The beeping continued at the same pace. Never slowing down, never speeding up. It quickly became a rhythm to those who listened, but no one truly thinks about what it means. The sound of the beep has been thought of as a tune. But the man sitting in the chair, elbows resting on his thighs with his hands crossed together under his nose, staring with a grim expression...understood what it truly meant.

"It's their clock...The time of their life, continuing the same way seemingly forever...Until that moment, it just stops. Before you can even think about it, before you can even remotely consider what to do in the last moments...It's just over. No overtime, no do-overs...It only ends," the man's shallow breath warmed his hands, but he didn't notice. The only thought, concern, or emotion going through his mind...was for the figure in the bed.

"What do you guys think...?" Max asked quietly, looking at the others around him with a worried expression. The man's friends all stood together outside the room, watching the trainer through the window.

"There's no point going in," Paul stated, the blunette clinging to his arm looking at him in concern. "With the state Ash is in, there's nothing that could bring him out of this. His concern for his pokemon has always controlled him."

"So what are you saying? We just give up on him?" May asked quickly, Brendan's grip on her hand softly tightening, attempting to calm her down.

"...I'm sorry to say, but that's all we really can do for now. It's for the best," Paul closed his eyes, the blunette softly resting her head against his shoulder with a frown.

"I hate seeing him like this...He's always so concerned about others..." Dawn trailed off, frowning as she looked at the man in concern.

"But this is just who he is...As much as I want to help him, there's no changing him," Leaf crossed her arms, leaning against the wall with a frown. "Man, this sucks. I don't know what to do."

"I gotta agree with Paul here, the best we can do is let him get through it himself. This isn't something he can be helped with," Hilbert crossed his arms behind his head, turning towards the doorway. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. We'll get something for him and leave it beside him."

"...Alright," Hilda said quietly, walking towards the door. The man followed her, the pair disappearing from the room.

"This is wrong...That's not how it should have ended..." the blonde woman remained silent from the man's comment, resting her nose against her folded hands held up by her elbows on the table. "Come on, Cynthia, you have to say something."

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can change. The tournament guidelines state that the winner is declared when one side is unable to continue, there's nothing said about this kind of situation," she sighed, dropping her fist gently on the large book in front of her. "This won't help us."

"I haven't seen a battle end like this before, so I wouldn't know what to do first," the second blonde yawned, folding her arms again.

"I agree. We could hold a rematch, but then we would need the permission from the damn Arc Tournament council," the bulky man clenched his teeth in frustration, his fists clenched. "Such a bother..."

"But we can't leave the situation like this. Ash is sitting in the hospital right now, watching over his pokemon that saved his life, but that action cost him the title of the Arc Tournament Champion," Grimsley said, looking over at the old man in the corner. "I'm sure you're not pleased with this at all, either."

"Of course not," Alder quickly replied, focused on a spot on the table. He glanced over at Cynthia, then at the book in front of her.

"The spark of inspiration in your eye...What are you thinking?" the quiet woman asked, holding her trademark book close to her.

"Let me see the guidelines for a minute. I want to check something."

"So what do you really think? Will he be able to snap out of it on his own?" Hilda asked, the man beside her giving a quiet sigh.

"...Of course not, but I couldn't say that in front of them. Just look at how worried they are," he looked in the sky, seeing a cloud moving from in front of the sun. "Something like this happening to one of his friends, and to Zo no less...This is definitely a scar to him..."

"I guess some things about him just don't change, even after so many years..." Hilda crossed her arms, giving a sigh. "He cares about his friends so much that it hurts him..."

"That's not entirely true. It might be the case with one of his other friends back there, yeah, but he thinks of his pokemon as family," Hilbert told her. "Zo is like a sister to him. An annoying little sister, but he still loves her, whether he admits it or not."

"You seem really concerned about him," she said with a sly look, leaning forward and looking at him. He glanced at her, looking away as he felt his cheeks warm up.

"He's a friend, after all. Besides, it would be boring around here without him, I'll admit that," he said, the brunette quietly laughing to herself.

"I was just kidding, you know."

"Well what about you, then?"

"Huh? Of course I'm worried about him, he's a close friend."

"Yeah, but that's not what I mean. You love him, remember?"

"...Ah..." the brunette looked at the ground, stopping. The man stopped a step ahead of her, looking back. "...Yeah...Of course I do..." Hilbert frowned, hesitating before speaking.

"...Then I think you should be helping him," she looked up at him confused, seeing him smiling back at her. "I may not know what it's like, but I'm sure it would mean a lot to him if you were there for him," he turned away, moving his foot forward then stopping again. "...If you really love him, you can't let Leaf get all the glory. You gotta take some for yourself, you know?"

"I know, but..." her hands dropped to her sides, moving towards him.

"What's wrong?" he watched her walk past him, hearing her quiet voice as she moved beside him.

"It's just, something feels...different..."

The doors closed behind the brunette, Leaf glancing back over her shoulder with a frown. "What am I doing...? I should be by him the whole time..." her fist moved to her chest as she walked, heading towards the battle area. Stopping in front of the statue, she looked up at it and stared blankly. "Zo...Ash...Please be okay..."

"Miss Leaf? Is something troubling you?" the brunette nearly jumped, looking over at the sleepy blonde.

"Oh, Miss Caitlin...Sorry, just...thinking, that's all," she flashed a brief smile, looking back at the statue.

"Drowning the broken heart in sorrow will not help," Leaf looked confused, the woman giving a smile. "I recognize that look all too well."

"But...That's not quite it..." she said quietly, the woman moving closer to her. "I want to help Ash through this...Both him and Zo are very special to me, so I don't want to see either of them hurt..."

"Then why are you here, hurting yourself with negative thoughts?" the brunette didn't respond, the blonde putting her arms around the girl. "If you wish for them to be okay, then you must take care of yourself. If you care about them, then how do you think they feel about you?" no response. "Miss Leaf, I shall tell you this in confidence from self-experience."

"Huh...?" her soft voice was barely audible, the blonde pulling back and looking the brunette in the eye with a warm smile.

"Nothing warms a man's pain like a woman to support him."

"I don't know what to do, this sucks!" Max punched the wall, immediately regretting it as he held his hand.

"Don't be rash, idiot," May hit the boy's head.

"Something tells me this isn't helping him," Misty looked at the outside of the doors to the room, the group sitting in the waiting lobby. "Come on, we're his friends, we should be doing something to help him."

"...I can't stand this..." the blunette's tear rolled onto Paul's sleeve, the man feeling a sting in his chest as he heard the girl sob quietly.

"...Come on, let's go," he said softly, surprising the girl as he stood up, holding her closely. With his arm around her holding her up, he walked down the hall towards his room.

"I feel like we should keep an eye on them, but maybe Dawn is too distraught to try anything," Max thought out loud, the brunette hitting his head again.

"How is the boy doing?" the group was surprised at the deep voice, looking in the front doorway.

"M-Marshal!"

"Not just him, we're all worried," the man behind him added, the small woman standing beside him quietly holding her book, giving a nod.

"Grimsley and Shauntal, too..." Cilan was too surprised to continue.

"A determined young trainer, aspiring to be the best, stared death in the face without trying to save himself. But his pokemon saved him, at the cost of her own well-being...A story with such a sad ending, we refuse to believe this story is over," the woman explained, the three moving into the room.

"So where's Caitlin? And Alder and Cynthia?" Brock asked.

"Rest assured, those three are as worried as we are. Caitlin wandered off in a sleep trance, muttering something about sensing a broken heart, and Cynthia and Alder are looking through the guidelines for the tournament. Alder refuses to let his victory be declared like this," the bulky man told them, the younger ones looking concerned.

"Cynthia had not found anything regarding an occurrence like this through her first time reading, but Alder insisted on looking himself. The man can be as stubborn as his Bouffalant," he stated, crossing his arms with a sigh.

"Well I hope they find something soon..." the man trailed off, not noticing the pink-haired nurse step into the room.

"Nurse Joy," everyone's attention was captured, looking at the woman. "How's Zo? Is she alright?"

"She's in a pretty bad state at the moment, so I think it's almost definite to say she will be in there for a long time," the atmosphere in the room suddenly went down, the depression nearly visible in the air. "But, I believe she will be okay. I've treated Hilbert on very severe burns, so I can assure you, Zo is in very good hands."

"Really?!" Max suddenly lit up, his sister hitting him on the head.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. So much," May smiled, the woman waving it off.

"No worries, but I'm going to have to consult with Ash about the after-care she must have. Do you know where he went?"

"What are you talking about?" Iris asked.

"He's not in the room, so I had assumed he had taken a walk somewhere," she told them, everyone looking at each other oddly.

"He never left the room..."

"Well where would he go?" Max asked, looking around.

"What about his training spots? Or the lake down south?" May asked, the Hoenn trainer beside her squeezing her hand softly.

"No, I get the feeling he's not trying to let us find him this time," he said, the girl looking at him.

"So, what, he's off who-knows-where and we can never figure it out?" she asked, the man only frowning in response as he looked away.

"Marshal, Ash found a lot of your training spots and used them himself, right?" the big man nodded. "Sorry, but can you go check them and see if he's anywhere nearby?"

"Already on it," he tightened his sash, walking out of the room.

"I'm sorry..." Dawn whispered, the man giving a sigh.

"I told you, stop worrying about it. Or about Ash, everything is fine," he told her, his fingers running through her blue hair. She looked up at him, her head rested on his arm.

"How can you be so strong...?" he looked at her oddly, sighing again as he let his head hit softly against the pillow.

"How can you be so troublesome?" he asked, the girl starting to giggle.

"You can be a jerk, but you can really be a sweetheart, too," she smiled, burying her face in his chest.

"Hey, stop it. 'The hell are you doing?" he asked, the blunette lifting her head and sliding up in the bed, moving her leg across his waist and pinning an arm beside his shoulder opposite of her. Surprised, he cringed as the blunette moved her face close to his, hovering barely an inch from contact with him. "What are you trying to pull here?"

"...You really are different..." his expression turned to confusion, the girl looking him right in the eye. Surprised, he felt her hand on his chest, tracing circles. "Any guy would kill to be in a situation like this, and here you are, begging to get out of it."

"Of course, why would I want this? It's a bother," he scoffed, the blunette's smile growing as her palm pressed against his abdomen.

"So you don't like this? Because I'm starting to get a different opinion from you somewhere else~" she chimed in a teasing tone, teasingly moving her leg held over his lower pelvic area. He cringed again, closing his eyes as his head hit back on the pillow.

"Why do you never give up?"

"Why do you never give in?"

"Because if I give in, then you'll never leave me alone for sure."

"That's the case either way, Paul-y, I'm sure we both knew that already."

"Jeez, you may as well strip down and give your body to anyone at the rate you're going..." he sighed, rubbing the arch between his eyes. The blunette looked at him surprised, waiting for a few moments. "...What?" he asked, looking at her cautiously. Her smile only grew more. She shifted her bodyweight over, sliding herself on top of his thighs, preventing his escape with a leg on either side of him. Paul watched her hands grab both sides of her shirt's hem.

"Crap..."

"Why do you help me?" the blonde looked at her confused, her sleepy attitude only adding to her silly appearance. "I mean...I haven't really done anything for you, so why do you want me to be happy?"

"Let's say...I'm an odd person," she flashed a smile, as if she didn't realize how ridiculous she seemed to be. Leaf wasn't able to hold back her laughter. "So tell me, why aren't you with him right now?"

"Huh?" she blinked, the blonde giving her a curious look. She looked away, kicking her toe into the ground. "I don't know...I just don't know how to help him."

"Being there for him is enough, trust me, in my years I've learned that's how men think," she smiled, the brunette looking at her surprised.

"It's really that simple?" the elite four member nodded.

"Of course, now go help him. He will be beyond grateful that you take the time to help him through his troubles," she told her, the younger girl giving a nod, beaming as she hurried off. The blonde watched her with a yawn, smiling. "That boy must really be something..."

"Well what do we do? Should we go look, too?" Iris asked, beginning to panic.

"Of course we do! We're not just gonna let him walk away like last time!" Max exclaimed, the brunette giving a nod.

"For once today, my brother's right. We can't just stand around doing nothing while Ash walks out of our lives again," she stated.

"How do you know he's leaving? Maybe he's just taking a walk to clear his mind or something," Brendan told her, the brunette shaking her head.

"I don't want to take the risk. I'm not letting him leave so easily again."

"Well said."

"I agree, I'll whack him with my hammer if he tries!" Misty declared, a wave of worry suddenly washing through the room.

"Perhaps Zo could help us? If she were awake, maybe she would know somewhere he could have gone," the nurse suggested, stepping back through the doors. Hearing a shriek, the group opened the doors and found the woman standing with her hands over her mouth.

"What is it, Nurse Joy? What's wrong?" Brock asked, the nurse turning toward them and pointing behind her. Looking past her, the group's eyes widened. The bed was empty, a breeze gently waving the curtain in front of the window.

"Zo's gone..."

"You idiot...What are you doing...?" the girl grunted, grasping her side as she leaned against the wall. Looking down at her hand, it flickered in a dark flash, changing into a paw and then back to a human hand. "Dammit...I can't keep this up..." She looked back at the distant window she had snuck out of, noticing figures moving. She hid around a corner, wincing as she looked into the sky.

"Ash...Where the hell did you go now...?"

"So...What did you mean?" he asked, breaking the silence. The brunette glanced over at him. "Not to pry or anything, just...it confused me."

"Figures," he obviously understood the insult in her voice, but he let it slide for the moment. "...I can't explain it, because it was kind of sudden...but it's just different."

"Different how?" he asked, the brunette rolling over onto her side and looking at him. He turned his head, still resting on his arms crossed beneath it as he looked back at her.

"Have you ever felt strongly for something...then realized there's something else that you care for just as much? It's been there for a long time, but you take it for granted and never noticed?" the man looked into the sky, thinking about her words.

"...Can't really say I have. Unless you mean food, then caramel popcorn is clearly better than reg-"

"Hilbert."

"Alright, alright. Can't say I know."

"...Damn...Wish I could talk to someone who did know right now..." she sighed, stretching her arms up above her head. "Would really be useful."

"Thank you for letting me know how useful I am," he closed his eyes, hearing the girl laugh at him. "Sure, kick a guy while he's down..."

"No, that's not it," he opened one eye, glancing at her curiously. "It's just..."

"Just what?" he blinked, the girl stopping herself from finishing her thought.

"N-nothing. You're like a child."

"You're not thinking of me as your child, are you? 'Cause that would be dis-"

"What was that?!"

"Owowowow! Ah, Arceus, let go! Free me, it was a joke! A joke!"

"It better have been, 'cause I clearly don't look old enough to be a mother."

"That's not a bad thing, it doesn't mean you don't still look good!"

"..."

"...Oh Arceus, I'm losing the arm..."

"...What did you say?"

"Huh?" he blinked, the brunette releasing his arm from her dangerous hold. He rubbed his shoulder, noticing the brunette staring at him in surprise with a blush on her cheeks. "What?"

"What did you say just now?" the man cringed, thinking back on what he had said. Scratching his neck, he looked away.

"Nothing important."

"No, tell me," surprised, the man fell back as the brunette moved herself closer to him, coming face-to-face and staring at him intensely.

"Ah, jeez! I said you would still look good as a mom, okay?" he blabbed without thinking, the girl's cheeks going a light shade of scarlet.

"...You really think that...?" she slowly backed up, falling onto her behind on the grass, the man sitting up again.

"I guess...? I don't know what to tell you, honestly, I feel like you're gonna break my arm if I say anything else," he scratched his chin, noticing her move towards him again. He flinched, closing his eyes and waiting for the impact. Surprised, he felt the girl embrace him, resting the side of her head on his shoulder.

"Then stick with that..."

"Crap...Where would he have gone...?" she asked herself, thinking of his usual spots. Recalling what she had overheard from the others after waking up, she quickly dismissed these spots. This situation was different. Deep in thought, she hadn't noticed the footsteps around the corner.

"Whoa! S-Sorry!" the girl fell back, wincing as she hit the ground. Looking up, she saw Leaf holding her head, opening her eyes and looking down at her. "Zo? You're awake!" the pokemon glanced at the trees to the side, then back at the brunette. Scrambling to her feet, she hurried towards the bushes. "Wai- Zo! Wait up!" the brunette chased after the pokemon, catching her after she tripped and fell against a tree. "Wait, take it easy. You shouldn't be out of the center already, you're still hurt," she told her, helping the girl to her feet.

"No...I have to find Ash..." she said quietly, the Kanto trainer looking at her curiously.

"What? He's back in your room, he was by your side ever since the battle ended," she said, the pokemon closing her eyes.

"...He left again, and nobody knows where," Leaf looked at her oddly.

"But where would he have gone? The lake?" she asked, the pokemon shaking her head.

"No, this time is different, I can tell. Ash definitely doesn't want to be found this time, and when he doesn't want to be found, he isn't," she said in a serious tone, holding her side again. "I have to find him..."

"Hang on. You should go back to the center, I'll look for him, you still need to rest," she told her, the pokemon pushing her hand against the brunette's.

"No, I have to go. I can't just let him be like this, I have to help..." she winced, the brunette holding her up again.

"...Then where should we start looking?" looking at the brunette, Zo was only responded with a warm smile.

