Author's Notes:
Good morning everyone and welcome to Alpha and Omega. Well, it looks like every two weeks is a good update schedule for now. This new job is actually a lot less stressful than my last one, and has the potential to give me just as much time as my previous job. Currently the only problem with me writing is that I'm in training, and I almost always have my trainer close by, meaning the short breaks that I can have can't exist with him because of his work work work mentality. The man barely even ever stops to take a lunch. But back to my point, two weeks works good also since I barely even wrote any in two weeks. So now I'm using my back stock of chapters to keep this story going, which will only last until late January.

Now to some fun. Below you will see the contenders for the Torrent League song. We have four choices, and I would like you all to give your votes in the comments, 1-4.

(1)
Marthehedgehog

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(2)
Zoes_Brother_I_am

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(3)
Medojedus

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(4)
@benthepkm

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Now if I missed anyone's entry, please contact me and you will be included in the next chapter. Voting will be open until the January 17th update, then I will no longer be taking votes. So watch these videos and vote, and thank you to our four readers for sending in their submissions.

If you like my work please vote, feel free to comment, and please share this story with your friends. I now present to you chapter 67, enjoy.

Two months before Ash returned to Pallet town

"Gyarados is unable to battle. The gym leader is out of Pokémon making the winner of the match the challenger Cross," Daisy announced in a troubled tone.

Cross returned his Sharpedo and stepped down from his trainer platform and began walking towards Daisy. Misty returned Gyarados with a broken look. Ever since Ash came to visit with his classmates from the Pokémon School in Alola ,her performance as a gym leader had tanked to unheard of lows. At first it could have been seen as Misty was just burnt out and needed a break to bring her performance back up, however that proved to be false. She and Brock took a trip to Alola to visit Ash and just have an overall vacation. Misty had planned on telling Ash how she felt and hoped that this would either bring her closure, or that he would have fallen out of love with Serena and would want to be with her. But neither happened, as she couldn't confess her feelings to him. While they were in Alola, Ash thanked them both again for their help with his feelings, and told them his plan for after he was done at the Pokémon school, to track down Serena and tell her that he loved her. Misty shut herself down after this to avoid the pain and not make a fool of herself professing her feelings to a boy that was clearly in love with someone else.

Upon her return to Kanto, she went back to her duty's as the Cerulean City Gym Leader, but things went from bad to worse. She began to lose more and more gym battles, even to new trainers that just got their first Pokémon from Professor Oak a few months prior. Misty tried to win, but her heart wasn't in it anymore. The spark of passion was gone.

"Congratulations, and as proof of your victory I present to you a cascade badge," Daisy said as she held out the badge to Cross. Misty was behind her with a completely lifeless expression, as her other two sisters, Violet and Lily came up beside her.

"Thank you, but isn't the gym leader supposed to present the badge?" Cross commented in a taunting manner.

"Like the four of us are each a gym leader here, so what difference does it make who presents you with the badge?" Daisy replied sounding annoyed.

"So I can get a better look at the broken look that sorry excuse for a gym leader has," Cross taunted as he looked at Misty. At this point Misty snapped and lunges at Cross, her fist pulled back ready to punch him in the face. The only reason she wasn't using her signature mallet was due to her sisters taking it from her for this very reason. Lily and Violet managed to grab Misty and hold her as Daisy got right in front of her to block her path to Cross incase she were to get loose.

"You have your badge, so get the hell out of here before she gets her hands on you," Daisy yelled at Cross as she pointed to the exit. Cross gave a smug smirk before turning around and walking away. Once he had cleared the door, the girls released Misty, who stumbled a little before standing between them with her head down.

"Like geez Misty, what's your problem?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, if you would have hit him, the Pokémon League could shut us down," Violet added.

Misty didn't respond as she continued to stare at the ground, her body trembling. Daisy started to walk to her as she saw several tears fall to the ground. Daisy reached out to her, but missed as Misty took off running out of the battle area and to her room.

"Like what is her deal? These temper tantrums are getting old," Lily commented as Violet agreed.

Daisy however said nothing as she looked in the direction her little sister ran in. "Girls we have some work to do," Daisy said then turned to her remaining sisters. "Lily, go to the cafe and get four lattes, each of our favorites and all the pastries you can carry. Violet, go to the grocery store and get a couple pints of ice cream, all with chocolate in them."

"Umm why?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, all that goes way out of my diet, and it's swimsuit season," Violet added.

Daisy looked at her sister with a serious gaze, "Violet, your diet can suffer for one day, our little sister needs our help with her broken heart."

