English names are being used for consistency purposes; the ages of all characters involved have been bumped up :) Therefore:

Ash is 17, Iris is 16, Cilan is 20, Burgundy is 19, Trip and Georgia are also 17 and Stephen is 18. I'm going with a bit of a S.S. Anne event here; battles on board and some dancing and whatever. Some trades will occur, Pokemon will evolve, and other cool shizz.

Also including my OCs (I guess I can call them) Aislynn and Raphael, both of whom are 18. In this fic Aislynn is the League Champion because I wanted to xD! And also because I really really don't like Georgia :X

Main pairing: Cilan x Burgundy.

Others: Ash x Misty (forever and for always), Trip x Georgia (for WTF) and Iris x Stephen (whhhhat do you have any idea how hot Stephen is? Plus Iris' Emolga and Stephen's Sawk would be pretty cute together ehehehe).

Enjoy :)

S'il vous Plaît

Chapter 1: Shall we dance?

"Burgundy, you understand don't you? Just accept my offer already!" Cilan was exasperated with the woman in front of him – what did she have against him anyway? Aside from the fact that he had defeated her in her first visit to the gym he shared with his brothers and then it was apparently his fault that she didn't get a chance to exact her revenge on him when she visited the gym again after becoming a Pokemon Sommelier herself.

Of course, it just so happened that Ash, Iris and Cilan stumbled upon a mega-mall on their journey across Unova, and Ash had gone to see a S-Class Sommelier about his marriage to his Sewaddle. Burgundy had interfered, tricking Ash into thinking she was a S-Class Sommelier herself when she was only a C-Class.

'And still is,' Cilan thought to himself as he raised his arm to cut her off on the left; he had her cornered against the wall.

"Leave me alone!" she snarled, slapping his arm down, "I don't need to be nor do I want to be your apprentice!"

Before he could ask her to reconsider – 'you're a skilled Sommelier, I only want to help!' - she was running off down the alley. Cilan rubbed the back of his head as he stared after her, green eyes narrowed back in confusion.

"She sure is stubborn. Ah, I should have expected this, especially after our battle to see who had done a proper tasting of Ash's marriage with his Pokemon..." he sighed and started walking in the direction Burgundy had gone, back towards Central Park, "in the end I won, but that doesn't mean she was entirely wrong... just her way of going about the tasting, telling Ash he needed to replace all his Pokemon."

The trio was back in Castelia City; Cilan had spotted Burgundy walking around, her gaze intense as she looked over the variety of trainers and Pokemon spending time together in the park. Every once in a while she would stop and look more closely at a pair, often causing them to stare back at her in wonder at what she was doing. Sometimes she would give a pair a smile – others received a cold glare accompanied by a frown.

She never said anything, prompting Cilan to excuse himself from Iris and Ash's presence to seek her out. He had quietly followed her down the nearly empty "back street" of Castelia City, walking uncomfortably past two motorcyclists chuckling about who-knows-what.

'To think that she's still C-Class... it's been nearly two months. Ash will be turning seventeen soon, though he has yet to reach the final gym,' he smiled when he saw his two friends sitting impatiently on a bench in the park – or rather, Ash was sitting with his hands planted firmly against his knees and Iris was pacing around in front of the bench.

"Ash, Iris!" he called, waving at the two. Iris was immediately in front of him, glaring up at him. Cilan came to an abrupt stop in his walking, blinking his eyes rapidly at the plum haired girl.

"Where did you go! Do you have any idea how long Ash and I spent searching for you throughout the entire park -" Axew emerged from her hair and crawled onto her face, effectively cutting her off, giving Cilan an apologetic look. Cilan continued to stare at her, placing a hand on his hip.

"I was sure I told you two that I was going to take a walk by myself," he said as Ash walked over.

"Axew, you're going to suffocate her," he complained, lifting the small dragon Pokemon off her face. Iris gasped dramatically, then jabbed her finger at Cilan and continued her scolding – he leaned back in response to the unexpected action.

"You! You were gone for nearly an hour and you expect us to just sit around and wait when we have supplies to restock on and places to go! We don't have time to waste here!" Iris exclaimed, stamping her foot against the ground.