"If someone sees this, I'm filing a lawsuit against you for sexual assault," Paul grumbled, the blunette only giggling in response.

"Go ahead, but who would take you seriously? Besides, you love this~" she chimed teasingly, tightening her arms wrapped around him and pressuring her bare chest against his. He forced his gaze up to the roof, trying to ignore the traps pressed against him. It wasn't working.

"Explain to me again why you had to take your shirt off to hug me-"

"Because I wanted to be closer to you, silly."

"And your bra?"

"Because we're in love, so why not?"

"Okay, that's where I draw the line. I'm not in this whole 'love relationship' crap, got it? I'm not saying it, I don't want you to say it, so leave it alone," he said strictly, the blunette lifting her head and pulling her chest away slightly, showing just enough to tease the man.

"So do you want me to let go?" the man mentally cursed himself. This is why she took off her clothes. If she were to move, she knew he wouldn't be able to look away forever. He sighed, his head hitting the pillow again.

"Dammit..." was all he could mutter, the blunette hugging him tightly again with a beaming smile.

"None of his training spots, those would be too obvious..." she thought out loud, Leaf looking over at the center through the bushes. "Crap, where could he have gone...? I don't think he left Unova, I definitely would've noticed that..."

"Wait, where did you guys train in Unova while you were on your own? Maybe he could have gone to one of those spots," she suggested, the pokemon beginning to think.

"...I don't know, we traveled a lot for different weather and stuff...but I guess there was a few places, there was the Desert Resort, but I can't think of any reason he would hide there..." Zo winced, suddenly clutching her side. "Man, I've gotta be overthinking this! Any place he would be he would've told me about, but he wouldn't think this much about it!"

"Yeah, knowing him you would think he's just hiding in the forest with grass camo on or something," Leaf laughed, the pokemon thinking more. Zo looked at the ground, focusing on the grass's green color.

"Uh..."

"That's the fifth time you've said that, is there something you want to say?"

"...Uh..."

"Oh, spit it out already. What's keeping you?"

"Why...?" he finally asked, the brunette looking at the dirt behind him oddly.

"What?" she asked, glancing back.

"...Why are you still hugging me? ...Is what I'm trying to say..." he said slowly, the brunette pulling away from him and looking at him confused.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, the man snapping from his trance.

"Well, nothing's really wrong, per say...Just feels like a trap..." he said carefully, the brunette narrowing her eyes. "I-I mean, uh..." the man stopped, hearing the brunette start to laugh to herself.

"I...I'm sorry..." she said between laughs, holding a hand in front of her face. "It's just...You look so stupid...like that..."

"Oh, okay- Hey, wait!" the girl started laughing harder, falling softly to the ground on her side holding her gut. "Yeah, what a friend you are right now..."

"Then what about the mall?"

"No good, it's closed for the rest of the day."

"Well I'm running out of ideas here, there's no other place I can think of that he would go."

"That's the point, he picked somewhere he knows no one would think of. And with his weird habits and training methods, he really could be anywhere..."

"Habits? What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you stories later, after we find him."

"Okay. So what do you think about that after-party celebration tonight? With his showmanship, he would still go to that, don't you think?" Leaf asked. Zo blinked.

"So he's still nearby...Getting somewhere..."

"Come on, Hilbert, I was only joking around," Hilda said, the man not looking back at her. "You can't really still be mad about it, can you?"

"I am," he replied plainly, not turning around. She scrunched her nose to the side, crossing her arms as she followed him through the trees.

"Come on, you know you're not mad at me," she said childishly, the man only moving into his tent and lying on his stomach.

"Wrong."

"Jerk," she muttered, turning towards her own tent. She stopped, slowly looking towards his tent with a sly face.

"The insults are endless around here, this can't be good for my health..." Hilbert sighed, letting his head sink into the pillow as he closed his eyes. But interrupting his peace, he felt something drop onto his back. "What the-!"

"Say you're not mad," he glanced back, seeing the brunette sitting on his back with her legs off his side, arms crossed and looking down at him. He looked away, his face warming up.

"Get off me."

"Not until you say you're not mad."

"I am mad."

"You are not, and you know it."

"I am mad at you! Do you know how stressful it is to put up with yours and Ash's insults all the time?"

"...Not a clue."

"Very!"

"Okay, sorry. Now say you're not mad."

"Never!"

"Come on, just say it already!" she whined childishly, turning her body. Taking this chance of lightening the weight on him, the man flipped and tried to slide out from beneath her. But her body had dropped down again and weighed down on his thighs, his eyes widening as he realized this situation was even worse. The man was lying on his back now, with the brunette sitting on his thighs with one leg on either side of him, pinning him down. "What is it?" his face flushed more as she leaned forward and looked down at him with a confused and curious look. He looked away.

"N-Nothing."

"No, what's wrong? Are you sick?" she asked, holding her hand against his forehead. His face burned more. "Whoa, you're burning!"

"I'm not sick, don't worry about it. Besides, why are you doing this?" she tilted her head in confusion. "I mean the whole childish act, and...the teasing..."

"Teasing?" she asked, the man giving a short nod.

"Like...Sitting on me right now..." she looked down at how they were positioned, her cheeks turning pink.

"O-Oh..." there was an awkward silence. "Well...does it bother you?"

"...That's not really the problem...I just feel like something's wrong, you're not the first person I would imagine doing this..." he told her, the girl looking to the side.

"Well...Do you mind?"

"Huh?"

"Do you mind...me being childish?"

"...Uh...Not really sure what to say, I'm just used to you being violent and...you know, insane."

"..."

"..."

"Does my childish side bother you...?"

"...Well, no...more confusing, than annoying..."

"I guess being rejected does weird things to the people you least expect, huh...?"

"Yeah, I guess...if that's what this is..."

"Wanna know something weirder? I think I've wanted to for a while, and this is a good chance...So I'll share something with you."

"What's th- Mmf?!"

"I'm actually starting to get a headache..." Leaf moaned, clutching her head as she leaned against a tree.

"You're one to talk, I haven't recovered from being roasted like a marshmallow," Zo chuckled weakly, wincing.

"Marshmallows...Say, he would have to be close to food, right? He's always hungry," Leaf beamed, the pokemon shaking her head.

"Sorry, but over the years he's starved himself to resist hunger. He can go without eating for a whole day," she stated, the Kanto brunette stifling a laugh.

"Not very impressive results for five years..."

"Yeah, I know," Zo chuckled in agreement, looking at the sky. "...Ash really is something else, isn't he?"

"Huh?" Leaf looked at the girl curiously, the pokemon closing her eyes with her head back.

"He loves his pokemon and friends like family, and he's one of the strongest trainers in the world...Except he can leave his friends for five years so easily, then return and avoid them..." Zo listed, the brunette beside her giving a frown.

"Yeah, not exactly a good point," she responded.

"But the fact that in those five years, every day he was apart from them...he worried and wondered about them..." Leaf looked at the girl surprised. "He never stopped talking about them, wondering if he should go back...Going back for good, or just for a visit...or just to see how they're doing without being noticed..."

"But, you guys never left that one place you talked about...That island, right? I thought you mentioned something like that."

"True, we never did do anything about his friends. I got to know him so well as his friend and pokemon, but there was one thing I never anticipated to happen to him."

"What was that?"

"A girl. Namely, you."

The pair sat in silence, only staring at each other with blushes on their faces. Hilbert swallowed, feeling his heart beat faster as the brunette continued to stare at him. "...Ahem...uh...so...would you maybe...get off of me?"

"Is it really a problem...?" she asked softly, her arms on either side of his head holding her up as her body hovered inches above his. She shifted her leg against his slightly which made him shudder.

"Well, not...not really a problem, just...kinda..." he trailed off, feeling the brunette look at him without breaking eye contact. "You know...weird."

"It's weird?" she asked, the man giving a nod as he looked away.

"Yeah, I mean...You like Ash, don't you?" the brunette didn't respond. Moments passed in silence, then the girl moved off of him and sat a few feet away. Hilbert sat up, cracking his neck.

"So that bothers you, then?" he looked at her in confusion, the girl looking back at him. "You're bothered that I like Ash...?"

"Well, when you do and you're as close to me as you just were...It kinda does, yeah, he's a close friend, after all," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Plus, if you like him as much as you say you do, then...you should be doing these things with him, right?"

"...Yeah..." the brunette slouched, lowering her head with her fists on her lap. He looked at her in concern, then recalled what Ash had told him during the intermission of the battle. Mentally cursing himself, he realized he had just kicked the girl while she was down.

"But, uh...Hey, there's always another chance, you know?" she slowly looked up at him, seeing his goofy smile with his arms behind his head. "When life gives you lemons, you drink orange juice, right?" the girl stared at him for a moment, then she cracked into laughter.

"W...What are you talking about? It's 'you make lemonade', idiot," she laughed, holding her hands over her mouth to try and stop laughing.

"Nah, that stuff's too bitter for me," he waved his wrist, the girl laughing harder at his stupid words. He smiled softly, seeing the girl let go in releasing the emotions she's kept inside. As her laughing finally calmed down, she looked at him with a smile.

"...Thank you. I really needed that," the man gave a nod, leaning back against the tree again.

"Hey...If you were in a situation where you like two girls, what would you do?"

"What? That's not much info to go off of."

"You just really like two girls and you're not sure if you should choose or not. What would you do?"

"Go for the hotter one, duh."

"And if that didn't go well?"

"Then I would take some time to myself, away from them."

"Huh? But what about the second one?"

"If I was dumped by one girl, no matter how bad it was, I wouldn't be low enough to jump to another girl right away. The odd chance she says yes, I would feel like it's out of pity."

"...Wow...I never thought you would say that..."

"Yeah, well, I can still surprise. Why do you ask, anyway?"

"...I was thinking of jumping to the second, but maybe you're right..."

"What?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"M-Me?" Leaf stuttered, surprised at the girl's words.

"I knew Ash was different, but I never thought he would get a girl to like him, let-alone love him. Or three, for that matter."

"That number doesn't add up right."

"I only counted the main ones, in my opinion."

"Ah, okay."

"Anyway...I have to say, Leaf, you're one of the most amazing girls there are," Leaf's cheeks reddened, the pokemon giving a smirk as she faced her. "Not only did you manage to fall in love with an idiot like Ash, you actually got him to love you back. That takes real skills, girl."

"W-Well, that's not r-really..." the brunette twiddled her thumbs, glancing away.

"But really, you are special. You're kind, you've got a great smile, you're funny, you can make him laugh, and I always see him smiling now whenever you're around," Zo explained, the brunette looking at her in awe. "But, I would say the greatest advantage you have..."

"Being friends when we were kids?" Leaf guessed, the pokemon shaking her head.

"No, there's something bigger..." Zo trailed off, the brunette looking at her confused.

"Then what is it?"

...

... ...

... ... ...

Zo reached her hands out and squeezed.

"These puppies are amazing."

"HEY!"

So between popcorn and corn dogs, you would pick popcorn?"

"Yeah, why not? Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, definitely, but- Oh, you're trying to avoid jokes, I get it now."

"What?"

"Okay, new one. The shy reserved guy, or the popular quarterback?"

"What? What happened to the whole food idea?" Hilda asked, her cheeks going pink at his question.

"Hey, we're adults here, can't you handle something other than food?" he chuckled, the brunette giving him a glare.

"Reserved. What about you?"

"The hotter one."

"There's rumors she's got a disease."

"I think I'll move to the countryside, I hear it's nicer where there are less people."

"Wow, you're a coward."

"No, I'm just strategically placing myself for my ideal futuristic lifestyle."

"That is the most advanced sentence I have ever heard from you."

"Nice. You ask one."

"Okay...I take it we're going for anything now?"

"Sure, I can handle anything."

"Okay...If you had to choose between Ash and me, who would it be?"

"W-What?" he sat up, the man giving her an odd look.

"It's a fair question, and you caught me by surprise with your last one, so it's payback," she crossed her arms, giving him an expectant look. He looked at the grass, scratching the back of his head. "I know it's a lose-lose situation for you, considering we can both kick your ass when you deserve it, but hypo-"

"You."

...

... ...

"...Eh?" the brunette blinked, her cheeks warming up. The man lied back down, arms crossed behind his head as he watched the clouds pass over.

"There are definitely downsides to both sides, you can break my limbs yourself while Ash uses Charizard. But..." he closed his eyes. "...I guess looking at the entire picture, you're clearly the better decision."

"H-How so?" she asked, her heart starting to beat faster.

"We've known each other since nearly forever, so you're the only one I can really depend on in my life. Ash would demand something in return, Zo would be like Ash, and anyone else I don't know well enough to really trust. So you're the one person left," he glanced over at the girl, who sat stuck in a shocked daze. He smirked. "...Besides, your punishments aren't all bad. I don't mean it in a sick way, but it makes me feel like I'm getting closer to you. In a literal sense, obviously, since you li-" he stopped, hearing the brunette shift. He opened one eye, glancing over at her. He was surprised to see her crawling towards him. "Wh- Oh crap, no, I didn't mean to sound like a pe-"

"Why..." she leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, the man freezing in surprise and confusion. He glanced down at her, questioning her actions. "...Why do you have to be like this...?"

"Uh...What am I like?" he asked blankly, the brunette pushing her palms against his chest and knocking him over. He winced, looking up again to see a surprise. She was starting to cry.

"Why...? You're such an idiot, but...sometimes, only sometimes...You can be really sweet...and caring..." she sniffled, trying to hold back the waterworks. "...If you were like this more often...you could actually...get more girls, you know...Maybe..." she chuckled weakly, wiping a tear from her eye. She smiled warmly, the man staring at her dumbfounded. "...I know one girl, for sure, who kind of fell for you because of that."

"...Kind of?"

"Where...? There has to be somewhere else..." the brunette lifted her arm from over her eyes, looking at the clouds in thought.

"Yeah, but where...?" the girl beside her pondered, wincing as she rubbed her forehead. "Did you really have to hit me? I'm still in recovery, you know."

"You deserved it. No one does that," the brunette's cheeks turned pink, turning her head in a huff.

"I know a certain someone who wants to do that," Zo snickered, the brunette blushing deeper.

"You really are a different kind of person..." Leaf sighed, the pokemon giving a shrug.

"Yeah, pretty much. After all, it's not like I'm like you in the first place," she leaned back against the tree, noticing her eyesight had begun to get blurry. She rubbed her eyes, noticing that only made it worse.

"Well, I suppose we could...they...us out..." Zo moved her hand to her head, her hearing beginning to blur as well, only hearing parts of the girl's sentence. Suddenly, she felt heavy. "...Zo...? Zo...okay...?"

"Great...What...a downer..." then the girl collapsed.

"Zo! Zo, what's wrong? Hey, stay with me!" Leaf panicked, holding the girl's upper body up. She opened her eyes weakly.

"L...Leaf...Ash is..." the brunette waited impatiently for the girl to finish her sentence, but her breathing only got weaker. "Take...care..."

"Zo? Zo! Zo, stay awake, come on!" but the girl had already closed her eyes, her body becoming enveloped in an eery dark red glow.

"Let me ask you something," Hilbert sat up, turning towards the brunette. "Is this behavior right now because of being rejected?"

"What?" she asked, rubbing the last of her tears away.

"This behavior is definitely not like you, and believe it or not I'm concerned about you right now. It's not like you can't tell me what's wrong," he told her, the brunette shifting on the spot. She looked away.

"...Sort of..."

"How is it sort of? It's yes or no, are you acting like this because Ash rejected you?"

"That's not something I can reall-"

"Yes or no?"

"I said I can't, it's not only because of-"

"Yes or no?"

"Why do you even want to know?"

"I just said I'm worried about you!" he grabbed the brunette's shoulders, taking her by surprise. "You're my closest friend, and it's not like I'm having fun watching you suffer like this! Acting differently to try and make yourself seem alright with everything!"

"...Hilbert..." the girl couldn't speak.

"...What you did earlier...Was that part of it, too? Or was it something else?" Hilda blushed, recalling her earlier actions.

"N-No, that wa-"

"It wasn't because you were rejected?"

"No, that's not it!"

"Then tell me, what is it?"

"I didn't mean it as a joke or anything, I really did want that!"

"Then why would you confess to Ash? Why would you if you really wanted to do that with me?"

"Because I didn't want to ruin it with you!"

"...Ruin it...?" he asked, taken back by her response.

"Ash is a weird person already, but he can be forgiving, so I was hoping even if he did reject me, that he would be able to put it behind us. But you...You've been my friend for so much longer, my only friend. There was no way I could take the chance to make it awkward between us, if I did then I would have never been able to recover from that."

"...You really think that?" the brunette shifted uncomfortably, feeling too nervous to look at him again. Feeling something touch her chin, she was surprised to feel her head turned towards him, his eyes meeting hers. "There's only one thing that could ruin it between us."

"What's that...?" she asked quietly, her face heating up from being fairly close to his.

"...You going out with Ash. Do you know how freakin' weird that would be for me? Always being the third-wheel for my two best friends?" she only stared silently in response, unable to find her voice. Then she burst into laughter.

"I...I'm sor...I'm sorry..." she said weakly, barely able to hold her laughter to get the few words out. He crossed his arms, giving her an unamused look.

