Stranger Things have happened...

... I know.

Enigma4 speaking, I just wanted to voice my utmost gratitude for your reviews, follows and favorites - I would be lying if I told you that they aren't a huge part of why I'm publishing this here piece of work. Now, to answer a few questions that came up in the reviews: This story is not supposed to be a huge project, since I know from experience that those tend to get abandoned and leave their readers disappointed. Nevertheless, it will contain another chapter or two, so don't worry. The story will focus mainly on Korrina and Ash, no-one else. I will try to keep our protagonists in character, but cannot promise you anything, since I only have so much skill when it comes to writing. To the person asking about my older works... they are long lost and in another language, anyways – sorry, mate. I do realize that this will not be the best tale to ever make it onto pixilated paper, but I do hope that you will continue to enjoy, so... let's just see and continue, me writing and you reviewing, shall we not?

— Chapter two —

"YOU! What do you think you're doing?! Grrr… when will you people finally get it into your heads that this isn't the store of some overhyped electronics' brand where you can just… camp for the best spot?! You need an appointment if you want a Gym-battle! HEY! Are you even listening?!"

It wasn't exactly as bad as waking up to a full blown Thunderbolt, but the loud yelling and kicks against the sole of Ash's shoe were not a Blissey's wake-up-kiss, either.

In his somewhat semi-aware state of mind, the trainer mumbled unintelligibly. He lifted his head up, squinting against the light that engulfed him.

Although Ash was in no shape to be surprised yet, he surely felt a similar emotion when he realized that the source of this whole ordeal was a short, tanned girl standing at his feet, sporting rollerblades and full skating gear, brown hair sticking out of her black helmet in two equally long pigtails.

The girl must have been fourteen, fifteen at most and used her purple eyes to shoot him pointed looks like a grown-up, continuously tapping a pen on the edge of the clipboard her gloved fingers held with an iron grip. It seemed that everything he said now could and would be written down and used against him in the court of law.

In no way did the girl seem fazed by the Lucario that was already standing in a defensive manner next to her trainer, equally as stunned, but faster to react.

The small creak of a door being pushed open may have registered in Ash's subconscious, but the man was still too baffled to do anything but stare at the roller skater before him with raised eyebrows.

Only when he heard the sound of a pleasantly raspy and faintly familiar voice, he seemed to slowly regain control over his physical abilities.

"What's going on out here?"

Those were the words that immediately changed the demeanor of the brown haired 'defender of public stone slabs' into that of a teacher's favorite little tattletale.

"I am so terribly sorry to start the day like that, Lady Korrina, but–" she now pointed her pen accusingly at Ash, "I found another trainer loitering in front of the arena! I was just about to call Officer Jenny!"

At the mentioning of the Gym-leader's name, Ash instantly spun his head towards the second voice, nearly pulling a muscle in his neck from the sudden movement.

Indeed, standing there was Korrina, Shalour City's prodigy.

And just like that, Ash was back into his shell-shocked state of mind.

Korrina may not have grown anything in height, but she surely had grown up to be a woman. Her style hadn't changed much. She had continued to tame her voluminous lemon-blonde hair into one long pony tail with a single, desperate hair tie. There still was this one stray fringe that swayed in front of her light-blue eyes. Even the white and red cheerleading outfit with the lose t-shirt of the same colors and the black biker shorts underneath (probably to deny people in unfavorable positions views that they were unworthy of) hadn't changed.

But the way she stood there, the way she held herself… time had truly passed. That, and her sunglasses were missing.

It merely took a (forceful) mental poke from Lucario and Ash scrambled to his feet, pondering for a short while that he now looked down on the Gym-leader.

He shook the though off and choked out a throaty: "Hey, Korrina…" running a hand through his bed-head, not that it fixed anything.

The woman's expression changed from wonder to recognition, then to mischievous delight, as she put her hands on her hips and endowed him with a dazzling smile.

"Now, would you look what the Meowth dragged in and left right on my doorstep! If it isn't his highness the Champion of Kalos himself! You cut your hair – I like it! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Before Ash could answer, a surprised yelp made him turn back around. Times were tough for his not-so-warmed-up neck muscles.

The girl, who could have been his executioner just moments ago, now looked at him with eyes wide open, her hands clasped over her mouth in shock.

"T-THE champion? A-Ash Ketchum? Arceus, I didn't know! He… he doesn't look like on TV at all! I am s-so sorry, Lady Korrina!"

"Kate."

"I don't even know where to start to apologize, Mister Ketchum-" the girl whined on, despite the interruption.

