This story is obviously a 'Sweet Home Alabama' parody. I loved the movie, I loved the song and the moment I heard that "Nobody finds their soul mate when their ten years old . . . I mean where's the fun in that right?" line I immediately thought of Ash and Misty and just knew I had to write this. Because I had to set the first part in a whole new place I had to make up a lot of original characters. Sorry if it at all seems rushed.

Disclaimer – I don't own much in this story, I barely even own the plot so I think it would be easier just to tell you what I did own, very little.

Sweet Home Pallet – Me, Myself and I

"Will you marry me? I mean when we get older," a five year old boy with ebony locks and chocolate brown eyes asked hopefully looking up at a girl only an inch taller than he was.

"Hurry Toshi!" she called as she began to run away hoping it would make him forget his question and the answer he wanted from her. "We're going to miss it if we don't get there soon," she added as she yelled over her shoulder for him to follow.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he sighed unhappily as he trailed behind the fiery red head knowing he would follow her to the ends of the earth if that was what she wanted. "What's so special about this one anyway Sumi?" he asked her as he caught up panting ever so slightly.

"Because this is the last time I'll ever see it here," she replied so softly that he could barely make it out.

Finally the two reached the beach and stood silent for a few moments in awe just admiring the perfect sunset as if it was made especially for them. It was the sort of sunset you could only get in Pallet and she hoped it would stay with her forever.

The wind tossed her short red hair across her face as her crystal blue eyes stared out into the ocean. This was her favourite place to be, this was where she felt complete and soon she would have to leave it.

"You know you still haven't answered my question," he spoke as night descended on the two friends, best friends.

"Toshi, why would you want to marry me anyway?" she asked him doing her best to avoid the question that had been asked of her.

"So I can kiss you anytime I want," he replied with a cute lopsided grin as he planted a kiss upon the lips of the girl he would love for the rest of his life.

She was surprised at first but soon she accepted the kiss and all that was held within it knowing that a love like theirs held no boundaries.

Suddenly the moon was shrouded in shadow and all that was left was darkness.

"Do you believe in fate?" Misty asked her spiky haired friend as the two sat side by side at the campfire. The third member of their trio lay nearby, peacefully asleep, recovering from a fever.

Brock shrugged. "I suppose that some things are just supposed to happen but I believe we have free will over most things," he told her curious about what had brought on this sudden philosophical discussion.

"I think things like love are set in stone and our decisions only delay it or bring it to us faster," Misty said thoughtfully. "I think in the end we all end up right where we're supposed to be, like it's all predetermined and we just choose which road we take to get there."

"And what's your destiny Misty?" Brock asked, his eyes following her protective gaze.

"Ash," Misty said softly, "he is my destiny."

"Destiny," Kasumi Waterflower muttered as she was awoken by the sound of pouring rain upon the roof. She looked around as her reality slowly came into focus reminding her of what she should be doing. "I can't believe y'all just let me sleep," she gaped as she looked around at them with a playfully glare.

"Oh boo hoo, it was only for a couple of minutes Kasumi," Antony, one of Kasumi's colleagues stated as he put the finishing touches on the dress he was working on.

"Anyway," another colleague, Erie, added, "you have the cutest little Pallet accent when you sleep. Are you sure you're from Cerulean?"

"Positive," Kasumi replied as she got back to her work, or at least tried to. "Oh no, what exactly did I say in my sleep? No don't tell me," she said, "on second thoughts do."

"You said that you were going to give us all absurdly huge raises when you become rich and famous," Jessica teased good naturedly looking up from her own work for only a second. "And something about some guy called Satoshi."

Kasumi blushed at the sound of his name, something she hadn't heard in a long time, but brushed it off immediately acting like she had never even heard that part of Jessica's answer. "Laugh it up now because tomorrow we are all going to be household names."

"Easy for you to say," Kimmy said, "you're the one whose name is on the label. I just make the coffee." She handed Kasumi a cup of warm coffee, which was sure to wake her up.

Kasumi wasn't sure if Kimmy's comment was good natured or spiteful, you never could be sure with her so Kasumi just presumed it wasn't the latter.

