"You need advice on dating?" Zo asked, beaming. "This is so great, Paul's asking for dating advice!"
"Zo, be quiet," May nudged her again, looking at Paul. "So you came to girls about this? Let alone, us?"
"I definitely can't trust Ash, Brendan or Hilbert, they'll spread it around no matter what. I tried to ask Leaf, but Ash doesn't trust me alone because of that damn lie from Troublesome. I figured a girl could help me more with this, since you're all experts on emotions and relationships," he shrugged, leaning back on the bed.
"What's this lie from Dawn?" Zo asked, looking at May.
"Nothing that concerns you," she replied, Zo puffing her cheeks in disappointment. "Anyway, you say you think you asked a girl out. How do you not know?"
"...I don't know...I asked her if she wanted to go for coffee, but it didn't seem like one of those romantic scenes you see in a movie or some crap..." he rubbed the back of his neck, agravated from the thoughts in his mind.
"So? Where it is doesn't matter, it's how you two feel about it," May told him, giving a reassuring smile. "When she left, did she say 'then it's a date' or anything like that? What was her expression like?"
"How am I supposed to know this? I barely know why I did it in the first place!" he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "...She only told me where we should meet...She was smiling, and I think she winked at me..."
"...Good..." Paul looked at May oddly, who was nodding with her eyes closed. "...Those are good signs. Smaller than others, but still signs of positive attitude. I can't tell much from that, sadly, but I can say she was happy when you asked."
"Why would she be happy? I'm not the guy all the girls go for, or anything like that. Strangely enough, that's Ash," Paul replied.
"She knows that's true," Zo nudged the girl's elbow, smiling. May's elbow was forced into her gut again.
"Anyway, are you two meeting later today?" she asked, ignoring the pokemon girl's glare.
"No, she has to work late today. It's tomorrow after she's done working in the afternoon," Paul told her, recalling the girl's words. "...Now that I think, she did seem cheerful about it..."
"That's good," May smiled, giving a nod. "If she's excited talking on the topic, then she's going to be more happy tomorrow. She's also going to try to impress you."
"Impress me? Why?" Paul inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Guys may not notice it, but girls feel smaller compared to them on a date. Most girls want to try and impress the guy by talking about their own accomplishments and stuff, letting them know more about themselves than being the boring girl who does nothing," May explained, Zo smiling slyly.
"You speak from personal experience, huh?" she asked quietly, May hitting her.
"Mostly, yes, but it's still true. Besides, I don't hear you giving any advice," the brunette told her, the girl sticking her tongue out.
"I told you, I'm only here for secrets. Besides, I don't date, I can't even fully understand romance in human couples," Zo told them, closing her eyes calmly. The pair looking at her oddly.
"You don't date?" May asked.
"Human couples?" Paul asked, the girl's eyes snapping open.
"A-Ah...No, that's nothing. I talk like that all the time, I just..." she grew nervous. How could she tell them calmly that she's a pokemon in disguise? "...I see myself as different than others, so I guess it became a habit as describing myself as not human. Yeah, that's it."
"It's just strange...You talk like you're a pokemon or something..." Paul shrugged, May giggling.
"Paul, that's stupid. How can Zo be a pokemon, but look perfectly human?" she asked, laughing.
"I guess," he chuckled to himself, Zo sitting silent with a nervous smile. What they don't know won't hurt them...
"Hey, anyway, let's get back to the topic here," Zo interrupted them, clapping her hands together. "Paul needs help, and he needs some girls to help him, right?"
"Yeah..." he trailed off cautiously, looking at her oddly.
"Well, believe it or not, I may not be a master in emotions, but apparently I'm great at advice. I didn't even know it, but I've actually been giving relationship advice for years," she smiled, the pair looking at her confused.
"Uh...Okay..." May wondered what was going through the girl's head, hoping she didn't have to hit her again.
"So, you asked a girl without really meaning to ask her out out, right?" she asked, the trainer giving a nod. "Sounds to me you've got heart beneath that cold shell, but you don't support yourself enough."
"...What?" Paul blinked. The girl sighed.
"How do I put it..." Zo pondered silently, tapping her chin. Then something came to her. Ash and Paul were both trainers, so they would understand it in battle language. "Okay, imagine if you were a pokemon in battle."
"How does that relate to this?" May asked.
"Bear with me here. If you were a pokemon trying to use a special attack, you would need power and support. Trying to form a powerful attack without using your physical body, you would need to concentrate your power into a single form, right?" she explained, May staring blankly.
"Yeah," Paul nodded, May looking at him surprised.
