Professor Oak sighed heavily. "This isn't easy work."
"How are you doing?" Stephen asked, glancing up from where he, Elm and Violeta were pouring over books, newspapers, and any other documents they thought might help them.
"Almost got the second one out. Odd as it sounds, I think the more time we leave the worlds alone, the more stable they become, and harder to cut the wires of."
"Which means the last few are going to be major PIAs," Violeta summed up. "Sorry to say we haven't found anything yet, but we'll keep looking."
Professor Oak waved a hand to gesture to the other three. "Why don't one of you come over here, study the machine to see if there's any information about what to do when we get down to the last wire?"
Violeta left the men to do what Sam had suggested. "It's a shame there isn't a manual of some kind."
Elm chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, but where would the challenge be in that?"

Ash shoved a rice ball into his mouth. "Beating Elite members mercilessly sure does work up an appetite."
Their waitress smiled. "Well, eat up. All the food is on the house!" She walked off, muttering under her breath, "To think, someone like ASH KETCHUM eating in our restaurant..."
Brock sighed, looking out the window of the small diner.
"What's wrong?" Misty asked between bites. "You've been sort of vague all day, Brock."
"I had the oddest dream last night," Brock told them.
Tracey swallowed. "What of?"
"That's just it- I can't remember," he admitted. "I opened my eyes this morning and felt really good, but sort of depressed, like I'd been getting to the good part right before I woke. I've been trying to remember what happened all day, but all I know is that," he grinned, "it involved a girl."
If the aspiring trainer had been thinking, he would have realized Brock's dream was in fact the shards of his own reality. But, since this was Ash, who didn't even know what "analyzing" meant, he remained ignorant, merely laughing and saying, "I thought ALL your dreams involved girls!"
Misty finished off her meal, giving Ash an odd look. "Ash, do you think you could come with me for a minute?"
Ash blinked. "Why?"
"Just do it," she said through gritted teeth.
Not wanting to make his friend mad, Ash did what he was told. "Um, okay Misty."
Tracey and Brock watched them leave, looking at each other and nodding knowingly. They waved Ash a good-bye, saying something about a wedding when Misty silenced them with an icy stare. Confused as always, Ash followed Misty to a back alley, wondering what the other boys had meant.
"Ash, you and I have been friends for a long time, huh?" she began after a minute.
"I guess so. About three years."
Misty looked away. "We know each other pretty well, right?"
"Yeah." He blinked, realizing Misty looked sort of pretty with the moonlight behind her. "Why?"
"What if I told you that I didn't want to be your friend anymore?"
Ash jumped, eyes widening. "Huh? Not be my friend anymore? What'd I do to make you mad!?" He thought for a minute, remembering the marriage comments. "Are you in love with someone?"
She nodded, blushing. "That's right, Ashton..."
"Who? Tracey or Brock?"
Misty face-vaulted.
"Because you know, I wouldn't care or anything. It'd be sorta weird to watch you guys kiss or something, but that's no reason not to be friends-"
"NO, I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH BROCK OR TRACEY!" she snapped. She took a breath, smoothing her shirt down. "When I say I don't want to be friends, I mean I want to be... more than friends..." She took his hand in hers. "Ashton, I've wanted to tell you this for a very long time, but I never knew how."
It hit Ash like a ton of bricks. "Misty, you mean-?"
She nodded. "I love you, Ash Ketchum."
Ash grinned, realizing suddenly how much he liked Misty. Really, really liked her. He was surprised he'd never noticed before. "Me too, Misty."
They moved a little closer, about to get their very first kisses...

...And Professor Oak cut the wire...

