"That should be enough."

Having worked quite a while on the commercial they shot together Amelia was glad with the result. Having already send the film to her father to see she looked over her balcony out to the open sea. Having her Rotom phone in hand the Performer put the file of it on it so she can show it to her companion later in the restaurant. Going over through her contact list she realized Ash's name was not in her phone despite them getting close the last couple of days.

Almost regretting her plan to get closer she started to run out of time. She normally is laser focused on her objective to succeed and any other person would've given her what she wanted already due to her notoriety and connections, but the boy she's with had the uncanny ability to get her distracted.

"Time is running out. Today is the day I'll get him to spill her secrets." Determined to get what she wanted Amelia took her hat and bag and set off to the restaurant to meet up with Ash. Her pace being a slight jog she quickly arrived there. Seeing him at his regular table with a stack of pancakes and toast eating it all away.

"Morning Ash."

"Morning." He smiled creating a strange response in her.

"What's this beating sensation in my chest?" Her heartbeat picked up as if she exerted herself. Normally that rush only occurred after a difficult performance. She found it strange as she figured she wasn't getting out of shape and grew far as she had a strict diet.

"Did you finish editing your commercial?"

"Yes. Again, thank you for your help. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes." As she took her purple Rotom phone out it reminded her of something she thought about earlier before she showed the result of their efforts.

"I don't have your number in my phone. Can we exchange them?"

"Ok." Ash pulled out his and they exchanged numbers. Ash did tell her he wasn't using it much but for recognizing trainers in the world championship and a few Pokedex entries but she told him it's fine as she just wanted to contact him if needed.

Having watched the commercial on her phone Ash gave it back to her. Not a Pokevision he was used to it certainly was a change from the norm. Still she seemed glad with the result of his filming and that's what mattered in the end.

"Anything you want to do today? After yesterday it's your turn to drag me around." Amelia offering to make up and exchange for wasting his time with the shooting Ash had a clue.

"I want to go to the stores this place has. Buy a souvenir for Goh and the others at the lab."

"Sounds like a plan." Always happy to do some shopping herself maybe the gift shop would at least have something memorable. Maybe as a thank you she can buy his gifts as the allowance she was given is still neatly tucked in her pocket.

On their way to the souvenir store they saw a crew member hang a poster on the wall. He went on to other parts of the ship as Ash stopped for a moment to read it.

"To celebrate a safe and successful first journey of the SS Shimmer the staff proudly presents the Shimmer ball. One grand final to end your experience and tie up your memories with a bow." Amelia secretly smirked as she quickly hid it from him. Ash took a look on the list of acts that were going to be on. Musicians, actors and different dance acts were stated to entertain the guests. He did not see his friend as a Performer on it.

"Weren't you invited for it with a new Performance?" Since Amelia is an opening act he wondered why she was not on the list of future performers.

"No. I only was scheduled for the opening. For the rest of the journey I'm a guest like you."

"You want to perform at it?" Ash asked with Amelia not being too sure.

"I don't have a new Performance planned and I don't want to reuse one." All her recent Performances were a retrain and inspiration was hard to find.

"Do you want to perform or not? If you want to we can ask the captain if he can schedule you in and we'll help you make a new Performance. Right Pikachu?" The mouse squeaked up. Amelia glad to come closer to her goal of maybe seeing Serena's method. Yet she was happier that he offered it himself without her jumping through hoops to get to this point. Once again he was genuinely nice to her, an emotion not to common due to her family.

After some persuading from both the captain gave them the theater to practice in. Being all alone by themselves Amelia did want to incorporate her Shiny Dragonair into the new Performance but did not want a repeat of using her Espeon. Having settled on her choice she brought out her Oricorio. Her Galar Rapidash needed more space to move in and her Alcremie was more for Theme rounds when she made treats like Pokepuffs.

"You can dance right?" The black haired Performer asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"I figure since you travelled with Serena you know how to dance. You must've seen her practice a lot." She finally got it out. Time to see where this conversation would lead them.

