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Chapter 11

Ash's POV

I woke up to find that Misty was already awake and dressed in her regular clothes, watching a TV show with the volume down. She looked over to me and smiled. "Morning Ash, how do you feel?" she asked. "Morning Mist, I'm still a little sore, but I feel a lot better now than yesterday." I replied. "Good to hear, you wanna go get some breakfast?" she asked.

Now this got me excited, I was starving since I didn't eat dinner yesterday. "Oh yeah, let's go! C'mon Pikachu!" I said instinctively. I looked around the room and noticed that Pikachu wasn't there. "Ash, Pikachu slept with Brock and Dawn last night." Misty said. "Oh yeah…I forgot." I said sheepishly with my hand behind my head.

Misty giggled. "Well get dressed and we'll head down. Brock, Dawn, and probably Kenny are eating already. "Hey yeah! Kenny still has to teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'!" I exclaimed excitedly. I slipped on my vest and walked out the door, with Misty walking beside me.

"Hey guys!" I exclaimed, as we met our friends in the cafeteria. "Pikapi!" (Ash!) Pikachu said happily. "Hey Pikachu, how are ya?" I asked. "Pika pika chu)" (I'm alright, you?) "Hey big guy, how ya feeling?" Brock asked. Now I could answer both questions at once. "Still sore, but I'm ready to go!" I replied. "Well that's good, now I can teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny said. "Sounds good to me, but first…I need to chow down!" I said excitedly.

Normal POV

Ash ran to the cafeteria line, leaving the rest of the group alone. "Pi ka." (Oh boy.) Pikachu said exasperatedly. "Don't be too hard on him Pikachu, he didn't eat dinner yesterday, remember?" Misty said. "Pi pi Pikachupi." (You're right Misty.) Pikachu said, hopping onto Misty's shoulder. "Boy, just yesterday he couldn't walk without cringing in pain. Now, he's moving like nothing happened." Kenny said.

"That's just Ash. His determination and will never lets him stay down for long." Misty said in admiration. Ash came back with a huge plate of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns. "This should hold me over until lunch!" Ash said excitedly. "I'll never understand how you can eat so much and stay thin." Brock said. "Probably all the training I do with my Pokémon. I keep them in shape, and they keep me in shape." Ash figured. "Pi pi ka chu!" (You said it!) Pikachu agreed while pouring ketchup on his Pokechow.

"I'm gonna go get my breakfast now." Misty said, getting up from the table. "I'll come with you! I wanna tell you what I have planned now that Ambipom has evolved!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well, I'll get Breloom ready outside, I'll be waiting gang." Kenny said, walking off. "See you in a bit Kenny." Brock said.

"So, Ash. Can you tell me now?" Brock asked. Ash sighed and finally gave in. "Look, all I did was show Daisy how much fun battling was. She didn't need Misty there anymore after that."

"Wow, that's pretty clever, especially for you." Brock said, impressed. Ash gave a small smirk before diving back into his meal. "You know, you should probably give Misty a present or something. Just to show your appreciation." Brock suggested. Ash choked a bit, and then replied. "But Brock, what could I give her? I mean, there's nothing I have that she would want."

"I actually have an idea about that. You interested?" Brock asked. "Quit acting like a salesman Brock, just tell me!" Ash exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Fine, I heard Misty tell Dawn that her favorite Pokémon was Tentacool and Tentacruel…" Brock said. "There's a shock." Ash said, cutting off Brock.

"But…she mentioned that she had always wanted a Vaporeon." Brock continued. "You know, I think I remember her mentioning that when we found Mikey's Eevee a couple of years back." Ash said. "Oh look, the brain of Ash Ketchum finally kicks in." Brock joked. "Ignoring that…where would I find a Vaporeon though?" Ash asked. "That's the hard part. Maybe you could evolve an Eevee or something." Brock suggested.

"But Brock, I don't have an Eevee, not even with Prof. Oak." Ash said. "Look, Ash, maybe you can trade for one…I can't give you all the answers!" Brock exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Then why did you give me the idea?" Ash asked in the same tone. "Because I wanted to help you guys!" Brock said simply. "(Sigh) Maybe I can trade one of my Tauros?" Ash asked. "Now you're thinking. Go find a trainer who has an Eevee with him!" Brock said.

"Sure Brock, after I finish breakfast." Ash said simply. Brock gave a satisfied chuckle. "Fair enough." Misty returned with Dawn and Pikachu, who hopped from Misty's shoulder to Ash's shoulder. "So what did we miss?" Dawn asked. "Nothing much." Ash said without looking up. "What's wrong Ash?" Misty asked. "N-Nothing!" Ash exclaimed suddenly. "I…uh…I-I'm going to go…call my mom." Ash stammered.

Ash got up from the table and ran off towards a videophone. "Now what do I- wait! I have another idea!" Ash thought to himself.

Misty's POV

Ash ran off, looking really frazzled. I had to wonder what was wrong. "Ash probably swallowed something the wrong way." Brock said with a chuckle. Brock was the first-aid expert of the group, so if he wasn't worried, I guess I could relax. But something in the back of my mind said otherwise.

Ash's POV

"Hello again Ash, what can I do for you this time?" Prof. Oak said over the videophone. "Hey Professor, can I make a temporary exchange?" I asked. "Sure, who do you want, and who are you sending me?" Prof. Oak asked. "I'm sending you Staravia, and I want you to send me one of my Tauros." I replied. "Ok, put the Pokeball in the slot, and I'll make the exchange." Prof. Oak said. Within a matter of moments, I had one of my Tauros in my hands.

"Thanks Professor, I'll call again later for Staravia." I said. "Ok then Ash. Talk to you later." Prof. Oak said before hanging up. Once the dial-tone returned, I called an old friend who could probably help me.

"Hello?" the person said. "Mikey, that you? It's Ash." I said. "Oh, hey Ash! Good to hear from you after so long!" Mikey exclaimed. "Yeah, it has been a while. How are you and Eevee doing?" I asked. "We're doing really great! Eevee's gotten really strong; we actually managed to beat my brothers a whole bunch of times!" Mikey said happily. "Good to hear…hey, can I ask a small favor?" I asked, hoping he could help.

"Sure, what is it?" Mikey asked. "Well…um…have you or any of your brother's Pokémon…like…had a baby or something?" I asked awkwardly. "You mean, you wanted to know if any of our Pokémon have bred yet." Mikey asked. "Yeah…that." I replied. "Actually, my Eevee and Rainer's Vaporeon recently had an egg that hatched about three months ago. Why do you ask?" Mikey asked, now curious.

I decided to tell him what it was I wanted, and a grin appeared on his face, that continued to grow until his face couldn't stretch anymore as I told the story. "So, you and Misty got together…well, as long as it's for the right reason." Mikey said with a grin. "Well, I have a Tauros I could offer you." I said. "Cool! I've wanted a Pokémon that could help Eevee's 'Take Down' get stronger!" Mikey said excitedly.

"Cool…hey…wait a sec, are your brothers cool with this?" I asked. "Oh please, I'm the only one who takes care of the poor thing! They only want to make sure they never lose to me and Eevee again." Mikey said with a laugh. "Oh alright, well…ready for the trade?" I asked hopefully. "Yeah, I've got the younger Eevee's Pokeball right here." Mikey said.

Within a matter of moments, Tauros was sent to Mikey, and I received the young Eevee. "Alright! I got an Eevee for Misty!" I exclaimed proudly. "Hold on a sec Ash, you said you wanted to give her a Vaporeon right?" Mikey asked. "Yeah, why?" I replied. "Well, Eevee won't evolve without a Water Stone!" Mikey reminded me. I did a face-fault. "Don't worry buddy, I'll send you a Water Stone now." Mikey said.

"Thanks a lot man! I owe you one!" I said happily. "Anything to make Misty happy, she's the one who helped me decide what to do with Eevee, remember?" Mikey said with a smile. "Yeah…Mist is something else alright." I said dreamily. Mikey sent over the Water Stone, and I thanked him heartily.

"No problem Ash, well I gotta go, give Misty my best!" Mikey said. "Seeya Mikey, I will, don't worry!" I replied. "Alright, now that I have an Eevee, I'll have to decide when to give it to her." I thought. I was jarred from my thoughts when Misty snuck up from behind and ambushed me into a hug. "Waaah!...Geez Misty, warn a guy will ya?" I said, trying to breath regularly. "Where's the fun in that?" Misty replied playfully. "Is Kenny still out there?" I asked, trying to hide any nervousness of getting caught.

"Yeah, he's there, but he may fall asleep if you don't get out there now." Misty said with a smirk. "Alright, let's get going!" I exclaimed. I ran outside with Misty by my side, and found Kenny on the verge of passing out.

Normal POV

"Took you long enough." Kenny said, faking a yawn. "Sorry, I had something to do, but now I'm ready! Turtwig, come on out!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig popped out of its ball, ready to train. "Alright Turtwig, ready to learn 'Energy Ball'?" Ash asked excitedly. "Twig!" (Yeah!) Turtwig replied. "Alright, Turtwig, you have to focus all your energy into your leaves in order to get the power you need!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Tur twig!" (Got it!) "Alright, Turtwig, 'Energy Ball'!" Turtwig concentrated its energy, and the two leaves on its head started to glow as a ball of energy began to grow in its mouth, but then detonated, knocking Turtwig onto its back. "Oh no, Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed with concern. Ash picked up Turtwig and asked if it was ok.