Misty found herself falling into a pool of water. Despite the shock, she managed to stay in her position to complete a nearly splashless dive, coming up for air quickly. She took a gasping breath, wondering how she'd managed to get in a pool. Looking around, the water trainer discovered she was in the Cerulean Gym. Three girls younger than herself clapped appreciatively.
"Wow Misty, that was a super dive!"
"I wish we were that good!"
"You're so talented!"
Who were they? Misty had never seen them before, though they resembled her three older sisters to an almost unhealthy level.
"Now I'm gonna try that dive!"
"Daisy wait, I wanna do it do!"
"Hold on Lily!"
Misty was so shocked she nearly choked on pool water. Daisy and Lily!? Those were her sister's names...
Daisy looked over at her sister, concern in her face. "Sis, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she assured the younger girl, spitting water out of her mouth in a small fountain. "You called me sis, didn't you?"
"Yeah." She giggled. "What else would I call you? Brother? Maybe you'd prefer Waterqueen Mystique."
Misty laughed, trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing she could clearly remember (other than those two odd visions, one of her helping out at a Pokémon Hospital and the other of her about to kiss Ash) was the reality machine. She came to a similar conclusion to her two friends', knowing this was her very own world. Misty floated on her back, breathing in a sigh of contentment as she heard her three "little" sisters splashing around at the other end of the pool, trying to immitate her dive.
"Misty, sweetie?" She recognized the voice to be her mother's. Misty opened an eye. "Your friends are waiting for you. They said you were going to a movie today."
"Right. 'I Saw What You Ate Last Tuesday,'" Misty didn't have a clue how she knew that, but figured it was part of the machine's doings. She hopped out of the water, drying herself off. Misty noted happily that she had a pair of real, honest-to-God breasts. The girl smirked; now no one would accidentally call her a guy.
Misty dressed in a hurry, trying to decide what friends would be there. She couldn't decide if it would be her newer friends, or childhood ones from before she left home.
"Hey Misty!" both Brock and Ash said in unison, jumping up from two chairs and pulling gifts from their bags.
"Here Mist! I bought you some flowers!" Ash told her, handing the pink roses over.
Brock shoved him out of the way. "Check out what I got at Hallmark!" He held up two bears. Their magnetized noses made them kiss. "Just like we'll be doing someday, right?"
Ash bumped him over. "C'mon Misty! Nothing says I love you like flowers!"
Brock shoved Ash's head down. "Roses are just a way of saying you're too cheap to buy a real present! Now, kissing bears cost REAL money, and THAT comes from the heart!"
Misty giggled. She remembered now that both boys had been smitten with her for years. They were best friends, but fought like wild animals over her love and the right to call her their girlfriend. "Sorry Ash, but Brock wins today." She took both gifts, putting them on a shelf to be stored in her room later. She stood on tiptoe and gave Brock a kiss on the cheek. "Better luck next time."
Ash glared daggers at his friend, who had turned a bright crimson from Misty's own gift. "I'll win tomorrow," he grumbled.
"In your dreams!" Brock exclaimed happily. "If we're getting kisses when we win now I'm gonna work even harder!"
Misty walked by, flicking Ash's hat up in a coy manner. "If we don't hurry we'll be late for the movie." She paused, realizing she had no money. Oh well... "Now, which one of you is gonna buy my ticket?"
"Misty, I'll do it!"
"No way, let me!"
"He already got a kiss!"
"But I won for the DAY! That means the WHOLE DAY!"

"Sam, I may have found something!"
He looked up from the task at hand, to where Violeta was pointing to something. "What is it, Vi?"
She traced her hand across dim lettering. "We overlooked it because it was covered in dust, but... Sam, I think it's in Hiragana."
He peered at the words. "You're right. Elm, you have the sharpest eyes- can you read that?"
Elm blinked sleepily. "I'll see what I can do." He stood up slowly, causing two books to fall from his lap. "Oops." He walked over, having to squint to see the barely readable symbols. He muttered something under his breath, then said louder for the others. "It says: 'instructions inside.' Wonder what in the world that means."
Violeta shoved him roughly away from the box. She laughed. "I was right! There is a manual! It must be in a compartment... really well hidden, too."
"Push the writing in," Stephen suggested, glancing up from a book specializing in the Unown.
Violeta shrugged, doing as he suggested. "Seems almost too easy..." To her surprise, the area the words were on popped out, but just barely. "What's wrong with it?"
"Rusted shut?" Elm suggested.
Stephen sighed. "It's never as easy as it looks, is it?"
"Keep working, you're bound to get it undone soon," Sam encouraged. "I'm almost done with this next one."

Misty, Ash and Brock walked through the theatre doors (Brock paid for for Misty), looking around for the right theatre. Glancing around, Misty noticed Jessie and James heading towards one theatre, the last two people she would have expected to be in her perfect world. Searching her new memory, she discovered that the two were more-or-less the school troublemakers, failing regularly and proud of it. . They were a good deal younger, about thirteen, as all her friends seemed to be, but seemed to look about the same. There was something different, though...
Jessie turned to see the trio. "Oh, great. It's the school president and her little boyfriends."
Misty almost screamed in joy. Finally, after nearly two years of feeling like the lesser of the girls in her travelling group of friends and enemies, Misty had a better body than the Rocketgirl!
"What's-a matter, Jess?" Misty taunted. "Jealous 'cause I got better grades and a better body!?"
If looks could kill, Misty would have been dead. "Why you little-"
James grabbed her shoulder. "C'mon Jess. We've got better things to do then kick the crap out of a few preps." He steered her to an R-rated movie- Misty wondered how they'd gotten past the ticket seller.
Jessie sniffed, looking away haughtily. "Right. Lead on, James."
Misty was about to say something else, when Ash stopped her. "Aw, lay off Mist. Word has it they're gettin' held back anyway."
She smirked. "Good. Shall we?"
They seated themselves in the theatre, both boy on either side of Misty. As soon as the movie started, Brock and Ash yawned simultaneously and started to slide their arms over the back of her chair. Brock's arm landed on top of Ash's. Their eyebrows raised, and they looked across at each other, growling angrily.
"Sorry Brock. Ash got there first," Misty told him, preventing a fight. Brock sighed; he grabbed a handful of popcorn, frowning unhappily. "Oh, it's not the end of the world," she assured him. "Here. Lemme make up for it." Misty leaned over to give Brock yet another kiss, loving the bright color Ash turned when she did it...

... And Professor Oak cut the wire...