Misty peeked around the doorway to observe the wedding chapel packed with friends, family, and guests. Ahead of her, already standing nervously at the altar, was Tracey, his face somewhere between excitement and fear. Misty met his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. Tracey briskly nodded, his shoulders relaxing as the tension slowly left his body. Misty scanned the crowd in front of her in search of one particular person. When she didn't see those familiar chestnut eyes and unruly head of black hair, her smile faded, and her shoulders slumped.

"Is he here yet?" Misty jumped at the sound of Daisy's voice.

She whipped around with her mouth open and ready to rebuttal, but her words died in her throat when she took in Daisy's appearance. Her eyes lit up in awe, and she felt the sting of oncoming tears. "Daisy, you look beautiful!" she gushed.

Daisy's wedding gown was a silhouette that hugged her body, emphasizing her figure in a classy and chic way. Her hair was pulled up into an intricate style and silver earrings dangled from her ears. Her bright red lips smiled back at Misty as Daisy wrapped her arms around her youngest sister and pulled her close. What's wrong with me? Misty blinked profusely as she tried to brush away her tears. Lily and Violet would kill her if she ruined her makeup, not that she cared too much. Daisy took Misty's hand and gently squeezed.

"Alright, everyone! Places!" the wedding planner called out.

"You ready?" Misty asked Daisy as they lined up.

"I've been ready since the day we met."

OoO

"Like, there you are, Baby Sister!" Daisy yelled as she pulled a reluctant Misty away from the conversation she was having with May, Drew, and Gary. It was obvious that Daisy was intoxicated, but Misty decided to give her older sister a pass. It was her wedding, after all. She was entitled to a bit of recklessness and some fun. Since they had arrived at the reception hall and officially gotten the party started, as Daisy had so eloquently stated, Misty had been content to sit at the table and catch up with her friends while Daisy had continued the celebration she'd started long before. "We've been looking everywhere for you! It's almost time!"

"Almost time for what?"

"Our grand entrance!" she shouted.

Misty excused herself before following Daisy out of the reception hall and into the lobby. Lily, Violet, and one of Daisy's acting friends were already there in their matching bridesmaid dresses. Misty massaged her head, remembering the drama that was picking out bridesmaid dresses. After weeks of whining from Lily and Violet about how certain colors and styles of dresses would drown them out, Daisy had compromised and allowed her three sisters to pick the color of their dresses, so long as the dresses were the same asymmetric, cross-shoulder style. Misty had opted for a teal-colored dress, while her sisters had chosen colors reminiscent of the water ballet leotards.

As Misty waited her turn in front of Daisy and Tracy, Misty tried to stay attentive so she didn't miss her cue, but her subtle glances toward the banquet hall entrance didn't go unnoticed. Daisy huffed in exasperation as she stepped beside Misty.

"He's probably, like, not coming," Daisy said, and Misty cringed at having been caught. When Misty opened her mouth to deny she was searching for anything or anyone, Daisy cut her off. "Misty, why are you doing this to yourself? You should be having fun. It's my wedding!"

"I know," Misty replied. Biting down on her lip, she fidgeted with her hands before placing them at her sides. "But he said he'd be here, and he's not, and I haven't heard from him. I'm just worried something bad happened."

Completely unfazed and not at all worried, Daisy waved off Misty's concerns. "Men are, like, huge liars. Don't trust them."

Misty narrowed her eyebrows, her face slightly alarmed. "Daisy, you're the one who just got married...to a guy..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she quickly retorted before taking a sip of her drink, "but, like, Trace knows if he ever lies to me, we're done. And, like, why would he want to give this up anyway?" she asked, gesturing to herself and turning around to show off her body. While Misty couldn't resist rolling her eyes at her sister's vanity, Daisy wasn't wrong. Her dress did, in fact, accentuate all the good parts of her body. Sometimes it wasn't fair that her sister's got all the good genes when it came to looks.

Daisy cocked her eyebrow, a knowing look on her face. "Besides, don't you think it's a little weird that you're waiting for a guy to show up who isn't your boyfriend?"