"KATE."

"Y-yeah?" She finally gave in, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Why don't you let me take it from here? Go inside and prepare us for the day, okay?"

The Gym-leader managed to hold her smile until Kate had rolled by, upset, and with a quiet "of course, Lady Korrina" disappeared into the Tower of Mastery.

Korrina exhaled loudly after the door had fallen shut, her fringe jumping a little.

"I'm sorry about Katherine. She takes her apprenticeship just very seriously. Anyways, I think you wanted to explain why exactly you decided to spent the night on my doormat, weren't you, Ash?"

Korrina's eyes fell back onto the freshly awakened man in front of her, when for the first time it seemed, she realized that there was a Lucario standing a little forlorn next to her trainer, fiddling with her paws in discomfort.

Ash wasn't even able to pronounce the first word of his explanation before he was interrupted yet again.

"Oh… OH, MY! It's her! Forget what I just said, I don't even care anymore! Why don't you introduce us instead?"

In a flash Korrina was standing in front of Ash's bewildered Lucario, taking her paws in her hands and mustering her with adoration.

"Uhm..." the young man rubbed his neck sheepishly "Korrina, that's Lucario. She's kind of the reason why we're here…"

"Liar." A single word that Ash's partner sent into his mind.

"It's not a lie!"

"It's not the whole truth, either, is it?"

"Not now, please!"

"A female, no doubt! Oh, they are so rare these days! And she's just so beautiful, too!" Ash was glad that his little mental dispute was interrupted by Korrina's gushing.

Considering the little blush and small smile that crept onto Lucario's muzzle, she didn't mind all the praise, either.

"You're quite the catch, yourself." The female jackal sent over the Aura link.

Since there was no way the Gym-leader could hear her, Ash wrote it off as just another jab at him.

"We're going to have a long chat tonight, Ash." Lucario suddenly changed her tone in a way that made her trainer feel uneasy.

"Why?"

"Why?! You even copied the way you wear your Mega-Stone from her and still want to tell me you had no ulterior motives coming here, that's why!"

A shiver ran down Ash's spine. He had forgotten about that little detail. Of course, it just added fuel to the fire.

It was true, Ash had his Key-Stone embedded into the outside of his left fingerless glove, like Korrina. For solely practical reasons, of course.

Try telling that to Lucario, though.

"… and her Aura! It's unlike anything I have ever felt before! No wonder you did so well in all your battles. Oh, I can't wait to introduce you to my Lucario! I'm sure you two will get along just fine!"

At the mentioning of the male, Lucario visually froze and Ash mentally cheered in triumph. Finally, he could turn the tables – at least for a while.

"I'm sure he'll be at your feet in no time." The Champion teased.

"Shut up. You just want to deflect from your own little infatuation."

"Have I ever told you how well Lucario is able to handle his Bone Rush…?"

A few mental images from his memory and the female was thoroughly flustered.

Ash knew that his move would be considered as dirty cheating if there ever existed a rulebook for their little game, but he wasn't ashamed to admit that he was desperate to get some peace.

And desperate times called for desperate measures.

"…But look at me going on and on. Alright, I think we have caused enough commotion out here for today. Why don't you come inside? You can join us for breakfast if you want, and we'll be able to talk without ruffle or excitement." Korrina had finally regained her composure, now addressing both trainer and Pokémon alike.

"You had me at breakfast!" Ash agreed enthusiastically, melting just a little on the inside – he had no shame in admitting that food was still one of his big weaknesses.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the Gym-leader asked as they entered the Tower of Mastery and slowly made their way towards the big statue of the Mega-evolved Lucario in its center.

"I fear that we only have water, really. But it's good! Straight from the springs of Pomace Mountain!" She hastily added, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"I think water will be just fine, thanks." Ash assured her with a smile and Lucario gave an approving grunt.

Korrina opened her mouth to respond, but a yell that originated somewhere from another hallway preempted her.

"I'M ON IIIT!" It was Katherine, no doubt, and it looked like she wanted to redeem herself as soon as possible.

The blonde Shalour prodigy chuckled with a shake of her head before she yelled back: "Thanks Kate! You know where to find us!"

The trio continued their walk, Lucario taking in the sheer size of everything inside the Tower. It was her first time here, after all, and Ash was still impressed, even though he had seen it before.

"So, 'Lady Korrina'…" the young Champion pronounced meaningfully, not able to hold back any longer. Korrina sighed.

