MistKetchum
Obsessed Pokeshipper
Shippings:
Pokeshipping- Ash/Misty
Slight Wishfulshipping- Iris/Cilan
Rating- PG13
Misty held the phone up to her ear, listening to the hum that seemed to ring on endlessly. 'She must be in the garden…' She thought as she waited. Finally the ringing was cut short and the voice of a woman answered on the other end, sounding out of breath. "Hello?" Misty asked. "It's me, Misty."
"Oh hello Misty!" She activated the video function of the phone and-as Misty suspected- Delia had on a straw garden hat, work clothes and sweat dripping from her forehead. "Wow, you sure have grown!"
"Y-yeah, I guess so." Misty said and scratched the back of her neck. She winced inwardly at this habit- she had developed it from Ash. "Working in the garden I see." She was determined to be polite and make small talk, although her heart yearned to ask what she had called for.
"Mm hmm. Right when the season's right, me and Mimey are out in the garden." appeared in the background at the mention of his name with a cheerful Mime Mime! "So what can I do for you Misty?" She asked with a friendly smile.
"Um, actually I was wondering if Ash has gotten home from Sinnoh yet." Misty asked, her heart pounding as she waited for a reply. There was a very small chance that he was home. Whenever he got home he seemed to be off again in a new region. There was no stopping the energetic Pokemon Master, what was the point in even trying?
"Yes actually," She began, making Misty's heart leap to her throat. "…But he already left to go to another region- Unova."
Misty sighed. She knew it, she had just missed him. "Alright, thank you ." She said in a more cheerful tone to cover her disappointment.
"No problem Misty- and sorry that you missed him."
"That's alright. I'll let you get back to gardening. Bye."
"Bye, have a nice day." His mom answered and hung up.
Misty slowly set the phone down and stood there for a minute. Why did she even try contacting him? He never contacted her. He had the gym's number and there was a phone in every Pokemon center. Yet he just- never did.
"Man little sis, you look bluer than the pool." The sudden voice breaking the silence made her jump and spin around.
"Daisy! You're home!" Misty said with a smile.
Her blonde sister took off her sunglasses that she was wearing and put them on her head.
"Yeah, I've got a bit of a break so I thought I'd drop in. You seem to be keeping the place up pretty good."
"Of course. I haven't given out a badge for quite a while, my Pokemon are pretty strong." She said proudly.
But Daisy didn't seem to be listening, she was looking Misty over, making her feel uneasy. "Are you alright? You look bummed."
"Bummed? What are you talking about? I'm fine-just tired."
Daisy leaned against the doorway with a knowing look in her eyes. "…I heard your conversation with Mrs.Ketchum." She informed her.
Misty's heart sank. Great, she'd never hear the end of this one. "I was just checking on him. I mean, I wanted to make sure he didn't die or anything."
Daisy still looked unconvinced. "Mm hmm…"
"He's my friend! Don't I have a right to call my friend every once in a while?" Misty challenged.
"Of course, that would be if he was 'just your friend'." Daisy said slyly with a shrug.
"He is! Why do you always think that he's something else?"
Daisy crossed the room to be at her sister's side. "Because I know you." She looked into her eyes. "Last time I was here you were moping around the gym like a zombie. I know you miss him."
Misty growled. "No I don't!"
"Then why did you go to his house to meet him when he came home, staying there for like a week?"
Misty blushed, how could she argue with that?
"And it seems you wanted to see if you could meet up with him again. Look Mist, there's nothing wrong with missing him."
"Yes there is!" Misty spat. "There's no point! I have my life and he has his! That's the way it is and should be! I'm too busy being a gym leader and he's too self-absorbed in Pokemon to…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
"Go to him." Daisy said after a few moments of silence.
"What?" Misty's head snapped up.
"Go visit him in Onionville or wherever his mom said he was."
"B-But what about the gym?" She couldn't believe her ears- but then again, this was probably going to be one of those teaser visits that only last a day or so again.
"We'll take care of it, don't sweat it. After all, we're gym leaders too." Daisy replied with a wink.
"For how long?"
"You can stay for a while this time, we'll work something out."
Misty narrowed her eyes. "And you promise not to just give away badges?"
"I promise. We can't let the gym's rep plummet after all. As long as you leave me with some decent Pokemon."
Misty's heart was pounding with joy. She was actually going to see him again- and Brock. "Thank you!" She couldn't contain her excitement and glomped her sister.
"Whoa! Your welcome!" She said with a chuckle.
Misty broke away from the hug. "But what if he doesn't recognize me? He hasn't seen me in so long, maybe he's already forgotten about me."
Daisy thought for a moment before smirking. Without a reply she left the room. Misty followed in confusion as her sister went into her room and dug through her closet.
"If he may not recognize you then why not have some fun with it…?" She turned holding a large black jacket and a bowler hat. "…By going in disguise." She had the biggest grin on her face as she threw the outfit to Misty. "Try it."
Misty looked at it disdainfully. "I don't really like sleeves…" She lifted one sleeve up before dropping it. "…Or coats." She looked up. "Is all this really necessary?"
"Just try it! It'll make you look dark, mysterious…. And sexy."
Misty wanted to pound her head in for that remark.
"Look, just put it on and if you don't like it then I'll find you something else. But I guarantee that you'll love it!"
'Unlikely.' Misty thought but still went to put it on. She didn't have to change, it just slipped on over her clothes.
She loved it! Sure, she hated the sleeves and the fact that it was kind of stuffy but she felt like she was a secret agent- she felt young again. The jacket came down to about her knees but split open at a certain point, just showing her legs. The sleeves went all the way to her wrists and she wore gray gloves with them. And she wore the bowlers hat with her hair down- a factor that Misty complained that her sister was trying to push her way out of her comfort zone.
But as Misty looked at herself in Daisy's bedroom mirror, she could hardly recognize herself.
"See, you look great. Now go get him." She smiled.
She tried to ignore her remark. "Okay so I left you some Pokemon but I'm still taking Azurill, Staryu and Gyarados, I guess I'll catch the rest there."
"Alright alright, you told me already. Stop worrying so much, sis!" Daisy said and started hustling her out the door.
"Thanks again Daisy, I really appreciate it."
"No problem."
Misty turned to go but turned back as Daisy called her again. "Oh and Misty," she said. "Be sure to tell him." She said.
"Tell him what?" Misty asked cautiously, dreadingly knowing what her sister was going to say.
"Tell him that you love him."
She just shot her sister a glare before walking towards Vermillion City to get her ticket to go to Unova: to see Ash again.
Chapter 2
Misty had received her ticket for the airplane boat- which was much more convenient than transferring through many ferry systems- and was now staring out the window as she snacked on plane peanuts. Azurill dozed in her lap, curled up in a ball.
For a while, all Misty could see was a vast stretch of sparkling blue ocean with familiar Pokemon swimming in it. The red jewels of Tentecruel sailed the surface of the water, flanked by a school of Magikarp and Goldeen. A flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto rode the air, lead by a Pidgeot- Which made Misty wonder if that was Ash's Pidgeot he had let go to lead the Pidgey flock so long ago. (Amazingly she still remembered that)
But after a while the familiar Pokemon had disappeared in the water and sky, seeming to be like a void in the Earth. But this void didn't last too long because soon after some unfamiliar Pokemon appeared- and as if prompted, the intercom let the passengers know that they were preparing to land in Unova.
The land had come into view and Misty's nerves rose to its peak.What was she going to say to Ash when she found him? When she had visited Ash and Brock last, she was going to the 'Togepi Festival'- she had had a reason. She hadn't even contacted him- her sister demanded it be a surprise- no e-mail or anything. Misty was annoyed by her childish fears. She had traveled with Ash for a long time and he was her friend, no big deal- But a lot had changed.
The plane-boat landed at the harbor. Misty nudged her Azurill gently to wake it before getting up from her seat and exiting the boat.
