A/N: Sorry this took a little long to get out. I found myself preoccupied with finals. But now that my workload has been lightened, here it is, everyone! The third and final chapter of "Training Harder"! An unplanned chapter, yes, but one that is sure to wrap up the first part of Ash and Bea's story! And after this, I'll begin work on the sequel! HOORAY! And keep your fingers crossed, everyone! I already have a good idea for the sequel, and I can't wait to write it out! ;)

Alright, on with the long-awaited chapter! ENJOY!

P.S.: I saw the latest episode of "Pokémon: Twilight Wings", the one starring Nessa. Ohhh, please don't tell me I have to ship her with Ash too! XD XD XD

P.P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:

-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to

And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:

-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)

If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

She felt like she had been trapped in that cave for years.

Bea restrained a squeal of excitement as Machamp carried her and Ash into the outside world. Even if the overabundance of unobstructed sunlight assaulted her eyes, she was just glad to rejoice in the smell of fresh vegetation and the sounds of wildlife again. Things she would never take for granted ever again.

Machamp gently set her and Ash down, letting their shoe-clad feet meet the soft, semi-wet soil underneath them. They stepped forward, raising their forearms to shield much of their eyesight from the shining lights. Once their vision slowly adjusted to the new lighting, enabling them to see more clearly, the Trainers could make out the large waterfall pouring in front of them, the crystal-clear water plummeting from a tall (but not too precariously tall) precipice. Surrounding the pair on all sides was a wall of moss- and grass-covered rocks, and the pleasant fragrance of spring hung in the air.

"Oh, wow!" Ash exclaimed, his auburn eyes wide. "I didn't even know this was here!"

"M-Me neither..." Bea whispered in amazement.

"This is so cool!"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked. He hopped off Ash's shoulder, as did Scorbunny, and the two began running around the small valley, enjoying being back out in nature like this. They were quickly joined by Machop, who was hopping up and down in excitement.

"Heh heh," Ash chuckled upon observing his and Bea's Pokémon. "Looks like they're having fun. Who wouldn't, though?"

"Ye-Yeah..." Bea said sheepishly. She too had felt an urgent need to celebrate their escape from the cave, but something had held her back. She was above that sort of thing. At least, that was what she believed yesterday.

Then again, yesterday wasn't today. Now that she met Ash, she didn't know what exactly she believed in anymore.

"Ash is quite a character," Bea thought. "I learned a lot thanks to him. Who would've thought a tourist like him would be so...interesting, to say the least..."

At that moment, Bea realized she was looking straight at Ash. He didn't seem to notice, for he was more focused on his Pokémon as they frolicked around the valley. Once again, the look on his face reminded her so much of her father's face. She learned a lot from her father as well...

"Hey, uhhhhh...A-Ash?" she asked, her voice almost a squeak as she spoke up. When Ash looked at her, she realized she was fiddling with her fingers like a bashful schoolgirl. She whipped her hands down, but she could tell it was too late.

"Y-Yeah, Bea...?" Ash replied curiously. "What is it?"

"I...I wonder if I could be like Ash..."

"Listen, ummm..."

But Bea's voice trailed off. She couldn't find the right words to say to the former Champion, the very boy who helped get her out of her slump. Never before had she felt humbled and meek in the presence of someone, and this foreign emotion nagged at Bea's spirit. As the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader, she worked hard to perfect an intimidating, imposing presence in order to keep challengers on their toes. And it worked. Even the most happy-go-lucky types of characters were left in silence the moment they laid their eyes on her stoic, no-nonsense, tough-as-nails demeanor. She was very proud of the reputation she built up because of it.

And now, here she was, acting like a schoolgirl in front of this mere tourist. Bea would have beat herself up if she hadn't felt so...weird around Ash.

"Great," she thought. "Even when you're not trying to do anything, you're still such a...a pain to deal with, Ash! Arceus!"

"Hey, are you alright, Bea?"

