Happy Valentine's Day! Now, this is my first attempt at any kind of shipping. I hope you enjoy it.
Ages:
Ash: 18
Misty: 18
Brock: 22
May: 16
Max: 12
The other characters in this are just supporting so their ages don't matter.
Pallet Town was never considered a busy town. Situated on the southwestern coast of the Kanto region it was a rather small town compared to the rest of the towns in the region. The only place of interest was the laboratory of Professor Oak, the world-famous Pokémon professor. And those who lived there wouldn't have it any other way. Today, however, there was another place of interest. At a small two-story house, roughly half a mile from Professor Oak's lab, a group of friends had gathered after a long journey. The home belonged to Delia Ketchum, mother to Pokémon Master-in-training Ash Ketchum. Ash and his friends had just returned home after traveling around Kanto so he could compete in the Battle Frontier. Not only did he win that, but along the way he won something else. In the kitchen Delia was cooking a fest to help celebrate Ash's recent accomplishment. A smile came across her face as she thought about her son and the recent change that had occurred.
"My little Ashy's growing up," she said. Delia spent a few more minutes preparing the food before she decided to leave the kitchen to check on resting travelers. Walking into the living room she saw May and her brother Max marveling over Ash's badges from Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto. Continuing to look around the room she saw Brock, the oldest member of the group, looking out the window. Delia approached him.
"Are they still out there?" she asked.
"Yeah," Brock replied. They both looked out and saw Ash standing next to the tree swing, his arms around a girl who was sitting in the swing. The two of them couldn't help but smile at the scene.
"I almost can't believe it finally happened," Delia said. "I'm so happy for those two."
"Me too," Brock said. "If anyone deserves to be together it's them."
The two kept watching, wanting to observe the scene as long as they could.
A few years back the only thing that would have been on Ash Ketchum's mind would have been Pokémon and Pokémon battles. A few days ago, though, something else had penetrated his thoughts. Or to be more specific, someone. After defeating Brandon at the Battle Pyramid his thoughts had gone from battles to something completely different. Something that hadn't been on his mind for years now.
"It's amazing, isn't it," he said to the girl on the swing.
"What is, Ash?" she asked.
"How a thought that had been pushed to the back of your mind and stayed there for so many years can just force its way back so strong that you can't think of anything else," he replied. The girl smiled and turned her head to look at Ash.
"Is that why you came back?" she asked him.
"Yeah, and I'm glad I did," Ash replied.
"So am I," the girl said. She relaxed and leaned back into his chest. Ash held her as he thought about everything that had lead up to this moment.
"How in the world did you get us lost?! I thought you knew where we were going!"
"Don't blame me! He's the one with the map!"
"But you're the one with the Pokénav!"
"If you two don't stop we'll never make it back to Pallet Town!"
After his victory against Brandon at the Battle Pyramid Ash and the gang had decided to head back to Pallet Town to celebrate. Unfortunately they seemed to have gotten lost along the way. May blamed Max for getting them lost while Max tried to transfer the blame to Brock, leading into a major argument on who's fault it was they were lost.
"You're the navigator, Max! You're supposed to know where we're going!" May yelled at her younger brother.
"Oh yeah?! What about Brock?! He lives here! He should know how to get to Pallet Town! Besides, he has the map!" Max fired back.
"It's been a long time since I've been here! And besides, this map is outdated!" Brock argued. While the three of them fired back and forth Ash was in the lead. Even though they were lost a strong feeling was leading him on. It was so strong that he didn't hear the arguing trio behind him. All he knew was that something told him to head to the east.
"Hey guys." But the others were too busy arguing to hear him.
"Guys." Still no response other than loud arguing.
"Guys!" Same as the first two. Sighing Ash turned to his loyal Pokémon.
"Pikachu, would you do the honors?" From his spot on Ash's shoulder the small mouse Pokémon saluted before leaping into the air and firing a Thundershock at the arguing trio behind them. After recovering from the shock they all turned to Ash.