The Unova region seemed to have a strange air to it- at least different from Kanto. This town, all the people and Pokemon were all strangers to her. Ash must be in heaven. Misty thought with a smirk. She knew how Ash loved traveling and discovering new Pokemon. Once he found a new region, it was inevitable that he would explore it.
As Misty started wandering around, a voice startled her and she turned to see a random person walking up to her. "What is that Pokemon?!" The guy asked.
Misty blinked. "An Azurill, why?"
"Hey! An Azurill, that's a Hoenn region Pokemon!" Another person chimed in, walking up to get a closer look.
Within seconds, she was the center of attention and became surrounded by tons of people admiring her Azurill. Tears started to from in Azurill's eyes.
As her anger rose, an outburst erupted from her mouth and made everone jump back with wide eyes. "LEAVE AZURILL ALONE!!!" She had yelled as her Pokemon started crying.
Everyone cleared a path for her as she tried to calm her baby down and escape the crowd. What was that about anyways?! Why is it such a surprise to see an Azurill?
"That's a rare Pokemon you've got there." Another voice said. Misty turned to see a tall women with brown hair put up in a strange hair style.
"Why is Azurill considered rare?" Misty growled-she was still irritated by the previous scuffle with the crowd.
"Well it's just that it's a rarity to see a Pokemon that's not in the Unova region here. In fact, there was a young man here not too long ago from Kanto with a Pikachu who was also the center of attention."
Misty's heart leaped from her chest. "He came through here?" Misty asked her hopefully
"Yeah." The woman answered, "A friend of his I'm guessing?"
Misty nodded. "How long ago was he here?"
She scratched her head as she looked like she was making an effort to remember. "Well... Hmm, let's see... Actually, not too long ago. But..." She started pressing buttons on a watch she was wearing. "I have his Xtranciever number if you want."
Misty would have said yes but Daisy would never let her hear the end of it if she made it 'that easy', plus that would make her disguise pointless. "N-No, that won't be necessary." She said quickly.
The woman looked at her strangely. "Are you sure? Unova is a pretty big region..."
Misty thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Could you ask him where he is but not say anything about me?" She requested.
"Sure, but he may leave there if we don't tell him to wait." The woman blinked at her.
"It's alright." Misty assured her, although inwardly regretting it. Here she had direct contact to Ash where she could meet up with him easily. But it wasn't just her sister's nagging that was keeping her from revealing herself, it was also this whole idea of it being a surprise and her being undercover- she wanted to have fun with it.
As the woman started to contact him, Misty backed away out of view so he wouldn't see her but she could still see the Xtranciever screen from a distance.
"Hello Ash!" The woman said cheerfully as his face appeared on the screen.
"Professor Juniper!" He said in surprise.
"I just thought I'd call to check on your progress." Prof Juniper explained-only half the truth.
"Oh, I just got my second badge!" He boasted and pulled out his badge case to reveal two shimmering badges. "And now I'm heading to Castelia City to get my next badge!"
"Ah, Castelia City. That's past the Skyarrow Bridge right?" The Prof checked, catching Misty's eye.
"Yep." He responded.
"Careful not to get lost there, that's a huge city."
This was killing Misty, it was taking all her willpower not to shove her face in view of the phone and talk to him. She just wished that the Prof would hang up already.
A girl then peeked her face into the phone with a strange Pokemon poking out of her gigantic hair. "Don't worry Prof, I won't let this little kid get lost."
Misty raised a brow. Little kid?
"Stop calling me a kid." Ash grumbled in a tone that suggested she had called him that many times before. "And when have I ever gotten us lost?!"
That was too much for Misty, she couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. When they used to travel together, Ash had always gotten them lost. In fact, he was notorious for his bad sense of direction.
"What was that?" Ash asked, blinking.
Misty put a lid on it, covering her mouth with her hands and making an effort to stay quiet.
"Erm... That was a Pidove. They're real noisy you know." Prof Juniper lied lamely. But of course Ash fell for it.
"Don't worry Professor. I have the map, we won't get lost." A man with green hair said as he came into view of the screen.
This made Misty sad. Where was Brock? Was he no longer traveling with Ash? She wanted so badly to ask Ash where Brock was. Hang up! She urged silently.
"Alright well I'll let you get back to your journey. Good luck Ash." Professor Juniper said.
"Thanks Professor!" Ash responded, followed by a 'Pika Pi' from Pikachu as the Xtranciever went black.
"So they're in Castelia City. That's not too far away but it's pretty far if you want to catch up to him." Prof Juniper explained.
"Well I'm not stopping at the gyms to get badges, I'll be able to catch up to him pretty easily." Misty assured her. "Thanks for checking where he was."
"No problem and good luck!" The Professor waved to her as she started through the town.
Chapter 3
People still bugged Misty about Azurill and she was on her last nerve. "Maybe I should send Azurill back to Daisy…" She murmured doubtfully.
"Azuu?" Azurill asked and looked up at her with wide eyes.
"Oh… How could I leave you?!" She hugged her baby with a coo before frowning. "But I'm never going to hear the end of it. How does Ash and Pikachu stand it?"
But as Misty exited the town she began to see less people and more Pokemon. She let out an audible sigh as she strolled leisurely, now she could rest easy.
All the Pokemon were unfamiliar. There were pigeon, chipmunk, pink deer and puppy Pokemon. But the ones that caught Misty's eye were a flock of swan Pokemon.
"Oh! They're so beautiful!" She said with sparkly eyes and clasped hands. She shifted positions to hold onto Azurill with one hand and grab a Pokeball with the other. "I might as well catch some Pokemon while I'm here. Maybe there will be some cool water Pokemon here."
She was about to send out Gyarados but thought against it because she might scare them of before she could weaken them. Instantly she regretted leaving so many of her Pokemon at the gym for Daisy, but she wanted to ensure that her sister would actually battle the challengers… And that took a lot of motivation.
She sent out her only other Pokemon she brought besides Azurill. "Misty calls Staryu!" She cried and threw the ball.
Her old faithful starfish Pokemon appeared with a flash of light.
"Staryu, use Rapid Spin on one of those swans!"
"Heiia!" Staryu cried as it spun and slammed into one of the Swannas.
The flock of Swannas- other than the one that was hit- flew away. The Swanna that was hit stood up at full height to tower over Staryu while fluffing out its feathers and cawing angrily.
"Staryu! Use Bubblebeam!"
Staryu released bubbles from its top that bombarded Swanna- a hit that seemed to do some damage but also just made it more mad.
"Alright Staryu! Now use Rapid Spin again!"
Staryu spun towards Swanna but before it could strike a blow, Swanna waked it away with a powerful wing.
"Keep going Staryu!" Misty encouraged with clenched fists.
It spun toward Swanna again but this time it didn't get close because Swanna had started flapping its large, elegant wings to whip up a powerful gust of wind. Staryu was shot back and slammed into a tree.
"No! Staryu!" Misty cried and ran up to her Pokemon- who had slid down the tree and now slumped on the ground with a flashing jewel. "Oh no, this looks bad…" She turned to see that the Swanna was getting ready to take off.
Misty then remembered the new move Staryu had learned. Perfect! She thought and stood up. "Staryu, use Power Gem!"
Staryu sat up straight as its gem began to radiate with a blinding light. Glowing gem particles shot out of its jewel and struck Swanna hard as it tried to take off. It fell to the ground, stunned by the direct blow.
"Great job Staryu!" Misty praised before pulling out a Pokeball. "Go Pokeball!" She threw the ball just as a blue Pokemon walked obliviously in front of the Swanna and was captured in the ball instead. It shook a couple of times with a glowing with a glowing dout before sealing.
Misty stood blinking in confusion. "What happened?"
The Swanna regained its strength and flew away. "No! Wait! Staryu, use Power Gem again!"
Staryu tried to attack but the Swanna was too far away and too fast in the sky.