"I knew you wouldn't miss out on the title. It's really just Kate that calls me that. I tried to get her to drop it, but you saw how stubborn she can be. It's both a curse and a blessing, I guess. Not even grandpa could sway her mind!"

"No way! He even managed to make me listen to one of his lessons when all I wanted was to battle you for my Gym-badge!" Ash folded his hands behind his head, grinning as he reminisced "Speaking of which, how is Gurkinn doing?"

"Ah, he's just fine. In fact-" Korrina turned towards him, now walking backwards "I have a little surprise for you!"

After a few more steps, they stood in front of the small door embedded into the socket of the Lucario statue.

"Ta-daa!" the Gym-leader exclaimed, pointing her arms towards it in an expressive pose. It took a moment before it dawned on Ash what she meant.

"You're living in the chambers now?" The male trainer was genuinely surprised.

"Yup! Well, not exactly living like grandpa used to, but he decided to retire and pass everything connected to the Tower of Mastery on to me just a few months back. Lucario and I still prefer our flat on the mainland, but I have a little training area down there, as well as a kitchen and everything I need to do my paperwork. And if we ever overstay and miss the low-tide, we can always spend the night in the guest room, just like yesterday."

A long time had passed indeed, Ash now realized. He remembered the last time he was here. How Gurkinn had remarked what a long way still lay ahead of his granddaughter to achieve perfection in the ways of her ancestors - she must have mastered all his challenges to finally fit his requirements. And she had already taken in an… enthusiastic apprentice.

But that also meant…

"Wait, does that mean-" Ash trailed off and Korrina shot him a knowing smile before she curtsied before her visitors in an excessive way.

"May I introduce myself? Korrina – Gym-leader of Shalour City, guardian of the Tower of Mastery, keeper of the Scroll of Secrets and… official Mega-evolution-guru!"

"Wow! You really made it! If that isn't a steep rise since we last met!" the Champion congratulated, sincerely happy for his friend.

"Thank you! Although you were no slacker, either! Come on downstairs now – I'd hate the pancakes to get cold. LUCARIO! I hope you look your best, because we have visitors!"

Pancakes? Ash did not agree with the things his Lucario accused him of when it came to the blonde Gym-leader, but PANCAKES? He wouldn't have minded to marry her then and there.

When they reached the end of the stone-clad corridor and entered Korrina's quarters, it turned out that she had renovated quite radically.

The ground of the main room was now covered with a dark wooden floor, a few colored rugs spread across it for Korrina's Pokémon to sit on.

The walls were painted in a light-creamy tone, only interrupted by the occasional ancient painting.

On the wall to their left stood a heavily ornamented wooden desk, no doubt a family heirloom, which left just enough space for a comfy looking black leather armchair to fit behind. Two similar but slightly smaller chairs stood on the opposite side of the table, meant for guests, most likely.

The number of books inside the room had drastically decreased, too, now limited to only a few shelves over, and a few racks next to the desk.

Judging by the punching bag that was barely visible from Ash's current position, a door in the far left side of the front wall must have led to the small training area Korrina had mentioned.

Most noticeable, however, was that the old bed on the front wall had been replaced with a kitchen unit.

It was currently manned by a curios-looking Lucario armed with a wooden spoon, wearing a pink apron that sported two red boxing-gloves on its front.

Albeit the bipedal jackal's expression quickly changed from curios to panicked, as he spotted his female conspecific entering the room behind her trainer.

A desperate last effort to ditch his accessories ended with the spoon barely missing the sink, landing on the counter next to it, and the apron barely missing a coat hanger, landing as a messy heap at its base.

Lucario ignored his minor failure bravely, instead preparing himself for introductions by taking a dignified stance, only tarnished by the small speck of dough on his cheek.

Korrina made his way over to her Pokémon with a giggle, wiping the dough of his cheek as subtly as possible.

"Sorry partner, guess I should have warned you sooner. May I introduce? This is Lucario and I'm sure you remember Ash, her trainer."

The male canine put one paw on his chest and bowed courtly, voicing a welcoming growl. Both jackals' Aura-sensors twitched, as they started to communicate with each other.

"Hey Lucario, long time no see!" Ash greeted with a small wave and added a mental "poor guy", directed at his female companion.

He felt her amusement over their link.

"He's lucky he's cute. And that he knows proper etiquette." was her court reply, clearly engulfed in the discussion with her new acquaintance already.

"Aaand here you go, Ash! Take a seat, if you please and enjoy!" Korrina had thrusted a plate filled with a generous stack of pancakes into his hands.

