"Pikapi..."
"Five more minutes, Pi..."
"Pikaaa..."
"...Oh, alright...Alright..." the trainer yawned, lazily opening his eyes. He sat up from his slumber, yawning again as his back snapped on his way up. "...What time is it, anyway...?"
"Time for you to get an alarm clock," he blinked, confused as he looked at Zo, who was sitting in pokemon form by the tent. "It's a little after noon. You should start working on your timing, since your big battle is tomorrow. You need to train today."
"Yeah, I guess you're right..." he stood up slowly, rubbing his eyes. Then it dawned on him. "Wait...Why aren't you in disguise? What if the others see you? They'll ask me about you, you know."
"I don't plan on heading out today, I feel like sleeping it in," Ash gave her a surprised and unconvinced look, crossing his arms. "What? I'm serious, things have gotten weird since Hilda suddenly loves you and I don't want to get in the middle of it."
"The real Zo I know would never say that. What are you planning?" he asked, the pokemon frowning.
"Is it too much to ask for a trainer to trust his pokemon?" she asked, feeling hurt. Ash sighed, frowning.
"...Fine, I guess you can stay. Just remember to not wander around like a zorua, alright?" he asked, the pokemon giving a nod. He moved towards the tent, crouching to one knee and placing his hand on the pokemon's head. "Promise me you'll stay out of trouble."
"I will, don't worry about me. It's Leaf and Hilda you should worry about," she told him, smiling. The trainer felt a smile creep to his lips, giving a nod as he stood and walked out of the campsite. The pokemon snickered, grinning. "Good, now I can get to business."
"Mandibuzz, Dark Pulse! Emboar, block it!" the bird soared in the sky, releasing a ray of dark power on the fire-type. It crossed its arms, receiving the attack and pushing forward, brushing the attack off like it's nothing. "Good job, guys!" Hilda cheered, smiling. "We're going up against Ash tomorrow, so it's training all afternoon. We have to be in perfect condition."
"Hey! Hilda!" her expression turned to confusion, looking around. She shrugged, seeing no one, believing she had imagined it. "Hey! Try looking up!" she looked up, surprised to see a red and white-feathered eagle descending to the ground. The man smiled, jumping off the bird's back and landing safely.
"Hilbert? What are you doing?" she asked, watching the man recall his pokemon.
"That's the first thing you ask? Not 'Where have you been' or 'what were you doing'?" he chuckled, crossing his arms behind his head.
"You were back at the campsite since yesterday, I would assume," she crossed her arms, shaking her head with a quiet sigh.
"Nice try, but no. I spent the night in Castelia," she looked at him surprised, the man giving a nod. "Yep, just getting a little help with something from a friend of mine. He's a lot better than me with this kind of stuff."
"What kind of stuff did you have to go to Castelia for?" she asked, looking puzzled. The man smiled.
"Sorry, keeping quiet for now," the girl frowned, the man laughing to himself. "I'm sure everyone will learn about it soon enough, depends if I got the guts anytime soon."
"You're only confusing me more," she told him, the man laughing as he walked past her. She looked back at him, watching him disappear through the trees. She smiled, shaking her head.
"Damn, I knew I would be early..." he muttered, checking his watch as he walked down the stairs to the mall. His wrist reading only 1 o'clock, he sighed as he stopped at the bottom.
"I am not gonna be early, so I may as well wander for a bit..." he frowned, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking down the path. Unknownst to him, a familiar figure followed him, being careful that he doesn't notice them.
"May? Are you okay?"
"Let me sleep..."
"May, get up. I can tell something's different with you."
"What makes you think that...?"
"Just get up!"
"Oh, what do you want!" she snapped, lurching forward and glaring at the girl beside her.
"You're mumbling in your sleep, and you keep tossing and turning," Misty told her, frowning. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing, now let me sleep," May pulled the cover back over her head, the redhead giving a sigh. She grabbed the brunette's ankles, heaving her out of the bed.
"Stop trying to avoid it, what's wrong?" the redhead asked, the brunette groaning as she stood up.
"I said nothing's wrong, now leave me alone," May glared at her, the redhead frowning as she looked carefully into her eyes.
"...You have bags under your eyes, you couldn't have been having nightmares all night," Misty pointed out, the brunette rubbing her eyes. "Come on, I'm only asking as a friend."