She couldn't quite believe it, seven years after she had first arrived here in Emerald City of the Gemstone Regions and finally the dream had come true. In just over twelve hours time she would be having her very first major fashion show as a participant of Emerald City's fashion week.

And it was all thanks to Jacque le Stat, her mentor, her teacher and her friend. She was his prodigee, he had taken her under his wing moulding her from a timid little caterpillar to the beautiful and confident butterfly she was now.

Kasumi smiled at the thought of the years that had gone by here though her heart still pined for the life she had left behind.

Flashback

Two fire Pokemon stood face to face on the floor of the battle arena panting heavily and close to exhaustion. Each Pokemon had only one attack left in it, but that was all that was needed for victory.

Both trainers called out for their most powerful attacks but after that command it seemed all they could do was wait.

The two attacks met each other head on in a vast explosion of fire and fury that filled the entire arena with a heavy shield of smoke. Now it had moved from the test of strategy and battle of wits on the trainers behalf and to a test of strength for the two Pokemon shrouded by smog on the floor. It was a matter of whose power was more awesome and which could retain its strength the longest.

The two Pokemon were equals in all sense of the word both in their own eyes and the eyes of others. They were the same type, shared the same strengths, the same weaknesses so maybe here strength wouldn't be enough to decide a winner.

The smoke cleared slowly making the two trainers more and more anxious by the second. They could both make out a faint silhouette in the mist, which they both hoped to be the shadow of their victory. But slowly that faint silhouette turned to two and that hope was diminished to nothing.

The crowd was perfectly silent for the first time today as they awaited the trainer's calls for one last attack to finish it off even though both Pokemon seemed to have nothing left in them.

But then one of the two flying fire lizards began to sway slightly, began to topple, began to fall leaving only the victor standing.

Again there was perfect silence so quiet you could hear a pin drop to the ground of the Indigo Stadium, but then the crowd went wild cheering for their new master.

"The winner is Ash Ketchum!" the announcer screamed excitedly. "Eighteen year old Ashton Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town is the youngest Pokemon Master ever!"

'I did it,' Ash thought to himself proudly in a state of shock. 'I finally did it . . . for Misty.'

Ash's friends and family ran towards him ready to congratulate him on his victory, on his dream come true, but unbeknowest to them he still had one last part of his dream to fulfil and it involved a certain young redhead who had never left his side.

"Ash you were amazing," Misty awed as she wrapped her arms around her best friends neck in a friendly manner despite the fact that she wished it could be more.

"Thanks Myst," he replied blushing more from how close they were to each other rather than modesty. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"What did I do?" she asked curiously blushing humbly.

"Everything," he replied squeezing her tightly and holding her against his body loving the feeling he got from her being in his arms.

It was more than enough to spark that bit of hope inside her and turn it into a raging fire and convincing her of the decision she had made two years ago thinking of this day.

"Ash," she said pushing back so she could look in his eyes as she finally resolved to tell him the things that had constantly been on her mind and in her heart for the past eight years. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Go on Myst," he told her happily encouraging her on as he noticed the nervousness in her voice. "We're best friends remember, we can tell each other anything and nothing could change that."

"Well you see Ash I . . ." she began.

"Hey Ash! Misty!" a voice yelled cutting off Misty's attempts to confess her true feelings to Ash.

The voice belonged to none other than Melody of Shamouti Island, the girl who had shamelessly flirted with Ash from the moment they met even after Misty had admitted her feelings for Ash to her. It was the one person that Misty hated almost as much as she loved Ash.

"Hey Melody!" Ash called back seemingly forgetting Misty and what she wanted to tell him for the moment. "I can't believe you made it."

"Heck, I wouldn't miss it for the world Ashy," she replied flashing that cheesy, sickeningly sweet smile that Misty had come to despise over the years.

"Come on, Myst let's go catch up with everyone," he told her. "We'll talk at the party and you can tell me whatever it was then." And with that he disappeared along with that fire of hope in her heart.

"Sure," she said dejectedly as she watched his receding figure disappear into the crowds of well wishers and close friends. "I love you Ash."

End Flashback

And that was the moment she gave up, the moment she realised she had to find a new dream, one that didn't involve Ash Ketchum, and this was it.

