I was going through some of the files on my computer, looking for something else entirely, when I came across this one-shot that I'd written a year or so ago. It was inspired by "She's Somebody's Hero" by Jamie O' Neal, and I don't know why I never posted it before, but, eh, here you guys go. Very little editing done on this one, as I didn't want to ruin the over-all tone with too much over-thinking; my inner editor has a tendency to ruin things I haven't worked on in a long time if I let her, and I wanted to avoid that with this piece. Let me know if I made the right call or not.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon now, nor will I ever probably own it because I'm guessing I'd have to kill some people to get my hands on the rights and I don't have the time or resources to set that up, so disappointment all around tonight, guys.

Title:
(My) Hero

Fic:

It was no secret to the world that Ash Ketchum had saved its ass more times than one could count, more times than it should need saving. Everyone who had ever met the boy knew he was going to do great and amazing things even before they found out he'd saved the world countless times.

And they had never been proved wrong.

Never.

So when Ash Ketchum finally caught a break and the world stayed safe for a while, he was able to prove them all so very right indeed.

After entering the local league, and going back home for a rest, he decided on a whim to take on the Elite Four at last—and why not? He had the time, the courage, and the Pokémon, so why not give it a shot?

After switching his team around and informing his friends and family, he took off the first second he could and took them on.

And then he took on the champion.

And then there was a ceremony, celebrating the new Kanto Region Champion.

In the time between Ash beating Lance and the ceremony taking place, however, the committee putting the whole thing together did some, well, snooping, and when they found out Ash had saved the world... They took it and they ran with it.

Which was why Ash found himself standing at a podium on a stage, staring at a stadium full of cheering fans and friends, rivals and family, not knowing what to say. The guy who had introduced him—Willie or Nate or something?—had introduced him as a hero, going on a tangent for almost a half-hour that detailed all the "great things" he'd done since starting his journey at the tender age of ten...

Some people might have found it flattering; he just found it... uncomfortable. He hadn't done anything truly amazing, after all, just what anyone else in his shoes would do. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time. That didn't make him much of a hero, he thought.

He looked to the front row just before him, a row full of the five most important people in his life. His mom, of course, Prof. Oak, Gary, Brock... And Misty. Just beyond them, the rest of his friends and rivals were seated, smiling and cheering as well, but his eyes caught on one person and they would not budge away.

Misty.

She rolled her eyes at the "hero" part, not wanting to feed his ego. She knew he'd done amazing things, he knew he'd done amazing things—why make a federal case out of it? Still, she thought to herself, her face softening into a proud smile, he did deserve the recognition. Not everyone could save the world even once, let alone the number of times Ash had done it. He deserved this, he'd earned it.

Ash's face of uncertainty melted into a warm smile of his own, Misty's face swirling around his mind and making the awkwardness disappear. He didn't know what to say ten seconds ago, now he didn't know what not to say.

And they called him a hero?

Clearing his throat, he leaned forward into the microphone, never breaking eye contact with her as he spoke.

"Thank you all for your kind words, for this ceremony, for this honor. I know I've done a lot in my life—I've saved a lot of lives, battled a lot of Pokémon, met a lot of people, yes, I've even saved the world a few times—but... I'm no hero. I did what I was supposed to do, what anyone in my situation would have done. I saved the world, but the truth is, I never would have been able to do that without a hero of my own," he paused, and let a murmur rip through the crowd before continuing.

"There's a girl," he started, taking in a breath as a few members of his audience threw him knowing smirks. "And you know what? I wouldn't have gotten this far without her. I wouldn't be here without her. She saved my life, she encouraged me, she trained me, she inspired me, she—yes, she even kicked my ass daily, but... it made me better.

"She's just an average girl to most; to others she's a friend or a sister, to others she's a gym leader... To me, though, she's my hero. You guys are celebrating me today, but we should all be celebrating her, for making this possible... Misty, babe?" he winked as everyone in the audience turned to her, her face bright red. "Come up here. I think I owe you something." She hesitated, frozen in place, what the hell did he think he was doing? Calling her out like that! The nerve of him! No, embarrassing her like this, calling her babe, winking at her... he would definitely pay for this. Audience full of witnesses or not.

"C'mon, Mist; we're waiting." Ash sing-songed from the podium, smirking slightly, obviously enjoying her discomfort. He knew death was coming for him with the façade of a tiny girl with fiery red hair, and he was waiting for it, he was prepared.

When Misty made no move to come up onto the stage, however, the rest of her row, starting with Brock, started chanting her name in an effort to encourage her, followed closely by their friends in nearby rows and before she knew what was happening, the whole stadium was chanting her name—even Ash!—encouraging her to step up to the stage. Resigning herself to the fact that there was no way around this, she sighed and stood up, her legs wobbling like a Jellicent as she walked over to the stage and up the steps, joining Ash as the crowd erupted in applause.

Returning Ash's cheery smile while somehow still keeping the seething look upon her face, she leaned close to him, not bothering to cover the microphone so the audience heard her every word, "I am going to castrate you, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash just grinned cheekily as the audience chuckled, certain members more supportive of her threat than others. "I knew that when I called you up here." he replied.

"Jerk!" she hissed smacking his arm.

He rubbed it, still smiling. "For what? Calling you my hero? Acknowledging your amazing influence over my life in front of other people? Praising you? Give me something to work with here, Mist." he told her, chuckling when she narrowed her eyes, having no sort of retort for him.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you, Ketchum." she hissed, with nothing else to say. She glanced out at the audience, not needing to add "without any witnesses around," as Ash could just as well assume that part.

"Can't wait." he mumbled, quirking an eyebrow at her.

Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward ever so slightly as she asked, "So why did you really bring me up here? Too nervous to face your adoring public alone?" she teased, eyebrows quirking up when his fell, his silent admission that she was kind of sort of, well, right. But she was also kind of sort of, well, wrong.

"I meant what I said, though, Misty. You are my hero." he said softly, reaching a hand out and placing it on her shoulder, mere inches away from placing it on her cheek, leaning in and kissing her. But there was too big a crowd, if she was going to castrate him just for bringing her up on stage, what would she do if he—

No.

He didn't care.

Without waiting to hear whatever reply was rolling off her tongue, he moved his hand to cup her cheek, silencing her as her breath caught in her throat, the audience silent and holding their breath collectively, waiting for the outcome. Misty watched his face then, not knowing what to expect, really, because this was Ash and he was her best friend and he was going to kiss her and she wanted him to, damnit!

She thought he was going to move slowly, build up the anticipation, really get her heart racing, but he surprised her by wrapping his other hand around her waist and pulling her forward, their lips meeting and colliding and dancing and playing blissfully, getting quite the reaction out of the crowd.

When they finally calmed down and pulled apart, Ash rested his forehead against Misty's and waited for whatever threat would come out of her mouth next. He didn't care, really, but it would be nice—read: amusing—to know how she reacted. For future references.

But Misty herself was surprised when the next words to come out of her mouth were, instead of a threat, this, "You're my hero, Ash."

And she meant it.

Fin.

Ages, voices, outfits are all up for your imaginations to decide on, though personally I always imagine them in their Kanto/Orange Islands/Johto voices and outfits. My childhood always reigns supreme over matters such as this. Not much of a plot—not really supposed to be.

I know there's a whole different set-up in the anime when it comes to the Elite Four, so I went with the game-play set-up: Elite Four and then Champion, no needing to beat the league. If there are any other issues you'd like to discuss, you're more than welcome to contact me.

~Hisa-Ai~