Just then, she felt a hand gently place itself over her forehead. With a small gasp, Bea pulled her senses together...only to find herself staring into a familiar auburn.

"AGH!" Bea shoved Ash away with both arms, wincing as she did so. "Wh-Wh-What're you doing?!"

"Y-Your face was red," Ash replied innocuously. "I was checking to see if you had a fever, that's all."

"A fev-!"

Bea stopped before she could finish her sentence. After her mind reeled for a couple more seconds, she shook her head with a smile.

"N-No, I'm fine," she said calmly.

"Really?" Ash arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? If you're not sick, then I'd say you look nervous."

"Ne-Nervous?! Wh-Wh-Why would I be nervous?!"

"I'm just speaking from experience, that's all." Then, Ash's eyes broadened. "Hey, your face is red again!"

Bea whipped her head away. "No, it's not!"

"Yeah, it is! You're nervous about something, aren't you?!"

She clenched her teeth in irritation. "No, I'm not! I'm-I'm just a little hot under the Sun, that's all!"

"You're...hot."

Bea suddenly blushed at that, almost misinterpreting the context of those words.

"Under the Sun." Ash disbelievingly held out his hand a little to test out the humidity. "It's a little warm, but it's not that hot."

"Well, it's hot for me, alright Ash?!" Bea gazed upward towards the Sun. "Look at it! It's so bright, and we've been stuck in that cold, dark cave for hours! How wouldn't it be hot out here?!"

Ash sighed and refocused on the Pokémon. "If you say so."

Bea continued looking up at the Sun, silently praying to Arceus that Ash was no longer paying attention to her red face. All the while, she raised her bandaged forearm to block her eyes from the shining, golden sunlight. She didn't even want to know how she looked in that moment. For all she knew, some Pokémon might mistake her head for a Tamato Berry-

All of a sudden, a large, dark shadow passed over her face, providing her with some well-needed shade for a second. The shadow left as quickly as it came, its presence accompanied by a soft, cool breeze. She didn't think anything of it at first. Then, another second later, the dark curtain flew over her again, this time attracting her attention.

Keeping her arm positioned directly over her face, Bea squinted through the tiny rays of sunlight shining from behind her skin, obstructing her vision. A second and another pass later, she could make out the outline of the massive avian wings of purplish-black, along with the squarish shape underneath them.

She gasped in recognition, just as a mighty caw filled the air.

"Whoa!" Ash cried, his attention having been caught too. "It's the Flying Taxi!"

"Pika!" added Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon looking up as well.

"Wh-What?" Bea asked incredulously. "But how?"

The menacing Corviknight slowly descended to the ground, the purplish-black cab squeaking and creaking lightly. Once it safely set the cab on the soil, the Raven Pokémon landed beside its cargo and lowered its large body, giving Bea and Ash a good look at the sole passenger.

"Ohhh, thank goodness!"

The middle-aged man wearing the thick, dark-blue jacket; gray jeans; brown, fingerless gloves; aviation safety goggles; and brown ushanka hopped off the Corviknight. Bea gawked at him disbelievingly.

"Not only is it the Flying Taxi!" she thought. "It's the same Cabbie who took me to the Wild Area! What are the odds?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" the Cabbie exclaimed.

"You...You have?" Bea asked.

"Yeah." The Cabbie walked up to her and held out something. "Here."

Bea looked at his gloved hand...and her eyes turned wide. "My phone!"

"Mm-hm." The Cabbie smiled as the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader took it from him. "You left it."

Bea's cheeks became pink with embarrassment. "O-Oh."

She gazed longingly at her phone, her mind wandering off.

"These past few hours...all because I was dumb enough to put my phone down and forget about it..." Her grip tightened across her cellphone. "Who knows what would've happened if...?"

"Hey, I remember you!"

"Huh?" Startled by the Cabbie's voice, Bea looked up in surprise. "What, me?"

