," they said. Ash then called Pikachu onto his shoulder. Then, the couple and single Pokémon headed on their way out.
The scene at the Pokémon Center could only be described as joyful. While Ash spoke to his mother on one phone Misty was talking to Daisy on another.
"That's great, Misty!" Daisy said. "You have no idea how happy I am for the two of you!"
"Believe me I can tell," Misty replied.
"And I just love your necklace," Daisy said. "Ash must have emptied his pockets for that one."
"Well, he never did way how much it was but…"
"Mom!"
Misty couldn't help but giggle at Ash's outburst.
"What was that?" Daisy asked.
"Just one of Ash's many embarrassing moments courtesy of his mother," Misty replied. While Misty explained to Daisy what she meant Ash spoke with his mother.
"I know that's something you'd want but Misty and I are too young to think about that right now," Ash said.
"I know Ash, but it wouldn't hurt to at least talk about it," Delia replied. "You know how I feel about being a grandmother."
"I know, but we're just 15. We'll be 16 in a few months," Ash said. "Can't you at least let us live out our childhood to the fullest before we enter into parenthood?" Delia sighed in defeat. Though she wanted to have grandkids very badly she also knew that Ash was right.
"Okay, you win. No talks about grandkids yet," she said. "So, do you still plan on heading to Sinnoh?"
"Of course I do," Ash replied. Though he was happy to be back in Hoenn his desire to head to Sinnoh still burned as strong as Moltres's fire.
"Well then you'll be happy to hear that Tracey found out that there'll be more ships heading to the Sinnoh region next month," she said. Ash couldn't have been happier. Even Pikachu was psyched to hear that their trip to Sinnoh would resume.
"That's great new, Mom!" Ash said excitedly. Delia smiled seeing the energetic son she'd grown used to seeing.
"I'm glad you see it that way," she said. "So, I'll just have Tracey book two tickets and…"
"Wait… two?"
"That's right," Delia replied. "Misty is going with you, isn't she?" At that moment Ash froze. Pikachu immediately knew what was going through his mind. During their entire stay in Lavaridge Ash had never once mentioned leaving for Sinnoh or whether Misty wanted to come with him or not.
"I… I haven't asked her," Ash replied. Delia was a bit shocked to say the least.
"You haven't? But why?" she asked.
"Well, with everything that's happened since we got here I guess it just slipped my mind," he replied. His mother could understand that explanation completely. Based on what she heard from Ash she could understand that something like that could take a backseat to what's been happening.
"It's okay, dear," she replied.
"When's the last ship leaving?" Ash asked.
"Well, Tracey didn't say but I think he said around six weeks from now," she replied. Ash's face got serious.
"Seeing as it'll probably take me about two weeks to get from here to Pallet Town, and giving myself another week to make sure I have enough time to prepare, I have roughly three weeks to find out if Misty's coming with me or not," he said.
"That sounds about right," his mother replied. As Ash sat there thinking abut his current task he could hear Misty ending her call with Daisy.
"I've got to go, Mom," he said. "It was good talking with you."
"Same here," Delia said. "I'll see you when you come home… hopefully with Misty."
"Hopefully," Ash echoed. He hung up with his mother and went over to where Misty was waiting for him.
"Ready to head out?" he asked. Misty nodded. They walked out of the Pokémon Center. Ash was about to start on back towards the gym when Misty stopped him.
"You want to go get something to eat?" she asked. "It is lunchtime after all." Ash hadn't thought about that, but it did sound good to him.
"This'll be the perfect time to talk to Misty about coming to Sinnoh with me," he thought. "Sure. Where'd you want to eat?"
"Well, there was a small café I saw when we first arrived that I'd like to try," she replied.
"Okay," Ash said. "My treat, of course." Misty couldn't help but giggle.
"Well now you're being quite the gentleman now," she said.
"I have to," Ash replied. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't offer to buy my girlfriend lunch?" Misty couldn't help but smile as she gave him a quick kiss. Then they headed off towards the small café Misty spoke of. While Misty just wanted to spend more time alone with Ash the trainer in question had his thoughts preoccupied with his task of telling Misty about his eventual trip to Sinnoh, and his desire to take her with him.
"But what if she wants to spend more time with her family? She has over 10 years to catch up on… Oh man, what am I going to do if she says no?" That thought alone would occupy his mind for a while.
The two trainers and their Pokémon soon came upon the café Misty spoke of earlier, the Hot Stove Café. Once they arrived they found a table, one next to the window, and ordered. While they waited for their food to arrive Misty and Ash talked about everything that had happened since they arrived in Lavaridge. But as much as he wanted to continue with the conversation the words he and his mother had said back at the Pokémon Center were still fresh in his mind.