"I think we should work on just keeping the 'Energy Ball' in form for now." Kenny suggested. Ash agreed. "Hey don't worry Turtwig, nothing wrong with taking it slow." Ash said. "You must be a different Ash, because the Ash I knew would be in a big rush to learn a new move." Misty teased. Ash put his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "But Turtwig does already have a handle on concentrating hard, which is half of the battle." Kenny explained. Breloom agreed.

"Thanks Kenny, but hey, I don't want to hold you up too long, you probably have to get back to your training right? After all, the contest is tomorrow." Ash said. "Yeah, that's right. And it's obvious that Dawn's working REALLY hard." Kenny said.

"Hey guys! Come on over here! I want to show you what I'm working on with Ambipom!" Dawn called. Ash, Misty, and Kenny walked over to where Dawn was training. "Alright, watch this! Ambipom, use 'Swift'!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom did a handstand, and started spinning around with its tails upright.

Stars started flying as Ambipom continued to spin, and they collided in a colorful and grand display. "Wow! That's awesome Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "It's like being inside of a rainbow!" Misty added. "That's so pretty!" Dawn exclaimed, "You earned this Ambipom, enjoy!" Dawn handed Ambipom one of her homemade poffins, which Ambipom eagerly ate.

Dawn's other Pokémon walked up to her, wanting their own share of Dawn's tasty treats. Dawn turned around holding three more poffins. "Here you go; it's my way of thanking you all for working so hard." Dawn said, handing Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu their own poffins.

"Dawn, 'Rainbow Swift' was one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!" Misty exclaimed. "You sure gave it your all, didn't you Ambipom?" Dawn asked knowingly. "Ambi pom." (Sure did.) Ambipom said, making a circle with her tails, which was her symbol for friendship.

"I've been thinking…we didn't do very well in the Hearthome Contest because we got way too involved in double performances. But this time it's just Ambipom and me and we're going to work on showing off one move as much as we can!" Dawn declared. "Good strategy Dawn, and I think Ambipom is right with you." Brock said. Ambipom flipped into a handstand, keeping the symbol formed.

"Yeah, thanks! So whaddya say Ambipom? Once more from the top?" Dawn asked. Ambipom began doing back flips, happily agreeing with Dawn's suggestion. Ash walked over to Brock and motioned him to follow. "Where are you going Ash?" Misty asked. "I'm just gonna take a walk." Ash replied. "I'll go with you Ash." Brock said, taking the hint. "You want me to come too?" Misty asked. "No! I need someone to battle with!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash laughed. "Well Misty, looks like you'll be busy for a while." Ash said.

"I…guess so. See you later Ash." Misty said, slightly disappointed. "Pika Pikachupi." (Bye Misty.) Misty called out Staryu, and got to helping Dawn with her training.

Brock's POV

"Where the heck is Ash taking me? It must be important if he stopped a battle for it." Ash took me to an isolated area close to the lake, and then pulled out a Pokeball. "Ash, if you wanted to battle me, we could've done it at the center." I said. Ash tossed out the ball, and my jaw dropped when I saw an Eevee emerge. It squealed with glee, and hopped into Ash's arms. "Uh, hi there little guy." Ash said with a smile.

"Ash…where…I mean how…when did you get that?" I asked in shock. "I called Mikey, I hoped he could help me, and I got lucky." Ash said. "You mean…you got a young Eevee from Mikey from Kanto?" I asked. "That's pretty much what happened." Ash replied. The Eevee hopped out of Ash's arms, and hopped into mine affectionately. "You know Ash; this little guy is actually a girl." I explained. "Really? How can you tell?" Ash asked.

"Just something a breeder knows." I replied. Eevee hopped out of my arms, and started carrying a conversation with its new friend: Pikachu. "So, do you know what Eevee can do?" I asked. "No, I guess I should find out though." Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex. "Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into one of seven different Pokémon." the Pokedex said. "Ok, now find out what moves it can use." I said.

Ash pushed some buttons on his Pokedex, and it beeped to signal the completion of its analysis. "The moves that this Eevee can use are: 'Quick Attack', and 'Shadow Ball'." it beeped. "Awesome! Eevee knows 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed. "That must mean that Mikey's Eevee learned 'Shadow Ball', and this Eevee inherited it." I said.

"Well whaddya say we see what you got Eevee?" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Ee vee ee!" (I can't wait!) Eevee squealed, rubbing against Ash's leg affectionately.

"Oh boy, I hope this doesn't turn out like the whole Chikorita and Bayleef situation."

Misty's POV

"Staryu, use 'Water Gun'!" Staryu launched a high-powered stream of water at Ambipom. I must have been battling with Dawn for at least a half-hour. "Ambipom, make your friendship symbol!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom did a handstand and put its tails in a circle, letting the 'Water Gun' fly right through.

"That looks really good!" Dawn exclaimed. It wasn't that Dawn was bad company or anything, but I was getting kind of bored of being Dawn's "battling" partner. There wasn't even a real battle, it was just me and my Pokémon firing off different attacks, and letting Dawn figure out how Ambipom could use it to their advantage.

I wished that I knew where Ash was, something had to be bugging him, because he wasn't acting like himself, not even like the new him. He was too uptight, too jumpy. But out of courtesy for Dawn and her contest, I couldn't go find out. I was stuck until Dawn finally had enough. And since Kenny was on the field next to us, I don't think she would stop anytime soon. What did she have to prove anyway?

Normal POV

"Eevee, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed. Eevee fired a black ball of energy at its opponent. "Sudowoodo, dodge and then use 'Double Edge'!" Brock countered. Sudowoodo leaped out of the way, and charged towards Eevee for a hard tackle. "Eevee, dodge it with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash exclaimed. Eevee ran out of the way of Sudowoodo's 'Double Edge' and turned around to strike its back.

"That was awesome Eevee!" Ash exclaimed. "Pi pi ka chu!" (Yeah, that rocked!) "Ee ee!" (Gee thanks!) Eevee squealed happily. Brock called back Sudowoodo. "Well Ash, I think this Eevee is perfect for Misty." Brock said. "Not yet it's not." Ash said. "Vee?" (Huh?) Eevee asked confused. Ash pulled the water stone out of his pocket. "So Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon for Misty?" Ash asked.

Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. "Ash wait!" Brock said suddenly. Ash freaked out at Brock's outburst, and tossed the stone into the lake. "Oh no! The water stone!" Ash panicked, "Buizel, I choose you!"

Buizel leaped out of its ball, and dove underwater to retrieve the stone. "C'mon Buizel…get it!" Ash thought. After a few minutes, Buizel hopped out of the water holding a blue stone. "Bui bui!" (Got it!) Buizel said. "Thanks a lot Buizel!" Ash said gratefully. Ash recalled Buizel, and turned to Brock. "Well, what is it?" Ash asked. "You weren't really going to just give Misty a Vaporeon for no reason, were you?" Brock asked disapprovingly. "Uh, yeah. What did you expect?" Ash asked.

"Ash, you can't just give it to her! You have to make it emotionally worth it!" Brock exclaimed passionately. "What are you talking about?" Ash asked densely. "You have to make it count inside her heart!" Brock exclaimed with the same tone as before. "And how do I do that exactly?" Ash asked. "Pi ka." (Good grief.) Pikachu mumbled, watching the pathetic scene.

"Ash…I can't spell everything out for you!" Brock yelled. "Fine, just give me some tips then and I'll figure out the rest!" Ash replied determinedly. "…Ok, let's walk back and I'll explain a few things you could do." Brock finally said. Ash recalled Eevee, and walked back to the Pokémon Center, intently listening to Brock's advice.

"How sweet! The twerp wants to give the red-headed twerpette a Vaporeon as a present!" a voice said from behind a bush. "Quiet Jimmy boy, they'll hear us!" another voice said. "James, Meowth, shut up already!" A female voice said. "Sorry Jessie." James mumbled. "I have to say, the notion is admirable, I support the idea." Jessie said proudly. "Wait, does dat mean dat we won't even try to nab dat there Eevee?" Meowth asked. "Of course not Meowth! We'll let the twerps have their romantic moment…and then we'll nab their soon-to-be Vaporeon for Jessilina!" Jessie exclaimed cheerily. "Sounds great! Only one problem." James said. "Yeah, those two twoips are the best Pokémon battlers in their whole twoipy group, they'll clobber us." Meowth said dejectedly. "And the red-headed twerpette has a Gyarados!" James squeaked.

"Not to worry, we'll just dip into our savings and have Meowth build a robot!" Jessie said. "Whaddya mean our savings? The only ones with savings are me and Meowth! You spent all of your money on that dumb Jessilina outfit!" James yelled angrily. "What did you say?" Jessie screamed furiously. "Aah! W-What I mean is, that even with all of our cash combined we wouldn't have enough to build a robot anyway." James said.