"It's nothing to worry about," May assured her, giving a yawn as she walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
"Something's definitely wrong, she never goes that slowly to the bathroom," Brock stated, looking up from the magazine he was reading.
"I know, I'm even more worried now."
"It's only been fifteen minutes..." he sighed, frowning as he leaned against the wall and looked around. Noticing a small flower shop, his eyes stopped on a few pink daisies in particular.
"Should I get her some...? Then she would think I thought it was a date, and if she didn't, then I would seem to be trying too hard..." he sighed again, clutching his head as he felt a headache starting. "Screw it, I'll take my chances," he began wandering again, noticing the diner in the side of his eye as he stepped into the path intersection. His feet stopping, something at the diner caught his eye.
The girl from the day before, his supposed 'date', sitting alone. She was looking into a small handhel mirror, carefully moving strands of hair from her face. He blinked, snapping himself from staring and turning away.
"I was staring...I was staring at a girl...What is happening to me...?" he thought to himself, glancing back as he continued away. "...She was even earlier than me...That has to mean something, right...?"
"I guess it's only natural she's training...She is against Ash, after all..." Hilbert told himself, beginning to recognize the scenery around him as he neared the campsite. "After the brutal defeat she got last time, she's definitely more motivated..."
"Okay, don't make a fool of yourself...Don't lie, be yourself..." he told himself, beginning to feel nervous as he neared the cafe from a different path. Staring at one small table in particular, he sighed. "...Dammit, I'm gonna mess this up so bad..." he shrugged it off, continuing towards the table. "Hey."
"Oh?" she looked back at him with a curious look, a smile quickly appearing on her face. "Paul, good to see you!"
"Likewise. How long have you been waiting?" he asked, taking a seat across from her. Seeing her closer, Paul saw she was wearing light blue jeans and a simple blue blouse, with her blonde hair down just past her neck.
"Not very long. I was really nervous about it, though. I've been stood up so many times, I'm always skeptical of meeting someone now," she giggled.
"I can't imagine why anyone would back out of meeting you," Paul told her, the girl looking at him confused. "You're a beautiful woman, anyone to stand you up is really missing out."
"Oh, well...Thank you," she blushed, a smile spreading across her face again. "I was really surprised when you asked me out like this. I do get a lot of men asking me to meet them, but none of them have ever been like you."
"How so?" he asked.
"All the men to come to up me have been the same. Arrogant, hot-headed, overconfident, they think they can get anything they want. But you're different, you were nervous," Paul frowned, scratching the back of his neck. "I've never had a guy nervous to talk to me, it was something new."
"Well, I'm not the kind of guy for this stuff, I really had no idea what I was going to say. It just kind of came out, I guess," he chuckled, the girl giggling.
"Well I liked it. It's cute," Paul looked at her, her smile more gentle than before. "And for you asking me out, I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world."
"It's a rare thing, for sure..." he smirked, then something dawned on him. "Wait, I just realized I don't even know your name."
"Really? Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I guess I was caught up in the moment yesterday that I forgot to tell you," she gasped, giving an apologetic look.
"It's okay, even getting to meet you is a good thing," he told her, the girl giggling again.
"It's Alice."
"So where should we train, Pi?" the raven-haired trainer asked.
"Pipi kachupi," the mouse pointed ahead of them, the trainer looking ahead.
"Where we were with lucario and gallade? Alright, that should be a good place," he nodded, walking in the direction towards his destination in-mind.
"Hey! Ash!" he looked back, seeing the blunette energetically following him.
"Hey, Dawn. I'm off to training, and I don't want anyone knowing my strategies but me," he told her, the blunette frowning.
"That's disappointing, but not what I came for. Have you seen Paul around?" the trainer shook his head, the blunette crossing her arms. "Man, I can't find that guy anywhere."
"He's a floater, what do you expect? Also, what really happened between you two when you were alone?" he asked, the girl tilting her head in confusion. "He said you two didn't do what you said, so I'm just wondering what really happened."
"Sorry, Ash! No time, bye!" she suddenly rushed off, leaving the trainer and mouse to blink in confusion. Shrugging it off, they continued towards their training destination.
"I could have slept the whole day off..." May rubbed her eye, giving a yawn as she walked down the hall. Stepping into the lobby, she noticed the pink-haired woman was not standing behind the desk. "...Weird...Guess she's taking a break..." she shrugged, continuing out the doorway. The doors opened for her, surprising her as the blunette was standing with her arms crossed.
"Have you seen Paul?" she asked.