By the time he realized this, she had already steered her own stack towards the desk, where she sat down in her armchair.

Ash followed her lead and took one of the guest's seats.

After their Pokémon had settled on the rugs with their respective shares of the meal, they dug in.

Ash's resolve to marry the blonde woman increased with the first few bites.

"These. Are. Amazing." He couldn't help but mumble in utter astonishment, a gleam in his eyes as if Lady Arceus had just blessed him with eternal happiness.

"Well, they are pancakes-" Korrina lowered her silverware for a moment, almost worried about the vacant expression on her former challenger's face "Are you… okay, Ash?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah. I just… need a moment to re-evaluate everything I have ever learned about good pancakes."

The Gym-leader shook her head with a smile at the exaggerated compliment, before continuing her breakfast.

Due to Korrina's curious nature, silence didn't last for long.

"So, you said something about your Lucario being the reason for your visit… care to elaborate?" she started casually.

Ash, now back in his own mind, nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

A rumble from the entrance to the chambers stopped him right in his tracks, however.

"Excuse me!" Katherine stumbled into the room, this time without the rollerblades.

She had switched her clipboard for a tray filled with glasses of water and immediately started to distribute the beverages.

"I'm sorry for taking so long but we had no Pomace Mountain Water left in the fridge, so I had to haul a few bottles in from the storage room, but the door was jammed. Anyways, I put in some ice-cubes… and lemon slices! They say those are good for the digestion and antiphlogistic, whatever that means…"

"Thank you, Kate." Korrina interrupted in the same patient tone she had already used during the encounter in front of the Tower of Mastery.

The girl smiled a wobbly smile at her 'lady'.

"Don't mention it. I'll put the rest riiiight here. Aaand I'll be off!"

Kate only made a few hasty steps towards the exit before she froze, turned, and paced over to Ash; now standing next to him with eyes shut tight and clenched fists.

"I am so sorry to bother you, Mister Ketchum, Sir!" The Champion, due to the violent quiver in the girl's voice, shot an unsure glance at Korrina, who only shrugged.

"Yeah…?" he inquired carefully.

Poor Kate was barely holding on, as she took a deep breath and began: "It… it's j-just, I watched every one of you official matches ever since you first appeared in the Kalos Conference, a-and I rooted for you all the time, a-and now you're here, a-and… ohmygosh I yelled at the Kalos Champion in public, because I thought he was one of these obstinate try-hards or loitering fan-boys..!"

Ash saw this as his cue to intervene, before the girl fully broke down.

"Katherine… Kate. It's all right. No hard feelings, really!" He hoped the panic in his voice wasn't too obvious.

"Really…?" Katherine sniveled, not fully convinced.

"Really." Ash reassured "Look, if my word isn't enough, would it make you feel better if we… I don't know, signed a peace treaty?"

"A peace treaty? Really?" Lucario giggled, but her trainer was currently not in the right mood for banter.

"I'm not good at this sort of stuff!" He bit back.

"Like… an autograph? You would do that?!" The expression of Korrina's apprentice switched from utter devastation to excitement in a whim, and the man held a small notebook and a pen in his hand before he even knew what was happening.

He recognized the pen, as it had been already used today to point at him accusingly.

"T-that's my personal notebook. Everything valuable anyone has ever said to me to grow as a trainer, I write down in there. I left the first page blank for something special… If you just signed there? I-I don't even need a dedication!"

As he looked at the tear-eyed girl that nearly had an emotional breakdown because of him, Ash decided that to this part of his job, he would never get used to.

He would, however, give his best to set a good example, so he began to write. After a few moments, he looked at the page, satisfied.

"Here you go. 'To Kate. Rarely have I been woken by a lovelier voice. The best advice I can give you is: Stand up if you fall, don't be ashamed to take help if you need it, and listen to your heart, for it knows what you truly desire. Love, Ash'."

"Who would have thought you were a poet on the inside? Good job though." Lucario praised, and Ash felt that she too was touched by his words.

"Oh, shush. I'm trying here!" Her trainer retorted, now in mock offense, still waiting for a reaction from the girl.

Kate took the notebook in her shaking hands, reading over every word again. Then with a sudden 'snap' she closed it shut and looked – first at Ash then at Korrina.

With a hoarse voice she uttered: "E-excuse me, I got to go. I might pass out otherwise." And then she was off, the notebook tightly clasped against her chest all the way.

Ash gazed after his young admirer until she disappeared into the corridor that led back up to the main hall.