"…he said around six weeks from now…"
"… I have roughly three weeks to find out if Misty's coming with me or not…"
"… I'll see you when you come home… hopefully with Misty…"
"Come home with Misty… If only it was that simple…" Ash wanted nothing more than to return home to Pallet Town and then leave for Sinnoh with Misty by his side, but he wasn't about to drag her away from her family if she didn't want to come no matter how badly he wanted her with him. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear Misty calling him.
"Hello? Earth to Ash? Are you listening?" Misty tried waving her hand in his face. That finally snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the real world.
"Huh? What?"
"I've been calling you for the past five minutes, Ash," Misty said.
"Oh. Sorry about that. I've just got a lot on my mind right now," he replied.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Misty asked. Ash really didn't want to ruin the mood by talking about his upcoming trip to Sinnoh, but he realized that he'd have to sooner or later.
"My mother said there'll be ships leaving for Sinnoh next month," he said. Misty wasn't surprised to hear that Ash still wanted to go to Sinnoh, but ships leaving that soon meant her time with Ash was now limited.
"Oh," she said. "So, when are you leaving?"
"The last on is supposed to leave in six weeks so I still have three more weeks to spend out here," Ash replied.
"That soon huh," Misty said, getting more depressed with each passing moment. Ash decided to ask her the question now.
"Do… do you want to come with me?"
"What?!" She looked at Ash, wondering if she had heard him correctly.
"I asked if you wanted to come with me," he repeated. "My mother was under the impression that I was bringing you with me back to Pallet Town." Misty wanted nothing more than to go back to Pallet Town with him, and from there with him as he traveled to Sinnoh. However, there was one thing keeping her from doing that.
"I… I don't know, Ash," she replied. "I want to, but what about…" Ash raised his hand, silencing her.
"I know your family's important to you and I don't want to take you away from them if you'd rather stay," he said.
"That's what's making it hard to decide right now," Misty said.
"If it helps you don't have to decide right now," Ash said. "The last ship isn't leaving for another six weeks."
"So how long will you be staying then?" Misty asked.
"Three weeks," he replied. Though it sounded like a lot of time Misty saw it as a few short weeks. Ash could tell that this was bringing down her mood.
"Oh man, what are we doing?" he finally said. Misty looked at him, not sure what he meant.
"What do you mean?" Misty asked.
"We came here to enjoy ourselves and I'm just ruining the mood with all this talk about heading to Sinnoh," he replied. "We shouldn't let that ruin our time together no matter how long or short it may be." Misty thought briefly on what Ash said. He was right. They couldn't let the news of his trip back home so he could leave for Sinnoh ruin what time they had left. She looked at him and smiled.
"I don't know how you do it but you can always say something that'll make any bad situation better," she said. Ash returned her smile.
"I guess that's what makes me such a good boyfriend, huh," he replied. Misty leaned over and the two shared a quick kiss. Seconds later their food arrived.
"Well, let's eat," Ash said. Their lunch was filled with talks of their past adventures and other happy moments from their days traveling together.
After lunch the duo took a stroll around town. They didn't have any certain destination in mind. All they wanted was to spend some time alone with each other. Pikachu and Azurill were walking ahead of their trainers, giving them the privacy the Pokémon knew they wanted. Even though they were enjoying themselves they knew they would have to return to the Gym eventually and tell everyone else the news.
"So, when did you want to head back?" Ash asked.
"I guess we should head back now," Misty replied. Ash could tell Misty was feeling depressed. Truth was he was feeling a bit depressed himself. However, he didn't want the mood to stay gloomy.
"Come on. Cheer up," he said. "We've got three weeks to live it up. Let's make the best of it." Once again Misty couldn't help but smile at Ash optimism.
"You're right, Ash," she said. With that taken care of the two of them, hand-in-hand, made their way back to the Gym.
Ash and Misty returned to the Gym later that day. There, they informed everyone of Ash's upcoming trip to Sinnoh and his desire to have Misty by his side when he leaves. Of course Misty expressed her desire to go with Ash, but also her need to re-establish her bonds with her family. They were glad to hear that Ash had found a way to get to Sinnoh, but they knew that the decision for Misty to either go or stay was a difficult one. They hoped she would make the correct one, but rather than focus on that they decided to do as Ash suggested and make the next three weeks as fun as they could.
The weeks passed by quicker than anyone had anticipated. Ash found himself standing outside the Gym on night, deep in thought. He was to leave for Pallet in the morning and he still hadn't gotten an answer from Misty.
"Maybe she doesn't want to come with me," he thought. Knowing he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow Ash turned to head back inside. However, when he turned around he saw Misty standing a few feet away.
"Misty? What are you doing up?" he asked.
"I could ask you the same thing," she replied.
"Yeah… well, I was doing some thinking about tomorrow," he replied. Misty walked over and stood next to him. She took his hand and laced her fingers in-between his.
