Note: Some of the events in this fic might not be accurate. It's been a long time since I've seen the anime and I mainly just improvised.

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon.

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Because You Loved Me

The morning sun shone brilliantly upon the landscape, illuminating a beach with its sparkling yellow sands and cerulean blue sea. A small cottage sat desolate on the edge of the beach, surrounded by nothing but the gentle squawks of wingull and pelliper. It was an old building—as old as time itself—unfazed by natures fury and untouched by the world.

Inside the building was a small attic, the only light coming in through a small crack in the ceiling. Even though the light was scarce it was barely enough so one could find his or her way, it seemed to cast a universal glow on the room itself as if it were no ordinary attic, but a gateway to the past.

A trap door in the floor burst open suddenly and an old man poked his head through. Coughing, and waving away some cobwebs he moved slowly up the stepladder and reached up to pull a chord attached to a light bulb. Making his way across the small room he bent down to rummage through a large box until frustratingly chucking it aside. Going through a few more, he finally found what he was looking for: a small blue photo album.

It was an aged album; little was known about its contents: what memories it held, what secrets in concealed. It hadn’t been touched in a long time, but to the one who held it, it was as familiar as the navy blue sky. It seemed more like an old friend to him than an object. Blowing dust off the cover, he opened it and smiled.

A young girl sat fishing by a small lake, bored and irritated at having caught nothing but Magikarp all day and throwing them all back, when suddenly she felt a tug on her line.

“Huh? Hey, I got one!” she said excitedly. Pulling with all her might, she yanked her catch out of the lake and onto the shore, but instead of the tentacool or goldeen she expected, she got something else: a young boy holding a small battered pikachu.

“Hey,” she started. “Your not a pokemon your just a kid.” Then she saw what was in his arms. “Oh! And a pikachu!” she said with concern. “Oh, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m ok.” The boy replied.

“Not you!” she said annoyed “I was referring to your pikachu.”

“Oh no.” The boy gasped, “Pikachu!”

It gave a small “Pika…”

“I have to help it.” Without another word, he grabbed her sleek red bike and rode off down the road. “Hey that’s my bike!”

He called over his shoulder, “I’ll bring it back someday!”

For all those times you stood by me
for all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right

“Hey,” he felt her hand on his shoulder and the concern in her voice. “Is Pikachu gonna be okay?” he didn’t answer but stared seriously through the glass window into the room where his first pokemon lay.

For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you

“Ash, the sprinklers!” called Misty from the sidelines.

“What?” he asked dumbly.

“Onix is weak against water stupid, have pikachu activate the sprinklers!”

Ash snapped his fingers. “Good idea! Pikachu shock the roof!”

Pikachu complied and sent a flurry of lightning skyward and the heat from its electricity situated the gyms fire prevention system. The water came down on the gigantic rock snake and it toppled to the floor, defeated.

I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up

Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through it all

“A pidgeotto! I’m gonna capture it!” said Ash taking out an empty pokeball, but then checked himself. “Oh I almost forgot,” he said meekly “you have to weaken a pokemon before you can capture it!” He replaced his pokeball and took out another one. “Caterpie go!” A small green wormlike creature appeared in a flash of white.

Misty was shocked and appalled that he actually sent out a bug type against a flying type. She sighed. Well, she thought, at least he had remembered what she said about not just throwing pokeballs.

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak

“Grrr, stupid tent.” Misty muttered under her breath.

“Here Misty, let me help you with that.” Ash said as he stuck the poles in the ground and tied the canvas securely to each one.

“Thanks,” Misty replied gratefully.

“No problem.” Ash said smiling.

You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me

“Hey Ash, would you care to dance?” Misty asked, approaching her best friend in a sparkling blue and purple kimono.

“Woah, Misty you look great!” Ash said.

“Pika!” Pikachu agreed.

“Oh,” she said blushing “Why thank you Ash, do you wanna dance?”

“Sure.” He answered.

“Pik!” Pikachu chipped in.

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed

Ash’s spirit hovered above his utilitarian body, the ghastly and haunter to either side of him leering down like specters on his two friends.

“Ash, are you in there!” Brock said shaking Ash’s limp body “say something.”

“Ash, get up,” Misty begged; her voice sounded frantic. “Please, get up…”

“Ash, wake up! Dude, come on!”

“Please, open your eyes Ash!”

Ash turned to the two ghost pokemon, “I guess its time for me to go, they need me back there.”

Ghastly and Haunter nodded sadly,

“Goodbye.” he said, and floated silently down into his body. As his cheeks fully regained their color he opened his eyes and named the first person he saw. “Misty.”

“Ash, your alive!” Brock said gratefully. Misty wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

“Do you two ever get along? Its like every time we run into you all you do is fight!” James of Team Rocket remarked from the outside of the iron cage.

“I dunno James,” said Meowth “It looks to me like these two might have a thing for each other.”

“What?” Ash, appalled, shrieked.

“Huh?” Misty said in unison.

Team Rocket grinned. “Their loveboids!” Meowth teased. Ash and Misty both turned away from each other.

“I would never!” cried Ash

“Not in a million years!” said Misty.