"I'm sorry, but did you just break my apprentice?" Korrina voiced incredulously, after she had overcome her initial state of shock. "What do you know? Ash Ketchum knows all the wrong buttons to push on his female devotees!"

The Champion blushed lightly, glad that the tension in the room finally decreased.

"I guess you pick up a thing or two when half your mail consists of marriage proposals made by girls half your age." He admitted, feeling oddly shy at the sudden.

Korrina spluttered a few times, trying to maintain her serious expression, before she gave up and cracked up with laughter.

"Oh, tell me about it!" She exclaimed, wiping a few tears from her eyes "There was this trainer, once. He literally proposed to me every other day. I think he even lost in the arena on purpose to have a reason to stay around. When he started to get touchy though, Lucario lost it and shattered his kneecap with a Bone Rush."

"Oh, darn!" Ash bit his lip, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from rising. The story was just too funny, especially after Korrina's Lucario stood up and struck a heroic pose, no regrets whatsoever.

He earned himself an (was it admiring?) smile from his female guest – sense of justice worked a bit different amongst Pokémon, and even Ash wondered if maybe the guy had deserved his fate – at least a little bit.

"In the end, I had to pay a huge fine and now have a police file because of 'aggravated battery with a Pokémon', but the guy never showed up on my doorstep again, sooo… I still count it as a win! Even though it set us back quite a bit in grandpa's training."

The champion now shamelessly joined into his hostess' laughter.

The image of how Gurkinn must have looked when he walked into the arena; his granddaughter doing her best to hold back a furious Lucario, while at their feet lay a crying challenger, rolling in the dirt – it was just too funny.

To you it may not seem like much, but to Ash, this here situation was far from normal. His usual days had been far more serious since he joined the ranks of the Pokémon League. Even encounters with his old friends had somehow become a lot more formal than he wished them to be.

It only made him cherish the light mood with Korrina and her Lucario all the more.

"Whew… you sure know how to get us sidetracked, don't you Ash?" The young blonde blew her fringe out of her field of view, as the quartet slowly recovered from their outburst.

"Oh, so I'm the bad guy now? Must I remind you that I'm not the one with the criminal record here, Lady Korrina?" The trainer taunted back.

Korrina leaned into her armchair with a smug expression, imitating stereotypical crime lords when she crossed her legs and interlocked her fingers.

"That's right Mister Ketchum, and I'm still dying to hear your story. So you better start to come clean, or I'll be forced to resort to more… unconventional methods."

Ash smirked and held up his hands in defeat.

"Thanks, but I'd rather spill before I have my knees shattered." He threw a quick glance back in the direction of the entrance, almost expecting to be interrupted again. After the interference failed to appear, he began to explain.

He decided to start from the beginning, telling Korrina what happened after he had left Shalour City all this time ago and how he had obtained his Key-Stone and the Lucarionite, shortening the bits the woman would already know either from the news or from live-transmissions of the battles he participated in on TV.

He then went into detail about the 'condition' he and his Lucario shared. Korrina, due to her upbringing, was naturally intrigued by everything that involved Mega-evolution.

Ash caught her nodding in intervals, deep in thought, only interrupting her guest a few times to look something up in a few ancient-looking books, or to go into detail on certain bits and pieces of the story. Ash could easily reply to her questions by forwarding answers his partner gave him through their Aura-link.

"Wow." Korrina concluded. It would later turn out that almost three hours had passed since Ash started with his statement.

"So you could talk to Lucario in actual words from the point you first linked. That's rare -unheard of, to be exact. Certain Pokémon are able to communicate with humans through words, sure… but for a trainer and his partner to achieve this deep a connection without the proper mutations? It normally takes decades, if they ever succeed. It's exactly what Lucario and I have set as our next goal, so I hope you forgive me if I'm a little jealous. The only word he ever sent me as of yet was 'hungry' after a seven-mile-run!"

Ash chuckled and looked at his blue-furred companion with a friendly gaze.

"She really is one-of-a-kind. I mean, I already had a deep connection with her father, but the first time she tugged at my shirt, her Aura knocked me right out of my socks. I sometimes think she knows me better than I do."

"You better believe it, buddy." The Lucario whispered into his mind and Ash tried to ignore the suggestive grin he picked up in the corner of his eye.

"I know exactly what you mean." Korrina concurred with a smile, eyeing her partner herself.

"Now about your 'condition', as you call it. It's just as exceptional as everything about you two. Though, if you ask me, it's not directly caused by the progress of your bond. It's more about your Lucario's peculiar Aura itself. Instead of channeling and making her focus on her enemies during Mega-evolution, she seems to pick up all environmental influences with an unnaturally high sensibility. To manage this sensory overload, however, you will have an important role to fill as her trainer."