"Then we'll make just an arm, but I want a Vaporeon!" Jessie yelled. "(Sigh) Why even try ta argue?" Meowth mumbled.

Ash's POV

We reached the Pokémon Center after a short walk, and Brock had been filling my mind with ideas, although some of them made me feel a bit weird. Like scooping Misty up bridal-style? I'm not married to her! But I liked the idea of letting Misty be the one to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, I would use that. And styling the Water Stone into a necklace…that one would be awkward, but Brock insisted on it. "Hmm, looks like Misty and Dawn have had enough." Brock said.

"Yeah, well I guess we can do some more training with Turtwig!" I said excitedly. I was about to run inside the center to look for an opponent, when Brock held me back. "Ash, I have one last thing to say." Brock said seriously. "Yeah?" I asked. "When you finally give Eevee to Misty, timing…is everything." Brock said.

"What does that mean?" I asked. "You'll know when the time comes." Brock said. "B-But, what does that mean?" I asked again. Brock walked away without another word. "Brock?" I couldn't believe it; he was just going to leave me hanging! "Timing is everything, what does that mean?"

"Pikapi, pi chu chu pi ka." (Ash, you can do it, I know it.) Pikachu said reassuringly. "Thanks Pikachu, I guess I'll just have to do my best, like a Pokémon Battle!" I said. "Pi pi ka chu!" (That's the spirit!)

I walked into the center, where I was greeted by Dawn, Kenny…and Misty. "Hey Ash, what's up?" Misty asked. "Nothing much, just trying to get the last bit of kinks out of my body." I replied. "How's 'Energy Ball' coming along?" Kenny asked. "We'll get it working eventually. How's your training going Dawn?" I asked. "It's going great! Me and Ambipom have that contest in the bag!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You still have to beat me, Dee Dee." Kenny teased. "You call me 'Dee Dee' one more time, and you won't even get to the contest in one piece!" Dawn threatened. "Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" Kenny panicked. "That's more like it." Dawn spoke with satisfaction, but she still wore a frown.

"Hey Misty, how about helping out me and Turtwig with a little training?" I asked. "Sure Ash, no problem." Misty replied. I ran out with Misty to the battlefield.

Normal POV

"Those two sure are spending a lot of time together, aren't they?" Dawn asked. "Yep, it looks like Ash is really happy to have Misty back." Brock said. "And it looks like Misty isn't exactly sad about it either." Dawn said with a laugh. "Good luck Ash, I get the feeling you'll need it." Brock thought.

Outside at the battlefield, Turtwig was facing off with Politoed.

"Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig concentrated its power, and a small ball of energy materialized in its mouth. "C'mon Turtwig, you can do it!" Ash encouraged. Turtwig managed to get the ball to grow a bit, but it then detonated inside of its mouth, and Turtwig fell onto its back.

"Oh no, Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed. "Tur twig." (Oh man.) Turtwig said dejectedly. "Hey, don't worry Turtwig, sooner or later you're bound to get it! You work too hard not to." Ash encouraged. "Pi pi ka chu pika pika!" (Yeah, you're already getting good!) Pikachu said. "Twig! Tur twig tur!" (Yeah! Let's try again!) Turtwig said excitedly.

"Hey Ash, I'm gonna get an attack in too! Politoed, use 'Double Slap'!" Misty exclaimed. Politoed ran for Turtwig to slap him. "Waah! Turtwig, jump!" Ash exclaimed suddenly. Turtwig leaped into the air to avoid Politoed's attack. "Now I've got you! "Politoed, 'Water Gun' go!" Misty ordered. Politoed managed to turn around and nail Turtwig with a 'Water Gun'.

"Oh no, Turtwig are you alright?" Ash asked. Turtwig nodded. "Alright, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Turtwig launched its attack quickly, and Politoed had no time to react before getting hit. "C'mon Politoed, you can do it!" Misty encouraged. Politoed jumped back into battle-ready stance. "Alright, Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered.

Fueled by the adrenaline rush of the battle, Turtwig managed to create the ball at full size. "Alright, you did it Turtwig! Now fire!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig launched the attack, but it fell well short of the target. "Tur." (Aww.) Turtwig moaned. "That was awesome Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed. "Twig?" (Huh?)

"The way you made that 'Energy Ball' so quickly, that's major improvement!" Ash exclaimed. "Twig, tur tur twig!" (Yeah, I guess it is!) Turtwig said happily. "Take a nice rest, you did great." Ash said. "Twig." (Thanks.) Turtwig returned to its Pokeball, and Misty retuned Politoed on the other end. "I'm impressed Ash. You've really grown into quite the trainer." Misty said.

Ash's hand flew behind his head, and he chuckled. "Thanks Mist, I appreciate you helping out." Ash replied. "Of course, why wouldn't I?" Misty said. Ash's stomach started to rumble, signaling its never-ending alarm of hunger.

"You haven't had lunch yet, have you Ash?" Misty asked playfully. "Heh, I guess not." Ash replied sheepishly. Pikachu sweat-dropped. "Well, now is as good a time as any." Misty said, offering her hand. Ash accepted, and they walked into the center with Pikachu close behind.

"Aww, how cute!" Jessie gushed from behind a bush. "When are we gonna make our move?" Meowth asked impatiently. "Did you get our robot done yet?" Jessie hissed. "It needs a few more adjustments, but it should be done soon." James said. "Then we'll make our move when it's done. In the meantime, just keep an eye on them!" Jessie whispered.

After a quick lunch, and a few more training sessions and friendly battles, the sun began to set, showing off a grand display of oranges, reds, and yellows. "The sunset is just so beautiful." Dawn said. "Yeah…I think I'll go for a walk. It's been too long since I had some 'mother/child' time with Azurill." Misty said using air-quotes.

Misty called out Azurill, who squealed happily in Misty's arms. "C'mon Azurill, let's go for a walk." Misty said sweetly. "Azu!" (Yay!) Misty walked out the doors of the Pokémon Center.

Misty's POV

"It's so beautiful out here, isn't it Azurill?" I said dreamily. "Azu." (Yeah.) "You know, Ash has changed so much…as hard as it to believe, he's actually matured in so many ways. The way he battles, the way he treats and trains his Pokémon, the way he treats his friends…even the way he treats…me." I blushed just thinking about it.

I carried Azurill all the way to the lake, and just stared at the sunset's reflection on the water while Azurill splashed around.

Ash's POV

"Hey Dawn, where'd Misty go?" I asked. "She went out for a walk with Azurill, the beauty of the sunset was just too much to resist!" Dawn squealed. "Uh, sure." I replied. Out of the blue, something Brock had told me reached my mind. "Timing…is everything."

It was so perfect! The "beautiful" sunset that Dawn had mentioned was something that Misty would love! And she would probably be near her favorite thing: water! The time was now!

I ran out of the Pokémon Center leaving a very confused Dawn behind, and took off in the direction of the lake. When I finally got close enough to see her and stay out of earshot, I called out Eevee.

"Ee vee!" (Hi!) Eevee squealed. I shushed Eevee, so that Misty wouldn't hear. "Ok Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon?" I asked. "Ee ee vee!" (I sure am!) Eevee said excitedly. "Ok, then just sit tight in your Pokeball, we're going in." I said, calling Eevee back. I quietly walked up to Misty.

"Hey Mist." I said quietly. "Aaah! Ash, you idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Misty panicked. I backed up a few steps, holding my hands up in defense. "Sorry Misty, I didn't mean to scare you." I apologized. Misty seemed to calm down a bit, but her frown didn't disappear. I sat down next to her, and was relieved when she didn't object.

"Hey Misty, have I told you how glad I am to have you back with me?" I asked. I saw a small smile emerge on her face. "Several times Ash." Misty replied. "But you know, I've been thinking…you gave me your handkerchief so that I had something to remember you by."

"Yeah, what's your point?" Misty asked. "I realized that since you're back now, I don't really need it anymore." I said. I took my hat off and handed her the handkerchief, which for some reason she took rather harshly.

Misty's POV

"Oh swell, he doesn't even want the stupid thing anymore! Well fine then!" I snatched it out of his hand and got up to leave with Azurill. But I was held back when Ash grabbed my hands. "Misty, you gave me something of yours as a memento, but no souvenir could take the place of you actually being here."

I suddenly lost my rage and blushed. "You know, I never gave you anything to thank you for coming back with me." Ash said. "Oh, Ash, you don't have to get me anything, I'm just glad to be here." I replied, trying to control my blush. I called back Azurill and began to walk back to the center, but Ash stopped me again.

"Misty, how many Pokémon do you have with you?" Ash asked. "Um, five…why?" I asked. Ash handed me a Pokeball, and I looked at him in curiosity. "Go ahead Mist." Ash said. I tossed out the Pokeball, and an Eevee popped out of it and hopped into my arms affectionately. "Um, thanks Ash." I replied, stroking the little Pokémon's fur. "Don't thank me yet." Ash said.

Ok, what was he up to? And…why was I not able to figure it out before it happened? Ash walked up behind me, and placed something around my neck, which made me blush furiously. I looked down, and gasped quietly at the stone around my neck. "A-Ash…is this…what I think it is?" I whispered. "You said that you always wanted a Vaporeon, this is just something to say…thanks." Ash said sheepishly.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes. What Ash just did was so touching, I wasn't sure why I was still surprised by this, since I knew how much Ash had matured, but that didn't stop me from crying.

"Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked, thinking my tears meant sadness. With Eevee still in my arms, I hugged him tightly and cried happily over his shoulder. "T-Thank you Ash…I love it so much."

Ash wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly, which made me cry more. Eevee hopped out of my arms to avoid getting squished and watched us. I was just so happy, I was going to have my dream Pokémon, and it was all because of Ash. "It's not over yet Mist; you still have one thing left to do." Ash said softly. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and took off the necklace. "Ready Eevee?" I asked softly, my voice still a little tender from crying.

Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. Eevee began to glow white, and it emerged as a Vaporeon. When it finished evolving, it rubbed against my leg affectionately, and I gave it a tight hug.

"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into water as well." I heard Ash's Pokedex say. "Thanks again Ash."

All of a sudden, a giant arm appeared from nowhere and grabbed Vaporeon right from my arms. "Va po!" (Help!) Vaporeon cried. "Aah! Vaporeon!" I screamed. "What's going on?" Ash yelled.

"Listen, is that the voice of two lovebirds I hear?" a voice said.

"Oh no, not them." I thought.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear." Another voice said.

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now that's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"You guys have some nerve taking away Ash's present to me!" I screamed furiously. "Actually, we found the whole scene quite touching!" James exclaimed from the robot arm. "Yeah, I got all choked up!" Meowth exclaimed sincerely. "I'm actually quite happy for you two, but that won't stop me from taking your Vaporeon!" Jessie yelled. "If you guys think that I'm just going to let you take away Misty's present, you're out of your mind!" Ash yelled. "Fine kid, you wanna fight, you got one!" Meowth yelled. The arm started flinging sand at me and Ash, which he shielded me from with his body. "Misty calls Gyarados!" I called out my water dragon, who gave a frightening roar. "Aaah! It's her Gyarados!" James screeched.

"Keep it together James! It can't hurt us in here! We've got their Vaporeon!" Jessie pointed out. "Oh yeah! You hear that twerps? Anything you hit us with will hit your Pokémon!" James laughed. "Misty, tell Gyarados to use 'Hydro Pump'!" Ash told me. "But Ash, we'll hit Vaporeon!" I replied.

"Just trust me Misty! Tell it to attack!" Ash repeated sternly. All I could do was hope that Ash knew what he was doing. "Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!"

Gyarados fired its attack, and Team Rocket adjusted the robot's angle so that the attack would hit Vaporeon. I was worried, but Ash had a smirk on his face. "Vaporeon, use your 'Acid Armor'!" Ash yelled. My heart lifted with joy as I realized what Ash had in mind. Vaporeon took the hit from the 'Hydro Pump' and dissolved into the water, then rematerialized on the ground, and ran to me.

"Aaah! Where did it go?" Jessie yelled. "Doesn't matter now, Gyarados, use 'Hyper Beam'!" I exclaimed. Gyarados fired the ultra-powerful beam at the robot, and with a screaming Team Rocket, the robot blew up. But instead of blasting off, they landed on the ground painfully.

Normal POV

"I'm not giving up my Vaporeon like that!" Jessie yelled. "You mean MY Vaporeon you creep!" Misty yelled. "I won't be bothered by unimportant details! Dustox, let's go! Use Poison Sting!"

"Carnivine, let's go!" Carnivine popped out of its ball, and turned around to give James a painful bite of affection. "Forget me! "Use 'Bullet Seed' on the twerps!"

Dustox and Carnivine fired their attacks at Ash and Misty, which headed towards them at high speed. "Misty, Vaporeon can use 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed. "Really? Alright then Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered.

Vaporeon fired a ball of ghostly, black energy, which cut right through the 'Bullet Seed' and 'Poison Sting'. "Hey, that's not fair! Dustox, use 'Whirlwind'!" Jessie ordered. Dustox flapped its wings, possibly a bit too hard, as it also affected Team Rocket, and almost lifted Jessie into the air. "Not so hard Dustox!" Jessie screamed.

"Let's end this now! Gyarados, use 'Flamethrower' and Vaporeon use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty yelled. The two Pokémon fired, causing Team Rocket to finally blast off.

"Oh great, our savings went for nothing." James moaned. "Look on the bright side!" Jessie said cheerfully. "What bright side? We're blastin' off with nuthin' to show for it!" Meowth yelled. "Thanks to Dustox, I got an idea on what to do for the contest tomorrow!" Jessie exclaimed. "Oh great, but in the meantime…" Meowth paused.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket screamed. "Wobbuffet!" *Ping*

"Alright! Way to go Gyarados! And of course, you did great Vaporeon!" Misty cheered. Gyarados roared in celebration, and Vaporeon rubbed against Misty's leg. "Wow, it's dark already Mist, we should probably get back before the gang gets worried." Ash said. Misty recalled Gyarados, and almost recalled Vaporeon, but she stopped herself.

"Ash, I don't think I can ever repay you for this." Misty said quietly. "Mist, the way you can repay me, is to just be yourself and train that Vaporeon like the water-type master you are!" Ash exclaimed. "I will, I promise!" Misty squeaked. She hugged Ash again, and then gave him a peck on the cheek.

"So, shall we walk? Or take Charizard?" Ash asked. "You know, I don't think I'm in any rush to get back." Misty said with a smile. Ash smiled back and took Misty's hand, and started the walk back to the center, with Vaporeon walking by their side.

"Ash and Misty! Where have you two been?" Dawn asked angrily, as they walked through the doors of the center. "Pi pi plup pi plup?" (Don't you know what time it is?) Piplup added. Brock was about to scold them further, when he noticed the Vaporeon sitting next to the couple. "It's ok Dawn, just relax." Brock said calmly.

Dawn gave a huff, and went back to the table they were sitting at. "So, who's this?" Brock asked. "This is the Vaporeon that Ash gave to me!" Misty squealed. "Really? What moves can it use?" Brock asked. "Well, it used 'Shadow Ball' and 'Acid Armor' against Team Rocket but…" Misty was cut-off by a shocked Brock.

"Team Rocket? Is that why you guys were out for so long?" Brock asked. "Uh, yeah. They showed up right after Vaporeon evolved from Eevee." Ash said. "Well, I'm just glad you two are alright." Brock said. "Oh my gosh! Misty where…or should I say when did you get such a beautiful Vaporeon?" Dawn gushed, petting Vaporeon on its head. "Actually, Ash gave it to me a little while ago." Misty said.

"Really? That's so sweet!" Dawn gushed again. Ash and Misty blushed. "Well, come on guys, let's get some dinner and head to bed, we have a long day tomorrow." Brock said. "Brock's right, c'mon Ash!" Misty said happily. "Uh, I'll catch up with you in a minute." Ash said. Misty shrugged, and ran to the Pokémon Center cafeteria with her new Vaporeon.

"Well Ash, looks like ol' Brock was right after all." Brock gloated. "Yeah, thanks Brock, you were right when you said that timing was everything." Ash said. "Made all the difference to Misty, didn't it?" Brock asked knowingly. "Not just that Brocko." Ash said. "What do you mean?" Brock asked. "Team Rocket couldn't have timed their attack worse." Ash said with a laugh.

Ash ran off to the cafeteria, leaving a confused Brock in his dust.

After dinner, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn went up to their respective rooms to sleep. "Pika pika, pi ka chu Pikapi." (I'm really proud of you Ash.) Pikachu said, as Ash got ready for bed. "Thanks Pikachu, I'm kinda proud of myself too." Ash replied. "Pika chu chu pi ka." (You should be.) Pikachu said.

"(Yawn) Hey Ash." Misty said, walking in from the bathroom where she changed into her pajamas. "Hey Mist." Ash said. Misty crawled under the covers, followed by Ash and Pikachu. "Hey Misty, aren't you going to put Vaporeon into her Pokeball?" Ash asked, noticing that Vaporeon was sleeping at the foot of the bed in front of Misty.

"Nah, I'll let her sleep with us tonight, lets a trainer connect with her Pokémon, you know?" Misty replied. "Yeah, I get it." Ash said with a smile. Misty sighed with contentment as she snuggled up to Ash. "You know Ash, these past few days with you have been better than those two years we spent together." Misty said. "Yeah, I think so too Mist, your timing to come back couldn't have been better." Ash said.

"And I promise, Vaporeon will be well taken care of." Misty whispered. "I know that. She's got a water Pokémon master raising her." Ash said. Misty blushed at the compliment, and cuddled closer to Ash. "I love you Ash, thank you so much." Misty whispered. "I love you too Mist, you're welcome." Ash replied in the same tone. And with that, Misty fell asleep.

"I guess the advice Brock gave me works in more than one way…timing really is everything."
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has done it again! If you all will go back and see the first couple of pictures she's drawn, you'll be able to see just how much she's improved since the day she started illustrating my story, and it's mind-boggling how good she's gotten! Now I want all of you to go to her page and comment on the pic! Cheer her on! We want more right? Let's tell her! Go Mel go!

