Disclaimer: Don’t own Pokemon! A/N: Okay, okay, so I haven’t updated this in like months, so sorry about that. Been busy, busy, busy, but I’m sure you all don’t want to hear about that. Anyway, hear is the long awaited chapter 2. Enjoy! Chapter 2 ‘What had happened down there?’ thought Misty to herself as she laid, face-up, on Ash’s bed. Was it really just a bad dream, or was there something more? Misty wasn’t sure what to think. Two years ago had seemed like such a long time, but it was all coming back to her now. Everything, every little detail about their struggles two years ago was beginning to resurface. She saw it with her own eyes. Both Aki and Marissa had been vanquished into the darkness, never to return, or so she thought. Hikara and Ash’s father would have warned them if something was going to happen, right? And what about Li and Sakura? Were they connected as well? Suddenly, broken out of her daydream, the door creaked open slightly. Misty, a bit startled, turned her head to see Brock enter the room. “Hey, I need to talk to you. It’s important,” he announced. “Can’t it wait?” She asked, sighing to herself. Brock, unsure, shook his head and gave her a pleading look. Misty, in turn, just sighed and smiled as she motioned for him to close the door. “Well?” “Misty, it’s about Ash,” Brock started, unsure if what he was about to say was an intrusion on Ash’s privacy. “What about Ash?” Misty asked, wondering if she would finally find out what had been bothering him. Clearing his throat, Brock pulled the crumpled up envelope out of his pocket and threw it into Misty’s open hands. “Read it,” he said simply. Giving him a questioningly look, Misty did as she was told and began to scroll down the letter. Upon finishing the letter, Misty looked up at Brock, confusion written all over her face. “What’s the problem? Why doesn’t he just participate? It’ll be a good practice for him,” stated Misty. “I don’t think he wants to go,” he said, uncertain. “Brock, it’s not like Ash to just skip a tournament, especially if he’s been ‘cordially invited,’ shrugged Misty as she looked at the letter, “Why wouldn’t he want to do this?” Brock sighed and sat on the chair opposite Misty. “It’s all because of you,” he said, shaking his head. “Excuse me?” “Read the fine print,” he countered. Shifting her eyes back to the letter, Misty proceeded to search for the print that she had missed. Finding it at the very bottom, she bit her lip. “Oh…” he sighed, “We wouldn’t be able to go with him?” she asked, her tone changing. Brock shook his head in response and sighed, “Nope, doesn’t seem like it.” “Well, he’d have to go by himself, right?” she asked. “Yeah, that’s what they want,” sighed Brock. Misty stared at the letter and read it once again. ‘I wonder if this really is a letter from the Pokemon League,’ Misty thought, referring to the dream she had had only moments before. Flipping the envelope over, she examined the purple stamp imprinted on the front and stared at the neat handwriting showing Ash’s home address. “Hey Brock,” Misty called, “This is the official Pokemon League stamp, right?” “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is, why?” he asked looking at the envelope. “No reason,” Misty answered nonchalantly. ‘Maybe it isn’t a trap,’ she thought. “Well, what are you going to do?” asked Brock, breaking Misty out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath and folding the letter up into its envelope, Misty stood up. She smiled at Brock and stuffed the envelope into her back pocket. “I’ll try talking to him about it later,” she smiled. Brock nodded and headed for the door, “Good idea, he always listens to you,” he said, exiting the room. Lying back down on the bed, Misty started to think about Ash, the tournament, and Aki and Marissa. ‘Is it all a trap? How can I be sure? Hikara would have warned us by now, wouldn’t she? What am I supposed to do now?’ she thought, her gaze shifting to the nearby window. Folding her arms underneath her chin, she started to talk to herself. “I need some kind of a sign, anything that’ll tell me if I should let him go or not,” sighed Misty. “Let who go where?” came a voice from the doorway. Misty quickly turned around, startled by the sudden voice. She smiled when she saw Ash’s smiling face gleaming back at her. The glow that he spread throughout everyone he knew was what Misty loved most about him. He was special in every way