Ash breathed heavily, glancing back around the corner. He began running again, deciding not to look back this time. He disappeared up the stairway, passing various people in an attempt to escape. "Please...Let me have a few moments of peace..." the raven-haired trainer mumbled to himself, cursing under his breath as he hurried down the hallway. Finally reaching the end, he quickly moved around the corner, planting his back against the wall.

"Trouble, Mr. Ketchum?" Ash sighed, giving a nod. The nurse standing beside him frowned, hands held behind her back. "You were getting along yesterday, were they only pretending?"

"No, it's not them," the pink-haired woman tilted her head, confused. "Paul's a traitor."

"Sent the Unova Elites on you?" he nodded, frowning. "I'm assuming you sent your blue-haired friend, then."

"Well, he had it coming..." he rubbed the back of his head, focusing his gaze on a floor tile. "Besides, when you see those two near each other, you can't help it."

"Apparently he can't help putting you and the Elites together, then," the nurse concluded, giving him a smile. "Congratulations on your battle, your pokemon are feeling better," the nurse held out a tray, holding six pokeballs.

"Thank you," he took his pokeballs back, placing them on his belt again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to run for my life."

"I won't stop you," she gave him a wave, returning to her post behind the desk. The trainer nodded, preparing to run out of the building. However, he stopped.

"Wait...They'll expect me at the camp..." he told himself, shuddering at the thought of meeting them there. "...But...The lake has enough space for all my pokemon..."

"Where did he go?" Max asked, looking around. The group had finished eating, but were now looking for the missing raven-haired trainer. "He just disappeared."

"Dawn went after Paul, so he's in for a good time," Hilbert chuckled to himself, then felt a fist to his gut. Grunting, he glared at Hilda.

"This is your fault, you know," he gave an innocent look, looking at her oddly. "You were the one who told the Elites to torture Ash with his situation!"

"Oh, right," he looked away, giving a shrug. "I couldn't resist, I needed to get him back somehow."

"Using the Elites for taunting Ash and his girlfriend situation is not the way to do it!" she punched him again, the man stepping away from her.

"We can't fight, we have to find him," May told them, looking away with her face burning.

"Seems someone is a little keen on finding him," Dawn whispered slyly, leaning closely to the girl with a smile.

"So do you, and Leaf," the pair looked over towards the brunette, but she was no longer where she had been standing. Looking around, the girl was nowhere in sight. "Speaking of which...Where is Leaf?"

"Finally, I got away from them..." Leaf whispered, letting out her breath. Stepping out of the lobby's doors, she moved outside and looked around as she moved through the trees. "I guess I don't need to haul you guys around, huh?" she asked herself, placing her pokeballs inside her own tent. Giving a smile, she turned around. Surprised, there was another figure.

"I had a feeling you would avoid them," the blonde woman spoke, giving a warm smile.

"How did you know I would come here?" Leaf asked.

"Just a hunch, as well as watching you walk here," the brunette gave a nervous laugh, rubbing her arm. "The other Elites are more suited for embarrassing Ash, they don't know a woman's heart or mind."

"And that's why you came to me? Because you understand how a woman feels?" the woman nodded, giving a yawn. "Why did you agree to this, Caitlin?"

"Because a young romance story is always something to enjoy," the Elite replied. "I understand Ash ran off, would you happen to know where?"

"The other Elites set you up to this, didn't they?" she shook her head. "Really? ...Well...I wouldn't know exactly, but there are a few places that are more likely."

"Finally...Peace..." Ash sighed in relief, looking at the glistening water's surface. "...How this lake is natural, it's amazing..."

"Pikapi!" he smiled, stroking the chin of the mouse on his shoulder.

"Yes, you're welcome for picking you up first," the mouse smiled, cooing at the attention being given. "The others will find us soon, so we should enjoy this while we can." suddenly, two bursts of light came from his belt. Surprised, he felt the cloth around his head be removed.

"Umbre!"

"Espe!" the small figures smiled, the pink feline running with an object in its mouth.

"Hey, Espeon! Give me my bandana!" Ash told the figure, chasing after it. The pink cat continued running, taunting the trainer by going in a repetitive movement sequence. "Come on, I'll play with you! Just give me my bandana!" he laughed, the figures continuing to avoid him. Suddenly, the yellow mouse sprung the feline from behind, grabbing the cloth. The pink and dark figures frowned at the mouse, who returned the cloth to the trainer. "Thanks, Pi. So, you want to play tag?" the three figures nodded, dashing away from him. Ash frowned, chasing them through the trees. "Hey! No head-starts!"

"Not here..."

...

"Not here, either..."

... ...

"Man, where is he?" Leaf asked, giving a sigh as she put her hands on her hips. Looking around, the trainer was nowhere in sight. "This is the third place I've looked, where could he be?" she asked, blowing a strand of hair from her eye with a frown. "...Well...Might as well check the lake next."

"Is there anywhere he would be besides here?" Grimsley asked, looking at the others.

"Well, there are my training spots," Marshal stated, crossing his arms. "But he wouldn't be foolish enough."

"Then where else is there?" Misty asked, arms crossed with a frown. "If he's not at this campsite, I'm drawing a blank here."

