"How about this?"

"I told you my opinion isn't supporting."

"I'll take that as a no. Besides, I think the diamonds looked better!"

"Good for you, whatever makes you want to leave."

"You are such a guy." the brunette giggled, the man rolled his eyes as he turned away. "Come on, just help me!"

"You don't have the money, anyway." Ash responded, not looking back. Leaf puffed her cheeks.

"So? Window shopping is fun, you know." she told him.

"It's not window shopping if you're touching the merchandise." Ash smirked, Leaf gave a pouting face.

"You're really no fun anymore." she said, walking past him.

"Finally." Ash sighed lightly, following the girl. "So where to?"

"Well, clothes...jewellery...Actually, that's about all I needed." Leaf said, looking at her bags. In Ash's hands.

"So we can leave? Cool." he said, feeling cheerful for once. Leaf noticed this, giggling and smiling at him.

"I can tell you're happy inside." he looked at her happy expression in confusion. "It's nice to know you're happy, since you don't show it."

"Well, things have changed." Ash replied hesitantly, looking away from her. She laughed more.

"I don't see it like that." she told him, still smiling brightly. Ash didn't look back, knowing she was messing with his mind. Leaf frowned, looking forward again. "You really are no fun anymore."

"Repeating it won't change anything." Ash informed her, smirking. She looked at him, sticking her tongue out and winking. Ash shook his head in amusement, looking at the exit ahead. "You know, Leaf...I guess..." she looked at him. "...Well...I guess it wasn't...as bad, as I've seen..." Ash said, clearing his throat.

"Aww, I told you it wouldn't kill you." she said sweetly, clutching onto his arm. Ash glanced down at her unoticeably, seeing her happy expression as she watched ahead. He felt like smiling, but was able to repent it. As they both walked up the staircase, giving an overview of the main lobby as the elevators went up and down. Ash looked around in admiration again before leaving. "What is it?" Leaf asked, tugging his arm lightly.

"Nothing, just wondering about something." Ash replied simply, looking back down at her. Surprisingly, he felt a pair of soft lips on his cheek. Looking at her in surprise for a few seconds, then watched her move back and smile.

"You deserve it." she tilted her head, giggling before running past him. Ash stood in shock for a few moments, finally giving a smirk. He turned, heading up the stairs with the girl's bags still in his grip.

Unbeknownst to the pair, three particular figures were watching in surprise as their elevator headed up. "Told you." Hilda said, crossing her arms and smiling. Zo and Hilbert stood by her, still surprised as their elevator dinged, opening the door.

"I still don't believe this...I mean, him before me..." Hilbert trailed off, unconsciously moving out of the elevator.

"I can believe it perfectly." Hilda responded calmly, smirking at the man.

"Well, I guess I have to thank you for disrupting me..." Zo said, earning confused looks. "You woke me from my nap, remember?"

"No, you said you didn't get to sleep." Hilda responded. Zo crossed her arms, looking away.

"Oh, yeah...I guess you're right...Whatever, disturbing me from my peace." the two sighed. "I am going to have so much fun taunting him about this." the two nodded, smiling with the pokemon as they headed for the exit.

"I just hope he won't mention Charizard..."

"Something tells me he won't..."

"Oh my gosh, why did I do that...?" Leaf asked herself, moving her finger to her lips. She gave a small smile. "But...I guess it wasn't that bad...He's probably as clueless as ever, right now..." she giggled to herself, walking into the campsite. Although, something didn't seem right. Leaf froze, instantly realizing the answer. Oh, do you think she noticed the large orange winged dragon standing in front of her? That's probably it.
"A charizard...!" Leaf gasped quietly, frozen in shock and fear at the immense dragon in front of her, staring at her menacingly. Suddenly, a small rodent came out from behind it. Leaf almost went starry-eyed at its cuteness, but was confused as it walked slowly toward her. It moved close to her legs, sniffing her. She felt her cheeks turn pink, unsure why the mouse was sniffing her. The mouse turned back to the fire lizard, speaking in pokemon tongue. The lizard stared at her, making her more nervous, then closed its eyes as it moved away from her. She sighed, letting out the breath she had unknowingly held. The mouse smiled to her, she gave a small smile back. "Hello, there." she crouched down, holding her hand out. Pikachu moved his head closer to her hand, rubbing his head with it. She smiled more, petting the mouse. She noticed the dragon lie down near the tent, then she stood up and moved closer to it. She sat down on the grass by it, watching the dragon rest.

