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sage-nebula · 7 years

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prompts 3,13,23,26,53,55,91,97 for pokeshipping?? thats a lot im sorry skdjdjd

((Haha, well, these are ficlets so I’m not going to do all of them (if they were headcanons, that would be a different story!), but I will do one. Specifically, 91 in this case.))

Ash wasn’t sure whether he felt relief or panic when he saw that Mistywas waiting for him on Hano Beach as she had agreed to, but he knew that somecombination of both was making his stomach flop around and his palms sweataround the black velvet box he held in his hands.

Although Hano Beach Resort was bursting with activity during the day,in the evening, it was a lot quieter. It had something to do with it beingaround dinnertime, Ash thought; there were plenty of outdoor tables on thehotel patio, but even though people sat out there to eat, drink, and relax, fewwandered down to the beach as the sun set. That was why he had asked Misty tomeet him there; he knew that it would give them a little bit of privacy, andthough he didn’t know why he wantedprivacy (it wasn’t like they were doing anything bad, or—or weird, it was nobig deal!), he knew that he did, anyway. He didn’t want Brock watching overthem, or his classmates crowding around, or Professor Kukui making commentary,or Roto snapping pictures. It was—he wanted it to be just him, and Misty, andPikachu. That was what he wanted, so when everything was ready, he asked Mistyto meet him down on the beach so they could talk.

And that was exactly what she did. He could see her down there now,standing at the shoreline, the water lapping at her feet. The sun had justabout set entirely, and it made her hair look like it was fire. It was weird,Ash thought, how her hair could look like that. She was a water-typespecialist, so wouldn’t it have made more sense for her hair to be blue, likeLana’s? Not that she could control what color hair she was born with, heguessed, though she could’ve always dyed it, like her sisters Violet and Daisydid. Then she couldn’t be so contradictory, so complicated—though he guessedhe always liked that about her, how she was the tomboyish mermaid one second, yet then was gushing over somecutesy, romance-whatever in the next—

“Pikapi,” Pikachu hissed fromhis place on Ash’s shoulder. He tapped Ash’s cheek with his paw.

It was enough to make Ash blink, pulling him out of his thoughts about Misty to realize that hewas still watching her from afar instead.His cheeks were hot, and his heart felt like—how would Professor Kukuidescribe it? Oh, like Belly Drum. His heart felt like it was performing BellyDrum, which was weird since it wasn’t even inhis belly, but—

“Pikapi!”

“Okay, okay!” Ash said, and he huffed a sigh. “I’m going, jeez. No needto be so pushy.”

“Piika,” Pikachu said, and Ash didn’t even need to look askance to knowthat Pikachu was rolling his eyes. He puffed his cheeks in irritation, but didn’tbother to retort, because as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Pikachu wasright and they both knew it.

Ash hadn’t been standing very far away from Misty, even as he hadwatched her, but the walk across the beach still felt like it both tookforever, and yet no time at all. The closer he got, the easier it was to makeout little details, like the rainbow sparkle of her Key Stone as it dangledfrom her scrunchie, or how she was smiling at the ocean as if just looking atit made her happy. That was probably true, Ash thought, but there was somethingabout the way she smiled at it that .. . well, it made him think that maybe Misty understood something about the oceanthat he didn’t. And that was probablytrue, too, but he wished that she’d share some of that understanding with him.He didn’t—it never really made him happy to think that Misty could be placeswhere he couldn’t stand, too.

He opened his mouth to call out to her, but she turned around before hecould. His voice caught in his throat, anyway, as she turned that smile on him,but even as his voice got stuck, everything else inside of him felt bubbly. Shesmiled at him, and it was really no different than how she had smiled at theocean. Maybe—Maybe they weren’t in such different places after all.

“Hey,” she said, “what took you so long?”

“I didn’t take long,” Ash said. The words were out of his mouth beforehe could help them, and though he knew that he had dawdled for longer than he should have, he still only barelyresisted the urge to shake Pikachu off his shoulder as his best friend in thewhole universe muttered another sarcastic “Piika,”beneath his breath.

Misty, on the other hand, just added a touch of bemusement to hersmile. “Uh-huh. Anyway, what did you call me out here for? We’re missing theparty.”

“It’s not really a party,” Ash said, and that, he felt, was entirelytrue. Huge dinners with everyone gathered were a regular occurrence in Alola,where it seemed customary to take any occasion as an excuse to bring everyonetogether to have a fun time. They had huge dinners for successful groupprojects, for arbitrary holidays, and for things made up on the spot (such asthe anniversary of the first time Sophocles ever successfully made a remote-controlcar). The fact that everyone had gotten together to have a big dinner nowbecause they had a nice adventure with Brock and Misty during their visit wasn’treally a party, Ash felt. It was justsomething people did in Alola.

