Author's Note: I didn't think I would ever actually finish this story. But I've received the most positive feedback from this story that I've ever gotten on any of my writing, so I really felt like I owed it to myself and others to finish. So this is it. If you're still reading, I hope you enjoy.

Game
Part XII

Minutes passed. Hours passed. Perhaps even entire lifetimes came and went as Gary stood by the freshly dug grave of Ash Ketchum. The crowd around him thinned slowly, the other guests made their way back to their cars to gather at the Ketchum household to celebrate the life of their hero. Gary found himself quite able to even move at all, let alone leave the grave site.

It was growing dark when the young professor finally willed himself to face reality. He looked up to find he was among only a handful of mourners still left among the gravestones. Among these stragglers Gary recognized the oddly-humped man and his rather unfriendly companion. But Gary was no longer curious about who they were and he did not care to question them further.

He noticed grandfather and Mrs. Ketchum had left (likely to prepare their home for the hordes of mourners that would be arriving shortly). Brock had left. Tracy had left. May had left. Max had left. Dawn had left. They had all left. The only other one there was Misty.

Gary's hand instinctively went to his chest where the gift for her was nestled inside his pocket. With the grief he had been feeling all day, he'd nearly forgot that he had it.

He had so many things he wanted to say to her. There were so important things she needed to hear. Gary wondered if she would hear them. He looked back at the coffin and felt his feet take root. He was scared.

What frightened him the most, he couldn't quite pinpoint. He had no idea how she would react to him. He suspected she had some pent up anger at the world and Gary might indeed be a welcome target for it. And if she didn't unleash all the fury of a woman scorned, she could still refuse to listen to what he had to say. This seemed even worse. And yet, both scenarios paled in comparison with inevitably that Gary would have to leave Ash alone soon. Gary was going to have to leave and return to his life and that made him sadder than he cared to acknowledge.

Gary forced himself to take a step towards Misty. It took all his strength not to run in the other direction. He took a breath and then a step. And then another. And then another. Each step was a little less labored until he was right beside her.

She was close enough for him to reach out and touch now. He could see, even in the fading light, there were the remnants of tear trails on her face. Her small hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes were closed. She seemed not even to notice that he was there.

Gary opened his mouth and suddenly he became aware that he had no idea what to say what he wanted to say. He closed it promptly, wondering how to even begin.

"Hello, Gary." While his mind was processing acceptable opening greetings, Misty had noticed him standing there. He jumped ever so slightly, surprised by her directness.

"Uh, Misty," he fumbled inexpertly, completely caught off guard. Her eyes were open now, but she had not turned to look at him, nor made any facial expression whatsoever. "Hey," was all he could think of to say.

"What can I do for you?" her tone was very measured, but Gary could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"N-nothing," he stammered. "I just – " he paused, not knowing what to say. "I wanted to offer my condolences." It was a statement she had heard dozens, if not hundreds of times over. It meant absolutely nothing, but was the only thing he could come up with in that moment.

"Yes, thank you," she said in an equally scripted way. "Is there anything else?"

She didn't snap at him or glare at him hatefully or do anything that was typical of the Misty he had known. He didn't know if this was a good or a bad sign. "So you're not upset to see me?" he pointed out with some hopefulness.

She turned to look at him finally; an odd look crossed her features. "Upset? Why would I be upset?"

"Well," Gary began, feeling the need to explain."The manner in which we parted ways made me think you'd vow to hate me forever."

"Oh, that," she looked away again with a slight shrug of the shoulders. "That doesn't really matter much anymore, does it?" She sighed deeply. "Nothing really matters much anymore."

She had been holding it in for days, but she finally said was too tired to hide how she really felt anymore. It almost felt good.

Gary, on the other hand, felt something stirring deep in the pit of his stomach. His left hand shot out reflexively and grabbed her right shoulder a little too forcefully. "I don't want to hear you say that. Ever."

He hadn't meant to be so abrupt, but hearing her talking that way, like she had given up, was maddening. Misty's eyes went wide, surprised by the suddenness of the gesture. Then, slowly, they returned to their distant gaze. She was startled briefly but it was clear Gary's words floated off into the night behind her, unheard and unheeded. She merely shrugged his hand off and turned away from him. "Well it's true, isn't it?" she asked. "What's the use of holding onto petty grudges when your life is over."

"Your life isn't over," he said over her turned shoulder.

Misty laughed bitterly. "Shows what you know."

"Misty, I don't want to presume to know what you're going through."

"Good," she said curtly.

"But I know that if the situation were reversed, you'd be devastated if Ash - gave up - because he couldn't live without you."