"I think we should head this way," he said, pointing to the east. The other looked at him, wondering if they should follow his unconfirmed directions over those found either on the map or from the Pokénav.
"Are you sure, Ash?" May asked. "I mean we could get even more lost than we are now."
"Yeah. What makes you so sure that's the right way?" Brock asked.
"Call it a feeling," Ash replied before walking off. The others were slightly confused by his action, but decided to follow him rather than try to figure out the 'feeling' he had. After following Ash for a few minutes they were surprised to see that his 'feeling' had lead them to the path they had been searching for. Unfortunately there was a fork in the path when they emerged.
"Oh great. Now where do we go?" May asked.
"Well, seeing as how Pallet Town's to the south…"
"We go this way!" Ash suddenly said, pointing to the path heading to the east. His choice was followed by an enthusiastic "Pikachupi!" from Pikachu.
"That way? But Pallet Town is to the south. Why are we…" But Ash was too far ahead to hear Max's question.
"Ash, wait! We're supposed to be heading for Pallet Town!" May called. Brock walked up to a sign. After looking at it he turned to May.
"What's the date, May?" he asked her.
"Huh? It's February 13. Why?" Hearing that Brock looked at Ash's retreating figure and smiled.
"I think we'll be getting to Pallet Town a bit late," he said. He then headed down the path Ash took. Rather than try and stop them May and Max followed them, eager to see why this side trip was necessary.
Cerulean City was extremely busy. Considering what tomorrow was everyone was busy getting things prepared for that special day. However, one person wasn't in the mood. In fact she had no reason to be as excited about tomorrow as everyone else was. From her place inside of the Cerulean City Gym she watched as the rest of the city prepared for the most special day of the year for those in love.
"Another Valentine's Day spent alone," she said. She brushed a strand of red hair from her face as she thought about the importance of tomorrow. Everyone she knew had someone to spend Valentine's Day with, even her three sisters. But she never had anyone to spend time with. The one person she did want by her side was always on the move, never staying in one place very long. Such was the life of a Pokémon trainer. She was about to go check on the Gym's Pokémon when she heard the door open and someone step inside.
"I'll be with you in a minute!" she called. She turned to walk away when she heard the sound of small paws hitting the floor tile followed by a cry of "Pikachupi!" She turned around just in time to catch a ball of yellow fur in her arms.
"Pikachu?! What are you doing here?!" she asked. "Wait, where's…"
"Hey Misty." Upon hearing her name Misty looked up. Standing at the gym entrance was the last person she thought she'd see and the only one she wanted to see.
"Ash!" She set Pikachu down and ran to Ash, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. Ash wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug.
"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in Pallet Town by now," she said.
"Come on. You think we'd miss out on coming to see you?" Ash replied.
"We? You mean…" Ash pointed behind him, where Brock, May and Max stood.
"Hi, Misty," Brock said. Misty let go of Ash and went to greet her other guests. While she was busy with them Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder.
"Pi kachu pi cha? (You going to tell her?)" he asked.
"Yeah," Ash replied.
"Pika! Chu? (Great! When?)" he asked. As smiled and reached up to scratch Pikachu behind his ear.
"Tomorrow," he replied.
"Pikachu chu. Pi, Pikapi (Valentine's Day. Nice, Ash)," Pikachu replied. The small mouse Pokémon was impressed with his trainer. Ash seemed to have everything planned out.
"So, how long are you guys going to be in town?" Misty asked.
"Well, we really need to get to Pallet Town so I don't think we'll be here all that long," May said.
"Oh. That's too bad," Misty replied. Her face had a slightly disappointed look that didn't go completely unnoticed. Ash frowned at the young coordinator.
"Nice going, May…" he said to himself. He then turned to Pikachu.
"Pikachu, do something. We have to make our stay here last at least through tomorrow," he whispered to his best Pokémon friend. Pikachu nodded, knowing just to do. The small mouse let his body go limp and fell right into Ash's arms. He then gave his trainer a thumbs-up.
