Ch.13: Never Forget:

Author's note:

Surprise! Early update! I can only describe this piece of writing awesomeness as a sudden burst of inspiration. Now, I'm just going to make this short since I'm super excited for you all to read this chapter. Please leave your comments on my writing and this chapter in the reviews. Like I always say, I enjoy the feedback. Enjoy!

The most precious moments in life are like photos in an album. Captured and saved, forever instilled in our memories.

10:00pm, Base Camp, Eve's POV:

"Hey Flare! How'd you get here so fast?!" I asked the vulpix as I ran up to her. She frowned as she saw me, quite to my confusion.

"You took a dungeon route didn't you?" She asked me as I walked up.

I nodded. "Yeah. The dungeons were pretty easy, but it was pretty fun leading the team through them. Why?"

Her face gained a look of realization. "So that's why you're late." She smiled. "Guess I can't blame you though. You do love exploring."

"Of course. Even if there was a faster route, I still would've chosen the one we took. Exploring dungeons is way more awesome than being early. Especially if I get to be the leader. Maybe I'll just have to take over Austin's role."

Flare and I shared a laugh. "Yeah, well I seriously doubt Austin is willing to give up that position of his. You're going to have to compete for it."

I smirked. "Heh, well seeing as he's later than we are, I'd say I'm a more awesome leader than he is. Anyway, how's planning going? All set for exploring, cause we gotta hurry. The other teams have a head start!"

Flare sighed. "Yes Eve, we're all set. So I'm guessing you want to team up?"

"Yeah! We gotta have as many of us as possible so we can solve this mystery ourselves!"

Flare gave a nod and turned to our other teammates. "Drew, you have everything?"

He took a second to check his bag before nodding his head in confirmation. "Yeah. Everything we'll need has been packed. We should be ready to go."

I walked up to Luke a smirked. "So Luke. How's the girlfriend working out?" I teased him.

He blushed. "Umm. We're doing great Eve... Why?"

I smiled. "Just wondering how my bro's doing with love. Not much."

"Well he's doing just fine. Though sometimes he tends to try a little too hard. I find it rather cute actually." She laughed, causing Luke to blush even more.

"Alright guys, that's enough teasing. Eve, are you ready? I think you should lead." Flare chimed in.

"Oh yeah! That's right! But why me?" I asked her. No one had actually asked me to lead the whole team before. I just kinda did it the last time.

"Well I just figured you'd want to since Austin's not here. You up for it?" She asked.

"Yes! Alright guys, let's hurry up and find that lake! If I'm leading, there's no way anyone else is finding it!" I told the group as we made our way for the dungeon.

Inside Dungeon - Foggy Forest:

"Ugh... What's with all of this fog?" I complained once we entered the forest dungeon. The whole area was covered in a super thick layer of fog, and we could only see a couple of inches in front of us, so nearly every time we came across a wall we had to feel along it until we came to the next pathway or else we'd smash our faces in.

"Well Chatot did say it was called Foggy Forest. Don't see a reason why it wouldn't be called that." Luke replied. I then felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey Eve, can I talk to you for a second?"

It was Luke, and he seemed like he was trying to keep his voice down. "Uhh, yeah sure. Why?"

He looked around for a second before looking down. "It's about Esuna. I think I love her."

I gave him an odd look. "Umm... Yeah... Isn't that kind of obvious?"

He shrugged. "Heh, yeah I guess so. It's just that... I want Esuna to feel special and everything. You know, like how Austin makes Ally feel and stuff."

I smiled. "Well that's good."

He sighed. "But it's easier said than done. I...I'm not so good at this kind of stuff. Before Esuna, I had barely even spoken to any girls besides family and Flare. I don't know what they're like. I mean, whenever I make a mistake, Esuna just laughs. I don't understand. Is my embarrassment fun or something?"

I laughed. "Luke, I don't think that's what it's about. She's laughing because she thinks you're funny, not because you're embarrassed. And you don't need to understand all girls in order to make Esuna feel special. You just have to know her."