Cilan covered his face with his hand, 'ahh, how could I forget that we were here to restock on supplies? Burgundy distracts my attention, it seems,' he raised his head to see Ash and Iris in an argument about one of the many things that they argued about, this time being about where they would stay the night. He sighed, rubbing his fingers over his temple.

'Such kids. Oh, I should tell them I talked to Burgundy,' he approached the two, placing one hand on each of their shoulders and pushing them back, "all right, that's enough arguing. We'll go restock on supplies. I was talking to Burgundy earlier, that's why I took so long."

He pretended not to notice that Iris had stiffened at the news; Ash looked distraught to hear that Burgundy was in Castelia City.

"Not her agaaain, gees, I don't know if I can handle seeing her!" he wailed, grabbing his hair tightly in his hands, "she hates all my Pokemon! And I'm sure she hates me too!"

"Ash, she doesn't hate you, she just has a different opinion on your marriage with your Pokemon. You should at least take some of what she assessed into consideration," Cilan told him, crossing his arms over his chest, "I told you, didn't I? It's hard to become a Sommelier and she has talent."

"She sure has talent all right" - Cilan barely heard Iris' voice. He gave her a stern look.

"I guess you two wouldn't get along very well," he wondered aloud, turning to make his way towards the Pokemon Center, where the mart was also located. He went through a mental checklist of everything they would need for their journey further North, towards the Ice gym.

"Why is Burgundy here?"

"I didn't think to ask that," he replied to Iris' question, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She was scowling at him.

"Then, what did you ask her?" Iris demanded, her eyes glittering with determination. Cilan couldn't help laughing affectionately at her, patting her on the head.

"My, my, aren't you curious today! I was asking her to be my apprentice. I want to help her become a better Sommelier, because she has talent, as I already mentioned," he felt the need to reiterate the last part, lest Iris let her hormones get the better of her and she accuse him of finding Burgundy... attractive.

Which he did, but the fact that he found her attractive didn't mean he was attracted to her, and Iris would surely accuse him of such a thing. She had been acting a lot more possessive of him and Ash lately, saying things like "they're my traveling partners" or "no you can't sit with us, we're a group of three" - which always made Axew and Pikachu feel left out, though she managed to amend her mistake in those situations.

After the Don battle championship, however, Iris seemed more open to including a fourth member in their group – that being Stephan. Iris had had a short chat with him after their battle had finished; Cilan thought they had nice chemistry. Iris would hear nothing of it though.

'She acts so childish for a sixteen year old,' he glanced at her, noting that she was staring at him, 'and she still has the urge to always point out when others are being childish.'

"Well, I'll get the supplies while you two go find a place to spend the night," the two younger trainers whined and Cilan chided them, "oh come on, don't be so childish" - he glanced pointedly at Iris and she pouted - "the sun's going down so we might as well spend the night in Castelia. That, and the cruise ship will be going around the city tonight. I'm sure you two would enjoy that."

Upon hearing this news Iris excitedly clapped her hands together and grabbed Ash's arm, saying something about finding the nearest hotel. Cilan shook his head and entered the Pokemon center, making his way right over to the market.

He couldn't find some ingredients he needed for some recipes, but he could improvise. He made sure he had a good amount of potions, if Ash's penchant for battling wasn't a warning enough already that he would end up doing something reckless.

'And Iris too. After her battle with Georgia that first time... hm,' Cilan didn't want to think about the stuck up red head. For her to insult Iris multiple times and eat their entire breakfast all by herself – that was simply selfish. She even refused to accept her loss to Ash as a mistake in how she battled him, putting the blame instead on the terrain of the battlefield at the Club Battle tournament.

After thanking the grocer Cilan left the store. He quirked his eyebrow at Ash and Iris who stood outside – they were both panting.

"I take it you think I'm going to wander off on my own again and not tell you where I'm going," he teased; both his companions grumbled at him.

"We came to get you because there's more than one hotel here you know," Iris mumbled, tapping the toe of her shoe against the cobblestone path. Cilan sighed, 'I suppose I should refrain from teasing them so much. Seems to get on their nerves.'

"I appreciate it, Iris," he smiled at her, watching her avert her gaze.

"R-right, let's go then! Do you know what time the ship leaves the boardwalk?" she asked enthusiastically, making her way towards the boardwalk already. Cilan grabbed her arm and pulled her back, laughing lightly; Ash laughed as well and the two men steered her around.