"Thanks. I try to be completely honest with you for once, and you laugh about it. Makes me feel like this was going so well," he sighed quietly, confused as he saw the girl's arms move past his head. Turning back to look at her, his face heated up as she suddenly pressed her nose against his, smiling.

"I think it did go well. Very," she told him, the man unable to suppress a contagious smile. "And I think it could still be better...With one little move from you..."

"I guess I should return the favor..." he replied, hesitating slightly before turning his head slightly, beginning to lean closer.

"Hilda! Hilbert!"

"And that's how you teach CPR! There's nothing suspicious about it!" the man suddenly shouted, pulling back quickly with a blush. The brunette blushed as she glared at him, swiftly driving her toes into his shin. As the man fell over groaning, the girl looked over at the intruder on their alone time.

"Zo?!" the man looked over immediately, seeing Leaf holding the small fox in her arms.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Zo passed out, and her transformation broke! She's really weak, I can barely hear her breathing!" the brunette panicked, the Unova pair jumping to their feet and standing over the fox.

"We gotta get her back to Nurse Joy, quick," Hilda said, the brunette giving a nod as the three began running for the building in the plaza. The man looked down at the fox, noticing a light white tinge fading from her fur.

"Where's Leaf? Shouldn't she have come back by now?" Iris asked, the group looking around at each other for an answer.

"I would think so, it has been a while. Maybe she's looking for Ash on her own," Brock suggested.

"She must be, she's probably worried about Ash more than any of us are," May said in a worried tone, holding her fist to her chest.

"Maybe most of us," Max adjusted his glasses, his sister looking at him confused. "Face it, you don't exactly know when to let go-"

"Shut it," she dropped her fist onto his head with more force than earlier. "Do you think she found Zo?"

"Maybe. Zo couldn't have gotten far in her condition, after all, she must be resting somewhere nearby," Nurse Joy stated, the group looking around feeling uneasy.

"Why are you so quiet?"

"I'm waiting."

"You know I can't let go, unless you changed your mind on what you want~"

"No, I'm waiting for my untimely death by that ceiling tile falling and cracking my skull."

"Well that really kills the mood," the blunette lifted herself off slightly, beginning to move her arm between the man's eyes and her chest. Surprisingly, before she could, the man's arm moved quickly around her back and pulled her back down. Her cheeks turned pink, breaking into a warm smile as she rested her head against him again. "But you do know how to set the mood back again..."

"Any day now, tile..." he sighed, not moving his eyes from that spot. The pair suddenly jumped as there was an odd knocking on their window. They both looked over at it, glancing at each other.

"You wanna get that?"

"Wanna close your eyes?"

"Really, now you decide to get embarrassed?"

"When there's other people in the picture, yes, I'm going to get embarrassed."

"Oh, so it's just me? Only I can have this treatment you so preciously keep to yourself?"

"I don't have to, you know," she suddenly leaned against him with more pressure, the man cringing as he could really feel the difference. The blunette held her hand on his left cheek, holding his head in place as she hovered her face less than an inch from his, their noses passing each other. The man became very aware and concerned that he could feel her breathing on his lips, noticing she was running her tongue gently over her own. "If you want to have fun, just say so. I'll do anything you want~"

"Heh, yeah, I call BS on that," he glanced away nervously, the blunette deciding to go further. Paul felt nervous as her hands moved down, followed by a click. "Was...that...?" another click. And he knew for sure what this one was, considering it was on his lower body. "...You're bluffing."

"Our belts are already undone...What's stopping us~?" she whispered seductively into his ear, nibbling on the lobe gently as he felt her hands grab the sides of his pants.

"Hey, hey-! Okay, that's it! No, just no!" he tried to jump up, but the girl's hands pinned his arms down with greater force than he expected.

"Don't make me force it on you. Just enjoy it," she said softly, the man's cheeks burning hotter as he closed his eyes and turned away, considering there was nothing covering her chest anymore. "It's just us...No interruptions..."

"Wait, hold on, this isn't-!"

"Bwah!" the two froze as there was a thud heard on the balcony, followed by several smaller impacts then they stopped abruptly as the bed shook. They slowly looked over to see Hilbert sitting himself up, rubbing the back of his head with his eyes closed. "Oow...Since when could her kicks send you flying...?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes and opening them. There was an awkward silence as his eyes met the eyes of the pinned-down man on the bed, then the topless and uncovered blunette sitting on top of the man.

...

... ...

"...Guess everyone's getting interrupted today..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"You damn bastard!"

"Now hang on a mi-" the man was cut off, feeling Paul's fist connect with his cheek sending him tumbling back and crashing into the wall. Dawn rolled off the bed, dragging the bedsheet with her. "Aaah, Arceus...The hell, man...?"

"I should be asking you that!" Hilbert felt himself lifted off the ground, a hand tightly gripping his collar.

"Whoa whoa, easy, it's not like I was trying to get in on this or anything, I swear! I'm innocent here!" he defended himself, Paul's expression not showing any change.

"Really? Just how in the hell are you innocent by jumping into someone else's room through their balcony, without permission?! And how the hell did you even make it up on the balcony in the first place?" he demanded, the man holding his arms out in defense.

"Okay, let's all just calm down...First, I was kicked up here. Second, I was not aware you were having an intimate moment, I can assure you if I did know that I would not have interrup-"

"Just why are you here?!" he shouted.

"Okay, okay! We couldn't go through the lobby and Zo really needs help!" he replied quickly in a cowardly tone, wincing as if prepared to be hit.

"Zo? What happened?" Paul glanced over briefly at the blunette, noticing she had wrapped herself with the bedsheet. Noticing Hilbert was trying to glance at her as well, he tossed him in the opposite direction. He walked towards the balcony, looking outside and noticing two figures on the ground below, with a smaller figure in-hand.

"I thought she was supposed to be recovering in the back room of the center," Paul said, looking back at the man. He sat up, rubbing the back of his hand across his lip.

"She went looking for Ash and collapsed...Now she can't hold her own transformation properly, her breathing's gone shallow," he told him, the blunette rushing to the balcony to see. Paul looked back, then at the man again. "You gotta help, Paul. I've got an idea of what's happening to her, and she'll need help now."

"Why didn't you just take her to Nurse Joy?" he asked.

"We don't want Ash to see her like this, it'll make him worry even more."

"Why are you worrying about that? He disappeared a while ago."

"What?! Damn, now he's causing trouble? Alright, fine, we're going to Nurse Joy then!" he stepped out onto the balcony, motioning for the girls down below to go in the door. He ran through the room and opened the door, pausing to face the pair. "Sorry for interrupting, you can continue now," Paul glared, clenching his fist as the man closed the door behind him. The blunette hugged his arm.

"You heard him~" she whispered, the man giving a sigh before shrugging her off and moving to the door.

"Now's not the time, Zo's health didn't look good," he told her, opening the door.

"I knew you'd say that," she chuckled, following him.

"Did you find her collapsed like this outside?" Joy asked, connecting wires and cord patches to the small fox.

"No, I found her trying to look for Ash but she was weak. We were thinking of where to look for him, but then she collapsed," Leaf explained, the nurse looking concerned for the dark-type.

"Her condition got worse because she pushed herself. If she hadn't forced herself and gone outside, then she would at least be more stable," the woman stated, pressing a stethoscope against the fox's chest. "From what I can tell, her conditions consider one strong possibility of what's causing this, but her lack of strength doesn't match. Her weakness is considerably abnormal..."

"Well, she was really hurt from her battle against Volcarona," Leaf pointed out.

"No, that's not it," Hilda replied, the brunette looking at her confused. "She was weak from the battle, but after resting, she would've at least regained some energy. There must be something else taking her strength."

"Nurse Joy...You said there was one strong possibility of the cause, right?" Hilbert asked, the woman giving a nod. "...Then I must be right..." the man sighed, falling into a chair and supporting his head with his elbows on his knees.

"Hilbert, you know what's causing this?" Leaf asked, the man looking at the fox with a sad expression.

"Yeah...She's weak from the battle, but there's something else she's fighting against..."

"Evolution."

"What?" everyone looked in the doorway, seeing Paul and Dawn walking into the room.

"You said she's fighting against something. She's trying not to evolve, isn't she?" Paul asked, everyone looking at Hilbert in surprise. The man sighed.

"...That's it. For a while now, Zo's been fighting off evolution," Hilbert said, the girls looking at the fox in confusion.

"But...Why? If it's taking her strength right now, she can't handle using the last of her strength like that!" Hilda exclaimed, Hilbert putting his hand on her shoulder.

"She's doing it because of a promise. A promise she made with Ash," Hilbert told her, the brunette looking at him in shock.

"How do you know? Did he tell you and not me?" she asked, the man shaking his head.

"Zo told me herself. Ash would never tell this to anyone," he said, looking at the dark-type breathing weakly as he began recounting the time he had discussed this with Zo.

Flashback

"Man, I'm beat!" Zo collapsed onto her stomach, panting. The man sitting beside her laughed.

"If you act like that in front of Ash, he's only gonna go harder on you," Hilbert told her, Zo glaring at him.

"Shut up...It's not like...you know..." she panted.

"I've noticed it from watching Ash train," he told her, glancing behind the tree he was leaning against, seeing his friend training his pokemon. Noticing a strange glow, he looked down to see the fox's fur glowing a tinge of white. "Wha-? Zo...?"

"Huh? Oh no, not now!" she clenched her eyes, grunting quietly as the tinge began to fade. Hilbert watched in amazement as her fur returned to normal, the fox rolling onto her back and panting heavier.

"Zo...Was that...?"

"Don't...say a word...to Ash..."

"But, why? Zo, if you can evolve, Ash would be glad. You could easily prove to him you're stronger than the others."

"That's exactly why...I refuse..." the man looked at her confused. "Evolution makes you stronger...So if I don't evolve...I have to work harder to become stronger..."

"Why do you want that?" he asked.

"I don't want Ash...to let me evolve out of pity..." the fox stood up weakly. "I refuse to evolve...I'll become stronger than the others...just as I am..."

"Zo..." Hilbert stared at the pokemon in amazement, then she felt herself collapse. But something caught her. "I won't say anything to Ash, but promise me something in return," he said, holding the fox up until she regained her composure.

"What's that?" she asked, looking at him oddly.

"I understand you don't want to evolve, but the longer you reject it, the more energy it will take to resist. So if you get really hurt or weak because of this, promise me you won't push yourself too far."

"What are you talking about-?"

"I mean it. You're Ash's best friend, beside Pikachu. So if resisting evolution takes a dangerous amount of energy to resist, I want you to just let it happen. And I know Ash would want the same thing too. He wouldn't want you to go to the brink of death because you're stubborn."

"...That does sound like him...Fine, fair enough. But if I can still stand while resisting it, I'm staying as I am."

"That's safe with me."

"So what do we do? Just let her exhaust herself?" Leaf exclaimed, the man crossing his arms as he stared at the fox.

"...There's not much we can do. Even if we wanted to help, it's not like we can force evolution. She has to let it happen herself," he explained, the brunette frowning.

"But...Ash disappeared, I don't want to feel helpless with this too..." her arms fell to her sides.

"Right now, you should focus on finding Ash," Nurse Joy suggested, the woman taking a small bottle from a cupboard. "I'll help Zo as much as I can with medication to replenish her energy, but I can't say it will fix this. And if we must convince Zo to evolve, Ash may be of great help in doing so," she explained, the man giving a nod as he stood up.

"She's got a point, Zo is beyond stubborn. Ash may be the only one able to influence her," he stated, starting towards the door.

"So where are we looking, then?" the man looked at Hilda and Leaf, who looked at him expectantly with their arms crossed. "You can't expect to leave us behind."

"Same here!" the blunette exclaimed, tugging on Paul's arm.

"It's not like I have a choice in the matter..." Paul sighed. Hilbert chuckled, earning a glare from the man.

"...Honestly, I have no idea where to start."

"You are such a big help."

"Me and Zo have already thought about this, and we established he can't be anywhere nearby. She said he definitely didn't want to be found this time."

"Impossible."

"What?" Leaf asked, looking confused at Hilbert. He and Hilda looked at each other.

"He has to be nearby."

"Yeah, he couldn't have left. His bag and pokemon were still at the campsite," Hilda said, Leaf's fist moving to her chest and clenching.

"...Then he is still here...He would never leave his pokemon...his family behind..." she muttered, her lips breaking into a relieved smile.

"So where did you and Zo think he would most likely be? Out of all the places?" Dawn asked.

"Well, we crossed off just about all his training spots. They seemed too easy," she replied, starting to think. "...Zo and I had mutual doubts, but...we never actually checked the lake..."

"Then let's start there, we may as well," Hilbert said, pulling a pokeball from his belt and giving a nod to Hilda. "Mandibuzz and Braviary should be able to handle all of us."

"ATTENTION, ALL TRAINERS AND FANS. THE AFTERPARTY CELEBRATION WILL BEGIN IN ONE HOUR."

"What?! That's a bit short-notice!" Leaf exclaimed, Dawn gasping.

"I won't be able to get ready in time!" she exclaimed, Paul slipping his arm from her grasp.

"Go get ready, we'll find him in time," he told her, the girl looking at him surprised. He glanced away. "There's no sense in letting you miss a chance to look fancy, so go nuts."

"...I told you you were nice," she leaned forward and pecker her lips against his cheek, giggling as she hurried off towards her room. Everyone looked at the man slyly.

"Shut it, let's just find this idiot already," he sighed, walking out the door.

"...Huh...? Where...?"

"I wouldn't have needed your help, anyway!"

"Huh?" Zo opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She appeared to be in a forest, standing near a cliff, but what shocked her was who else was there.

"Excuse me, but you were just about to be pushed off a cliff right there," her eyes widened, recognizing the boy speaking in a childish tone. "Huh? You talked!"

"Ash...Then this is...!" her eyes drifted to the grass in front of him, noticing a small black-furred fox.

"Yeah, so I did. But Mee-Ma told me I should never talk to strangers," the fox replied, scratching behind her ear.

"This is...When Ash and I met..." Zo thought, stepping back in shock. "I was...talking with Leaf, then...I got dizzy...I must've passed out, now I'm dreaming..." she moved her hand to her head, clenching her eyes shut and shaking it. "It's a dream, just a memory," she told herself, then the world flashed white around her. Opening her eyes again, she noticed the scenery had changed. She recalled the area being Lacunosa Town.

"Hey! Get back here!" she turned around, noticing a small figure jump into the air carrying an apple in its mouth. The man swung at the pokemon, but it's body shifted into a bird and it flew away. Zo ran after the bird, finding it had landed not too far away. It shifted back to its original form, taking a bite of the apple.

"Some humans can be such suckers..." the pokemon chuckled telepathically, Zo crossing her arms with a frown.

"I sound so...arrogant..." she thought in disappointment, watching herself bite the apple again.

"Someone like you shouldn't be stealing, you know," a voice caught her attention, she looked over and noticed a figure standing in the shadow of a tree. "To survive in this world, you have to make it your own way."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, guy, but sneaking around and stealing is my way," the fox replied, snickering.

"So you're telepathic...You must be quite the special one..." he muttered, the fox huffing.

"Of course I am, I'm the strongest pokemon around here. And if you're planning on trying to catch me, you've got no chance," she told him, the figure pulling a pokeball from his pocket and releasing a beam of light. As it struck the ground, an intense flame rippled as the light took form of an intimidating fire lizard.

"So you think you can stand up to Charizard here? Before you start talking big, just keep in mind that my friend here has already defeated two legendary pokemon," the lizard huffed a flame to the side, quickly disintegrating a bush. The fox got nervous, stepping back from her opponent. Then she stopped, putting one foot forward as she took a battle stance. "You're a brave one, I'll give you that."

"Mee-Ma taught me that I should never back down from an opponent who speaks highly of himself, because it will be their own demise!" the fox told him, the man giving a chuckle.

"You might want to rethink that one," he said, the fire-type drawing in a breath with flames starting in its throat.

"And I never would have been able to be with Mee-Ma if I didn't get help...Without my good friend, I would never have seen her again!" the fox exclaimed, the man arching an eyebrow.

"Mee-Ma? It can't be..." the man thought, crossing his arms. "So where is this friend of yours now?"

"I...don't know..." the fox's tone went quiet, looking at the ground with soft eyes. "I haven't been able to find him since that time...But I'll never stop searching. He taught me that having friends and family is worth more than living!" the pokemon exclaimed, the man cringing at her words. The fox noticed this hesitation, firing a purple sphere at the fire-type who easily deflected it with its wing. The flames in its throat grew stronger, the fox stepping back defensively.

"Charizard, we're done here," the two pokemon looked at the figure confused, the fire-type surprised to feel itself being recalled into its pokeball.

"Hey, what're you doing?! Giving up already?" the dark-type snapped, the figure giving a weak laugh.

"I see your stubborn attitude hasn't changed," he said, slowly stepping forward. "And I'm surprised you still remember what I told you."

"What?" the fox cocked its head curiously, keeping its guard up as the man stepped out of the shadows. She was surprised as she saw the figure's identity.

"Ash?"

Zo looked back and forth between her past self and her past trainer, slowly breaking into a smile. "...And this is where I decided to go along with him..."

"Well, this is disappointing..." Paul muttered, giving a sigh as he stared across the shining body of water, the sun beginning to set in the distant sky.