"It's not just any guy, Daisy," Misty argued back. She clenched her hands, biting down on her lip once more in an attempt to stave off her rising feelings. In a softer voice that Daisy could barely hear over the music, Misty choked out, "He...he promised me. I thought things had changed, but I haven't seen him in almost two years."

Maybe she had been naive to think that they wouldn't let things fall back to how they were before she fell ill. Yet, here they were, practically strangers again. They'd kept in touch via phone calls and the occasional text message, but they didn't talk like before, and they hadn't seen each other in person since he left. Was he still dating Layla? She thought he was, but any news she got about how Ash was doing now came from Brock, Delia, or the TV broadcasting one of his battles in the World Championship Tournament. Even after everything they'd been through, she really was just a waste of his time.

After Ash and the rest of their friends had left, Misty had tried to continue checking off items on her bucket list, but it just wasn't the same without Ash there to help her. She'd even added some new items to her list and gotten through three more goals before she stopped. The magic was gone.

OoO

"I need a drink," Misty suddenly announced shortly after dinner had finished. Daisy cheered in celebration before grabbing Misty's hand and pulling her toward the open bar.

"Excuse me, Bride coming through!" Daisy announced as she cut her way through the line of people. There were a few glares directed her way, but Daisy didn't care. Besides, who would be stupid enough to argue with the bride on her wedding day? "Hi there," she greeted the bartender with a coy smile. "We have an emergency on our hands. My baby sister could, like, really use a drink. Something strong. Her little boyfriend's being an asshole."

"Daisy!" Misty hissed, her face flushing red in embarrassment. In a lower, slightly mumbled voice, she said, "He's not my boyfriend..."

Daisy ignored her as she continued talking to the bartender. When the bartender handed Daisy a drink, Daisy took a sip before passing it off to Misty. "Mmmm, that's good! Strong, but still good!" With a drink in her hand, Misty turned to head back to her seat, but Daisy squealed, grabbing Misty's arm as she yanked her back toward the bar. "Wait! You, like, totally need to do a shot with me!"

"Daisy, no..." Misty hated shots.

Daisy jutted out her bottom lip and blinked her eyes like a baby growlithe. "C'mon, Misty. It's my wedding day! Just one shot? Please?"

Damn wedding. Misty sighed. "Fine."

Daisy cheered once more as she grabbed the two shot glasses from the bar. She handed one to Misty, and the two of them counted down before they threw back their shots of tequila. Misty's face puckered as the alcohol entered her mouth and raced down her throat with an intense burning sensation.

"One more!" Daisy called, having completely forgotten her previous agreement. Misty objected, but Daisy had already turned back to the bartender to order another drink. Daisy grabbed Misty's empty shot glass and replaced it with a new one filled to the brim. Misty huffed in exasperation. She was going to kill Daisy after this. "Ready? One...two...three!"

Misty threw back her shot, grimacing once more as the bitter taste entered her mouth and slipped down her throat. Once the glass was emptied, she slammed it back on the bar, grabbed her drink, and ran off toward the lobby before Daisy could trap her into taking a third shot. As she made a break for it, she glanced back to make sure Daisy wasn't following her. Turning back around, she collided with a guest, sending her drink airborne.

Shit! Of course, this happens to me! She crouched down, scrambling to clean up her mess with the measly cocktail napkin she'd been given. Well, this is no use!

"Well, that's one way to greet an old friend." Misty froze. Standing tall, she came face to face with a mischievous pair of chestnut eyes. Ash's eyes shined as he chuckled at her surprised expression. "Hey, Mist. Long time no see, huh?"

Umm... Completely forgetting about the drink in her hand, Misty propelled her body forward, crashing into Ash once more as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug worthy of an ursaring hug, inhaling his familiar woodsy smell. Ash's body stiffened at first before she felt him relax as he reciprocated her hug.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you're here!" Misty gushed as she released him. "Where's Layla?"