"I'm funny? What about my mistakes is funny?"

"Ok, so she has a strange sense of humor. The point is, if she's laughing, you did something right. Don't get discouraged if she does. And I've seen you make romantic stuff up with your magic before. Why don't you do that for Esuna?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. It's just that when I'm around her, I just can't help but get anxious about something going wrong. I want our first date to be perfect."

I laughed. "Luke, I really think you're just rushing it a bit. It'll work out if you just be patient. It doesn't even have to be perfect. Even a walk counts as a date ya know." I smiled encouragingly as I put my paw on his shoulder. "Don't worry bro, she's not gonna leave you if you mess up a date. She really likes you. I can tell."

He smiled. "Thanks Eve. By the way, how's it going with Alex?"

I looked at him a bit shocked. "How do you know about that?!"

"Come on. It's obvious. Everyone knows it. I'm surprised you haven't gotten together yet." He replied.

I looked down. "Oh... Well... Maybe soon..."

By the time our conversation ended, we had reached the third floor. That's when the population of resident pokemon started to increase, and they didn't seem to be affected by the fog in the slightest. Perhaps it was the fact that they had been living in this fog every day. One thing's for sure, they were giving us trouble.

At one point I got the great idea of dashing around in a circle with quick attack to disperse the fog. The idea worked, and the fog was lifted to reveal that we had been in the center of an ambush the entire time. "Wow, ok Flare. You and Drew take that section over there. Luke and Esuna, you take that one over there. Alex and I will take this section I guess." They all nodded in agreement.

In front of us were a collection of about fifteen pokemon ranging from cherubi to zigzagoon. I gave a nod towards Alex before rushing forward towards the first pokemon I saw, a stantler, and jumping slightly. Once I was in range, I pulled my arm back for a paw strike and slammed it into the stantler's head, knocking him straight back through the collection of pokemon and into the wall. On the way there, he crashed into several other pokemon, taking them along with him.

"Yes!" I exclaimed with the pump of my paw as Alex ran past me towards one of the pokemon that hadn't gotten hit. His target, a cherubi, tried to attack him with an energy ball, but he dodged to the right just in time to counter with an iron tail that sent it packing, making contact with the rest of the pokemon and ending the fight. Once he made his way back, we gave each other a high three and turned to help the others. However, they had also taken care of their sections of attackers by the time we did so.

"Alright, good. Looks like we're getting better at this." I smiled in excitement. "Let's hurry up and finish this dungeon!" I exclaimed and was about to run ahead when a red-orange gleam caught my eye. I immediately stopped and turned to see an odd red stone that seemed to be glowing. "Ooh! I found something!" I ran towards it and picked it up to find that it was emitting a warm pulse of heat. "And it's warm."

"Hmm?" Alex sounded. "Is it some kind of stone?"

I nodded. "It looks so awesome! This just has to be connected to something!" I exclaimed excitedly as I placed it inside Alex's bag. "Second most awesome rock ever!"

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about the relic fragment." Alex stated, bringing up old memories. "Where do you keep that anyway?"

"You may never know." I gave him a flirtatious wink before turning around and walking towards the next path. "Come on guys, let's hurry up and go."

After that, not much else happened. We continued on through the dungeon as usual, running into the occasional enemy here and there. Dealing with the resident pokemon was made easy due to my new quick attack strategy, and we no longer had to take it slow in order to avoid crashing.

Eventually we began to hear rushing sounds just like that of the waterfall we had been to a while back, and a second after that, we came upon a decently sized clearing with a large, beaten up statue at the far end of it. There was a heavy amount of fog in the area, but no matter how many times I tried, my strategy just couldn't lift it.

"Aww man." I let out as I panted. "There's just no end to this fog..."

Flare sighed. "Well the dungeon took us here. There should be something here we have to look for. Drew, you see anything with that odd vision of yours?"

He shook his head. "No, not with all of this fog. I can't see a thing."

Alex looked to the statue in thought. "Let's get a closer look at that statue." But I was already on it.