"I thought we were showing Cilan to the hotel, Iris," Ash teased, "or are you just a bit eager to go to that cruise ship?"

"Of course I'm eager!" she complained, "forget the hotel, let's just go to the ship!"

"And not change into something more formal? I heard there was going to be a dance," Cilan informed her, poking her in the forehead. A faint blush rose to her cheeks and she stomped towards the third street.

"F-fine! We'll go back to the hotel first, get changed, and then go to the ship!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Ash called after her. Cilan glanced at the dark haired boy, 'I wonder what he wants. He looks like he wants to ask me something.'

"Um, Cilan... I hate to tell you this, especially after you bought all those supplies, but we ran into Trip at the hotel. He's staying here for a while, and since I really want to battle him again – I er, kinda' booked our rooms for a week," he looked up at Cilan sheepishly, like he expected him to get angry. Cilan smiled at him.

"I rather like Castelia city, so I don't mind staying here longer. Don't worry about it. I can cook meals for us regardless of where we are."

Ash brightened up, but his eyes brimmed with another question. Cilan leaned down slightly, raising his eyebrow. Ash pursed his lips to the left in thought.

"I dunno', I was just thinking you're happy to stay here 'cause Burgundy's – hey! Calm down, will ya!" Ash laughed when Cilan hit him lightly on the head with his fist, eye twitching in irritation.

"Let me finish my sentence! At least you'll get more chances to try and convince her to be your apprentice!" Ash hurried into the hotel lobby, snickering to himself while Cilan hesitated outside, squinting his eyes in thought.

'Ash is right. With the extra week, I might have more success,' he brought his hand to his chin, contemplating the ways he could convince her to be his apprentice as he walked into the lobby. Ash waved to him from inside the elevator and Iris impatiently tapped her foot on the floor. He hurried into the lift with his friends, taking note of the floor number: five.

"Ash made me get a separate room," Iris complained as they stepped out of the lift. Cilan knew Ash's reasons, but for Iris' sake he gave Ash a questioning look anyway. Ash shrugged.

"She's just mad because the room is a bit further from ours. Come on, Iris, I know you're comfortable with us and all, but the hotel is different from the Pokemon center, and it's different from being outside..." Ash frowned at her as they came to room 507, "I thought you might like to have some better privacy for once."

Iris gave Ash an apologetic look, her gaze drifting to the floor, "oh... sorry."

"It's okay. It's not like you can't visit us," Ash pushed open the door after finally succeeding with the key card, "she's in room 518 by the way. It's not too far. Trip's a floor below us," Ash glanced at Iris, "maybe you should go to your room first and get ready, then come over here."

Iris frowned at him, but did as he said and waved, hurrying off down the hall to her room to get changed.

Ash stretched once he entered the room and Cilan set the supplies on the table top.

"Ah, Burgh was downstairs earlier. We ended up having a long-winded conversation about Leavanny! I can't wait till my Swadloon becomes one," Ash relayed happily, his grin spreading wide across his face. Cilan smiled at him.

"I'm sure your Swadloon will become one soon. He's very happy and the two of you have a great marriage, I think. I know Burgundy thought otherwise when he was still a Sewaddle."

Ash shrugged, then jumped up, "well, might as well change. Oh, forgot! Iris has my bag..." he huffed and made for the door, "oh yeah, here," he handed Cilan the other card key, "this is for you. Better give it to you before I forget."

"Thanks," Cilan followed Ash out of the room, noting that his bag was also missing. Upon exiting the room the two fell into idle conversation.

"Do you have any plans on evolving Pansage?" Ash inquired as they turned down the hall. A door near them was opening.

"I – I've thought about it. What about Pikachu?" upon hearing this Pikachu attempted to electrocute Cilan; he jumped out of the way, bumping into the wall.

"I'll take that as a no, as far as Pikachu is concerned," he said nervously, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. While Ash chided Pikachu – the yellow mouse whined – the door that had been opening opened further, as if whoever was inside was afraid to come out.

"Back when I was in Kanto, battling Lieutenant Surge, he tried to convince me to evolve Pikachu into a Raichu, because as a Pikachu there was no way I could beat his Raichu. In the end I proved him wrong, but... I had still considered it. That upset Pikachu."