"This can't be...He's gotta be hiding..." Leaf told herself frantically, looking in every direction repeatedly.

"Leaf, don't exhaust yourself. He's not here," Hilbert told her in a disappointed tone, crossing his arms behind his head. "So where would he be next, then...?"

"Aaaaaassh!" Hilda shouted, the echo of her voice disappearing through the trees. No reply.

"No sense continuing to waste time here, let's go," Paul stuffed his hands in his pockets, moving towards the flying-types that had brought them there.

"This can't be right...There must be something we're missing...The most important thing about all of this..." Leaf thought with a frown, giving a defeated sigh as she followed her friends to the pokemon.

"So you've been searching for me? Not this whole time, I assume," Ash said, taking a drink from the cup of coffee. Zo had followed her past self and Ash in her memory to a small cafe.

"No, not quite. I've been searching about...A little over a month now, I think," she replied, scratching behind her ear as she sat on the table across from him. The boy looking surprised.

"Really? Why?" he asked, the fox standing up and facing him with a smile.

"I've changed my mind about your offer."

"...What was that again?"

"Seriously?! You asked me if I wanted to come along with you!"

"Oooh, right- Wait, what?"

"Which part is confusing you? The offer that you made or me changing my mind?"

"So, you want to come with me now?"

"Yeah, what's so hard to believe?" the fox asked, sitting back down with a smile. "Back when we met, I could easily tell you cared about your friends and pokemon. Not to mention you took the time to help a stranger like me, who was only rude to you when we had only just met. I caused you trouble back then in helping me find Mee-Ma, and I don't think I can repay you enough. But if I can come with you and help you win battles, then I'll do the best that I can," she grinned, the trainer giving a smirk.

"Then I guess there's only one thing left to say," the trainer pulled a red and white sphere from his pocket, pressing the button on the center making it grow larger. He set it on the table beside the fox. "This spot was always open for you, so welcome to the family."

"Glad to be here," the fox smiled, bumping its paw on the sphere. It opened up, consuming the fox in a red light and disappearing into the pokeball. Zo smiled.

"That was the moment my life changed..." she said to herself, chuckling lightly. "I don't know where I would be without him..." then the world flickered around her. The girl blinked, noticing something had changed. Ash was still sitting at the table, but he looked different. The Ash she was looking at was the to-date image of him. "Why does he look like he does now...?"

"I'm sorry..." he caught her attention with his quiet words, she leaned in closer to hear him better. "I'm sorry...Leaf..." as Zo realized what she was watching, the next event was something she had never seen before.

A tear from Ash's eye hit the table. Then the world around her turned to black.

"Ash!" the nurse jumped, surprised by the voice. She turned around, noticing Zo was sitting up and reaching an arm out as if trying to grab something.

"Zo? You're awake!" she exclaimed, the fox looking at her confused.

"Wha...Nurse Joy...?" she looked around, realizing she was in a bed in her true form. "Wait, when did I change back? Where am I?"

"You're in the treatment room of the center, just relax and don't strain yourself. Your body is already strained enough, there's no need to make it worse," she explained, trying to convince the girl. Zo slowly calmed down, looking down at her paw.

"Wait, when did my transformation break?" she muttered, the nurse setting a bowl of water on the bed next to the dark-type.

"It was when you collapsed looking for Ash, you had exhausted yourself too much to hold it. Here, you need to get your strength back," the fox looked curiously at the water, then began drinking it. "You caused us a lot of worry, you know. Disappearing so suddenly when you can barely stand on your own."

"...Sorry, it's just...I need to find Ash, I can't let him run off like this," she said in a serious tone, the woman giving a smile.

"I can tell you care about him. The others are just as worried as you are, they're even looking for him right now, so you don't have to take this on yourself," she told her, the fox looking out the window.

"I know, but...They don't know him like I do. They may have been best friends years ago, but that was years ago. Ash has changed, if only a little, so no one knows the Ash of today as good as I do. I've been with him more than anyone else," she explained, stretching her legs. "Do you have an energy drink for pokemon or something? I gotta start looking for him again."

"What? Zo, you can't go out again, you're in no condition to be moving around," the nurse said, but the fox was already standing up.

"I'm sorry, Nurse Joy, but this isn't something you can stop me from doing. I'm going to find Ash, and I'm going to hit him because he's being an idiot about this," she shook her fur, stepping to the edge of the bed.

"Zo, please, you can't. If I let you go like this, none of the others would forgive me. Do you think Ash would be happy if I let you go in such a state?" she asked, the fox stopping.

"He may be my trainer, but he doesn't make all my decisions. He's my friend, so I have a say in my actions too," she told the nurse, hopping to the floor.

"If there really is no changing your mind on this, at least do one thing for me," the nurse pulled a package from one of the cupboards below.

"What is this?" Zo asked, looking at the wrapped item the nurse was holding.

"I want you to make sure that Ash goes to that celebration party, but that he comes back here for this first. He'll need it," she gave a wink, the fox giving a smirk.

"He's gonna give me hell for that...But that would be better than that stupid vest he's always wearing," the fox gave a nod, the nurse smiling as she set the package on the counter.

"Thank you. Just don't try running or anything too serious yet, try to take it easy," she told her, the fox giving a huff.

"I always take it easy, Ash doesn't let me battle enough to be serious," she snickered.

"The others went down to check the lake, so you won't have to look there. Where are you gonna start?" the pink-haired woman asked, the fox scratched behind her ear.

"I dunno, really...I mean, there's no place where he would really go if he were trying to hide..." Zo began pondering, the nurse looking out the window.

"Well, maybe he's trying to hide somewhere no one would know to find him. Somewhere no one else knows about," the nurse suggested, the fox shaking her head.

"But I can't think of anywhere like that, that's the point of it being somewhere no one else knows about. I can't even believe he's doing this to us, to Leaf," she replied, the nurse giving a nod.

"It does seem unbelievable. I mean, I may not have known Ash before this competition, but I can instantly tell that Leaf was the first one to bring out Ash's real emotions," she told her, the fox giving a nod as she pondered.

"Yeah, he's never really shown emotions before-" she cringed, straightening up with wide eyes. "...Showing emotions...Leaf..."

"Zo? What is it?" Joy asked, the fox jumping to her feet.

"...I can't believe that guy..."

"Where the heck is he?!" Hilda sighed heavily, frustrated.

"Aaaaaassh! Heeeereee, booooyyy!" Hilbert called out, Paul giving a sigh.

"He'll send Charizard in his place if you call him like that."

"I know, at least we'll know the direction he came from. Noble sacrifice, huh?"

"More like stupid without thinking."

"Hey, you're supposed to defend me, Hilda."

"Why should I defend you?"

"That's a good point, you should be defending him. After whatever-it-was that happened earlier, you guys should be acting closer, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, don't deny it. Something happened between you two, right?"

"W-What are you saying?! Me and him?!"

"Hilda, there's no point. Hilbert even said before, that 'everyone is getting interrupted today' when he flew into our room which meant he was implying that he was before that."

"That sounds logical, but I can assur- Wait, everyone's getting interrupted? Did he interrupt you doing something?"

"Oh arceus, yes, it was so funn- Ow! Paul, don't be an ass!"

"That's my whole character! Now shut up!"

"Guys, stop it!" Leaf snapped, the boys immediately going quiet. "Now let's get three things straight. One, something happened between you two," Leaf looked at Hilda and Hilbert, who only blushed faintly and looked away from each other in response. "Two, apparently something happened between you and Dawn as well."

"What makes you think it was her?" he asked.

"So it was something?"

"...Just continue."

"And three, Ash is out there somewhere on his own, avoiding us because he's thinking stupid thoughts. We all know Ash is a great person and trainer, and that he deserves the champion title more than anyone, so we have to help him believe that instead of doubting himself," the three looked at each other, breaking into smiles (smirk in Paul's case).

"She's right, he can't be bummed about pushing a world champion into a corner in a battle," Hilda stated, the others nodding in agreement.

"As annoying as he is to deal with, I can't deny she has a point," Paul crossed his arms, giving a sigh.

"You got that right. Now let's go find our friend!" Hilbert thrusted his fist into the air, the others looking at him oddly. He glanced around nervously. "...I thought we were doing a cheerful friendship thing..."

"No. How much time do we have left, anyway?" Paul asked, Hilda and Hilbert checking the devices on their wrists. They gasped.

"Oh crap, we've got ten minutes until the party!" they exclaimed, Leaf gasping as well.

"So?" Paul asked, not understanding their alarm. "We'll skip the party."

"...Okay, I don't want to postpone the search for Ash, but I have to point out that it is really weird that you sound concerned about finding him," Hilbert stated, the man giving a sigh.

"The longer I avoid the party, the longer I avoid Troublesome, so I would rather search for this idiot than deal with that idiot," he replied, the others looking at him blankly.

"...Okay. But we have to be there though, Alder told us that all competitors are recommended to go!" Hilda said, Paul arching an eyebrow.

"Recommended?"

"We still can't deny the Unova champion's invitation!"

"She's right. Besides, Ash may already be back getting ready for the party and we're wasting our time here. He may be waiting for us, so we gotta go."

"What about Hilbert? He can still search, right? May as well be safe about it."

"Actually...I can't. I gotta go to the party, too. Special request of Alder."

"What?" Paul asked, Hilbert crossing his arms behind his head as he glanced at Hilda.

"Alder asked us to take care of something, and we gotta be there for it," Hilbert said, Hilda giving a nod of agreement.

"Okay then, it's settled. We're all going to that party," Leaf stated. "I gotta get ready, I still haven't tried on my new dress yet."

"Seriously, what is with women and new dresses? Oxygen is more important, you should appreciate that more," Paul sighed, turning away from the group. Leaf glared at him, then looked to the sky with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Ash...I really hope you'll be back at the party..."

"Another coffee for you, sir?" the waitress asked, the man with his head down on the table giving a faint nod. As she poured the drink, she glanced at him awkwardly. "I know it's not my place to say, but seeing that this is your sixth cup in the past hour...Are you going through something bad? Like a breakup?"

"...I lost my commitment...I finally realized that my dream was just too much for me..." he muttered quietly, the woman giving him a sad look.

"...You know what, this one's on me. If you need another, just give a wave and I'll know," she said, walking away from the man. He sighed, lifting his head and running a hand through his jet-black hair.

"...Zo...Leaf...I'm so sorry, you guys..." he muttered, letting his face drop into his palms.

"Well, that's pretty depressing. Coming from the new pokemon master of the world."

"...How...?" he glanced up through his palms, noticing the familiar girl sitting across from him, giving a smirk. "...How did you...?"

"Find you? Not easy, I'll give you that, but you forgot one thing. I'm your pokemon, your family. I'll find you no matter what," she smiled, the man still looking at her expectantly. "...Okay, I had a dream of when we met here and Nurse Joy said you would be hiding somewhere no one else knows about. I put two and two together, here you are."

"Why would you assume this is the place that no one else knows about? You know about it, don't you?" he asked, the girl shaking her head.

"But being the jerk you are, I bet you thought that I forgot about this place, didn't you?" she looked at him expectantly, the man giving a smirk as he glanced away. "That's what I thought. Plus there was a second part to my dream where I thought I saw you here, like today."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you were dressed just like you are now and you seemed like you were hiding something too," she replied, the man arching an eyebrow.

"Huh..." was all he said.

"So, I'll get straight to the point that I came here for," she stated bluntly, swiftly driving her foot into the man's shin below the table. He grunted, glaring at the girl as her palm almost immediately slapped across his cheek as hard as he had ever felt from her. He dropped his palm onto the table to maintain his balance, the entire cafe and surrounding area going silent. Zo crossed her arms and closed her eyes, Ash inhaling deeply as he lightly flicked his wrist in the air as if he were signalling to everyone he was okay.

"I don't think both of those were necessary, I get that you're pissed."

"That wasn't from me. The shin was from the guys' anger, and the slap was from most of the girls."

"You're just making excuses to hit me..."

"No, and you should be thankful for it. I haven't even shown you a fraction of my rage yet."

"The 'yet' part is what makes telling me pointless."

"I know. But if you're afraid of that..."

"It's not fear."

"How will you deal with Leaf's anger?"

...

... ...

The man remained silent.

"That's what I thought..." she sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "Honestly, you've talked to me about her as if your entire world revolves around her. If she goes on another journey or disappears, what's your plan-"

"She will not disappear," Zo cringed. She had barely ever heard Ash use that tone before, she felt like her body wouldn't respond.

"...R-Regardless, what's your plan? Act cold and isolated like before? Admit it, Ash, the time you've spent at this tournament is the happiest you've ever been. And that's because you were with her," Zo told him, the man staring coldly into his coffee.

"She won't leave. You know how stubborn she is."

"Are you sure? Because don't forget, your friends thought the same about you."

"What...?"

"Think about it. You were their best friend, the confident and hyper kid who was friendly to anyone he met. Then you just disappeared. Not a word. Who's to say Leaf won't end up the same way?"

"She's made it clear that she doesn't trust me on my own."

"Fair enough. But if you're depressed and gloomy, what do you think she will think is wrong? Will she really believe that it's your skills you don't approve of?"

"What are you-..."

"She's a woman, Ash. You're no expert, but even you know what happens when a girl sees her boyfriend cut himself off from her."

"...What are you getting at?"

"Ash...She's going to think it's her."

"How long does it take for women to get ready...?" Brendan muttered, tapping his toe as he glanced backwards down the hallway. Brendan, Hilbert, Paul and Brock each stood in the lobby of the center, waiting on the three fashion-obsessive women in the room. Brock wore a flashy white tux with a black bowtie, Brendan wore a white tux as well but with a deep blue tie, Paul wore a regular black suit with a deep purple tie, and Hilbert wore a dark red suit with a red tie.

"Too long."

"That's for sure."

"Well, at least Misty and Iris went ahead already. I'm glad they were ready so quickly and took Max and Cilan too, honestly, I'm kinda weirded out by that guy's vocabulary."

"Ah, you young men have much to learn in the secrets of handling women," Brock said, acting high and mighty. Hilbert smirked.

"But from what I've heard about you, all three of us have still scored better," Brock fell over, streams of odd-looking tears running down his cheeks.

"It's not true...It's not true..." he muttered, Brendan looking at the man with an awkward chuckle.

"I think that was a little too far," he said, Hilbert shook his head with a smirk. Brock suddenly jumped to his feet, surprising them.

"Well, anyway, I'll go check and see how long they'll take," and with that, he walked down the hallway towards their room.

"You should learn to grow up, women are nothing more than annoying," Paul said sharply with one foot against the wall, leaning back.

"Oh, you're just saying that 'cause you have Dawn chasing you all over. We get it, you're the luckiest," Hilbert sighed, Paul glared at him.

"What was that? Troublesome is nothing more than a nuisance always interrupting my peace."

"Oh really? You're not happy about her t-"

"Watch it."

"Oh come on, we're all thinking it. Paul is the luckiest of us for that exact reason."

"Well what about him? That Hoenn girl's not so bad herself."

"Ho-ho, look at Paul taking an observational interest in women!"

"It's either you don't find what you're looking for, or you always find what you're not looking for."

"That's why Dawn settled on you, huh?"

"What was that?"

"A-Anyway, I guess Hilbert did get the short end of the stick in this situation."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hilbert blinked, looking at them oddly. Paul and Brendan glanced at each other blankly, the following images forming in their mind in order.

Dawn holding a watermelon, laughing.

May holding a cantaloupe, laughing.

Hilda holding a washboard, no sounds heard.

The two men stifled their laughter, nearly unable to contain it.

"What? What are you talking about?" Hilbert asked, Brendan slowly leaning as his side began to hurt.

"N...N...N-Nothing..." he uttered weakly in a regular tone. Hilbert looked at Paul, who oddly enough, was trying to contain his laughter just as much as Brendan.

"...This is way too freaky..." Hilbert muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes. Then Brock returned.

"They said they hit a little snag, so we should go on without them," he stated, Hilbert looking unamused.

"...Seriously."

"Serious."

"...Why! Just what kind of snag was this?!"

"R...Relax, we...we should just...go..."

"What's with you two?"

"N...Nothing, let's...go..."

"Honestly, women always find snags in everything. Now I understand how you think, Paul."

"I bet Hilda didn't catch this snag," Brendan's legs suddenly gave way, unable to contain himself as he burst out into laughter. Paul had given up as well, laughing just as much as the other man as he bent over from sudden weakness. Brendan raised his palm up to Paul, Paul returning the hi-five and walking out of the lobby in laughter. Hilbert looked oddly at the two, then it clicked.

"Oh, you bastards..."

"Welcome, everyone, to the celebratory ball of the Arc Tournament's completion!" the crowd applauded as the short man with the large beard at the mic cleared his throat afterwards. "The speeches will begin after some dancing, so please, before you turn your attention to the business of this tournament, enjoy yourselves and have fun."

"Aaaaand they're still not here," Hilbert sighed, Paul and Brendan sighing in agreement.

"Honestly, why did we expect them to make it on time?" Brendan asked.

"And why do we always talk in turns?" Paul asked. The three shrugged.

"They better get here soon, I'm starting to feel weird here..." Brendan glanced around, noticing couples beginning to dance already.

"Why do you feel weird?" Hilbert asked.

"Well, couples are dancing all around...and I'm here with you two."