The statue seemed to be a complete monument of Groudon. Austin and Ally had faced him a while back, so I knew quite well what he looked like from Ally's description of him. What I couldn't figure out was how this connected to the mystery. I walked around the monument so I could see the rest of it, before spotting a carved inscription on its side. "Ugh... Footprint Ruins..."

Alex was right behind me, studying the inscription as well. Apparently, he was a lot faster at this stuff. "Wait. Aren't you supposed to be proficient in that language? That should be good right?" He asked.

I turned to him with a frown. "Well yeah, it is. But it's so boring. Even if it is ancient, it's so annoying to translate and I haven't even practiced it in a long time." I complained as I turned around to read. "Hmm... Drought Stone... Chest of the statue?" I contemplated over the words for a second. I couldn't even read most of it because it was so ancient and most of it had been worn away. "Wait a minute. I think it says to put whatever this Drought Stone thingy is into this statue's chest! Alex, let me see my rock."

Alex didn't hesitate. He took out the strange rock and handed it to me as I walked around the front of the statue where I saw a huge hole in its chest. "Heh, awesome! I knew this rock did something. Hey Alex, can ya help me up there?"

I thought I saw Alex blush as he walked over to me and picked me up, holding me so I could get close enough to the statue to put the rock in place. Once I finally did however, the eyes of the statue flashed red, catching us both off guard and causing us to crash to the ground. Luckily, I landed on top of Alex.

"Umm guys, maybe we shouldn't be here right now." They all agreed as we took off away from the statue. By the time we had gotten about halfway across the clearing, the entire area suddenly flashed white with light and temporarily blinded us.

The light cleared after about a second, and when it did the fog had been lifted. I looked up in awe. "Wow! Hahah! That's so awesome! Guys, you gotta look up! It looks like a giant cup!"

They all looked at me funny. "A giant cup?" Alex asked.

I sighed. "Just look up. The sight's amazing! I think the top of the cup thing is the lake."

They all looked up with the same expression of wonder I had. "Wow... That's pretty high up. I'm guessing we're gonna have to climb that structure somehow. My bet's on that path up ahead. There must be a dungeon of some sort leading to the lake." Alex theorized.

I looked over at the statue for a second, which had since stopped glowing, the stone nowhere to be seen. "Man, I wanted to keep that stone..." I sighed. "So, who's gonna go back and inform the others about this? I mean, obviously no one else has found this and it wouldn't exactly be fair to just leave them behind."

Flare nodded. "Drew, Luke. I think you two should go. Esuna and I will go with Alex and Eve to explore the area ahead."

While she was explaining, I noticed Luke had a slightly reluctant look on his face. I frowned. "Actually Flare, maybe you could go with Drew and Luke could come with us and Esuna. Sound ok?"

Flare gave me a confused look but nodded all the same. "I guess that'll be fine. You guys be careful." She replied before she and Drew left the way we had come.

Luke walked up to me and smiled. "Thanks."

I gave him a wink. "No problem bro." I smiled as I gave him a half hug. I then turned to face Alex and Esuna. "Alright, let's go."

"Whoahoho there! Not so fast!" Said someone from off to the side. I immediately recognized the voice and frowned as Team Skull entered the clearing, blocking our path.

"What do you want Team Skull? We're in a hurry." I asked them in a bored tone.

Skuntank laughed. "Oh! So the little wimp's in a hurry I see. Well then, why don't we help you with that? And of course by help, I mean we'll be taking it from here. You four should just scurry on back before you get hurt."

Instead of letting them get to me, I decided to have a little fun with them. I already knew their strategy, so why not? "Get hurt? I don't see a way for us to get hurt. I'm sure we'll be fine."

Skuntank's wide grin lessened a bit. "Really? A wimp like you wouldn't last ten seconds in the dungeon that's ahead. I'm surprised you even made it this far."

I smiled. "There's a dungeon ahead? So you must've seen it? What's it like huh? Is it awesome?! Are there a lot of secrets and stuff?!" I replied, intentionally ignoring his response whilst trying to hold back a laugh from my own.