As a child she'd always been good at drawing and making clothes just like her mother had. She used to spend hours making clothes for her Barbie out of the scraps of material her mother would send her way.

She would always draw designs of the things that came to her head in dreams and what not and now she was being given the chance to make a career out of something she genuinely loved.

She never did tell Ash she loved him, instead she told him she was leaving to pursue a new dream, to make a name for herself beyond that of Misty Waterflower the youngest Pokemon Master's best friend.

"What about your old dreams?" he had asked her after this even though what he really wanted to say was 'What about my dreams? Our dreams?' "Are you just going to give up on them?" he added becoming angry more at himself than Misty.

He thought about all the chances he'd let pass him by, all the times he had just let go and now he was going to have to let her go all because he was too stupid to listen to her before.

'Yes,' she thought sadly to herself as one particular dream came to mind, but she didn't tell him that. "No," she said instead, "I'm just putting them on hold."

And with that she had walked out of his life and away from the life she was sure she so truly destined before he said the three simple words that she knew could bring her back.

"Hey Kasumi," someone called jarring her complicated thoughts.

"Sorry," she said shaking her head to clear it. "I zoned out again didn't I?" she asked.

It seemed she had been doing that a lot lately, she wasn't even sure why. She had barely thought about him and anything before she came to Emerald City in seven years so why now? She had no clue to the answer or how deeply it was going to affect her in the next few months.

"Oh yes but what do you expect," Jessica replied mischievously her eyes twinkling. "I mean if I had your cute movie star boyfriend I'd be in a trance twenty four seven too."

Kasumi blushed as she remembered her cute movie star boyfriend Patrick McAdams who Jessica was referring to so bluntly. The boyfriend she had barely thought about for a week; instead she had been thinking about her best friend who she hadn't seen for far too long.

Patrick was positively adorable with his hazel brown eyes, dark black hair and Irish accent. He was quite simply irresistible. He was also the son of Emerald City's Mayor Cecilia Priestly, which made him one of the most powerful men and the most eligible bachelor in the entire city.

He was also Erie's cousin; which happened to actually be how the two had met a almost a year ago and they'd been going out since then. Maybe it had been love at first sight but not for Misty. She was sure that it was her need to forget that had made her go out with Patrick and over their time together he kind of grew on her.

Maybe not in the same way that Ash had grown on her, but that was love at first sight no matter how badly she wanted to believe it was hate. She knew deep down she would never feel the same way about Patrick as she did about Ash, but all she needed right now was a distraction to help hide her from the truth, that she would never be over Ash.

So really Patrick was kind of part of her intricate plan to try and convince her brain that she was completely over Ash and that she would never have to cry about him again. But sometimes the most well-laid plans are the ones that fall to pieces at the seams.

"I'll get it," Kasumi said as a knock was heard at the warehouses door.

"If its Daemon, tell him I'm not here," Erie said referring to her former boyfriend of less than six hours.

"But I thought you broke up with Daemon last week?" Kasumi asked curiously quite confused as eminent on her face.

"No, that was Damien," Jessica replied for her. "Really Kaz, you have to pay attention to these things."

"Will do," she joked as she opened the door revealing the Fed-ex boy holding a large bouquet of red, long stemmed roses and a clipboard.

"Are you Kasumi Waterflower?" he asked.

She nodded as she signed her name and took the flowers from the boy. She couldn't think of any one who would send her red roses. Even Ash knew she was opposed to anything so clichéd.

She shook her head vigorously. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about. She had a boy friend and a show to put on in less than twelve hours. She couldn't let herself be distracted.

As soon as she was about to get back to work the shrill ring of a phone pierced through the silence and their eardrums. They all stopped their work to check their phones.

"Um, Kasumi," Antony said cautiously. "I think your flowers are ringing."

Kasumi walked to the flowers and carefully pulled a compact, mobile phone from within.

"Hello?" she asked as she did.

"How do you like the flowers?" a smooth, male voice asked her before she could ask another question.

"They're perfect," she lied flawlessly to the caller without even a hint of sarcasm. "Thank you for the thought," she added, feeling somewhat guilty.