"I really wanted that Pokemon!" Misty sighed in disappointment before spinning around to glare daggers at the now-still Pokeball. "What stupid Pokemon prevented me from catching my swan?!" She growled and stomped towards the Pokeball. She picked it up and opened the ball. "Go Pokemon." She grumbled.
The Pokemon that had come out was a blue duck with big dopey eyes. Misty's eye twitched, those dopey eyes looked all too familiar. It took all her willpower to not whip out her mallet and smack this stupid duck across the region.
Ducklett stared at her with big, blank eyes before idiotically cawing, "Ducklett!" and waving a wing.
Misty snapped. "YOU IDIOTIC DUCK!!!" She screamed and pulled out her mallet and started swinging as she pursued the innocent Pokemon. Ducklett flapped its wings frantically to flee from the red head's swinging mallet. "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER PSYDUCK, I WANT A SWAN!!!"
Ducklett flew up high enough to be just out of reach of the mallet and used a powerful water gun in an attempt to cool its raging trainer down.
Misty stopped in her tracks- soaked to the bone- and slumped to the ground.
But Ducklett wasn't finished yet, it continued by sending a huge gust of wind down to Misty.
Misty sat shivering. "W-w-wow, this d-duck is s-s-strong, not another Psy- ACHOO! STOP IT!" She screamed.
Ducklett obeyed Misty's command but still stayed high enough in the air in case Misty tried to attack it again.
Misty let out a sigh of relief before rubbing her freezing arms and looking up at her new Pokemon. She may have lost the swan but this Pokemon didn't seem too bad. "Hey Pokemon, come down here." She wished that she had Ash with her with the Pokedex to tell her what this Pokemon was. But then again, if he was with her, the greedy Pokemon Trainer would try to capture the Pokemon instead. That was one of the many things that annoyed her about him, that whenever she wanted to catch a Pokemon- which was basically only one type- he always wanted it instead.
Better just catch all the Pokemon I can before I meet up with him. She thought and realized her Pokemon had still not budged. "Come down here! I'm sorry I tried to hit you." She called up to Ducklett.
"Duck…" It looked hesitant.
"Come on, I won't hurt you. I promise." She made her voice sound reassuring.
"Ducklett…" It flew down slowly, eyes fixed on the mallet and body tensed as if ready to flee again.
Misty followed its gaze and put the mallet away, making a little less tense. She kneeled down in front of it and held her hand out gently. "I'm sorry that I got so mad at you, I was just upset. Friends?" Misty apologized a lot more now since her sisters forced her to be more polite… but that doesn't mean she was any less stubborn, hot headed or loud mouthed- just polite when she had to be.
Ducklett looked up at Misty and seemed to be reassured by her smile so it hopped on her hand and slowly climbed up her arm until it reached her shoulder.
"Want to ride up there for a while?" Misty asked and pat its head.
Ducklett flinched at first but relaxed when it finally decided that it could trust its trainer now. "Ducklett!" It cawed and flapped its wings.
"Ducklett… Is that what you're called?" Misty asked and rubbed under its beak. "Duck Duck!" It nodded happily.
"Azuu Azurill!" Azurill cried happily as it bounced up to Misty.
Misty smiled and picked Azurill up in her arms. "Let's keep going." She pulled out her Pokeball. "Return Staryu." She recalled it , put the Pokeball away and continued down the road. She paused at a sign that said "Accumula Town."
"Take your time getting your next gym badge," she said quietly. "because I'm coming Ash."
Chapter 4
"Your Staryu is now at full health." Nurse Joy said cheerfully as she handed Misty her Pokeball.
"Thanks Nurse Joy." Misty was amazed. Not only were the Pokemon all different but so were the Nurse Joys! With a smirk she remembered how Brock would go after every Nurse Joy- scratch that- every GIRL he met, confessing his undying love for them. She would always have to keep him in line every time he did. This made her wonder who kept him in line all this time. Ash? And had Brock rubbed off on Ash at all yet? She was mystified (no pun intended) at how anyone could stay oblivious with Brock around.
"No problem, good luck on your adventure." Nurse Joy responded.
"Thanks." Misty nodded slightly to Nurse Joy before exiting the center. She wondered where she should go next but the response came from her stomach.
"That's right, the only thing I've eaten since breakfast were plane peanuts." Misty realized and started searching for a restaurant. She had money with her but not enough to make a habit out of eating out. "I need to find the group soon so we can have Brock's delicious cooking again." She said and her taste buds got pumped. That was one of the things she missed about Brock- having to cook for herself for months with her sisters being gone- and a cooked meal would be nice.
She found a cheap restaurant and got the food to go, retracing her steps back to a grassy field with a pond she had found on the way to the town so that she could feed the Pokemon too. "Come on out Staryu and Gyarados." She threw their Pokeballs in the water, catching them as they flew back to her. The two Pokemon popped out of the water, Gyarados roaring and spraying some misty (no pun) water from its mouth.
Misty set Azurill down and Ducklett flew off of her shoulder as she took off her jacket and started digging through her Spheal backback- which she had had on under her jacket. She pulled out some Pokemon food and fed each of her Pokemon before she herself started eating. "None of it's as good as Brock's but we'll meet up with them eventually."
She looked down at her burger she had bought with a sigh. Why were salads so expensive? She didn't really feel like having a greasy hamburger today. But she still ate it, along with her french fries and soft drink until it was nothing more than a bag and wrappers.
"Everyone done?" She asked her Pokemon.
They all responded with a nod and their respectful cries.
"Alright, because it's getting pretty late. I'd better find a place to turn in for the night." She looked towards the setting sun; which was turning the sky pink, purple and orange with breathtaking beauty.
"Return everyone." She simultaneously returned Staryu and Gyarados. When she tried to return Ducklett though, it dodged it and shook its head repeatedly.
"Duck duck ducklett!" It protested.
"Hmm? You want to continue to travel on my shoulder?" Misty asked.
"Ducklett!" It cheered and hopped on her shoulder, nuzzling her.
"Alright! Alright! Just let me put my backpack and jacket back on." She said while giggling.
She gently put Ducklett down, put her backpack and jacket back on and then picked up Azurill. "Come on Ducklet, let's go."
The blue duck flew back up onto her shoulder and so the trainer started walking back towards Accumula town.
As she entered the town, she noticed a big crowd gathered together.
"Wonder what's going on over there." Misty pondered aloud.
"Azuu?"
"Duck."
"Let's go check it out." Misty walked over to the crowd and squeezed her way in until she could see what they were gathered around.
Up on a makeshift stage were men in strange suits holding up poles with waving flags that had the words 'PZ' and a medieval design on it. In the center of the line of strange men was a man in a kingly robe with wavy green hair and a weird device over his left eye.
"My name is Ghestis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation." The kingly man began.
"Huh?" One person asked.
"What?" Another murmured.
"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?
"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" Ghetsis challenged.
"Yikes!"
"I don't know..."
"No way." Misty input softly in disagreement.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?"
"What could it be?"
"Liberation?" Someone guessed.
"That's right! We must liberate the Pokemon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon... and the correct way to proceed.
"We sincerely appreciate your attention." Ghetsis dipped his head curtly as the other strange men picked up their poles, lined up, and gathered around Ghetsis as if they were protecting him. With that they all made their way towards the exit of the town.
As the group of strange people left, the crowd of bystanders started to break up but were still talking about what they had just heard. Misty considered what they said but she didn't believe it.
People and Pokemon were friends and they helped each other out. If the Pokemon were unhappy, wouldn't they have left their trainers by now? Refused to battle? Misty loved her Pokemon, but did they really love her back?
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a man calling out his Pokemon. She turned her attention to him to see that he had sent out a little alligator Pokemon.
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STOP!!! Now open another tab and look up the Pokemon track: "Tears after the Storm" That song just randomly started playing in my head as I was writing this. Lol. Seriously, try it. It's perfect with it!
