I apologise for the delay between chapters, but it's become hard for me to find time to keep writing. However, I will try my best to update more often and I thank you for reading this far. This being only part one of this tale, the next update should be much quicker than the last. Now, please enjoy the story.

"I have to tell him today," Angie told herself as she drew back curtains.

The green-haired girl winced at the morning's light. It poured into her room as she walked over to her wardrobe in her pyjamas. She yawned while she opened the cupboard doors, her clock showing that it was only seven o'clock in the morning.

"He has to know how I feel. All I want is for him to realise how I see him, then I'll be happy. Why does Ash have to be so blind?"

In the time they had been together, the two of them had already had many special moments together, making her wonder why he couldn't see something that was staring him right in the face. She couldn't leave it to him to realise anymore, it was her time to act. If Ash couldn't see her feelings, she would force have to him to.

She nodded to herself as she finished changing, her mind set on what she was going to do. Today, she had planned to take Ash to the lake in the nearby forest, where she would tell him everything. Nothing would get in her way; she had planned every last detail, taking into account any possible obstacle that they could encounter. The only thing she hadn't thought of was what she was going to say, hoping that all she would have to do was talk to him with complete honesty. She knew that today, Ash would finally understand what she was feeling.

And so, Angie left her room to go find Ash, who was waiting for her outside. She was walking to the side of her house, where she had agreed to meet him, but before she turned the corner she heard Ash talking to Pikachu. Carefully, she edged her way along the wall until she could just see Ash from around the bend. He was sitting there underneath a tree, sheltering from the morning sun whilst Pikachu was sat there beside him. She noticed his usual carefree look as she silently spied on him and decided to just listen in on his conversation for while.

"I wonder what's gonna end up happening today?" Ash sighed, "Ever since I arrived here things keep on happening. I suppose it is fun though, and I do enjoy spending time with Angie as well, so I guess it's all good."

Pikachu tilted his head in response, although out of sight Angie smiled contentedly at the compliment she had just been given.

"But Pikachu, there's something else I feel when I'm with her…

Angie started to listen more intently. However, what she didn't notice was Shinx walking up behind her. The small blue electric pokemon saw its trainer and decided to say good morning. Unfortunately for Angie, this meant Shinx loudly saying its name, startling her and making a loud noise in the process. Her cover was blown.

"Shinx? Angie? Are you there?" Ash called.

"E-erm, good morning Ash," Angie replied with a weak laugh, emerging from her hiding place "nice day isn't it?"

"Yeah," he replied with a smile, "it's been a while since I've seen the sky as clear as it is now."

She looked up, "You're right! There's not a cloud in the sky."

Ash stood up and walked over to Angie, "So, you said we were going to go somewhere together today? Just the two of us?"

"Hey, don't say it like that! You're making it sound like were going on a date on something," Angie turned away as her face grew red.

"Huh? What's a date?" Ash asked.

Angie almost fell over, "You really aren't well versed in those kinds of things are you?" She sighed, "Well to answer your first question, we are going somewhere today."

"Where?"

"Well, it's a place that's quite special to me. It's a small lake not far from here that I've visited ever since I was a child. I've always made my most important decisions there, so that place is very significant to me," she explained.

Ash nodded in response, "Sounds interesting."

Pikachu and Shinx meanwhile had been talking amongst themselves during this time and had come up with a small plan of their own. Quietly, they had crept behind their respective trainers without being noticed. They lined themselves up with each other and, after a small nod, put their plan into action. Pikachu ran up behind Ash and shunted him forward, with Shinx doing the same to Angie. The trainers instantly fell towards the other, about to collide. Ash however deftly regained his composure and swiftly moved aside. Unfortunately, Angie was not so lucky and continued to fall. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but to her surprise, no such impact came.

"Umm… Angie, open your eyes," came a voice from above her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Ash looking down at her. Then, she realised what had happened; Ash had managed to catch her mid-fall, and was now holding her off the ground. His right arm was positioned underneath her knees, his left by her neck. Held her firmly in his arms, leaving Angie feeling rather strange as she gazed into the eyes that were staring right back into her own.

'Since when was he this strong and agile?' she thought to herself, 'And why do I feel so comfortable… like… this…?'

Suddenly, a luminescent blush appeared on Angie's face.

"Can you… put me down please?" she said apprehensively.

"Are you okay? You're acting really strangely today. Normally, you would have shouted at me to put you down" Ash said as he returned Angie to her feet.

"Hey, stop acting as if you know everything about me already," she shouted in retort.

"There's the Angie I know," Ash smiled, "so shall we be going now?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

Thus the trainers left for the forest lake, and the two pokemon behind them exchanged a knowing smile. They talked about this and that on their journey through the woods whilst they walked underneath the pleasant sunshine. Various pokemon also came and greeted them, a few of them already having met Angie from her frequent trips to the lake. Eventually, they reached their destination.

They slowly stepped from the dense forest into the open clearing of the lake. Ash was immediately overwhelmed by the sight. The lake glittered with light from the sun, shining underneath the clear blue sky. There were many colourful flowers surrounding the lake that swayed gently with the wind, giving the entire area a sweet aroma.

"This place is amazing!" Ash stated.

"Yeah, I always come here to think. In fact, I even came here the day before you came back."

"Really? What were you thinking about?"

Angie sighed as she sat down on the grass by the lake, "That's what I brought to here to talk about."

Ash sat down beside her, also facing toward the other side of the lake. He could tell that Angie was now being completely serious. "I'm listening," he told her.

Angie looked out at the surface of the lake and took a deep breath. "Ash. There's been something on my mind for a long time now. You see, I've been struggling to keep this thing away from my thoughts, and I just keep thinking about it more and more." Her voice remained gentle and calm as she continued talking. "Ever since an important event a long time ago, this thing just became more important to me over time, and recently, this process sped up even further."

She then pulled her knees in close to her before she said, "It seems to me as if the time has come to confront this problem of mine."

Ash turned to see her face. Her eyes continued to stare ahead of her, her only movements from her light breathing. Her hair and clothed rustled slightly in the still silence. It seemed as if the world around them had completely stopped.

"Angie," Ash said, "I'll help you in any way I can."

Angie stayed silent for a few more seconds.

"Do you promise?"

They turned to each other, their eyes meeting. To them, everything else didn't exist. Their eyes stayed locked for a time that neither could tell. They could see the trust in the other's eyes and felt each other's warm aura. It was then that Ash replied.

"I do."

Suddenly, the wind rushed past them, creating a small whirlwind at the middle of the lake. The leaves tore through the air, an intense stream of wind ripping through the clearing with a deafening sound. The sky began to turn dark with ominous clouds appearing overhead.

Ash and Angie turned their attention to the scene.

"What? What's happening?" Angie called out.

Ash held his cap to his head as it threatened to fly away, "I'm not sure, but it looks like something's happening to the lake."

The whirlwind had now fused with part of the lake to form a vicious whirlpool. The wind continued to slash through the area around them, causing the two present to start to lose their footing. They wasted no time in calling back their pokemon.

"Angie, grab my hand!"

Angie desperately reached for Ash whilst almost being blinded by the chaos around her. Their hands managed to get a hold on each other just as the storm suddenly strengthened. They heard a huge roar from the mysterious vortex in the lake, the likes of which they had never heard before. It was then that they were swept away and tossed into the growing turmoil.

For now, they had left their old world behind.