"Well, the situation isn't reversed," she insisted hotly. "I'm the one who has to sleep next to his pillow tonight. I'm the one who is wearing his ring on my finger. I'm going to live with this the rest of my life, so please don't lecture me about giving up!" she shouted into the emptiness of the graveyard.

She was breathing hard, embarrassed by her outburst. She had suppressed her anger and grief for too many days and they had busted out of her like a Butterfree from a cocoon. "I'm sorry," she said, not looking at him. "I didn't mean to say all that."

"You don't need to be sorry. You are allowed to be angry. You are allowed to be devastated. But if you really love Ash as much as I think you do, you're going to try three times as hard to live well and be happy."

Misty sighed. "It's easy for you to say."

"No, it's not easy for me to say. I know how hard it's going to be."

"Do you?" she demanded. "Do you really?" She had heard one too many people telling her they "know what it's like."

"Look, I don't want to start an argument. Really, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I don't think you do," her voice was far away again. Gary almost regretted backing off. For a second, she reminded him of her old self.

"Yes I do."

"No," she insisted stubbornly. "You don't," she turned to walk away from him again.

"Look, you know me, Misty," he easily caught up with her. "I'm not exactly one for niceties. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't really want to know. It's one thing if you don't want to talk about it, but you don't get to tell me what I want."

She stopped walking, seemingly considering what he was saying. "You really want to know?" she queried.

"Yes," he affirmed. "If you want to tell me."

"It's not real," she heard herself say. "At least, it still doesn't seem like it is. How could it be? How could – " she cut off her fruitless pondering abruptly. How many times she had asked herself that question?

"You know, sometimes, when I'm alone at night, I can actually hear footsteps in the hallway. For a second I don't remember and I'll sit up and I'll start to greet him, but – " a strangled sob bubbled in her throat. "I won't ever be able to do that again, will I?" She looked at Gary. "That's the stuff that really hurts. I haven't been thinking about the big stuff; the birthdays, the holidays, the trips. It's the little things, the things I never noticed, that hurt the most. The way he used to – to turn his hat backwards," she smiled the smallest, saddest smile Gary had ever seen. "He used to do that when sending a Pokemon out to battle. I used to think it was silly, but now – " she sniffed noisily and he could tell it was taking every bit of willpower in her body not to breakdown. "Now I would do anything to see him do it again."

"How could something so important be there one day and gone the next? It feels like –" he saw her brow knit in anger. "It feels like he was stolen. It feels like he was taken away. And I keep thinking what did I do to deserve it? Am I being punished? What did I do?" It was a rhetorical question, but there was no doubt in Gary's mind she had spent countless hours trying to come up with an answer.

"Did I not love him enough? Did he know how much I loved him? Why wasn't I there when he - ?" She had gone too far and had not realized it. Tears were threatening to spill and suddenly she could not hold them back.

Gary reached an arm out to comfort her, but she recoiled. She tried desperately to wipe away her tears, as if somehow he'd forget he'd ever seen them, but it was too late. The stone wall had finally broken. "I just – I" she struggled to say, turning her back on him. "I need a minute," she flopped onto the nearest bench and put her face in her hands as she tried to cry as quietly as possible.

Gary took a seat on the far end of the bench, taking care not to look at her. She cried only a few short minutes, though they seemed to stretch for ages to the pair. Gary bit his lip; the only thing he wanted was to be able to give her some sort of comfort and he was the one person from whom she would never accept it.

Gary sensed movement and saw her hands drop from her face to her lap in resignation. The spell had passed, her features calmed, though the red ghost of spilt tears lingered around her eyes and cheeks.

"I'm so tired," she finally said. "I'm just so tired. And I'm so tired of crying every time I think about him," she added with a note of frustration, her wounded pride on full display. "I want to think about him and think about how good he made me feel."

"You will," Gary assured her.

"How do you know?"

Gary exhaled loudly, running a hand through his slightly-too-long hair. "Misty, I'm no stranger to losing people. My mom. My dad. You." The last one just slipped out and Gary realized he couldn't take it back. Misty had the decency to look a little embarrassed but did not give the remark any extra attention.

"We had so little time," she murmured to herself.

"At least you had it," Gary replied halfheartedly. He was feeling the long forgotten sorrow, now just below the surface, thinking about his parents. They too had had so little time. If only they could have had a little bit more.

Misty scoffed. "That's what everyone says. 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Well if it was so much better why do I wish it was me in that coffin?"

The bubble popped and Gary's attention brought back to the present. "Would you rather feel nothing at all?"