But the Cabbie was no longer looking at her. Instead, he was looking at-

"Oh, you're the same Cabbie who brought me to the Wild Area!" Ash exclaimed.

"Wow, what a small world, huh?!" the Cabbie exclaimed with a wide smile. "I dropped you off the day before yesterday!" He crossed his arms, evidently impressed. "So I guess you stayed in the Wild Area since then, just like you said."

The former Champion nodded. "Yep! And I told you I'd make progress there! Rookidee!"

A chirp responded, and the Tiny Bird Pokémon landed on Ash's shoulder. The Cabbie's lips curled into a smile.

"And you managed to catch yourself a Pokémon," the middle-aged man remarked. "Didn't you say you'd be making a lot of captures there, though?"

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "We-Well, I didn't have as much luck as I hoped. But it gave my other Pokémon opportunities to become stronger! Isn't that right, guys?!"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked, while Scorbunny hopped up and down and punched at the air in excitement.

"Hm..." The Cabbie continued to smile. "Well, I'm glad you got a taste of the Wild Area, Ash."

Finally, Bea's logic caught up with her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, w-wa-wait a minute!" she squeaked, her voice cracking. She pointed a finger at the Cabbie. "You dropped him off at the Wild Area?!"

"Huh?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Well, yeah," the Cabbie replied calmly. "Of course. I mean, it comes with the job, after all." He chuckled and glanced at his Corviknight, who had begun to chat with Ash's Rookidee. "But to think Corviknight and I took the both of you to the same place in a short amount of time. What're the odds of that?"

"Very low..." Bea whispered, almost to herself.

Then, the Cabbie remembered something. "Oh, speaking of which..." He gazed at Bea and Ash. "What're you two doing here?" He then looked around. "I don't remember this being on any of the maps I've got."

Upon hearing his question, Bea couldn't help but smile and stare fondly at Ash and her Pokémon. Ash and Machop were flashing identical smiles at her, Machamp was nodding with approval, and Machoke looked rather embarrassed. All of this the product of a series of infinitesimal chances and wacky probabilities...

She looked at the Cabbie again.

"We were...training hard."

"So, Bea, what's next?"

Ash's words pulled Bea from her reverie. Taking one last look at the Wild Area as it became nothing more than an ocean of mostly green and brown, the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader turned towards the former Champion, who had Pikachu on his shoulder as per usual. They were both seated in the cab as it gently rocked back and forth. They could hear Corviknight cawing as it slowly, carefully flew through the sky. Unlike yesterday, the sky was clear, and the trip was barely impeded by the soft breeze.

"H-Huh?" she asked blankly.

"What's next for you?" Ash asked with that youthful smile of his. "Are you gonna try challenging Leon again?"

"Challenging Leon again? After only a day of training in the Wild Area?" Bea rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

"O-Oh. Well, that does make sense."

She smirked at him. "Spoken like a true Champion."

Ash's eyelid twitched, but he dismissed the sarcastic response and asked, "Then what're you gonna do now?"

"What am I gonna do now?" Bea promptly looked out of the window again, her mind wandering. "To tell you the truth...I don't really know. After all that stuff you told me, about yourself and how to win and all that, I think I need to rethink my entire strategy."

"Well, whatever you come up with, know that I'll be rooting for you all the way!"

Bea's eyes enlarged, and she looked at Ash in surprise. "You...You will?"

"Of course!" Ash's smile widened. "You're my friend after all, Bea! And friends root for each other, no matter what!"

"I'm...I'm your friend?"

He became confused. "W-Well...o-of course! What else would I be to you?"

Bea couldn't believe what she was hearing. For her entire life, she never had any friends outside of her trusted Pokémon. Acquaintances, yes, but never any friends. It wasn't that she found people inherently untrustworthy. But she knew from experience that emotions tended to make things messy and complicated. She liked to keep people at arm's length so as to avoid any unnecessary burdens they might bring into her life. After all, why make their problems hers if it was theirs to begin with?