But this time it was Misty’s turn to roll her eyes, and she sounded alittle exasperated as she said, “Well, whatever it is, we’re missing it. So,what is it? Why did you want to meet me out here?”

“That’s, uh … I got …”

It was just a stupid present. It wasn’t—it wasn’t a big deal, therewas no reason for him to feel so nervous, no reason for his heart to feel allfidgety, or his breath to feel all short and hot. But the hand holding theblack velvet box (which was pretty big, all things considered—a nice, bigrectangle, and so it was astounding she hadn’t noticed it yet, even if he wasstill holding it down by his side, a little behind his leg as if to hide it)was no less sweaty, and it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t planned thisout at all. Oh sure, he had picked the gift, and gotten it ready, and picked itup, and brought it here, to the beach—but he didn’t know what to say, and hisbrain felt like mushy static. He hadn’t prepared this. This was worse than allof his class presentations and then some. He hadn’t prepared at all.

Misty raised her eyebrows. “Ash? Are you feeling okay?”

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, I’m fine!” Ash said, but his voice cracked, and Misty’slips twitched as if she was going to laugh. Pikachu, for his part, crooned in away that sounded like both embarrassment and suppressed laughter as he buriedhis face in the crook of Ash’s neck. Ash appreciated the sentiment, but at thesame time, Pikachu was not helping. “I,um—” He swallowed and cleared his throat, trying to make his voice stronger(and why wasn’t it strong in the first place was the real question, this was embarrassing even though it shouldn’t have been), and then said, “Iwas just thinking—I’ve never really gotten you anything, have I?”

Misty blinked, and if she had looked bemused before, she lookedbewildered now. “Huh?”

“You’ve gotten me lots of presents over the time we’ve known each other,”Ash said, and he turned to look back over the ocean. The sky was a deepred-orange now, with strong streaks of purple, and the sea looked like it wasglittering under the low sunlight. “Like when we first met, and I took—uh,borrowed—”

“Stole,” Misty interjected.

“—borrowed your bike,” Ashsaid, frowning, as he turned back to her.

“It’s only borrowing if youhave permission, and you give it back later,” Misty said. “I never said youcould take it—”

“It was an emergency,” Ash said, and he waved his free hand in the air.“There wasn’t time—”

“—and you destroyed it,so—”

“Pikachu was the one whodestroyed it, not me—”

“PIka!” Pikachu said indignantly, and he pulled back so that he couldturn on Ash’s shoulder to glare at him, outraged.

Ash gave him a look rightback. “Well, it’s true! It’s not like I could’ve used Thunderbolt like that, right?”

“Yeah, but you were the one responsible for Pikachu,” Misty said, asPikachu opened his mouth to offer a furious retort. “And considering the shapehe was in when I pulled you two out of the river—”

“That was because of the spearow!” Ash cried. “You saw what they werelike later, there was no reasoning with them—”

“Why were they angry in the first place?”

“Because—because the one spearow was jealous that Pikachu had atrainer—”

“Was that all? Because I seem to remember you saying something about hitting the one that had evolved into afearow back when we all got attacked on our way to Valencia Island.”

“I—that—that’s not the point!” Ash cried, even as Misty smirked alittle and hummed under her breath, her arms folded. “The point is that it’sbecause you were there with your bike that Pikachu and I were able to get outof that mess. Things were still hard for a time after that, but even though wecouldn’t ride your bike the whole way, it still got us a lot farther a lotfaster than we would’ve gotten on foot. I don’t know if we would’ve made it toViridian City on time if it wasn’t for you and your bike, and if we hadn’t . ..” Something cold slid from Ash’s chest down to his stomach, and it was like hehad swallowed an apple whole for how clogged his throat suddenly felt. “I don’teven want to think about what would’ve happened.”

“Chuuu,” Pikachu said. His voice was tiny, and filled with a sadness sodeep that Ash couldn’t name it, even as he felt it rooted in his own chest.

Misty watched them for only a second before she walked over to standcloser, and without missing a beat or asking if it was all right, she reachedover to scratch Pikachu gently beneath his chin. “Yeah. I was pretty mad about itat the time, but all things considered, looking back …” She smiled, andgently ruffled the fur atop Pikachu’s head before she stroked her hand down hisback. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

The icy feeling of terror and—despair, Ash thought it was, or maybemisery—that had sprouted to life inside him melted, the clamp over his heartloosening until it released its grip completely. He smiled back at her,particularly as Pikachu loosed a happy little cry and nuzzled up against Misty’shand. “Same here,” Ash said. “But actually, that kinda brings me back to myoriginal point.”