"Oh shut up, you should be flattered."

"I don't agree with that second part, but yes, shut up."

"We've been on some pretty crazy adventures, us three at this tournament," Hilbert crossed his arms behind his head, speaking as if reminiscing.

"What do you mean, like walking in on Dawn and May half-naked in the lake?" Brendan asked, Hilbert giving a smirk.

"That's exactly what I mean. And here we are, alive to tell the tale."

"We sure are. I'm most surprised about Paul, though."

"What?"

"Every day, you're getting suffocated by Dawn. Hell, you act like the worst guy in the world but you've still gotten to second base."

"The hell are you talking about? I've never-"

"Don't bother, it's Dawn. She's always hugging you, clinging to your arm, whispering to you, smiling, she even kissed you, man."

"S-shut it."

"Ahaha, he's blushing! That's awesome!"

"I said shut it!"

"Alright, new subject. What about you, Hilbert? Not exactly good, but you've had a lot of...er, unique situations."

"Oh, Arceus, between the life struggle with Charizard and Hilda?"

"Yep. I'm kinda surprised, but glad that you're still in one piece. I thought you'd be like an amputee by now."

"Nah, I'm too awesome for that. Plus I've had years of practice before this tournament."

"Only furthering the question of how you're still alive right now."

"Agreed."

"Well, there's still you, Brendan."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...I actually can't think of anything."

"What?!"

"No offense, but you haven't really done anything interesting worth remembering."

"There's everything in offense with that!"

"Alright, take it that way then."

"He's got a point though, I'd say the biggest thing about you I remember is getting that lucky night with May," Hilbert stated, the man looking oddly at him.

"Paul got lucky with Dawn too," he said, the Sinnoh trainer giving a sigh.

"Can you stop referring to it as 'getting lucky'?" he asked, the other two glancing at each other.

"He's shy," Hilbert whispered to the Hoenn trainer, the man giving a nod. Paul glared at the pair. Suddenly their eyesight was taken from them.

"Aah! The power's out! Save the women!" Brendan shouted, panicking.

"Really, this is just childish," Paul muttered, the two men feeling themselves pulled around then held in place. Their eyesights returned at the same time, they both noticed Hilbert in the side of their eye, with his arms crossed behind his head and a guilty smirk on his face.

"Well?" the two men heard simultaneously, their eyes returning forward. Needless to say, they froze.

"What do you think?" May wore a flashy red dress down to her ankles, the dress opened just below the midpoint of her left thigh. The top of the dress was strapless, with shining rhinestones embedded along the top edge of the chest. The brunette's hair was straightened down her back, and the dress hugged every one of her curves perfectly.

"We want to hear it from you first~" Dawn teased, giving a wink with her hand on her waist. Her hair was straightened down as well. Her dress was a light blue with similar pattern to May's in length and opening on the thigh. But the dress covering the chest was lined with shining rhinestones as well as the straps, it was open on the back revealing the blunette's soft skin, with the two straps going around her neck and meeting at the back, holding the the fabric covering her chest. Or most of it, at least, as the fabric left a triangle of the girl's cleavage to show.

"...Uuh..." was all either of them could say. Hilbert snickered to himself.

"We knew you would be speechless, but come on, at least try," the brunette giggled.

"Yeah, Paul-y, you usually have a lot more to say when we're alone~" Dawn said quietly, the man blushing more. He blinked, shaking his head. He smacked Brendan, who snapped out of it as well.

"...Oh! Uh...You, uh...look nice?" Brendan said hesitantly in an uncertain tone. The peaceful aura around them disappeared.

"You just killed us both, you moron," Paul sighed, rubbing his eyes. Brendan looked at him oddly, then looked at the girls who made him afraid. They both looked at him intently.

"Really? Is that all you have to say?" they both asked menacingly, the man breaking into a sweat as he backed away nervously.

"W-Wait, come on! Give me a break, I'm nervous here! I don't know what to say, there are no words to use for this!" he tried to defend himself, closing his eyes and wincing as he expected a slap. But nothing happened. Cautiously opening one eye, he saw May smiling at him warmly.

"Well if there are no words, then why not start with that?" she chuckled as she punched his shoulder lightly, the man looking at her confused. "I wasn't really mad, I was joking. Too many witnesses here."

"Oh, of course..." he slapped his forehead.

"So, Paul-y, is that what you think too?" Dawn asked teasingly, the man crossing his arms.

"Hell no, and it doesn't matter anyway," he replied coldly, the girl giving a frown.

"You could at least try and go along with me playing with you, it's boring like this," she told him.

"That's exactly why I'm like this," he said, the blunette rolling her eyes and slipping her arm into his. The man looked at her oddly, but the blunette only gave him a warm smile that made him give up.

"You guys are acting like such idiots..." Hilbert chuckled to himself, feeling a tap on his shoulder. He glanced back.

"Well what do you have to say, then?" Hilda was wearing a black dress cutting off on an angle just above her ankles, the opening starting just barely above her knee. There was a triangle-shape missing from both sides of the dress on the side-torso area, revealing her skin along her sides just above her waist. The two straps reached over her shoulders, with her glistening brown hair flowing over them and down her back. Her cheeks turned pink as she crossed her arms and glanced away. "I hope you weren't expecting anything too flashy, like theirs."

"No, uh...I..." Hilbert uttered, the brunette looking back to him with a light jump in her chest.

"Y-yeah?"

"It, uh...looks nice?"

"So what did Hilbert say anyway?" Max asked, the young boy in the black tux glancing at the man sulking with his hands against his abdomen.

"Something stupid like 'you look nice', I would imagine," Misty laughed, wearing a deep blue dress.

"Well I do say it's an interesting fragrance, despite the slightly burnt aftertaste," Cilan pointed out, wearing a regular black suit with a green tie instead of his usual attire.

"Ha ha, 'burnt aftertaste'. Funny Charizard joke, Cilan," Hilbert fake-laughed, rubbing his gut. "She didn't have to hit me that hard, though."

"You had it coming."

"What?! You said the same thing to May! I shouldn't have gotten hit if you didn't!"

"Oh, suck it up, you manbaby," Hilda scoffed, smirking at the weakened man. He glared at her.

"You're a bad person," he muttered, the brunette taking a step towards him. He stumbled back, the group laughing.

"It's like everyone here is acting love-dovey with someone else, it's kinda fun," Iris laughed, standing in her purple dress.

"Yeah, it's so painful to watch...!" Brock chewed on his wristcuffs enviously, the girl giving a nervous chuckle as she patted his back.

"There there, you're next in line, I'm sure of it," she told him.

"So, I've been wondering for a while now...Where's Leaf?" Hilbert asked, Dawn, Hilda and May glancing at each other with a frown. "What? What happened?"

"She...She may not be coming."

"What?! Why not?"

"Are you serious? It's because she's upset about Ash."

"Why didn't you just tell her you were sure he would be here? You can't let her miss out on this and get herself depressed too."

"I know, but she wouldn't believe me. She kept telling me that I was only lying to make her feel better and go, I couldn't think of anything better to say."

"So she's back in the room right now? All alone, with bad thoughts in her head?"

"Well, they're not really bad thoughts-"

"Are you kidding?! Of course they're bad thoughts!" May exclaimed, surprising the others. "She's worried about Ash being depressed, and if she begins worrying too much then she'll think he's going to disappear again! What do you think she'll do if that happens?"

"She would just be heartbroken if that happened..." Dawn added, the brunette giving a nod.

"Exactly, that's why we took so long getting ready. I didn't want to leave here there like that alone, it felt like I was turning my back on her," May frowned, feeling a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you can't solve everything yourself. Sometimes things have to sort themselves out," Brendan told her, the brunette seeing him smiling at her. She couldn't resist smiling back.

"But there was still no news on where Ash is?" Max asked, everyone shaking their head. "Do you think he will show up tonight?"

"I honestly don't know...Ash does still like parties, but maybe this loss was too much after all..." Hilbert said with a frown, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, come on guys! Everyone around us is happy, so why can't we be? We should dance!" Iris suggested excitedly, everyone looking at her curiously. Then everyone smiled.

"I guess we are being kinda gloomy, aren't we?" Brock said.

"Alright, let's dance!" Dawn piped in happily, tugging on Paul's arm who looked like a frightened chihuahua trapped on a leash.

"I think most of the pairs are decided, evidently," Misty stated, glancing around and noticing each of the pairs were standing close to each other. They all glanced at each other.

"...Well, no time like the present," Brendan smiled, turning to the brunette beside him and holding his hand out. May blushed. "One dance?" she smiled, putting her hand in his and following his lead away from the group.

"Come on, Paul, let's go too!" Dawn exclaimed, the man giving a heavy sigh.

"It's not like you'll let me go if I say no..." he muttered, the blunette beaming.

"That's the spirit!" the others chuckled nervously, praying for the man as he was dragged away by the girl.

"Hey, Cilan, are you much of a dancer?" Misty asked.

"I am a connoisseur of many things, and dance is one of the many," he replied cleverly, the redhead facing him and pointing behind her.

"Then let's not get left behind," she smiled, the pair disappearing as well.

"That was a weird pair..." Hilbert said.

"Sure was. Everyone just kinda left us in the dust," Hilda replied, Hilbert glancing at the girl. "Say...You don't really dance much, do you?"

"Are you kidding? I got the top score at the Dance Dance Revolution game in the Castelia City arcade!" the girl sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Of course you did..." she muttered disappointingly.

"You don't dance in front of others, right?" she looked at him confused, surprised at his words. "I remember you mentioning that once or twice before. Honestly, I'm still questioning whether that's true or you're just afraid to admit that you can't dance."

"What? Of course I can dance," she puffed her cheeks in frustration, looking away. "I just don't want to blind others with my awesome dancing skills."

"Well I'm not afraid to, and I want to see if you're really telling the truth," Hilda looked back at him, surprised to see him holding his hand out to her. "So show me that you really can."

"...Idiot," she smiled, taking his hand and following him away.

"Well, Max and Iris, looks like it's just us on the sidelines," Brock said, looking at the pair. Or where they used to be.

"Sorry, Brock! You're on your own this time!" looking to where he heard the voice, he was shocked to see the boy dancing with the purple-haired girl. The man chewed on his wristcuffs again. (The following pairs are now slow-dancing)

"I'm kinda surprised at you," May remarked, the man giving her an odd look as they danced, his arms around her waist and hers draped around his neck.

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, I never would have thought you were much of a dancer," she chuckled, the man looking slightly offended.

"Of course I dance, don't you remember? I was always trying to dance with girls when I was a kid, especially you," he replied, the girl giving a laugh.

"Oh, yeah...Maybe that's why I started to dislike dancing," she smiled, the man rolling his eyes.

"Well that's nice to hear. Glad I could inspire you to find a new enjoyment," he said sarcastically, the brunette resting her head against his shoulder.

"I never said I don't like dancing now."

"What's wrong, Paul?" Dawn asked, looking innocently at him in question. He looked back with his cold unamused eyes as they danced.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah. You're at a fancy party, looking very handsome in a suit, and dancing with a gorgeous woman who cares about you," she explained, smiling at him.

"I only heard what I don't like about this situation," he responded, the blunette puffing her cheeks slightly in frustration.

"You could at least try to enjoy yourself for once. I'm nothing but nice to you and try to help you have fun, but you're always against it. If you don't do something soon, another guy might snatch me from you, you know," she said tauntingly, the man giving a smirk. "What?"

"As if I would believe that," she looked at him questioningly. "I know that there's not a single guy who could take you away."

"Oh, and how do you know that?" she asked incredulously, the man tilting his head so his lips were at her ear.

"I know you well enough to know you wouldn't leave me," he whispered, sending a shiver down the girl's spine. She glanced at him as he moved his head back with a smirk, the girl breaking into a smile as she laughed, resting her forehead against his shoulder. "Because who else could put up with your annoying crap?"

"Thanks for ruining it."

"So..." Hilda trailed off, glancing to the side. Hilbert looked at her oddly.

"What is it?" he asked, the brunette not meeting his gaze.

"Aren't you...kinda...embarrassed, or anything...?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not really. Are you?" he asked, the girl looked forward, but down at the man's collar.

"Yeah, obviously. I mean, we've been friends for years, and now we're doing something like this...I don't know, it's just..." she stopped, feeling a finger under her chin. Her chin was lifted, her eyes meeting his as he smiled at her.

"Why would I be embarrassed to be seen with you?" she blushed, glancing away from him. "Especially in that dress."

"W-What about it? I know it looks stupid on me, this is why I don't do formal things like dresses," she sighed, the man giving a chuckle as he shook his head.

"No. You look great in it," the brunette's cheeks flushed red, looking at the floor beside her in embarrassment. "Hey, you okay? Are you really warm in here?"

"No, it's just hard to keep cool when an idiot compliments me like it's nothing," she replied, not looking back at him. He smiled.

"Then I guess you better get used to it," she was confused at his words, feeling his arms around her waist pull her slightly closer so that she could feel their chests together. "'Cause you're getting that the whole night."

"You moron..."

"Well, this sucks..." Brock sighed, taking another drink from the punch in his glass. He was standing at the refreshment tables against the side wall of the castle lobby. "Wish there was at least alcohol, but I guess there are still minors here..."

"Brock? Ash's friend, right?" his attention perked at the voice, turning around. Surprised, he saw the blonde champion of Sinnoh smiling at him.

"C-Cynthia! It's been a while," he greeted, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Relax, you don't have to be nervous. This night is supposed to be fun, so I'm forgetting that I'm champion. You should, too," she told him, the man silently giving a nod. "I don't suppose you've seen Ash around, have you?"

"No. Sorry to say, but I'm not sure if he'll come tonight," he said solemly, the blonde looking confused. "Seeing Zo in such critical condition really did a number on him. None of us have seen him in a while now, and we're really worried about what's going through his mind," he explained.

"I see. Seeing my pokemon in such a state certainly would make me feel guilty, as well," she remarked, leaning against the wall. "I would assume that Leaf must be taking this badly, then."

"Yeah. The girls said that she might not show up, either, she's just too worried about Ash to relax," he said, the woman giving a frown.

"So then why are you here alone? Where are the others?" Cynthia asked, the man giving a sigh as he looked out into the crowd of dancing couples.

"They all paired up behind my back," he stated, noticing each of his friends in the crowd.

"Well, sometimes the ones who jump at an opportunity don't get the best result. They can miss something even greater, like simply talking to someone," the man glanced back at her, noticing her smiling.

"I guess that's true."

"Tell me something," Brendan looked down at the brunette, listening. "Why are you so comfortable with this? All this stuff between us recently, like...that night..."

"Ah. I don't know, really, it just feels...okay, with you," he replied, the girl giving him an odd look.

"Why would it feel okay with me? You don't think of me as someone like Dawn, do you?" the man chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, of course not. You're better," he rested his forehead against hers, surprising the girl as she blushed. "And it's only natural that I'm comfortable with a girl I love."

"Wait, what?" the brunette cringed. He pulled back, smiling at her. Her cheeks only got redder as he pushed strands of her hair behind her ear.

"You really never noticed? I love you, May," the girl was in complete shock. Unable to respond, she just stared at him in shock as her cheeks burned red.

"Wha...Whe...When...Why...?" he held back laughter as the girl struggled to get a sentence out, let-alone full words.

"Relax, you don't have to take it all in right now. Let it happen gradually," he chuckled, the girl only blinking in response.

"W...Why would you say that now?" she whispered, glancing around at the large number of people around them. He only smiled.

"I figured this is as good a time as any, and I didn't want to keep it from you for any longer," she blinked in shock.

"Longer?"

"Yeah. Do you realize how long I've felt this way?"

"Uh...Not a clue."

"I'll give you a hint," he moved his lips to her ear, his shallow breath sending a shiver down the brunette's spine. "A very long time."

"...Huh..." was all she could reply. After a few moments of being in a daze, she shook her head to snap out of it. She glanced around, noticing none of their friends were close enough to hear them. She sighed with relief.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just...It's kinda funny you mention this now, actually..." she focused her gaze on a tile on the floor to the side, smiling to herself. "Recently, I've been thinking about that...loving someone..."

"Oh...If my opinion's okay, Ash is a fool for denying you," he stated, the brunette looked at him oddly.

"What? Ash is?" she asked, confused.

"Yep. Why, isn't that what you were talking about? You being in love with him?" the girl blushed, shaking her head.

"No, no, that's not it. I mean, sure, I really liked him...a lot...maybe I did love him at one point, but recently, it wasn't really love," she responded, the Hoenn trainer giving quiet nods. "...I meant something else..."

"What else would you mean?" he asked, now intrigued.

"Well...Loving...someone other than Ash..." she looked away shyly, the trainer looking at her curiously.

"...Can I have a hint at who this is?"

"...Well...I'll make it easy," she leaned towards his ear, smiling to herself with a blush on her face. "...He's the only guy I've shared a night with." Moments passed.

"...H-Huh?!"

"Why did you start to dislike dresses, anyway?"

"I don't know...They were too frilly, and hard to move around in. Plus guys would stare at me all the time."

"And wearing short-shorts solved that problem?"

"Well, the moving around part, yeah."

"So I guess deep down, you really want the attention from guys, huh?"

"Heck no," she scoffed, the man giving her a sly smirk. "What?"