"Maybe he's hiding in the pokemon centre hallways!" Max suggested, earning confused looks. "What? He would go somewhere we wouldn't think of, right?"

"...I guess..."

"Then let's go!"

"Ash?" Leaf asked, looking around the natural area. She frowned, hands on her hips as she looked at the shining water. "...Wow...It's beautiful..." she whispered, her lips curling into a smile. A though popped into her head, her cheeks turning pink. She looked around carefully, holding a hand at her chest. "...I guess there's no one around..."

"Where, oh where, did you go...?" Ash whispered, looking around carefully with a smile. He heard a rustling in the bushes to his left, staring intently.

"Chu..."

"A trick..." he whispered, looking in the opposite direction. As he had thought, he noticed his small dark-type freeze on the spot, staring at him like being caught in headlights. "Aha! Found you, Umbreon!"

"Umbreon umbre!" the pokemon frowned, shaking its head.

"Next time, don't team with Pikachu," the dark-type lowered its head, sulking as it moved towards its trainer. "Alright, help me find Pi and Espeon now." the dark-type nodded, its frown disappearing and being replaced by a smile.

"So...What's your next bright idea, Max?" May asked, looking at the boy intently.

"...It was only an idea..." he replied, lowering his head.

"Not his camp, not his training spots, not an unlikely place..." Cilan listed, the connoisseur became more confused at each word. "Where could he be?"

"I bet he asked Nurse Joy for a room to hide in or something!" Dawn exclaimed, everyone looked at her oddly.

"That's even worse than my suggestion," Max told her.

"But, what if he did and we don't check?" she asked, everyone went silent.

"...Stupid theories that make sense..."

"There's Espeon!" Ash pointed at a tree, which had been rustling moments earlier. Now, a small pink object was dangling from the leaves. Ash moved under the tree, gently shaking the paw. He parted the leaves, revealing a frowning Espeon with its paw hanging from the branch it was perched on. "Gotcha," the pink pokemon nodded, jumping to the ground and sitting with Umbreon and Pikachu. "Alright, so that's all three of you."

"Umbreon?" the dark-type asked.

"...Sorry, buddy. I gotta make sure no one's found me yet," the dark-type and psychic-type began rubbing affectionately against his legs, making the trainer smile. "One minute, I'll be back in one minute." the trio nodded, smiling. Ash nodded, walking away from them. He gave a content sigh, smiling as he looked out at the distant water. At that moment, something caught his eye. His gaze moving to the closer water's edge, his brain took a moment to register what was in front of him. He felt himself begin to sweat, his eyes wide.

"I give up," Max sighed, plopping down into a chair.

"Come on, get up!" May yanked on his arm, but he remained in the seat. "We have to continue searching, this is the only answer left!"

"No matter how smart he may be now, he would never hide in the mall. Do you know how much he hates this place?" Max asked her, giving a strange look.

"That's exactly the point, he hates it! He thinks we would never look here, because we would think that!" May told him, smiling.

"...May, we've just used that theory for many places, I don't think it's going to work." he told her, waving his wrist. "Go on without me, I'm taking a break."

"Oh, no you're not!" the boy grunted, feeling himself hit the floor. Looking back, he glared at the blunette holding his chair in the air. "We are finding him, no rest!"

"Leave me be!" the boy pleaded, growing limp on the floor. The brunette grabbed her brother's hands, dragging him across the floor while the others followed, exchanging worried looks.

Ash and Leaf's eyes met, an uncomfortable silence in the air as time seemed to stop. A pile of neatly-folded clothes was sitting by the water's edge, the brunette standing in the water with a surprised and confused expression. With the water barely above her hips, Ash was beyond shocked to see his childhood friend's revealed figure.

"...AAAAAAHHHH!" she suddenly shrieked, crossing her arms over her chest and dropping neck-deep under the water. Ash stumbled back, his back hitting the tree. He stared at the ground, his face burning red. The brunette stared at the water's surface, her face also burning. The teens slowly looked at each other, but as their eyes met, they quickly turned away.

"...I...I'm so s-sorry...I had no idea y-you were h-here...!" Ash stuttered, his voice nearly cracking as he tried to apologize.

"...Turn around..." hesitantly, he looked at her again. He was relieved to see only her head, bt her expression was dark. "...I was getting out, so turn around..."

"Y-Yes..." he turned himself, staring intently at the tree. The brunette stood again slowly, taking the towel from the grass and wrapping it around herself. Double-checking the tightness, she felt satisfied and stepped out of the water. "...L-Leaf...?"

"...I have a towel on," she told him, the trainer giving a gulp. Slowly turning around, he noticed her standing with her clothes in her hand, a towel around her body. His face heated up again, the towel showed off her hourglass figure. "...W-What...?" she asked quietly, noticing his stare.

"N-Nothing," he quickly replied, turning away. "I'm sorry again," he told her, moving quickly out of the clearing and into the trees. He forced his eyes closed tightly, but the image remained in his head. "W-What's wrong with me...Why can't I forget it...?"

"Ash..." the brunette stood silent, staring at where he had disappeared. She moved her a fist to her chest, a strange feeling inside her body. "This feeling...What is it...?" she thought for a few moments, then her cheeks flushed warmer. "...It...It can't be..."

END

How will Ash and Leaf act around each other after this?
What are the next battle match-ups?