"Good thinking," Ash whispered. He looked up and saw that everyone's attention was focused elsewhere. Nobody had seen what Pikachu just did.
"How soon do you have to leave?" Misty asked.
"Probably…"
"Pikachu! What's wrong?! Say something!" Everyone turned to see Ash holding Pikachu. Misty immediately ran to his side.
"What happened, Ash?! What's wrong with Pikachu?!" she asked, voice filled with worry.
"I don't know! He just collapsed in my arms!" he replied. "It might have had something to do with that battle against Team Rocket we had earlier today." As he said that he looked in Brock's direction and winked. The breeder caught on to what his friend was saying.
"But Ash, we did…"
"Of course! That must have been it!" Brock said, interrupting May. She looked at him, confused as to why he would lie like that. Brock simply motioned with his head towards Ash and Misty. She looked at them but still didn't know what Brock was getting at.
"What?" she asked.
"Don't you remember what tomorrow is?" he asked her.
"Yeah, it's… oh!" Now May understood what Brock meant. Max, however, didn't.
"What's going on? What are you two talking about?" he asked. May explained the situation to him. Once she was done Max looked at Ash and Misty, an understanding look on his face.
"You really think it's going to happen?" he asked his two older companions.
"It has to," his sister replied.
"It will, trust me. I've been with them long enough to know that they're crazy about each other. If one doesn't make their move tomorrow the other will, and I have a feeling that Ash is ready to make that move," Brock said. The trio watched as Ash handed the 'unconscious' Pikachu to Misty.
"He looks real tired. Team Rocket must have done a number on him," she said.
"There's no way we can leave with him like this. Guess we'll be staying for a while," Ash said.
"You can stay here with me if you want. My sisters are almost never here so there's more than enough room for all of you," Misty said. Ash silently thanked whoever he needed for this opportunity.
"That'd be great," he said. Misty, still holding Pikachu, left to go get room ready for them. As she walked away Pikachu opened one eye and looked in Ash's direction. Ash gave the Pokémon a thumbs-up, which Pikachu returned before resuming his 'unconscious' state. With that out of the way Brock, May and Max walked up to him.
"So, I guess we're staying until Pikachu 'recovers'," Brock said, putting emphasis on recover.
"Yeah," Ash replied.
"So, any plans for tomorrow?" May asked, hoping to find out if Ash had any plans for he and Misty tomorrow.
"Maybe I do," Ash replied. Before she could question him further Ash left to go check on Misty and Pikachu.
"Oh shoot! I wanted to know what he had planned tomorrow," May whined.
"You're so nosey, May. Why don't you let him have his privacy," Max said.
"But I want to know," May replied.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Brock said. "Something tells me we'll find out soon enough." With that Brock led the two of them into the gym.
That night everyone was sleeping. Everyone, except Ash and Pikachu. The two of them were wide awake, thinking about what would happen tomorrow.
"You think she'll like it, buddy?" Ash asked.
"Pi pika chu? (Why wouldn't she?)" Pikachu asked.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just a bit nervous," Ash replied.
"Pika pi Pikachu chu, pi ka? (You're not backing down, are you?)" Pikachu asked.
"No way! I'm going through with it no matter what," Ash replied. "I have to."
"Pika pi pikachu! (That's the spirit!)" Pikachu said.
"Thanks," Ash said. The two of them laid down to get some sleep. Ash had a big day ahead of him in the morning.
The sound of Pidgey chirping greeted Misty as she woke from her sleep. After going through her morning routine and changing out of her night clothes she walked downstairs and was met with Brock cooking breakfast.
"Morning Misty," he said.
"Morning Brock," she replied. "Where is everyone?"
"Well, Ash left to take care of something earlier," he replied. "As for May and Max…"
"No, May! Please! I said I was sorry!" Brock and Misty ran out of the kitchen to the pool area to see what was happening. May was standing next to the pool, holding Max by the collar of his shirt over it.
"Come on, May! Please don't!" Max pleaded.
