Pokeshipping Week - 2017

Day 5 - A Pain From Non-Existing Memories (M20)

Author Note(s): Ironically today (Well, by the time you read this anyhow, I'm writing this note the day before) I'm off to actually go watch Pokémon: I Choose You  in theater, but I figured I'd better post this first before I unleash  spoilers or a generalized opinion on it.  I'm guessing Misty's not gonna  be in this movie at all, aside from an apparent cameo in a still during  the credits, but who knows?

This fic was hard af to write out just due to the sheer tripiness of it.  But hopefully I tackled it effectively enough.

Reflected Dream

She had no idea how and when it came to her.  But Misty Waterflower was starting to feel most unhappy, and there was a reason for it.  It was no fun for her, a now eleven year old girl who really should be out there like all those other young boys and girls traversing the Kanto region in hopes of making their dreams a reality.  A Pokémon journey, that's what she wanted, but alas...

Misty had tried setting out herself a few months ago to do the same, her goal to not return to the Cerulean city gym till she became a great water Pokémon trainer like her idol, elite four member Lorelei, an ice type specialist.  But, it had all been for naught; Misty had tried so hard, but couldn't get anywhere, her motivation completely gone, and so sadly returned back to her families gym and reassumed the role of secondary gym leader.  Basically just refereeing matches and standing around looking pretty, just boring.

But lately, a few weeks after she had come back, she started having weird lapses in her conscious, weird experiences where she felt she was somewhere else when she wasn't.  And at night in her sleep she'd see the exact same visions.

They were of her on a journey throughout the region, but she wasn't alone, with her was a mysterious spike ball Pokémon cuddled in her arms, and along with her an older boy, spikey hair and eyes closed all of the time, but it wasn't just him.  Leading their merry trio was a young boy, smaller than she was in height, but had an extremely charismatic smile to his name, spikey, nay wild, black hair under a Pokémon league hat – that she herself actually tried to win back when the league was offering it.  Adorning the boy's shoulder as well was a Pikachu.  His name, Ash Ketchum – Ash of Pallet Town.

But soon she found herself wondering, why?  Why was she having these visions?  The experiences of the reality and emotions that she'd feel whenever she had these lapses all felt so real, only to wake up or be spoken to in reality and pulled her out of those reveries.

To add to those odd visions, the older male in her visions was an actual gym leader, a fifteen year old gym leader of Pewter City, Brock Harrison.  It pained her that somehow, despite never meeting him at all, that the Brock in her dreams was confirmed to be one behave exactly like the one who existed.

OoOoO

It chilled her when she heard from all three trainers where they were from, time after time, they said 'Pallet town,' but, to her relief, traditionally only three starters are given out for beginning trainers, not four.  So maybe she wasn't crazy about this figment of her imagination, this 'Ash Ketchum' she had made up.  Or so she thought...

It was after this rather arrogant boy, named Gary Oak beat her second oldest sister when her worst fear was confirmed.  "Tch!" Gary scoffed as he juggled his Cascade badge flippantly, oh that just angered Misty seeing her family's badge being so disrespected.  "This battle was too easy!  But even still, Ashy-boy is such a klutz I bet even he would struggle against you galls."

Wait, Misty thought, alarmed, D-did he say... ASH?!

"Oh great," groaned Lillie, "Another little kid who wants to beat our butts."

"I am, like, SO over these battles today," Violet echoed.

"I don't know, Gary," began one of the other Pallet town trainers, he had stayed behind to watch Gary's battle, "I heard from other trainers that Ash hasn't been doing bad at all with his journey.  They talk about how he's this great trainer with a really strong Pikachu and Butterfree.  Ash sounds like he's made quite a reputation for himself."

"Pah!" Gary smirked, "Young Ashy-boy is probably just flying off of luck.  That kid has no skill, he was late on the day he was becoming a Pokémon trainer.  Ash won't make it too far."  And with that, Gary flamboyantly exited the gym.

Misty didn't know why, but it felt infuriating hearing someone put down another trainer like that.  But she was also stunned, Ash, a trainer who was late on his first day, has a Butterfree and Pikachu, and some obnoxious guy named Gary putting him down.  All of it matched the same Ash she saw in her visions.  How...?  Why...?  Why did it all match up?

Sure enough, an hour so later, a boy showed up at the gym and introduced himself as Ash Ketchum.  And Misty could've sworn she'd faint like she saw a ghost.  Same raven black hair, a Pikachu on his shoulder, only differences being he had a slightly different style of cap, and he was accompanied by a another raven hair kid who looked only just older than him, and a... Girl with a Piplup.  She didn't know why, but it irked her slightly seeing this girl with him.   But no!  I can't feel this way.  I barely know this Ash at all!  What is wrong with me...? Why are these fake feelings haunting me?!

He came of course for a gym battle.  And because the three main gym leaders' Pokémon were all unable to battle, the battle fell down to the secondary Cerulean gym leader, Misty Waterflower.  Misty all the while felt déjà vu as she got entered the pool area with him.  She swore that he had a Pidgeotto as well with him, and that Pikachu for some reason refused to battle. 

But it was different, for one Ash let out a Charmander to observe the battle with his friends.  Misty decided for the two-on-two battle to use her Staryu and Starmie.  Whilst Ash called upon his Butterfree, Butterfree made surprisingly quick work of her Staryu before being taken out by Misty's Starmie.

Ash then called upon Pikachu, much to Misty's unreasonable surprise.  Pikachu was very skilled, as was Ash, the entire battle up till then showed a trainer who was truly in tune with his Pokémon, and not the bumbling lucky one she kept imagining.  In the end, Misty lost, rather quickly in an exchange of quick moves.  She had to admit though, it felt like she lost quite fairly, unlike her sisters who were bad at battling – Lily and Violet especially – Misty felt and knew that she was better, and Ash had really given her a run for her money.

She gladly awarded him the badge.  And he happily looked at it.  "Thanks, miss," he said, they were outside the gym, it was then Misty remembered it had been raining slightly all day, and now above them was a beautiful rainbow.  It was then something glowed from within this Ash's jacket.

"Um..." Misty began, "What's that you got in your pocket?"

Ash smiled as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a feather.  "It's a rainbow wing," he whispered, "From the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh, pretty isn't it?  It glows like this whenever a rainbow is nearby.  I-" he cut himself off though as he looked at it.  "I... I have a duty to this wing," he said darkly.  "I'll protect it, from that jerk..."

He then realized that Misty was giving him a concerned look.  "Oh uh... Not that you should be concerned.  Thanks for the badge Misty!  I hope to battle you again soon."  And with a kind reply from her, Ash left.

After that, Misty's mysterious visions stopped, she couldn't explain why though.  But she had a feeling it was meeting him at last that did it.  Ash Ketchum wasn't a bumbling kid; he was one with a mission, and a lot of promising potential... Not bad at all for a beginner.