"I see. No wonder your marriage with your Pikachu is so great, you two have been through... a lot... together," Cilan found his own voice trailing off when his eyes rested on a tall violet haired woman; she had just stepped out of her room. He stared when he realized who she was after she made eye-contact with him.

'That's... Burgundy? I've never seen her in something aside from her Sommelier clothes,' he blinked, aware that he was staring and that she was staring back at him, but he just couldn't tear his eyes away. From the way she blushed he knew that he wasn't supposed to recognize her, but though her hair – straighter than it normally was - hadn't given her away her beautiful lilac eyes betrayed her identity.

The blue sun dress she was wearing made her violet eyes a more vibrant shade of lilac, turning them almost blue. Ash seemed to notice the exchange though he didn't say anything, opting instead to remain silent.

Burgundy regained her composure and "hmphed", sticking her nose up in the air and walking swiftly past the two. Cilan opened his mouth to call after her but thought better of it, biting his lip.

'She's not going to talk to me, if her behavior earlier was hint enough,' Cilan would have sighed if Ash hadn't been there.

And Ash was the one who called out to Burgundy.

"Ah, Burgundy!" the woman stopped and turned her head to look over her shoulder.

"What?"

Ash clearly had no idea what to say, so he laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, while Cilan pushed away from the wall, "hi."

She quirked an eyebrow, glancing at Cilan, "hi..."

"So um, why are you wearing the dress?" Ash questioned, shifting closer to Cilan. Cilan looked at him, confused.

"I'm - just trying it on," she replied in a hurried voice. Cilan focused his gaze back on her, wondering why she replied so quickly.

'Not the real reason, then?' he wondered, his eyes flicking back to Ash. Clearly Burgundy was going somewhere, but just what was Ash planning?

"Oh? Okay... you look like you're in a hurry so I guess I'll see you later."

Burgundy looked just as confused as Cilan was and she shook her head, "see you," she faced forward again and started walking towards the elevator. Cilan felt an elbow in his back and he looked at Ash.

"Don't be an idiot," Ash growled in a low voice, "she's wearing that dress for a reason, isn't she? And she was so nervous about coming out of her room. You're an A-Class Sommelier, can't you figure it out?"

Cilan took a few steps forward in realization, "Burgundy!"

She paused mid-step, tilting her head slightly to the left but not looking back at him, "what do you want?"

He cringed at the sound of her voice and – glancing back at Ash once more to receive a nod of encouragement – he spoke up, "that dress looks great on you," he couldn't manage anything more.

Burgundy whipped around in shock, staring at him. The dress billowed and swirled around her legs when she spun; a beautiful movement that had distracted Cilan's attention.

'This dress... gives off a very tempting taste,' he forced himself to look at Burgundy's face so that she would see he was serious when he told her that the dress looked good on her. Her cheeks were a brilliant red and the longer the two stared at each other the more her blush deepened. Cilan felt warmth spreading over his cheeks as well and Burgundy turned on her heel to walk down the hall in a flurry. She jabbed the elevator button with her finger, impatiently waiting for it to arrive. Cilan could only stare at her back, wondering where she was going to be wearing a dress like that.

After she had gotten in the elevator and the doors had closed, Cilan looked up and to the right in embarrassment, pretending not to hear Ash's snickering.

"'That dress looks great on you'," Ash repeated, struggling to keep his laughter in check, "but you didn't say anything about the taste it gave off! That's so unlike you!"

Cilan glared down at him and this served to only make Ash laugh harder, "y-you're comment was p-pretty eloquent though!"

"That wasn't eloquent at all!" Cilan exclaimed, flustered. Ash wrapped his arms around his stomach, laughter spilling from his mouth. Cilan glowered, cheeks red, "you – stop laughing at me!"

Cilan chased Ash down the hall to Iris' room. She must have heard them because the door was open when they arrived.

"S-sorry Iris! I'm gonna' hide in your bathroom for a bit!" Ash yelped, grabbing his bag and making a beeline for the bathroom. Cilan sighed, closing his eyes tightly as he flopped down on the only bed in the room, rolling onto his back. Iris pouted at him.

"What – oh," he finally noticed that she was wearing a dress. It was a pale pink, two layers at the top and two at the bottom, with a garnet brooch in the middle of the collar. She wore long pink gloves as well and did a little twirl for him.