"Yes," she said stubbornly.

"No you don't."

"Now look who's tell who how they feel."

"You're right, I'm sorry," he conceded. "It's just that everyone thinks pain is the worst thing you can feel. But it's not. The worst thing that you can feel is nothing."

Misty didn't say anything at first; she knew he was right.

He continued. "At least when you feel pain, you know you're still alive. When you don't feel anything at all — well it's no better than being dead. Worse, in fact. At least if you're dead, you're probably at peace. But if you're just existing, with no reason to exist…?" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. He was thinking of Umbreon.

"And you're some kind of expert on the subject?"

"I – " Gary wanted to tell her yes. Gary wanted to tell her every excruciating detail of his life. More. But he refrained. This was neither the time nor the place to wallow in self pity.

When the silence stretched on too long, he said carefully, "I've had my share of pain, like anyone else. But to erase your pain is like erasing a part of you. We are a combination of both our struggles and our triumphs; they define who we are and define how we live. You can't have one without the other. Pain is...necessary for living. And in a strange way, maybe I'm almost sort of grateful for it." Reflecting on the bitter moments of his life, Gary felt himself continue even though he knew he shouldn't."For instance, I don't regret feeling the way I did about you, even though it tore me up."

She held up her hand. "Gary, stop. I don't want to hear it," she rebuked sharply.

"What?"

"What are you expecting in telling me this?"

"Nothing! I promise. I'm not trying to pick you up or something – certainly not at your fiancé's funeral." Gary pretended to look offended. "I had no idea you thought so little of me."

"Then what do you want?" she said, not backing down.

"I just want your forgiveness," he told her. "And your help."

"Help with what?" she said skeptically.

"This."

He pulled a small pamphlet out of the inside pocket of his dress jacket and slipped it into her hand. She was stunned when she saw what it was. On the front, in huge looping script it read, "The Ash Ketchum Foundation"

She looked turned the pamphlet over, uncomprehendingly. "What is this?"

"Well," Gary took a deep breath, trying to remember the list of bullet points he had wanted to cover."The last time I spoke to Ash was during a Pokemon Battle. I had just done something reckless and my Umbreon paid the price for it. It was dead, Misty. I know it was. And I was in shock. Thankfully Ash was able to think on his feet. He used one of his potions on Umbreon. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would make a lick of difference, but –" Gary shivered a little thinking of those wide, red eyes. "He brought it back, Misty. He saved my Umbreon…"

Misty continued listening though she still appeared bewildered.

"So I got this idea in my head. I thought maybe if I could figure out what exactly happened that night, maybe I could reproduce it. So I've been doing the research on my own for some time now. I'm only one guy and I've made a lot of progress, but I think with a group of talented researchers and some time we could really crack this thing. I thought maybe, even if it couldn't save him, it could save someone else.

I've accumulated quite a fortune, from research and from my inheritance, so I figured maybe I ought to do something worthwhile with it. I'd love to set up a foundation in Ash's honor for the research of life-saving techniques for both Pokemon and people alike. I found a fantastic piece of property for sale and I've got a few contractors on speed dial. This here," he gestured to the pamphlet, "is just a mock up for now. But if we can get donors and other researchers involved, I think it could be the real deal."

"You think you could get other people involved?"

"Oh yeah, especially after what I saw today. I don't think there's a person in Kanto who wouldn't want to be involved."

"Wow," was all Misty could say as she turned over the pamphlet in hands again and again. "When did you have time to do all this — I mean he just - " she was not able to let herself say more.

"The research was already in progress when — well, I only thought of using his name until after the accident, but it seemed fitting since he's the reason I was doing it in the first place. But I didn't want to do anything before I had your approval."

"My approval? Why do you need my approval?"

"Because he cared about you more than anything. And if you approve of it, then I know he would too. And if I'm being totally honest," he continued cautiously. "It's more than just your approval I want. I was hoping maybe you could do something else."

"What's that?" she asked dubiously.

"Well, I was hoping you'd serve as a chairperson. I know you're still a gym leader, but it's a part-time position. You'd attend meetings and help make funding decisions and maybe plan events. Basically you can be as involved as you want to be," he said in his best 'no-pressure' voice.

He looked at her face unable to read it. More sincerely, he told her, "I just thought that maybe helping people would keep you connected to him."

"I honestly don't know what to say," she was clearly overcome with some kind of emotion although Gary had a hard time deciphering what exactly it was.

"Don't say anything," he said quickly. "Just think about it. You can get in touch with me when you've made a decision."

"No," she interjected. "I'll do it."