"I'm not that good of a dancer. I went with another Performer once and I stepped on her toes and butted heads." Remembering Pierre's dance party which he went with Miette, tgat turned out to be a disaster until he went through a few girls and finally got the hang of it thanks to Aria.

"Didn't Serena try to teach you?"

"She tried for one of my Gym battles but it did not go that well. I had a friend that beat the Shalour City Gym Leader by using a dancing strategy. I tried it too but I switched back to my style when I didn't work for me." The style working for him ever since it was his rhythm for battle.

"I can still help you make a new Performance if you like."

"You said you can't dance. How can you help me make a new Performance?" Amelia asking how he will do it if he admitted to having two left feet. Nearly slapping herself as he might actually tell her what's she's been looking for from him. She was this close declining his offer after trying to get this out of him but composed herself.

"Dragonair! Oricorio!" Amelia threw her Pokeballs and out came the two. Both a purple color Ash really saw that it was her favorite color. The two Pokémon stood by as Amelia pulled out her sketchbook from her bag. Ash looked over the two and they were well groomed telling him she's as obsessive over brushing her Pokémon to look their best like Serena's.

"What do you have there?"

"Whenever I get something in my head I write it on paper. It helps me remember what I did and what I should work on."

She scribbled a notebook full of idea's but they all came up short to her previous work. All sorts of moves and combinations in them all of them were below her skill level and she knew it. Not one was the perfect Performance that she was aiming for but with his help would create one that will do for her act during the party.

"You're trying to find one for Dragonair and Oricorio?"

"Yes. What do you think about this one?" She showed him a design for a routine. Incredibly detailed she can visualize it and do from the page.

"Can you show it? Your drawings are clear but I really want to see you perform to see what can be improved on it."

Amelia and her Pokémon took their place on stage. Ash and Pikachu being the only audience member, even if it was only practice she wanted to impress him. Doing a bow before the crowd she spun in place with her arms wide as her Pokémon began to move in their own way.

"Dragon Dance!" The shiny Dragonair left the wooden boards as it began to glow a faint purple as it twirled around the girl and Oricorio. Sparkles came off Dragonair as it

Oricorio began to dance on its own following the pattern Dragonair set. The Flying type ability being Dancer it was forced to move that almost made it copy Dragonair. Amelia and Oricorio danced with each other as the glitter rained on them.

"Dragonair, Attract! Oricorio, Captivate!" Both Pokémon jumped up simultaneously and released a wave of hearts into the hall that began to float above Ash and Pikachu taking their attention to it.

"Twister!" Dragonair began to summon a vortex that drew in the particles in the air as it created a tornado of pink that covered her and the Pokémon. Doing their dancing inside it Amelia held out her right arm as Oricorio jumped on it and then up high.

"Air Slash!" Oricorio used its wings as it cut with a razor sharp wind as it cut through the heart particles and the storm that was whipped up. The pink wind exploded outwards showering the crowd as Oricorio descended gracefully back on her arm.

"Finish!" As the three took their pose to signal the end Ash and Pikachu clapped.

"It was great!" It was a genuinely great layout of her act but there was something that's been bugging him during her showing.

"You're trying too hard and its too flashy."

"Excuse me!? Explain yourself!" Being modest didn't reflect her style and family. For her family it was the best or nothing. Amelia nearly jumping off stage to slap him at the preposterousness of it Ash did think he angered her. He quickly explained himself.

"I travelled with a Coordinator who was once too flashy in her appeal." Remembering Dawn and one of her early career failures in polishing her appeals with his former Ambipom he told Amelia the reason she failed in his eyes.

"She didn't make it out of the first round as her moves were too flashy. It looked awesome but there was so much of it, it covered up the Pokémon she's supposed to show off. A rival of her came up the next day and remembered her how it should go. You and the Pokémon should be the center of Performances, not the moves you're using. Those sparkles are pretty but maybe you should do less so they don't block you and the Pokémon from view. Serena is currently on Contest training herself so she probably has learned that too."

