Disclaimer: Neither Shadow Pikachu nor I own Pokemon. Someone rich does. All 
we own are our overactive imaginations. 

A/N: Everyone thinks Ash is dead. But what happens when he returns? Just a 
cute little one-shot AAMR. Rating at PG to PG-13 for graphic violence.

Ages:
Ash- 26
Misty- 26 ˝
Brock- 28 ˝ 
Pikachu- not known

The Reason Why He Can’t Tell Her
By: Shadow Pikachu and Shadow Squirtle

	Brock ran down the streets of Cerulean City. He was going to be late. 
It had took him forever to get Misty to agree to this meeting with him. Misty 
never let anyone in anymore. Not since Ash left. Brock shook his head. He 
didn’t need that in his head.  He needed to get to Misty’s gym and cheer her 
up. She needed someone other than family. Her family didn’t understand what 
she was going through. She wasn’t like them. But Brock did understand. Maybe 
not as well as Ash did when he was with them, but he still understood her. 
	“Stop it Brock! Stop thinking of Ash! Thinking about him won’t bring 
him back!” Brock shouted at himself.
	While shouting at himself, Brock failed to notice the man he was about 
to run into until he had, knocking both to the ground.
	“I’m so sorry sir!” Brock apologized.
	“Don’t worry about it,” the man said kindly, smiling at Brock.
	The man looked to be somewhere about 26 years of age. He had jet black 
hair that was covered with a red cap. The man was wearing a black shirt and 
black jeans. He had dark sunglasses over his eyes. He had six Pokeballs 
around his waist. And he seemed to be about 6’ 4”. The man didn’t seem to be 
dangerous. Not at all.
	“May I ask why you’re in such a hurry?” the man asked.
	“I’m late for meeting my friend at the gym,” Brock said, standing up.
	“Well then,” the man said as he stood up, “Let me give you a ride. My 
car is right across the street and I’ll get you there a lot more quickly than 
if you ran.”
	“Thanks, I’d really appreciate that.” Brock sighed.
	“No problem. I have this one friend that if she’s upset and you don’t 
do as she says, she’ll blow up on my butt,” the man chuckled.
	“That sounds like Misty, the friend that I’m suppose to meet with,” 
Brock laughed.
	“Really? What a small world,” the man said.
	They quickly crossed the road. Brock quickly got in the man’s car and 
came face to face with a very high level Pikachu. It just stared at him with 
wide eyes. Brock just looked into it’s eyes. It seemed so familiar. 
	“Pikachu, come. You get over here. Let that man be,” the man chuckled.
	The Pikachu quickly moved the man’s shoulder. Brock just couldn’t help 
but picture Ash sitting there. Just like from six years ago.  Brock was so 
busy thinking about that he didn’t even realize that the man was almost to 
the gym.
	“I hope that this Misty girl isn’t as bad as you say. I was looking 
forward to battling her for the Cerulean Badge,” the man teased.
	The man quietly parked the car and got out with the Pikachu still on 
his shoulder. Brock quickly followed him and led him to the living area of 
the gym. Where Misty sat waiting.
	“Hey Misty. Sorry that I’m late. You have a challenger.” Brock said, 
walking up to Misty.
	“I’m sorry sir but I’m not accepting any challenges for a while,” Misty 
said, standing up. 
	She opened her arms for a hug and Brock couldn’t help but notice how 
fragile she looked. He gladly accepted the hug and returned it. But his mind 
couldn’t help but wander off to how this should be Ash holding her. Brock 
sighed. He knew that Ash wasn’t there. Ash would never be able to do this for 
Misty again. Not since the day Team Rocket took it to far. Not since the day 
the Cassidy and Butch came after Pikachu. And yes, Brock remembered Butch’s 
name. He was the reason Ash was no longer with them. The two decided to join 
Jessie and James going after Pikachu. But their tactics was so different. 
They chased Ash. Cassidy fired pellets at him to keep him running. They 
chased him to a side of a cliff. It was then that Butch pulled out a gun. 
