Chapter 40:

Helping Ash

Another day comprised of watching the treetops for movement and asking any passers-by if they had seen a lone Greninja concluded beneath a fire-light sky.

Sitting beside the vibrantly crackling campfire her Braixen had set, Serena sighed. It had nearly been a week since they saw Greninja, and each day had been repetitive and unsuccessful. The trail had taken them to Route 12 before it vanished, replaced by surprise exhaustion. She guessed it was the same for the others: they were all still as resolved to continue as ever, but fatigue haunted the air around them.

"This isn't going well, huh?" Tierno asked as cheerily as always, popping a marshmallow they bought from Coumarine City into his mouth.

"Not particularly, no," Trevor answered while scrolling through his photo album.

"And we were so close to him too…" Shauna said, pouting.

"Yeah…" Serena added, "I think we need to take a step back, restart our search after a little break."

"We have been going non-stop…" Shauna said.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Serena apologised. "I have pretty much dragged you around this week. I didn't expect it to be this exhausting…"

"Ah, what're ya talking about? We decided to come with you," Tierno declared.

"That's right. It's no bother. It's actually rather fun at times," Trevor added. "I've updated my portfolio quite a bit from our travels."

"I will admit I would prefer to have more frequent hot showers…" Shauna sighed, and a few chuckles engulfed them.

"Thank you, everyone," Serena said. "How about we head back to Lumiose City for a bit?"

"That sounds good. We can pop in and visit Professor Sycamore," Trevor said. The others confirmed their agreement.

"It's decided, then," Serena said.

A little while later, Serena headed into her tent to sleep. She didn't fall asleep for a while, though. Her mind drifted to Ash, to what he could be doing, what he had been doing since she last saw him. She imagined something exciting, some new adventure, catching new Pokémon. That was him all around, after all.

She wondered, then, what he was feeling. Was he ok? Did he still love her the way she did him? It was difficult to predict. But she tried not to worry herself over that too much. Doing so would not help the situation. She simply hoped he was ok.

That evening, none of them noticed the sharp eyes watching them through the top tree branches.

Lillie was exhausted when morning arrived. Brock told her over breakfast that Ash had risen early and rushed out to the Battle Royal Dome. She sighed, imaging herself collapsing if she attempted that. How he had the energy for it while she was still three-quarters asleep was abnormal.

Her and Brock's breakfast was rather subdued given the looming issue Lillie knew Brock was thinking about as much as she was. The others joined as the morning progressed: first was Hau, and Mallow was last for a change – Lillie wasn't surprised. But even with the additional people, the conversation was still minimal. They existed in a bubble of unease, blown up by last night's conversation. Eventually, Brock sighed and suggested they discuss how best to help Ash, bursting the bubble.

They took the conversation to the comfier seats across from the café area. Brock summarised the situation first – with difficulty – then opened the discussion. At first, nobody spoke. Hau tapping his foot and the Poké-Center's background noise filled the thoughtful silence as they pondered ways to help. Lillie tried her best to think of something, anything, but it proved futile. What could she do specifically?

By the hour mark, an hour filled with more questions than solutions, they only had a few ideas, such as Hau suggesting he cheer Ash up by showing him some baby Litten videos – a comment that made everyone quietly sigh with disappointment despite his seriousness – and Lana's idea to get him a gift. But Lillie didn't think they would help. For one, those ideas weren't specific enough, and Ash had acted completely normal last night, which proved how subconscious the issue was. And Lillie knew personally that the deeper issues were the hardest to resolve.

Seeing no solutions in sight, Brock told them to think about it throughout the week. They disbanded with a question to ponder:

How do you make someone realise they are loved?

Lillie ate lunch on one of the benches outside that overlooked the battlefield and the forest, calmly observing the way it gleamed under the mid-day sun while she pondered some more.