"I told you I'd make you pay for walking in on me like that," May replied angrily.
"What's going on?" Misty asked.
"Max walked in on while I was changing," May replied. "This is his punishment." Max looked down at the water.
"No!" That was the last thing he said before May dropped him into the water. A few seconds later he surfaced. May was rolling on the floor laughing. Max leaned on the edge of the pool and stared at his sister.
"It wasn't that funny," Max said.
"It was to me!" May replied between laughs. At that moment an evil little plan formed in his head.
"Oh really? I'd like to see for myself!" he said. May's laughter came to an abrupt end when she felt Max's wet hands grab her leg.
"Don't you dare, Max!" she warned.
"You know what they say… turnabout's fair play!" he yelled right before he pulled May into the water. The two of them disappeared underwater for a few seconds. May soon came up, spitting out water. Max came up shortly after, still holding onto May's leg.
"You're right. It is funny when you're not on the receiving end," Max said. May glared at him and tried to get out of the pool. But Max tugged on her leg, getting her attention.
"What do you want now?" she asked him, clearly agitated.
"An apology," he said. All his request got him was a splash in the face, causing him to let go of his sister. She got out of the pool and turned to him, anger clear in her eyes.
"An apology? If anything you owe me an apology for not only walking in on me while I was changing but for ruining my clothes," May said as she stormed off to change into some dry clothes. Misty and Brock came over and helped Max out of the pool.
"You know you're probably going to get it later," Brock said.
"I now, but it was worth it," Max said.
"You'd better go change out of those wet clothes," Misty suggested. Max agreed and left to change just as his sister had done. As soon as he disappeared upstairs Ash and Pikachu walked in.
"Good morning," he said.
"Pika! (Morning!)" Pikachu said.
"Morning, you two," Brock said.
"So, what had you up so early this morning?" Misty asked.
"I had to… go check on something," he lied. "Where's May and Max? I thought they'd be up by now."
"They had a little run in with the pool," Brock said. Ash nodded in understanding before he walked up to Misty.
"So, you up for a walk?" he asked. To say Misty was a bit surprised was an understatement. For as long as she'd known him Ash never did anything like this.
"Um, sure… but what about breakfast?" she replied.
"We'll eat later," Ash said. Now Misty was starting to worry. Ash never turned down an opportunity to eat, especially when Brock was the chef.
"Pi chu, Pikachupi! (Come on, Misty!)" Pikachu called. She looked at Pikachu and then to Ash. As strange as it seemed she liked the idea of going on a walk with Ash.
"Okay, let's go," she said. Ash took her hand and lead her out of the gym, Pikachu following close behind. Brock smiled, knowing full well what Ash had planned for them.
"Good luck, pal," he said.
Ash and Pikachu lead Misty out of the city to the north. They crossed the bridge and headed towards a place Misty knew very well. It was called Cerulean Cape but everyone in Cerulean called it Lover's Peak. It was here that couples came to be alone. Misty had no idea why Ash wanted her to come out here, seeing as how neither of them had anyone they considered 'lovers'.
"Ash, why are we coming here?" she asked.
"You'll see when we get there," he replied. Rather than question him Misty followed. During this time she ran over various scenarios in her head as to why Ash was leading her to Lover's Peak.
"What could he be thinking? Is there someone there he wants me to meet? But who? He wouldn't… no, that's not like Ash… but it possible that he…"
"We're here." The announcement of their arrival at their destination brought Misty out of her thoughts. She looked ahead and saw that there was a table set up with a picnic basket witting on top.
"What's all this?" she asked.
"I just thought you'd prefer to have a picnic rather than stay inside," Ash said. Misty stared at him for a bit before smiling.
"That's very considerate of you," she said. The three of them approached the table. Ash helped Misty into her seat before sitting across the table from her. Pikachu hopped onto the table. Ash reached in and took out a pair of sandwiches. He handed Misty one and took the other. Then, Pikachu reached in and took out a bottle of ketchup. Misty giggled at this.