Brock could remember so vividly on how Ash’s eyes widened in fear. He knew 
that Ash realized that he was going to die. That his dream was at its end. 
And that he’d never see Misty again. Brock knew that Ash loved her and that 
it was then that he realized he’d never get to tell her. He remembered seeing 
the tears in Ash’s eyes as he threw Brock his Pokeballs in a last ditch 
effort to save them. He was busy wrapping his injured best poke pal, Pikachu, 
in his jacket when Butch took aim. Ash saying goodbye to Pikachu when Butch 
started to load the gun. And Ash had just said how much he was sorry to 
Pikachu and him when Butch cocked the gun. Finally, Ash had started to get 
ready to throw Pikachu to Brock when Butch shot him. Straight through the 
middle of his back. Brock could see it rip through his body and out of the 
bottom of his gut, just below his belly button. He still remembered how Ash 
spat out blood. He could still see how the very life left Ash’s eyes. And it 
would forever be engraved in his mind the way Ash fell with Pikachu off the 
side of the cliff.  By time Brock, Dawn, and Ash’s pokemon had reached the 
bottom, they saw the raging river. They followed it down stream and saw Ash’s 
blood soaked jacket limply hanging a rock in the middle of the river. Buizel 
retrieved and Brock remembered Delia’s expression when she heard that Ash had 
died. It hurt.  What was worse was when he had to call Misty and tell her. 
How he hated that day. They never gave Ash a funeral because they didn’t have 
a body. Delia refused to give up hope that Ash had somehow made it out a 
loud. So there was no closure for his friends and pokemon. His pokemon now 
all lived at Professor Oak’s Lab. They refused to belong to another trainer. 
All the pokemon who he had released, came back and lived there as well. 
Butterfree, Lapras, Primape, Larvitar, Pidgeot, Squirtle, and even Charizard. 
They needed each other in the absence of their once great trainer. Every 
year, Brock would cook Ash’s favorite meal and take it to his pokemon. Every 
year, almost all of his friends would show up. All but Misty. She never left 
the gym. She barely ate. Brock sighed and hugged Misty tighter.
	‘Why’d you have to leave us Ash? We need you,’ Brock thought.
	The two finally broke apart. But not for long. Misty broke down into 
tears.
	“I WISH ASH WAS HERE!!!! I MISS HIM SO MUCH!!!!” Misty cried out.
	Brock pulled her into another friendly hug. He tried to calm her down 
to no avail.
	“Misty, you know that Ash wouldn’t want you to cry over him. You know 
that he hated to see your tears,” Brock said.
	“I DON’T CARE!!!! I WANT ASH!!!! IF HE WAS HERE, HE’D BEAT UP THE MAN 
THAT DID THIS TO ME!!!! WHY’D HE HAVE TO DIE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!!!!” Misty 
cried out louder.
	“It has been a long time hasn’t it,” the man stated out of the blue.
	“Excuse me?” Brock asked, looking at him.
	The man slowly pulled off his sunglasses revealing warm chocolate brown 
eyes. He then pulled out a bottle of water and washed cover up make up from 
his cheeks revealing strange marks on them.
	“I’m here Mist. Just like you wanted, right?” the man asked.
	“A-A-…” Misty stuttered, pushing Brock away, “ASH!!!!!!!!”
	Misty ran into his arms. He just held her tight and told her that 
everything was going to be ok. Brock sank to the floor. He had been with Ash 
the entire time. Unbelievable.
	“How? How is it that you’re still alive?” Misty asked, after thirty 
minutes of crying.
	“Believe it or not, Jessie and James saved me. They caught me in their 
balloon before I hit the water. Then they took my jacket and through it into 
the water. Jessie had had nurse training before Team Rocket so she helped me 
heal. And all the while, they never tried to take Pikachu away from me. They 
had quit Team Rocket. And before you ask why I didn’t come back, it’s because 
Cassidy and Butch would return for Pikachu. So I hid. To protect you. But I 
suppose that you have heard the news by now, right?” Ash explained.