"Uh-hum. Don't mind me sitting here, stroking my chin as if I just understood a word you said." Ash responded in a dry voice.

"Alright, silly." Korrina groaned with a giggle "Lucario can't handle everything she is experiencing by herself, so you have to help out. Simple enough?"

"Simple enough. And how would I do that?" The Champion inquired, now back in the picture.

"Ah, don't worry, I know more than a few methods – some better than others." Korrina waved off.

She seemed to contemplate something, before she leaned forward in her chair, supporting her chin with her hands, elbows set on the desk underneath her.

There was an unsettling glint in her eyes – one he had seen before.

"Now there is but one question left for me to ask and for you to answer-" Something in the way Korrina had said that made the male gulp in discomfort "Why exactly are you here, Ash Ketchum?"

"Oh, dang!" Lucario, of course, was quick to voice his fears "She read you just like I did! As if you were nothing but one of these dumb, colorful gossip magazines!"

"What do I do now?!" Ash panicked, not caring about upholding his disguise at the moment.

"What do you do? I have no idea! But I know what I will do: Lean back… and enjoy the show."

The Champion only showed his irritation by making one blink slightly longer than usual.

Korrina must have picked this up as an indicator that 'dense little Ash' hadn't caught onto what she was getting at. Of course he had – those days were long gone.

"Come on Ash, you are the Champion, for Arceus' sake! The League would gladly throw all their best counselors at you if you just asked! Still, you came here. You even camped on my doormat." She leaned in even further "Why, Ash? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

'Get a grip, man', he told himself. 'You're grown up. She's playing with you, and what do you do with someone who plays with you?' He opened his eyes again, now wearing a light smirk.

'You join the game.'

The young man now leaned forward, too, mimicking the position of Korrina.

"Well…" he began, clearing his throat "let's just say I remembered the… sights of Shalour City to be quite lovely, this time of year. Maybe I wanted to use my little excursion… to make sure they still are? I have to say, they're even more beautiful than I remember."

The silence that hung in the air was only interrupted by the female Lucario clasping her hands together in glee, and her male counterpart dropping his Poképuff in sheer shock.

"That's a bold strategy, Ash; let's see if it pays off for you!" Lucario commented and Ash could only agree.

He HAD been bold - a little too bold maybe?

Korrina still held her pose, now with eyes wide open and a bright blush on her face – that certainly had not been the answer she expected from an Ash Ketchum.

She slowly started to lean back, holding eye-contact all the while, until she was blocked in her retreat by the backrest of her armchair.

That made her somehow snap out of her perplexed condition. She quickly averted her glance, the blush still plainly visible.

Ash thought he heard her mumble something like "Well, that answers that question" before she jumped up, slamming the furniture she sat on into the wall behind her.

"ALRIGHT!" Korrina exclaimed, maybe a little too loud and hasty to rate her emotional situation as only exited "Come on now, Ash! We have people to go and places to meet!"

"… What?"

"Yup! You guys want the fastest and most efficient way to get a grip on Lucario's Mega-evolution, right? Mabel should know what to do – she always does! Let's go! Lucario, grab my backpack!"

It was now Ash's turn to be dumbfounded as he watched Korrina rush through the room, throwing several utensils necessary for a camping trip in the rough direction of her blue-furred partner, who tried to catch them all in a red backpack.

"You're coming with us?" Ash asked over the sound of the turmoil around him. The blonde Gym-leader slammed one of her drawers shut and looked up.

"Of course! I-I mean… I wouldn't want to miss out on the claim to have helped the Champion's Lucario master Mega-evolution, right? Come on, no time to waste, low-tide's almost here! Switch off the light when you leave!" And with that she was out the door, everybody else trying hard to keep up with her pace.

"I think someone can hardly wait to spend some alone-time with you!" Lucario noted.

"I think I broke her, too!" Ash moaned in response, as he rushed up the corridor behind Korrina.

"KATE! I'll be gone for a few days! The arena is yours for the time being! Bye!"

"WHAT?! W-wait! What about your appointments?! I'm not even ready for that kind of responsibility yet!" echoed the incredulous voice of Katherine from some hallway.

"Don't worry about it, I'll ring up grandpa to help you out! I have faith in you! See you later!" The blonde had practically already left the building as she yelled the last sentence, but it didn't matter to her.

"Oh, I can't wait to see where this is going to end!"