possible, and from just one look, he made her want to melt on the spot. “Ever hear of knocking?” quipped Misty, lying back on her side. “This is my room, remember?” smiled Ash as he sat beside her and put a hand on her back. “Yeah, well it’s still rude,” Misty argued, cocking her head to the side. “Well, excuse me,” he smiled, planting a kiss on her lips. Although they had done it many times before, the kisses that they bestowed upon each other were always uplifting. It was warm, relaxing, and passionate, something that many couples their age had lost when it came to a good, solid relationship. Breaking away from the kiss, Misty smiled up at him. “What are you doing up here?” she asked. “Just checking up on you, is everything okay?” he asked, caressing her cheek. “Yeah, I think so,” she said, looking down at the bed. After a moment of silence, Ash spoke up once more. “So, who was it you were talking about earlier, before I so rudely interrupted you,” smiled Ash. Misty stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully and took in a deep breath. “Ash, Brock told me about the tournament,” she said, waiting for his response. “He did?” he asked. With a nod, Misty sat up in her bed and stared up at him. To her, he looked fine, as if he didn’t mind the fact that she knew. “Are you mad?” Ash laughed at her, “Of course not. I guess I should know better than to keep secrets from you, especially in this household.” Misty smiled back at him, relieved that he wasn’t mad about his privacy being broken. Ash really wasn’t one to get upset, he was more of the type that would talk through situations instead of pointing fingers. “I don’t think I’m going to go,” he said suddenly. “Huh?” Misty had been so deep in thought, she had almost forgotten what they were talking about. “The tournament, I mean. There’ll be others to participate in,” he shrugged, lying down on the bed next to her. “But, this is a great opportunity for you to heighten your skills and prepare you for the future,” Misty argued. “I take it you want me to go,” sighed Ash. Misty nodded her head vigorously, not knowing what Ash was so worried about. I mean, sure, it would be the first time he had ever competed without her or Brock by his side, but they really didn’t do anything. They just stood on the sidelines, cheering him on when he had won a great match, but, she realized, they were also there to console him after defeat. She guessed the main reason for Ash’s sudden behavior was because they were all the best of friends and that was something that he had to leave behind for the time being. Although Misty wanted Ash to participate, something was still tugging at her mind. The thought of Aki and Marissa being behind this whole thing sickened her. She wouldn’t know for sure until it was too late, and she didn’t want to wait for something to happen, but, of course, she refrained from telling Ash her worries. Sensing Misty’s uneasiness, Ash rubbed her back comfortingly. “What’s wrong?” he asked suddenly. “It’s nothing,” she sighed, staring out the window. “You’re a bad liar,” he smiled. “And what makes you think I’m lying?” she argued. “Just intuition,” he answered back, “Come on Mist, you know you can tell me anything. I’m not like Brock, I won’t go telling the whole world about your problems,” he smiled. Giving into his words, Misty began to tell him of her worries and her dream. “I’m scared that Aki and Marissa might be behind this,” she said gravely. “Aki and Marissa?” said Ash, surprised by her response. That definitely wasn’t what he was expecting to hear. What had brought this on? Their names hadn’t been mentioned since the day they were sent into exile. She was hiding something, Ash knew, and he just had to know what it was. “What about them? What do you know Misty?” he asked urgently. “Nothing,” she lied, “It’s just that, I don’t know, I guess I’m just being paranoid.” “No, Misty, if there’s something I need to know, please, you have to tell me,” said Ash, gripping onto Misty’s shoulders, forcing her to look at him. Sighing, Misty’s thoughts drifted back to the dream she had had only about an hour ago. She wasn’t sure whether she should tell Ash or not. She wasn’t even sure if it meant something or if it was just a bad dream from the traumatic experiences of two years ago. But, knowing that Ash would not let the subject drop, she gave in, telling him of her dream. “I had a dream earlier,” she started, “Aki