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"Sandile, I had no idea I was making you so unhappy." The man kneeled down to be at the Pokemon's eye level. It looked up at him curiously, looking slightly concerned since it most likely sensed his emotions. "I never thought about what you might have been feeling having to battle all those Pokemon. I know the best way to make it up to you is to liberate you. I'm... I'm so sorry!" The man was getting choked up, despite his rough appearence.
Sandile crawled closer to its trainer, looking up at him with a mixture of curiosity and sadness. "Sand sandile?" It asked.
"I'm sorry for everything." The man stood up and started to walk away.
Sandile followed.
The man turned back. "You're free." He set its Pokeball to release. "Now go, you are no longer my servant!"
Sandile looked extremely hurt and confused. "Sandile? Sand!" It cried out as its trainer walked away from it.
Misty couldn't believe what just happened. That trainer let his Pokemon go just because of that speech. And the Pokemon looked sad, not relieved to be liberated. She stomped up to the man and stood in front of him with a glare. "How could you do that to your Pokemon!?"
The man looked at her in shock before shaking his head. "I was making my Pokemon my servant by making it battle for me. It deserves better than that."
"You're wrong! You're making it unhappy now, look at it!" She gestured towards the Sandile, who was still staring after the man in disbelief and sadness. "It has no idea why you just released it! Wouldn't your Pokemon be fleeing for the wild by now if it had really been suffering? It loves you, and right now it thinks you're abandoning it, not setting it free! Don't let that speech ruin a friendship."
The man looked back at his Pokemon with eyes full of emotion. He stared at Sandile for a while as if deep in thought before closing his eyes and turning away. "I'm doing what's best for my Pokemon."
"But-"
"Stay out of my business, I know what I'm doing." The man growled before walking away without another glance at Sandile.
Sandile stared after his former trainer before turning away, crestfallen, and walking away sadly with its head hung and its tail dragging the ground.
Misty's heart was breaking at the sight of this. How could he just let his Pokemon go like that? "You call yourself a trainer when you just abandoned your Pokemon!?" She spat after him.
The man just ignored her and kept walking.
"Ugh! Why do people have to be so stubborn!?" She sighed in exasperation.
"Duck?"
"Azurill?"
They both looked at her in concern.
"What's wrong?" Misty looked at her Pokemon to see them staring after the Sandile. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do that to you guys."
They looked at her for reassurance. "Really. Unless of course you ever wanted to be set free."
They looked reassured by this and knew they could rest easy.
"Well, let's turn in for the night." Misty said aloud and shot one last disgusted look at the trainer who just abandoned his Sandile before going to the Pokemon Center.
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Misty woke up as the sun peaked onto her face with its warm rays. She slowly got out of bed as not to disturb her sleeping Pokemon and exited the room. She entered the main room of the Pokemon center and went straight to one of the phones there.
Misty dialed the number and waited for the relentless ringing to cease before an answer finally came. It was audio only, a setting that Misty had set for safety purposes on the Cerulean phone that could be activated to picture and audio if the caller was trusted.
"Hello, Waterflower residance, Daisy speaking." Her sister had answered.
"Hey Daisy, it's me, Misty." Misty responded.
"Oh hey! You like made it." Daisy switched the phone to video. "Did you find your boyfriend yet?"
"No, and he's NOT my boyfriend! I told you I just miss him." Misty protested angrily.
Daisy just smirked. "Not YET at least."
Misty glared at Daisy before sighing. "So how's everything going with the gym?"
"Don't sweat it little sis, I've got everything under control." Daisy waved a hand in dismissal.
Misty wasn't positive if she believed her so she pressed further. "Keeping the Pokemon fed?"
"Uh, yeah..." Daisy looked at her with a 'duh' look.
Misty gave her a hard stare. "And the tank clean?"
"Like it doesn't need cleaning YET!" Daisy gave her an exasperated look.
"And how are you doing with battling?" Misty asked the question that really bugged her.
"No problem." But Daisy looked slightly nervous.
Misty narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure? How many battles did you win?"
"Well, we ARE just here to provide these trainers with badges aren't we?"
Misty's stare became harder. "Answer the question Daisy."
"Well, I kinda like, gave away a badge to a trainer or two..." Daisy answered nervously.
"'Or two?'" Misty repeated with a growl.
"Or three... Okay! All of the trainers that entered yesterday!" Daisy admitted. "I tried to battle, I swear! But it was just SO tiring!"
Misty was about to give her sister a piece of her mind but reminded herself of the favor Daisy was doing her and contained her anger. "Daisy, do you want our reputation to suffer? It took me a while to build up that reputation. Battles really are pretty fun when you get into it."
Daisy sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll try again. But just for you."
"Thanks Daisy."
Daisy then narrowed her eyes. "But only on one condition." She could barely contain the evil grin coming to her lips.
Misty dreaded what her sister was going to say and reluctantly asked "and what's that?"
Daisy's grin widened. "If you promise me nieces and nephews from me letting you go visit this guy."
"WHAT!?" Misty screamed at the screen and stood up abruptly with people staring at her. Her face was red as a tomato and her eyes blazed.
Daisy just laughed. "Bye little sis." She hung up before Misty could scream at her.
Smart move. Misty thought angrily before turning away from the screen and back to her room, feeling people still staring at her.
Azurill and Ducklett had woken up and looked up at her as she entered the room. "Are you guys hungry?"
They both nodded.
"Azuu."
"Ducklett!"
"Okay, we'll grab some food before we leave this town. I wonder how far it is until that bridge and whatever city the Professor said Ash was heading to." She thought aloud as she packed her belongings. "Oh well, the faster we get there, the better." She picked up her Pokemon and left the center.
_______________________________________________________________
Misty grabbed some more food from a fast food restaurant and found another nice, relatively secluded area for her and her Pokemon to eat. She couldn't help but feel rushed and impatient, she just wanted to be with the group again- traveling alone made her feel a little lonely.
She had found a town map in the Pokemon center and figured out that she had to go to Striaton and then Nacrene city before she got to the bridge that lead to Castelia. Sighing, Misty closed her eyes and tried to relax. She still had so far to go.
"If only I could have brought my bike. Stupid plane wouldn't let me take it on." Misty muttered before taking an irritated bite out of her chicken nugget ( idk.). "If I had my bike I could have been there by now." Reminiscence crept up on her as she remembered this thought had run through her head often after Pikachu had fried her bike and she followed Ash, demanding that he pay her back.
"And then it got fixed..." She muttered grimly. She knew that wasn't the real reason that she had to leave but she couldn't help but remember it. Why was she even here? Ash looked like he was happy to see her the last time she visited him, that proved that he didn't see her as his annoying stalker. But at the same time he didn't seem like he cared too much that she had to leave again.
Her mind kept going back to that day she had to leave for the first time.
_______________________________________________________________
"You did a great job on it Nurse Joy." Ash had said enthusiastically. "now Misty can get home to Cerulean faster." He was referring to Misty's bike that had been repaired from it's charred state.
That comment hurt. It was bad enough that she had to cease traveling with Ash and Brock to watch over the stupid gym without Ash sounding so happy about her having to leave.
Her face scrunched up in anger and pain. "Gee thanks a lot Ash!" She spat.
He looked at her in confusion. "Why are you being so grouchy?"
"Just leave me alone!" She snarled and ran out of the center, trying not to show how much his harsh words were hurting her.
________________________________________________________________
It seemed like he didn't care. Later he proved that they were still friends and promised that they'd see each other again. But were those hollow words or did he really mean it?
Misty shook her head repeatedly. She was really over analyzing things. He didn't hate her... did he?
Azurill looked at her in concern and leaped into her lap, nuzzling her comfortingly. But Misty hardly noticed, she was busy sighing for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Why did she even care so much? He most likely didn't care this much for her, all he cared about was Pokemon. But she knew deep inside that that was one of the things she liked- no, loved- about him: how much he cared for Pokemon.
She didn't want to dwell on her thoughts any longer so she stood up and returned her Pokemon. "Come on guys, the faster we get to the next town, the better." But as she continued down the road, she found herself starting to dread every step that brought her closer to finding Ash.