"It's just to say good luck," he told her. "And remember I'll be right there along with all your other adoring fans ready to whisk you away. Sadly though it will be to my mothers latest charity event in Emerald Square afterwards."

"Damn, I almost forgot," she sighed. She hadn't forgotten; she was just hoping that maybe Patrick might. Kasumi never forgot anything, no matter how hard she tried.

Patrick chuckled softly. "I can't wait to see you again," he told her matter-of-factly. "I love you."

"Ditto," she said softly before ending the conversation.

She still couldn't bring herself to tell Patrick that she loved him, or anyone else for that matter. It had been seven years, she thought that would be enough time, but it never would be enough time.

"Looks like we're done here guys," Kasumi said happily as she surveyed the scene of intricate dresses and exhausted dress makers/designers. "I'll finish off here. See you all tonight at the City Centre."

They all nodded relieved to be able to go home and get at least a few hours sleep before daybreak. They had spent most of the night perfecting everything for the show.

Kasumi carefully gathered the dresses in their groups and trolleys getting them ready for moving to the Centre. The truck would be here in two hours but she needed to make sure there was nothing more that needed to be done before they got there.

At least now she had nothing to worry about for the next hour or so. She had spent the whole night worrying about whether or not she would finish on time, but now it seemed as though it was all quite futile for now all was done with hours to spare.

Now all that was left to worry about was that nagging thought that something was going to happen tonight and she wasn't entirely sure if she was going to like it.

"Kasumi!" people called from every direction trying to snag an interview with Emerald City's hottest new designer.

Kasumi waved and smiled as she followed Patrick towards the waiting limo.

"Oh god, I can't believe I did it," she exclaimed as she relaxed into her seat exhaustedly. "I really did it. I am now officially a designer."

"And, as I can see, you wouldn't have it any other way," Patrick smiled at her coyly.

Kasumi tried to block the image of Ash that wavered into her mind. It was so hard to escape. His chocolate brown eyes decorated with flakes of the purest amber seemed to smile at her, enticing her and reminding her of what she left behind. His smile seemed to wrap it's way around her heart speaking to her in a way that she had never thought possible.

She closed her eyes falling deeper under his spell and into her unconsciousness. She could feel her dreams clouding into her reality as everything about her drifted further and further away.

'No,' she tried to warn herself to no avail. She thought she had left that part of her that was so in love with Ash back when she left him. For seven years she was able to convince herself she had, yet suddenly he had wormed his way into her heart all over again.

"We're here," Patrick said breaking her away from her thoughts.

She was sure that he had been talking to her somewhere along the way to their destination but she couldn't quite remember if she had answered him or not or even what he had said to begin with. She just hoped he hadn't noticed.

"I thought we were going to Emerald Square," Kasumi said more to herself as she surveyed the peaceful surroundings.

It was a beautiful lush forest but the only problem was that it reminded her of her days as a Pokemon trainer and a specific trainer in particular. I'm sure you can all guess which one, the one that broke her heart and turned her cold, the one that had been her entire world for as long as she could remember, the one that she had to leave behind all of seven years ago chasing after a new dream.

"What do you think?" Patrick asked her a wide grin forming on his face.

She knew this was for her and she knew it was supposed to make her happy. Emerald City with it's bright lights and sounds had very few places even remotely resembling forests and she knew he would have had to look mighty hard to find a place like this, especially one so similar to her real home.

She tried to be pleased or at least look it, but it was hard not to force a smile when one look at this place flooded her with so many memories she longed to forget. This place was just too much.

Patrick noticed the tears falling down her face long before she did but blinded by his own happiness he presumed that she shared the same joy, that she had fallen in love with this place in seconds just as he had.

How wrong could he be?

"There's a reason I brought you here Kasumi," he began standing in front of her and holding her hands in his. "You know I never do anything unless I'm sure and I know I've never been as certain of anything as I am right now. Kasumi Waterflower, will you marry me?"

And in seconds Patrick was down on one knee looking up at her hopefully in a similar expression to five year old Toshi. She had said yes to Toshi all those years ago, she had told Ash that she would marry him when she was fifteen and yet here she was again in the same situation, but he wasn't there this time.