"He told me he had something important to do right about now," she replied, giving another yawn.
"Where is he? Do you know?" she asked, stepping closer to the brunette and looking into her eyes cautiously. The brunette stepped back, feeling nervous.
"He went to the cafe with someone, why do you want to know?" she replied, the blunette giving a gasp.
"He's meeting someone? Who?" she demanded, stepping closer again.
"It's a girl he met yesterday, they're meeting for coffee. And stop getting closer, it's freaking me out," the brunette stepped bac uneasily, the blunette gasping again. She dashed down the side-hall, disappearing down the staircase leading to the mall. "...I have no idea what that was...But why is everything weird today?"
"So, Alice, how long have you worked at the jewellery store here?" Paul asked.
"A few months now, it's pretty fun. I love jewellery and know so much about it, and I love talking with people, so it's perfect for me," she replied, smiling.
"But why not get a job in Castelia? I'm sure it's not very popular here, except around the tournaments," Paul responded, the girl giving a nod.
"Yeah, but I do get the nervous feeling around others every now and then," she told him, looking at the table. "I'm actually really nervous right now."
"Why? You seem like such a happy and social person in the store," he told her, the girl's cheeks turning pink as she shyly smiled to herself.
"I've watched tournaments and battles on tv for a long time, and I've seen you a lot. You're a really powerful trainer, and I've actually admired you for quite some time," she noticed Paul looking at her cautiously, her cheeks warming more as she waved her hands dismissively. "N-Not in a creepy way, d-definitely! You're just r-really strong and a lot of trainers look up to you, I've just found that admirable!" he continued looking at her, the girl's cheeks gradually getting warmer as she pressed her palms on the table and stood. "I'm very sorry. I'm so nervous being with you, and you probably think I'm a creep for saying these things, so I shou-"
"Wait," surprised, she saw his hand move on top of hers. "You don't have to go."
"W...What?" she asked, looking shocked.
"So you've seen a few of my battles on tv, a lot of people do. If you admire me, you have good taste in power," she couldn't resist giggling. "Please, stay. If you're a fan of me, I feel more that I should help our time together be enjoyable for you."
"...Mr. Paul..." she couldn't find her words, only able to stare at him while her cheeks began to return to normal.
"Please, just call me Paul," he smiled, surprising the girl more. She nodded, sitting back down. "And you don't have to be nervous, we're friends."
"You consider us friends?" she asked, her cheeks warming again.
"Of course," she looked at him, amazed, then smiled.
"...Thank you. I'm still nervous, but this is helping quite a bit," she told him, looking down at the table in embarrassement. Catching her eye, she noticed his hand was still on hers.
"No worries, as long as you have fun, I'm more than glad," he told her, the girl giving a nod.
"So tell me about yourself. What's it like to be a star?"
"Where is that jerk...?" Dawn asked herself, looking around the mall cautiously as she searched for the man. Reaching a connection of paths, she noticed the sign for the cafe. "May said he was meeting at the cafe- Aha!"
"So far, this is going well..." a woman said to herself as she walked towards the occupied table, smiling. "Hello, how may I help the young couple today?"
"W-What?" the blonde girl asked, surprised as she cheeks burned.
"Oh, we're not a couple. We're just friends," Paul added, his cheeks beginning to warm as well.
"Are you sure? You two look adorable together," their cheeks burned more, looking away in embarrassement. "I suppose I'm mistaken, unfortunately. May I help you with drinks?"
"Just water is fine," Alice stated.
"I'll take a coffee," Paul added.
"Ok, I'll be back soon," she smiled, beginning to turn away until something caught her eye. In the distance, down the path, she noticed a blunette walking towards them. "Ah, crap. This won't end well," she thought, quickly disappearing into the back room. Thankfully everyone working was busy, she jumped into the air and disappeared in a red vortex. Landing again as a familiar young brunette, she stepped back through the doorway and hurried past the tables without the young pair noticing her, too caught up in their conversation. She hurried straight ahead.
"Out of my way, Leaf," Dawn continued moving, but the 'brunette' held her back. "What are you doing?"
"I'm not letting you ruin this," the girl looked into the blunette's eyes, confusing her. Her eyes flashed a deep and strange red, then the blunette's eyes blanked, her lids dropping and her body going limp. She fell into the girl's arms, who carried her away. The few people around began giving strange looks, which she immediately noticed. "Nothing to see here, she just passed out. Continue with your business."