It was a practice and belief that she developed over the years, and it had become her defining characteristics throughout her career. The local news channels and talk shows liked to point out her cold, distant approach to all matters, battling or otherwise, and speculate whether the tough-as-nails, no-nonsense Gym Leader of Stow-on-Side was biologically capable of smiling. But of course she was capable of smiling. She just didn't like to do it that often.

Unfortunately for her, this was one of those occasions where she did.

"Th-Thanks, Ash," she said bashfully. "I'm glad you think of me as a friend. I...I think you're my friend too."

"Wait, what?" a small part of her mind thought blankly.

"Ah gee, thanks!" Ash scratched his cheek sheepishly. "To think we wound up like this, though. I thought we'd hate each other's guys from the moment we met!"

She smirked playfully. "Ehhh, I still hate you for beating me. I wasn't even at the top of my game that time."

Ash's eyes shone with determination. "Ohhh, so you want a rematch?"

"Well, not yet. I think I'm gonna need to train some more. Plus, I need to find out where my true strength lies." The Gym Leader looked out of the window again. "Once I find it, then we can have that battle."

"Oh, cool! Well, I wish you the best of luck, Bea!"

Suddenly, Bea remembered something, and she looked at Ash once again.

"Hey, uh...didn't you say you traveled with other people before?" she asked.

"Yeah, you heard correctly."

"Oh, good." Then, before Bea could help herself, she quickly added, "Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I accompanied you on your journey across Galar."

...

"Wait, what?" Ash asked blankly.

"What?!" Bea asked, surprised by her own words.

She was hoping it wouldn't come down to it, but it did.

Bea stared into the computer screen, her face hot and filled with unexpected anxiety as she waited for the other end to pick up. The ringing noise was fittingly low-pitched and ominous to her ears. After a couple of minutes that felt like hours of unbearable waiting, the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader found herself looking at the face she wanted to see the most.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted softly.

"Ahhhh, Bea!" the tan-faced man exclaimed boisterously.

His arms shot outward in the midst of his excitement, and Bea could hear a sudden clattering noise, followed by a bestial grunt of unpleasant surprise. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man's clumsiness.

"It's been a while!" The man leaned forward a little, his gray-and-white-streaked hair glimmering from the light peering outside. "My, my, you look more and more like your mother every day, Arceus rest her soul!"

"Ah, thanks." Bea smirked. "And I see you're getting older and older every day."

Anyone else would've been startled by the earsplitting laughter that came from the screen.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Mock me and my age all you want, sweetie, but I can still kick butt! HIYA! HIYA!"

He made a series of punches in the air, and Bea could vaguely see her father's Machamp in the background, slapping its forehead with its palm in disappointment. Then, when one of the man's punches got too close to the screen for comfort, she started waving her hands in desperation.

"Alright, alright, cool it down, Dad!" she exclaimed. "You've made your point!"

"Heh!" The man proudly lowered his arms. "You're right I did!" Then, his smile faltered somewhat. "Hey, I, uhhhh...I saw your battle with Leon."

Bea's heart fell a little. She may have seen that coming, but the revelation hurt regardless.

"Yeah..." She chuckled with a mixture of sadness and sheepish embarrassment. "That was a tough battle. They don't call him Champion for nothing."

"Well, I call shenanigans!" The man slammed his fist on the counter, the impact so loud that Bea could hear some nearby plates clattering. "That boy's been the Champion for far too long! I smell something fishy in the air with him! You know, I hear they might be giving Charizard something-"

Bea rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Dad! Look, Leon may be overrated, but he's no cheater. I know him, and he's a nice guy. He can't even pretend to be shady if it saved his Charizard's life."

"Ehhh, well, what I know is that the referee is clearly blind, deaf, and dumb!" Her father prepared to stand up, rolling up his sleeves as he did so. "I am gonna go up to Wyndon and give that wannabe a piece of my-"

"Dad, if you do that, I swear to Arceus, I'm going to beat the living daylights out of you!"

