I wonder if 13 somehow a lucky number… a lot of my fics have that many chapters.

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me and it’s mine! All mine! Don’t take my writing, that’s plagiarism.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Chapter 13

“It worked.” Misty gasped, four days later. “I’m free!” Even though that tea had tasted horrible, it had done its work.

“Are you?” Ash asked, as she took a large sip of her green tea.

“Yes! I now know what I’m going to do with my life!” Misty cried, sparkles shimmering in the background.

Ash sweatdropped. * This is random… *

< Just deal with it for a few more minutes, we’re safe now. >

< We are? >

< Be patient, you’ll see… >

“I’m going to resign my position as gym leader.” Misty smiled. “My sisters just ruin my reputation, and I think I don’t like battling that much.”

“Oh?”

“Yes! I’ve found something new!”

“What?” Misty paused, eating another sweet cake before she smiled.

“See, I was always pretty good at swimming. So I’m going to become a swimming instructor slash lifeguard!”

“Well, good for you.”

Misty nodded vigorously. “I had a lot of time to think about this. It’s the real path I want to take with my life. Thank you for your help.”

“But I didn’t do anything except take you out for snacks three or four times.” Ash told her. The other part was that it had been for purely selfish reasons. Hyper scan and all that, looking for darkness… well, it was all gone now.

So the light was safe!

“I appreciated them, though.” Misty said, not telling her other half, which was making her sisters jealous.

Well, they deserved it.

It didn’t matter; she would put it all behind her now. She would grow strong without them.

She would make her life useful.

“I see a bright future for you.” Ash smiled, a Mew’s foresight. “I’m happy that you’ve found that.”

“Thank you, Ash. I won’t forget you.”

< But she will… > Lance whispered. < Because no one can remember us after a time. We’ll fade. >

Ash nodded. < I know. >

Misty finished her slice of carrot cake and waved goodbye and good luck to him.

“So we’re done?”

“We’re done.” Lance said, glad his fingers weren’t itching to kill anymore. Maybe he had mellowed…

Well, that could be pondered later.

The most important thing was that they had deflected the darkness instead of killing it this time.

Ash could already feel his memories of Misty falling into a pool of night and water. It was fine.

Time to taste reality again. For real!

Well, at least it was over…

As long as there was sweetness, everything would be fine, just fine…

Ash gasped in shock as Lance’s hands suddenly went somewhere where they were _not_ supposed to go.

“Lance!”

“Shh…”

Really, why did it matter what was next? Mews had eternity to live and fly together. So it would be ok.

Sugar and ice and melting softness…

It was perfect.

It was reality.

It was life.

The End

Completed 6/12/04

I didn’t want to kill Misty aimlessly, so I did a little twist. Meet hyper-sugar-reversed misty!
Ash: …

Lance: Well, I suppose…

Phantomness: What? I really wanted to end with lemon but I remembered underage people might be reading this.

Lance: Bit late now, isn’t it?

Phantomness: I thought those scenes were more ‘R’ than ‘blatant sex = NC-17’.

Lance: … I suppose…