"And like what about you? What are you going to do?" Violet asked.

"I'm getting what I think our little sister needs for her road to recovery," Daisy replied confidently.

A little while later in Misty's room, she is laying in her bed, her eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. Her Pokéballs were sitting on the nightstand by her bed. The Pokémon recently returned from the Pokémon Center after being healed. Her mind yet again drifted to thoughts of what could have been, a future with Ash that could only exist now as a dream. There was a sudden knock on the door that brought Misty from her dreams and back to reality.

"What is it, another challenger?" Misty asked.

"Misty, can we come in?" Daisy asked politely.

"Fine," Misty groaned as she sat up and wiped the tears from her face.

The door swung open and the three elder sisters walked in carrying in drinks and sweet treats.

"What's all this?" Misty asked in shock of what she was seeing.

"Misty, you have been in a rut lately. We are here to listen and help," Lily replied as she handed Misty a mocha latte.

"And we aren't leaving until you're feeling better," Violet added as she pulled out six pints of different types of chocolate ice cream, ranging from classic chocolate to fudge brownie explosion.

Misty smiled as tears started to come again, feeling so happy that her sisters cared so much about her

"Now just let it all out, we are here for you and only you. We closed the gym for the rest of the day and left our cell phones in our rooms, so there will be no distractions from you," Daisy said as she gave her sister a warm hug.

The girls drank the lattes and ate the treats. Misty didn't share at first, and when she did it took time as the tears would return and bring the story to a halt. The older sisters learned so much more about Misty than ever before. They had suspected that she was in love with Ash, but not to the extent that she did. They also learned where she was going three nights a week, anger management classes, and how she blamed part of the reason she lost Ash was due to her short fuse.

"Honestly I can't see why he can't see how hard you've worked to fix your issues and become a better person. But if he couldn't love you for you then forget him, you're better off," Lily commented when Misty was done.

"Yeah, like, how pretty can this girl be for him to not realize how beautiful you are?" Violet added. Misty grabbed her phone and did an internet search for an image of Serena then handed it to Violet. Violet cringed as she realized Serena was drop dead gorgeous, and she essentially put her foot in her mouth. Lily and Daisy also looked at the picture and felt the same as Violet, that in the looks department, despite how pretty Misty was, Serena beat her hands down.

"Well forget about Ash and Serena, clearly it just wasn't meant to be. Besides, you know what they say, there more fish in the sea. Your Prince Charming is out there, you just haven't found him yet," Daisy told Misty with a strong confident tone.

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about him," Misty replied as she began to sob again.

"If it was one of us, I'd say to go out there and get a rebound guy to have some fun with. But you're not like us, but I think you do need a distraction, to do something I know you'll love," Daisy said as she handed Misty an envelope.

Misty opened it and her eyes opened wide as she pulled out the paper inside. "Are you serious?" Misty asked with a shocked expression as she held a travel itinerary.

"Completely. I remember how excited you were every time you came home after you traveled to a new region. So here's your chance to travel again, starting with Unova," Daisy replied with a smile.

"But what about the gym?" Misty asked.

"We'll run it," Daisy replied.

"We will?" Lily and Violet questioned.

"Yes, we will," Daisy replied to them sternly.

Misty then takes Daisy into a tight hug. "Thank you."

————————————————————————

Present

Ash and Serena were looking for a good spot to stop and make lunch as they made their way to Valladolid for Serena's final Showcase performance. They had been walking along a river the entire time that ran from Burgos to Valladolid, making it easy so they don't get lost.

"This looks like a good spot," Serena commented as they entered a large open area along the river covered with flowers.

"Sounds good, if you don't mind sharing the space," Ash replied as he pointed to a backpack leaned up against a large rock along the bank that also had someone's clothes and towel on top.

"Oh no. Maybe they'll be ok with sharing with us. Should we make some lunch for them too?" Serena suggested, not wanting to keep looking after finding the beautiful spot.

"Well do you want to wait for them to show up? Because who knows how long they'll be gone," Ash asked. Ash could go either way at this point, he was hungry so he did want to eat, but he also wanted some private time with Serena, as he was in a certain mood and an empty forest would be a different place for him to exercise this mood.

Just then a Politoed and Azurill jumped out of the water, followed by a Psyduck. The three Pokémon noticed Ash and Serena and looked over at them before they realized it was Ash. The three Pokémon cheered and happily ran over to greet him.

"Umm, hi," Ash replied with a wave as they jumped up and down around him.

"Well you're very popular with them. Do you know these Pokémon?" Serena asked as she watched the display curiously.