"So, Hilbert, what have you been up to recently?" Leaf asked, looking curiously at the man.
"Thank you, someone who finally cares," Hilbert sighed, giving a chuckle. "I went out to Castelia, spent the night with a bud of mine, came back."
"You went to Castelia? What were you doing?" she asked, surprised.
"Just some business I needed to take care of, too bad I forgot the business here," he chuckled nervously, crossing his arms behind his head.
"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.
"He specializes in a certain field, and I wanted him to check something for me. But once I got there and I tried to let him see it, turns out I didn't have it, so I must have left it around here somewhere," he sweatdropped, frowning.
"So you came back to find it?" she asked, the man giving a nod. "I can help you look, if you want."
"Nah, I got it. Something I shouldn't worry others with, anyway," he shrugged, the girl looking confused.
"Are you sure? I've got nothing to do, and I would be more than happy to help," she told him, but the man shook his head.
"Don't worry about it, it's something I have to get through myself. Might be difficult, but I'll make it work somehow," the brunette nodded, wondering the meaning behind his words. "So again, why are you still following me?"
"Because I have nothing to do," she shrugged, the pair passing through the final of the bushes and stepping into the plaza.
"Okay, well...I've got my own thing to do, so..." he trailed off, looking at the brunette's bright and innocent face. "...There's no way to nicely say it. Please go wander somewhere else."
"Okay," she walked past him, the man looking surprised that it had worked. He watched the brunette walking away, shaking his head from his thoughts.
"I gotta find it, can't get distracted."
"Alright, guys!" Ash tossed the six pokeballs into the air, enlargening and bursting open in brilliant flashes. He watched the pokemon appear in front of him, each looking determined. "Alright, guys, we're on full training today. Our battle with Hilda is tomorrow, and I want everyone feeling well and confident. Let's begin."
"So you don't like being popular?" the blonde-haired girl asked, looking confused.
"It seems like a glamourous life, but it's really not all that good. The paparazzi gets really annoying after a while, they find you no matter where you are or what you're doing," he sighed, the girl giving a frown.
"Sounds rough," she stated, the trainer giving a nod. Paul glanced up, noticing the familiar woman moving towards them with two glasses.
"Here's your water, and here's your coffee. Would you two like anything else?" she asked, the pair shaking their heads. "...Are you sure you're not a couple? You're still holding hands from when I was here earlier."
"What?" Paul asked, looking down at the table. Shocked, he realized his hand was on Alice's. His body hesitated, but he pulled his hand off hers. "S-Sorry."
"And you're nervous about it, you two are simply adorable together," she commented, smiling as she turned and moved away. Alice's cheeks burned again, Paul giving a sigh.
"Sorry about the hand thing," he told her, the girl shaking her head.
"Don't worry, I didn't mind. It was actually nice," she smiled, surprising Paul. "Hey...Isn't that Hilbert?"
"Where?" Paul looked behind, surprised to see the man wandering around looking curiously on the floor as he went. "...I think he's finally lost it..."
"No, I think he's looking for something he might have dropped," she responded, Paul continuing to watch the man.
"...That also..." the pair continued to watch the man search. The man began looking up at the walls around him, until his gaze somehow set on the pair. A grin spread across his face, walking towards them. The woman serving them moved towards the pair at the table. Confused, she followed their looks and saw the man, frowning. "Now this guy? Come on, you guys come at the worst times..." she thought, disappearing into the red vortex again. Landing again as the brunette, she hurried towards the man and grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey, Leaf, I just saw you out- Wait, how did you get here before me?" he asked, amazed.
"You can't be here right now," she looked into his eyes, flashing a strange red again. The man looked surprised, his eyes blanking.
"...Z...Zo..." he groaned, then collapsed. She caught him, frowning as she dragged him towards where she had with the blunette. Again, others looked oddly at her.
"What? There's something in the air, okay? Everyone passes out sometime in their life, it's nothing special."
"What to do...What to do...?" Leaf asked herself, looking around curiously. Stepping through the great doorway of the battle areas, she looked at each smaller doorway leading to the battlefields. "...Four great trainers of this land, this stadium created to separate their individuality on the battlefield..." she smiled, then something caught her ear. Intrigued, she followed the sound until she was moving towards a battlefield. Confused, she noticed May sitting alone on the bleacher, twiddling her thumbs on her thighs. "May?"