and Marissa were speaking to me, everything was dark, and I was the only one there, I tried yelling for you and Brock, but nothing happened,” she finished, as she thought about the part of the dream she had left out, the part about Ash’s downfall. She didn’t want to tell Ash what Aki had said because, knowing Ash, he would be more concerned for her safety rather than his own. Ash inhaled deeply and put his hand under his chin for support. Was it for real or was it just a nightmare? Ash wasn’t sure what to think, but remembering what Hikara had told him before, he straightened up a bit. “I don’t know if they would have access to this world anymore. I mean, we sent them into that vortex,” he said, pulling his sleeve up to reveal the mark that was left by the light that had obliterated Aki and Marissa. Misty also lifted her sleeve up to look at her mark. Although, there was no definite shape to the marks, both Ash and Misty knew that each one stood for something. To Ash, his mark looked like a flame and, to Misty, hers looked like a water droplet. It was no coincidence that her symbol was water; she knew there was some kind of a connection. “Do you think they’ve returned?” Misty asked after a long silence. “I’m sure everything will be okay,” he reassured, not really believing his own words, “Fate has a way of handling these types of situations.” Misty nodded and sighed once more, hoping that Ash was right. Just then, her mind suddenly remembered the tournament. “Well, what about the tournament?” she asked suddenly. Being so caught up in their conversation about Aki and Marissa, Ash had completely forgotten their original conversation. “Misty, I don’t think…” he started, but was cut off by Misty. “No Ash, I think this will be good for you. You’ll be more prepared if you go alone. Me and Brock won’t be here forever you know,” she said. That last part shocked Ash. Of course they would be together forever, they were all the best of friends and nothing would be able to tear them apart. ‘Maybe,’ thought Ash, ‘She’s still just scared about that dream.’ “Well,” sighed Ash. “Please Ash, do this for me,” begged Misty. Sighing, Ash gave into her pleads and nodded his head. Misty, in turn, smiled and jumped into his open arms. “You’ll do great, I know you will,” she exclaimed. “I’ll miss you,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll miss you too,” she replied, letting the stress from earlier melt away, “You’ll do just fine by yourself.” “You really think so?” “I know so,” she answered. “All right then!” smiled Ash, now psyched about the upcoming tournament. “Here, you better mail this in before you do anything,” she said, pulling the envelope out of her pocket. Ash pulled the letter out of the envelope and checked the box labeled ‘yes,’ sealed it inside a new envelope, and threw a stamp on it. Running out of the room, Misty trailing, he carried the envelope to the mailbox and then quickly ran back inside to tell his mom and Brock. Upon telling and explaining the whole situation to both Brock and his mother, Brock gave Misty a look that said ‘I knew you’d be able to convince him.’ Misty, in turn, gave him an all knowing look and nodded. Pikachu, also happy to be back in action, rushed into its master’s arms. “Pikachu!” it exclaimed. “Looks like you’re just as excited as I am,” smiled Ash. The little mouse pokemon nodded and smiled. “Well, Ash, you had better get packing if you’re going to leave tomorrow,” smiled his mother. “Tomorrow?” asked Ash, his face falling. “Yeah, it’s quite a hike to the Emerald Coliseum. You’ll need at least one week, maybe two to get there,” explained Brock. “That’s kind of soon,” said Ash. “Yeah, well, you don’t want to be late, do you?” asked Misty, “Come on, I’ll help you pack,” she finished, pulling Ash up the stairs. “Wait; hold on,” exclaimed Ash, “Actually, I’ll do that later tonight. I have something to take care of first,” he said, running out the door, Pikachu trailing him. Bewildered, Misty and Brock watched as he ran off in the direction of the downtown Pallet. “Hmm…I know it’s around here somewhere,” pondered Ash as he scanned the multitude of shops that surrounded him. Just then, a bright gold sign caught Ash’s eye. The sign was framed in gold and the writing was written in silver cursive. The store’s sign read ‘Silver Maiden.’ Excitedly, Ash rushed in the store, Pikachu hot on his trail, wondering what his master was doing in such a feminine looking store. Once inside Ash scanned the display cases for the perfect gift. The store had everything; gold, silver, white gold, platinum, diamonds, anything you could think of. The bright lights above made the diamonds in the cases shimmer brilliantly, Ash noticed, as he sat down on one of the burgundy seats that were situated in front of one of the cases. Pikachu hopped onto the chair to get a better look and peered into the case. Inside, he saw a multitude of gold trinkets and jewelry. “Pikachu?” “That’s the one, Pikachu,” said Ash as he pointed out on of the pieces. Pikachu took another look and followed Ash’s outstretched finger. Lying on one of the centerpieces was a tiny white gold locket. It was in the shape of a heart with a single diamond in the middle that shimmered. “It’s the only place in town that sells lockets in anything other than gold,” said Ash as he stared at the piece of jewelry. “Pikachu pi?” “Yeah, it’s for her. I’ll give it to her tomorrow before I leave,” he sighed, “I was planning on getting it for her birthday, but I guess it won’t hurt if I’m a little early this year.” Pikachu nodded its head in approval, obviously surprised that its master was thinking ahead for once. “Excuse me sir, may I help you with something.” Ash looked up to see one of the employees smiling down on him. Despite Ash’s young appearance, she sounded more than happy to accommodate him. “Yes, may I see that piece over there please,” he replied, pointing to the locket. “Of course,” she smiled, reaching in the case to pull the locket out into open view, “You have good taste. That’s one of my favorite pieces.” She placed a velvet looking mat on the display and placed the locket atop it. Ash lifted it up and examined it awhile. “This is a white gold piece, garnished with a princess cut diamond, and a sixteen inch white gold chain,” she explained, sounding as if she had memorized it. “What do you think, Pikachu?” smiled Ash as he showed Pikachu the piece. “Cha…” it marveled, stunned by its beauty. “Do you think she’ll like it?” asked Ash. Pikachu nodded its head and put a thumb up, obviously pleased with its master’s decision. “It’s perfect,” he smiled, “Can I take this please?” “Certainly,” smiled the woman, “Would you like me to wrap it for you?” “No thank you. I can take care of that,” replied Ash. “Pika?” “Don’t worry Pikachu, I have an idea for the wrapping. It’s all taken care of,” smiled Ash as he handed his credit card over to the sales person, “This’ll definitely put a dent in my account, but it’s worth it.” “Pika!” Upon returning home, Ash scanned the inside of the living room from his porch outside to see if Misty was around. He saw her sitting on the couch with Brock and his mother, watching a sitcom on TV. “Okay Pikachu, here’s the plan,” explained Ash, “I’ll keep them distracted while you rush upstairs and put the necklace in my safe. Here’s the key, I don’t want Brock to accidentally find it like he found the letter,” laughed Ash, handing Pikachu both the present and the key. Pikahcu nodded in response as Ash slowly opened the door. He peered inside as Misty turned her head to see who had come. She greeted him with a smile and proceeded to get off of the couch. “Where did you run off to?” she asked, giving him a hug. “I had to make a withdrawal from the bank for my trip. Can’t go traveling without money,” he smiled, returning the hug. “Oh okay, come on and watch some TV with us. Afterwards, we were thinking about having an early dinner in downtown Pallet, one last dinner before you leave tomorrow,” she sighed. “Sounds great!” he exclaimed, turning her around to walk back to the couch, ‘Now’s your chance, Pikachu.’ Pikachu, seeing his opportunity, bolted up the stairs without a single person noticing. It obeyed and placed the box in side Ash’s safe and locked it. Ash, remembering that he still had to wrap the present, got up off of the couch. “I just remembered, I need to go take care of something upstairs for a second,” he announced. “Okay sweetie, just remember, we’re having dinner at about 6:30, so be sure to be ready by then,” smiled his mother. Ash glanced up at the clock. It read 3:30. ‘I should be done by then,’ he thought, as he ran up the stairs and into his room to meet with Pikachu. He closed and locked the door, making sure that no one saw him. “Thanks buddy,” he smiled, as he proceeded to open the safe and take both the