Misty looked back at him, curious. “It does?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause, see, you’ve gotten me lots of presents over time,whether you meant to or not. There was that thing with your bike, and thenlater on you gave me your handkerchief so I could carry that bento box home.And after that, when I was having a rough time later on, you sent me one ofyour Super Misty lures.”

“You liked that, huh?” Misty said, and she smiled in a way that madeher nose crinkle as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I wasn’t entirely sure ifit was a good idea when I sent it, but—”

“What are you talking about? It’s great! I love it!” Ash said.

Misty’s hand dropped back to her side, and the sunset (Ash was sure it wasthe sunset) made her cheeks look red as her smile softened. “Really?”

“Of course! I don’t really use it anymore since Buizel tried stealingit that one time, but—well, that’s not the point,” Ash said, as Misty’seyebrows raised again. “The point is that you’ve gotten me a lot of presents,and they’ve all been really great, but I’ve never really gotten you anything inreturn.”

“You don’t have to,” Misty said, and she clasped her hands behind herback as she looked back over the ocean. “I didn’t give you things because Iwanted anything in return. I did it because I wanted to.”

“I know,” Ash said, “but I want to, too, so—can I hold your hand?”

Misty looked back at him, quickly enough that it almost looked likesome of Pikachu’s stray static electricity had shocked her. “What?”

“Can I—uh, let me see your hand for a second.” Ash held out his freehand, palm up, and wiggled his fingers a bit in invitation. “Please?”

Misty slowly brought one of her hands up from behind her back, even asshe gave him another bemused smile. “You never had to ask before. We alwaysjust did it.”

“Well, yeah, but—this is different,” Ash said, and it was, even if he didn’t entirely knowwhy. Maybe it was because of the present, or maybe it was because they alwaysheld hands for safety reasons the other times, but—well, anyway, it wasdifferent, and he thought that Misty would probably see that herself soonenough. “Just—come on. Work with me, here.”

“Okay, but you’re being really weird today, you know,” Misty said, asshe finally placed her hand in his open palm.

Ash rolled his eyes, and huffed as he finally lifted the black velvetbox into her line of sight. “Am not,” he said.

“Are too,” Misty shot back, and Ash was about to give her another am not when her eyes fell on the box,and she went still. “What’s that?”

“It’s your present,” Ash said, but even as he answered her, he realizedthe problem he was presented with. In his left hand, he held Misty’s righthand. And in his right hand, he heldthe black velvet box. The closed blackvelvet box, with a lid that he could not open with his mind alone, no matterhow hard he had tried to bend that spoon back in in the Saffron Gym. “Uh …oops.”

“Oops?”

“I, uh—I can’t …” Ash gestured by lifting both Misty’s hand andthe box, and Pikachu—the true friend and hero that he was—scampered downAsh’s arm so that he could knock the lid off the box with his nose. Ash smiledas the box lid hit the sand. “Thanks, Pikachu.”

“Pika!” Pikachu said brightly.

But as quickly as Pikachu replied, the happy relief Ash had felt lefthim. The box was open now, Misty’s present contained safely on a cushionwithin, but … “But I still can’t get it out of the box.”

Pikachu heaved a sigh (and that was unfair, in Ash’s opinion, becausePikachu hadn’t immediately realized that the problem persisted either), butnonetheless took the situation into his own paws by crawling back down Ash’sarm, grabbing the gift with his teeth, and knocking the box itself down ontothe sand once he had the present safely taken out of it. Without wasting a beathe dropped the gift into Ash’s now empty hand, and then scampered back up sothat he could sit comfortably on Ash’s head.

“Thanks,” Ash said again. “You’re a real lifesaver, you know that?”

“Pi, Pikapi,” Pikachu said, and Ash couldn’t help but laugh a little athow readily Pikachu agreed with him.

Misty, on the other hand, was staring at the object in Ash’s hand, hereyes wide. Ash also couldn’t stop himself from taking a second to enjoy howgenuinely shocked (and, if he dared to think it, awed) she looked. “Ash,” shebreathed, “is that …”

“Yeah,” he said. “Hold still.”

Ash lifted Misty’s hand, and after sending a quick prayer to whateverlegendary was willing to listen to him this week that the size was right, heslid the shiny, black Z-Ring over her knuckles and onto her wrist. To Ash’srelief and delight, it fit perfectly, and in the dark light of the sunset, theblack ore gleamed and the Waterium Z sparkled.

