"You made it," Brock sighed in relief when he saw Ash walk through the sliding glass doors. "I was starting to worry you weren't going to come."

Ash shrugged. "Well, I'm here."

Brock shot Ash a look, but he avoided Brock's eyes in favor of the lobby floor. It was apparent Ash either unhappy or uncomfortable with being here, but Brock was glad to see him anyway. It'd taken him a long time to get Ash to come to Cerulean, but Brock hadn't given up. It meant too much to Misty.

"Are you ready to see her?" Brock asked.

"I guess," Ash replied, sounding disinterested. "I mean, that's why I'm here, right?"

Brock frowned. Why is Ash acting so cold? Couldn't he try to be more understanding? After all, their best friend was very sick. Ash should have been here the second they found out.

"Right. I'll take you there," Brock replied. Turning on his heel, he led the way to the elevator. Once inside, Brock selected their floor, and the elevator began to move. "I should warn you, she looks...different," Brock cautioned.

"What do you mean?"

Brock wanted to tell Ash that he should already know why, but he didn't have the energy for an argument. "Remember Ash, it's been a few weeks since Misty found out she was sick. We thought she was getting better, but then in the last two weeks, she's been getting weaker every day. She's just...I don't know. She's lost her spirit."

"Lost her spirit?"

"You'll see what I mean."

The door opened with a ding, and Brock headed over to the nurse's station without even trying to flirt with any nurses.

"Hi there, Brock," one of the nurses named Sara greeted him. "Here to see Misty again?"

"Actually, I'm here to bring a special visitor for her," Brock replied. "I'll be by later, though."

"Who's the visitor?" Sara asked

Stepping aside, Brock revealed Ash, who was hidden from Sara's view. "Hi, I'm Ash," Ash introduced himself.

"So, you're the famous Ash Ketchum," Sarah remarked, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "I've heard a lot about you."Ash stuffed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie and stared down at the ground. "Just write the password on this piece of paper, and if it's correct, I'll give you a visitor's badge, and you can go see her."

Flicking his head up, Ash gave the nurse a puzzled look.

"But I don't-"

Grabbing a piece of paper from Sara, Brock scribbled down the password before handing it to Ash. "Here, the password's bicycle," he said. "Misty created it. She wanted to make sure to remind you of what you owe her."

"Oh."

"Thank you!" Sara beamed as she peeled off a visitor's sticker and handed it over to Ash. "Make sure you have this on so that we can see it, at all times," she explained. "It's for security reasons." Placing the sticker on the right side of his chest, Ash thanked the woman before turning around. "I'm glad you made it, Ash. I think you'll be exactly what she needs right now to lift her spirits."

"Thanks, Sara." Brock led the way as he and Ash walked down the hallway. About halfway down, Brock turned right, entering a room that had a giant paper Dewgong on the propped open door. In the middle of the Dewgong, someone had written Get Well Soon! and surrounding the words, and encompassing the rest of the Pokémon, were signatures and messages from Misty's friends and family.

"Hey Brock," a voice called followed by a cough."Back again?"

"Actually, I have a surprise for you," Brock announced, unable to contain his excitement. He never doubted she appreciated everything the others had done for her, but Ash was her best friend, and he hated seeing the disappointed look on her face when another day would go by without him coming to visit. Stepping aside, Brock gestured his hand toward Ash. "Look who I found wandering around the lobby?"

Once Brock moved out of the way, Ash got his first look at Misty. Brock had tried to warn him, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw in front of him. The spirited and fiery redhead he'd known all his life looked crushed. The girl who'd prided herself on being independent and self-sufficient was attached to several machines that he was pretty sure were helping her to stay alive. He'd always called her scrawny just to get under her skin, but she looked so tiny and skinny that if he touched her, she would break. He swore he'd never call her scrawny again.

"Ash!" Misty called, using all her energy to muster up an excited sounding tone. What followed was the biggest smile Ash had ever seen. Behind him, Brock quietly excused himself from the room.

"Hey, Mist," Ash greeted her, some hesitance in his voice. He was still so caught up in how she looked that he couldn't seem to find his voice. Urging his feet to move, he made his way over to the side of her bed. "How...how are you feeling?"

As soon as he asked the question, Ash realized how stupid it was.

She's practically dying, Ash! How do you think she feels?

"Much better now that you're here," she replied, much to Ash's surprise. "I was wondering when you'd finally show up, Mr. Pokémon Master." Ash couldn't help but crack a smile at the nickname. He was glad to see that Misty's personality was still there, even if it was in small bits. "Where's Pikachu?"

"He's resting at the center," Ash replied.

Her face fell in disappointment. "Oh, that's too bad."

