2010/03/12 - REVISED

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon or else there will only be the 150 original ones.

Shippings:

Pokeshipping

Contestshipping

Ikarishipping

Brock flirting….

One-sided ships

P R O L O G U E

Promise Under the Sakura Tree

By Hoppip

It was spring, the time of cherry blossoms. The wind was peacefully blowing as music for the dancing pink petals. Pallet Town is known for their breathtaking cherry blossoms, for their long-blooming flowers and for their light but sweet fragrances. Because of this, Pallet developed a tradition, and held a festival on the last day of the blooming season every year.

5 year-old Ash Ketchum always loved the cherry blossoms and the festival, but that year, it was different. His father had just passed away; it was an accident that occurred in the zoo. So this year, instead of riding on his father's shoulders while eating cotton candy and laughing with his parents while watching the fireworks, little Ash decided to stay away from all the fun and sat under his favorite tree that was by the river near the Viridian Forest. That tree wasn't the largest tree around, but Ash knew that it would become the most beautiful one in town. At least that's what his father told him.

He cried. For hours and hours, until something hit his head. He looked up and saw a girl around his age with red hair and a messy worn baby blue yukata staring down at him. Her cerulean blew eyes shedding rage. She looked angry, still in a rock-throwing position. Ash quickly wiped away his tears, not wanting to cry in front of a girl.

"Watcha crying for you big baby?" The girl yelled, obviously not in a very good mood. That made Ash confused and mad. He quickly jumped defensively, balling his fists.

"I did not cry!"

"Yes you did!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Ash was furious at that point. Who does she think she is? He jumped on her and pinned her to the ground.

"So what if I cried? It's none of your business you silly girl! I can cry whenever I want!"

The girl under him looked scared for a moment, but hid her fear and tried to wiggle out of his grasp. After a while of struggling, she gave up, Ash was too heavy.

"I wanted you to stop crying. I don't like seeing people sad, it makes me sad. If you can stop crying, I will be happy," She grinned for a second but her fell grim once again, "I guess you're not happy…"

Upon hearing the strange girl's words, Ash loosened up. He got off of her and watched her sit up. Fireflies swarmed them, letting them get a better look at each other. They were both sweating, clothes covered with dirt.

"That is a very weird way to make someone happy ya know." He suddenly said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Well yeah… I sometimes have problems with my temper. I always get mad. I dun wanna be mad though, I wanna be happy." The girl replied while looking down.

Ash couldn't help to smile. He always liked to smile, until he found out his father died in his favorite place in the world. This has been the first time after the incident. He liked the girl, even though they had a bad approach.

"Why are you smiling? Don't you hate me? I made you mad." The girl asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Nah. I dun hate no one." He said, still smiling.

"Oh…Then can you always smile? I don't get that very often. Most people don't come near me. They think I'm cursed. Kids dun like me very much. They think my hair is scary... and I talk weird."

"I dun think you're weird. I want you to be ma fwend!"

"Oh, OK! I wanna be your friend too!" The girl was practically grinning from ear to ear.

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. The fireworks had just started. And as children, they both watched in awe, smiling and hugging each other when the sounds startle them. The fireflies were fluttering around them, content with what was happening.

After the fireworks ended, the little girl asked a question:

"Why were you crying?"

Ash flinched. He wasn't expecting that question. But because he liked the girl so much, he decided to tell her.

"My daddy just died. I loved daddy. He's the best daddy in the whole wide world! He loved me and mommy. He loved the zoo. But he's gone now. He went with the pwetty flowers to heaven. Daddy loved the pwetty flowers. They're his favorite. I miss him so much…" Ash couldn't help it but tears streamed down his face.

"My daddy died too, and so did mommy. It was a long time ago, and my sisters blamed me for it. I don't know how they died, but they just did. I loved them… I didn't cry. I didn't cry because they won't love me anymore if I cried. Mommy and daddy always scolded me when I cried, but smiled when I laughed. So please don't cry, or your daddy in heaven will cry too." The little girl had a sad smile on her face. Ash looked at her, thought about what she said, and smiled again as he wiped away his tears.

"Yeah! That's right! I won't cry! If I cry, daddy ain't gonna be happy!" He said as he jumped up and grabbed her hand. He took her arm in his and danced around in circles. The girl was surprised, but she savored the moment of joy and went along with it. Before long, Ash heard his name being called. It was his mother.

"Oh no! I have to go! Where do you live? I wanna play with you again. I'm Ash. What's your name?" Ash asked, frantically trying to hurry up before his mother finds him and drag him away from his new friend before he knew her name.

"I—I'm moving tomorrow…and my name is Misty…I don't think I'll see you again. My sisters got new acting jobs in another city so we're not gonna be in Pallet anymore…" The girl answered.

Ash's face fell. It's a sad thing about little kids. Meeting someone and becoming best friends instantly, but they always have to say goodbye, sometimes temporarily, and sometimes forever.

"It's ok. We'll see each other again. You gotta come back and visit me! I'll be waiting here for you, right under this tree. I promise!" Ash cried before running to his mother's echoing calls, leaving young Misty with hopes on seeing her new best friend again. She smiled on her way home, with packing awaiting her return.

It was a promise under the sakura tree, and none of them is going to forget it…

Ten years later…

"Yo Ashy-Boy! Did you hear? We're getting a transfer student from Cerulean today! I hear she's got brains and beauty. We'd better take her in before the welcoming committee airheads swarms her." Gary Oak said, being his cocky self.

"Hey! Who are you calling an airhead? We have very important jobs as the welcome committee. And I hope you and your little posse isn't going to scare the new student away like last time!" Dawn Berlitz yelled angrily from the front of the class.

"Shuddup. Troublesome. You're going to scare away the new student with your face." Paul said as he sat down beside her.

Before Dawn could start to rip her partner's head off, her best friend May Maple came to calm her down and glared at Paul before she made her way back to her desk.

"Hmm…transfer student eh? We haven't got one around here for ages! The last one here was little Kenny. It's about time we have some fun." Drew Hayden remarked as he sat down at his desk behind Gary. Then he pointlessly ran his fingers through his emerald green hair, which received fangirl sighs and a glare from May.

Ash Ketchum wasn't paying attention. He was a mama's boy all right, but he never acted like one in public.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He replied and looked out the window beside him as the class bell rang.

The loud excited conversations coming from the students dropped down to whispers as their homeroom teacher Professor Rowan walked into the room and wrote something on the board.

Misty Waterflower

"Class, say hello to the elite student from Cerulean High, Miss Misty Waterflower…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Hehe, so what do you think? This is my first attempt on fanfiction. I hope you liked it. Please review. Constructional criticism is welcome. I'm new to story writing and I hope to get better. If you have any suggestions to the plotline and characters, please let me know.