His expression was priceless. "Why you! That's it, you asked for it! No holding back Koffing! Let's hit them with the combo!"

I smirked as they got into formation. "Get ready to jump out of the way guys."

The others nodded just as Skuntank and Koffing launched their attack. Instead of jumping out of the way, I leapt straight over the cloud of gas and pulled back my arm. I waited until I was directly in front of them before I dived straight down and slammed my paw into the ground as hard as I could. The ground in turn produced a shockwave as a huge crater formed, huge cracks and fissures expanding out from it in every direction as they shifted, turning the once flat surface of the clearing into a jagged mess. Once the rumbling stopped, I looked up at Team Skull with a wide smirk on my face. They looked terrified as they took in what I had done.

"Not much of a wimp now am I?" I smiled. Skuntank tried his hardest to suppress his fear, turning it into a mere smirk.

"Heh, so you managed to avoid our combo huh? Well, you won't get so lucky next time. Let's go you two! Move out!" He ordered as they ran for the hills.

I laughed after they were gone. "That was so awesome! Ya can't trick Evening Grace twice! Hahah!"

The others walked up to me after my short celebration. "Nice job Eve. You really gave them a run for their money." Esuna laughed. "How did you do that anyway?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I don't know my own strength. Really comes in handy though." I replied. "Anyway, now we can actually continue with the expedition. Hopefully there aren't any more distractions."

Alex nodded. "We better hurry then. Anything could happen on an expedition like this."

"Right! Let's get to that Lake guys! Come on!" I shouted as I ran ahead. "Yeah!"

Outside Dungeon - Steam Cave:

Just down the path from the clearing was a giant rocky structure that led up to the lake. The same one we had seen from the clearing, so Alex was right about having to climb it. The cool thing about it was that it seemed to be like a hot spring. There were hot, steamy water pools all around it and steam was rising in great amounts near the entrance to what looked to be a cave. "Heh, awesome! It's probably really hot in there."

"That's good. It'll be a relief to get out of the cold." Alex commented. I nodded. The weather hadn't been too nice lately. It was freezing outside. This cave would be nice.

"It's cold? Huh, never noticed." Esuna chimed in.

I sighed and turned around. "That's because you're a vulpix Esuna."

"Oh yeah..." She laughed. "Never mind." She looked around us at the cave. "So, are we gonna head out or not?"

I shivered as a freezing wind blew by us. "Ok, yeah. Let's go before the wind turns us into vanillite." I joked before dashing into the cave.

Inside Dungeon - Steam Cave:

"Man, I was right! It really is hot in here!" I exclaimed, happy to be out of the cold. The same couldn't be said for Esuna however, who immediately started panting upon entering the dungeon.

"Yeah... You're telling me..." She said through pants.

Luke looked at her nervously. "Umm... Here Esuna, take this..." He said as he held out what looked to be a blue scarf.

Esuna looked at it with confusion in her expression. "That's a scarf Luke. How's that gonna help?"

Luke continued to hold the scarf out for her however. "Just...feel it..." He told her nervously.

Esuna decided not to question it as she reached out to feel the scarf, still panting. Once she did so however, a surprised look hit her face. "It's cold... Luke, is this a Glacier Cape?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah... I had it made into a scarf after I got it from a trade... I thought it would help you if you ever got too hot..."

At that Esuna smiled and hugged him. "Thank you Luke!" She pulled back and kissed him on the cheek. "It's wonderful."

I had to hold back a laugh as I saw how red Luke was. Even more so when Esuna asked him to help her put the scarf on.

"Heheh, alright. Let's get going before the others catch up to us." I spoke up before walking ahead.

Compared to the last dungeon, this one seemed to be even more lively, with residents attacking at practically every corner. They seemed to be stronger here as well, which turned out to be a bit of a problem when it came to time.

"Ugh, how many of these guys are there?" I sighed as I batted away a numel. We were only a few floors up and there was most likely a midpoint in this dungeon.

"Who knows? It's a mystery dungeon. No one even knows where the resident pokemon come from when they attack." Esuna replied after using flamethrower to knock out a snubbull.