"Misty… I have to know…" She knew this was coming. That one question had occupied her thoughts for the past few days.
"Will you come with me?" he asked. Her answer was the hardest thing she had to say.
"Ash… I really want to… but…" She didn't have to say any more.
"You're… not coming," he finished for her. The quietness in his voice gave Misty the wrong impression.
"It's not that I don't want to go with you," she said in her defense. "In fact I want nothing more than to come with you, but…"
"It's okay, Misty. I know what you're trying to say," Ash said, his voice filled a bit more feeling. "I know how much you want to bond with your family. After all it has been over 10 years since you saw them."
"And that's what makes this so hard," Misty said. Ash didn't know what to say. Actually, there was nothing he could say. So he did the only thing that came to mind. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Misty placed her hands on his chest and put her head in between.
"I wish you didn't have to go," she said.
"So do I, but I have to," Ash said. "This is my dream, something you told me never to give up."
"I know," Misty said. Throughout their entire journey together and even after she went back to Cerulean Misty had told Ash time and time again to never give up on his dreams no matter what. This was the one time, however, she almost regretted ever giving him that advice. However, she knew it was for the best. Right then she backed up out of the hug so she could look Ash in his eyes.
"Ash… I want you to promise me something."
"Anything," he replied.
"When you make it to the Sinnoh finals… I want you to win," she said. Ash smiled and gently kissed her lips.
"For you… it's as good as done," he said. Then, as if to make it official, the two kissed. At that moment the feeling of sleep started to come over both of them.
"Come on. Let's head in," Ash said. Misty agreed and the two trainers headed inside for what could possibly the last night they would share together for a long time.
Morning came, but it was not meet with much enthusiasm. No one spoke during breakfast, everyone too busy thinking Ash's soon-to-come departure. Though everyone was sad to know he would soon be leaving none were as sad as Misty. In her mind it had only been a short three weeks ago that they had proclaimed their love for each other. And now, the love of her life was being taken from her.
"It's not fair," she said to no one in particular. She was sitting in the room she shared with Ash, Azurill being her only companion at the time.
"Azu Rill, Azurill? (What's not, Mommy?)" the small Pokémon asked. Misty picked up Azurill and placed her on her lap.
"I have to say goodbye to Ash in a bit," she explained.
"Rill? Azu Azu Azurill Azu Rill? (Why? Aren't you going with him?)" Azurill asked. Misty sighed and looked down at the floor.
"I wish I was, but I'm not," she answered.
"Azu Rill, Azurill? (Why not, Mommy?)" Azurill asked.
"Well, I have my family here to consider," Misty replied.
"Rill Azu Azurill? (Isn't Ash family?)" Misty couldn't answer. Azurill was right. Though it wasn't in the traditional sense Ash had indeed become a member of her family. As Azurill hopped off her lap and went to join Misty's other Pokémon the Water trainer thought about what her young Pokémon had said.
"She's right. Ash has become a part of my family… just not the part I can stay with." Misty looked at the clock and saw it was almost time for Ash to leave.
"Might as well get this over with," she said. With a heavy heart Misty left the room to go see Ash off.
It was a moment everyone knew was coming, yet no one wanted to arrive. With the Sinnoh League calling Ash prepared to set off back to Pallet Town. However, Misty would not be coming with him. Everyone had gathered in front of the Gym, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"I guess this is goodbye," Ash said. "I had a lot of fun while I was here."
"So did we," Mark said.
"You know, you could always stop by if you ever come back to Hoenn," Flannery said.
"I'll do that," Ash answered.
"Good luck in the Sinnoh League, Ash," Gloria said.
"Yes, though we all doubt you'll need it," Mr. Moor said. After receiving good wishes from everyone else Ash turned to Misty, waiting for her to say something. However, she was silent. Ash knew this would be a difficult time for her with him leaving. He walked over to her.
"Misty…" Though her head was down Ash could still see tears falling to the ground. All that did was make it harder for him to want to leave.
"Please, Misty. Don't cry," he said. As he stood there Misty surprised him when she suddenly threw her arms around him, crying into his chest. Unable to think of anything to say to her he did the only thing he could. He held her, trying to comfort her. Finally, after a few minutes, Misty's crying quieted down.
"I… I'll miss you," Misty said, finally breaking the silence.
"I'll miss you too," Ash replied, "but you know I'll come back after the Sinnoh League."
"I know," Misty replied. "It's just all the time between now and then with me being here in Hoenn and you being all the way over in Sinnoh. We'll be worlds apart."
"That's not necessarily true," Ash said. Misty looked at him, wondering what he meant.
"Though we may be worlds apart physically, my heart will always be with you wherever you go," he said. Misty thought about what he had said and smiled.