Dawn, clad ready to spend the afternoon at the beach, joined her. Given the telling way she stared at her, Lillie knew she wanted to talk about something important, and she had an idea of what it could be: her emotional reaction to Brock's story the day prior. After eating, Lillie hastily headed inside to tend to her egg to postpone that particular conversation. What she would say to Dawn when she inevitably asked her to talk only added to her thoughts.

Later that afternoon, Lillie decided to take a walk around Heahea. Lana joined her, so it was inevitable that their conversation became about Mallow and how unfortunate this whole situation was for her, too. Lillie didn't say much so as not to betray her hurt and discomfort. She had to figure out what it meant herself first.

On the way back, they pondered whether learning of Ash's situation earlier might have caused events to evolve differently. Lillie didn't think so. Dawn had told them enough while respecting Ash's wishes. Besides, none of them truly knew of Ash's dilemma. No matter when Mallow confessed, Lillie was sure the outcome would have been the same. It was a sad truth.

Lana concluded their conversation by saying, "But I think it's good Mallow told him, despite everything. She has such a deep crush on him, but I'm not sure it's anything more than that, you know?"

That particular statement struck Lillie as something significant, but the feeling vanished, and she couldn't help laughing at the scene they entered the Poké-Center to moments later. Ash had returned, and Hau had him sat in front of the large television with videos of cute Pokémon frolicking on a fluffy carpet, shouting that, for some exercise, Ash had to think of himself as the trainer and Hau as the Pokémon. Hau was grinning. Ash looked baffled.

It took seeing a video of a Cleffa and a Togepi evolving for Lillie to realise the touching message Hau was trying to convey to Ash: that he and Ash's friendship was as deep as those needed for such evolutions. Hau was still not on the right lines, but it was a beautiful idea nonetheless, one that replaced Lillie's laughter with a fond smile. Until Hau thoughtlessly suggested that Ash should try to mimic the video by having Bagon evolve via friendship. Lillie sighed and laughed once again when she saw Brock slam the book he was reading into his forehead, groaning.

The next day, Friday, was Kiawe's turn. He brought his sister, Mimo, over for the day because, in his words, 'Mimo exuded pure love with her very presence'. It was bizarre, and an idea everyone knew only worked in enforcing the feeling for Kiawe himself, but at least he was trying, Lillie thought. She still couldn't think of anything. For such a difficult, vague task, any idea was worth it.

Though, as Lillie watched Ash training for hours that evening from the window of their room, she wondered if trying to think of some big gesture was what he needed. She wondered if being there for him was the best thing she could do for now. So that's what she decided to do: ask Ash for help with her fear every evening, as a way to spend some time with him and assess his wellbeing. As a way to let him know that she was there for him whenever.

She started that evening, asking him if he was alright at the end of her practise. She headed to bed a little bit more satisfied having attempted something, wondering whose idea would crop up tomorrow.

"Gahh!" Ash yelped, raising his arms into a futile defence against the tar-black smoke Clemont's newest invention exploded into, the parts clinking to the ground. The plume encased him and Mallow, enforcing a miniature coughing fit from them both.

About ten minutes before, Clemont had sought him out, yelling his name in the Poké-Center lobby, dashing around. Ash was at the small café picking some snacks from the counter – Pikachu had his face smushed against the glass, dreamily eyeing some macarons – when he heard him. He waved Clamont over. Breathless, the inventor insisted he come to the battlefield behind the Poké-Center. Ash agreed and followed him out.

A curious cylindrical metal contraption stood in the centre of the battlefield. Wires of varying colour poked out of the top, two wristbands were connected to it by thick wires, and bolts covered it. Two stools accompanied the gadget, one on either side. Mallow was sat on the stool on the left side; she offered him a tiny, fleeting smile before looking at Clemont, who was browsing a tablet. It was an odd gesture, but one that matched the minimal and somewhat awkward interactions they had had in the past few days. Ash couldn't determine why the awkwardness existed, but he ignored it when Clemont asked if he would help with the test too.

Ash sat on the free stool and strapped on the wristband as instructed. Without telling him the goal of the experiment, Clemont switched on the machine with his catchphrase: 'Clemontic gear on!'. It whirred, crackled. Clemont's confident smirk fell, and then, as his inventions often did, it exploded.