"Come to think of it, I've never thought about that. Does anyone even study these places?" Alex asked.

"Not that I know of. From what I've gathered, what we know about dungeons has been learned through the experience of teams." Esuna replied.

"Well that's not such a bad thing to me. If we knew more about dungeons, it would ruin the mystery." I commented as we advanced.

Time Skip - 1 Hour:

After about an hour, we reached the midpoint of the dungeon and decided to take a break.

I sighed in relief as I sat back against a wall. "Alex, how many floors do you think are left?"

Alex checked his wrist-badge, which promptly lit up with a holographic display. "Hmm... Well it can't tell exactly how many, but there aren't too many left."

So far, this had been the most difficult dungeon I had ever been in. "Ahh... Well if that's true, we don't need to rest for long. So what do you think this lake looks like?"

Esuna shook her head. "Who knows? Nobody's ever gotten this close to seeing it in person but the guardian, Uxie. Even if you did manage to reach it, you wouldn't remember since she has the ability to wipe your memory of the place."

My ears perked up at that. "Wait! This Uxie person can wipe memories?! Then maybe she knows something about Alex."

Alex shook his head. "I doubt it. Esuna just said that Uxie only wipes memories of the lake, although it is strange that I've felt like I've been here before ever since I set foot here."

I looked at him in surprise. "You think you've been here before?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

He shrugged. "I thought it was just a feeling of deja vu. It's lasted far too long to be just that now. I honestly don't know though. I still haven't regained any memories."

I sighed. "Well it's something at least. If we're gonna figure out who you were, we're gonna need everything we can get." I said as I twirled my paw around in the dirt and rocks. "Man, it's actually great to get away from all of the magic and stuff for once." I smiled and stood up. "So, you guys ready for the second stretch?"

They all nodded and we continued into the second section of the dungeon. This half wasn't nearly as hard as the last, as surprising as that is. That of course meaning that there weren't as many residents as before. We were able to quickly make our way through the floors, and had made it to the top within ten minutes.

Fogbound Lake Clearing:

Upon exiting, we arrived in a clearing that seemed to continue further on like a path. "Ooh! Who wants to bet the lake's down that path?!" I asked, a bit of excitement gripping at my voice.

"I would think so. It's the only path up here. Or at least that's what we can see anyway." Alex replied.

I looked on in excitement before attempting to run ahead, but an extremely loud roar stopped me dead in my tracks. "What the?! What was that?!" I asked as the ground began to shake.

What I saw next was the most awesome thing I had ever seen. Or at least it would've been if Ally hadn't already told me about it. Regardless, it still excited me. Right in front of me was Groudon of all pokemon.

"What's Groudon doing here?!" I heard Esuna exclaim over my shoulder.

"I don't know but it's awesome!" I replied, getting into a fighting position. "It's clear that he wants a fight though." I smirked as I stated up at him, seemingly prompting another roar out of the giant pokemon. Then without a second to object, Groudon attempted to hit me with a slash attack.

Before he could do so however, I jumped high above it and pulled my arm back as far as I could. Once I was directly in front of his head, I swung it back around and connected hard with his face. The result was a huge shockwave that forced Groudon back a few feet before he...burst into pieces of rock?

I stared on with disbelief as I landed, looking at the pile of rocks that was formerly Groudon. "What?! What happened?!" I asked out loud before staring down at my paw. "Oh no..." I said as I plopped down onto the ground. "It can't be..."

"What is it Eve?" Alex asked me, sounding a bit worried.

"I'm...too awesome!" I exclaimed, making the whole group behind me face-palm in disbelief. "I killed Groudon because I was too awesome! Man, I knew I shouldn't have taken those extra punching lessons..."

I felt Alex's hand on my back. "Eve, it's pretty obvious that the Groudon you hit wasn't real." He laughed. "Though you would make a pretty good actress."

I looked up. "It wasn't real?! How?! What is there some sort of projector around here or something?" I asked as I walked over to a wall and poked it, only to end up poking something invisible instead.