Noticing Misty's downcast look, Ash attempted to cheer her up. "He misses you, though. I promised him I'd tell you he says hi."

Misty smiled in response. Ash let a silence fall between them as he stared back at Misty. He believed waiting this long to see her would make it easier, but he was wrong. He thought she would get better. And if she didn't, that it would be easier to see her at her worst than have to watch her slowly succumb to her illness each day. But it didn't matter. He could never time something like this so it was easier to handle. All he'd done was waste time he could have spent with her when she was much stronger.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Misty rest her hand on his, lightly squeezing it with the small amount of strength she could muster. Meeting her eyes, he saw sadness and worry inside them. "It's okay to cry, Ash. I understand."

"Huh?" Lifting his hand to touch underneath his eye, Ash felt that, sure enough, a few tears had escaped from his eyes. Quickly wiping them away, he adamantly shook his head in denial. "I'm fine, Misty. You shouldn't be worrying about me."

"I always worry about you, Ash," Misty whispered. With a tiny smirk, she added, "It's just something that comes along with being your friend."

Ash nodded in understanding, but he didn't say anything on the topic. Misty was already pretty weak, so he didn't want her expending her energy on arguing with him. Although, maybe that's just what he needed to get a glimpse of the old Misty. Their fights had always sparked a fire within her.

"So what have you been up to?" he asked out of curiosity.

"I've been watching lots of movies," she told him. "May and Dawn got me a whole bunch of romance movies, and Professor Oak lent me his whole collection of documentaries about different water Pokémon."

"Who's taking care of the gym?"

He figured it would be Misty's sisters, but last he heard, they had yet to improve their skills as trainers.

"Gary."

"Oh," Ash replied with disgust in his voice. Misty let out a small snort. "Well, that's good, I guess."

Neither Misty nor Ash knew what to say to each other. Ash had always thought when they finally saw each other in person, their reunion would be from opposite ends of the room with the tension between the two of them as thick as Snorlax.

"Hey, Ash?" Misty called.

"Yeah?"

"I really missed you."

Ash smiled, gripping Misty's hand tighter. "I really missed you, too, Mist."

OoO

Hearing the sound of footsteps near him, Brock placed the magazine he'd been reading on his lap. As he looked up and saw Ash heading his way, Brock's eyes were instantly drawn to the expression on Ash's face.

"Ash?" he called. "Are you-"

Before he could finish, Ash averted his eyes toward the ground and shook his head. Seconds later, he pulled down his hat to try and hide the tears Brock could visibly see rolling off Ash's cheeks. Setting aside his magazine, Brock stood up and walked over to him. Placing his hand on Ash's shoulder, he gently squeezed it.

"If you need to talk, I'm always here for you," Brock reminded him.

"What's there to talk about?" Ash snapped, clenching his fists. "There's nothing we can do! She's dying!"

"Well, you obviously need to talk to someone. If you keep everything inside any longer, you're going to explode."

"Good."

Even though Brock knew Ash was serious, he found himself laughing. Even years later, Ash was just as stubborn as Brock remembered him. But Ash had to get over his stubbornness if he wanted to help himself.

"Wait, where are you going?" Brock asked when Ash suddenly brushed past him.

"To get Pikachu."

"Are you coming back?"

Ash walked off, leaving the answer hanging in the air.

OoO

"Hi there, Brock!" Sara greeted him when he walked up to the desk. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I'm here to see you," Brock replied, a sweet smile on his face. "I'm working on a new dance, and I wanted to get your opinion."

"Um...okay. I suppose I have a moment," Sara shrugged. When she finally looked up from her paperwork, her mouth formed into a perfect 'o' shape. Standing in front of her was Brock dressed in a very flamboyant outfit with a pair of maracas in his hand. "Wow...I didn't, um, know you were a dancer. I thought you said you were a Pokémon Doctor."

Leaning in close to Sara, Brock flashed her a million-dollar smile and gave her a flirtatious wink. "I'm a man of mystery with many talents." Brock stepped away from the desk and whirled around. "Ahem!" he cleared his throat.

"Uh..."

Ignoring Sara's confused look, Brock started to dance, shaking his maracas as he spun around in circles singing, "So, la la la! Look at my smiling face. There are lots of girls. I'm in my happy place. So, la la la! This is my paradise. So live on! Oh lei! Yeah yo! Hmm. Oh!"

"That's great...Did you-" Before Sara could finish, Brock started up again.

As Brock continued to sing and dance his heart out, Ash snuck past Sara, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing and give away his whole plan. Thankfully, Sara was so focused on Brock that she didn't notice Ash's jacket mysteriously moving on its own. Safely in Misty's room undetected, Ash allowed himself to let out the laughter he'd been holding back. If only he had his camera, he could show Misty. Then again, she probably no longer found Brock's antics as funny as Ash found them.