Ash added that incident to his already unusual week, and it reaffirmed his speculation: his friends were up to something. The first hint had been Lana challenging him to all sorts of activities throughout Saturday. They battled, raced over a make-shift obstacle course on the beach, and even engaged in a civil eating contest. Suddenly being challenged like that had been strange, but it made for an enjoyable day. Dawn sitting him down to provide a serious pep talk about friendship on Sunday was even stranger. With today's event, he was sure something was up.

Clemont profusely apologised when he and Mallow were dusting themselves off. After, as he scrambled to gather the broken parts, he still didn't explain what the point of the experiment was. Ash left to train – his initial plan for the day – trying to guess what his friends were up to.

Though, it quickly abandoned his mind when he started training. His task for the day was upgrading his team's movesets. He had taken a few days off after Mallow's trial, but now he was back to it, preparing for his next Grand Trial.

After consulting Rotom, Ash tasked Torracat with attempting Flame Charge and Rockruff with evolving Rock Throw to Rock Tomb. For Bagon, Rotom suggested Crunch or Focus Energy. Ash decided on the latter first as a way to help Bagon master his capricious rage, also partly because the former would take longer.

Ash stopped training in the afternoon. Learning moves was a long process so he wasn't demoralised by the limited progress. They had the ideas for the moves down, and that was enough for now.

On the way back, a poster caught his eyes, prompting him to slip into the audience in the Battle Royal Dome. Finally, Royal Mask was scheduled to battle while he was near, and he was a ball of eager excitement.

They were as amazing as they were preached. Without mentioning their sheer charisma that excited the audience, Royal Mask and his Incineroar – Rotom provided the thrilling insight that it was Torracat's evolution – fought through several waves of trainers with minimal damage. Their technique had some wrestling-style flair to it that made it seem like a performance.

The first trainer that put up a good fight battled with a Midnight Lycanroc, a possible evolution of Rockruff, Rotom informed him. Ash watched that particular battle intently because the one with the Lycanroc was Gladion. With his blonde hair, he was unmistakable. Learning that he was related to Lillie, and her reaction to hearing of him, made Ash curious. And slightly worried.

Royal Mask and Incineroar won the fight without argument, but Gladion and Lycanroc did very well compared to everyone else. That ended up being Royal Mask's final battle. Afterwards, Ash watched Gladion and Royal Mask leave the stage, and he rushed down from the stands to try and find either of them. The only person he found, though, was Kukui.

On the walk home, they reviewed the best moments together, a pair of battling enthusiasts detailing the intricacies and possible tactics behind each play. It had been a while since Ash had so much fun simply discussing battles, but if he had known Kukui was watching too, he imagined watching it together would have been even better.

Kukui left Ash outside some lab. He returned to the Poké-Center and slept the night away.

The next day, Ash was less surprised when another of his friends approached him. It was Brock this time.

"Ash!" Brock called after an early breakfast. "Could you accompany me to the Aether Foundation lab today?"

"Yeah, sure," Ash replied. "How come?"

"That Stufful finally healed a few days ago. We are having some trouble, and I thought that maybe you could help us out."

"Sure! I'd love to," Ash replied, and they set off after saying goodbye to Lillie and Kiawe, the only ones awake. Which was strange, Ash thought, because Mallow was an early riser.

Their walk was backdropped by another magical Alolan morning at such a time that the streets were sparse with people. While it was still hot, the sultry, melting summer warmth Ash had arrived in Alola to had vanished to something more pleasant, more comfortable. That was only natural for late-September.

Ash's mind paused on that thought. It was nearly October, meaning nearly two months had passed since the incident in Pallet Town. It was a surreal realisation, one that made him wonder how it had been so long, but simultaneously if that was all it had been because his bonds with the Alolan group – minus Sophocles because he hadn't spent much time with him – were as strong as those with Brock, Dawn, and Clemont.