present and a stack of papers out of it. “Pika?” asked the pokemon, referring to the stack of papers that Ash had removed. “Oh these,” said Ash, showing Pikachu the papers, “These are all photocopies of most of the pictures that me and Misty have taken. Don’t worry, a few of them have you and Brock in them too.” He handed Pikachu the pictures, while he sifted through a few of them himself. He smiled as he remembered the ‘good ole days’ when they lived carefree lives. Their youth reminded him more and more of peace and harmony. That’s all there really was back then, before the coming of Aki and Marissa, before the events of two years ago. One of the pictures showed Ash and Misty eating dinner at one of the fancier restaurants in Pallet, one of their first dates. Another one showed Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi standing in front of Ash’s house, and yet another showed Ash, Misty, and Brock with all of their pokemon when they had taken a vacation at the beach about five years ago. Another picture, one of his favorites, showed Ash and Misty standing next to one another, fingers intertwined, in front of Ash’s house. He treasured the real picture, which sat at his nightstand. Misty had a copy too, but kept it with her at all times in her wallet. Yes, back then they had not a single care, not a worry in the world, but those times have changed. Sure, they still had fun, but times these days seemed a lot more dangerous than they did back then. Ash put down the pictures and took the present out of the bag, hoping to examine it one more time. He pulled out the necklace and smiled, wondering how it would look on her. He gingerly placed it on his computer desk, got up and then went to his computer to type something up. After printing it up and cutting the words into small pieces, he showed them to Pikachu. “What do you think?” Ash asked. The words read “I love you” in black cursive writing. Pikachu, giving him an awkward look, cocked its head to the side. “Instead of putting pictures in the locket, I want to put this in it. I can’t bear to cut up any of our pictures, and besides, she’ll know that I’ll always love her,” he smiled, placing the pieces of paper in the locket. He placed the locket back in its place and started to wrap the present with the photocopied pictures. Upon finishing, he heard a knock on the door. Quickly placing the present back in his safe, he opened the door to see Misty smiling up at him. “Hey you, what have you been up to all this time?” she asked, walking into the room. “Nothing, just relaxing, right Pikachu?” smiled Ash, looking to Pikachu for support. The little mouse pokemon just nodded its head, not wanting to be in the middle of an argument. “I see. Is that all?” she asked suspiciously. “Of course!” Ash countered back. “All right, whatever you say,” she shrugged, not really believing them, “I just came up here to see if you needed help packing.” “Well, right now, I’m actually a little worn out. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to take a little nap. Would you like to join me?” he asked, smiling at her hopefully. “Sure, I guess I could go for a nap right about now,” she smiled, looking up at the clock. It was 4:00; they had plenty of time to relax before their dinner. Snuggling up next to Ash on the bed, Misty started to relax her muscles and fall into his warm embrace. Everything about this seemed so right, nothing could ruin the moment, not even her dream about Aki and Marissa. They just weren’t relevant right now. She knew that this would be one of the last moments before Ash’s departure the next morning. ‘Hopefully it won’t be our last,’ she thought. Where had that come from? Of course it wouldn’t be the last time she would ever see him. He’d be gone for about a month or so, and then return to Pallet after the tournament was over, what was there to worry about? ‘Nothing,’ she told herself, ‘There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.’ She looked behind her to see that Ash had already fallen asleep, mouth slightly ajar. She sighed and caressed his face gently. ‘I hope…’ A/N: And that concludes Chapter 2. Kind of long, I know, but still I hope it meets your standards. I know it was a very long while before I could update, but I am out of school now and, hopefully, I will be able to update a little more frequently from now on. Thanks to all of you for the support. Keep the reviews coming!