"You know, you're right," she said. "Your heart will always be with me, just like mine will always be with you." The two trainers looked at each other, getting lost in each others eyes. Then, they shared one final kiss. They reluctantly broke the kiss.
"Well, I guess I should be going now," Ash said regrettably.
"Yeah," Misty replied. "You be careful."
"Aren't I always?" Ash replied.
"Yeah," Misty said. "Watch out for him, Pikachu."
"Pi Ka (I will)," the small mouse replied. Nothing else needed to be said. Everything that needed to be said had been said. With that Ash turned and started walking away from the Lavaridge Gym… away from the girl he had given his heart to.
"Goodbye Ash… I love you," Misty whispered. As she watched him walk away she couldn't help but let a few more tears fall to the ground. After a few minutes Ash had almost walked out of sight. Everyone else had went inside already, but Misty remained outside. She wanted to be able to see Ash for as long as she could. Minutes later Ash had completely walked out of sight. Misty sighed and lowered her head.
"Well… he's gone," she said. Having no reason to stay outside she turned and walked back inside the Gym. Upon going through the door she was immediately confronted by Mark, Gloria and Flannery.
"What are you still doing here, Misty?" Gloria asked.
"What do you mean? I live here," she answered.
"We know that, but shouldn't you be with Ash right now?" Gloria asked.
"What?" Misty said, surprised.
"We all know you want to be with him right now instead of here with us," Mark said. Misty knew they spoke the truth, but she had made her decision.
"Misty, don't let us keep you away from your happiness," Mark said. "If your heart is telling you to go with Ash, then by all means go." This was something Misty didn't expect, but was glad to be hearing.
"Are… are you sure?" she asked.
"What do we have to do, spell it out for you?" Flannery jokingly asked.
"What we want you to do is follow your heart," Gloria said. At that moment she couldn't have been any happier. Misty threw her arms around them in a family hug.
"Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much this mean!" she said.
"We have a pretty good idea," Mark said. Then, Flannery handed Misty her backpack.
"I went ahead and packed all your things," she said. "All you Pokémon are in their balls and ready to go."
"Thanks, sis," Misty said. She slipped her backpack on and headed towards the front door. Once she got there she paused and looked back at her family.
"Thanks again," she said. "I love you all."
"Keep in touch, dear," Gloria said.
"Remember, you'll always have a home to come back to," Mark said.
"I know, but right now my home is where my heart is… and that's with Ash." With those final words Misty ran out the door to catch up with Ash.
"Wait for me, Ash. I'm on my way."
Ash had been waiting at the entrance to the city for almost 10 minutes. After their painful goodbye he was sure that Misty would come after him, but sadly he hadn't seen her. He let out a sigh as the realization that she wasn't coming set in.
"Pi Ka Kachu Pika Pikachupi Pi Pichu (I was really hoping Misty was coming)," Pikachu said.
"So was I," Ash replied, giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ears. Feeling greatly depressed Ash turned to continue on his way out of the city when…
"Ash! Hey Ash! Wait!" He froze, wondering if he was hearing things. He turned around just in time to catch Misty as she flew into his arms. After needing a few seconds to catch her breath Misty stood up.
"I… didn't think I'd catch you… before you left," she said.
"I was starting to wonder if you'd actually come," Ash said.
"You mean… you were waiting on me?" Misty asked.
"Yeah," he replied. "I was hoping you'd come and try to stop me from leaving." Misty smiled at his confession.
"Well, I'm not here to stop you," she said. "I'm here because I'm going with you." Ash was surprised and happy at the same time.
"That's great, Misty!" he cheered. "But, what made you change your mind?"
"My family," she said. "They wanted me to go because they knew that would make me happy." Right then he made a mental note to thank them the next chance he got.
"I'm glad they got you come, because having you by my side will make me happy too" Ash said. The two slowly moved in and shared a passionate kiss. After breaking the kiss they got lost in each others eyes until Pikachu snapped them out of it with a loud cheer of 'Pika!'.
"Sounds like Pikachu's ready to hit the road," Misty said.
"And with you here so am I," Ash said. "Next stop, Pallet Town!"
"And from there, Sinnoh!" Misty added. The two trainers then walked out of Lavaridge City, hand-in-hand, with Pikachu walking a few feet in front of them. They didn't know what new adventures awaited them in Sinnoh, but they knew as long as they had each other they would be able to face them without fear. And of course Misty knew that no matter what she had a home to come back to in Lavaridge Town, but as for now her home was right by Ash's side.
End.
And thus this chapter of Ash and Misty's lives comes to an end. But does that mean their story is over? Maybe, maybe not. I may write a sequel to this if it is requested.
For everyone who read this fic, I thank you. For those who submitted reviews I thank again. You are the reasons I do this.
Read, review, and I hoped you enjoyed