Pokeshipping- Ash/Misty
Slight Wishfulshipping- Iris/Cilan
Rating- PG13
Chapter 1
Misty held the phone up to her ear, listening to the hum that seemed to ring on endlessly. 'She must be in the garden…' She thought as she waited. Finally the ringing was cut short and the voice of a woman answered on the other end, sounding out of breath. "Hello?" Misty asked. "It's me, Misty."
"Oh hello Misty!" She activated the video function of the phone and-as Misty suspected- Delia had on a straw garden hat, work clothes and sweat dripping from her forehead. "Wow, you sure have grown!"
"Y-yeah, I guess so." Misty said and scratched the back of her neck. She winced inwardly at this habit- she had developed it from Ash. "Working in the garden I see." She was determined to be polite and make small talk, although her heart yearned to ask what she had called for.
"Mm hmm. Right when the season's right, me and Mimey are out in the garden." appeared in the background at the mention of his name with a cheerful Mime Mime! "So what can I do for you Misty?" She asked with a friendly smile.
"Um, actually I was wondering if Ash has gotten home from Sinnoh yet." Misty asked, her heart pounding as she waited for a reply. There was a very small chance that he was home. Whenever he got home he seemed to be off again in a new region. There was no stopping the energetic Pokemon Master, what was the point in even trying?
"Yes actually," She began, making Misty's heart leap to her throat. "…But he already left to go to another region- Unova."
Misty sighed. She knew it, she had just missed him. "Alright, thank you ." She said in a more cheerful tone to cover her disappointment.
"No problem Misty- and sorry that you missed him."
"That's alright. I'll let you get back to gardening. Bye."
"Bye, have a nice day." His mom answered and hung up.
Misty slowly set the phone down and stood there for a minute. Why did she even try contacting him? He never contacted her. He had the gym's number and there was a phone in every Pokemon center. Yet he just- never did.
"Man little sis, you look bluer than the pool." The sudden voice breaking the silence made her jump and spin around.
"Daisy! You're home!" Misty said with a smile.
Her blonde sister took off her sunglasses that she was wearing and put them on her head.
"Yeah, I've got a bit of a break so I thought I'd drop in. You seem to be keeping the place up pretty good."
"Of course. I haven't given out a badge for quite a while, my Pokemon are pretty strong." She said proudly.
But Daisy didn't seem to be listening, she was looking Misty over, making her feel uneasy. "Are you alright? You look bummed."
"Bummed? What are you talking about? I'm fine-just tired."
Daisy leaned against the doorway with a knowing look in her eyes. "…I heard your conversation with Mrs.Ketchum." She informed her.
Misty's heart sank. Great, she'd never hear the end of this one. "I was just checking on him. I mean, I wanted to make sure he didn't die or anything."
Daisy still looked unconvinced. "Mm hmm…"
"He's my friend! Don't I have a right to call my friend every once in a while?" Misty challenged.
"Of course, that would be if he was 'just your friend'." Daisy said slyly with a shrug.
"He is! Why do you always think that he's something else?"
Daisy crossed the room to be at her sister's side. "Because I know you." She looked into her eyes. "Last time I was here you were moping around the gym like a zombie. I know you miss him."
Misty growled. "No I don't!"
"Then why did you go to his house to meet him when he came home, staying there for like a week?"
Misty blushed, how could she argue with that?
"And it seems you wanted to see if you could meet up with him again. Look Mist, there's nothing wrong with missing him."
"Yes there is!" Misty spat. "There's no point! I have my life and he has his! That's the way it is and should be! I'm too busy being a gym leader and he's too self-absorbed in Pokemon to…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
"Go to him." Daisy said after a few moments of silence.
"What?" Misty's head snapped up.
"Go visit him in Onionville or wherever his mom said he was."
"B-But what about the gym?" She couldn't believe her ears- but then again, this was probably going to be one of those teaser visits that only last a day or so again.
"We'll take care of it, don't sweat it. After all, we're gym leaders too." Daisy replied with a wink.
"For how long?"
"You can stay for a while this time, we'll work something out."
Misty narrowed her eyes. "And you promise not to just give away badges?"
"I promise. We can't let the gym's rep plummet after all. As long as you leave me with some decent Pokemon."
Misty's heart was pounding with joy. She was actually going to see him again- and Brock. "Thank you!" She couldn't contain her excitement and glomped her sister.
"Whoa! Your welcome!" She said with a chuckle.
Misty broke away from the hug. "But what if he doesn't recognize me? He hasn't seen me in so long, maybe he's already forgotten about me."
Daisy thought for a moment before smirking. Without a reply she left the room. Misty followed in confusion as her sister went into her room and dug through her closet.
"If he may not recognize you then why not have some fun with it…?" She turned holding a large black jacket and a bowler hat. "…By going in disguise." She had the biggest grin on her face as she threw the outfit to Misty. "Try it."
Misty looked at it disdainfully. "I don't really like sleeves…" She lifted one sleeve up before dropping it. "…Or coats." She looked up. "Is all this really necessary?"
"Just try it! It'll make you look dark, mysterious…. And sexy."
Misty wanted to pound her head in for that remark.
"Look, just put it on and if you don't like it then I'll find you something else. But I guarantee that you'll love it!"
'Unlikely.' Misty thought but still went to put it on. She didn't have to change, it just slipped on over her clothes.
She loved it! Sure, she hated the sleeves and the fact that it was kind of stuffy but she felt like she was a secret agent- she felt young again. The jacket came down to about her knees but split open at a certain point, just showing her legs. The sleeves went all the way to her wrists and she wore gray gloves with them. And she wore the bowlers hat with her hair down- a factor that Misty complained that her sister was trying to push her way out of her comfort zone.
But as Misty looked at herself in Daisy's bedroom mirror, she could hardly recognize herself.
"See, you look great. Now go get him." She smiled.
She tried to ignore her remark. "Okay so I left you some Pokemon but I'm still taking Azurill, Staryu and Gyarados, I guess I'll catch the rest there."
"Alright alright, you told me already. Stop worrying so much, sis!" Daisy said and started hustling her out the door.
"Thanks again Daisy, I really appreciate it."
"No problem."
Misty turned to go but turned back as Daisy called her again. "Oh and Misty," she said. "Be sure to tell him." She said.
"Tell him what?" Misty asked cautiously, dreadingly knowing what her sister was going to say.
"Tell him that you love him."
She just shot her sister a glare before walking towards Vermillion City to get her ticket to go to Unova: to see Ash again.
Chapter 2
Misty had received her ticket for the airplane boat- which was much more convenient than transferring through many ferry systems- and was now staring out the window as she snacked on plane peanuts. Azurill dozed in her lap, curled up in a ball.
For a while, all Misty could see was a vast stretch of sparkling blue ocean with familiar Pokemon swimming in it. The red jewels of Tentecruel sailed the surface of the water, flanked by a school of Magikarp and Goldeen. A flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto rode the air, lead by a Pidgeot- Which made Misty wonder if that was Ash's Pidgeot he had let go to lead the Pidgey flock so long ago. (Amazingly she still remembered that)
But after a while the familiar Pokemon had disappeared in the water and sky, seeming to be like a void in the Earth. But this void didn't last too long because soon after some unfamiliar Pokemon appeared- and as if prompted, the intercom let the passengers know that they were preparing to land in Unova.
The land had come into view and Misty's nerves rose to its peak.What was she going to say to Ash when she found him? When she had visited Ash and Brock last, she was going to the 'Togepi Festival'- she had had a reason. She hadn't even contacted him- her sister demanded it be a surprise- no e-mail or anything. Misty was annoyed by her childish fears. She had traveled with Ash for a long time and he was her friend, no big deal- But a lot had changed.
The plane-boat landed at the harbor. Misty nudged her Azurill gently to wake it before getting up from her seat and exiting the boat.