"She's talking with my mom," Ash replied. He grimaced, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry we're so late. We had a bit of a delay in getting here..." Misty beamed back like an idiot. He could have said he'd come from saving the world from destruction, and she wouldn't have cared. He was here. After nearly two years, he was here, standing in front of her. Ash looked down, frowning at the stain on his shirt. "You don't happen to know any tricks to get this stain out, do you?"

"You know, I think I just might."

Misty led the way as the two entered the changing room where Daisy had stored her makeup mag with the emergency stain-removing pen. As the door swung shut behind them, Ash took a seat on the vanity counter, so Misty could better reach the stain. Pen in hand, Misty leaned forward, her hair falling forward to create a curtain around her as she dabbed stain remover onto Ash's shirt. With a little bit of water and some perseverance, Misty might be able to save the evening.

"You look really pretty."

Misty hesitated, the pen hovering in the air above his shirt. Her face flushed a deep red that trailed down to her neck. Thankfully, the curtain of hair hid her reaction from Ash's view. She smiled timidly, muttering a curt thank you before she gathered her loose locks into her hand and pushed them over to one shoulder.

"So," Ash's voice pierced the silence once more. Misty stayed quiet, waiting to hear what he had to say. If Ash noticed her hand trembling, he didn't bring it up. Whether it resulted from the tequila shots finally hitting her, Ash's previous compliment, or because of the proximity between them, Misty's head started to feel fuzzy, and her heartbeat raced. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Back to normal," she quickly replied. She paused, not daring to take her eyes off what she was doing. "Well, as normal as I can be, you know?"

She vaguely saw Ash nod. "That's good," he replied, his voice suddenly filled with tension. Misty's eyes ventured from the stain to the near-stranger in front of her. When did he get so...hot? Compared to the day he left, Ash appeared as if he'd suddenly matured from a teenage boy to a man. His bangs still swept across his forehead, but his once unmanageable black hair had been cut short, and she could see the faint outline of stubble around his mouth and chin. "How's your bucket list going?"

Misty scoffed, turning her eyes back to the stain. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Ash arched an eyebrow, and Misty huffed. "I tried completing some stuff, but I didn't make much progress."

"Oh."

"I added some new things, though."

"Really? Like what?"

"I'll tell you later," she replied. Giving the stain one last brushing, Misty stepped back to observe her handiwork. Satisfied with her efforts, Misty capped the pen and slid it back into Daisy's makeup bag. "Well, we should probably be getting back..."

Ash seemed unsettled by her sudden transition, but he nodded nonetheless. "Okay...Yeah, but first, I think I owe you a new drink."

"You owe me more than that, Ketchum," Misty teased with a flirtatious wink that left Ash dumbfounded. Oh my god...What did I just say? She was definitely tipsier than she thought. A few more minutes alone with him, and who knew what would come out of her mouth next. Brushing over her blunder as if it never happened, Misty gestured to the door. "Lead the way."

With a new drink in hand, Misty and Ash made their way toward the table where Gary, Professor Oak, Layla, and Ms. Ketchum were gathered. Ash wrapped his arm around Layla's waist, smiling as he pulled her close and lightly kissed the top of her head. Maybe it was the alcohol reacting, but Misty's stomach dropped, and a feeling of self-doubt bubbled its way to the surface. No matter what Ash told her, she would never be as breathtaking as Layla.

Her hair was pulled halfway up, the sides decorated with braids intricately woven through her perfect mix of light brown and blonde highlights. Loose and wavy, the rest of her hair cascaded down her shoulders and over her purple dress, and her dark brown eyes popped under the violet eyeliner she wore.

"Hey, where were you?" Gary turned to greet her. He took note of Ash, who seemed oblivious to Gary's suspicious looks. As Gary caught a whiff of Misty's breath, he frowned. "Why does your breath wreak of tequila?"

"Daisy made me do some shots with her," Misty explained. But another shot or two doesn't sound so bad, she found herself thinking as she glanced over at Ash and Layla. She took a sip of her drink as she stared back at Gary. "She wouldn't let me leave. I had to run away practically."