"You will?" he asked. "Really?"

Gary had difficulty hiding some of his surprise. It was an amazing idea, he knew, but Misty could hold a grudge. He had had a nightmare the night before in which she threw the pamphlet in his face and called it an insult to Ash's memory. You have some nerve, the dream-Misty had said to him. You have some nerve after the way you treated him for so long.

I'm trying to make amends, present Gary was thinking.

If Misty held a grudge, she was not letting it get in the way now though. "Yes, yes of course!" Her eyes seemed to be wetter than before, but this beautiful smile was gracing her features. Gary wondered how long it had been since she last smiled. Since she last really smiled.

"This is amazing. This is just the kind of thing Ash would have been proud to have his name on. I mean," she shook her head in disbelief. "Yes, obviously, yes."

"That's great!" he instinctively went to hug her, but then thought better of it. He instead awkwardly patted her on the shoulder that lasted a bit too long. " I'll - fill you in on all the details – you know – some other time. There's still a lot to do, but uh - wow. This is great," he repeated. "We'll be in touch, okay?"

"Yeah," she said warmly. "Sounds good." A comfortable silence fell between them. It was now dark in the little graveyard. No one else was around. For just the briefest of moments, Misty felt almost at peace. It would pass soon, she knew. The grief would return, perhaps even stronger, like a dormant Ursaring waking from its long slumber. But for now she could just be. Just for now.

Gary, on the other hand, felt eager and excited and perhaps just a bit nervous. She had said yes. His relief was second only to his jubilation. He was ready to get started now; but of course — there was a house full of people waiting across town that would be expecting them.

Gary scratched at the back of his neck. "I guess - uh - we should probably head over now, huh?"

"Yeah," Misty nodded, but didn't make a move to go.

"Can I walk you to your car?" he persisted

"Okay." She finally turned and started walking, her thumb absentmindedly stroking the glossy stock of the pamphlet. Gary matched her slow, meandering pace and fell into place beside her as they approached her parked car.

She turned to him abruptly. "When did you turn into such a good guy?"

Gary grinned."I would argue that I'm nothing of the sort.

"Don't pretend to be modest. It's not your strong-suit."

"I don't know what you mean," he said innocently.

"Gary," she stopped walking abruptly and turned to face him. Her hand found his shoulder and sighed deeply. "Ash told me what you did."

A crease in Gary's brow indicated his bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"You're really going to make me say it, then?"

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you mean,"

"I mean," Misty said. "A few weeks ago, Ash sat me down and said that before we were married he had one more secret. One more, as he put it, 'unforgivable secret.' I think I was convinced he'd tell me about another woman. I was preparing myself for that. I thought I'd know what to feel when he said that. But what he told me – "

She paused briefly to inhale, almost steadying herself.

"Ash said, some time ago, you and he had a Pokémon battle. The outcome of which would decide who 'got' me and who didn't. Is that right?

Gary grimaced. When she said it that way, it sounded positively medieval. "You already know the answer to that," he said, not answering the question.

"You don't deny it?" She was clearly expecting him to.

"No."

"So you have nothing to say about that, then," her arms folded across her chest signaled her disapproval.

Gary sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"Well, 'I'm sorry' for one," she said a little impatiently.

"Would you believe me, even if I was?"

She pondered this. "I don't know."

"Well, if I thought it would help anything, any of the pain you've felt from the whole ordeal, I would say it. But for some reason I don't think it would. Because there's more to this story, isn't there?"

She was quiet.

"What happened next?" he pursued.

"Well, he was extremely remorseful and extremely guilt-ridden. He said it weighed on him everyday."

"And you?"

"I was livid. I felt betrayed. And heartbroken. I thought, 'How could he have done this? How could he have done this again?' He knew how crushed I was when he made that bet. He knew how I felt about being 'won.' But he did it. I didn't even want to hear why. I thought there couldn't be any reason on the planet that would justify such an act.

I went straight to my room and pulled out a suitcase, I was that upset. I texted my sisters and told them to make sure my room at the Cerulean Gym was ready for me. I was even in the car with my keys in the ignition."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Because he was blocking my way. He refused to move until I let him explain. After which, he promised he'd let me go without a fight."

Misty shook her head. The anger from her memories reappeared suddenly and intensely. She remembered reaching for the car door. He had grabbed her arm, pleading for her to wait, please wait. She rebounded on him, teeth bared, practically spitting. "Don't touch me!" He let her go. She got in the car and slammed the door. She put her lights on. And there he was in front of the car, arms spread wide.

She would never forget that look on his face.