The Unova region seemed to have a strange air to it- at least different from Kanto. This town, all the people and Pokemon were all strangers to her. Ash must be in heaven. Misty thought with a smirk. She knew how Ash loved traveling and discovering new Pokemon. Once he found a new region, it was inevitable that he would explore it.
As Misty started wandering around, a voice startled her and she turned to see a random person walking up to her. "What is that Pokemon?!" The guy asked.
Misty blinked. "An Azurill, why?"
"Hey! An Azurill, that's a Hoenn region Pokemon!" Another person chimed in, walking up to get a closer look.
Within seconds, she was the center of attention and became surrounded by tons of people admiring her Azurill. Tears started to from in Azurill's eyes.
As her anger rose, an outburst erupted from her mouth and made everone jump back with wide eyes. "LEAVE AZURILL ALONE!!!" She had yelled as her Pokemon started crying.
Everyone cleared a path for her as she tried to calm her baby down and escape the crowd. What was that about anyways?! Why is it such a surprise to see an Azurill?
"That's a rare Pokemon you've got there." Another voice said. Misty turned to see a tall women with brown hair put up in a strange hair style.
"Why is Azurill considered rare?" Misty growled-she was still irritated by the previous scuffle with the crowd.
"Well it's just that it's a rarity to see a Pokemon that's not in the Unova region here. In fact, there was a young man here not too long ago from Kanto with a Pikachu who was also the center of attention."
Misty's heart leaped from her chest. "He came through here?" Misty asked her hopefully
"Yeah." The woman answered, "A friend of his I'm guessing?"
Misty nodded. "How long ago was he here?"
She scratched her head as she looked like she was making an effort to remember. "Well... Hmm, let's see... Actually, not too long ago. But..." She started pressing buttons on a watch she was wearing. "I have his Xtranciever number if you want."
Misty would have said yes but Daisy would never let her hear the end of it if she made it 'that easy', plus that would make her disguise pointless. "N-No, that won't be necessary." She said quickly.
The woman looked at her strangely. "Are you sure? Unova is a pretty big region..."
Misty thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Could you ask him where he is but not say anything about me?" She requested.
"Sure, but he may leave there if we don't tell him to wait." The woman blinked at her.
"It's alright." Misty assured her, although inwardly regretting it. Here she had direct contact to Ash where she could meet up with him easily. But it wasn't just her sister's nagging that was keeping her from revealing herself, it was also this whole idea of it being a surprise and her being undercover- she wanted to have fun with it.
As the woman started to contact him, Misty backed away out of view so he wouldn't see her but she could still see the Xtranciever screen from a distance.
"Hello Ash!" The woman said cheerfully as his face appeared on the screen.
"Professor Juniper!" He said in surprise.
"I just thought I'd call to check on your progress." Prof Juniper explained-only half the truth.
"Oh, I just got my second badge!" He boasted and pulled out his badge case to reveal two shimmering badges. "And now I'm heading to Castelia City to get my next badge!"
"Ah, Castelia City. That's past the Skyarrow Bridge right?" The Prof checked, catching Misty's eye.
"Yep." He responded.
"Careful not to get lost there, that's a huge city."
This was killing Misty, it was taking all her willpower not to shove her face in view of the phone and talk to him. She just wished that the Prof would hang up already.
A girl then peeked her face into the phone with a strange Pokemon poking out of her gigantic hair. "Don't worry Prof, I won't let this little kid get lost."
Misty raised a brow. Little kid?
"Stop calling me a kid." Ash grumbled in a tone that suggested she had called him that many times before. "And when have I ever gotten us lost?!"
That was too much for Misty, she couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. When they used to travel together, Ash had always gotten them lost. In fact, he was notorious for his bad sense of direction.
"What was that?" Ash asked, blinking.
Misty put a lid on it, covering her mouth with her hands and making an effort to stay quiet.
"Erm... That was a Pidove. They're real noisy you know." Prof Juniper lied lamely. But of course Ash fell for it.
"Don't worry Professor. I have the map, we won't get lost." A man with green hair said as he came into view of the screen.
This made Misty sad. Where was Brock? Was he no longer traveling with Ash? She wanted so badly to ask Ash where Brock was. Hang up! She urged silently.
"Alright well I'll let you get back to your journey. Good luck Ash." Professor Juniper said.
"Thanks Professor!" Ash responded, followed by a 'Pika Pi' from Pikachu as the Xtranciever went black.
"So they're in Castelia City. That's not too far away but it's pretty far if you want to catch up to him." Prof Juniper explained.
"Well I'm not stopping at the gyms to get badges, I'll be able to catch up to him pretty easily." Misty assured her. "Thanks for checking where he was."
"No problem and good luck!" The Professor waved to her as she started through the town.
Chapter 3
People still bugged Misty about Azurill and she was on her last nerve. "Maybe I should send Azurill back to Daisy…" She murmured doubtfully.
"Azuu?" Azurill asked and looked up at her with wide eyes.
"Oh… How could I leave you?!" She hugged her baby with a coo before frowning. "But I'm never going to hear the end of it. How does Ash and Pikachu stand it?"
But as Misty exited the town she began to see less people and more Pokemon. She let out an audible sigh as she strolled leisurely, now she could rest easy.
All the Pokemon were unfamiliar. There were pigeon, chipmunk, pink deer and puppy Pokemon. But the ones that caught Misty's eye were a flock of swan Pokemon.
"Oh! They're so beautiful!" She said with sparkly eyes and clasped hands. She shifted positions to hold onto Azurill with one hand and grab a Pokeball with the other. "I might as well catch some Pokemon while I'm here. Maybe there will be some cool water Pokemon here."
She was about to send out Gyarados but thought against it because she might scare them of before she could weaken them. Instantly she regretted leaving so many of her Pokemon at the gym for Daisy, but she wanted to ensure that her sister would actually battle the challengers… And that took a lot of motivation.
She sent out her only other Pokemon she brought besides Azurill. "Misty calls Staryu!" She cried and threw the ball.
Her old faithful starfish Pokemon appeared with a flash of light.
"Staryu, use Rapid Spin on one of those swans!"
"Heiia!" Staryu cried as it spun and slammed into one of the Swannas.
The flock of Swannas- other than the one that was hit- flew away. The Swanna that was hit stood up at full height to tower over Staryu while fluffing out its feathers and cawing angrily.
"Staryu! Use Bubblebeam!"
Staryu released bubbles from its top that bombarded Swanna- a hit that seemed to do some damage but also just made it more mad.
"Alright Staryu! Now use Rapid Spin again!"
Staryu spun towards Swanna but before it could strike a blow, Swanna waked it away with a powerful wing.
"Keep going Staryu!" Misty encouraged with clenched fists.
It spun toward Swanna again but this time it didn't get close because Swanna had started flapping its large, elegant wings to whip up a powerful gust of wind. Staryu was shot back and slammed into a tree.
"No! Staryu!" Misty cried and ran up to her Pokemon- who had slid down the tree and now slumped on the ground with a flashing jewel. "Oh no, this looks bad…" She turned to see that the Swanna was getting ready to take off.
Misty then remembered the new move Staryu had learned. Perfect! She thought and stood up. "Staryu, use Power Gem!"
Staryu sat up straight as its gem began to radiate with a blinding light. Glowing gem particles shot out of its jewel and struck Swanna hard as it tried to take off. It fell to the ground, stunned by the direct blow.
"Great job Staryu!" Misty praised before pulling out a Pokeball. "Go Pokeball!" She threw the ball just as a blue Pokemon walked obliviously in front of the Swanna and was captured in the ball instead. It shook a couple of times with a glowing with a glowing dout before sealing.
Misty stood blinking in confusion. "What happened?"
The Swanna regained its strength and flew away. "No! Wait! Staryu, use Power Gem again!"
Staryu tried to attack but the Swanna was too far away and too fast in the sky.