	“You mean the news about Team Rocket being no more?” Brock asked.
	“Yep.” Ash stated.
	“Yeah, they said that a mysterious man destroyed the entire group’s 
organization. That he dragged every last one of the organization to jail. 
Including Giovanni.” Misty added.
	“Well, guess who that was. Me,” Ash said.
	Misty just hugged Ash tight.
	“So that means that you’re coming back into the open right?” Misty 
asked, begging.
	“Of course that’s what it means.” Ash said, hugging her tighter, “You 
don’t know how hard it was to stay away.”
 	“That’s great!” Brock exclaimed.
	But neither of the two heard him. They were too busy looking into each 
other’s eyes.
	“Misty. Once I heard what that man did to you,” Ash started.
	“It’s ok. You can say it,” Misty said.
	“Ok. Once I heard that that man had raped you, I came running. I 
couldn’t bare the thought of anyone hurting you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here 
for you,” Ash said, sorrowfully.
	“It’s ok so long as you don’t leave me,” Misty sighed.
	“Misty…” Ash whispered, “Misty, I love you. I love you with all my 
heart.”
	“What?!” Misty gasped.
	“I never told you before because my real dad. You see, my mom’s so 
called best friend raped her. And after I was born, he demanded to have 
custody of me. It became a joint custody. My real father was abusive, to me 
and women. He tried to teach me that women were worth nothing,” Ash 
explained.
	“But Ash, you aren’t that way in the least,” Misty comforted.
	“I know that. But I didn’t want you to know what he did to women. You 
see, I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on your beauty. The reason why I 
was staring at you when you pulled me out of the river was because I was 
mesmerized by your beauty. At first, I had no clue what I was feeling toward 
you. But as time went on, I soon realized the depth of my emotions toward 
you. And everyday, those feelings grew. But so did my fear that my father 
would hurt you. I was a coward. I was afraid that I could never protect you. 
So I kept my mouth shut. And boy was that the worse mistake I have ever made. 
So during these years, I managed to get my father thrown into prison. But I 
should tell you who he was…Giovanni. That monster’s blood runs through me and 
it makes me sick. I never thought that I deserved you,” Ash stated.
	“I don’t care who is your father is, Ash,” Misty said, pulling Ash into 
another hug, “All I care about is that your alive. And that you feel the 
exact way that I feel for you.”
	“Misty,” Ash whispered.
	Brock quickly pulled out his camera and caught the two’s first kiss. He 
then noticed Pikachu at the video phone.
	“Whatcha doing Pikachu?” Brock asked.
	It held up a note.
	“Let’s see. Dear Friends and Family, Guess who? It’s me Ash! I’m alive 
and kicking! Meet me at Professor Oak’s Lab in two months if you don’t 
believe this. Hopefully when you come, you’ll get to meet my new fiancé. 
Later! The Soon To Be Pokemon Master, Ash Satoshi Ketchum. So Ash is planning 
on marrying Misty. Well maybe, this will help bring them running.” Brock said 
as he placed both the picture and note on the teleporter. He then sent it to 
all of their friends and to Delia.
	“Pikachu Pikapi chu Pikachu kachu pika,” Pikachu said happily.
	“I still have no idea what you say Pikachu,” Brock sighed.
	He turned to the love birds. That was when he saw Ash getting down on 
one knee.
	“Misty Kasumi Waterflower, will you marry me?” Ash asked.
	“YES!!!” Misty screamed.
	Brock watched Misty tackle him and smiled.
	“Hey Pikachu. What do you say I treat you to something to eat? My 
treat. I think those two need a little private time,” Brock suggested.
	The small electric rodent nodded and followed Brock to the door. It 
turned to look back at the happy look in his trainer’s eyes.
	“Pika Pikachu chupi pika Pikachu pika chu pika pichu pika, chu pikapi?” 
Pikachu said happily. 
	‘It seems that the reason why you could never tell her is gone, right 
Ash?’