"I hope he didn't give you trouble. Charizard, I mean." she nearly jumped at the voice, looking at Ash, standing a few feet away with her bags in his hands. He wore an unreadable expression, but she noticed him looking right at her. "He tends to defend our campsite when others come near, at least when he's out." Ash told her, moving toward her. He set her bags beside her, sitting near her against a tree.

"Sorry, I guess I left you with those." Leaf apologized, giving an apologetic smile.

"No worries, I've been left with worse." Ash replied, recalling his painful past experiences. Leaf giggling quietly, holding her hands over her mouth. She looked over at the dragon.

"So, you started out with charmander, then?" she asked.

"No." she looked in surprise. "I actually started with this little guy." Leaf tilted her head in confusion, then as if on cue, the mouse appeared on his shoulder, smiling at her. "At first he was stubborn, but we got along like best friends shortly after. Charizard I actually found abandoned as a charmander, had to save it from the rain." Ash told her.

"Wow, so he joined you after saving his life." Leaf said in amazement.

"After he evolved, he began disobeying like Pikachu. Then once he evolved into Charizard, he began burning me. Literally." Leaf laughed quietly. "Then one day, one battle, I stayed up all night taking care of him. He changed after that, finally listening to what I said." Ash explained, rubbing Pikachu's fur to his enjoyment.

"Wow, you have an interesting back-story to all your pokemon, don't you?" Leaf asked, smiling. Ash shrugged, smirking. "So Pikachu's your strongest, then?"

"Of course. We've been through everything together, he's my best friend and strongest." Ash told her, the mouse nodding proudly.

"So I guess you can be clueless like your trainer." Leaf giggled, smiling at the mouse. He rubbed the back of his head, lowering his ears in embarrassment.

"Are you insulting my pokemon, or me?" Ash asked carefully, looking at her. She smiled nervously, waving her hands.

"No, I'm not insulting either of you. It's just a little funny, is all." she told him, her smile not gone. "By the way...Where's Zo? Hilbert and Hilda I haven't seen for a while, but I thought Zo would still be here trying to sleep." Leaf said, looking at the young man.

"I never know what goes through Zo's mind, but I bet Hilda and Hilbert are somewhere together. They always seem to be." Ash smirked, giving a quiet laugh. "Anyway, I suppose I should find Zo before she gets into trouble." Ash sighed, standing up.

"I'll come, too." Leaf stood, smiling at him. He looked away, giving a simple nod before. Then, familiar voices caught their attention.

"Where else would he be? I was right about the mall, wasn't I?"

"Yeah, but wouldn't he be off battling?"

"You don't know the schedule, do you? Besides, I know him better than you do."

"Stop fighting already, you're like little kids."

"No one asked you!" Ash sighed, then noticed a figure emerge from the trees.

"Hey, anything int-" Hilbert froze, noticing the all-too-familiar dragon in the campsite. It raised its head, glaring at the man. "Oh, come on! How do you already know!" Hilbert shouted in frustration, disappearing back into the trees.

"What's with you?"

"He knows. He already freakin' knows!"

"What are you - Ha! That is classic!" Hilda began laughing as she left the bushes, immediately noticing the dragon. The man hid behind her, scared. "How'd you know, Ash?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't even let him out. Speaking of which..." Ash, as well as everyone else, looked at Pikachu. "...Why is Charizard out, anyway?" the mouse rubbed its head nervously.

"Chupi."

"Of course it was an accident." Ash replied, crossing his arms.

"Ash, am I ever glad I listened to these two!" he looked at Zo, coming out of the bushes, smiling a little too much.

"What did they do?" Ash sighed, looking at the other two. They smiled nervously, waving.

"They gave me advice that will make me very happy over the next few days." Zo smiled more, then noticed Leaf standing by Ash. "Oh, it seems you two are still together, then."

"Together?" Leaf asked on confusion.

"Don't tell me..." she looked at Ash, who had his head low and was rubbing his forehead, giving a noticeably sigh. "You guys were watching us, weren't you?"

"Not necessarily..." Zo said, laughing quietly to herself as she looked away. "Only when you left the jewellery store."