"I really wanted that Pokemon!" Misty sighed in disappointment before spinning around to glare daggers at the now-still Pokeball. "What stupid Pokemon prevented me from catching my swan?!" She growled and stomped towards the Pokeball. She picked it up and opened the ball. "Go Pokemon." She grumbled.
The Pokemon that had come out was a blue duck with big dopey eyes. Misty's eye twitched, those dopey eyes looked all too familiar. It took all her willpower to not whip out her mallet and smack this stupid duck across the region.
Ducklett stared at her with big, blank eyes before idiotically cawing, "Ducklett!" and waving a wing.
Misty snapped. "YOU IDIOTIC DUCK!!!" She screamed and pulled out her mallet and started swinging as she pursued the innocent Pokemon. Ducklett flapped its wings frantically to flee from the red head's swinging mallet. "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER PSYDUCK, I WANT A SWAN!!!"
Ducklett flew up high enough to be just out of reach of the mallet and used a powerful water gun in an attempt to cool its raging trainer down.
Misty stopped in her tracks- soaked to the bone- and slumped to the ground.
But Ducklett wasn't finished yet, it continued by sending a huge gust of wind down to Misty.
Misty sat shivering. "W-w-wow, this d-duck is s-s-strong, not another Psy- ACHOO! STOP IT!" She screamed.
Ducklett obeyed Misty's command but still stayed high enough in the air in case Misty tried to attack it again.
Misty let out a sigh of relief before rubbing her freezing arms and looking up at her new Pokemon. She may have lost the swan but this Pokemon didn't seem too bad. "Hey Pokemon, come down here." She wished that she had Ash with her with the Pokedex to tell her what this Pokemon was. But then again, if he was with her, the greedy Pokemon Trainer would try to capture the Pokemon instead. That was one of the many things that annoyed her about him, that whenever she wanted to catch a Pokemon- which was basically only one type- he always wanted it instead.
Better just catch all the Pokemon I can before I meet up with him. She thought and realized her Pokemon had still not budged. "Come down here! I'm sorry I tried to hit you." She called up to Ducklett.
"Duck…" It looked hesitant.
"Come on, I won't hurt you. I promise." She made her voice sound reassuring.
"Ducklett…" It flew down slowly, eyes fixed on the mallet and body tensed as if ready to flee again.
Misty followed its gaze and put the mallet away, making a little less tense. She kneeled down in front of it and held her hand out gently. "I'm sorry that I got so mad at you, I was just upset. Friends?" Misty apologized a lot more now since her sisters forced her to be more polite… but that doesn't mean she was any less stubborn, hot headed or loud mouthed- just polite when she had to be.
Ducklett looked up at Misty and seemed to be reassured by her smile so it hopped on her hand and slowly climbed up her arm until it reached her shoulder.
"Want to ride up there for a while?" Misty asked and pat its head.
Ducklett flinched at first but relaxed when it finally decided that it could trust its trainer now. "Ducklett!" It cawed and flapped its wings.
"Ducklett… Is that what you're called?" Misty asked and rubbed under its beak. "Duck Duck!" It nodded happily.
"Azuu Azurill!" Azurill cried happily as it bounced up to Misty.
Misty smiled and picked Azurill up in her arms. "Let's keep going." She pulled out her Pokeball. "Return Staryu." She recalled it , put the Pokeball away and continued down the road. She paused at a sign that said "Accumula Town."
"Take your time getting your next gym badge," she said quietly. "because I'm coming Ash."
Chapter 4
"Your Staryu is now at full health." Nurse Joy said cheerfully as she handed Misty her Pokeball.
"Thanks Nurse Joy." Misty was amazed. Not only were the Pokemon all different but so were the Nurse Joys! With a smirk she remembered how Brock would go after every Nurse Joy- scratch that- every GIRL he met, confessing his undying love for them. She would always have to keep him in line every time he did. This made her wonder who kept him in line all this time. Ash? And had Brock rubbed off on Ash at all yet? She was mystified (no pun intended) at how anyone could stay oblivious with Brock around.
"No problem, good luck on your adventure." Nurse Joy responded.
"Thanks." Misty nodded slightly to Nurse Joy before exiting the center. She wondered where she should go next but the response came from her stomach.
"That's right, the only thing I've eaten since breakfast were plane peanuts." Misty realized and started searching for a restaurant. She had money with her but not enough to make a habit out of eating out. "I need to find the group soon so we can have Brock's delicious cooking again." She said and her taste buds got pumped. That was one of the things she missed about Brock- having to cook for herself for months with her sisters being gone- and a cooked meal would be nice.
She found a cheap restaurant and got the food to go, retracing her steps back to a grassy field with a pond she had found on the way to the town so that she could feed the Pokemon too. "Come on out Staryu and Gyarados." She threw their Pokeballs in the water, catching them as they flew back to her. The two Pokemon popped out of the water, Gyarados roaring and spraying some misty (no pun) water from its mouth.
Misty set Azurill down and Ducklett flew off of her shoulder as she took off her jacket and started digging through her Spheal backback- which she had had on under her jacket. She pulled out some Pokemon food and fed each of her Pokemon before she herself started eating. "None of it's as good as Brock's but we'll meet up with them eventually."
She looked down at her burger she had bought with a sigh. Why were salads so expensive? She didn't really feel like having a greasy hamburger today. But she still ate it, along with her french fries and soft drink until it was nothing more than a bag and wrappers.
"Everyone done?" She asked her Pokemon.
They all responded with a nod and their respectful cries.
"Alright, because it's getting pretty late. I'd better find a place to turn in for the night." She looked towards the setting sun; which was turning the sky pink, purple and orange with breathtaking beauty.
"Return everyone." She simultaneously returned Staryu and Gyarados. When she tried to return Ducklett though, it dodged it and shook its head repeatedly.
"Duck duck ducklett!" It protested.
"Hmm? You want to continue to travel on my shoulder?" Misty asked.
"Ducklett!" It cheered and hopped on her shoulder, nuzzling her.
"Alright! Alright! Just let me put my backpack and jacket back on." She said while giggling.
She gently put Ducklett down, put her backpack and jacket back on and then picked up Azurill. "Come on Ducklet, let's go."
The blue duck flew back up onto her shoulder and so the trainer started walking back towards Accumula town.
As she entered the town, she noticed a big crowd gathered together.
"Wonder what's going on over there." Misty pondered aloud.
"Azuu?"
"Duck."
"Let's go check it out." Misty walked over to the crowd and squeezed her way in until she could see what they were gathered around.
Up on a makeshift stage were men in strange suits holding up poles with waving flags that had the words 'PZ' and a medieval design on it. In the center of the line of strange men was a man in a kingly robe with wavy green hair and a weird device over his left eye.
"My name is Ghestis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation." The kingly man began.
"Huh?" One person asked.
"What?" Another murmured.
"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?
"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" Ghetsis challenged.
"Yikes!"
"I don't know..."
"No way." Misty input softly in disagreement.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokemon?"
"What could it be?"
"Liberation?" Someone guessed.
"That's right! We must liberate the Pokemon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokemon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokemon... and the correct way to proceed.
"We sincerely appreciate your attention." Ghetsis dipped his head curtly as the other strange men picked up their poles, lined up, and gathered around Ghetsis as if they were protecting him. With that they all made their way towards the exit of the town.
As the group of strange people left, the crowd of bystanders started to break up but were still talking about what they had just heard. Misty considered what they said but she didn't believe it.
People and Pokemon were friends and they helped each other out. If the Pokemon were unhappy, wouldn't they have left their trainers by now? Refused to battle? Misty loved her Pokemon, but did they really love her back?
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a man calling out his Pokemon. She turned her attention to him to see that he had sent out a little alligator Pokemon.
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STOP!!! Now open another tab and look up the Pokemon track: "Tears after the Storm" That song just randomly started playing in my head as I was writing this. Lol. Seriously, try it. It's perfect with it!