"That…actually makes sense." Seeing the reasoning behind it he had a point. Bigger was supposed to be better but toning it down so she and her Pokémon were visible to the audience might work. It's a rule for Coordinators to present themselves so it might work for her.

"I see." She at least got that out of him about Serena.

They spend the rest of the afternoon on her new Performance. Amelia had trouble at first at using her flash too much but with Ash as an onlooker she eventually found a compromise to it. Her new act designed they went to the restaurant to eat and after finishing it would go back to their rooms.

"Thank you for helping me. That's two days I owe you now." She said as today was supposed to be his day. Instead he used his time helping her again.

"Always glad to help someone."

"Tomorrow we're going to do what you want to do. No way out of it this time." The overwhelming sense of sharing burned in her. Never before did she think of someone who was worth her time this much out of one of her teachers or stylists to make sure she looks at her best at all times.

"I'll sleep over it for a night. Later Amelia."

They went to their rooms as the Performer set her bag down and began flipping through her notebook looking at some of her older Performances. Having a pencil in hand she scratched through a bunch of them and adjusted it to Ash's advice earlier in the day of being less flashy. Having finished tuning another dance of hers her mind dwelled back to her ship companion.

"Would he even like the real me? I'm a friend of his based on a lie."

After all he did for her he just didn't deserve the way she's been lying. He's a friend based on a character she build on a scheme. There were hints of her true persona in it but the crucial parts on why she wanted to be his friend in the first place still hidden. She started to doubt her true mission now as he didn't deserve to be treated like that.

"What to do tomorrow? Any idea's Pikachu?"

Ash laid on his bed brainstorming about tomorrow's activity. His best friend shook his head as he didn't know either. They've seen all the wanted to see on the SS Shimmer so it was just waiting till the ship docked back at Vermilion City harbor so they can go back to the Cerise Institute to show Goh and Professor Cerise all the Shiny Pokémon he photographed.

He also wanted to do something that Amelia would like. She wasn't one for battling so he couldn't just spend the whole day at the battlefield with her in double battles. Pikachu seeing him think about their new friend now a bit more deeply than others. The blush on his buddy's face told Pikachu Ash did like her a bit.

"Pika?" Having lived with Professor Kukui and his new wife Burnet he and Ash became a lot more receptacle to feelings of romance and how a girl can actually change a man and make him do stupid things.

"What? She's pretty. And unlike that Giselle girl actually nice at first." The only other girl he ever liked for his looks it melted faster than snow over a Moltres Overheat. Giselle's attitude condescending and rotten at least she took a better turn after he and Pikachu beat her Cubone in battle.

Amelia was pretty in looks he wouldn't deny it. Also pretty dedicated in becoming the best Performer she can be with a laser like focus on improving her Performances as shown when they hung out this afternoon. It reminded him of himself whenever he was working on a strategy for a Gym battle or an important match.

Maybe it is the same sort of flu that always caught Brock near a girl, Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny. But to say he wanted a relationship with her as Kukui and Burnet would be going to far. He still was young and had a lot of time to travel and see the world.

Besides he wouldn't see her again for a long time after getting off the SS Shimmer. Amelia might just be one of those pretty girls that just flicked a switch in a guy and he thought nothing of it as he thought him falling for someone so fast was awkward. Maybe one of Dragonair's Attract or Oricorio's Captivate him and was cause for these weird thoughts.

Either way Ash was going to enjoy the time he had left with her on the cruise liner as he was trying to come up with an activity they both would like.

I suck at building relationships. Might as well bite the bullet on how Ash likes Amelia or else I'll be dodging the matter like Ultra Instinct for the next 3 years. Just believe it's meant to be like I did with Shauna in that they just click and it's love at the first bunch of sights and within a week.

I'll leave emotional build up to better writers than myself.

Later.