"HA! You wish! We both know I can still beat you in a fistfight!"

"Pffft, yeah right."

"No, I'm serious! I can defeat you in ten seconds, and that's in my sleep!"

"Look, that's not the point! The point is, I'm over it, alright Dad?! Really, you don't have to do anything. Yes, I felt a little down from what had happened, but I...I recovered."

"All thanks to someone," she thought fondly, but she didn't want to say that out loud. Not when she wanted her father to tease her and hammer questions into her until the end of her days.

The screen was graced with the man's grin, which curled from ear to ear. "Heeeeey, that's the spirit! I knew I raised you better than to be a childish wimp!"

Bea struggled to hold in her nervous laughter. "If only you knew..."

Suddenly, the man's eyes shone with a youthful joy. "Oh, hey, speaking of fistfights, when are you coming back home?!" He leaned his head in again. "You know we still have a date, right?!"

Bea chuckled. "I know, Dad, I know. Trust me, I didn't forget about our upcoming sparring session. But..." She hesitated. "The thing is..."

Her father seemed to understand, for his face slackened into vague disappointment. "Oh, Bea. I know you've got a lot on your plate, being a Gym Leader and all, but you gotta remember to set some time aside for rest and relaxation! And you don't wanna neglect your poor old man, now do ya?"

Bea snorted. "Poor old man. That's new coming from you."

"I'm serious, Bea." The older man sighed sullenly. "You know, it gets lonely around the house sometimes. And the fence still needs some renovations-"

"Just hire some handymen to do it," Bea interrupted, her tone one of restrained disbelief. "Or better yet, have Machamp and Machoke help you out. ...You do remember they exist, right?"

"I'm old, honey, not senile. And I know I can do those things..." The man smiled at her. "But I'd rather have my little girl by my side helping me out, like old times... You're the only one that I can count on for these kinds of things. You really are."

Bea smiled without so much as a nasty twitch from her body. "Thanks, Dad. I'm...I'm glad you think that..."

"Then why not come home and hang out with your old man?! You know, I've been studying Mom's cookbook ever since your last visit, and I can make a killer karp-and-chips now! I mean, at least you won't be running out of the house while making a lame excuse."

Bea held back a snicker. The image of her father in the kitchen, wearing her mother's apron and kitchen mitts, was just too...surreal. But that outlandish scenario sounded just like her father.

"Thanks for the invitation, Dad," she said. "But really, I can't come by."

"Oh, come on!"

"No, I'm serious, Dad!"

"Do you want me to give that Rose guy a call?!"

"You don't even know his number!"

"Oh, I'll find a way!" The man raised a clenched fist. "You know I always do!"

"It doesn't matter, because..." She paused momentarily, her face ambiguous. "Because I'm taking a leave of absence."

Her father's eyes widened. "A leave of absence? Fr-From your Gym?!"

She nodded with conviction. "Yeah. You see...I told you I recovered from my defeat, right?"

Her father nodded slowly and carefully, anticipating what Bea's explanation would be. He didn't look too sure about what was going to happen next. Frankly, Bea hadn't seen such a look in her father in the longest time.

"Well," she continued, "it's because I realized something about myself."

"You realized something about yourself? What?"

"That I needed a fresh new start." Bea stared at her father's face with determination. "So, I've decided to go back to the basics, Dad."

The man arched an eyebrow with surprise. "Go back to the basics?" he repeated.

"I'm going to travel through Galar again. So I could find myself again."

Yesterday, she thought she had gone a million steps backward. Today, she realized she had taken a step forward instead.

"Here you go," a familiar maternal voice said. "Your Pokémon are all healed and ready to go."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" said another familiar voice, this time youthful and excited, like a child.

"Pikapi!"

Bea looked up and saw Ash retrieving Pikachu and his two Poké Balls from Nurse Joy and her Indeedee. Pikachu scurried up his shoulder as per usual, while the former Champion stuffed his Poké Balls into his pockets. As soon as she saw Ash gently scratching Pikachu's grin, Bea's lips cracked into a smile as she remembered the conversation they had aboard the Flying Taxi.

