Author's note: Hey there, everyone!

... Okay, this mini one-shot may annoy some people - and I'm sorry about that - but I've wanted to explore this concept for a while now. If you don't agree with it, that's fine.

Anyway... heh. It's been a while since I last wrote a fic about the humans. Gosh. Ah well, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

That Certain Spark

Pikachu found himself blushing as Buneary edged slightly closer to him. She blushed in response, a big smile on her face. Sitting on the opposite side of the table, Piplup threw them a sly glance and Pikachu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Axew was busy playing with the salt and pepper shakers.

Pikachu honestly didn't mind the attention from the rabbit. She was an adorable Pokemon and he'd come to feel something a little different than usual for her lately. Maybe he was starting to fall for her. He'd certainly never hear the end of it from his friends if he was.

Sitting around the large booth were Ash and all his travelling companions, aside from one who hadn't arrived yet, and the reason they were here was because Ash had recently won the Unova League. It was the first proper Pokemon League that he'd managed to win - not counting the Orange League, of course - and it had been seen as a cause for celebration.

When Ash had first told his mother, Delia, the news, she'd burst into tears of joy, remarking that her little boy was all grown up. Once Professor Oak had found out, he'd proudly smacked Ash on the back so hard that his knees had nearly buckled underneath him. It had, of course, been Delia's idea for Ash to invite all his friends out for a meal, so she'd contacted them all and reserved a table for nine at a fancy restaurant in Viridian City.

Currently, Brock and Cilan were discussing recipe ideas, May and Dawn were chatting and giggling about Drew and Kenny, Iris was teasing Max and calling him a kid, Tracey was drawing a sketch of the four Pokemon that were on the table and Ash kept looking at the restaurant door every five minutes.

Pikachu wasn't stupid. He knew why his trainer was so antsy today. Brock and Tracey clearly both knew, as well, because they kept throwing Ash sly glances when he wasn't looking. Dawn seemed suspicious, but he doubted that she was certain about it.

This particular person that had yet to arrive was someone that neither of them had seen for a very long time. She'd followed them through three regions, then had left to follow her dream. She hadn't seemed very happy about it at the time, but she seemed to have settled into it eventually.

As a matter of fact, Ash hadn't quite been the same since she'd left. Once upon a time, he'd been so cocky, so sure of himself. Not to mention, there'd been so much romantic tension between them that Pikachu could have cut it with a knife. She'd get jealous of him and he'd get jealous of her. It had all been rather ridiculous at the time.

However, they'd been the absolute best of friends, despite the running dispute over her burnt bike. In fact, for the longest time, he'd wanted the two of them to get together. He may not have liked Ash when he'd first met him, but he'd liked her since the word 'go', mainly because, when she'd fished them out of the river, she'd cared more about his well-being than Ash's.

He knew that they shared something special. Even Brock and Tracey could see it, though the two of them had always denied it with every breath they took. Heck, even today, they would probably deny it to their last breath, but he could tell that they shared a particularly strong bond.

This was especially evident in how much Ash had changed when she'd left. Once he'd started travelling with May, he'd slowly begun to lose his cocky, goofy, easy-to-anger nature. May, being incredibly easy-going and placid, had seemed to rub off on him and make him placid, as well. Deep down, he was still the Ash that Pikachu knew and loved, but something had been missing ever since.

As time progressed, this 'missing part' had become more and more obvious, though it had taken Pikachu a long time to figure out exactly what had caused it. For a while, there had been a running joke among some of the Pokemon that it was the changing of his hats that was causing it and that the original hat - the one that he'd won in a contest - was the one that contained the original Ash.

When the true reason had dawned on Pikachu, he'd thought that it was rather sad. It did, however, make a lot of sense. The day she'd left him, he'd been so upset that he'd burst into tears. Perhaps he'd closed himself off from anguish since then, because many travelling companions had left him since and he'd never reacted that same way again. Instead, he'd been sad, yet understanding. He had to wonder if Ash had gotten over her departure yet. If not, he was being incredibly secretive about it.

"Where is she?" Ash asked, once again staring at the door.

"She'll be here soon, I'm sure," Brock replied with a smile.

"Yeah," Iris said, "she runs a gym, right?"

"Indeed she does!" Tracey replied, barely looking up from his sketch.

"Then she must create a perfect blend between business and pleasure!" Cilan said. "And, as a gym leader myself, I can say that those ingredients are tricky to balance out correctly and efficiently."

"I just wish she'd get here, already..." Ash said.

May chuckled. "Jeez, you're sure on edge," she said. "Just relax, Ash!"

"Yeah!" Dawn added. "No need to worry! She'll be here in no time at all!"

"I'm hungry..." Max grumbled. "She'd better get here soon..."

"You are such a kid!" Iris said.

"Hey..."

Various people around the table laughed at this remark.

Suddenly, Ash's face lit up in a bright smile - the brightest that Pikachu had seen on him in a long time - and he instantly knew what his trainer was looking at. Turning towards the restaurant door, he saw her. Wearing her trademark yellow, with a Marill riding on her shoulder, she sauntered up to them with an equally bright smile on her face.

"Hey, Ash!" she said.

"Hey, Misty!" Ash replied.

He shuffled along the bench and she immediately sat down beside him. They continued to beam at each other, until Cilan suggested making introductions and Max demanded a menu. The rest of the day was spent bickering, laughing and catching up on old memories, as well as creating brand new ones.

The End