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach

Tch, please, I would never wanna be with Ash. Misty’s words rang like a buzzer in the back of Ash’s mind. They bothered him for some reason, but he didn’t know why.

“It’s a shame it wouldn’t happen Dan, they would look so good together.” Ash heard Rudy’s comment from behind him and turned his head.

“Maybe, but if she says they don’t feel their just friends than I guess their just friends,” Danny put an arm around his girlfriends shoulder. “But I’m glad to have you.” He said and smiled.

Rudy grinned, “I love you Danny,”

Danny beamed. “I love you too.”

Ash felt rage boil from within.

You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all

“I can't believe Brock is getting married!” Ash said.

”Someday you and I will be married, too.” Misty whispered.

“Uhh-huh.”

There was a moment of silence.

”HUH????????”

I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

Melody and Misty trudged up the snowy mountain, freezing their butts off. “Well, I hope your happy, Mr. Hero. If you'd just listened to me in the first place and stayed at the party like I told you to, we wouldn't be stranded out here on this island.”

Misty spoke up “Welcome to my world. I have to deal with his stubborn attitude every single day.”

”Oh, you'll get used to it. It's just something you're gonna need to work on when the two of you get married.”
Misty was aghast “Take that back!”

“Ash is drowning! Tie the rope to the boat I’m going in after him!”

“No.”

“What? Misty are you nuts!”

“He’s my friend, I’ll go in after him. I know me and Ash don’t always get along, but, Melody, I don’t know what I would do without him. After all, what you said before about Ash most likely spending his life alone? Well, Ash isn’t really alone because he’s got…me.”

Melody smiled understandingly “Ill tie the rope, go get him.”

Misty returned the smile “Thanks.”

Ash frantically tried to swim toward the boat, but the powerful crashing waves was hindering his progress. His arms tired and his muscles hot, he went under. His lungs filled with salt water so quickly his body spasmed; he felt the world start to drift away. The world. He’d failed it. He’d let Lugia down. Slowly his eyelids slid closed.

He felt fragile gentle arms slide around his midsection, then just as quickly as he had went under his head broke through the surface. He opened his left eye and in his peripheral vision he saw a tuft of red hair. He sighed. Misty…

You were my strength when I was weak
you were my voice when I couldn't speak

Broken eggs shells lay scattered around the exhausted form of a mother blastoise. Her newborn offspring wading around in the sand trying out their appendages for the first time in the ten minutes they’d been born. As far as she could tell all the babies had had come out healthy, all of them except one.

Misty kneeled in the sand next to the giant turtle pokemon cradling one of its babies in her arms. “Nessa,” she said, “I don’t think this ones going to make it.”

“Squir…” the little squirtle in her arms puffed out weakly.

Nessa, the blastoise, craned her neck forward and touched the flat of her baby’s head with her nose; Misty felt a tear escape down her left cheek. She closed her eyes and moaned softly.

“Squirrrr…” The squirtle, having lived not even a quarter of an hour, after having recently taken its first breath’s, breathed its last. Ash, who was kneeling next to Misty, put an arm around her shoulders. Resting her head on Ash’s shoulder, both she and him wept.

You were my eyes when I couldn't see
you saw the best there was in me

“Here, take these.” Rudy said as he handed Misty a bouquet of flowers.

“Thanks Rudy,” Misty replied and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Rudy glanced over at the young man who had recently relieved him off his Spike Shell badge. “I hope you know you’re a pretty lucky guy Ash.”

“Lucky?” he replied looking up from admiring his badge, “What do you mean?”

Misty rolled her eyes and Rudy gave her a little wink. “Oh, you’ll figure it out someday.” He said, leaving Ash dumbfounded.

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
you gave me faith 'coz you believed

“Remember when we got stuck in that ravine for eight days? Jesus, I thought we were gonna die!” Misty declared.

Ash laughed. “Yea, what really sticks in my memory is that after all the food and water ran out we had to live off our own—”

“Aahh!” she screamed waving her hand about, “Don’t remind me!”

“Ha ha ha! Hoy…”

Misty’s face suddenly went serious. “Ash…” she said.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“I’m gonna miss you, you know.”

He looked at her. “You are?”

“Of course, I mean, going on all these cool adventures, encountering lots of new pokemon, meeting new people and of course…” She turned to look at him. “I’m never gonna forget the day I met you. It may have been accidental, and it may seem that we only got to know each other more because of the bike, but…” She paused. “I never was mad about it, I only traveled with you because I wanted to make friends. That’s all.”

Ash beamed. “I’m gonna miss you too Misty. God, you’ve given me so much, I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for you. I know God blessed me to have known you and I know I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”

Misty didn’t say anything but just smiled at her friend.

As the sun went down they came to the part in the road where it forked. Ash and Misty turned to gaze at each other then shook hands.

“Until we meet again.” Ash said.

“Mmm” Misty nodded. “Just one thing.”

“Huh? What are ya doin?”

She reached in her pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief, “Something to remember me by.”

“He took it gratefully. “Thanks.” He then left wondering if he did the right thing, but deep in the back of his mind he knew he did.

As they parted Misty wondered if Ash would get her message from when she gave him the handkerchief. Ash let out his tears in the hankie as he ran toward Pallet Town.