"Wait, what?"

"What?!"

"Did...Did you just say you wanted to...travel with me?"

"I-I did?!"

"Bea, that's exactly the words I heard coming from your mouth."

"Oh. ...I guess I did just say that. F-Forget I said that-"

"Of course!"

"Thank you, A-"

"N-No, I wasn't talking about forgetting you said that! I was-"

"No, forget it, Ash. Th-That was a stupid request-"

"N-No! I'd like for you to travel with me!"

"...You...You are...?"

"Well, of course, Bea! Training to become stronger with your Pokémon is a team effort, after all. And as the classic saying goes, the more, the merrier!"

"...Thank you, Ash..."

With a smile, Bea stood up from the bench and ran up to Ash. She had switched out her signature Gym Leader top with a more modest shirt that wasn't skintight or cut off at the abdomen, but she retained her shorts, the basic color scheme of her uniform, and all of the symbols on her clothes.

"Scorbunny and Rookidee are ready to go?" she asked.

"Yep!" Ash replied with a cheeky grin. Then, he noticed something and looked down. "Ummm...are you sure you want to travel in those, Bea?"

"What, these?" Bea lifted one of her feet to show off her light-brown sandals. "Of course! I've traveled through a bunch of terrain in these."

At first, Ash didn't have any response to that. Then, his lips curled into another smile.

"Of course you did."

"Pika-pika..." Pikachu said with concern.

With that, Bea twirled around on her heel. "Well, let's go, Ash! I'm not getting any younger, you know!"

She jogged out of the Pokémon Center, with Ash in hot pursuit. Pretty soon, they were running through the brick streets of Motostoke, so fast that pedestrians and their Pokémon had to step aside to give them leeway.

"Hey, wait up, Bea!" Ash called.

"Pika!" squeaked Pikachu.

"Huh?!" Bea looked over her shoulder and gave the boy a taunting smirk. "Awwww, what's wrong, Mr. Former Champion? Can't catch up with the likes of me?!"

A second later, Bea felt the tip of her sandal get caught on a loose brick. Another second later, she could feel the sole of her foot touch bare ground. In shock, the Gym Leader wound up tripping and falling to the sidewalk, causing a couple of nearby pedestrians to gasp. Unfazed by the fall, Bea sat up, looked over her shoulder, and saw her left sandal resting in the middle of the sidewalk, its brown strap torn.

"Aw, DRAT!"

At that moment, Ash caught up with Bea, and his eyes widened with concern.

"Bea, are you alright?!" he cried.

The Gym Leader cleared her throat as she stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lil' fall, that's all."

At that moment, Ash saw her torn sandal strewn on the sidewalk. With a halfhearted sigh and a shrug, he bent down and picked up the sandal, letting it helplessly dangle from his finger by the strap.

"I knew traveling in those sandals would be a bad idea," he said.

Bea squinted at him and noticed his lips twitching into a smug smirk. "Oh, oh yeah, laugh it up all you want, tourist! Just so you know, I've torn those sandals before. I can patch them up-"

"No, I'm getting you some actual shoes." Ash started looking around the street. "As long as you're with me, you're gonna be traveling through a whole bunch of different terrain."

"You're an idiot. Did you forget I traveled through Galar once before?" Bea sneered arrogantly at him. "As long as you're with me, you're not gonna get yourself lost."

"Great. That means the adventure's gonna be boring."

Bea scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Are you're telling me you find getting lost entertaining?"

"I wouldn't even call that 'getting lost'. I'd call it...seeking out an unexpected adventure."

"Oh, so you call getting lost an adventure?"

"Hey, every journey is an adventure, Bea. Why call it an adventure when all you have to see is the same old, same old?" Then, the former Champion's eyes lit up. "Ah, now there's a shoe store! Come on, Bea! Let's pick out something for you before we leave Motostoke."

