A/N: I don't have much to say this time except "oh my god, I've actually made it halfway through the list, I might just complete this yet."
As always, enjoy, and reviews are loved. Thanks for sticking with me through 50 moments of stupid fluff :D

EDIT: Apparently I managed to not paste Shiver into the actual upload. ~_~;; Oops. Thank you so much to partner555 for catching that!

Only the Best Wishes
Lyraeon

46: Electricity

The joke had been made, more than once, that Ash was secretly a Ground-type. This was based entirely on the fact he'd survived innumerable shocks from Pikachu by now, amongst other damage that would have sent an average person to the hospital, if they survived at all. Pikachu seemed to have learned Ash's exact tolerance levels over the years, and the two's joking mock battles had become a common occurrence, to the point that the joke had also extended to declaring Ash quite a high level, with accompanying ribs about whether or not he was planning on taking on the next gym alone, and what moves he knew.

One night over dinner, the joke got extended again, but in a different direction. Iris suddenly pondered what type Cilan would be, if Ash was a Ground-type. She had been quick to add that there was no question she was a Dragon-type, especially given her own aversion to cold, and that the matter wasn't up for discussion. Cilan had discussed it anyway, posing the possibility that, despite her cold aversion, she might be a Fighting-type, as she had the best reflexes and constitution of the trio - a suggestion she begrudgingly accepted as her secondary typing, if only to move the conversation along.

Cilan had gone on to explain that he considered himself a Grass-type, the same as Pansage, at least in comparison to his brothers. But as a Connoisseur, he had come to think of himself as a Normal-type, because he had to adapt to so many situations and had learned such a variety of talents.

Ash had taken the conversation as a chance to finally set the record straight on his own typing. "If I were a Ground-type, electric moves wouldn't hurt me at all," he pointed out. "But they don't hurt too bad, so I'm probably an Electric-type too, just like Pikachu."

He was taken aback when the others spent several minutes lecturing him on what other types shared that characteristic - coincidentally their own preferred types of Dragon and Grass - before realizing the irony in their arguments and flopping into a laugh-filled group hug.

"Maybe you're an Ice-type, since you're super effective against us both," Cilan joked, setting a kiss on Ash's temple.

One glance at Iris's face told both boys that she would fight that notion tooth and nail, though, and Ash let out another laugh. "No, I'm pretty sure I'm Electric."

47: Shiver

She's shivering from the moment she wakes up, before the tent door is even peeled over or she even gets more than a shoulder out of her sleeping bag. Axew is far past shivering; he's buried somewhere behind her knees, and she'd be bothered by the way his tusks poke her, but she's too jealous of how much warmer than her he must be to care.

Winter has come early to Unova. It's only early October but last night the flakes began falling during dinner, leaving both of them running, shrieking, into the tent after only a few bites.

She rolls slightly, pushing her back into Cilan through two layers of Ducklette down, and she swears that even through all of that she can feel his warmth. It's not surprising; back in August those same silk pajamas were a source of torment for him, causing him to sweat his way through most nights, though he never complained out loud.

Iris reaches one arm out, trying to pull Ash into the nest, eager for another hour of rest and warmth despite the glow seeping through the tent's canvas. But her fingers find only empty space, and when she finally wills her eyes open, she realizes she can hear his laughter outside, in between crunching footsteps.

A snowball splatters against the side of the tent and she shivers again, burrowing deeper into her refuge. This – the cold, the ice, the cold, the snow, and had she mentioned the cold – is the one thing Iris refuses to let even Ash's never-ending boyish charm convince her to like.

If only he didn't sound so damned happy out there.

48: Hard

Cilan's ability to change his battle style and level depending on his opponent was unparalled, not just amongst the trio but indeed amongst anyone Ash had ever encountered. He'd had plenty of practice not only as a Gym Leader but also as a Connoisseur, as both jobs required him to test the full ability and potential of anyone he challenged.

This ability had come in handy when it came time for Ash to train for the Unova League, and while Pansage was his best partner for exploiting his changeable skill level, Cilan had quickly demonstrated that he could bring out hidden talent in even borrowed pokemon, using Iris's and even Ash's own pokemon against him in training battles.

He'd warned Ash against taking on his own Charizard, suggesting instead that he be the one to command Charizard against Pikachu, or another equally plausible matchup. Even Dragonite seemed like a better idea to the Gym Leader, as while he was more powerful, he was less capable of channeling that strength repeatedly.

But Ash was willing to do anything to be sure he was ready for the League, and the battle had commenced anyway.

Charizard had been the one to call the match early, sitting down and refusing - for the first time in three years - to listen to anything Ash had to say. He'd taken down four of Ash's pokemon singlehandedly, even while holding back as Cilan had commanded, and after Iris and Axew had left to avoid continuing to watch the slaughter, he'd decided enough was enough.

Ash had flopped over and shouted at the sky in a rage, frustrated at his perceived lack of control over his own team. "Why is training so hard?!" he complained, only to have Cilan and Charizard drop beside him.

"It's always hardest when you're an inch from your goal," Cilan promised, casting him a grin. "But it'll be easier if you have the right team."

Charizard's grin was terrifying in its own right, but when he saw it, suddenly Ash realized that his championship was in sight.

49. Laughter

Cilan had led a happy life, most certainly. He loved his brothers and his customers at the cafe, and most of all he loved being a connoisseur, though being a gym leader tended to take a bite out of that.

He wasn't honestly sure he'd ever had this much fun before. From the moment he left town with Ash and Iris, his life was one constant stream of energy and action. There was no such thing as a dull or quiet moment anymore. Any bad moments were over quickly, ended through the strange brand of camaraderie that Ash seemed to inspire not just in his companions, but in everyone that they met along their journey.

He couldn't honestly remember the last time a full day had gone by without something happening that made him smile - and not just any smile, but the kind that came from the sort of happiness that overflows from your heart until you just can't contain your laughter anymore.

Maybe he'd known from the start that this was why he wanted to go with them. It certainly felt, in retrospect, like the reason Iris seemed like the perfect third to his pair. Either she or Ash on their own was already a constant source of smiles, but once they were together, there was always something to laugh about.

50. Ache

Iris can forgive Ash for never giving in to the ache. He's so young and innocent and polite and above all idiotic that she can believe he doesn't feel it, or at least, if he does, he doesn't know what to do with it.

It's Cilan she can't forgive, and whom she punishes on those nights, staying on his lap a little too long, moving her hips a little too much, stealing extra kisses after Ash has gone to bed.

She doesn't care what her age is or what the law is. She knows that there's a heat and tightness in her belly that follows when she spends too long breathing them in, one that makes clothes unbearable and the boys' lips seem to glisten just a little too clearly in the fire light. An ache that no amount of squirming can make go away, no matter how tightly she presses the seam of her leggings to herself.

Usually she tries to take Cilan's advice, to ignore it and just go to sleep. Those are the nights where she wakes up too tired and too restless the next day. She's doubly mad at him for not putting two and two together and realizing that her exhausted mornings and longing nights always go hand in hand.

She wants to just shun him, to ignore his authority, cut out the middleman, and just tell Ash about the ache. To ask him to help her with it, since Cilan is clearly never going to, since he seems so capable of tolerating it on his own. Of course, maybe it's different for boys, since he always seems chipper as ever those mornings. Maybe Ash does feel it, and he just goes to sleep despite it like the connoisseur keeps suggesting she do.

Somehow, she doubts it. Even if he is older than her, there's something in his kisses that tells her Ash hasn't felt it yet.

And so she vows that, unlike Cilan, she'll indulge Ash when the ache awakens in him, and then, somehow, they'd all be even.