"What do you think?" she sounded hopeful. Cilan grinned at her.

"That pink suits you well. Such a cute taste," he noticed that she seemed disgruntled by what he said. She sat down next to him as he folded his arms behind his head.

"So um... what are you going to wear? I certainly hope you aren't going to wear that, Cilan," Iris said, poking Cilan in the chest. He looked at her, faking hurt.

"Iris, your lack of faith in my taste of style is depressing me."

She flushed and clamored over him, "you-! Just because I want to know what you're going to wear!"

Cilan felt an odd nervousness come over him. He wrapped his hand around one of Iris' arms, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"Maa maa, calm down Iris. You really can't take teasing can you?" he sat up further, forcing her to sit back up as well. She glared at the floor, flustered.

"You're such a kid," he heard her mutter under her breath; he smiled affectionately at her, ruffling her hair.

"How can I be the child when I'm older than you?" he asked her softly. This earned him a smack on the hand and she crossed her arms over her chest, turning her body away from him. He laughed.

"Now look who's being a kid," he jumped off the bed when she made to tackle him again; she tackled the pillow instead and glared at him. He smiled broadly and shook his head. Ash finally came out of the bathroom, attempting to smooth out his hair. He was wearing a simple suit; nothing too fancy.

"I just can't get it to look good..."

"I think I can help you," Iris offered as Cilan wordlessly pulled a change of clothes out of his bag – which he found on the table - and slipped into the bathroom to change. He felt that the white suit would be too much, but he'd been looking for an excuse to wear it. The fact that there was a dance on the cruise was a good enough reason -

'Dance on the cruise... wait, Burgundy must be going as well. She has no other reason to wear that dress,' he leaned against the marble counter, staring at his reflection. He could almost see her beside him in her blue dress, a near perfect match to his white suit – he shook his head, dispelling the thoughts.

"Cilan! Are you ready yet?" Iris called impatiently from outside. He pulled the door open and stepped out, holding his bag in one hand.

"I am, I am. Shall we go then, impatient little miss?" he offered her his hand, letting his bag drop to the floor – he was sure his Pokemon didn't mind the short fall.

Iris blushed, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to take his hand. He smiled and offered it to Ash instead – Ash laughed and took his hand in good humor.

"Let us proceed, good sir."

"Indeed," the two snickered when Iris yanked their hands apart and held onto both of them, dragging them towards the door. Ash reached forward and pulled it open while Cilan took the card key out of its slot next to the light switch; the trio found themselves at the cobblestone boardwalk minutes later. Iris complained about how her feet hurt.

"Well you could have walked a bit slower y'know," Ash informed her. Iris pouted at him and then turned on Cilan.

"So why did you offer him your hand anyway?" she demanded. Cilan rolled his eyes.

"Iris, my dear, you wouldn't take it, so I figured I'd give Ash the chance. Besides, I'm sure you knew he already has a girlfriend," Cilan bent down to her height, hooking his thumbs in his pockets. Iris blinked and looked back at Ash, who blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I – I met her when I was ten, actually... When I saw her again in the Hoenn region I kinda' – well I – just – we're in a long distance relationship now, okay? I really love her," he pouted and ducked his head, pretending to adjust the buttons on his jacket. While Iris pestered Ash for the name of this girlfriend, Cilan surveyed the area.

There were a lot of people on the boardwalk – trainers and non-trainers alike. He thought he spotted several trainers from the Club Battle tournament, doing a double take on the ones he recognized.

He saw Trip near the railing, talking to none other than Georgia; Stephen he saw was having a very animated with a man who appeared to be another trainer. Considering that the dark haired man had a Galvantula by his side and Stephen had his Zebrastrike out, Cilan assumed their conversation had something to do with electric types.

Next to the dark haired man was a beautiful brunette, her hair tied in a side ponytail. She had her arm hooked around the arm of the dark haired man – Cilan assumed them to be a couple. They were wearing coordinated outfits as well. She laughed at something Stephen had said, and soon all three were laughing.

'Who would have thought Stephan to have a good taste in suits,' Cilan nodded his head, glancing to his right. Iris was still pestering Ash.