"You're such a bad liar," he said, the girl glaring at him.

"I'm not lying. Guys who rely on stupid pickup lines and looks are just the most pathetic people," she replied, the man arching an eyebrow.

"Really, and why is that?" he inquired, the brunette looking at him seriously.

"Seriously? They're just sad. So you use a cheesy one-liner that gets a single laugh from a girl, then you expect to get along with her from then on? Especially the prettyboys who think they're all that and won't be denied, oooh I hate them..."

"So what about the guys that give honest compliments? Not just pickup lines?" he asked, the brunette looking at him curiously.

"...I suppose they have a slightly better chance. Slightly," she glanced away, her cheeks turning pink. The man smiled to himself.

"So I don't fall under the category of prettyboy or one-liners, right?"

"Oh, you do."

"What?! But I'm honest!"

"Really, then prove it."

"And how do I do that? I'll say one thing to prove the women are lucky to have me."

"That right there, does not help your case."

"Whatever, just what do I have to say?"

"...Answer me one thing honestly."

"Fine, what is it?" he asked, the brunette looking back at him. Her grip around his neck tightened slightly, he noticed which made him cringe slightly, the girl looking him straight in the eye.

"...Do I look better in this dress, or in my shorts?"

"...Heh?" he was scared. Knowing Hilda, this had to be a trap in some way. Regarding the dress, any comment would lead her to thinking he only wanted to flatter her and that would piss her off. Regarding the shorts, she would think he's saying she is not girly enough or is too revealing, in turn pissing her off. It's a lose-lose situation. So, with a deep breath, he thought deep down about it.

"Well? Or are you just all talk?" she asked, not breaking eye contact with the clearly-nervous man. He took another deep breath, figuring he would lose no matter what he would do. So he went for it.

"...You look amazing in that dress, and I'm serious about that," the girl blushed, looking surprised. He glanced away, a smile forming in the corner of his lips as he scratched the side of his jawline. "...But honestly, the shorts are better. They suit you."

"...R...Really...?" she managed to squeak out, which immediately got both of their attention. They looked at each other, surprised, the brunette turning away as her face turned a deeper shade of red in embarrassment.

"That's what I think. But I'm not saying you shouldn't wear dresses, they're great too, plus you've got a lot to brag abo-" he froze, eyes widening as he thought about what he was saying. The brunette slowly looked back at him, a slight twitch in her eyebrow. "H-Hilda, wait, I didn't mean it like that. You know, I'm just saying you can hurt a guy no matter what, so they shouldn't be stupid-" he stopped at her reaction.

"Perv..." she whispered, lowering her head as she lightly dropped her fist against his chest. He blinked in surprise, wondering why she wasn't beating him senseless like she usually would. "This one time...I'll let it go."

"W...What?" he asked, not understanding the situation. Hearing her laughing to herself, he watched her raise her head, his heart beating faster and his face warming at what he saw. The brunette, not mad at all, but laughing with a smile more gentle than he had ever seen from her.

"You've earned that much."

"Hey, where did everyone go?" Max asked, looking around for his friends.

"I dunno, everyone kinda spread out," Iris replied, the two continuing to dance together.

"I guess you're ri-" the boy's eyes darted back, noticing something.

"What is it?" she asked, the boy looking around oddly.

"I...I thought I saw-" he stopped, shaking his head. "Never mind, must've been my imagination."

"Alright," she chuckled, the boy glancing back and giving a brief smile.

She stepped out into the courtyard, giving a quiet sigh. The courtyard consisted of a rounded balcony, overlooking the garden and grassyard with two curved staircases on either side of the balcony leading down. She shivered, holding her arms closer together as the breeze picked up through the area.

"Chu," the electric-type cooed, moving down from her shoulder and nuzzling himself in her arms.

"Thanks, Pikachu," she smiled, looking over the edge of the rounded balcony into the sky. The full moon shined brightly, lighting up the garden below. "It's beautiful..."

"Pika..." the mouse nodded, his eyes mesmerized by the glowing orb. The girl hugged the mouse closer to her, making him look up at her curiously.

"Pikachu...Do you think he's looking, too...?" she asked, giving a weak smile to herself. Feeling something, she looked down to see the mouse smiling with his paw on her hand, nodding. "...Thanks, Pikachu...I just..." she paused, closing her eyes. "...I just wish he was here..." the mouse frowned, feeling her tear hit his cheek.

"Kachu..." he cooed softly, nuzzling his cheek against her bare arm. His ear twitched, his head suddenly jolting up and looking in a random direction. "Pikapi?"

"What is it?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye. The mouse jumped from her arms, walking away towards the staircase to the left. He stopped, pausing for a few moments, then turned and hurried towards the doorway leading inside. "Pikachu? Where are you going?" the mouse stopped by the doorway, turning back to her and flashing a thumbs-up with a smile, then rejoined the party. She smiled to herself, looking back out over the ledge as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the ledge. "I guess even pokemon like to party...At least he's got his cuteness going for him..."

"Funny. I was just thinking that."

"Huh?" confused, the girl looked over at the left staircase and froze. Her heart nearly stopping, but feeling so warm at the same time, from looking at the person who was coming up the last step...Ash. Still frozen from shock, she could only watch as the man walked towards her with a smirk.

"But I was thinking that about you, Leaf," he added, snapping the girl from her trance. She puffed her cheeks slightly, pretending.

"So you're saying I've only got my looks going for me?" the brunette asked, pretending to be insulted. He leaned on the balcony, looking over at her.

"You know exactly what I mean," she couldn't help but finally smiling warmly after that. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks, Ash," her cheeks turned pink, quickly glancing down at her outfit to remind herself. She wore an emerald-green dress cutting off just above her ankles, with a few inches of frill on the bottom as well as covering the shoulders. Her brown hair shined in the moonlight as it flowed down her back, which was left bare from the absence of fabric in the dress, with a single green strap going over her left shoulder and around her neck to hold the dress in place. Needless to say, Ash was right. "You don't look too bad yourself, Mr. I-don't-need-a-tux."

"Very funny," he replied sarcastically. The trainer wore a simple black tux with a black undershirt, both sleeved and a black tie tucked underneath the overshirt. "Don't mind Pikachu leaving you, it's not a bad thing. He's just a little chick magnet at parties like this, and he knows it."

"So aren't you going to go join him and get all the ladies, hotshot?" she asked with a laugh, the trainer giving a smirk as he stood up straight.

"I guess I could," the brunette cringed, looking at him in shock. Surprised, the man wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, smiling. "But why would I...when the perfect girl is out here?"

"Oh really, Mr. Charmer? Then where is she?" she asked, leaning up slightly.

"You already know the answer to that," he replied, leaning down and closing the gap between them. The brunette's heart fluttered, never wanting this feeling to end. But after what seemed like an eternity, she was sad to feel his lips part from hers. Time passed slowly, the two staring into each others eyes as they could each hear the other's heart beating rapidly.

"I guess I still get your heart pumping, huh?" she smiled, the trainer smiling back.

"You're the reason it pumps at all," her chest felt so warm at his words. Noticing the girl cringed as the breeze picked up, the trainer slipped his overshirt off and put it around her with a smile. She moved in front of him, resting her hands on the rail and leaning back against him, the man holding her waist with one hand and sliding the other onto hers.

"So...is it too personal to share? Why you left?" she asked quietly, the man looking up at the shining moon. "It's okay if you don't want to say. I'm just glad you're here now."

"...I was afraid..." the brunette felt his grip tighten on her hand slightly, looking up at him. "...I lost this tournament. I let Zo get hurt because of me. And there was nothing I could've done to prevent it...I was just terrified of what could happen...if I let things continue as they did..."

"Ash..." the brunette turned her hand, slipping her fingers between his. "You don't have to worry about anything. It'll be fine."

"I froze up. Everyone thinks I'm such a great trainer, our friends, even you say that I won't lose, but I just...froze. The moment that attack turned towards me, my body just stopped listening. I thought about moving, but I couldn't. Then I realized...Zo was out there, fighting to the bitter end just because of me. And I couldn't stop her, no matter how many times I called out to her, she just refused...What kind of a trainer am I, if I can't even stop my own pokemon to protect them?" he explained, the girl's eyes softening as she squeezed his hand.

"Ash..."

"I should've been hit by that Flamethrower."

"Leaf still hasn't shown up?" May asked, the others shaking their heads. After a happy time of dancing, the pairs of friends had all joined together again.

"I haven't seen her, and it's really worrying me," Dawn frowned.

"Well, with Ash gone, it's not really a surprise. I don't think we'll get Leaf back unless we get Ash back first," Paul stated.

"But how do we get Ash back? We can't even find him..." Hilbert trailed off, scratching the back of his head frantically. "Gaah, why did that idiot have to disappear now of all times?!"

"Relax, I'm sure Ash will be back soon. He never disappoints us, right?" Hilda asked, her voice trying to influence optimism. Everyone glanced around at each other, eventually giving a nod.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"He does always manage to pull something off."

"He'll be back, for sure."

"That's the spirit!" Hilda exclaimed, trying to maintain a smile. But Hilbert could see right through it. Beneath that fake smile...he knew she was sadder than any of them.

"Are you guys talking about me?"

"No, Leaf, we're talking about A-" May gasped, looking over at the newcomer. To everyone's surprise, Leaf was there, smiling at them. "L-Leaf! You're here!"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" she looked at her confused.

"Oh my gosh, Leaf, that dress is amazing!" Dawn exclaimed giddily, the brunette giving a nervous laugh as she looked down at the green dress.

"Oh, hehe...Yeah, I bought it a while back and figured...Well, why waste it, right?" she asked, everyone laughing in agreement. However, Hilbert and Hilda noticed something peculiar.

"So, Leaf, why did you decide to come tonight? I thought you were heartbroken about Ash?" Max asked, the brunette rubbing her arm.

"Well...I am, honestly. But...Ash would tell me not to worry, so...this is like my gift to him. I just wish he were here, too..." she trailed off, but the blunette dropped her hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry, Leaf, you got us girls with you! We'll have a great time!" Dawn exclaimed, the brunette breaking into a smile.

"Finally~ Thank you, Leaf," Paul sighed, then headed off towards the drink table. Brendan followed quickly.

"...So let's go dance!" May exclaimed happily, Dawn nodding happily as they each grabbed one of Leaf's arms.

"W-What?" she stuttered, looking at the two frantically.

"No buts! Let's go!" and with that, the brunette was dragged off by the overexcited pair. Hilbert and Hilda laughed.

"You noticed too, didn't you?" Hilda asked, the man giving a nod.

"No doubt about it," he replied, the two sharing a brief smile as they knew the truth.

"...What...?" Leaf stared at the man, eyes wide in horror. He closed his eyes, giving a sigh. The brunette pulled her hands from his, letting them drop to her sides as they clenched into fists. She pulled away from him, turning to face him and bringing her palm back, swinging it across the trainer's face harder than she ever had before. Time passed silently in the courtyard as neither of them moved. The breeze passed through quietly. Then, Ash slowly looked back at the brunette.

"...Why-" then she slapped him again. He winced, his cheek really burning now.

"Never..." her voice caught his attention, despite how quiet it was. "...Never say...that..."

"...What...?" he started as he looked back at her, then noticed tears were flowing down her cheeks.

"...Please...Never say you deserve that! Never say you deserved to suffer over someone else!" she cried, letting her forehead fall against his chest. "I don't care if you lost...It doesn't matter if Zo didn't listen to you...It meant that she cared- loved you enough to fight for you to the end! She was willing to get hurt for you! But just because you couldn't stop her doesn't mean you deserve to suffer for it! Everyone suffers in their life...I suffered for years after being separated from you! And I could never find you, so how much do you think I suffered?!" the man was speechless. The girl just continued to cry, her tears hitting the ground between them. "...Zo loves you, Ash...Like family...because you are her family. You, Pikachu, all your pokemon...you're a loving family."

"Leaf..."

"...And I want to be there for you...just like Zo is...right beside you, with your family..." she slipped her left hand into his, raising them so he could see them with the back of her hand facing him. He was confused, then noticed the shining ring on her finger. He looked back at her, who was smiling at him while still crying. "...Please don't suffer, Ash...Be happy...with me."

"...Leaf..." Ash didn't know what to say. He could only watch in a loss of words as the brunette wiped the tears from her face, chuckling as she looked at him again with a smile.

"Wow...That was kinda pathetic, huh?" she stopped, feeling the man's hand on her cheek. Looking into his eyes, she gasped quietly as she saw something she had never seen before. Tears were forming in Ash's eyes.

"Yeah...Pathetic...Now you got me going, dummy..." he chuckled weakly, the girl breaking into a smile as she took his head in her hands, pulling it down and holding it against her chest. Ash cringed, glancing at the softness he was feeling then up at Leaf.

"Listen..." he calmed his mind down, listening to the peace and quiet of the courtyard. Then the regular heartbeat of Leaf. "I'm calm when I'm around you. My heart may beat faster at first, but it only takes a few minutes for me to be completely calm with you...and it's obvious why. You're special, Ash..."

"Leaf-" he pulled away from her, looking her in the eye again but she put her finger against his lips to stop him.

"Despite how long it was since we saw each other again...Despite the jokes our friends make...Despite the other girls going for you, despite how you may feel about them, and despite what happened at the lake...None of that matters when it comes to one fact, that will always stay true no matter what," she pressed her lips against his, moving her hands to the back of his head and pulling him closer before parting quickly. "...I love you, Ash Ketchum."

"...It had been years since we've seen each other...But during that time, I still thought about you. And I don't care what my friends say, or about how many girls have thrown themselves at me as I traveled the world. The world can throw millions of women at me and I'll still say no, because I've already made up my mind, ever since I was a kid in Pallet Town. Forget the title of champion, forget the fame, the glory, the money, and the women...because I already have the one thing I need. I need you, Leaf...I love you."

"...I'm glad..." another tear rolled down her cheek as she hugged the man tightly. But this was a tear of joy. "Not about the girls throwing themselves at you...but you get it..." she laughed weakly, trying to stop crying before she started laughing to no avail.

"We're in this together...I'll never give them a second glance," he chuckled, giving the brunette a hug.

"So you're saying you'll give them a first glance?"

"Oh, crap..." he felt her fist hit his chest, wincing as she pulled away from him and crossed her arms, glaring at him. He chuckled, rubbing his chest. "Leaf, you know-"

"Not another word from you," she said sharply, turning her head from him. The man shaking his head with a smile.

"But you know you're gonna stay with me," the brunette glanced at him, seeing his smile. "Or have you forgotten about what happened at the lake?"

"I have not forgotten. And unfortunately, I know you haven't either and probably never will," she stepped towards him, grabbing his tie and pulling it lightly, jerking his head down on level with hers. She smiled slyly at him, giving him a wink. "That just means you sealed your fate that day."

"In an amazing moment, I guess an amazing fate really did choose me," he smiled back, the girl letting go of him.

"Yeah, amazing for you. I was embarrassed beyond belief," the brunette sighed, giving a shake of her head. The trainer smirked, Leaf taking notice. "What's that smirk about?"

"Don't worry about it, you won't like it anyway," he told her, the brunette looking at him cautiously.

"Why...?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Just because."

"Just say why already!"

"Fine," he wrapped his arms around her waist and swiftly pulled her against him, the girl giving a light blush. "I was thinking...You may be exaggerating on how bad it was-"

"It is not happening again, if that's what you're asking for," she glared at him slightly, the man giving a light chuckle as he looked away with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That's not exactly what I was thinking, but now that you mention it..." the man glanced over at her as he felt her punch his arm.

"Perv," she muttered, leaning her head against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her.

"...Now I'm not asking...let's say hypothetically..." Leaf rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going. "That I was asking that question..."

"No," she replied quickly, the man smiling with a sigh. Then the girl had an idea. "But..."

"But?" he inquired, the brunette smiling to herself as walked right into it.

"I'll tell you one way it could happen," she said, the man noticing her enticing tone.

"Really, and what would that be?" he asked, the brunette smiling as she slowly moved her face up towards his, then moving to his ear.

"...In your dreams."

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically in a monotone voice, the brunette laughing to herself satisfyingly. Then he suddenly dropped his arms around her waist, pulling her backside flat against him and hovering his lips over her neck, his breath making her shudder.

"W...What?" she asked, the man smirking to himself.

"If I'm dreaming with you beside me, then that'll be fine."

"Funny, but I'm kicking you out if your hands move on their own."

"I'll keep it under control. Try to, at least," he replied, the brunette rolling her eyes as she turned her body in his arms to face him. She poked his chest.

"I guess when that time comes, I'll have to keep a close eye on you, won't I?"

"Not necessarily, depends on what's going on."

"I've got new swimsuits to model in."

"...You're just setting me up."

"Maybe, or maybe I'm serious. I do have new swimsuits," she winked, the man rolling his eyes.

"Tell you what...How about a gift for a gift?" he asked, the girl looking intrigued.

"So if I do model for you, then what exactly would I get in return...?" she trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't know...you tell me," he replied, the girl drawing a finger up his chest.

"Well then...how about..." her face hovered close to his, so close that the tips of their noses grazed each other. "...Tomorrow."

"What about tomorrow?"

"I want it to happen tomorrow."

"Want what to happen?"