Ash started crossing the cobblestone street, but Bea remained behind for a few moments, watching as the raven-haired boy approached the storefront window. She knew she should've been annoyed by his philosophy about getting lost, but a growing part of her...didn't mind the words that were coming out of his mouth. Then again, why would she mind? To her, meeting Ash was a sign from Arceus, a sign that showed up at the perfect time, when she was at the lowest point of her life. If a sign like that was going to present itself, then there was no way she was going to decline taking advantage of it and learning from it.

After all, it was a good opportunity for her to start anew. And if she started anew, who knew? Perhaps she would not only find the strength to defeat Leon, but perhaps she could also learn something new about herself...

"Hey, Bea!"

Ash's voice pulled Bea out of her reverie, and she saw the former Champion standing on the other side of the street.

"You coming?!" he called.

"Y-Yeah!" replied Bea as she followed after him. "I-I was just thinking about something..."

"Well, we gotta hurry up! We've got all of Galar ahead of us, and I don't wanna miss a thing! Especially not all the brand-new Pokémon we're gonna meet!"

As soon as she caught up with Ash, Bea followed him into the shoe store, all the while watching his back. She examined how energetic his step was, how every fiber of his being was radiating youthful excitement, how Pikachu remained close to him on his shoulder, like a true friend and partner...

How every muscle of his body moved smoothly, like a well-oiled machine-

Bea stopped, her heart dropping with realization. She once hated losing. But now, for once, she found something to hate even more than losing.

And it was being in love with this tourist.

A/N: And that's it for now, folks! Bea's now Ash's new traveling companion, but she realizes she's now in love with Ash, and she hates it with a passion. Typical her. XD

Anyway, though I promised you guys a sequel, it will not follow all of Ash and Bea's adventures through Galar. Like I said before, I don't trust myself to be committed to such a long-term project. I've recently found out that writing longer fics is no longer my strongest suit, while shorter fics like this are becoming my forte. Therefore, any follow-ups to this will focus on special highlights of their relationship down the road. Snapshots of how their relationship progresses, if you will.

But don't worry, guys! While this little arc will be something told through shorter fics, I do have something else planned for the upcoming sequel. I know I said the sequel will be a short fic like this, but another idea entered my mind about a week ago and I can no longer shake if off. I think it will be a good compromise to what you guys want and what I can do with this idea to the best of my ability. You can expect the first chapter of the sequel to be released either by the end of this month or sometime next month.

As for tying up loose ends, I was originally planning a scene where Bea would call Chairman Rose and Oleana and inform them about her plan to take a sabbatical with Ash. However, I didn't know where to fit such a scene other than before or after her call with her father, and I felt it would have become redundant by that point. Plus, I feel like such a scene would open up a whole new can of worms where Rose wouldn't let her go so easily, and I didn't want to drag this chapter on for too long, so I decided to technically keep that off-screen.

Oh, and Ash still does not know Bea is a Gym Leader, in case any of you were wondering. Perhaps I could just save that part for a sequel? ;)

Now, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:

-ChipmunkOfOz: Well, of course. Ash has been in Galar for a couple of days by this point, so it makes sense if he has a couple of first-level Pokémon right now.

-William0312: Like I just said, you could expect the first chapter of the sequel to be out either by the end of this month or sometime next month. I don't have a better estimate than that at this point, though. You can follow my profile for any further updates on that matter; I update it as often as I can.

-MythGirl Writes:

1) It's alright. I can see why that happened now. XD

2) Thanks! I'm glad their relationship evolved smoothly for you. And I'm so glad I was able to contain all of that in just a few chapters! :D

-d. felipe76: Yeah... Ain't that a frigging disappointment. I hope we still get an opportunity to see Bea in the anime as a competitor in the Pokémon World Championships, but somehow, I doubt it. :(

-Hall Gowrt: Sorry, I don't think I will have the time and opportunity to do that in the sequel. Another follow-up, on the other hand, maybe. Quite possibly...