Description
Chapter 11

Ash's POV

I woke up to find that Misty was already awake and dressed in her regular clothes, watching a TV show with the volume down. She looked over to me and smiled. "Morning Ash, how do you feel?" she asked. "Morning Mist, I'm still a little sore, but I feel a lot better now than yesterday." I replied. "Good to hear, you wanna go get some breakfast?" she asked.

Now this got me excited, I was starving since I didn't eat dinner yesterday. "Oh yeah, let's go! C'mon Pikachu!" I said instinctively. I looked around the room and noticed that Pikachu wasn't there. "Ash, Pikachu slept with Brock and Dawn last night." Misty said. "Oh yeah…I forgot." I said sheepishly with my hand behind my head.

Misty giggled. "Well get dressed and we'll head down. Brock, Dawn, and probably Kenny are eating already. "Hey yeah! Kenny still has to teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'!" I exclaimed excitedly. I slipped on my vest and walked out the door, with Misty walking beside me.

"Hey guys!" I exclaimed, as we met our friends in the cafeteria. "Pikapi!" (Ash!) Pikachu said happily. "Hey Pikachu, how are ya?" I asked. "Pika pika chu)" (I'm alright, you?) "Hey big guy, how ya feeling?" Brock asked. Now I could answer both questions at once. "Still sore, but I'm ready to go!" I replied. "Well that's good, now I can teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny said. "Sounds good to me, but first…I need to chow down!" I said excitedly.

Normal POV

Ash ran to the cafeteria line, leaving the rest of the group alone. "Pi ka." (Oh boy.) Pikachu said exasperatedly. "Don't be too hard on him Pikachu, he didn't eat dinner yesterday, remember?" Misty said. "Pi pi Pikachupi." (You're right Misty.) Pikachu said, hopping onto Misty's shoulder. "Boy, just yesterday he couldn't walk without cringing in pain. Now, he's moving like nothing happened." Kenny said.

"That's just Ash. His determination and will never lets him stay down for long." Misty said in admiration. Ash came back with a huge plate of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns. "This should hold me over until lunch!" Ash said excitedly. "I'll never understand how you can eat so much and stay thin." Brock said. "Probably all the training I do with my Pokémon. I keep them in shape, and they keep me in shape." Ash figured. "Pi pi ka chu!" (You said it!) Pikachu agreed while pouring ketchup on his Pokechow.

"I'm gonna go get my breakfast now." Misty said, getting up from the table. "I'll come with you! I wanna tell you what I have planned now that Ambipom has evolved!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well, I'll get Breloom ready outside, I'll be waiting gang." Kenny said, walking off. "See you in a bit Kenny." Brock said.

"So, Ash. Can you tell me now?" Brock asked. Ash sighed and finally gave in. "Look, all I did was show Daisy how much fun battling was. She didn't need Misty there anymore after that."

"Wow, that's pretty clever, especially for you." Brock said, impressed. Ash gave a small smirk before diving back into his meal. "You know, you should probably give Misty a present or something. Just to show your appreciation." Brock suggested. Ash choked a bit, and then replied. "But Brock, what could I give her? I mean, there's nothing I have that she would want."

"I actually have an idea about that. You interested?" Brock asked. "Quit acting like a salesman Brock, just tell me!" Ash exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Fine, I heard Misty tell Dawn that her favorite Pokémon was Tentacool and Tentacruel…" Brock said. "There's a shock." Ash said, cutting off Brock.

"But…she mentioned that she had always wanted a Vaporeon." Brock continued. "You know, I think I remember her mentioning that when we found Mikey's Eevee a couple of years back." Ash said. "Oh look, the brain of Ash Ketchum finally kicks in." Brock joked. "Ignoring that…where would I find a Vaporeon though?" Ash asked. "That's the hard part. Maybe you could evolve an Eevee or something." Brock suggested.

"But Brock, I don't have an Eevee, not even with Prof. Oak." Ash said. "Look, Ash, maybe you can trade for one…I can't give you all the answers!" Brock exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Then why did you give me the idea?" Ash asked in the same tone. "Because I wanted to help you guys!" Brock said simply. "(Sigh) Maybe I can trade one of my Tauros?" Ash asked. "Now you're thinking. Go find a trainer who has an Eevee with him!" Brock said.

"Sure Brock, after I finish breakfast." Ash said simply. Brock gave a satisfied chuckle. "Fair enough." Misty returned with Dawn and Pikachu, who hopped from Misty's shoulder to Ash's shoulder. "So what did we miss?" Dawn asked. "Nothing much." Ash said without looking up. "What's wrong Ash?" Misty asked. "N-Nothing!" Ash exclaimed suddenly. "I…uh…I-I'm going to go…call my mom." Ash stammered.

Ash got up from the table and ran off towards a videophone. "Now what do I- wait! I have another idea!" Ash thought to himself.

Misty's POV

Ash ran off, looking really frazzled. I had to wonder what was wrong. "Ash probably swallowed something the wrong way." Brock said with a chuckle. Brock was the first-aid expert of the group, so if he wasn't worried, I guess I could relax. But something in the back of my mind said otherwise.

Ash's POV

"Hello again Ash, what can I do for you this time?" Prof. Oak said over the videophone. "Hey Professor, can I make a temporary exchange?" I asked. "Sure, who do you want, and who are you sending me?" Prof. Oak asked. "I'm sending you Staravia, and I want you to send me one of my Tauros." I replied. "Ok, put the Pokeball in the slot, and I'll make the exchange." Prof. Oak said. Within a matter of moments, I had one of my Tauros in my hands.

"Thanks Professor, I'll call again later for Staravia." I said. "Ok then Ash. Talk to you later." Prof. Oak said before hanging up. Once the dial-tone returned, I called an old friend who could probably help me.

"Hello?" the person said. "Mikey, that you? It's Ash." I said. "Oh, hey Ash! Good to hear from you after so long!" Mikey exclaimed. "Yeah, it has been a while. How are you and Eevee doing?" I asked. "We're doing really great! Eevee's gotten really strong; we actually managed to beat my brothers a whole bunch of times!" Mikey said happily. "Good to hear…hey, can I ask a small favor?" I asked, hoping he could help.

"Sure, what is it?" Mikey asked. "Well…um…have you or any of your brother's Pokémon…like…had a baby or something?" I asked awkwardly. "You mean, you wanted to know if any of our Pokémon have bred yet." Mikey asked. "Yeah…that." I replied. "Actually, my Eevee and Rainer's Vaporeon recently had an egg that hatched about three months ago. Why do you ask?" Mikey asked, now curious.

I decided to tell him what it was I wanted, and a grin appeared on his face, that continued to grow until his face couldn't stretch anymore as I told the story. "So, you and Misty got together…well, as long as it's for the right reason." Mikey said with a grin. "Well, I have a Tauros I could offer you." I said. "Cool! I've wanted a Pokémon that could help Eevee's 'Take Down' get stronger!" Mikey said excitedly.

"Cool…hey…wait a sec, are your brothers cool with this?" I asked. "Oh please, I'm the only one who takes care of the poor thing! They only want to make sure they never lose to me and Eevee again." Mikey said with a laugh. "Oh alright, well…ready for the trade?" I asked hopefully. "Yeah, I've got the younger Eevee's Pokeball right here." Mikey said.

Within a matter of moments, Tauros was sent to Mikey, and I received the young Eevee. "Alright! I got an Eevee for Misty!" I exclaimed proudly. "Hold on a sec Ash, you said you wanted to give her a Vaporeon right?" Mikey asked. "Yeah, why?" I replied. "Well, Eevee won't evolve without a Water Stone!" Mikey reminded me. I did a face-fault. "Don't worry buddy, I'll send you a Water Stone now." Mikey said.

"Thanks a lot man! I owe you one!" I said happily. "Anything to make Misty happy, she's the one who helped me decide what to do with Eevee, remember?" Mikey said with a smile. "Yeah…Mist is something else alright." I said dreamily. Mikey sent over the Water Stone, and I thanked him heartily.

"No problem Ash, well I gotta go, give Misty my best!" Mikey said. "Seeya Mikey, I will, don't worry!" I replied. "Alright, now that I have an Eevee, I'll have to decide when to give it to her." I thought. I was jarred from my thoughts when Misty snuck up from behind and ambushed me into a hug. "Waaah!...Geez Misty, warn a guy will ya?" I said, trying to breath regularly. "Where's the fun in that?" Misty replied playfully. "Is Kenny still out there?" I asked, trying to hide any nervousness of getting caught.

"Yeah, he's there, but he may fall asleep if you don't get out there now." Misty said with a smirk. "Alright, let's get going!" I exclaimed. I ran outside with Misty by my side, and found Kenny on the verge of passing out.

Normal POV

"Took you long enough." Kenny said, faking a yawn. "Sorry, I had something to do, but now I'm ready! Turtwig, come on out!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig popped out of its ball, ready to train. "Alright Turtwig, ready to learn 'Energy Ball'?" Ash asked excitedly. "Twig!" (Yeah!) Turtwig replied. "Alright, Turtwig, you have to focus all your energy into your leaves in order to get the power you need!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Tur twig!" (Got it!) "Alright, Turtwig, 'Energy Ball'!" Turtwig concentrated its energy, and the two leaves on its head started to glow as a ball of energy began to grow in its mouth, but then detonated, knocking Turtwig onto its back. "Oh no, Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed with concern. Ash picked up Turtwig and asked if it was ok.