"Huh?" she looked up, surprised to see the brunette. "Oh, Leaf. Hey."
"Hey...What are you doing here?" she asked, moving closer.
"Nothing, just...Thinking," she shrugged, staring at her thumbs moving in circles around each other.
"Thinking of what?" she inquired, the brunette not responding. "...Still thinking about the Ash stuff?"
"What? ...Oh, no, not anymore," she shook her head, her cheeks now pink. "It's not Ash, it's...Something else that's on my mind..."
"...Is it another guy?" May looked oddly at Leaf, who shrugged. "I'm a master when it comes to knowing feelings, trust me."
"I'm not really thinking of a guy, more like...My future. When I grow up, what I'll do, that kind of stuff," she replied, the Kanto brunette sitting beside her.
"Are you thinking of possibly being a mother?" she asked.
"Of course, I'd love to be a mother someday."
"So you're thinking of what guy you want to be with?"
...Okay, now I see where you're going with this."
"It's nothing bad, May. You really should think about this."
"It's just weird, though. I used to always think Ash was the one for me, but I never would have imagined he would have a soulmate like you."
"Well...Thank you, I guess," her cheeks flushed, smiling to herself as she looked away. "So what do you imagine the guy to be like?"
"I don't really know...I would hope he's caring, good with kids, friendly...And I want him to understand me..." she trailed off in thought, giving a sigh as her chin dropped into her palms supported by her legs. "...But guys like that are barely around, you can only find two or three in your entire life."
"I'm sure you'll find one someday," May glanced at the smiling brunette, a smile spreading across her own face.
"...I guess you're right," she took a deep breath, sitting up again. "I'll worry about that when I come to it, right now I'll enjoy being with my friends."
"Hey! Girls!" the brunettes looked towards the doorway, seeing the Hoenn trainer standing with his arms crossed, looking at them oddly. "What are you two doing over there?"
"Nothing that concerns you, Brendan!" May called back, the trainer beginning to walk towards them.
"Aww, that's mean, don't you think?" he asked.
"Not at all," May laughed, smiling. Leaf looked at her, smiling to herself in silence.
"She doesn't realize what she's looking for is right in front of her..."
"Here you are," the woman poured the coffee into the cup, Paul giving a nod. "If there's anything else, don't hesitate to call."
"Thank you," Alice said, the woman walking away. She turned the corner, giving a sigh.
"How long are they going to be here? This is actually pretty tiring, with Dawn and Hilbert almost ruining this," she thought, frowning. "...Come on! Just kiss already, you two!"
"Ooooh...uuh..." Hilbert groaned, wincing as he slowly opened his eyes. Confused as he looked around, his eyes then snapped open. He lurched up, looking around oddly. "...What the...?"
"...Mmm..." confused, he looked behind him and saw another figure. He jumped back, hitting the wall. Noticing something particular about the figure, he stood up and looked closer. Moving to the other side, he noticed it was a familiar blunette.
"Dawn?" he asked, tapping her shoulder.
"...No, Mom...No more glitter..." Hilbert sweatdropped, his head dropping with a sigh. He grabbed her shoulder, shaking it.
"Wake up, Dawn, come on..." he muttered, the girl's eyelids beginning to flutter.
"...Mmmm...Mom...?" she asked tiredly, blinking lazily at the man.
"No, far from it," he sighed, the blunette sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She stretched her arms behind her back, the man looking away.
"...Wha...Where am I?" she asked, looking around oddly.
"That's what I was hoping for you to answer. What do you remember before passing out?" he asked, the blunette looking at him.
"Oh, hi Hilbert! I remember being in the mall, I was looking for Paul, then I-" she suddenly gasped, startling the man. "Paul! I saw him with a girl!"
"A girl?" he asked quizzically, looking unconvinced.
"Yes, they were at a table at the cafe, and I was going to talk to them but Leaf came up to me and her eyes flashed red, then I got dizzy," the blunette explained, Hilbert crossing his arms.
"Same thing with me, I saw Paul with a girl and went over to mess with him, but Leaf blocked me," he closed his eyes, picturing the brunette with her eyes flashing again. "But I'm certain...That was Zo's Hypnosis..."
"But what was with Leaf's eyes? It was like she was a demon or something," Dawn tapped her chin in thought, thinking back to the girl.
"Let's figure that out after," he dismissed the topic, standing again and looking around. "First we have to figure out where we are, and how to get out." he was confused as the girl didn't respond, looking down at her again. She was holding her arms crossed tightly, shaking. "Dawn?"