"When focusing that power, you need to support it with your full power and mind. If you didn't support it, you-"
"It wouldn't be powerful at all, so it would have no effect," Paul finished.
"Exactly. Now in this dating situation, we use the same theory. If you don't support your feelings about asking this girl out, what would happen?" Zo asked, smiling.
"...It wouldn't have any effect...So the romance wouldn't be involved, I would just be there with a friend, right?" he asked, the girl giving a nod.
"Exactly. It might not help you know how to behave or act on your meeting tomorrow, but it helps you understand it. How it happens, how it feels, that all depends on how you feel about it. If you don't support your own feelings, then it's just going for coffee with a girl as friends. But if you believe in it-"
"Then it's a real date," May finished, the girl giving a nod. "That actually makes sense. Confusing, and takes a while to understand, but it does."
"So you're telling me...I need to think and figure out why I asked her, in order to know what kind of meeting I wanted this to be?" Paul asked, the girls smiling.
"You're understanding it now, and in such a short time. If I tried this with Ash, he would only ask what kind of attack is being used," Zo laughed, May joining her. Even Paul couldn't resist smirking.
"...Thanks, I think I get it a little more now. So now it's up to me, I have to figure out if I supported deeper feelings in my asking of her going out," he stated, May giving a single blink while Zo nodded.
"Yep."
"...If that means you think about why, then sure."
"Alright, thanks a lot, you two," he stood up, the girls smiling as he walked towards the door. He turned back to them. "You won't tell anyone, right?"
"It will stay between the three of us," May assured him, putting her hand on Zo's shoulder with a more forceful grip.
"Yep, for sure," Zo told him, wincing. Paul nodded, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him. Zo smacked the brunette's hand, glaring at her. "You're mean, you know that?" May smiled, her cheeks turning pink as she poked her fingers together.
"...Do you have any advice on how to get the courage to ask someone out...?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Aww...Also, who have you been giving advice to for years?"
"...Ah..."
"Where did he go, Pi..?" Ash asked the mouse, looking around for the Sinnoh trainer. The pair sighed together, admitting the truth that he was not near the battle areas. He began walking to the exit, looking around behind him. "...Where are all the people today...This is really weird..." he muttered, shrugging as he turned the corner. Surprised, he bumped into someone. Alarmed by a sharp quiet scream, he snapped his head forward and reached out, grabbing the figure's hand and holding it from falling.
"A-Ash?"
"Hilda?" he asked, recognizing the girl. She looked at Ash holding her hand to support her, blushing as she looked away. "Oh, s-sorry," he helped her balance on her feet again.
"...Are you starting to forget Leaf or something?" she asked, smiling sweetly to the trainer.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You're still holding my hand," she told him. The trainer looked down, realizing she was right.
"Ah...Sorry, again," he let go of her hand, pulling them both into his pockets. Pikachu looked back and forth between the two, confused and curious.
"It's okay, I don't mind it at all," she told him, her smile still clear on her face.
"...Um...So what were you doing, before this?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable to make eye contact with her.
"I was just going for a walk, wondering why there's no one around," she replied, the trainer giving a nod.
"I know that, it's weird..." he looked around outside, not seeing a soul other than them. "...I wonder where everyone went..."
"Maybe they got bored of the tournament? Goodshow said there's two days before our battle, so there's nothing really to do around here but wait," Hilda stated, crossing her arms.
"...I guess that makes sense...You could be right on that..." he nodded, understanding the suggestion as a strong possibility.
"So what are you doing?" she asked.
"Just wandering around," he shrugged, the brunette smiled, wrapping her arms around his. Pikachu looked surprised at the sudden gesture.
"Then let's wander together," she suggested, Ash feeling nervous as she pushed against the side of him.
"Uh...I'm not sure, I don't think..." she looked at him with a hopeful look in her eyes, biting her lower lip. He felt something jump in his chest. "...Alright, fine..."
"Great!" she laughed happily, the trainer and mouse only feeling disappointed in him.
"Gotta find something to do..." Leaf muttered, pushing through the bushes. She stepped into the clearing, looking around. "Weird, no one's ar-" she gasped, her eyes widening as she noticed only two people in the plaza. She slowly moved back towards the bushes, remaining quiet while she stared in shock. There was Ash, Hilda hanging on his arm and standing a lot closer than usual. "...I guess May and Dawn aren't all I have to worry about..."
"Come on, who have you given advice to?" May asked, annoying the pokemon girl in front of her as they walked down the hall.
"No one, I said drop it," she said, frustrated at the brunette.
"I won't tell anyone," she said sincerely, giving her puppy-dog face as the girl looked back.