"Jewellery?" Leaf asked, then gasped as she clasped her hands over her mouth, her cheeks going red. They saw it.

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." Hilda gave her a reassuring smile, Hilbert only raised a thumbs-up over her shoulder.

"But Ash, on the other hand, we can't let something gold like this go so easily." Zo said slyly, pointing at him.

"Zo, you realize I have Charizard out, right?" he asked, looking at her oddly. At its name, the lizard raised its head and looked at the girl.

"Oh, didn't notice..." Zo said, taking a step back. "If it comes to that, I'll use Hilbert as a shield."

"What!" the man shouted, still hiding behind Hilda.

"Nothing personal, I just know Charizard will follow you when you run. Plus, it's entertaining." Zo told the man, giving him an innocent smile. He only glared back at her. "Besides, Ash wouldn't have one of his strongest attack one of his smallest, not to mention most innocent." she gave an innocent look to him, but he only stared, emotionless. "Oh, right..."

"What makes you think I wouldn't, if you resort to blackmail? Besides, you are the least innocent of my team." Ash told her. Zo laughed nervously, rubbing her arm as she looked away.

"Wait, what are you talking about? Zo isn't a pokemon." Leaf said in confusion, looking bac and forth from her to Ash.

"Oh, right. I said I was going to tell you later, wasn't I? Well, now's as good as any other time." Ash stated, looking expectantly at Zo, giving a nod.

"What? Oh, right, that. I guess..." she said, rolling her eyes as she jumped into the air, landing again as a small black fox.

"What?" Leaf asked in surprise, looking at the fox.

"Zo is actually a Zorua, she's a part of my pokemon team. She likes being in human form, though, since she can go into public without getting trainers looking at her." Ash explained, the fox nodded, its tail swaying back and forth happily.

"Oh, wow..." was all Leaf said. "Wait, then are you battling with her, too?" Leaf looked at Ash.

"Eventually." he shrugged, smirking.

"You better be." Leaf looked back at the fox, who was now in human form again. "If you don't, you'll be joining the cleffa." Zo said threateningly, pointing up.

"Haven't you said that before?" Ash asked, arching an eyebrow. The girl shrugged.

"Probably, but it's a good line." she told them, crossing her arms and smiling.

"Not really." Ash shook his head in amusement, looking back at Hilda.

"What?" she asked, noticing the look he gave her.

"You may not want him behind you like that, he might try something." he said calmly, forcing back a smile and laughter as her face went red.

"Shut up!" she shouted, glaring at him.

"He's staring down." Zo said calmly, pointing at him as she saw him. Ash could tell by looking at her she was lying, resisting laughter as he was. Leaf looked back and forth at them in confusion. Hilda snapped around, facing the man. He nearly jumped as her face appeared, staring at him.

"What? You can't actually believe-!" he was cut off as he felt the air escape him, a great pain form in his chest. He stumbled back, clutching his chest. "Come on! This is Ash and Zo! They always lie against me!" he complained, feeling fear as the girl slowly stepped closer. "Zo, Ash! Leaf, Pikachu! Heck, even Charizard! Someone help me!" that was the last they heard of him as he disappeared into the trees, the girl following close behind.

"Huh...That was a little different than their usual reaction." Ash commented, giving a cough.

"I guess their feelings are just getting stronger, she doesn't want to hurt him anymore." Zo said calmly, smiling.

"What...just happened?" they both looked at Leaf, who was clearly confused.

"Ah..." Ash rubbed the back of his head. "How do I explain this...? Zo and I like to...mess with their minds. We sometimes say they kissed, but their reaction is a little dangerous so we don't use it often." Ash chuckled, joined by the mouse copying his actions.

"But, at least I know you two have kissed." Zo said slyly, looking at the two of them as she rubbed her chin. Leaf's face heated up again, Ash only stared at her. "Don't worry, I'll agree to keeping this quiet. But I can't guarantee it won't slip in public every now and then." she stuck her tongue out playfully, disappearing through the trees. The two stood silent, unsure how to react or break the silence.

"Pichupi?" the mouse asked, looking back and forth at them.

"It's fine, Pi. Just thinking." Ash told the mouse, earning a nod.

"Thinking about what?" Leaf asked, snapping out of it.

"A pokemon would be able to defend from a wild charizard attack, right?"