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"Sandile, I had no idea I was making you so unhappy." The man kneeled down to be at the Pokemon's eye level. It looked up at him curiously, looking slightly concerned since it most likely sensed his emotions. "I never thought about what you might have been feeling having to battle all those Pokemon. I know the best way to make it up to you is to liberate you. I'm... I'm so sorry!" The man was getting choked up, despite his rough appearence.
Sandile crawled closer to its trainer, looking up at him with a mixture of curiosity and sadness. "Sand sandile?" It asked.
"I'm sorry for everything." The man stood up and started to walk away.
Sandile followed.
The man turned back. "You're free." He set its Pokeball to release. "Now go, you are no longer my servant!"
Sandile looked extremely hurt and confused. "Sandile? Sand!" It cried out as its trainer walked away from it.
Misty couldn't believe what just happened. That trainer let his Pokemon go just because of that speech. And the Pokemon looked sad, not relieved to be liberated. She stomped up to the man and stood in front of him with a glare. "How could you do that to your Pokemon!?"
The man looked at her in shock before shaking his head. "I was making my Pokemon my servant by making it battle for me. It deserves better than that."
"You're wrong! You're making it unhappy now, look at it!" She gestured towards the Sandile, who was still staring after the man in disbelief and sadness. "It has no idea why you just released it! Wouldn't your Pokemon be fleeing for the wild by now if it had really been suffering? It loves you, and right now it thinks you're abandoning it, not setting it free! Don't let that speech ruin a friendship."
The man looked back at his Pokemon with eyes full of emotion. He stared at Sandile for a while as if deep in thought before closing his eyes and turning away. "I'm doing what's best for my Pokemon."
"But-"
"Stay out of my business, I know what I'm doing." The man growled before walking away without another glance at Sandile.
Sandile stared after his former trainer before turning away, crestfallen, and walking away sadly with its head hung and its tail dragging the ground.
Misty's heart was breaking at the sight of this. How could he just let his Pokemon go like that? "You call yourself a trainer when you just abandoned your Pokemon!?" She spat after him.
The man just ignored her and kept walking.
"Ugh! Why do people have to be so stubborn!?" She sighed in exasperation.
"Duck?"
"Azurill?"
They both looked at her in concern.
"What's wrong?" Misty looked at her Pokemon to see them staring after the Sandile. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do that to you guys."
They looked at her for reassurance. "Really. Unless of course you ever wanted to be set free."
They looked reassured by this and knew they could rest easy.
"Well, let's turn in for the night." Misty said aloud and shot one last disgusted look at the trainer who just abandoned his Sandile before going to the Pokemon Center.
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Misty woke up as the sun peaked onto her face with its warm rays. She slowly got out of bed as not to disturb her sleeping Pokemon and exited the room. She entered the main room of the Pokemon center and went straight to one of the phones there.
Misty dialed the number and waited for the relentless ringing to cease before an answer finally came. It was audio only, a setting that Misty had set for safety purposes on the Cerulean phone that could be activated to picture and audio if the caller was trusted.
"Hello, Waterflower residance, Daisy speaking." Her sister had answered.
"Hey Daisy, it's me, Misty." Misty responded.
"Oh hey! You like made it." Daisy switched the phone to video. "Did you find your boyfriend yet?"
"No, and he's NOT my boyfriend! I told you I just miss him." Misty protested angrily.
Daisy just smirked. "Not YET at least."
Misty glared at Daisy before sighing. "So how's everything going with the gym?"
"Don't sweat it little sis, I've got everything under control." Daisy waved a hand in dismissal.
Misty wasn't positive if she believed her so she pressed further. "Keeping the Pokemon fed?"
"Uh, yeah..." Daisy looked at her with a 'duh' look.
Misty gave her a hard stare. "And the tank clean?"
"Like it doesn't need cleaning YET!" Daisy gave her an exasperated look.
"And how are you doing with battling?" Misty asked the question that really bugged her.
"No problem." But Daisy looked slightly nervous.
Misty narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure? How many battles did you win?"
"Well, we ARE just here to provide these trainers with badges aren't we?"
Misty's stare became harder. "Answer the question Daisy."
"Well, I kinda like, gave away a badge to a trainer or two..." Daisy answered nervously.
"'Or two?'" Misty repeated with a growl.
"Or three... Okay! All of the trainers that entered yesterday!" Daisy admitted. "I tried to battle, I swear! But it was just SO tiring!"
Misty was about to give her sister a piece of her mind but reminded herself of the favor Daisy was doing her and contained her anger. "Daisy, do you want our reputation to suffer? It took me a while to build up that reputation. Battles really are pretty fun when you get into it."
Daisy sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll try again. But just for you."
"Thanks Daisy."
Daisy then narrowed her eyes. "But only on one condition." She could barely contain the evil grin coming to her lips.
Misty dreaded what her sister was going to say and reluctantly asked "and what's that?"
Daisy's grin widened. "If you promise me nieces and nephews from me letting you go visit this guy."
"WHAT!?" Misty screamed at the screen and stood up abruptly with people staring at her. Her face was red as a tomato and her eyes blazed.
Daisy just laughed. "Bye little sis." She hung up before Misty could scream at her.
Smart move. Misty thought angrily before turning away from the screen and back to her room, feeling people still staring at her.
Azurill and Ducklett had woken up and looked up at her as she entered the room. "Are you guys hungry?"
They both nodded.
"Azuu."
"Ducklett!"
"Okay, we'll grab some food before we leave this town. I wonder how far it is until that bridge and whatever city the Professor said Ash was heading to." She thought aloud as she packed her belongings. "Oh well, the faster we get there, the better." She picked up her Pokemon and left the center.
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Misty grabbed some more food from a fast food restaurant and found another nice, relatively secluded area for her and her Pokemon to eat. She couldn't help but feel rushed and impatient, she just wanted to be with the group again- traveling alone made her feel a little lonely.
She had found a town map in the Pokemon center and figured out that she had to go to Striaton and then Nacrene city before she got to the bridge that lead to Castelia. Sighing, Misty closed her eyes and tried to relax. She still had so far to go.
"If only I could have brought my bike. Stupid plane wouldn't let me take it on." Misty muttered before taking an irritated bite out of her chicken nugget ( idk.). "If I had my bike I could have been there by now." Reminiscence crept up on her as she remembered this thought had run through her head often after Pikachu had fried her bike and she followed Ash, demanding that he pay her back.
"And then it got fixed..." She muttered grimly. She knew that wasn't the real reason that she had to leave but she couldn't help but remember it. Why was she even here? Ash looked like he was happy to see her the last time she visited him, that proved that he didn't see her as his annoying stalker. But at the same time he didn't seem like he cared too much that she had to leave again.
Her mind kept going back to that day she had to leave for the first time.
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"You did a great job on it Nurse Joy." Ash had said enthusiastically. "now Misty can get home to Cerulean faster." He was referring to Misty's bike that had been repaired from it's charred state.
That comment hurt. It was bad enough that she had to cease traveling with Ash and Brock to watch over the stupid gym without Ash sounding so happy about her having to leave.
Her face scrunched up in anger and pain. "Gee thanks a lot Ash!" She spat.
He looked at her in confusion. "Why are you being so grouchy?"
"Just leave me alone!" She snarled and ran out of the center, trying not to show how much his harsh words were hurting her.
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It seemed like he didn't care. Later he proved that they were still friends and promised that they'd see each other again. But were those hollow words or did he really mean it?
Misty shook her head repeatedly. She was really over analyzing things. He didn't hate her... did he?
Azurill looked at her in concern and leaped into her lap, nuzzling her comfortingly. But Misty hardly noticed, she was busy sighing for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Why did she even care so much? He most likely didn't care this much for her, all he cared about was Pokemon. But she knew deep inside that that was one of the things she liked- no, loved- about him: how much he cared for Pokemon.
She didn't want to dwell on her thoughts any longer so she stood up and returned her Pokemon. "Come on guys, the faster we get to the next town, the better." But as she continued down the road, she found herself starting to dread every step that brought her closer to finding Ash.