'I don't see Burgundy anywhere,' Cilan realized, 'I wonder where she is...' he let his eyes sweep over the boardwalk again, looking for her blue dress. He spotted a silhouette near the end of the boardwalk, the dress about the same length as the one he had seen Burgundy wearing, but he wasn't sure it was her; after all, the hair was different. He felt disgruntled that he couldn't recognize her without her hair in its usual poof.

'If I'm really an A-class Sommelier I should be able to recognize her by her curves – did I really just think that?' he brought a hand up to his face, resting his other hand on his hip. He glared at the ground and suddenly a loud voice could be heard.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please make your way over to the entrance of the cruise ship; we will be departing shortly! We hope you enjoy the party!" a cheer rose up from the crowd, Ash whistling. Cilan tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yup?"

"Trip is here; so's Georgia and Stephan," he watched as Ash's eyes lit up and Iris frowned. Axew also poked his head out from Iris' hair upon hearing Georgia mentioned.

"I don't want to see that child again..." Iris muttered. Pikachu looked just as excited as Ash.

'I wonder if I should have brought Pansage with me,' Cilan shook his head, following Ash and Iris as the two went ahead of him towards the boat, Iris with her hands clasped behind her back and Ash with his arms in the air, cheering.

The brunette that Cilan had seen earlier appeared in his peripheral vision. She was staring at him with ruby colored eyes and he gave her his attention.

"Yes?" he ventured; her eyes lit up and, to be polite, Cilan offered her his arm. She took it, never breaking eye contact with him.

"I noticed you looking at us earlier," her voice, though soft, had an edge to it; he knew she was a trainer simply from the tone of her voice.

'And a very serious trainer at that,' he thought, smiling sheepishly at her, "and here I thought I was being sneaky."

She giggled, "my name's Aislynn, by the way. My boyfriend, Raphael, is busy having an argument with Stephen."

"Pleasure to meet you, Aislynn. My name's Cilan," his eyes swept over the crowd, looking for her boyfriend. He and Stephen appeared to be attempting to have a battle without really having one.

"I won't be surprised if it turns into a battle. Though in all honesty Raphael only doesn't like Zebrastrike because I beat his Galvantula with my Raijin."

"I see. You have a Zebrastrike?" he asked, looking at her more closely; he recognized her eye color.

"Yes, I do. My team is quite diverse, actually. I'm sure you remember me. I battled your brother Chili with a Panpour I named Tidus a while back."

Cilan chewed on his lip, "yes but, that's not why I recognize you..."

She smiled at him, "you would. I'm the current League Champion, after all."

Cilan paled, "the current... r-right, that would explain it. You beat Alder with your Ulgamoth."

"My precious Houno, yes. I fought that battle with him only. Houno is my vintage. Though I would have loved to use Kage in that battle, and my other Pokemon. They deserved it."

Cilan smiled; she spoke of her Pokemon with affection and great respect. It was as if she didn't even consider herself the actual League Champion, but considered her Pokemon to be the Champions.

The two were finally granted entry to the boat, making their way swiftly to the ball room. Raphael came running after them, and Aislynn chided him for leaving her for an argument. He apologized energetically, bowing several times.

"Thanks for looking after her, Cilan! Ah, you don't seem to have any Pokemon with you."

Cilan flushed in embarrassment, "yeah, I don't. It never crossed my mind."

"If that's the case, then I'll let you borrow this one," Raphael took a Pokeball of his back and handed it to Cilan, "please take good care of her."

"Ah, thank you -!" Raphael dragged Aislynn over to the drink tables before Cilan could ask him what type of Pokemon he had been given. He looked at the Pokeball in his hand apprehensively; it was of premier colors. He wondered where he should put it when he heard his name being called. He looked up and walked towards Ash.

The atmosphere was tense when he sat down – Ash was immune to it, of course, though Iris was clearly affected. The energetic teen had managed to round up Trip, Stephen and Georgia; now the six trainers sat at the same table.

"So," Cilan started; five sets of eyes focused on him. He felt his eye twitch before he continued, "it seems there will be a battle contest on this cruise. What Pokemon did you all bring? Not that you have to say."

"I brought my Pawniard. I want her to evolve into a Bisharp, and I think she's close," Georgia answered first, locking her eyes on Iris. Iris fidgeted before giving into the pressure.