"I'm a girl, that doesn't affect me," Zo told her, May puffing her cheeks.
"Come on, you can trust me," she told her, the pair moving into the lobby.
"Nope," Zo replied, moving towards the doors.
"How about you tell me, if I show you something interesting?" she asked hopefully, the girl continuing towards the doors.
"I doubt you can give me anything interesting," Zo chuckled, the doors opening for her. The pair stepped out, eyes widening as something immediately caught their eye. Hilda clutching on Ash, closer than a normal friendship.
"...There you go."
"We've got a bit of a journey, Braviary..." Hilbert told the eagle, rubbing the feathers on its neck. The bird squawked, flying over the open plaza. "Hey, people!" Hilbert winced, trying to identify the few people hidden in the area. He shrugged, giving up as he couldn't see very far down. Without him noticing, a small object slid out of his pocket, falling off the side of the bird towards the open ground below.
"So where are we going?" Hilda asked, beaming as she held on tighter to his arm.
"I don't know, you just kind of forced this onto me..." he sighed quietly, thinking of a place to go. "...How about...The lake?"
"Sure, sounds great," she continued smiling, the trainer mentally hitting himself for the stuff he was getting himself into. He walked towards the trees, feeling uncomfortable and difficult to move freely as the girl was so close to him.
"Ho...ly..."
"...Crap..." Zo finished the brunette's words, both their mouths agape in shock. "...Should we...Tell someone...?"
"No way, you know how rumors spread with the people we know," May told her, frowning. "...Especially if Leaf hears..."
"Oh, right...She would be crushed..." Zo frowned, imagining the cheerful brunette depressed over hearing about it.
Thud.
The pair looked over to the right towards the trees, looking at the ground and seeing a small object. They stared confused, but something above it caught their eye. Looking up, their eyes widened more as the pair found eye contact with Leaf. All three stood with shocked expressions, not breathing a word. Leaf slowly raised her hand in a nervous wave, the pair copying the gesture. They all looked at the object again, slowly moving towards it. Upon getting closer, they noticed it was only a small white box.
"Oh, what are we worried about?" Zo asked, reaching for it.
"Wait!" May snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling it back. "What if it's a trap? Or a bomb or something?"
"Why would anyone drop a bomb in the middle of an empty area? Plus, how would it just fall from the sky?" she asked, the brunette puffing her cheeks frustratingly, unable to answer. "If you're so suspicious, then back up while I grab it," May nodded, turning on her heels and rushing a safe distance away. Zo sighed, looking at the box as sh slowly reached for it. As her fingers hovered over it, she closer her eyes and grabbed it. Opening one eye, she noticed nothing happened. "...See, May? It was nothing!" Zo laughed, taking the box and tossing it lightly in the air.
"What is it?" May asked, walking closer again.
"I dunno, but it's mine now," Zo smiled, pocketing the object. May frowned, shaking her head at the girl.
"...So...You guys saw that too, didn't you?" Leaf asked nervously, twiddling her thumbs.
"...Yeah..." May slowly nodded, feeling sorry for the girl. "...Are you okay?"
"...Yeah, I'm fine..." she replied, giving a brief smile.
"I've heard that before, and they were definitely not fine. Be honest," Zo told her, the brunette looking surprised at her. She looked at the ground, her hand moving to her chest. "See, your chest hurts, doesn't it?"
"...Yeah...I just..." she closed her eyes, rubbing beside her right eye. "...I know Dawn and you, May, have feelings for him too...But she's lied to us this whole time, when she know how serious I've been about it..." she sniffed, May and Zo feeling sad for the brunette.
"It's not just you, Leaf. She's been keeping the truth from all of us," May told her, patting her shoulder.
"She only told me earlier today," the brunettes looked at Zo in surprise, who looked somewhat guilty. "I probably shouldn't say this, but...She was telling me how she was finally honest with Ash, and I figured she was just joking. But the more she talked about it, the more I believed she was serious."
"So she likes Ash, too...but she only told you..." Leaf said quietly, her lip beginning to quiver.
"...I don't think it's just 'like'...Her feelings could be as strong as yours, Leaf..." the brunettes looked more surprised, Zo frowning. "...She could love him..."
"Hilda loves Ash?" May asked quizzically, beyond shocked. Leaf's lip shook more, sniffling.
"...So the past five years...We've all had feelings for him, and didn't know where he was...But she was with him the whole time, building her feelings and getting to know the real him...The one that exists now..." Leaf's voice was low, almost to a whimper. May hugged the girl.