The anger dissipated quickly and was instantly replaced by guilt. Feeling angry at Ash, no matter how justified it had been, felt wrong now. A quick glance at the graves all around her reminded her exactly where she was again.

She had been quiet long enough that Gary finally said something. "You know, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

"I don't, but it needs to be said. I was angry." she began again. "But I finally calmed down long enough for him to continue. He told me that you confronted him. That you told him I would make myself miserable, hold onto all my hurt and never allow myself to be happy. Ash said that he thought that it was my choice to make. But he said you were persistent. That you said I was too stubborn to realize that my happiness with either one of you was far more important than holding onto my wounded pride."

"I had selfish reasons for saying that, you know."

"I know. That's what I said. But Ash insisted otherwise. He said you got him all worked up. That he wouldn't have accepted if not for – well..."

"What?"

"He said he thought he was protecting me from you. He was worried that I might fall for you. He was worried that I might have a moment of weakness that you'd take advantage of. He wanted to make sure that didn't happen. And so...he agreed to your wager.

Again, I felt terribly angry. I told him that it was not his job to protect me. Did he have so little faith in me that I would fall for your tricks? After all, he never knew that he didn't win the bet the first time. He never knew what had happened. He had no reason to doubt me."

Gary didn't know if he should say anything. He remembered his conversation with Ash, how he had gloated about kissing Misty, how he had literally provoked a fist fight. Gary has been the one who had made Ash doubt her.

"...I guess I started to feel guilty too. Because there were things I never told him either. That I too, had kept a secret for so long. But my anger, the anger at myself mostly, made me lash out at him. I, rather hypocritically, demanded to know what I'd done to make him question my judgment. Why did he think so little of me?

'How can you think this has anything to do with your shortcomings?' he said to me. 'I was desperate. I felt powerless.' He said it just happened to be the perfect storm to make him agree.

He told me you had a six on six battle. That you both used three of your own Pokemon and three of your opponents. I guess," she remembered suddenly what Gary said before. "I guess that was the battle you were talking about. The one with Umbreon."

Gary nodded solemnly.

"He beat you," she continued. "He won."

He nodded again.

"Well, a few days later he called me up. I can still remember how nervous he sounded," she made a sound that almost resembled a chuckle.

She had picked up the phone, having been in a foul mood and yelled "WHAT?" into the phone when he called. She was surprised he hadn't hung up on her then.

"Oh uh - hey Misty, it's me. You know, it's Ash."

"Oh," she had softened pretty quickly. "Hi, Ash."

"Hi!" he said a little too brightly. "How...you know, how are you?"

"Ash, did you want something?" it sounded a little more blunt than she had intended, but a part of her still hadn't totally forgiven him.

"No! I mean, well sort of. I just… I mean it's been awhile now, and I wondered if maybe I could see you sometime. You know as a friend or something…"

Misty had escaped into her memories once again. She looked at Gary who was patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Sorry," she averted her eyes. "I was just - it seems like every time I think about him I get little lost," she admitted sheepishly.

"It's okay. What happened next?"

"Well, he asked if he could see me. I would've said no probably normally, but I had just seen a rather unfortunate tabloid of you and that girl. I admit, at the time, I was furious when I saw. After everything you'd said to me, I knew, without a doubt you'd been lying. And I really don't like being lied to. I mean, of course, I had suspected it all along, but I had felt a speck of doubt. But...no longer.

I suppose my acceptance of Ash was a bit out of spite. I can't say I'm proud of it but, ultimately, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was so angry at you, I forgot to be angry with Ash anymore. And now that wasn't blinded by it, I saw how much he had been hurting. After that…we spent the next few years as happy as either of us had ever been.

"So, I guess what I'm trying to say is...thank you," she said, signaling that her monologue was over.

Gary looked at her quizzically. "For what?"

"For what you did."

"What did I do?"

"Come on, don't be obtuse." She rolled her eyes. "You lost on purpose. Like before when you forfeited the bet."

Gary chuckled at the irony. "I'm glad things worked out for you, but I'm sorry to tell you I did not lose on purpose," he informed her.

One of her eyebrows arched mockingly. "You expect me to believe that Pikachu beat Charizard and Bulbasaur beat Blastoise for real?"

"What can I say? I was overconfident," he shrugged. " Maybe he wanted it more. Either way, he beat me. Fair and square."

Misty made a sound of disbelief. " Well, Ash seemed to think otherwise."

"Well that was the thing about him. He always wanted to believe the best in people."

"He did," Misty acknowledged. "But I also think he was a very good judge of character."