"I brought Axew, obviously."

"I brought my Zebrastrike and Sawk. Both of them could use some more training!" Stephen sounded proud. Trip looked around the table and then sighed lightly.

"I've brought both my Servine and Gurrdurr. My reason for bringing Servine is the same as Georgia's reason for bringing Pawniard. He's close to evolving. As for my Gurrdurr, I'm hoping to find someone who has a Boldore or a Gurrdurr and is willing to trade to evolve. I could really use a Conkledurr on my team."

Ash, for the first time since Cilan had met him, looked intimidated by Trip's dedication to getting his Pokemon to evolve, "I brought Pikachu."

"Are you ever going to evolve it?" Trip demanded, "I'm sure he's learned everything he needs to. Just evolve him already!"

"It's not that simple!" Ash retaliated, "is it wrong for me to want to keep Pikachu a Pikachu?"

"It is when all the other Pokemon on your team haven't evolved yet!" Trip snapped, bringing his fists down on the table, "you're holding your Pokemon back!"

Ash didn't have time to defend himself as Georgia quickly joined Trip's side, "he's right, you know. Even Iris has an Excadrill. You really should evolve your Pokemon."

Cilan buried his head in his hands, 'he just had to get these two to sit with us. He should've seen this coming.'

Music started blaring from the speakers – several people started doing little dances. Cilan disagreed with the song – this night was not going to be a good night.

Stephen had since joined in on the argument, though he took Ash's side, "look, if it's Ash's style to not evolve his Pokemon, then don't force him to. Everyone trains their Pokemon differently, y'know," he stated, folding his arms over the table, "so let's simmer down some, okay?"

Georgia sneered at him, "I'm surprised you're taking his side, since you have an evolved Pokemon too. Clearly, the fact that he hasn't evolved his Pokemon isn't normal."

"I heard there might be some Trubbish over here. Didn't expect it to be true," another voice chimed in and Cilan shifted his gaze to the speaker.

There stood Burgundy, a challenging gaze set on Georgia, "you mind saving the bickering for when the battles actually start?"

Cilan felt greatly misinformed after Burgundy confirmed that there would be battles on the ship. He looked at the Premier ball he had set on the table, 'just what Pokemon have I been given?'

Georgia finally thought of something to retaliate with, "says the girl that lost to Ash in the first round of the Club Battle!"

"Indeed, I do say," Burgundy placed her hands on her knees, bending down to Georgia's height, "I'll have you know I brought my Swasbuck and a new addition to my team. Both of them could easily take out your precious Pawniard and, might I add, your Beartic too. Though I agree with you on the whole evolution thing, like Stephen said everyone has their own pace."

Georgia flushed red with anger, "you – you'll never get to being half the Sommelier Cilan is!"

The way Burgundy's eyes narrowed made Cilan wish Georgia had never brought up the topic. He was having enough trouble convincing Burgundy to accept his guidance as it was. He didn't need Georgia to make it more difficult.

Burgundy straightened, her glare making Georgia nervous.

"You're every bit as bitchy as your Pawniard, I'll give you that. For you to stoop so low as to personally insult me, that just shows how terrible of a trainer you are. I feel sorry for your Pokemon," Burgundy hissed before she turned on her heel and stalked away.

Cilan frowned at her back, then noticed that Georgia was about to say something – and by the looks of it, what she said wasn't going to be nice.

"I'll have to agree with her, Georgia. You and your Pawniard do give a cattish taste," he shrugged when she groaned, lowering her forehead to the table. She muttered under her breath; Trip snorted in an attempt to stop his laugh. Georgia stood abruptly, glaring down at him.

"Just wait till you have to battle me later! I'll show you!" she stormed away, towards the designated dance floor.

The boat jerked then, a clear indication that the cruise around Castelia had now begun.

Cilan joined Ash back at the table after a few dances that Iris insisted he do with her – he was tired out now.

"Weeelcome back!" Ash greeted, giving him a wide grin. Cilan managed a tired smile.

"I demand to know how you've avoided all this dancing. I need a break," Cilan complained lightly, eying the Pokegear that Ash had just put away, "talking to your girlfriend?"

Ash blushed, "darn you."

A laugh escaped Cilan's lips, "so how is she? You told me she was a gym leader."

"Yeah, now she is."