As Ash released Misty’s hand, Misty raised it so that she could stareat the Z-Ring, turning her wrist this way and that so that she could look at itfrom every angle. Now Ash didn’t think it was a stretch to say she looked awed;she looked amazed, and the bubblyfeeling he had felt when she had smiled at him before returned in full force.His cheeks hurt a little, and he thought that was probably because he couldn’tstop smiling.

“What …” Misty breathed, and she gently touched her Z-Ring with herother hand, running her fingers along the band. “How …”

“You said you wanted mine back when we visited Kanto,” Ash said. “Iknow you said you were joking, but I figured you might’ve been reallyinterested anyway. Since you said you wanted one, and since I’ve got an in withthe Tapu here, I had a chat with Tapu Fini to get the ore I needed for yourZ-Ring when you said you were coming to visit.” Well, calling it a chat was probably putting it mildly,but Ash figured Misty didn’t really need to know the details. “After that, Itook the ore to Hala—he’s one of the Kahunas here—and had him make the oreinto a Z-Ring for you. Then all I had to do was get the Waterium Z, and once Idid that, it was done!” He watched her for a second, and when she didn’trespond (or pull her eyes away from the Z-Ring), he said, “So? What’cha think?You like it, right?”

Misty finally looked up at him, and for once, her expression was inscrutable.“You did all that for me?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ash said, and he shifted his weight from foot tofoot. He wasn’t sure what that look on her face meant, but— “Do you like it?”

Misty looked back down at the Z-Ring, and gave the Waterium Z a gentletap. She looked back at him, then, and her smile lit up her eyes as she nodded.“Yeah, of course,” she said. “I love it!”

A floaty feeling swept through Ash, and he felt that if he jumped rightthen, his feet would never hit the ground again. He beamed as he said, “Really?”

“Definitely,” Misty said, and it was definitely the sunset that madeher cheeks so red, and her eyes so bright, even as she held the Z-Ring aroundher wrist. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Ash.”

Laughter bubbled out of Ash before he could help it, and he rubbed theback of his neck as he kicked at the sand with one foot. “No problem, Misty.Wanna head back? You can probably ask Lana to show you how to do the water-typeZ-Move dance.”

“There’s only one dance?” Misty asked, but she fell into step besidehim as he started to walk back up toward the resort. Ash swung his hands by hisside; he almost felt like skipping, but he restrained the impulse (if onlybarely). “I thought I could give it my own spin—you know, like with megaevolution.”

“I don’t think that’s how Z-Moves work. You and your pokémon both haveto do the same dance,” Ash said. “Speaking of which, which pokémon do you thinkyou’ll have use it? Gyarados?”

“Hmm, maybe, but I don’t want to put all of my strengths onto onepokémon,” Misty said. “I could maybe teach Azumarill … or, wait, I know!Psyduck!”

Ash sputtered a laugh. “Psyduck?”

“What?” Misty said, but far from sounding indignant, she soundedamused, even as she poked his cheek with one finger. “Psyduck’s strong and youknow it.”

“Yeah, but it takes him a while to catch up, doesn’t it?” Ash said. “He’sa bit slow, so he’ll have only just started the dance by the time you finishit. It’ll never work.”

“Don’t bet on it, Ketchum. If I can teach Psyduck to control hisConfusion attack, then I can teach him to dance. He might not know how toswim—”

“He still doesn’t know how to swim?!”

“—but he’ll learn how to dance. You’ll see.”

Ash shook his head, but try as he might, he still couldn’t get thegoofy grin off his face. “Yeah, I’ll see.”

“Pika, chu,” Pikachu agreed, from his place atop Ash’s head.

They fell into comfortable silence, walking side-by-side, Ash stillswinging his arms by his side. But as they neared the steps that led back up tothe resort patio, Ash’s hand knocked against Misty’s—and while his hand knocked against hers, while it was anaccident, when their hands brushed again a half-second later, her hand slidneatly into his palm. Ash’s heart jolted, and he was about to say sorry andpull away when something she had said earlier popped into his head.

You never had to ask before. Wealways just did it.

That was true, but those were safety situations, and this wasdifferent—but even if it was different, Misty didn’t seem to mind. She lookedover at him, a little smile at play on her lips, her eyebrows raised justso—and Ash, that bubbly feeling still threatening to put a skip in his step,returned her smile full force as he laced his fingers with hers and swung both their hands this time, Mistylaughing right along with him.

#pokeani #pokeshipping #ash ketchum #gym leader misty #satokasu #itsniazkilledme #fic fix #bless SM043 for giving me the perfect inspo #Ash made Misty promise to visit him in Alola so #bless everything about these cameo eps #and let's tentatively hope for future ones to come

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