"I think perhaps he believed what he wanted to believe."

"Maybe he just knew something about yourself that you didn't."

He gave her a wry smile. "Now who's trying to psychoanalyze who?"

"I thought I'd return the favor." It was almost playful the way she said it, but the serious countenance reappeared almost instantaneously. "Look whether you meant to or not, you really changed things for us."

The Pokemon Professor blew a few stray hairs out of his face on an exhale. He didn't come to Misty for her gratitude. And it made him uncomfortable to know she thought he was, in any way, responsible for her happiness. He'd acted selfishly the whole time. He wasn't proud of it, but he knew that was the truth. But he also seemed to know there was no point arguing with her. Ash's words were law now and she believed whatever he foolishly had.

"Well," Gary stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I guess it's the least I could do after screwing it all up in the first place."

"You make a fair point. But you did teach me a good lesson Gary Oak."

"What's that?"

"Things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes good people are capable of bad things. And sometimes seemingly bad people are capable of great deeds. This, Gary," she said holding up the pamphlet. "This is the most wonderful thing you could have done for me."

The corners of Gary's lips pulled upwards. "Does this mean we can be friends after all?"

"You know what? I think it does."

Epilogue

"Hey Gary, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything. What is it?"

"Do you think before you drive back me back to the train station…maybe we could – "

A sad smile fell across his face. "Say no more," he obliged and hastily made a right turn towards the Pallet Town Cemetery. When they pulled past the gates, the monument made in Ash Ketchem's likeness was immediately noticeable even at a distance.

"Hey, listen. Why don't you hop out here and I'll go park the car. That way you can – have some alone time with him."

She nodded her head appreciatively. "That would be nice, thank you." She opened the car door and began making her way towards the statue. She didn't turn around but heard the sound of Gary's engine grow fainter behind her. Her feet moved but she no longer felt in control of them. Instead, it felt as though something was willing her to move closer to the statue. When she was directly in front of it, she felt herself stop.

A small smile. "Hey, Ash."

It had been almost three years since Ash Ketchem passed. Summer was turning to autumn, though the lingering heat remained in the air. Misty noticed that some of the leaves were starting to turn; flecks of yellow and russet dotted the leaves of a nearby Maple tree. She ran her hand along the base of the statue where Ash's feet started. In the front was a gold plaque that read simply, Ash Ketchem. A Master. A Lover. A Friend. Her finger felt drawn to the word lover. She found herself tracing the letters half a dozen times as she became lost in thought. Her eyes lingered there some time before she willed herself to look up into the stone visage of her once fiancé and best friend.

It certainly looked as much like him as a piece of stone could look like a person. All the features and proportions were just right. But, of course, his eyes were as empty and hollow as she had felt after his loss. A lump formed in her throat.

"I've – I've really missed you, you know?" she managed to say. "I think about you every day."

The stone said nothing in return.

"I know I always say that. You must be tired of hearing it by now," she chuckled at herself, but it was utterly joyless.

"There's a lot of things I want to tell you," she tried regaining her composure. "It's about the Foundation. It's doing really, really well, Ash. Gary says there's been a bit of a breakthrough with the research. I can't exactly remember the scientific jargon, but he says that they're close to starting human trials. He really thinks that we can save lives!" A real grin had formed on Misty's face. The thought of her work truly making a difference had momentarily pushed the sadness out.

"Not only that, but some of the money we've been raising has gone to a Pokemon Abuse Awareness organization. They rescue abused Pokemon and put them in the care of good and loving trainers. Like you," she felt herself choke up again. She could still remember being eleven years old when Ash found Charmander out in the rain.

"And I was able to visit Professor Oak's Lab during my visit. I got to see all your Pokemon! A lot of them are happy, although I can tell they miss you terribly. Especially Pikachu," she sniffed noisily thinking of the little electric Pokemon. "Believe it or not, he's been involved in the Foundation as well. A bit of a public speaker among the rescued Pokemon. I suppose I don't know exactly what he's saying, but I know he's talking about you. He knows there's a trainer out there for all of them."

Misty tried in vain to wipe away the tears from her eyes. "He sleeps on your pillow every night," she added sadly.

"And your mom, I saw her too." Misty recalled the night she stayed in Oak mansion. On the surface it had been a seemingly pleasant visit. However, when she got up to use the bathroom at night, she was sure she heard Delia crying a few rooms over. Misty was reminded of herself and the countless nights that she had cried herself to sleep. "She has been a big help with planning events for the Foundation and I think she really enjoys the work. I'm glad she has Professor Oak though; she always says she doesn't know how she'd do it without him."