"So what's her name?"

"Misty..." Ash replied dreamily before regaining his composure, "b-besides that, I don't want to dance with anyone but Misty!"

Cilan chuckled and the two fell into a comfortable silence. He had Stephan to thank for saving him from Iris – the boy was a good dancer, so Iris was willing to do a silly little waltz with him. Though Georgia and Trip had decided to dance together Cilan noticed that the two spent more time bickering and conversing than they spent dancing.

'Come to think of it, I haven't seen Burgundy since Georgia insulted her,' he looked around for her, draping his arm over the chair. Aislynn and Raphael, who were slow-dancing in a corner, caught Cilan's eye; they made him smile. He thought they were a perfect match for each other.

"Hey um, Cilan."

"Hm?" Cilan gave Ash his attention.

"Thought I'd mention that Burgundy's been by the wall this entire time. I think she was getting hit-on earlier, actually," Ash informed him, his eyes glinting mischievously.

'Burgundy was being hit-on?' he turned his head once again, finally finding Burgundy standing against the wall next to the exit – and there was some man blocking her path, clearly interested in her. She looked uncomfortable, her arms crossed defensively over her chest and her head lowered.

"Maybe you should go deal with that," Ash snickered, making Cilan fix a glare on him. He didn't know why seeing Burgundy getting hit-on infuriated him so – he quickly got up and muttered, "maybe I should."

He felt Ash's gaze on his back the entire time he stalked towards the man and Burgundy. The man must have felt his glare because he turned his head to look at the A-class Sommelier. Cilan stopped when he came up on Burgundy's left.

"Hey," he hoped he sounded possessive.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" before Cilan could say anything the man asked another question while Burgundy shifted closer to Cilan, "who're you anyway?"

Cilan said the first thing that came to mind, "I'm her brother."

The man didn't look convinced so Cilan wrapped his arm around Burgundy's waist and pulled her close, pressing his cheek to hers, "we are! We have the same smile, see?"

Of course, Cilan could only hope they had the same nervous smile. Holding her so close to his body made his heart pound. It felt nice to have her so close, to have her hand press against his chest.

The man glared but walked away, snarling under his breath. Before Burgundy could get away from him and not willing to miss this chance, Cilan hustled over to the dance floor, setting his hands on her waist. After a moment, Burgundy moved her hands from his chest to his shoulders.

"... thanks."

"My pleasure," she looked away and he decided to start a conversation – the slow songs were still being played, after all.

"So who is this mystery Pokemon of yours?" he ventured; Burgundy looked back up at him.

"You'll see. Why would I want to ruin the surprise?" she added when he pouted at her. He sighed – she did have a point.

"I was hoping you would just tell me. How's your Dewott?"

"Evolved and ready to kick your butt," she replied, a smile touching her lips. He laughed lightly.

"Is she now? You know, you and your Dewott – er, Samurott make a good team. You didn't really give me a chance to tell you that last time," she blushed under his gaze.

"In all honesty, I doubt I'll ever be able to beat you," he heard her mutter.

"I thought your goal was to defeat me," he reminded her. She raised her head, scowling at him.

"Yeah, you're my goal but-" she fell silent, a blush rising to her cheeks. Cilan stared, sure he had heard her wrong.

'I'm her goal? That's different than simply defeating me. If I'm her goal then doesn't that mean -' her fingers twitched on his shoulders so Cilan quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him; this only served to make her blush deepen.

"What was that?" he inquired, gazing steadily at her.

"D-defeating you is m-my goal, yes, a-and I haven't really given up on that yet," she tried to amend; tried to avoid wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm sure I heard it differently the first time. I was your goal, did you say?"

"No!" she denied, focusing her eyes on his chest, "no, you heard wrong..."

"I doubt I did," Cilan fought off his own blush. Her breasts were quite soft.

"You're too close," she complained, raising her head so she could look at him. Cilan lowered his head, making Burgundy's eyes flutter.

Cilan was disgruntled when the song ended, changing to something more up-beat. Burgundy had swiftly moved her hands to his chest, pushing lightly and refusing to make eye contact with him.

'If only that song had lasted a little longer,' he felt an angry gaze on his back, but he shrugged it off, 'if only... just a little longer.'

(A/N): Cilan, what you be thinking! :O