"What are you laughing about?" Misty asked from her bed. When Ash turned around, Misty's eyes landed on the giant bulge in his jacket. "What are you up to, Ash Ketchum?"

"Only the greatest thing ever," he assured her, a big smile on his face. Unzipping his jacket, Ash pulled out a very unhappy looking Pikachu. "Ta-da!"

"Pikachu!" Misty squealed, her eyes lighting up instantly. Opening her arms, Misty allowed Pikachu to jump in her lap, where she proceeded to scratch his ears. "It's so good to see you!"

"You sounded disappointed earlier," Ash explained. Knowing how happy seeing Pikachu would make Misty, Ash had asked Brock to help him create a distraction so he could sneak Pikachu into Misty's room. "I figured this might also be a good way to make up for not being here when I should have."

"But how did you sneak him in here?" Since you could never know how a Pokémon could act, they banned them in the hospital for safety reasons.

"I had Brock help me create a distraction." Chuckling to himself, Ash reached his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Although, I think he's enjoying himself a little too much."

Misty rolled her eyes, refocusing her attention on Pikachu, who was now resting happily in her lap. As she continued to pet Pikachu, Misty frowned. "Thank you, Ash. This was very sweet of you."

"No problem," he replied. He'd do almost anything to make her happy-and Pikachu for that matter. Ash waited before mustering up the courage to ask Misty what'd he been wondering for a while now. "Hey, Misty?"

"Yeah?"

"What's exactly...you know...going on?" He felt stupid asking her because he should know. "Sorry."

"It's fine," she replied. "I was working at the gym, and I just passed out," she explained. "It turns out I had an undiagnosed heart condition, and now my heart's in pretty bad shape."

"Aren't there surgeries to fix that?"

"Yes, but we'll see," she related. "They're going to try to repair what they can so that I can go home."

"When's the surgery?"

"Friday."

It was Wednesday.

"Are you scared?" He wasn't even the one having the surgery, but he was nervous for her. "I mean, like, how are you feeling mentally?"

"A little nervous," she replied. "Daisy's been freaking out. I think she's convinced I'm going to die any second." Ash winced at how carelessly Misty talked about her death. He had to remain positive, but it wasn't exactly a crazy thought. "I mean, yeah, I'm in pretty bad shape now, but I know I'll feel a whole lot better after my surgery."

Ash nodded. "That's good."

"Do you know what a bucket list is?"

"A what?"

"It's this list you make of all the things you want to do before you die." How is she so calm about dying? "Well, I made a list when I was 13, but this whole thing with my heart has me thinking about it again. I've made no progress."

"What kinds of things did you put on it?"

"I'll show you." Pointing to the corner of the room, she said, "I think I left it on that chair over there. It's a crumpled up, old-looking, piece of paper."

Sure enough, the paper sat face down on an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair. Grabbing the list, Ash brought it back over to Misty. Using her hands, she smoothed out the wrinkles before placing the paper between the two of them.

My Bucket List

1. Become a Water Pokemon Master

2. Learn to speak Kalosian

3. Get over my fear of bug pokémon

4. Catch a Tentacruel

5. Fall in love (for real)

6. Go on a date

7. Have a boyfriend

8. Write a book

9. Have first kiss

10. Get married

11. Loose virginity

12. Have a family

13. Be amazed

14. Visit Togetic

15. Visit Kalos

16. Witness Brock get the girl

17. Be serenaded

18. Carve my name into something with someone I love

19. Dance with Ash

20. Travel the world

21. See Psyduck swim

22. Make up with Ash

23. Go to Cerulean Cape with someone I love

24. Have something named after me

25. See Romeo and Juliet live

26. Watch the sunrise

"Wow, this is a lot."

As Ash's eyes scanned over the list, the number of items seemed daunting to him. More importantly, he had questions about the things already crossed off. Who'd been the lucky guy that crossed off, "have a boyfriend" or "go on a date"? And number 11? Ash gulped, feeling his face flush. He hadn't even done that yet. Misty didn't talk about her love life-at least not with him. He usually found out through May or Dawn if she'd been on a date, but they'd never mentioned anyone serious.

If he was honest with himself, he'd always thought that he and Misty would end up together. Long ago, he'd had a crush on her, and he was pretty sure she had felt the same way. But he'd handled the situation completely wrong, and they'd had a falling out. Eventually, they started talking again years later, but Ash had always felt that their relationship was never the same. Even now, he could feel the tension between them.

"I know, but I'm not trying to get everything done," she replied. "I still got my whole life ahead of me, but it would be nice to make some progress."

Ash nodded his head as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Can I take a picture of this?"

"Why?"

"I'm going to help you."