"Ah," Gary replied, nodding knowingly. "I see."

"Well, it was lovely chatting with you, Gary, but you and Ash shouldn't be wasting the night talking with a bunch of fuddy-duddies," Ms. Ketchum teased. With a wink, she added, "You should be dancing the night away with those beautiful girlfriends of yours."

Layla chuckled, brushing off Ms. Ketchum's compliment as if she was shocked, and Misty had to fight off the urge to roll her eyes.

Professor Oak let out a gruff laugh, feigning offense by Delia's comment. "Speak for yourself, Delia. I still have some partying to do!" To prove his point, he stood up and danced in place, showing off dance moves that Misty had only seen in those old movies she sometimes liked to watch. Gary covered his face, groaning in embarrassment, but Misty found it charming. She admired the professor's willingness to put himself out there and have fun. He offered his hand to Ms. Ketchum, nudging his head toward the dance floor. "Care to dance, Delia?"

Ms. Ketchum blushed, shaking her head. "Oh, Samuel...I don't know."

"It'd be good practice," he replied. Good practice? Misty wondered. Good practice for what?

"Ash and I'll join you!" Layla offered.

After some coaxing from the professor and Layla, Deila finally gave in. She stood, smoothing down her hair and dress before letting Professor Oak lead her to the dance floor, Layla and Ash trailing after them. Guilt crawled its way into Misty's mind, and she instantly regretted her cattiness toward Layla. She should be happy that her best friend had found someone as sweet as Layla. It wasn't their fault that their relationship made her feel uncertain about her own relationship with Gary.

Gary suddenly reached forward, pulling Misty into his lap as he wrapped his arms around her. "Let's go show my grandfather what dancing in this era looks like." Misty nodded, giggling as she cupped Gary's cheek and leaned forward.

"Misty, have you seen Daisy?" Tracey's frantic voice crashed through their romantic moment. "One second she was on the dancefloor, and then the next second she vanished."

"Bar," Misty replied. As Tracey's eyes landed where Daisy stood, talking with one of her friends and sipping her glass of wine, relief washed over him. It was followed by exasperation as he seemed to realize this was now his life. "Hey," Misty called, sensing a switch in Tracey's demeanor. "No refunds! All sales are final."

"Never," Tracey replied, a loving smile washing over his face. "Oh, also, Brock's had a few, and he's hitting on the bridesmaids. Can you-"

"On it!" Misty answered, jumping out of Gary's lap in search of her lovesick friend. Nearly forgetting that she'd just told Gary she'd go dance with him, she turned back around to Gary's disappointed face. "I'll be right back, and then we'll go dance," she promised as she quickly kissed his cheek before dashing off to go find Brock. It'd been a long time since she'd intervened in Brock's quest for love, and he was well overdue for a reminder.

OoO

With one hand raised high above her head and the other resting at her side, Misty swayed and bounced along to the music, mouthing the lyrics along to the song. Her friends surrounded her as they danced to the music of one of her favorite bands. Swept up in the music and the liberating feeling of the alcohol flowing through her body, Misty shimmied her hips and twisted her body as she inched closer to Gary. Gary shook his head, but Misty didn't miss the grin creeping into the corner of his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her and swayed side to side.

Misty watched Ash and Layla dance with a warm smile on her face and a fondness in her eyes. It'd been a long time since she'd seen Ash genuinely happy and carefree. Layla giggled as she playfully grabbed Ash's tie, using it to pull him closer. Ash grabbed her hand, lifting it high so he could keep dancing with one hand while the other held tight to his drink. The tender smile on his face pulled at Misty's heartstrings as she felt herself yearning to be the one that put the smile on his face.

After a few upbeat songs and a slow song, Gary untangled himself from Misty. With remorse on his face, he pecked her cheek, explaining how he needed to follow up on an urgent work matter, and then he would be back. Misty frowned as she watched him walk away. Who works during a wedding?

