"Alright, Misty, out with it."

Misty gasped at Brock's sudden grip, startled out of her reveire.
"What...?"

"You've been thinking about something unpleasant all morning.  Even
Togepi's worried."

Misty looked for the egg pokemon for confirmation, finding it tugging
on her leg.  For a moment, there was utter worry on its face, but when
it saw that it had attracted her attention, its usual smile returned
full force.  "It's nothing."

"Misty, I can read you like a book.  And these pages aren't blank."

"...I'd...really rather not talk about it."

"Ok, fine."  Brock turned to go.  "I'll just get Ash to tease it out of
you."

"NO!  WAIT!"

Brock stopped, looking back.

"Please...don't tell him..."

"It's about Ash, isn't it?"

"...yes."

Brock put his arm around her.  "Misty, please tell me.  Remember, I
raised a bunch of kids his age.  Whatever it is, there's a good chance
I can help."

"He doesn't know us."

"...once I can figure out what you're talking about, that is."

"Hasn't it ever struck you as odd that he can't seem to remember most
of the pokemon we've encountered?  Like those omanyte: we ran into them
in the underground cave, but he never mentioned it to the scientists."

"Neither did we.  They'd never believe us."

"That's your reason.  I was playing along.  But Ash wouldn't hide
something like that from them."

"Except that he did."

"*He* didn't.  As far as he knew, we really hadn't ever seen them
before."

"You asked him?"

"I..."  Misty choked back a sob.  "You haven't seen him wake up, have
you?"

"Of course I have.  Nothing special."

"Every morning, he checks a certain file on his pokedex.  I was curious
what was on it, so yesterday morning, I asked Togepi to distract Ash
just as he looked it up, lead him to Pikachu.  Ash left his pokedex on
his sleeping bag, just as I planned, so I snuck a peak at what was on
the screen.  It...it's notes on all of us.  Files like what an impostor
would need...but more basic than that."

"Which doesn't prove anything.  For all you know, it could be a diary."

Misty nodded.  "So I altered it.  Changed his last name to 'Satoshi'.
And this morning, I called him 'Mr. Ketchum'.  He...he didn't know who
Ketchum was, but he did respond to 'Satoshi'.  Brock...I think he has
Alzheimer's or something."

Brock frowned.  "Or something.  Could be a number of things."

Misty shuddered.  "All this time, I thought he was just being
insensitive.  I thought, 'how could he just shrug me off after...?'"

"After...?"

"We...the night before the Indigo League tournaments, I..."  Misty
blushed, even as the tears rolled freely down her face.

"You used a condom, I hope."

"Brock!"

"Ok, ok.  It'd show by now anyway."

Not even looking at him, Misty let her fist descend hard onto his
cranium.

"OW!  Alright, ok!  So...what are you going to do about it?"

"I...don't know.  I don't know what I *can* do."

Brock smiled.  "I do."

---

Morning dawned, and as per his usual routine, Ash checked the secret
file on his pokedex.  It felt odd again - he had a vague recollection
of wrongness a few mornings ago - but this was what he wrote, so it had
to be the truth.

Shrugging, he rolled over to regard the nude form that shared his
sleeping bag.  One advantage of his condition: he would never get tired
of seeing her now; every time would have the magic of the first.  Even
seeing her eyes flutter open, and how she blushed as she took in his
admiration of her.

He gave thanks that he remembered to write down their first intimate
encounter.  He was certain such an event would have left him too tired
to record it before sleep wiped it from his memories.  But now that it
was recorded, it would stay with him forever.

"I love you, Misty."  It just felt right, such a better way to start
the morning than more mundane greetings.  And his file even said that
was how she preferred to be greeted.  He wondered how he learned that -
but only for a moment, before her enthusiastic reaction momentarily
pushed all rational thought from his mind.
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