"No way, you can't give up on him," Leaf looked confused as the brunette hugged her. "It may seem intimidating that she's suddenly in this game now, but you can't give up on him. You and Ash were childhood friends, nothing can beat that when they have their mind set on it!" May told her, hoping to lift her spirit.
"...But...You care for him too, don't you...?" Leaf asked, pulling back and looking at the brunette. She frowned, closing her eyes.
"...Yeah, I'll always have feelings for him..." she opened her eyes, flashing a gentle smile. "...But I don't think there's much hope for me anymore. Ever since you got here, I've been nothing more than a fangirl. But you...You belong with him."
"...R...Really...?" Leaf rubbed the corner of her eye, sniffing.
"Of course. There's no one who can beat you, as long as you have your heart set on it," May told her with a serious look. "Don't give up, this should only motivate you more! Show him you love him more than anyone else!"
"...But...You..." Leaf couldn't find her voice, but May understood what she was objecting at. She smiled, giving a nod.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be able to get back on my feet. Go, they couldn't have gotten far," May told her, stepping back from the brunette. Leaf watched her surprised, then smiled.
"...Yeah, you're right...I can't give up on him!" she smacked her hands against her cheeks, her expression turning serious again. "I love him, and I'm not letting her get in my way!"
"That's right, now go get him," May told her, crossing her arms with a smile. Leaf nodded.
"Thank you," she rushed off, hurrying to catch up with the pair. Zo stepped up beside May, putting her hand on her shoulder.
"...You did a good thing, May," she told her, the brunette giving a nod.
"...I'll get over him...Someday..." she closed her eyes, smiling.
"...But you may have also started a love war."
"So...Why are you doing this?" Ash asked, glancing at the brunette beside him.
"We've been friends for five years, but I've never actually shown what you mean to me," she replied, smiling as she rested her head against his shoulder as they walked.
"You don't have to, you know, I understand it from when we were at the lake before," he said nervously, the girl clutching tighter to his arm.
"That was just the beginning," she told him, giggling innocently to herself. To Ash and Pikachu, however, it was like the sound of Death laughing at them in a distant, echoing hallway.
"It's like playing Slender...You know you're screwed, it's only a matter of time...And it sure scares the crap out of you when it comes..." Ash thought, fear clouding his mind. She looked up at him curiously.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. He shook his head, looking down at her.
"Uh...I'm fine," he told her, faintly smiling.
"I've heard that before," she frowned, reaching her hand up and holding it against his forehead. He felt sweat form on the back of his neck, the girl pulling her hand back. "You're not getting sick...Are you nervous?"
"What? No way, why would I have to be nervous?" he chuckled, his nervousness nearly visible as a sign above his head. "...Death, why are you taunting me...?"
"Did you say something?" she asked, smiling kindly. He shook his head, looking away from her. Without realizing it, they stepped into the clearing with the shimmering lake. "Whoa, we're here."
"Huh? Oh, you're right...Time just flew..." Ash muttered to himself, surprised to see the lake in front of him. She sat down, stretching her legs and arms. She smiled, looking up at him and patting the grass beside her. Hesitantly, he sat. Almost the instant he touched the grass, she leaned against him.
"Isn't this nice?" she asked, her smile never disappearing.
"We were like this earlier today..." Ash said slowly, looking oddly at her.
"Yes, but it's different now. Look," she pointed out over the water, the trainer following where she was looking. Surprised, he saw the glowing orange sun lowering into the sky, seemingly only a few inches above the treelines across the water. The orange sphere shined off the water's surface, giving it a glowing sight.
"...Wow...It does..." he sat still, mesmerized by the sight of the water. In all the times he had come to this spot, he had never seen it like this before.
"...I know you said you can't say who you love right now, but I want you to know something..." Ash looked down at her confused, the girl pushing her lips against his briefly. Quickly pulling back, she only smiled. "I love you, and nothing's going to change that. If I have to compete for your affection against Leaf, then that's what I'll do."
"...Hilda..." he was once again, at a loss of words because of the brunette. He could only stare at her in surprise, as he had so often done since this tournament started.
"Ash!"
"Huh?" he asked, blinking out of his trance. He and Hilda looked behind them, their eyes widening in shock.
"L-Leaf!"
"Am I interrupting?" she asked in a serious tone, glaring at the pair. Ash looked at Hilda, jumping up to his feet. "You two looked comfortable just now."
"T-This isn't what you think, s-seriously," he held his arms out dismissively, trying to defend himself. "Please help, Hilda?"
"It's not?" she asked, feeling hurt. Ash looked at her blankly, realizing she was on a completely different side than he was.