"Ash, you can't use Charizard on her! Besides, that'll reveal she's a zorua!"

"...Ah, good point...Too bad..." Ash frowned in disappointment, putting his hands in his pockets. Leaf looked at him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just thinking..." Ash looked at her expectantly, raising his eyebrows. "...Well...Do you really think she'll keep quiet about it? I mean...I can't answer why, I'm not even sure myself why I did it..." she said nervously, embarrassed as she rubbed her arm, looking away from him.

"It's not a part of some girl's first-date code or something?" Ash smirked.

"No! It's just...I don't know, we did it when we were kids..." she said nervously, shifting uncomfortably.

"So you want to relive our childhood, continuing where we left off?" Leaf looked at him in surprise, who seemed to be a little too calm on the subject.

"Well, not exactly...I don't know!" she complained, putting her hands to her head in frustration. Ash shook his head in amusement. "What? Am I entertaining you?"

"You really haven't changed since you were little," she looked at him carefully, wondering where he was getting as he moved closer to her. To her surprise, he put his arms around her in an embrace. "Not at all. In your own way, you're still the cute girl I knew." her face heated up, surprised to hear those words from him. She felt him move back, then step past her. She stood, surprised and shocked at his sudden action. She felt a smile form in her face, looking back at the trees he disappeared through.

"...Still the same, dense guy...thinking a hug is a sign..." she laughed quietly to herself, looking down at the mouse. "They say pokemon can feel the trainer's feelings...Hey, Pikachu, can you tell what Ash thinks of me?" Leaf asked the mouse, who shook his head. She looked confused, then Pikachu shook its head, smiling as he wagged a finger in the air. "I guess you're right, I shouldn't cheat..." Leaf smiled, petting the mouse's head. "You're really smart, Pikachu." the mouse nodded happily, giving a playful 'chaa!'.

"...I am really losing myself..." Ash sighed, shaking his head. As with Leaf, he couldn't figure out why he had done that. It might not have been as open as Leaf's, but it was still something coming from him. "...Maybe Nurse Joy can help..." he muttered, smirking as he came closer to the center's entrance. He stepped through the doorway, noticing the pokemon at the desk. "Is Nurse Joy on break?" the audino nodded, giving a smile. Ash nodded, giving a wave before going to the battle board. "What time is...Huh?" something was remembered some names from the top, but they were different. A box in the screen's corner caught his eye, he read it. "Attention participants, the number of recent resignations has caused us to reschedule. We're sorry for the inconvenience, the seconds round will still continue until the number of participants remaining reaches our designated target. Good luck to all..." Ash thought for a moment, then smirked. "So they changed the battles only, wish it could have shortened this competition more..." he muttered, smirking as he read down the list. Finally, he reached his name. He stared for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, reading it again. "Heh...This time, it'll be different..." he told himself, his smirk growing.

"Excuse me, I have to know my next battle." Ash looked at the source of the voice, surprised to see the very name he read. His opponent for his next battle. The next trainer he would defeat.

"No problem..." he replied, stepping back from the board. The older man watched him intently, then turned to the board.

"You're the Shadow I've heard so much about," he stated, glancing back and getting a nod. "I've heard you're an impressive trainer. Most of your opponents forfeited, right?" Ash nodded again. "You really must be intimidating on the battlefield." he spoke, then he found his name. Taking a few moments to take it in, he smirked. "...Well, fate is at work today..."

"Sure is." Ash smirked, watching his opponent stand straight, facing him. "But be sure to forget everything you've heard of me, I'm nothing more than a simple trainer on the field. Nothing more." Ash stated.

"You can frighten young trainers, but I am never intimidated." the man spoke.

"I've heard of your accomplishments over the years, you certainly are the most impressive trainer I've now met. But, even with your legendary power, I don't expect any holding back." Ash told him.

"That doesn't exist in my books. I'll see you on the battlefield tomorrow morning, then. Bring all your luck, courage and power. I'll be waiting." the man told him, leaving the center. Ash stood unfazed, his smirk now a determined grin.

"And so, the legendary battle of the Arc Tournament is decided..."

END

Who is this trainer? Why is Ash determined and looking forward to the battle?
Where did Hilda chase Hilbert to?
Where did Zo wander off to?
Where is Ash's past friends?
What is Leaf doing with Charizard and Pikachu?