"You know," he looked at her curiously, the girl giving a you-know-what look back to him. It took a few moments for him to realize what she meant.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"...Really? Why...Why so soon?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no, just..." he pondered for a moment, not knowing how to put it. But Leaf continued to look at him expectantly. "...Well...I don't know, I just can't explain it."

"Well, why not?" she asked, pulling away from him and leaning on the rail beside him. "It's not like it's a problem, is it?"

"Well, no..."

"So let's do it," she said, flashing him a smile. He put his hands on the rail, bending his back and staring at the floor for a few moments. Then, he straightened up, and put his hand on hers.

"...Why not, right?" Leaf looked at him, surprised. The man smiled, the brunette suddenly getting very excited and tackling him in a hug. He hugged her back, the girl never seeming to let go until she finally pulled back to look at him.

"It's a date, then," she told him, giving a wink.

"The best date of my life," he responded, the brunette laughing before pressing her lips to his. They wrapped their arms around each other, feeling as close as they ever had before. But all good things come to an end.

"So this is where you've been," the kiss was interrupted, as the pair looked towards the doorway with slight irritation. There stood Hilbert, Hilda, Paul and Brendan, each smirking as they saw what they had interrupted. "Nice going, Ash."

"Can it, Hilbert," he replied, the man shrugging his shoulders as he crossed his arms behind his head.

"We should leave them in peace, who knows what was about to happen before we came along," Brendan chuckled.

"H-How long have you guys been there...?" Leaf asked, sounding slightly irritated as she tried to control her blushing.

"Long enough, Leaf," Hilda smiled slyly, flashing a wink. Leaf blushed more.

"And I suppose each of you haven't been doing the same thing all night?" Ash asked, defending the brunette. The others glanced at each other, some nervous and some happy.

"I'm sure Paul's been-"

"Hell no."

"Oh, come on, seriously?"

"I said no."

"Sometimes I question if you're even-" Hilbert stopped, feeling Paul's glare nearly hurting him.

"What about you two, then?" Paul responded.

"Of course not, why the heck would we be doing that?" she asked, everyone giving an expectant look. Her and Hilbert looked around, confused. "What? Well how about Brendan and May, then?"

"We haven't been getting busy like Ash and Leaf have," Brendan chuckled, earning a glare from the respective pair. "I'm just happy enough with what really happened."

"Ooooohh~ Someone got lucky!" Hilbert held his hand up for a high-five, earning a smack from the brunette beside him.

"Alright, we get it, you all made your own respective acts of love. This is getting too touchy-feely for me," Ash shuddered, the brunette beside him arching an eyebrow at him.

"Really?" she inquired, the man shrugging his shoulders. "Well maybe I should've left, then."

"You did, remember?" she looked oddly at Brendan. "You were inside a little while ago, May and Dawn dragged you off to dance."

"What? I haven't been inside this whole time," Leaf replied, the man giving a confused look.

"Sure you were, I just saw-"

"Hey, what are you guys doing out here?" everyone looked in the doorway to see the two respective girls walking out towards them. With Leaf.

"...you...?" Brendan finished his sentence, now sounding more like a question than a statement. Everyone stopped, looking back and forth between the Leaf standing with Ash, and the Leaf who came from the party.

"Wha...Why are there two Leafs?" Dawn asked, looking confused.

"Oh, uh...Hey," the second Leaf said, giving a nervous wave.

"Hey..." the first Leaf said cautiously, looking at her copy carefully.

"Think we should tell them?" Hilda asked, Hilbert shaking his head.

"We should all have figured it out by now," Ash gave a sigh, moving towards the second Leaf.

"No, don't ruin this," she backed away from him, Ash giving a smirk.

"Wait, what is happening? Who is this second Leaf?" May asked, Ash, Hilda and Hilbert looking at each other.

"Like I said, we shouldn't tell them. It's funnier this way," he said, giving a smile.

"Oh, I know now," Leaf announced, moving towards Ash and her copy. "Very funny, Zo."

"So much for keeping it fun..." Hilda laughed. The others looked at the second Leaf in surprise.

"Zo?"

"She's a zorua, remember? Zoruas can take the shape of anyone they know?" Ash asked, the dots starting to connect in their minds. Zo sighed.

"Well now it's not fun anymore. I could've fooled them all night," she smirked, snickering to herself.

"Uh huh. Too bad you forgot the most important detail," Leaf told her, showing the back of her hand and pointing to the shining ring on her finger. Zo glanced down, noticing she hadn't acknowledged that detail.

"Ah...My bad," she laughed nervously, Ash pulling her ear. "Ow!"

"Change back," he said, the pokemon grumbling to herself before reverting to her natural form. The small fox scratched behind her ear.

"That hurt, you know. I'm still recovering from that battle earlier," she told him, the trainer wincing.

"Thanks for bringing that up. Why are you even here? You should be recovering in a bed-"

"Oh, give it a rest. I'm okay to be moving around, so I'm not missing this night of fun with you guys," she replied, the trainer giving her a curious look. "Besides, I needed to make sure our talk helped you two make up again."

"What talk?" Leaf asked, looking at Ash. He closed his eyes, giving a quiet sigh.

"...When I left, I was thinking things over in my mind...Zo came and found me," he told them, the others looking at her surprised.

"You did know where he was?" Leaf asked her, the pokemon shaking her head in defense.

"No, I only figured it out at the end," she replied.

"So what did you talk about?" Hilda asked, the man shaking his head.

"You don't need to know."

"Aww, he's just embarrassed."

"Quiet, Zo.

"Alright, alright..."

Flashback

"Ash...she's going to think it's her."

Ash remained silent. Zo stared at him with a frown, knowing there were more things on his mind than he could handle at the moment. She was unsure of what to do, whether or not to stay quiet and allow him to think. But at the same time, maybe talking and closure was what he really needed.

"Ash, look. I know you love Leaf, that's beyond obvious. And it's not like I'm against it or anything, I'm all for you guys. She's a good girl, I just don't want to see her get hurt. And I know you may not realize-"

"I do realize it," she stopped, giving him a confused look at his interruption. "I know I'm hurting her...But if I go back, how can I look at her anymore? After this, I don't know what she's thinking anymore. I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore, how am I supposed to just move past this?"

"...You're such an idiot," she sighed, moving her chair around the table and stopping beside him. She put her hand on his, giving a light squeeze. "First of all, nothing's changed. Leaf doesn't think any differently of you, nor does anyone else, and neither should you. Second, it may be painful to go back, but you know it's the right thing to do. Think about your friends."

"What are you getting at?"

"You left for five years, Ash. Think about how devastated they were from that," Ash closed his eyes, lowering his head again as he pondered. "It crushed them when you left. And now you think that's your better option to do to your girlfriend? No off- Actually, I mean full offense, that's a terrible idea. I mean it, that is just awful. So do you want to put Leaf through that same pain?"

"...No..."

"Then man up and go face her. She wants you, Ash, no champion title, no respectable master, just you. She loves Ash Ketchum, and I know he loves her too," she flashed a smile, the man running his hand down over his face. He opened one eye, staring at the table in front of him, then glancing up at her. She nodded encouragingly. He breathed in heavily.

"...Yeah, I am an idiot," she laughed quietly at his words, noticing his lips starting to curl into a smile. "But for some reason, that's the Ash she fell in love with. And I'm damn glad for that."

"Exactly, so go give her what she deserves," she told him, the man shaking his head briefly.

"One thing first," she gave him a puzzled look, then was surprised at what he did next. With an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her against his shoulder.

"W-W-Wha-"

"This is payback for the namecalling," he stated, the girl blushing as she glanced up at him in question. "Yeah, I'm a real idiot. But now you're here beside me, always trying to help. I'm grateful for you thinking of me as your friend, even the little annoying things about you. So thanks."

"There was a little insult added in there, but I guess I'll take it," she said sarcastically, smiling to herself as she closed her eyes. "But you got one thing wrong."

"What's that?"

"You're my family. And this payback isn't that bad."

"So, everything's all patched up with a pretty little bow?" Dawn asked, Leaf giving a nod. "That's great, I would've been devastated if you two didn't make up."

"Yeah, me too," May added, the group reaching the drink table.

"Uh huh. Did we have to come back in here? I feel so out of place..." Ash said, glancing around the party. The brunette beside him smiled, snaking her arm through his.

"Relax, you'll stand out no matter what," she told him, the man giving a sigh as it didn't help him. She leaned closer to him with a whisper. "But that's because you're so much better-looking."

"...No, no, that's you by a longshot," she blushed, giggling as she tightened her grip on his arm as he smiled at her.

"Say, shouldn't Alder's speech start soon?" Brendan asked, Hilbert and Hilda giving a nod. Ash gave them an odd look. "Alder has a commemorative speech sometime tonight, it's supposed to be noon."

"You know, thanks for the support, respects to the family, that kinda stuff," Hilbert added, the Pallet trainer giving a nod. (Words in bold are spoken into the microphone.)

"All right, are we all enjoying ourselves tonight?"

"There he goes," Hilda stated, everyone looking to the front of the lobby to see the man on the mini-stage with a wireless microphone in his hand.

"Okay, I want to thank you all for coming out here tonight. I know it's been a long few weeks, but with the tournament finally at its end, it allows you all to return to your family and friends back home," he moved off the stage, moving into the crowd and looking around. "For some of you, that's a cherished gift. Others, it means sleeping on the floor while the girl takes the bed. I'm talking to you, Hilbert," everyone in the lobby laughed, including the friends in the group by the punchbowl.

"Hey!" Hilbert shouted, the champion looking over in the direction of his voice and starting to move towards it.

"But of course, I'm just joking. Now, I want to sincerely thank all the trainers who participated in this tournament, because without them, this wouldn't have been such a rousing success," he explained, nearing Ash's group. "However, there's one trainer I want to thank in particular."

"My bet's on Red or Tobias," Brendan whispered, May giving him a nudge.

"You all know this trainer. He may have come into the tournament under an alias, but he is certainly no shadow anymore," Alder stated, Ash giving a suspicious look.

"Wait..."

"And that trainer is none other than Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, so please have a round of applause for this exceptional young gentleman!" the crowd clapped and cheered for the man as he saw Alder standing in front of him, smiling.

"...Eh?" was all Ash responded with.

"As Unova champion, I am obligated to partake in this tournament as a contender for the final match for the title of champion. That being said, I'll admit I do get a few yawns at the start of the tournament for the lack of...excitement," he said, the trainer unable to resist smirking. "However, after seeing your matches, I was finally able to see that excitement I had been longing for. Your love for your pokemon, and their commitment to battling with you, it had really gotten to me."

"Well I'm honored you think that," Ash replied, the man giving another smile.

"And when our match had come to its...unfulfilling end, I was fairly disappointed. Despite what anyone says, I personally believe that our battle has not yet ended," he spoke, moving the mic away from his mouth and leaning closer to the trainer. "I know Volcarona had not meant to do that, and I hope you realize that as well. I apologize for the inconvenience, to both you and your pokemon."

"No hard feelings, Alder, I'd just be glad to get back in the ring with that guy and fight him again!" Zo climbed up Ash's side and perched on his shoulder, snickering. Alder smiled and raised the mic again.

"And so, I began searching through the guidelines for global championship title matches, and I believe I found something that may pique your interest," Ash looked at him curiously.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The guidelines state that any match will be ended by the referee's judgement, given a statement of inability to battle or disqualification. However," Alder paused, Ash and Zo glancing at each other. "There is also a rule that states if both trainers believe the judgement to have been inaccurate, it will be classified as a miscase and the match's result will be reversed," gasps were heard throughout the crowd, small groups beginning to murmur. "Therefore, the loser will then become the winner."

"...Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Ash asked, dumbfounded. The man gave a nod.

"I believe the match's judgement was inaccurate. What says you, Ash?" Alder asked, the crowd going dead-silent awaiting his response. Ash felt suddenly on the spot, hearing his own heartbeat in the silence as he was frozen. He didn't know how to react.

"Say yes, Ash!" Leaf whispered, tightening her grip on his arm. The trainer glanced at her, then at Zo who was smiling and nodding, then looked at the ground. He looked back at Alder with a smile, noticing the man holding the mic in front of him. But when Ash shook his head, Alder yanked it back quickly before he spoke.

"No," Ash said, Alder giving a sigh of relief as his voice didn't go over the speaker. He leaned towards the man.

"What are you saying?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, Ash, what are you thinking?! He's offering you the position of champion!" Hilda whispered harshly, the trainer shaking his head.

"And I'm refusing it. I don't want to be champion," he told them, his friends looking at him as if he were growing a tail and cat ears. Alder gave a discreet look to Leaf, who gave back the same look.

"I'm sorry, Ash, I believe the crowd wanted to hear that as well," Alder said into the mic, the trainer looking at him oddly. But Ash felt a tug on his arm, looking over to see Leaf looking him directly in the eye with a serious look.

"Do you love me, Ash?" she asked, the trainer giving her an odd look. He didn't notice Alder quickly moving the mic in front of him.

"...Of course I do, wha-"

"And there you have it, folks!" the lobby erupted into applause and cheers again as Alder's voice came over the mic. Ash looked back at the man, then his eyes widened as he noticed. Alder and Leaf tricked him. "And with both of our consents of the match being judged inaccurately, the championship match of this Arc Tournament will now be declared defective! And with that statement being made, the new results declare that I have lost! Therefore, the winner of the match, the Arc Tournament, and the title of world champion...!"

"Wait, hold o-"

"ASH KETCHUM OF PALLET TOWN!"

The cheering could not have been any louder than that moment. Ash winced as the entire lobby roared in applause at the man's statement, Ash looking around confused as he had been tricked into becoming a champion. How does that even happen?

"Way to go, Ash!" he looked at his friends, who were all smiling and clapping encouragingly. Even Paul, which was kinda scary.

"Come on, kid!" Alder grabbed the man's arm and pulled him through the crowd, Ash feeling Leaf let go. He looked back and saw her clapping with the brightest smile of all, the trainer giving a sigh of defeat. She tricked him. He admitted it. And it didn't take long before he reached the stage, and was now standing up in front of everyone with Alder's mic in hand, the man standing off to the side. Ash blinked.

"Uh...Ahem," Ash cleared his throat, feeling extremely nervous as a few laughs were heard through the crowd. Then he noticed someone familiar pushing through the front row and waving to him supportingly, with a familiar pokemon on her shoulder. Leaf and Zo. He smiled. "...Well, I'm just as shocked and confused as the rest of you."

"That guy..." Hilda facepalmed, the crowd erupting into laughter. Hilbert chuckled, arms crossed behind his head.

"Yeah, there's no one quite like him," Hilbert added.

"First of all, I'd like to say I got tricked into this. I won't say how, but just so you all know," Ash stated, the crowd laughing again."But, at the same time...I'm really being hit by a lot of mixed feelings here. I'm proud of all my pokemon, beyond what you can imagine both for fighting alongside me as well as putting up with me. I'm also thankful for my friends and family, who were always supportive no matter how rough or bad it looked for me. And I want to thank Alder for this, I had no idea he was planning this, but...I can't thank you enough for this privilege now."

"You deserve it, Ash. Far more than me," he heard the man say, the trainer giving a nod.

"There's also something I want to clear up here today," Ash stepped across the stage as he spoke, staring at his feet. "When I turned ten years old, and ran to Professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town, I had no dream in my mind bigger than becoming a pokemon master. That's a given. But finding out the three starter pokemon were already taken, I was heartbroken. And that's when I was introduced to another pokemon, the one who would not listen to me and be a thorn in my side...later to become my best buddy I could ever have. Pikachu."

"Pi?" the mouse's ears perked, stopping from eating his piece of cake under the dessert table.

"Without my little buddy, my journeys across the world would have been boring. And half of the battles I've ever taken part in, I would never have had a chance without him. I'm not sure if he's still here tonight, he's a real dessert-lover so he might still be by the dessert stand, but regardless, I just want to say thank you, Pikachu."

"Pikapi!" the mouse burst out from under the table, hurrying to the stage and hopping on, climbing up Ash's side. "Kachu!" the mouse nuzzled his cheek against Ash's, the man unable to supress a smile as the crowd aww'd.

"Next, I want to thank another best friend of mine."

"Oh, I better get up there," Hilbert chuckled, starting to move.

"She's been there for me, trying to help with every problem, no matter how bad."

"What?!" Hilbert exclaimed.

"Haha, sucker," Hilda punched his arm lightly with a snicker.

"Without her, I probably wouldn't even be here tonight. I was in pretty rough shape, with a few things on my mind, and...She was there, trying to help me. We met a long time ago, but it was only a few years ago she decided to travel with me as a member of the family. And after such a short time, I alreay can't imagine a day without her. She can be really nice and helpful...sometimes, but most of the times she just nags and whines."

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Zo called out, hopping onto the stage and climbing his other side, taking the trainer's shoulder opposite of Pikachu. Ash smiled.

"But despite her annoying behavior, she's still an irreplaceable friend to me. And family. Thank you, Zo."

"Aww, you didn't have to say all that..." Zo acted cute and innocent, lightly tapping the man's cheek in which the crowd aww'd again. Ash and Pikachu were the only ones to recognize she was faking.