"Hey now! I am not a projector!" Shouted a voice from in front of me as a figure came into view. It had a pale body with two tails and a yellow helmet-like head. It's eyes were closed however, so I couldn't get a good look at them.

"Then what and who are you then?" I asked the newcomer, who frowned as I asked the question.

The newcomer hovered to the center of the clearing before speaking. "I am Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake, NOT a projector. However, I did make this Groudon illusion."

"So you are a projector!" I joked, quite to Uxie's annoyance.

Uxie crossed his arms. "Now tell me. What is your reason for coming here? I should let you know, I cannot allow anyone access to the Lake."

"What?! No fair! We just wanted to see the lake. Besides, our entire guild is following us, so if we fail at this it'll be really disappointing." I complained.

Alex came to stand by my side. "We're not here to steal anything if that's what you're worried about. We're on an expedition to find the lake. That's it."

Uxie flew up close to me and seemed to examine me with his eyes closed. "Hmm. Well aren't you quite the pure one?" He commented as he returned to his original position. "Alright then. If you do not seek the destruction of this place, I see no reason why you can't at least see the lake. Follow me." He instructed as he floated off down the pathway.

We exchanged glances before following him.

Midnight, Fogbound Lake:

After a short walk, Uxie led us onto a strip of land surrounded by the waters of the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. It was super late, so the darkness of the night made the sight even better. In the sky were hundreds of different colored lights, later identified by Uxie as volbeat and illimuse. They all flew around what looked to be a huge, colorfully illuminated geyser at the center of the lake. At the center of which was a blue, strange looking object that I couldn't quite make out through the rushing water. The water itself was a pure blue, which reflected everything above it like a mirror against the night sky.

I ran up to the edge of the rocky platform with pure excitement in my eyes as I gazed at the scene in awe. "Wow! This lake's so beautiful! No wonder you want to protect it." I said excitedly as I focused on on the geyser, attempting to see what was inside of it. "Hey Uxie? What's that in the center of the geyser?"

Uxie looked as if he had been expecting that sort of question all along. "Ahh. Well, that right there is a very vital relic called the time gear."

I looked at him questioningly. "What's a time gear?" By that time, the others had joined me.

Uxie nodded at my confusion. "I understand your confusion. They aren't very well known. But the time gears are very important relics that help regulate the flow of time. Without them, the flow of time would surely cease to exist."

"What?! So you mean that without the time gears, there would be no time?" I asked, a bit surprised.

Uxie nodded. That is the real reason why I guard this lake. To protect the time gear. If someone were to remove it from the lake, time here would stop and eventually spread." He replied. "It's quite beautiful isn't it?"

I looked forward, trying to get a glimpse of the time gear. Eventually my eyes focused in on an oddly shaped blue object with strange arrow patterns carved into it. "Yeah, it kinda is." I smiled.

Uxie nodded. "Well then, if you've no more questions I'll allow you to enjoy the scenery for as long as you'd like."

"That's wonderful!" Exclaimed someone from behind us. We all turned around to see Wigglytuff with a wide smile on his face. "We can't take a time gear, so looking out at this scenery makes this expedition a success!"

Uxie turned to me for answers as Wigglytuff walked up to the edge of the lake. "This is our guildmaster, Wigglytuff. He's a bit...straightforward..." I explained.

Wigglytuff turned towards Uxie. "Hello there! Nice to meet ya! Thank you for allowing us to see this wonderful scene!"

Uxie nodded. "I'm assuming there are more of you?"

As if on cue, everyone else arrived on spot. The others met up with us upon arriving. Flare seemed to be a bit wary of Uxie however, which I found strange.

"And that's everyone." Alex explained after everyone had settled in.

Uxie nodded once more. "Alright then." He turned towards the entire group. "I have decided to entrust your guild with the secret of this lake, should you promise to in turn never tell anyone about what you have seen here."

Every single one of us agreed with Uxie's terms, and he in turn left us to enjoy the scenery.

I myself had settled down at the edge of the lake, right where I had a clear view of the geyser. It in itself was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I sighed as I laid down and looked up at the night sky in peace.