-Maeph93:

1) Well, "Pokémon: Twilight Wings" is an animated miniseries focusing on Galar-centric characters. It's pretty much like "Pokémon: Origins" or "Pokémon: Generations", if you know what those are.

2) I don't really understand the Beyoncé reference, but yeah, pretty much. XP

3) Well, Rapidash dung is just a form of expression. I had cruder words in mind, but the story's supposed to be rated K+ so... XD XD XD

4) You suspected as much. No kiss in the story. But hey, there's a sequel so perhaps you can anticipate a kiss happening in that...

-Dragon King Ryouga:

1) Well, as you can see in this chapter, it's more like Bea only allows one person to call her a girl, and that's her dad.

2) Yeah, I too noticed that comparison as I was writing the first chapter. I didn't really intend to do that, but I found that mannerism of hers to quickly become an endearing characteristic for me, so I just went with it.

3) I'm glad you also ship Ash/Bea. We REALLY need a proper shipping name for it, though.

4) Let's just say that Bea...had some unholy thoughts in mind when she thought Ash was going to do something to her... M-rated thoughts... XD XD XD

5) Bea would definitely make fun of him for frying Misty's bike. Let's be real here. XP

-Pokemon fan (guest reviewer):

1) Oh, thank goodness Bea's in-character for you. I am glad there's nothing wrong with my portrayal of her. I know I do not have the Sword and Shield games and I'm relying on other sources of information, but it's good to know I'm on-point when it comes to Bea's characterization.

2) Yeah, I feel like if Bea were to become Ash's traveling companion in the anime, she would be like Misty 3.0 (I say 3.0 because Iris was pretty much written to be Misty 2.0).

3) I too am hoping for more stories like mine, where Ash is paired up with other female characters from Galar. There is actually a story that pairs Ash up with Gloria, but I honestly wouldn't recommend reading it.

4) Well, if I'm going to write a story about Ash having a harem, you're not going to find it on this site, unfortunately. You will find it at Archive Of Our Own, because there is no doubt in my mind that the harem fic will be full of juicy smut. XD

5) Yeah, I'd argue this is the biggest difference between Bea and Iris. Iris isn't the kind of character who'd open up that easily.

-Mighty ranger 1 (guest reviewer):

1) Like I said before, if I am going to write a story about Ash having a harem, you are only going to find it on Archive Of Our Own, because it's definitely going to be a smutty story.

2) "[A]s for other girls I'll put in once I know how many u plan to add first other than ones I already suggested"? Wait a minute, are you Pokemon fan? If so, please don't double-post reviews unless it was an error.

3) Well, what you're suggesting is already what the current saga of the anime is about. I can't imagine what I would do differently if I were writing that kind of storyline.

-Agurra of the Darkness:

1) Thanks! Yeah, you can tell I definitely drew her personality from what was shown of her in Twilight Wings. Also, I can definitely imagine Bea being very prickly about being called a girl. She doesn't look like the kind of person who'd enjoy a challenger underestimating her because of that.

2) Well, it's like he said, Champion is just a title for him. It doesn't negate the fact that he earned it, nor does him giving the title away to Professor Kukui imply a reduction of his skills as a result.

3) To be honest, I'm more of a fan of the traditional Ash-pushing-the-reset-button format, even if the logic can be quite skewed at times, hence the kind of team he has in this fic. And I'm just writing his team based on what I would expect a more traditional portrayal of the Galar anime to be like if we were two, three episodes in.

-narangmrinal: Would you mind being more specific in your review? Because I'd love to know what exactly you think of this, aside from waiting for the sequel. Did you have anything specific that you liked in the chapter? Or anything that you disliked? Any questions or miscellaneous comments? Please, I need details! I'm sorry, but one-line reviews are just a pet peeve of mine. Thank you.

TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. UNTIL NEXT TIME!