"Lastly, and a good number of you may not even know about things between us, but I can't have this speech without mentioning her. Really, there's no words I can use to describe exactly how much she's helped me because no words in existence are strong enough. But I still want everyone to recognize her for what she's done, because without her encouragement and being a reason for my determination, I never would have made it close to the end of this tournament. So come on up, Leaf."

"...W-What?!" Leaf exclaimed, taking a few moments before registering his words. The lobby erupted into applause as the girl glanced back nervously, unsure of what to do.

"Go on!" she felt a gentle push to her back, looking back and seeing all of her friends had joined her, smiling with Hilda pulling her arm back. "What are you waiting for? Don't keep him waiting, unless you want me to go in your place," Hilda said, giving a wink. Leaf smiled, then hurried around the side and up the stairs. She suddenly felt nervous, taking deep breaths as she moved towards Ash.

"This girl...put simply, is the world to me," the crowd aww'd at Ash's comment, Leaf blushing as he took her hand. "Without her, I wouldn't be half the man I am today. We may have been competitors in this tournament and I'm honestly thankful we didn't have to face off against each other, because I may not have had the heart to fight against her," Leaf glared at him, nudging her elbow into his gut. Everyone laughed. "But nonetheless, she never ceases to amaze me. So what if she lost a match? I've lost more than I can count," he chuckled, the brunette laughing as well. "But I came back from them. And so did she. We never let our losses bother us, because we knew there would always be another fight in the future that would give us a run for our money again."

"He's getting pretty deep about this..." Brendan muttered, May nudging him.

"Quiet, he might mention one of us," she told him.

"Yeah, right. He's talking about Leaf, I wouldn't be surprised if he never stops talking," Brendan rolled his eyes, the brunette unable to resist laughing in agreement.

"I mentioned earlier that you may not know the truth about us, so I'll clear that up as well. Leaf is...an extraordinary girl, who can't be replaced by anyone else in the world. Can be slightly irritating- But she's glaring at me now, so I'll get back on point," Leaf laughed, the man giving a smile as the two pokemon knew where this was going, hopping off his shoulders and standing beside him. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "I love this girl."

"Oh, snap," Hilbert choked on a laugh, the crowd gasping at his statement. Leaf smiled at him with an expectant look, taking the mic and moving it closer to her.

"And I love him," she said, the crowd aww'ing again as the pair smiled at each other before Leaf pressed her lips against his softly. His other arm snaked around her waist as the crowd burst into cheering as the kiss between the couple continued. When the two parted, they simply stared into each other's eyes. "And nothing will ever change that."

"No battle or title of champion," Ash added, a few members of the crowd calling out for another kiss and others laughing.

"But don't worry, we won't let him forget about us either!" Zo snickered into the mic as the fox perched on his shoulder again, Pikachu taking a spot on Leaf's shoulder. Ash sighed, giving another smile before another thought came to mind.

"There's actually another part to my story from earlier that I want to clear up," he said, earning everyone's attention once more. "I know I got a little off-track with my thanks, and I'm sorry for that, but this is the last thing I want to say. When I left Pallet Town, I dreamed of becoming a pokemon master. And as time went by while I traveled, I slowly started to realize something. I realized that I didn't want to become a master for the glory, the money, the fame, or anything like that," Ash looked at Pikachu, then at Zo who smiled back at him. "...I just wanted to be recognized for loving my pokemon."

"Huh?" Zo tilted her head, confused.

"I never told you guys this because I never planned on using this in a speech before. But I never really wanted the fame or public glory of being champion. I just wanted a crowd to recognize me as a trainer who cared for, loved and trained their pokemon night and day. To show that I was willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears to show that I didn't think of pokemon as tools or anything bad like that, I just wanted to show that I loved you guys," Ash put his hands on Pikachu and Zo's heads, rubbing them. "Because I love you guys more than you can imagine."

"Except if I imagined Leaf," Zo snickered quietly, the trainer rolling his eyes briefly.

"So on that point, Alder, I refused your offer because I didn't want the fame or glory that you have," Ash said to the man, confused murmurs spreading through the crowd. "I just wanted people to know that I love my pokemon."

"...And that's a respectable wish," the man laughed, moving towards him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "But there's nothing wrong with a little fame."

"I guess..." Ash trailed off, the man's grip on his shoulder tightening. Ash winced as Alder took the mic back.

"Let's give it up for Ash once again! Today, we recognize Ash as not only the champion, but as a trainer who loves his pokemon!" Ash couldn't help but smile, the crowd erupting into applause. "And with that, let the real afterparty begin!"

"I can't believe you almost refused him," Brendan shook his head, taking another drink.

"I did," Ash replied.

"Yeah, and that we actually had to trick you into accepting. That's bad, dude," Brendan added, the Pallet trainer rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. There's just no need to make a spectacle out of it, that's all," he said, Hilbert giving him an odd look.

"Really? After that touchy-feely speech show you put on up there?" he asked, Ash giving him a glare.

"Shut it, Hilbert."

"Why should I? You're contradicting yourself."

"You may as well give up, man."

"What?! Since when were you on his side?!"

"Never, I just know he's ignorant beyond convincing."

"I appreciate it, Paul."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"What are you idiots arguing about now?" Hilda asked, her and the rest of the girls rejoining the group again. "I swear, you were fighting when we left..."

"Yeah, because he wouldn't say sorry for not thanking me in his speech!" Hilbert exclaimed, everyone facepalming.

"Oh, give it a rest," Hilda sighed, the man grumbling to himself as he continued drinking.

"Maybe some things are so important that he didn't have words for," May suggested, the man giving her a curious look.

"...I guess you're right. That makes more sense," Hilbert nodded.

"Then why did I mention Leaf, Zo and Pi?"Ash asked, arching an eyebrow. Moments passed before Hilbert scratched his head frustratingly with a groan, everyone laughing at him.

"Relax, jeez," Hilda patted his shoulder, the man calming down and looking at her curiously. She noticed. "What?"

"...Nothing," he looked away, now the brunette was looking at him curiously.

"So what are your plans now, Mr. Pokemon Master? Gonna start another journey across the world?" Dawn asked, keeping a firm grip on the hesitant-Paul's arm.

"Yeah, what are you thinking? If you're going on a journey, don't you dare go without us," May said sternly, the trainer giving a nod.

"Oh, I know not to leave you guys behind. I've already felt that aftermath," everyone laughed except for Ash, who only reminisced about the pain in his cheeks from that memory. "...Honestly, I don't know. I might go through Kanto again, for old time's sake, but I'm really not sure."

"Well, wherever you're going, you know I'll be there too," Leaf said, tightening her grip on his arm with a smile. He smiled back.

"Then maybe I'll just head back home. Get another bed ready," he said, the brunette leaning her head up towards his and brushing her nose against his.

"Or make yours bigger," she said with a sly smile, pecking the trainer's lips.

"Alright, no need to announce your plans together, we get the picture," Hilbert waved his arms, the pair glaring at him. "And I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that is just disturbing."

"Oh, shut up," Paul sighed.

"Well, whatever you've got planned, it's not like you can go too far without all of us," Brendan added, referring to the couple, himself and May, Dawn and Paul, and Hilda and Hilbert.

"What are you talking about?" May asked, looking at him curiously. Leaf and Ash looked at each other, flashing a smile with a nod.

"...There's something we've been meaning to tell you."

"Brendan, Hilbert and Paul already know because someone has a big mouth with his friends."

"Oh, very funny."

"What are you two talking about?" Hilda asked, looking at them curiously. The couple, hand-in-hand, glanced at each other with smiles.

...

... ...

... ... ...

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

The Next Day...

"I still can't believe you didn't tell us..." May muttered, glaring at Brendan.

"And that it was today, nonetheless..." Hilda glared at Hilbert, the man rolling his eyes. Hilbert, Paul, Brendan, Brock, Max and Cilan were each standing in tuxedos in a line. Hilda, Dawn, May, Misty and Iris each stood across from the men respectively in blue dresses.

"You young couples and your fighting are so amusing," Alder laughed, the man standing between the two groups.

"Just out of curiosity, why exactly did you agree to this again?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Well, Ash is a great man and I just couldn't refuse. Also I've owed so many favors to Hilda and Hilbert over the years, so I thought I should start repaying them," he laughed.

"I think this will be enough to cover the past, Alder," Hilbert smirked, glancing at the fifth man, also in a tux who remained silent this whole time.

"I really can't thank you enough for this," Ash said, the Unova champion clapping his shoulder.

"It's the least I could do for you, kid!" Ash winced with a smile as he continued clapping his shoulder.

"That's a nice way of showing it," Zo snickered, Pikachu laughing in agreement, the pair standing by Ash's side. Suddenly a familiar tone began playing.

"Oh, here we go~" Dawn squealed, trying to contain her excitement as she began bouncing on the spot uncontrollably.

"Thank you, Ash. Now I have to deal with this afterwards..." Paul sighed heavily, the trainer smirking.

"You would have regardless as soon as she found out, you said that yourself," he said, the Sinnoh trainer looking away in defeat. Ash shook his head with a chuckle, before his eyes were drawn straight ahead. Everyone else's eyes were attracted as well, gasping at the sight.

Leaf, stepping towards them slowly in rhythm, almost glowed in the simple yet elegant white dress. She smiled beneath the thin veil as she saw her friends standing in front of her. She stopped beside Ash, slipping her arm through his as he lifted the veil. He was at a loss for words.

"...You're beautiful," he said, the brunette trying not to blush as the pair turned towards Alder.

"Your friends have gathered here to commemorate you, Ash, and you, Leaf, as you are to be joined in holy matrimony," Alder started, Ash's eyebrow twitching as another voice spoke.

"And family!" Zo added, the trainer glancing down at her with a glare. She winked, the trainer breaking into a smile.

"Your friends and family have each recognized you as individuals, but they have also accepted you two as two pieces fitted together. One incomplete without the other, and you will be forever joined from this day onward."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Ash whispered, Leaf's heart beating faster as she glanced at him with a smile.

"Would you care to share any last words to each other in your final moments of the single life?" Alder chuckled, the men unable to resist laughing to themselves.

"I think I've said enough in the past few weeks to get on all of your nerves," Ash chuckled, trying to contain his laughter.

"You got that right," Hilbert laughed, feeling a small object collide with his head. He winced, rubbing it and glaring at Hilda, who was glancing away with an extremely-innocent expression.

"Very well. If we would now present the rings," Ash felt Pikachu climb up his leg, perching on his shoulder and holding out his paws with a familiar ring in each. Ash smiled, accepting the rings as Pikachu returned to his spot on the ground beside him. Ash took Leaf's hand.

"Back where it belongs," he said, returning the ring to where it had once been on Leaf's finger.

"And where its partner belongs as well," Leaf added, smiling as she put his ring on his finger, the pair holding each other's hands afterwards.

"Now without further ado, by the holy power vested in me, and by the power of the almighty Arceus, I am happy to and privileged to personally name you...husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Alder smiled, the couple turning to face one another.

"Yeah! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Ki-Ow!" Hilbert exclaimed, everyone laughing as he rubbed his forehead again from something hitting him, Hilda once again glancing away innocently. Ash and Leaf laughed, looking into each other's eyes, then kissed. The small group clapped, Hilbert giving whistles until Paul elbowed him in the gut, in which he lowered himself to the floor and the others couldn't help but laugh and break the traditional formation.

"Don't worry, Hilbert, there's always other chances," Alder clapped his back, the man wincing from the hits. The group continued laughing and talking around the kissing couple, who seemed to not even acknowledge they were there. When they parted, they simply stared into each other's eyes.

"So, what's the plan now, Mrs. Ketchum?" Ash asked, Leaf blushing at his words.

"Well...We could always get to that modeling session I promised you," she winked, the man arching an eyebrow as his arms moved around her waist and pulled her closer. "Then afterwards, maybe we could get to a little something...else?"

"Then what are we waiting for?" he pressed his lips against hers again, the pair feeling eternal bliss in their hearts. That is, until they separated from being unable to contain their laughter at what they heard.

"AAAHH! Zo, do not turn into Charizard! That's terrifying!"

Five Years Later...

He stood on the shore, the small waves gently lapping up the sand as he stared out at the glowing orb setting along the horizon. Running a hand through his hair, he looked up at the sky with a smirk. "Guess that's another day off the list..."

"Not today, Ash?" the man looked back, seeing a familiar girl and yellow mouse running towards him.

"No, not today, Zo," he replied, looking back at the sky. The girl smiled, crossing her arms on his shoulder and resting her chin on him.

"So, you gonna do the same thing tomorrow afternoon?" she asked, the man giving a nod. "...No offense, but why do you keep doing this?"

"Because I know it's gonna happen. I want to be ready when it does," he responded, the girl rolling her eyes.

"Of course," she said sarcastically, the mouse laughing in agreement.

"Heey! Ash!" the man turned around, seeing another girl running towards him. He smiled, the girl stopping beside him with a light hit to the opposite arm. "What are you doing out here?"

"Watching the sunset, Leaf," he said, the brunette looking out over the shining water. She slipped her hand into his.

"So you're really keeping this up every day? I'm surprised you haven't given up yet," she told him, the man giving a light sigh.

"See? I said the same thing but he just won't listen. Too stubborn, this man is!" Zo exclaimed with a smile, the man glancing a glare at her. Leaf laughed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"But it is gorgeous...I can see why you stayed on this island for so long," Leaf said, the man smiling.

"And now it's like our own little family vacation. But forever!" Zo laughed, Leaf laughing as well. "Say, Hilda called a little while ago, right?"

"Oh, yeah! She said she and Hilbert were thinking of coming for a visit, and they're gonna invite Dawn, Paul, Brendan and May," Leaf told them.

"They're not gonna get lost like last time?" Ash asked, Leaf rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry, Hilda's gonna be guiding, not Hilbert," she laughed, Ash breaking into a smile. "It's nice of them to visit. How long's it been?"

"Only a few weeks, Leaf, relax," Ash chuckled, wrapping his arm around the girl's waist.

"Oh, that reminds me! How's little Michael doing?" Zo asked.

"He's doing fine, Zo. He's excited to come visit you again, I think he turned 3 last month or so," Leaf told her, Zo giving a squeal.

"I can't wait! I love that little guy, he's so adorable!" she exclaimed, Ash rolling his eyes.

"Calm down, Zo, you'll have to get him from Paul and Dawn first. You know how much she likes to brag they have a kid," Ash chuckled, Leaf nodding in agreement.

"Okay, how about Ryan then?"

"He's almost 2 now. And you'll have to keep him out of the sand, you know how much Brendan worries about the bugs and May worries about him eating the sand."

"Yeah, I'll keep a close eye on them both," she said, humming to herself happily as she thought of playing with the two children. Ash and Leaf glanced at each other, smiling. "Oh, one more thing," Zo moved away from Ash, reverting to her old Zorua form and climbing up his side. Ash glanced at her in question, surprised as she pecked his cheek. "That's for letting the kids come over again."

"Come on, Zo," Ash said with an expectant look, Zo rolling her eyes as she jumped to the ground, and changed again to her original form. Standing just as tall as Ash with a large bush of hair tied behind her head, Zo held her arms out for a hug. Ash smiled, hugging her and watching Zo revert back to her human girl form.

"You know I don't like that," she said with a glare as she turned and started walking back towards the trees where their home resided.

"I just like the real you, Zo, you know that!" Ash called out, Zo turning around with a smile, poking her tongue out and pulling her eyelid down tauntingly. Smiling, she ran off into the trees. Leaf tapped his chest.

"Don't you think we should tell her now?" she asked, the man giving a chuckle.

"Not quite yet," he chuckled, the brunette laughing as the pair moved their entwined hands and rubbed Leaf's stomach, smiling at each other.

"I'll head back and make sure she doesn't get into trouble, don't be too long, okay?" she asked, the man giving a nod as she pressed her lips against his. With a smile, she parted and headed back to where Zo had gone. Smiling, Ash watched as the sunset was nearing its end, but then noticed something small in the distance. Looking closely, his smile grew wider as he crossed his arms, lightly shaking his head.

"I knew it, Alder..." he said to himself, watching as the small creature came into clear view. Ash looked up into the sky, giving a nod. "It is about time to come back, after all..." he said, holding his arm out for the familiar creature to land on him.

A pidgey with a letter.

END

I started writing fanfics at an earlier age, so I didn't really anticipate how difficult it would be to juggle my stories and my schoolwork at once. But when I was writing this story in my third year of high school, I realize it is a lot harder than I had imagined. That being said, at the time this story was ongoing, I was only 16 years old and writing a story like this. So for those of you who doubt yourself in some field, do not give up on it. I encourage you to do what you enjoy, no matter what other people say against it.

On another note, I quite honestly had a lot of fun with this. Sure, it took a lot longer than I anticipated (and I mean a lot longer), but it was still fun nonetheless. At the time this final chapter was uploaded, I had it saved on my laptop for almost a full year since before then, and with many restarts and revisions, it was finally completed. But with that, it also meant that this story unfortunately had to come to an end.

Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough...I want to thank all of you. Each of you, on your computers or phones reading this story, and who took the time to follow up until this point. Without the feedback and reviews I got from you as the readers, I don't think I would have had the heart to complete this fanfic. So on a final note, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, enjoyed, or even criticized CRG. Without you, this story wouldn't have lasted half as long as it did.

And with that, I, Epsil0nCha0s, declare Champion's Revived Glory to have finally come to an end.