"I'm not sure. I do have a friend who has these three Pokémon," Ash replied then looked down at the Pokémon. "Are you three Mi...." Ash started before a Gyarados burst out of the water with a roar. Everyone looked at the powerful sea serpent as he lowered his head down to the bank and his trainer climbed off and grabbed her towel. The trainer was a young woman about Ash and Serena's age with short orange hair, and was wearing a simple dark blue bikini. "Misty?"

Misty was drying off her face when she heard her name, freezing her in place when she heard the voice she longed for, yet also tried to forget. She pulled the towel away from her face as she turned her head to the raven hair stud that called her name. "Ash?"

"Come on Serena, I want you to meet Misty," Ash said happily as he took her hand and moved quickly to Misty. Misty couldn't move, her feet were firmly planted to the ground due to the shock of seeing Ash. She had managed to actually start feeling happy and winning Pokémon battles again, but the sight of Ash holding Serena's hand undid all that. As Ash reached her, he released Serena's hand and gave Misty a hug, causing her heart to race as thoughts of the life she wanted flooded back into her mind. "It's great seeing you again Misty."

Misty snapped back to her senses and returned the hug. "Likewise," she replied.

Much to Misty's disappointment, Ash broke the hug and side stepped so that Serena was right in front of her now. "Misty, I'd like to introduce you to Serena, my girlfriend. Serena this is Misty, one of my best friends. She traveled with me for about two and a half years after Pikachu and I destroyed her bike," Ash introduced, chuckling a little as he remembered how they started traveling together.

"A pleasure to meet you Misty, I've heard so much about you," Serena said as she extend her hand. Brock's words now rang in Serena's ears, 'watch out for Misty.' Without being noticed Serena could easily read Misty's feelings right now, and she could see the rage boiling inside her that she was trying so hard to keep under control.

"Nice to meet you too. Ash told me a lot about you too," Misty replied as she took Serena's hand and gave a fake smile.

"Hey Misty, we were just about to have lunch, would you care to join us?" Ash asked.

Both Serena and Misty secretly hated this idea. Serena didn't trust Misty, and felt she could be dangerous for her own safety. Misty on the other hand hated the idea of being anywhere near Serena as she felt she stole Ash from her.

"Oh I don't know, I don't want to intrude on you two love birds," Misty replied, trying to get away as she felt she was going to vomit by calling them love birds.

"Oh come on, it's just lunch. Besides I really want you and Serena to get to know one another," Ash replied trying to get Misty to stay.

"No no, besides I'm really not that hungry," Misty replied, right before her stomach growled. "Shut up you," Misty scolded her stomach as she looked down at it and poked it.

"Hahaha, your stomach ratted you out. Come on, you're eating with us," Ash replied with a chuckle.

"Fine," Misty replied with a defeated look. Truth was that she was actually hungry, and was planning to just eat some berries she saw growing in the area for lunch, but now with Ash and Serena here, she felt that she had to stay and eat with them.

"Great! I'll set up the table," Ash replied sounding triumphant, and walked over to set up the table.

With Ash's back turned, Misty glared over at Serena, who saw the look and moved closer to Ash and began helping to set up for lunch.

Ash and Serena released all their Pokémon. As Ash set up the table, Serena began pulling out everything they needed to make lunch, as well as everything she needed to make Poképuffs. Ash took the stock pot to fill it with water, but Misty stopped him and happily volunteered to do it for him. When she returned with the water, her happiness once again left her, as she saw Ash and Serena preparing the lunch together, looking like a married couple. Misty placed the pot on the table and sat down, and was surprised to see that it was Ash who started using it as he dropped in several vegetables he had cut up. Since traveling with Serena and helping her prepare their meals, Ash had become fairly proficient when it came to making simple meals. They weren't usually very exciting to eat, but were edible.

"Oh no," Serena groaned as she opened a metal cylindrical container.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"I forgot to restock our berries. I was going to make some pokepuffs for dessert," Serena replied as she showed the container to be almost empty.

"There are plenty of bushes with berries that way, I'll go get some," Misty said as she pointed down the river, wanting to get away from Ash and Serena's couple behavior.

"That's ok, I'll get them," Ash replied as he then gave Serena a kiss as he took the container. "Drakeon, Arcanine, let's go," Ash said as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder, and began walking down the river in the direction Misty pointed. Almost the entire time since they ran into Misty, Ash could read a lot of hostility from Misty's aura, and nervousness and uncertainty from Serena, both directed towards one another. Ash could remember how short a temper Misty had, so he suspected that this was how her aura normally felt, while Ash could also understand why Serena felt nervous around Misty considering she didn't know Misty but could probably also feel the anger coming from her. To Ash, all they needed was to spend some time together to bond and start to become friends. He wanted all of his friends to like his girlfriend, so he hoped that Misty and Serena could lower their guards and start to become friends during this time without him in between, forcing them to talk.