"...A-Are you...C-Cold...?" she asked, looking up at him.
"This jacket's warmer than it looks, so not really," he shrugged, then something dawned him. He looked around, holding his hand against the wall. Freezing cold. "Wait a minute...Don't tell me...!"
"W-What is it?" her teeth chattered, the man giving a sigh, his braeth clearly visible.
"Somehow...We're in a freezer."
"I really had fun," Alice told him, smiling as she stood up.
"Me too, you're a great girl," Paul stood as well, the girl's cheeks warming again.
"T-Thank you," she smiled to herself, focusing on a floor tile in embarrassement. "I'm sorry I have to go, it's just that my sister's kind of helpless without me..."
"Don't worry about it, I'm glad we could meet," Paul smirked, the girl giving a smile.
"Same here, I never would have imagined you out of anyone to ask me out," she giggled, the trainer scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have seen it coming either," he chuckled, the blonde-haired girl holding her hands behind her back. "So, I guess...I'll see you later, maybe...?"
"Definitely," she giggled, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. He looked confused as she took his hand, slipping the paper in his fingers. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm more than glad to be that someone."
"...Thanks..." he looked at her, surprised by the action. She smiled, leaning forward and standing on her toes. Shocked, he watched her press her lips against his cheek gently, the warm feeling heating his face. She pulled back, her own cheeks a tinge of pink as she laughed, smiling.
"I'll see you around, Paul," she told him, turning away.
"Goodbye for now, Alice," he replied, the girl smiling to herself as she walked away from him. Behind him, a familiar figure snuck up on him.
"Congrats for finally being a man, Paul!" she slapped him on the back, the trainer turning with a frustrated look.
"You were watching us the whole time, weren't you?" he asked, the girl poking her tongue out playfully.
"Of course not, who do you think I am?" Zo asked, smiling innocently.
"You're a persistent girl who stops at nothing to get amusing information," he responded, the girl giving a frown.
"You know me well."
"So you've seen everything between us?"
"Yes, a few parts I missed because of some mishaps."
"What mishaps? Like watching Leaf drag away an unconscious Hilbert?"
"Yeah, just like- Oh no!" Paul watched in confusion as she dashed away, darting inside the cafe and disappearing through the doorway.
"What is wrong with her...?"
"Okay, think. How can we get out of a freezer?" Hilbert asked, the blunette unable to hold her teeth from chattering.
"W-Well...They lock f-from the outside, s-so there's not much w-we can do..." she stuttered, the man looking down at her. She remained curled up holding herself tightly, her eyes closed. He looked at the door, giving a sigh as he lowered the zipper of his jacket.
"You'll get sick like this," he told her, pulling his arms out of the sleeves. She slowly opened her eyeslids, surprised to see him lowering his jacket over her shoulders. He tucked it around her arms, his arms beginning to shake as he pulled them back, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"But will you be okay just like that?" she asked, looking at the plain white t-shirt he wore beneath his jacket.
"Yeah, I'll be f...fine..." he bit his lip, preventing it from quivering. She stared at him with a worried expression, the man looking at the door. "...We'll just have to wait it out, I guess...Until someone needs in here..."
"...Hey, can I ask you something?" she asked, the man looking at her.
"Sure, what's up?" he asked, the blunette's expression turning serious.
"...Do you really love Hilda?" the man froze, metaphorically, at the girl's words. She continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer as he could only look back at her. He sighed, looking at the door again, then back at her.
"...Dawn-"
"Ohmygosh, are you guys okay?" the door suddenly burst open, releasing a large amount of light to pour into the room. the blunette winced and covered her eyes, the man wincing as he turned around and looked through the doorway. Confused, he noticed Zo looking worried. "You're okay, right? Please tell me no one's finger froze and broke off!"
"Alright, guys, take a break," Hilda called, the pokemon panting lightly as they each took a seat on the grass. The girl grinned. "It seems like our battle with Ash is only a few minutes away, but we're gonna win. With what happened last time, we're going to win for sure!"
"That's enough, guys, we'll take a few minutes," Ash told them, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead. The pokemon nodded, returning to normal stances. He smirked. "We'll be ready for this battle...And we'll win. No matter how many times she challenges us, we'll prevail each and every time!"
END
What will Dawn do with Paul about his date?
How will Ash and Hilda's battle start?