"Not helping..." he thought with a mental facepalm.
"So, should I leave you two to what you were doing?" Leaf asked, hands on her hips.
"Uh...Leaf, hear me out here..." Ash said quietly, but felt there was no point. What she witnessed, nothing was going to calm her down anytime soon.
"I wouldn't mind that," the pair looked surprised at Hilda, who seemed to be speaking honest. "We were enjoying our time together."
"Well, too bad, that was sarcasm. As in, I'm not leaving," she told her, glaring at the girl.
"Uh...Leaf...Hilda...?" Ash waved his arm, but neither broke their eye contact. Hilda stood up, crossing her arms and moving towards the brunette.
"For your information, I'm in love with Ash too," Leaf became surprised. She didn't expect her to admit it so easily! "And if you're planning on getting between me and him, I'm afraid you're making a big mistake.
"I knew Ash first, and I knew him better."
"I know him now, that's really what matters. How can you live with someone in the present if they're in the past?"
"It's not about what they're like, it's about loving them for who they are."
"I love him for who he is now. Unless you plan on getting a time machine and going back to your past Ash, you're out of luck."
"I thought our fight during the semi-finals was just a minor bump, but turns out this is a disaster highway. It's on."
"There's no way I'm losing to you in the end."
"What have I gotten myself into...?" Ash thought with a frown, watching the brunettes go face-to-face in a battle of feelings. Pikachu mimicked his trainer.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay about this?" Zo asked, looking worried for the brunette. She smiled, giving a nod.
"Yeah, don't worry. Ash is better off with her anyway, they know each other better," she told her, dismissing the topic. "Besides, are you okay with it? I know you have feelings, too."
"What?" Zo asked, giving a puzzled look. "I don't like him, no way. A dense idiot like that?"
"But that's what makes him who he is," May told her, patting the girl's shoulder. "You know this already."
"Yeah, but there's no way I could like him. I'm just a close friend," she replied stubbornly, crossing her arms with a huff. "I guess I can seem like a loving sister when it comes to Ash and girls, but I only want him to be happy. Nothing more."
"Alright, then," May shrugged, smiling slyly. Zo stared at her suspiciously.
"What else is going on in that head of yours?" she asked cautiously, the brunette poking her tongue out in response.
"So it's how I feel about it..." the Sinnoh trainer muttered, frowning as he stared at the clouds moving slowly above. Noticing the orange glow in the sky, he realized what time of day it was. "Oh, crap, the day's almost up. I should probably get back," he started walking through the trees again, thinking as he went.
"If I think of it as a date, it will be...So what do I think it is...? When I asked her, it felt almost completely out of nowhere...Like the question just snuck up on me from behind, then pushed me into it..." he frowned, his head starting to hurt from the topic. "...This feeling pushed me into the situation, so I didn't have time to think about it...But now that I try to think, nothing comes up at all...Dammit, I hate all this..." he rubbed his forehead, shaking his head as he passed through the last of the bushes. Surprised, he saw Zo and May standing by the hotel doors, talking. Zo looked over at him curiously, smiling suspiciously and waving to him. He frowned again, moving towards them.
"Here's Mr. Prince-Charming-in-training, have you been thinking about it?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, but it's not helping. I'm still not getting anything," he shrugged, the girls frowning.
"Come on, Paul, it can't be that difficult to realize," May told him, tapping her toe.
"It may not seem like it to you, but it's like a hammer in my head, and it's just hitting again and again, repeatedly," he moved his hand to the side of his head, giving a yawn. "...Plus I'm starting to feel tired from it, I think I may just turn in for today."
"And leave this until tomorrow? You said you were meeting in the afternoon, right?" the trainer nodded. "Then you'll have to get up early and think more."
"Why do I have to think more about it? It's only causing me problems," he sighed.
"If you go to meet her thinking it's not a date but she thinks it is, you'll be on two separate pages and that will completely mess it up," Zo told him, the trainer looking confused.
"But what if she doesn't think it's a date, and I do. Won't it seem like I'm trying too much?" he asked, the girls giving a sigh.
"Trust us, we know how a girl thinks. From what you told us, we can almost guarantee she thinks it's a date," May smiled, trying to reassure the man. "Just be yourself, and do not lie."
"...I guess I'll try, but I'm heading in for the night," he sighed quietly, walking in the doorway. The girls looked at each other, smiling.
"I think we do well together."
"Me too. We should do this more often."
END
How will Paul's 'date' go?
What will Ash do about being caught in the middle of a love war?
How will Ash and Hilda train for their battle in the finals?