"I think we should work on just keeping the 'Energy Ball' in form for now." Kenny suggested. Ash agreed. "Hey don't worry Turtwig, nothing wrong with taking it slow." Ash said. "You must be a different Ash, because the Ash I knew would be in a big rush to learn a new move." Misty teased. Ash put his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "But Turtwig does already have a handle on concentrating hard, which is half of the battle." Kenny explained. Breloom agreed.

"Thanks Kenny, but hey, I don't want to hold you up too long, you probably have to get back to your training right? After all, the contest is tomorrow." Ash said. "Yeah, that's right. And it's obvious that Dawn's working REALLY hard." Kenny said.

"Hey guys! Come on over here! I want to show you what I'm working on with Ambipom!" Dawn called. Ash, Misty, and Kenny walked over to where Dawn was training. "Alright, watch this! Ambipom, use 'Swift'!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom did a handstand, and started spinning around with its tails upright.

Stars started flying as Ambipom continued to spin, and they collided in a colorful and grand display. "Wow! That's awesome Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "It's like being inside of a rainbow!" Misty added. "That's so pretty!" Dawn exclaimed, "You earned this Ambipom, enjoy!" Dawn handed Ambipom one of her homemade poffins, which Ambipom eagerly ate.

Dawn's other Pokémon walked up to her, wanting their own share of Dawn's tasty treats. Dawn turned around holding three more poffins. "Here you go; it's my way of thanking you all for working so hard." Dawn said, handing Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu their own poffins.

"Dawn, 'Rainbow Swift' was one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!" Misty exclaimed. "You sure gave it your all, didn't you Ambipom?" Dawn asked knowingly. "Ambi pom." (Sure did.) Ambipom said, making a circle with her tails, which was her symbol for friendship.

"I've been thinking…we didn't do very well in the Hearthome Contest because we got way too involved in double performances. But this time it's just Ambipom and me and we're going to work on showing off one move as much as we can!" Dawn declared. "Good strategy Dawn, and I think Ambipom is right with you." Brock said. Ambipom flipped into a handstand, keeping the symbol formed.

"Yeah, thanks! So whaddya say Ambipom? Once more from the top?" Dawn asked. Ambipom began doing back flips, happily agreeing with Dawn's suggestion. Ash walked over to Brock and motioned him to follow. "Where are you going Ash?" Misty asked. "I'm just gonna take a walk." Ash replied. "I'll go with you Ash." Brock said, taking the hint. "You want me to come too?" Misty asked. "No! I need someone to battle with!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash laughed. "Well Misty, looks like you'll be busy for a while." Ash said.

"I…guess so. See you later Ash." Misty said, slightly disappointed. "Pika Pikachupi." (Bye Misty.) Misty called out Staryu, and got to helping Dawn with her training.

Brock's POV

"Where the heck is Ash taking me? It must be important if he stopped a battle for it." Ash took me to an isolated area close to the lake, and then pulled out a Pokeball. "Ash, if you wanted to battle me, we could've done it at the center." I said. Ash tossed out the ball, and my jaw dropped when I saw an Eevee emerge. It squealed with glee, and hopped into Ash's arms. "Uh, hi there little guy." Ash said with a smile.

"Ash…where…I mean how…when did you get that?" I asked in shock. "I called Mikey, I hoped he could help me, and I got lucky." Ash said. "You mean…you got a young Eevee from Mikey from Kanto?" I asked. "That's pretty much what happened." Ash replied. The Eevee hopped out of Ash's arms, and hopped into mine affectionately. "You know Ash; this little guy is actually a girl." I explained. "Really? How can you tell?" Ash asked.

"Just something a breeder knows." I replied. Eevee hopped out of my arms, and started carrying a conversation with its new friend: Pikachu. "So, do you know what Eevee can do?" I asked. "No, I guess I should find out though." Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex. "Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into one of seven different Pokémon." the Pokedex said. "Ok, now find out what moves it can use." I said.

Ash pushed some buttons on his Pokedex, and it beeped to signal the completion of its analysis. "The moves that this Eevee can use are: 'Quick Attack', and 'Shadow Ball'." it beeped. "Awesome! Eevee knows 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed. "That must mean that Mikey's Eevee learned 'Shadow Ball', and this Eevee inherited it." I said.

"Well whaddya say we see what you got Eevee?" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Ee vee ee!" (I can't wait!) Eevee squealed, rubbing against Ash's leg affectionately.

"Oh boy, I hope this doesn't turn out like the whole Chikorita and Bayleef situation."

Misty's POV

"Staryu, use 'Water Gun'!" Staryu launched a high-powered stream of water at Ambipom. I must have been battling with Dawn for at least a half-hour. "Ambipom, make your friendship symbol!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom did a handstand and put its tails in a circle, letting the 'Water Gun' fly right through.

"That looks really good!" Dawn exclaimed. It wasn't that Dawn was bad company or anything, but I was getting kind of bored of being Dawn's "battling" partner. There wasn't even a real battle, it was just me and my Pokémon firing off different attacks, and letting Dawn figure out how Ambipom could use it to their advantage.

I wished that I knew where Ash was, something had to be bugging him, because he wasn't acting like himself, not even like the new him. He was too uptight, too jumpy. But out of courtesy for Dawn and her contest, I couldn't go find out. I was stuck until Dawn finally had enough. And since Kenny was on the field next to us, I don't think she would stop anytime soon. What did she have to prove anyway?

Normal POV

"Eevee, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed. Eevee fired a black ball of energy at its opponent. "Sudowoodo, dodge and then use 'Double Edge'!" Brock countered. Sudowoodo leaped out of the way, and charged towards Eevee for a hard tackle. "Eevee, dodge it with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash exclaimed. Eevee ran out of the way of Sudowoodo's 'Double Edge' and turned around to strike its back.

"That was awesome Eevee!" Ash exclaimed. "Pi pi ka chu!" (Yeah, that rocked!) "Ee ee!" (Gee thanks!) Eevee squealed happily. Brock called back Sudowoodo. "Well Ash, I think this Eevee is perfect for Misty." Brock said. "Not yet it's not." Ash said. "Vee?" (Huh?) Eevee asked confused. Ash pulled the water stone out of his pocket. "So Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon for Misty?" Ash asked.

Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. "Ash wait!" Brock said suddenly. Ash freaked out at Brock's outburst, and tossed the stone into the lake. "Oh no! The water stone!" Ash panicked, "Buizel, I choose you!"

Buizel leaped out of its ball, and dove underwater to retrieve the stone. "C'mon Buizel…get it!" Ash thought. After a few minutes, Buizel hopped out of the water holding a blue stone. "Bui bui!" (Got it!) Buizel said. "Thanks a lot Buizel!" Ash said gratefully. Ash recalled Buizel, and turned to Brock. "Well, what is it?" Ash asked. "You weren't really going to just give Misty a Vaporeon for no reason, were you?" Brock asked disapprovingly. "Uh, yeah. What did you expect?" Ash asked.

"Ash, you can't just give it to her! You have to make it emotionally worth it!" Brock exclaimed passionately. "What are you talking about?" Ash asked densely. "You have to make it count inside her heart!" Brock exclaimed with the same tone as before. "And how do I do that exactly?" Ash asked. "Pi ka." (Good grief.) Pikachu mumbled, watching the pathetic scene.

"Ash…I can't spell everything out for you!" Brock yelled. "Fine, just give me some tips then and I'll figure out the rest!" Ash replied determinedly. "…Ok, let's walk back and I'll explain a few things you could do." Brock finally said. Ash recalled Eevee, and walked back to the Pokémon Center, intently listening to Brock's advice.

"How sweet! The twerp wants to give the red-headed twerpette a Vaporeon as a present!" a voice said from behind a bush. "Quiet Jimmy boy, they'll hear us!" another voice said. "James, Meowth, shut up already!" A female voice said. "Sorry Jessie." James mumbled. "I have to say, the notion is admirable, I support the idea." Jessie said proudly. "Wait, does dat mean dat we won't even try to nab dat there Eevee?" Meowth asked. "Of course not Meowth! We'll let the twerps have their romantic moment…and then we'll nab their soon-to-be Vaporeon for Jessilina!" Jessie exclaimed cheerily. "Sounds great! Only one problem." James said. "Yeah, those two twoips are the best Pokémon battlers in their whole twoipy group, they'll clobber us." Meowth said dejectedly. "And the red-headed twerpette has a Gyarados!" James squeaked.

"Not to worry, we'll just dip into our savings and have Meowth build a robot!" Jessie said. "Whaddya mean our savings? The only ones with savings are me and Meowth! You spent all of your money on that dumb Jessilina outfit!" James yelled angrily. "What did you say?" Jessie screamed furiously. "Aah! W-What I mean is, that even with all of our cash combined we wouldn't have enough to build a robot anyway." James said.