"I'm sorry," she said hastily averting her eyes away from the statue. "I don't blame you. I know it's not your fault. I know you would have never left us willingly. It's just sometimes – " the tears started pouring now. "Sometimes it's just so hard. It's so hard to just be. I keep telling myself one day I can be whole again, but I'm not there yet. I want so much to come here and tell you that I'm doing fine without you, but the truth is I'm not. It could be that I will never be. But I'm trying, Ash. I'm trying so hard. And I'm trying for you." After that she couldn't say anymore. The tears started pouring and she felt her knees give out as she fell to them. Her body fell slack against the pedestal as she continued to cry.

She didn't know how long she was there. An eternity must have passed but she did notice that her body had stopped shaking and her breathing became stable and the wetness on her cheeks had began to dry. And something else. A hand on her shoulder.

She looked up expectantly, hoping against hopes it was Ash. But how could it be?

"Gary?" The face came into focus. And suddenly Misty was back in the world of reality. Yes, Gary had dropped her off and was supposed to drive her back to the train station.

"Hey, come here," he pulled her to her feet and then into his arms. It was a gesture that once Misty would have abhorred, but her infamous Waterflower temper had cooled significantly since her beloved had passed. In realizing that people are not to be taken for granted she started letting people into her life again. She began accepting help. She didn't know it but it was the first step towards healing her wounds.

Among those people she had let help her was Gary Oak. She saw him every two weeks when the board would meet to discuss its grand and not-so-grand plans. Sometimes if she wasn't in a hurry she'd let him take her to dinner afterwards. There they'd catch up on their lives and usually Gary would attempt to explain the science behind what the foundation was doing (rather than just the expenses). Sometimes they'd go and visit the facility. Sometimes they stopped by Oak Manor and see Sam and Delia. And he always insisted on picking her up and bringing her back to the train station. It was almost as if they become friends.

"I'm all right," she tried to tell him, but he still held her close. "Really," she insisted offering some resistance. She looked up at the statue of Ash. "I'm okay."

"All right," he conceded, releasing her. "I know how you are about your pride," he gave her a smirk.

"No, it's not that," she laughed. "It's just – " she sighed heavily. "This is how it always is when I visit him. I tell myself I won't cry and I always do and I always feel better afterwards." She glanced up wistfully and stroked her chin. "Maybe I should just skip the first step and make it easier on myself."

"It might save some time," Gary ribbed. But he too was feeling the presence of Ash. He allowed himself to look up to the statue of his former rival; something he'd always done but never realized.

The Ash on the pedestal almost appeared to be moving forward, a pokeball in his extended hand, with his other hand on his belt. On the pedestal itself there had been dozens of carvings of Ash's Pokemon, expertly carved deep into the stone. It was an exquisite monument. Gary noted there were some fresh flowers placed around the base, but he was not surprised. He wouldn't be surprised if someone came to pay their respects every day, he was so beloved.

Ah Ash, old pal. Can't believe it's already been so long.

Gary sighed. The sun was beginning to sink behind the hill.

"Hey, if we're not careful, you might miss your train," he said quietly, not wanting to tear her away from this moment.

"I know," she said. "I'm almost ready. You can start walking and I'll catch up to you."

Gary agreed and took off towards the car. When he was out of sight, Misty turned back to the statue. She reached up, as high as her hand would go, trying desperately to touch the hand at his belt, but she was too short. Her hand fell to the statue's left knee cap instead. "What I wouldn't give to hold your hand just one more time," a hint of tears returned.

Gary's convertible reached the train station with ten minutes to spare. He expertly maneuvered his car into a tight space next to a big bulky SUV and turned the engine off. The cooling air weighed heavily on both of them as they sat for a moment in silence.

Gary was the first speak. "So, I guess I'll see you in two weeks, then?"

"Yeah," she said simply, not looking away from her folded hands.

Gary noticed she wouldn't meet his eye. "Are you – okay?"

"I'm all right," she said finally. "I was just thinking about something."

She was quiet again. Gary wondered if she wanted him to ask her what she was thinking about, or if she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. As he deliberated prying further, she spoke again.

"Hey Gary?

So she did want to talk about it. "Yeah?" he said more eagerly than he meant to.

"I think maybe I should tell you something."

Her tone was grim and reminded him of how his grandfather had told him of Ash's passing. "What is it?"

"I wasn't going to mention it. But, I don't know. I was thinking how kind you've been to me the past few years. How much you've helped me. And I just think maybe I owe you the truth. It's the past and it really doesn't matter any more. And also – Ash – "

She faltered when she said his name. "Hey, hey, hey," he put a hand on her shoulder. "Look whatever it is, don't worry about it. You don't owe me anything."