"He's still obsessed with ketchup I see," she said.
"I guess some things never change," Ash replied. The only response they got was a small "Pika!" before the mouse began his task of emptying the bottle. Ash and Misty laughed a bit before getting to their own food.
"This is good," Misty said as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Brock must have made these."
"Yeah, he helped a little," Ash said as he ate his. Misty stared at him.
"You made these?" she asked.
"What? I can't make lunch for my best friend?" Ash replied, faking insult.
"Well, usually you'd be more interested in eating than cooking," Misty replied. The two trainers laughed at her obvious joke before continuing their meal. Once they were finished her got up and offer Misty his hand. She graciously accepted and the two of them walked over to the railing overlooking the ocean. The two of them looked out over the ocean. The wind picked up a bit. Misty took out her hair band, letting her now shoulder length blow in the wind. Ash stared at her. In his eyes she never looked more beautiful than she did now.
"Okay, Ketchum. It's now or never." Gathering up all the courage he had he turned to face Misty.
"So, are you having a good time?" he asked.
"Are you kidding? This is the best time I've had in months," she replied.
"That's good," Ash replied. "You know, there was a reason I brought you out here." he know had Misty's full attention.
"What is it? You know you can tell me anything, Ash," she said. And this was true. Besides Pikachu Misty was the only person he could confide in.
"Okay. The truth is…"
"Prepare for trouble from up in the sky!"
"And make it double! That's no lie!"
"No, not now!" Ash yelled as he, Misty and Pikachu looked up a the Meowth balloon floating overhead.
"An evil as old as the galaxy!"
"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"
"Meowth, that's me!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"And Meowth are the names!"
"Wherever there's peace in the universe!"
"Team Rocket!"
"Will be there!"
"To make everything worse!"
"Wobba Wobbufett!"
"Mime Mime!"
Ash couldn't believe his rotten luck. Just as he was about to let his feeling out these three had to show up. He looked at them with a glare that would make an Arbok run and hide.
"What are you three doing here?!" he asked.
"My my, it seems the little twerp is upset with us," James said.
"He'll be even more upset when we take his Pikachu," Meowth added.
"No you don't! Pikachu, give them a…"
"Hold on, Ash," Misty said. "I've got this one." Ash stared at Misty, wondering why she was so calm considering the fact that team Rocket just interrupted their moment.
"You sure?" Ash asked.
"Trust me, this won't take long," she said. She looked up at Team Rocket.
"Just what are you doing?" she asked them.
"What do you mean? We're here to steal Pikachu," Jessie replied.
"I thought you would have realized that after we've been trying for so long," James added.
"That's not what I mean," Misty replied.
"Then what?" Jessie asked.
"You claim to 'denounce the evils of truth and love', right?" Misty asked.
"Yeah. So?" Jessie asked.
"Don't you know today is Valentine's Day?" A look of shock came over Jessie's face. James was slightly confused. Meowth just didn't care.
"A-Are you s-serious?" Jessie asked.
"Sure am," Misty replied.
"Who cares what today is? We've got a Pikachu to steal," Meowth said. Jessie responded by knocking him out with a mallet she pulled out of nowhere.
"You idiot! Today is a sacred day in the name of love! If we try to steal Pikachu we'll be committing an act of evil, going against our motto!" she yelled. Now James understood why Jessie seemed hesitant to steal Pikachu.
"Oh no! You're right! What are we going to do?!" he said.
"I'll tell you what. You three leave now and I bet Ash won't have Pikachu blast you off," Misty said. She looked back at Ash to see if he agreed. Ash nodded. With his approval she turned back to Team Rocket.
"It's up to you now. Leave in peace or get blasted off trying to steal Pikachu." The choice was clearly obvious.
"Okay, we'll leave. But next time we're not leaving without Pikachu," Jessie said. With that they piloted their balloon away from Lover's Peak.
"And that takes care of them," Misty said. She turned back to Ash, who looked very impressed with her negotiating skills.