It was an uncomfortable silence with Serena and Misty. Serena at least had an excuse for her silence as she was multitasking making lunch and getting her pokepuffs as ready as possible before she needed to add the berries. Misty just stared at Serena with anger, as she felt everything Serena had should have been hers, from Drakeon all the way to Ash's love. The Pokémon could easily feel the tension, but only watched the girls. However Ash and Serena's could see the potential threat and remained ready to act.

"You know what, let me help you," Misty insisted as she was getting annoyed at Serena doing everything so well. She then picked up a knife and began cutting vegetables. As Misty chopped the vegetables, all eyes were on her. Her chops were strong and forceful, clearly showing her anger that she was holding in. "Do I scare you?" Misty asked Serena as she continued to cut the vegetables.

"No, of course not," Serena replied casually as she tried to hide her concern, but failed.

"Liar," Misty yelled and with an even more forceful chop, then turned to face Serena while still holding the knife. "Ever since I picked up this knife, you and your Pokémon have been eyeballing me." Misty said angrily as she pointed the knife at Serena, then moved it as she gestured to the Pokémon. "What's wrong? Are you afraid that I'd use this knife on you?" Misty asked aggressively. Serena didn't reply, she took one step back as she prepared to use her psychic powers to defend herself. Ash and Serena's Pokémon also tensed as they were prepared to defend Serena. Misty's Pokémon were a little uncertain what was going on, but they were also ready to rescue their trainer and get her out of there if anything happened. "That's what I thought," Misty replied as she saw everyone's responses. "Well to be honest the thought did cross my mind. Actually it did more than cross my mind. I've actually put some serious thought into taking you out with this knife." Those words struck Serena with genuine fear, as Delphox, Greninja, Gardevoir, and Lucario were on the edge of charging at Misty. "But," Misty then carefully placed the knife back down on the table. "If I did that, nothing would really change for me. Ash would still love you even if you were dead, and I still wouldn't have him. Don't get me wrong, I do hate you, but it's not your fault. You won Ash's heart with one act of affection. I traveled with him for several years and I couldn't get anywhere with him. You are having the time I dreamed of, traveling alone with Ash, able to show him affection pretty much anytime you want, loving him any time you want." Tears started to form in Misty's eyes, "It's my own fault. I destroyed my chances well before you two met."

Serena wasn't sure how far back Misty and Ash went, but she wasn't about to tell Misty how they met at Professor Oak's summer camp when they were little.

"I have an anger management issue," Misty continued. "I would yell at Ash and Brock so much over the most trivial things, and hit them on occasion. After I realized my feelings for Ash, I tried to get my anger under control on my own, but it wasn't easy. When my sisters told me they were leaving the gym and I have to take over so it didn't close, it was a bittersweet decision to go home. On the one hand I was sad to have to leave Ash, but on the other I saw this as the perfect time to get professional help with my anger. Brock would keep me in the loop where they were going, so I would visit Ash on his journeys sometimes, and always finding him traveling with Brock and some girl. I could always see these girls had a crush on Ash, and I would always made sure these girls knew that he was mine. After Brock left, I didn't have any idea where Ash was. I heard about Unova and the girl there, but Dawn told me she was a lesbian, so I wasn't worried. But I knew nothing about Kalos until Ash came back to visit from Alola." Misty then looked at Serena, her eyes red from the crying. "That's when I heard about you, and how you made him feel romantic love for the first time." Misty fell to the ground as she balled her eyes out.

Serena looked down at Misty with a saddened expression. She could still sense the anger within her, but it was much less as it was buried by pain and despair. Serena knelt down and took Misty into her arms as she tried to comfort her.

Meanwhile a few feet away Ash stood hiding behind a tree, listening in on everything that was said. Despite Ash's confidence that everything was going to be ok when he left, he stayed to make sure nothing bad happened. Ash felt horrible as he was the cause of one of his best friend's pain, as Pikachu felt bad for both Ash and Misty. He wanted to do something to help, anything to help bring Misty back out of that pit of despair she was in. He then continued walking to find the berries as he pulled out his phone and called a number near the very top. "Hey Brock, it's Ash. I need you to tell me everything you know about what's going on with Misty."