Patrick looked so similar to Ash in some ways. His hair was the same colour, though not as messy, and his eyes were a similar shade of chocolate brown, but not so brilliant, and his smile even resembled Ash's in it's own way but not as breathtaking. Patrick was like Ash's lesser twin that was saying all the things that she longed for Ash to say.

She felt as though she was being pulled in two different directions.

Random thoughts flashed through her mind, most of them about Ash. There were all these things suddenly pounding through her head that she hadn't thought about for seven years that she hoped she had forgotten.

She was reminded of something her sisters told her once "don't settle for the one you can live with, wait for the one you can't live without."

'I can live without Ash,' she tried to reason with herself, but what good's a life without love and happiness? She could tell her mind that over and over again but her heart always knew better.

And right now her heart was telling her no, well actually, more like screaming it at 'the top of its lungs'. It was the part of her spewing these pictures of Ash into her subconscious trying to remind her of her destiny, the destiny she had decided on at such a young age.

But then there was her head, the part that told her yes, the part that was so consumed with the pain that it tried to block out all the rest. It was the part that always won, ever since that day her mind had been in control of her heart and this was no different.

"Yes," she said softly mustering up all the certainty she could despite the fact that it was about as far away from the truth as you could get. There was only one thing she had been more uncertain about in her life and he was a major part of her uncertainty now.

"This is great," Patrick replied estatically. "Well, we've got to call your parents, my parents, friends, family. They're all going to be thrilled," he added as he whipped out his cellular phone.

"Um . . . maybe we should keep this quiet for a little while," Kasumi suggested trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. "I want to tell my parents directly."

"Perfect," Patrick said. "I'd love to meet your parents. I'll book us a flight for Cerulean City tomorrow."

"NO!" Kasumi exclaimed. "I mean, I haven't seen my folks in ages and so I don't want to just spring this all on them so suddenly. So I'll go and then we'll come back to Emerald City."

"Well as you insist my darling," he said charmingly as Kasumi sent him an even more forced smile than before. "Anything for you."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Kasumi rushed to pack her bags frantically ravaging through her draws.

She would stop now and then wondering if what she had was really suitable for her old home. I mean, things were different in small towns like those in Kanto and she wasn't sure if some of her designs were really suitable for anything other than a night on the town in Emerald City.

She had no idea what things would be like there, when she was coming back or even what she was going to do when she got there. This whole thing was just one big confusing mess that she wished she had never been caught up in.

"Toge toge," the no longer baby Pokemon said happily to which Kasumi nodded her head in understanding.

She reached for another draw when a glare of light caught her eye. It was coming from the typical Tiffiny's gold and diamond ring resting awkwardly at the base of her ring finger.

She tried not to scrutinise it, but she couldn't help but think how out of place it looked on her. She had never been into bright flashy things like diamonds and gold bands and it seemed to contrast appallingly with her creamy white skin.

The ring was totally wrong for her, not to mention a couple of sizes too big, and as thoughts of a man not her fiancé passed through her mind she couldn't help but become aware of that fact.

'I'll just put it away for safe keeping,' she reasoned to herself not wanting to admit the real reasons why she wanted to remove herself from the ring. 'It'll just fall off otherwise.'

So with that, she closed her final suitcase and looked to her long time friend with a soft smiled. "It looks like we're going home Togetic," she said her smile both sad and excited. "Back home to Pallet Town."

to be continued

A very long first chapter it seems but there was a lot to get through.

I hope you all enjoyed. Please tell me what you think so that I can try and make improvements and so the next chapter won't seem quite so; what's the word for it? Plagerised?

Just to make sure there is no confusion here Kasumi and Sumi are Misty, and Toshi and the Satoshi mentioned by Jessica are Ash. So now that's all cleared up . . . review, please.

I've reposted this chapter with a few changes. Firstly, I changed a characters name and secondly I tried to make Misty's relationship with Patrick seem less fulfilling. In the origninal it seemed a bit too cutesy and so in love at some stages, but this way its clear that its kind of loveless so nobody thinks badly of Ash for any attempt to break them up. Also note, chapter 2.