"No – I do. This much at least," she said regaining her composure. "You remember when I told you about Ash sitting me down and telling me everything. About the second bet and the pokemon battle and everything else?"

Gary leaned back into his seat and gave her a pointed look. "How could I forget?"

"Well, you also remember how it started. That even though I was frustrated with you both, I ended up seeing that newspaper with you in it, right? So, I deduced that all the things you said about liking me and thinking I was special was just a tactic."

Gary wanted to shrivel up into a little ball. He hated being reminded of it. "Yeah, yeah I remember."

"I figured out now, but that probably had something to do with you losing the bet, didn't it? You wanted to me to think you were sleeping around."

"Something like that," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"So I was angry. Unbelievably so. When Ash called later that day, and I was so mad at you, I was no longer angry at him."

"Yeah, I know all that" he told her a little peevishly.

"Well, what I didn't tell you was why I was so angry."

"You told me you hated being lied to. You said you felt like you were being tricked," he said slowly.

"That's true, but it's not the whole truth. The truth is, that morning, before I saw that tabloid…before Daisy dropped it on my desk, I had the phone in my hand. And I was going to call you. And I was going to tell you — maybe you were right. Maybe I was starting to feel something for you."

"Oh …" It became so clear in Gary's mind's eye even though he wasn't there.

While he was walking home that morning, hungover and miserable, Daisy Waterflower had picked up the tabloid while out to get her morning coffee (and to see the cute barista). She would have seen the headline, "HE'S BACK" and snatched it up eagerly. He saw her, breathless, running down the hall to Misty's office, knocking loudly and impatiently.

"Come in," Misty would have said in an exasperated tone. As Daisy came in, she would see Misty putting the phone back on the receiver.

"I brought you something," he imagined an eager-sounding Daisy saying.

Misty would have seen the cup in her sister's hand. "Daisy, you know I don't like the coffee from that place."

"No, something else. Something way bigger!" The elder Waterflower would have been bursting to share the gossip by now.

"Can it wait? I'm about to make a call."

"I guess, but I think you're, like, going to want to see this."

Misty would have sighed audibly. "Okay, okay Daisy, what have you got for me?"

"Take a look at this!" he thought of Daisy, thrusting the paper under her sister's nose. "That's that cute Professor who was here, right? Violet told me he seemed, like, totally into you. You weren't like, seeing him, or something?"

"No," he imagined her thousand yard stare, though the paper, her desk, right through to the center of the Earth, "I wasn't."

"Please don't misunderstand me," Misty continued. "I love Ash with all my heart and I will love him until I die. And nothing will ever change that."

"Of course," Gary said hurriedly although he really only half heard what she had said.

"But I wanted you to know you were right. Right about a lot of things about me for that matter. I was empty. Being with Ash made me realize that." A pained look crossed her features. "It's selfish to say, but I almost wish I had called. Then maybe he'd be alive today."

Gary shook his head because of course he knew differently. He had seen Ash when Misty was not in his life. Even if Ash was technically alive, he wouldn't be living in any sense of the word.

"Misty, don't - don't do that. Don't waste your time with the what ifs. We'll never know what would have happened in a different world, with different decisions. The only world we have is this one. This is the one we have to live with." He was telling her as much as he was telling himself.

"I know, you're right. But I just wanted you to know that."

Why? Gary thought desperately. Why did I need to know that?

"Anyway, that's all. I'll...see you around, okay?" Misty gave him a half smile, reaching for the door handle.

"Yeah, sounds good. Have a safe trip."

Gary just sat in his car long after the train had pulled away from the station and carried Misty back to Cerulean City. His heart had been thundering in his chest, reeling from what she had told him. He struggled to organize his emotions; everything in him was sloshing and swooping like a pool full of Grimer.

He had lived contently knowing that Ash and Misty had each other. He had made peace with that fact. But now? Now that he knew, if he had just been patient - if he just waited - if only he had...

He sighed, shaking his head. No, he thought. Don't do this. Follow your own advice.

His feelings had never gone away. But he'd never ever act on them. He would not pursue Misty. He would not try to persuade her or seduce her. He was going to wait as he should have done all those years ago. He would not make the same mistake again.

Perhaps one day she would have those feelings again. Maybe she wouldn't. But she was the one who had to decide. Ash had always been right about her.

He had learned his lesson.

He would wait and see what happened.

And he was done playing games.

…

Game over.