While the DJ cued up another upbeat pop song, Daisy grabbed Misty's hand and pulled her into the group of wedding guests. As quickly as it had come, Misty's disappointment passed as she was absorbed into the dance circle. The music and lights whirled around her as she clapped her hands and swayed her hips. With the number of people packed together, it was hard not to bump into someone, so she thought nothing of it when something brushed her hand.

"Wanna dance?" someone shouted over the music.

She stopped, her breath catching in her throat as she turned and laid eyes on Ash. He smiled at her, his expression warm and inviting. She hesitated in her response, glancing around in search of Layla. Her eyes landed on the girl, who was now dancing with Brock, May, and Max before Misty threw judgment out the window. Oh, what the hell? It was exhilarating to let go and let loose for once.

Misty eagerly nodded before letting Ash take her hand in his. Her mind traveled back to their time in the hospital when they had first danced together, and in the far reaches of her conscience, Brock's warning echoed. Misty shook her head, trying to remove her doubts. I'm not doing anything wrong, she told herself. They were in plain sight for anyone to see, and it shouldn't be too crazy that she and Ash might end up dancing together at Daisy and Tracey's wedding. She'd already danced with Brock, Tracey, and Violet's boyfriend. We're friends. Nothing more.

The pulsing beat and percussion of the music pushed them along as they danced. For reasons she was too far gone to contemplate, Misty burst into a fit of giggles as Ash pulled her around the dancefloor, making a complete fool of himself. Her face hurt from how much she was smiling, but he was smiling right back as he laughed along with her. As the song reached its chorus, Ash held his hand up high so Misty could grip it like a ballerina. Closing her eyes, she spun around, losing herself to the feeling of the world whirling around her and the colors blending together. It was like the final climactic scene of a romantic comedy when the couple finally gets together and kiss. She'd probably regret all the alcohol and spinning tomorrow morning, but, for now, she wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world.

It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new.

OoO

Misty swayed as she and Gary walked down the path that led to their apartment. They could have just stayed at the hotel like everyone else, but an apartment all to themselves was more appealing than a hotel filled with their friends and family. Gary struggled with the keys, nearly dropping them several times as he tried to unlock and open the front door. Still feeling the effects of the evening's indulgences, Misty broke out into a string of laughter beside him.

Once Gary had finally managed to unlock and open the door, he and Misty stumbled through, slamming the door shut behind them. Misty threw her purse in the general direction of the kitchen table as she made her way to the family room, where she fell back onto the couch, her arms spread wide. Although not as haphazardly, Gary took off his suit coat and hung it over one of the kitchen chairs. He rifled through their cabinets for two glasses he could fill with water, finally finding clean ones in the dishwasher. He filled them both with water before carrying them to the family room. He handed one of the glasses to Misty, instructing her to drink as he took a gulp of his own glass. Misty took a few sips of water before setting the glass back on the table and turning her attention back to Gary.

"That was fun!" she slurred through her words. "I haven't had fun like that in a long time."

Gary laughed but smiled. "I'm glad. I had a nice time, too. Who knew Gramps could dance like that?" Misty nodded enthusiastically, recalling the moves Professor Oak had demonstrated on the dance floor. "I'm glad Ms. K was there to keep him company."

Misty snorted out a laugh. "I think she's keeping him more than just company."

Gary's face paled before it turned slightly green. "Seriously? I don't want to think about that, Red! That's just...ugh! Why would you even say that! Totally uncalled for."

Normally, Misty may have had more sympathy, but her brain was on a whole different level that made everything funnier than it should be. So, when she broke out into yet another fit of laughter, followed by a sudden hiccup, Gary pounced, trapping her in his grip. Through her laughter, she tried to break free, but her movements were not coordinated enough to be successful. Eventually, she gave in and let Gary pull her close as they snuggled together on the couch. She leaned against his chest as her laughter died down, and her eyes drooped.

"I love you." Gary leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head. "Goodnight."

"I love you too," she whispered into the quiet room as she finally closed her eyes and dozed off to sleep with a smile on her face. "Goodnight, Mr. Pokemon Master."