"Wow. You got them to leave and I didn't even have to lift a finger," he said. Pikachu was also impressed.
"Why thank you," Misty said. She took her place back by Ash's side.
"Now, what were you going to tell me before Team Rocket showed up?" she asked. Ash had almost forgotten why he brought her there when Team Rocket appeared, but now that they were gone he knew he had to tell her.
"Misty, do you remember the day you had to leave to take care of the gym?" he asked. How could she forget? In her opinion that was the worst day of her life. She nodded.
"I know you probably think that day was bad for you, but it was torture for me," Ash said. "It wasn't just the fact that you were leaving, but you left before I had the chance to tell you something… something I should have said long ago." Ash's words had completely mesmerized Misty. Her mind told her this wasn't happening, but her heart knew better.
"To say that you're my best human friend is an understatement. You're the reason I was able to win all those battles when we were traveling together. I know I gave my Pokémon a lot of credit for those wins, but you deserve just as much. Without your cheering and coaching I wouldn't have done as well as I did." Misty's voice was caught in her throat. Ash's words had touched her in a way no one else ever did.
"All throughout Hoenn and the Battle Frontier I vowed to win for everyone that supported me through my years of training. I couldn't win in Hoenn, but I made up for it in the Battle Frontier. All the while there was one thing that kept me going… you." Misty gasped when Ash said that. Her hands went to her mouth as tears threatened to pour from her eyes.
"Misty, I want you by my side again. I need you by my side again. Misty… I love you." Misty couldn't hold it in anymore. She threw her arms around Ash's neck, hugging him for all he was worth.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words! Ash… I love you too." Ash held her as she cried tears of happiness. Pikachu had long since left, knowing that they would want some time to themselves. After a few minutes Misty picked her head up and looked Ash in the eyes. At that moment the two became lost in each other's eyes. They were so far gone that they didn't realize they were moving closer to each other. Then, the two kissed. During that moment two souls became one in a union that no one could break. They stopped after what seemed like forever, even though it was only a few seconds. Both of them smiled at each other.
"I've waited for that moment for so long," Ash said.
"Was it worth the wait?" Misty asked.
"Absolutely," he answered before moving in for another kiss.
The two of them returned to Cerulean Gym later that day. Pikachu had gotten there before them and informed everyone what had happened. Of course they were all happy to see that Ash and Misty finally got together. They were even happier when Daisy, Misty's oldest sister, said she didn't have to stay and run the Gym anymore. Surprisingly Daisy had gotten good enough to run the Gym, though she did say that Misty could take over anytime she wanted.
"So, shall we head to Pallet Town?" Ash asked.
"It doesn't matter where we go as long as I'm with you," Misty said. She had packed up everything she'd need to take with her (in other words her Pokémon) and was currently hanging on Ash's arm. Of course Ash didn't mind. In fact there was nothing he wanted more.
"Alright then. Let's go," he said. The group then set off for Pallet Town with Ash and Misty in the lead.
"You know, you really made my day then," Misty said.
"I only wish I'd done that sooner," Ash replied. Misty got up from the tree swing and the two of them made their way towards the house. Halfway there Misty stopped.
"What's wrong, Mist?" Ash asked. She loved it when he called her by her nickname.
"I was just thinking, what's next for us?" she asked. Truthfully, Ash hadn't thought of that. He was just content with living in the moment.
"I don't know," he said. " I was planning on entering the Indigo League when it started back up again in a few months. Until then, I don't know… but I do know this."
He walked up to Misty, took her in his arms and kissed her.
"As long as I'm with you nothing else matters." Misty smiled and she leaned on his chest. His answer had washed away all her worries. At that moment she didn't care if he never won the league. To her he was a Pokémon Master. Ash knew this, and for now that was good enough for him.
"I love you, Ash," Misty said.
"I love you too," Ash replied. The two walked inside the house, hand-in-hand…
Forever united by the power of love.
And there you have it. So, was it good?
Please review