"Then we'll make just an arm, but I want a Vaporeon!" Jessie yelled. "(Sigh) Why even try ta argue?" Meowth mumbled.

Ash's POV

We reached the Pokémon Center after a short walk, and Brock had been filling my mind with ideas, although some of them made me feel a bit weird. Like scooping Misty up bridal-style? I'm not married to her! But I liked the idea of letting Misty be the one to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, I would use that. And styling the Water Stone into a necklace…that one would be awkward, but Brock insisted on it. "Hmm, looks like Misty and Dawn have had enough." Brock said.

"Yeah, well I guess we can do some more training with Turtwig!" I said excitedly. I was about to run inside the center to look for an opponent, when Brock held me back. "Ash, I have one last thing to say." Brock said seriously. "Yeah?" I asked. "When you finally give Eevee to Misty, timing…is everything." Brock said.

"What does that mean?" I asked. "You'll know when the time comes." Brock said. "B-But, what does that mean?" I asked again. Brock walked away without another word. "Brock?" I couldn't believe it; he was just going to leave me hanging! "Timing is everything, what does that mean?"

"Pikapi, pi chu chu pi ka." (Ash, you can do it, I know it.) Pikachu said reassuringly. "Thanks Pikachu, I guess I'll just have to do my best, like a Pokémon Battle!" I said. "Pi pi ka chu!" (That's the spirit!)

I walked into the center, where I was greeted by Dawn, Kenny…and Misty. "Hey Ash, what's up?" Misty asked. "Nothing much, just trying to get the last bit of kinks out of my body." I replied. "How's 'Energy Ball' coming along?" Kenny asked. "We'll get it working eventually. How's your training going Dawn?" I asked. "It's going great! Me and Ambipom have that contest in the bag!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You still have to beat me, Dee Dee." Kenny teased. "You call me 'Dee Dee' one more time, and you won't even get to the contest in one piece!" Dawn threatened. "Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" Kenny panicked. "That's more like it." Dawn spoke with satisfaction, but she still wore a frown.

"Hey Misty, how about helping out me and Turtwig with a little training?" I asked. "Sure Ash, no problem." Misty replied. I ran out with Misty to the battlefield.

Normal POV

"Those two sure are spending a lot of time together, aren't they?" Dawn asked. "Yep, it looks like Ash is really happy to have Misty back." Brock said. "And it looks like Misty isn't exactly sad about it either." Dawn said with a laugh. "Good luck Ash, I get the feeling you'll need it." Brock thought.

Outside at the battlefield, Turtwig was facing off with Politoed.

"Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig concentrated its power, and a small ball of energy materialized in its mouth. "C'mon Turtwig, you can do it!" Ash encouraged. Turtwig managed to get the ball to grow a bit, but it then detonated inside of its mouth, and Turtwig fell onto its back.

"Oh no, Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed. "Tur twig." (Oh man.) Turtwig said dejectedly. "Hey, don't worry Turtwig, sooner or later you're bound to get it! You work too hard not to." Ash encouraged. "Pi pi ka chu pika pika!" (Yeah, you're already getting good!) Pikachu said. "Twig! Tur twig tur!" (Yeah! Let's try again!) Turtwig said excitedly.

"Hey Ash, I'm gonna get an attack in too! Politoed, use 'Double Slap'!" Misty exclaimed. Politoed ran for Turtwig to slap him. "Waah! Turtwig, jump!" Ash exclaimed suddenly. Turtwig leaped into the air to avoid Politoed's attack. "Now I've got you! "Politoed, 'Water Gun' go!" Misty ordered. Politoed managed to turn around and nail Turtwig with a 'Water Gun'.

"Oh no, Turtwig are you alright?" Ash asked. Turtwig nodded. "Alright, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Turtwig launched its attack quickly, and Politoed had no time to react before getting hit. "C'mon Politoed, you can do it!" Misty encouraged. Politoed jumped back into battle-ready stance. "Alright, Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered.

Fueled by the adrenaline rush of the battle, Turtwig managed to create the ball at full size. "Alright, you did it Turtwig! Now fire!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig launched the attack, but it fell well short of the target. "Tur." (Aww.) Turtwig moaned. "That was awesome Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed. "Twig?" (Huh?)

"The way you made that 'Energy Ball' so quickly, that's major improvement!" Ash exclaimed. "Twig, tur tur twig!" (Yeah, I guess it is!) Turtwig said happily. "Take a nice rest, you did great." Ash said. "Twig." (Thanks.) Turtwig returned to its Pokeball, and Misty retuned Politoed on the other end. "I'm impressed Ash. You've really grown into quite the trainer." Misty said.

Ash's hand flew behind his head, and he chuckled. "Thanks Mist, I appreciate you helping out." Ash replied. "Of course, why wouldn't I?" Misty said. Ash's stomach started to rumble, signaling its never-ending alarm of hunger.

"You haven't had lunch yet, have you Ash?" Misty asked playfully. "Heh, I guess not." Ash replied sheepishly. Pikachu sweat-dropped. "Well, now is as good a time as any." Misty said, offering her hand. Ash accepted, and they walked into the center with Pikachu close behind.

"Aww, how cute!" Jessie gushed from behind a bush. "When are we gonna make our move?" Meowth asked impatiently. "Did you get our robot done yet?" Jessie hissed. "It needs a few more adjustments, but it should be done soon." James said. "Then we'll make our move when it's done. In the meantime, just keep an eye on them!" Jessie whispered.

After a quick lunch, and a few more training sessions and friendly battles, the sun began to set, showing off a grand display of oranges, reds, and yellows. "The sunset is just so beautiful." Dawn said. "Yeah…I think I'll go for a walk. It's been too long since I had some 'mother/child' time with Azurill." Misty said using air-quotes.

Misty called out Azurill, who squealed happily in Misty's arms. "C'mon Azurill, let's go for a walk." Misty said sweetly. "Azu!" (Yay!) Misty walked out the doors of the Pokémon Center.

Misty's POV

"It's so beautiful out here, isn't it Azurill?" I said dreamily. "Azu." (Yeah.) "You know, Ash has changed so much…as hard as it to believe, he's actually matured in so many ways. The way he battles, the way he treats and trains his Pokémon, the way he treats his friends…even the way he treats…me." I blushed just thinking about it.

I carried Azurill all the way to the lake, and just stared at the sunset's reflection on the water while Azurill splashed around.

Ash's POV

"Hey Dawn, where'd Misty go?" I asked. "She went out for a walk with Azurill, the beauty of the sunset was just too much to resist!" Dawn squealed. "Uh, sure." I replied. Out of the blue, something Brock had told me reached my mind. "Timing…is everything."

It was so perfect! The "beautiful" sunset that Dawn had mentioned was something that Misty would love! And she would probably be near her favorite thing: water! The time was now!

I ran out of the Pokémon Center leaving a very confused Dawn behind, and took off in the direction of the lake. When I finally got close enough to see her and stay out of earshot, I called out Eevee.

"Ee vee!" (Hi!) Eevee squealed. I shushed Eevee, so that Misty wouldn't hear. "Ok Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon?" I asked. "Ee ee vee!" (I sure am!) Eevee said excitedly. "Ok, then just sit tight in your Pokeball, we're going in." I said, calling Eevee back. I quietly walked up to Misty.

"Hey Mist." I said quietly. "Aaah! Ash, you idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Misty panicked. I backed up a few steps, holding my hands up in defense. "Sorry Misty, I didn't mean to scare you." I apologized. Misty seemed to calm down a bit, but her frown didn't disappear. I sat down next to her, and was relieved when she didn't object.

"Hey Misty, have I told you how glad I am to have you back with me?" I asked. I saw a small smile emerge on her face. "Several times Ash." Misty replied. "But you know, I've been thinking…you gave me your handkerchief so that I had something to remember you by."

"Yeah, what's your point?" Misty asked. "I realized that since you're back now, I don't really need it anymore." I said. I took my hat off and handed her the handkerchief, which for some reason she took rather harshly.

Misty's POV

"Oh swell, he doesn't even want the stupid thing anymore! Well fine then!" I snatched it out of his hand and got up to leave with Azurill. But I was held back when Ash grabbed my hands. "Misty, you gave me something of yours as a memento, but no souvenir could take the place of you actually being here."

I suddenly lost my rage and blushed. "You know, I never gave you anything to thank you for coming back with me." Ash said. "Oh, Ash, you don't have to get me anything, I'm just glad to be here." I replied, trying to control my blush. I called back Azurill and began to walk back to the center, but Ash stopped me again.

"Misty, how many Pokémon do you have with you?" Ash asked. "Um, five…why?" I asked. Ash handed me a Pokeball, and I looked at him in curiosity. "Go ahead Mist." Ash said. I tossed out the Pokeball, and an Eevee popped out of it and hopped into my arms affectionately. "Um, thanks Ash." I replied, stroking the little Pokémon's fur. "Don't thank me yet." Ash said.

Ok, what was he up to? And…why was I not able to figure it out before it happened? Ash walked up behind me, and placed something around my neck, which made me blush furiously. I looked down, and gasped quietly at the stone around my neck. "A-Ash…is this…what I think it is?" I whispered. "You said that you always wanted a Vaporeon, this is just something to say…thanks." Ash said sheepishly.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes. What Ash just did was so touching, I wasn't sure why I was still surprised by this, since I knew how much Ash had matured, but that didn't stop me from crying.

"Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked, thinking my tears meant sadness. With Eevee still in my arms, I hugged him tightly and cried happily over his shoulder. "T-Thank you Ash…I love it so much."

Ash wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly, which made me cry more. Eevee hopped out of my arms to avoid getting squished and watched us. I was just so happy, I was going to have my dream Pokémon, and it was all because of Ash. "It's not over yet Mist; you still have one thing left to do." Ash said softly. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and took off the necklace. "Ready Eevee?" I asked softly, my voice still a little tender from crying.

Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. Eevee began to glow white, and it emerged as a Vaporeon. When it finished evolving, it rubbed against my leg affectionately, and I gave it a tight hug.

"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into water as well." I heard Ash's Pokedex say. "Thanks again Ash."

All of a sudden, a giant arm appeared from nowhere and grabbed Vaporeon right from my arms. "Va po!" (Help!) Vaporeon cried. "Aah! Vaporeon!" I screamed. "What's going on?" Ash yelled.

"Listen, is that the voice of two lovebirds I hear?" a voice said.

"Oh no, not them." I thought.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear." Another voice said.

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now that's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"You guys have some nerve taking away Ash's present to me!" I screamed furiously. "Actually, we found the whole scene quite touching!" James exclaimed from the robot arm. "Yeah, I got all choked up!" Meowth exclaimed sincerely. "I'm actually quite happy for you two, but that won't stop me from taking your Vaporeon!" Jessie yelled. "If you guys think that I'm just going to let you take away Misty's present, you're out of your mind!" Ash yelled. "Fine kid, you wanna fight, you got one!" Meowth yelled. The arm started flinging sand at me and Ash, which he shielded me from with his body. "Misty calls Gyarados!" I called out my water dragon, who gave a frightening roar. "Aaah! It's her Gyarados!" James screeched.

"Keep it together James! It can't hurt us in here! We've got their Vaporeon!" Jessie pointed out. "Oh yeah! You hear that twerps? Anything you hit us with will hit your Pokémon!" James laughed. "Misty, tell Gyarados to use 'Hydro Pump'!" Ash told me. "But Ash, we'll hit Vaporeon!" I replied.

"Just trust me Misty! Tell it to attack!" Ash repeated sternly. All I could do was hope that Ash knew what he was doing. "Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!"

Gyarados fired its attack, and Team Rocket adjusted the robot's angle so that the attack would hit Vaporeon. I was worried, but Ash had a smirk on his face. "Vaporeon, use your 'Acid Armor'!" Ash yelled. My heart lifted with joy as I realized what Ash had in mind. Vaporeon took the hit from the 'Hydro Pump' and dissolved into the water, then rematerialized on the ground, and ran to me.

"Aaah! Where did it go?" Jessie yelled. "Doesn't matter now, Gyarados, use 'Hyper Beam'!" I exclaimed. Gyarados fired the ultra-powerful beam at the robot, and with a screaming Team Rocket, the robot blew up. But instead of blasting off, they landed on the ground painfully.

Normal POV

"I'm not giving up my Vaporeon like that!" Jessie yelled. "You mean MY Vaporeon you creep!" Misty yelled. "I won't be bothered by unimportant details! Dustox, let's go! Use Poison Sting!"

"Carnivine, let's go!" Carnivine popped out of its ball, and turned around to give James a painful bite of affection. "Forget me! "Use 'Bullet Seed' on the twerps!"

Dustox and Carnivine fired their attacks at Ash and Misty, which headed towards them at high speed. "Misty, Vaporeon can use 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed. "Really? Alright then Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered.

Vaporeon fired a ball of ghostly, black energy, which cut right through the 'Bullet Seed' and 'Poison Sting'. "Hey, that's not fair! Dustox, use 'Whirlwind'!" Jessie ordered. Dustox flapped its wings, possibly a bit too hard, as it also affected Team Rocket, and almost lifted Jessie into the air. "Not so hard Dustox!" Jessie screamed.

"Let's end this now! Gyarados, use 'Flamethrower' and Vaporeon use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty yelled. The two Pokémon fired, causing Team Rocket to finally blast off.

"Oh great, our savings went for nothing." James moaned. "Look on the bright side!" Jessie said cheerfully. "What bright side? We're blastin' off with nuthin' to show for it!" Meowth yelled. "Thanks to Dustox, I got an idea on what to do for the contest tomorrow!" Jessie exclaimed. "Oh great, but in the meantime…" Meowth paused.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket screamed. "Wobbuffet!" *Ping*

"Alright! Way to go Gyarados! And of course, you did great Vaporeon!" Misty cheered. Gyarados roared in celebration, and Vaporeon rubbed against Misty's leg. "Wow, it's dark already Mist, we should probably get back before the gang gets worried." Ash said. Misty recalled Gyarados, and almost recalled Vaporeon, but she stopped herself.

"Ash, I don't think I can ever repay you for this." Misty said quietly. "Mist, the way you can repay me, is to just be yourself and train that Vaporeon like the water-type master you are!" Ash exclaimed. "I will, I promise!" Misty squeaked. She hugged Ash again, and then gave him a peck on the cheek.

"So, shall we walk? Or take Charizard?" Ash asked. "You know, I don't think I'm in any rush to get back." Misty said with a smile. Ash smiled back and took Misty's hand, and started the walk back to the center, with Vaporeon walking by their side.

"Ash and Misty! Where have you two been?" Dawn asked angrily, as they walked through the doors of the center. "Pi pi plup pi plup?" (Don't you know what time it is?) Piplup added. Brock was about to scold them further, when he noticed the Vaporeon sitting next to the couple. "It's ok Dawn, just relax." Brock said calmly.

Dawn gave a huff, and went back to the table they were sitting at. "So, who's this?" Brock asked. "This is the Vaporeon that Ash gave to me!" Misty squealed. "Really? What moves can it use?" Brock asked. "Well, it used 'Shadow Ball' and 'Acid Armor' against Team Rocket but…" Misty was cut-off by a shocked Brock.

"Team Rocket? Is that why you guys were out for so long?" Brock asked. "Uh, yeah. They showed up right after Vaporeon evolved from Eevee." Ash said. "Well, I'm just glad you two are alright." Brock said. "Oh my gosh! Misty where…or should I say when did you get such a beautiful Vaporeon?" Dawn gushed, petting Vaporeon on its head. "Actually, Ash gave it to me a little while ago." Misty said.

"Really? That's so sweet!" Dawn gushed again. Ash and Misty blushed. "Well, come on guys, let's get some dinner and head to bed, we have a long day tomorrow." Brock said. "Brock's right, c'mon Ash!" Misty said happily. "Uh, I'll catch up with you in a minute." Ash said. Misty shrugged, and ran to the Pokémon Center cafeteria with her new Vaporeon.

"Well Ash, looks like ol' Brock was right after all." Brock gloated. "Yeah, thanks Brock, you were right when you said that timing was everything." Ash said. "Made all the difference to Misty, didn't it?" Brock asked knowingly. "Not just that Brocko." Ash said. "What do you mean?" Brock asked. "Team Rocket couldn't have timed their attack worse." Ash said with a laugh.

Ash ran off to the cafeteria, leaving a confused Brock in his dust.

After dinner, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn went up to their respective rooms to sleep. "Pika pika, pi ka chu Pikapi." (I'm really proud of you Ash.) Pikachu said, as Ash got ready for bed. "Thanks Pikachu, I'm kinda proud of myself too." Ash replied. "Pika chu chu pi ka." (You should be.) Pikachu said.

"(Yawn) Hey Ash." Misty said, walking in from the bathroom where she changed into her pajamas. "Hey Mist." Ash said. Misty crawled under the covers, followed by Ash and Pikachu. "Hey Misty, aren't you going to put Vaporeon into her Pokeball?" Ash asked, noticing that Vaporeon was sleeping at the foot of the bed in front of Misty.

"Nah, I'll let her sleep with us tonight, lets a trainer connect with her Pokémon, you know?" Misty replied. "Yeah, I get it." Ash said with a smile. Misty sighed with contentment as she snuggled up to Ash. "You know Ash, these past few days with you have been better than those two years we spent together." Misty said. "Yeah, I think so too Mist, your timing to come back couldn't have been better." Ash said.

"And I promise, Vaporeon will be well taken care of." Misty whispered. "I know that. She's got a water Pokémon master raising her." Ash said. Misty blushed at the compliment, and cuddled closer to Ash. "I love you Ash, thank you so much." Misty whispered. "I love you too Mist, you're welcome." Ash replied in the same tone. And with that, Misty fell asleep.

"I guess the advice Brock gave me works in more than one way…timing really is everything."
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has done it again! If you all will go back and see the first couple of pictures she's drawn, you'll be able to see just how much she's improved since the day she started illustrating my story, and it's mind-boggling how good she's gotten! Now I want all of you to go to her page and comment on the pic! Cheer her on! We want more right? Let's tell her! Go Mel go!