"Mind if I join you?" Said someone to my right. I turned my head slightly to notice Alex sit down next to me.

I shook my head. "Go ahead." I replied with an inward smile. Alex had actually chosen to sit by me at a place like this! It was almost as if...

"So, was the expedition as thrilling as you expected it to be?" Alex asked, he himself gazing out at the scenery.

I nodded. "Yeah. I can't believe I actually found this place! Though I really could've gone without thinking I killed Groudon." I laughed. "Ya know... Laying down at the bank of this lake kinda reminds me of the nights I used to spend with my parents back at the pond in Pokemon Square. Things were so simple back then. It's almost like everything we've been through so far has been a dream..."

Alex nodded. "I get how you feel. I'd be lying if I said that all of this didn't feel like a dream." He laughed. "Being a pokemon seems pretty far fetched even now. But... I have to admit I like it so far..." He let out a sigh of content. "So, what are you gonna do next? You said you wanted to be the best."

I thought about it for a second. "Ya know honestly, I'm not sure. I think I'll just go with the flow for now on." I replied as I looked down at the gently flowing water. I looked up towards Alex. "Ya know, I never could've imagined doing any of this without you. You're the first person to ever inspire me to push past my fears and achieve whatever I want. Thank you Alex..."

Alex turned to me. "Eve, it wasn't me who did that. You did that all on your own." He smiled. "All you needed was a little push in the beginning. You're extremely confident and brave. Heck, you jumped out of a drifblim taxi because you wanted to get to a town early, and you always run ahead on missions because you're so excited about what you'll find." He laughed. "You're an explorer at heart, and you don't need anyone's help to be brave."

I looked up at him with a deep blush, as shocked as I had ever been. "You... You really think that?"

He nodded. "Of course I do. You're the most confident person I've ever met, and I just know that you'll achieve your goal of becoming the best. I have complete faith in you." He smiled.

At that point I was so happy that I couldn't control myself and ended up tackling Alex in a tight hug. "Thank you Alex! No one's ever said anything like that to me before! You're the most amazing friend ever!" I praised him as I repetitively nuzzled his face. Once I realized what I was doing however I pulled away slightly, a huge blush on my face. "S-s-sorry!"

To my surprise, Alex was actually laughing. "Heheh, it's ok." He smiled as he looked up at me. I looked down at him and straight into his eyes. Then everything froze. It was like someone had already removed the time gear and Alex and I were the only ones there. Alone where no one could bother us.

"I...I..." Was all I could say as I just stared down at him, at those beautiful blue eyes of his. A huge blush had adorned my cheeks as I shook my head to snap out of my trance. "I-It is?" I asked him as I returned to reality.

He nodded. "Yeah. You were just happy. I get it." He replied.

Then it just happened. I leaned forward, pressed my lips against his, closed my eyes and kissed him. Immediately it was like a firework had gone off in my head as a million thoughts raced through it at once. Then that too went as it felt like the world itself had stopped for that one moment as I enjoyed the kiss.

Eventually we had to break the kiss for air, seemingly bringing everything back to the way it was. The difference was, every eye in the entire area was now directly on us.

My face felt like it was on fire. "I uhh... So..."

He laughed nervously. "Yeah..."

There was a long period of silence between us as we just looked between each other before each of us decided it was time to break it.

"I love you!" We both shouted at the same time, each surprising the other.

My hear felt like it had stopped altogether. "You... You what?"

Alex smiled as he tried to sit up. I quickly got off of him so he could. "Evening Meadow Grace. Ever since I met you, I've had a huge crush on you. And now that we're here in this special place, I want to tell you this. I love you."

Immediately tears of joy started streaming down my face. "Alex I...I love you too..." I smiled as I hugged him around the neck.

All around us we could hear the sound of clapping, but I didn't care. "Alex?"

"Yes Eve?" He replied.

"Promise me you'll never forget this moment." I asked him.

He sighed in content. "I promise." He replied as he returned the hug.

"Never forget..."