I'm everything I am
because you loved me

“What's wrong Max?” asked Ash.
"Pika?" quoted Pikachu.
Max sighed, "I just have a couple of days left with Jirachi."
"Jirachi's gonna be with you your whole life Max, not just a couple of days."
Frowning, Max replied, "You know that's not true, Ash."
Ash smiled and walked over to Max’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You see, sometimes friends have to go away, but a part of them stays behind with you. It's especially true when the friends are best friends. You'll remember Jirachi forever, and he's gonna always be in your heart. A good friend left me, and I miss her every day, but I...I know we'll always be friends forever!"

You were always there for me
the tender wind that carried me
a light in the dark shining your love into my life

Misty turned to look at her friends. “I’m planning to head back to the gym now to help my sisters. I had a lot of fun seeing you guys again. Max, keep learning everything you can. I’ve never met anyone with your intellect; one day I know you’ll be a great professor. May, good luck in future contests, you seem to be really good at them.”

Max and May accepted her encouragement gratefully and wished her luck with running her gym.

“Ash,”

Ash acknowledged her at the sound of his name.

She walked over and gave him a hug. “It was great seeing you again, I really missed you. Maybe one day we will meet again, good luck on your Hoenn journey.”

Ash returned the hug. “Thanks Mist. I missed you too. I thought we could stay in contact after this so…I wrote down my pokegear number.” He said handing her a folded piece of paper.

She took it and beamed. “Oh Ash, thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.” She said. He smiled.

“Its no problem, after all we’re friends aren’t we?” he said. She gave him another hug and said “Thanks,” then mounted her bike and rode off into the sunset.

You've been my inspiration
through the lies you were the truth
my world is a better place because of you

The redheaded girl stood with her arms around his neck staring affectionately into his chocolate colored eyes. The smell of his cologne resonated deep within her nostrils and the softness of his hair felt vibrant underneath her fingertips.

“Ash, there is something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.”

Ash was perplexed at her behavior but didn’t do anything to stop her.

“What is it Misty? Tell me.”

“I love you.” She said.

“I-I love you too Misty!” said Ash.

“You do? I thought you always thought I was annoying!”

“I could never think that Misty, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me! I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for you.”

Misty smiled and stood up on her toes to give Ash a kiss; his heart leapt as he felt the warmth of her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the favor.

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me

“Hey Mist?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Sure.” She put down the wood she was chopping and walked away from the campsite with him.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately.”

Misty was curious. “Oh? What about?”

“Well,” he seemed nervous. “You love me don’t you?”

Misty was bemused. “Ash, of course I do. What is it?”

“Um, well, we’ve been together how long now. About nine years right?”

She nodded.

“And, thus far it’s been great right?”

“Ash it’s been wonderful,” she replied. “what are you trying to say?”

“I think its time we took the next step up.” He answered and stared at her.

Misty gasped. “You mean….?”

Ash nodded and smiled.

Misty grabbed hold of him and embraced him in a flurry of kisses.

“Oh Ash,” she said and gave him another kiss. “I love you.”

He slipped the azure blue ring around her index finger. “I love you too Misty.”

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
you gave me faith 'coz you believed

As their lips separated and the bell tolls sounded, the recently pronounced Mr. And Mrs. Ketchum stared lovingly into each other’s eyes. Ash remembered a saying that staring through the eyes, one stares into the very soul, and right now Ash was sure that this soul was a part of his. Yes, that’s right, his soul mate, that was it.

Mrs. Ketchum stood at the front row dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief; she applauded loudly and gave an “I’m so proud of you.” as they walked by.

Surrounded by all their friends and family, and the cheers of congratulations, the newlywed couple was sure they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

I'm everything I am
because you loved me

The old man closed the album and rose to his feet with it. Tucking it under his right arm, he limped slowly toward the trap door and back down the ladder. Moving through his living room he opened the front door to a beachside scenery and stepped onto the porch where an elderly woman with long flowing gray hair sat quietly. She was admiring the gentle motion the waves made as they crashed onto the shore and turned suddenly as the mans presence became noticed.

“What’cha got there?” she asked.

He held it out to her. “I found it in the attic under a bunch of old stuff. Do you remember this night at Valencia Island?” he said holding it open for her.

“Oh yea..” she said “Pikachu had so much ketchup that day. His tummy was upset the way back to the hotel. Oh, Nessa. Your old blastoise. Oh look at all her babies they were so cute. Ah, Rudy,” her voice trailed off, “He was such a nice boy back then.”

The woman’s husband narrowed his eyes and adjusted his spectacles. His wife seemed amused. “Don’t give me that look.”

“Don’t give you which look?” he replied sitting down by her. “I aint no fool.”

She wrapped her arm around his. “Do you think I would marry a fool, Ash?” she asked.

“No Misty,” he replied. “I don’t think you would marry a fool.”

“Good.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Because I’m very proud of the man I married. He’s sweet, caring, and sentimental. And I love him with all my heart.”

He lightly squeezed her fragile body to show he felt the same way. She rested her head on his chest and together they gazed out at the ocean.

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me