A wholesome scene was playing as they entered the lab. The two Aether employees were caring for the Stufful, one combing its fur and the other rolling a small cotton ball back and forth with it while it lay tamely still.

"Stufful are not usually fond of human interaction," Brock said after setting down his bag. "I did a bit of research and found out they usually lash out when humans get too close. This one though…"

Ash didn't need him to finish. Stufful leaping from the table at Brock when he saw him, clinging to his leg, nuzzling its check against his gastrocnemius, was telling enough. The employees chuckled before leaving them be, heading into the back room.

Brock knelt to rub Stufful's head. "As I told you, she healed a few days ago. When we tried to let her back into the wild, she would always come back after about an hour or so."

"I see…" Ash said, kneeling also. When Brock retracted, Ash rustled Stufful's head instead. Stufful turned and grinned at him, producing an adorable cry.

"Huh…" Brock muttered. "So, Stufful is comfortable with you, too."

"Seems like it."

"That makes this much easier."

"Hmm?"

"The day after we brought Stufful in, I learned that wasn't the first time Stufful has been taken care of here. It's very prone to starting battles, so it's been in a few times."

"It doesn't seem like a competitive Pokémon, though."

"You're right. Supposedly, Stufful sees battling as having fun. It's not cocky or competitive. It's simply too happy to go swinging its limbs for enjoyment."

"Reminds me a little of Hau but with battles." Brock laughed.

"So, the reason I'm telling you all this. Rather than have Stufful return to the jungle and get injured again, why don't you take her with you? Since she likes battling so much, you can provide that in an environment where she won't end up hurt every time. As a Pokémon Doctor, there's nothing I would like more for a Pokémon than for them to be in the safe hands of an incredible trainer."

Ash grinned. He jumped forward, his eyes shining. "Really?! You're sure I can take her along?"

"I'm sure," Brock said, gesturing to the two employees in the back with his hand. They were showing him thumbs-up. Ash nodded to them as a sign of gratitude and turned to Brock. "You just need to see if Stufful agrees."

Ash retrieved a Pokéball from his backpack, enlarged it with a click, and displayed it to Stufful. She eyed it with a tilted head, her adorable cry sounding once again.

"You like to battle right, Stufful?" Ash asked. He received a vigorous nod in response. "Well, I'm a Pokémon Trainer, and I'm on a journey to become a Pokémon Master. Battling is pretty much my life. Do you want to join me? With me, you can battle all you like, and we can make you even stronger, too. What do you say?"

It took Stufful all of three seconds of excited bounding and crying before tapping the button, being engulfed in red, and entering the Pokéball. It shook in Ash's hand; when it clicked shut, confirming the capture, Ash's grin nearly reached the size of a Gengar's.

Ash let Stufful out again to play with Pikachu, then, taking a seat nearby as Brock got to work. A few minutes later while watching them and Brock interchangeably, Ash huffed out a sigh. "I seem to have this Pokémon Trainer routine backwards…"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Brock asked while meticulously wrapping a bandage around a Trumbeak's wing. The bird didn't even flinch.

"I become friends with Pokémon before catching them while other trainers battle them, catch them, and become friends after. So far, three of my Alolan Pokémon – Rockruff, Litten, and now Stufful – willingly allowed themselves to be caught. Bagon is the only one I battled, and even then, I was a little bit half-hearted because I didn't want to hurt him too badly…"

"…Huh…" Brock muttered. "That's not necessarily a bad thing. I think it's a rather special gift you have. Is there a specific reason you haven't caught any Pokémon via battling?"

Ash shrugged. "I don't know. I've seen plenty of wild Pokémon, but none have felt right if that makes sense."

"I get what you mean," Brock said. He stepped back from Trumbeak. "How does that feel?" The Trumbeak cooed, gently flapping its wings. "Excellent!"

"You're great at that."

"Thank you, Ash. I try," Brock said. "I imagine you just have to find the right Pokémon.

"Yeah… I have to ask, though. What made you think of me when considering Stufful's situation?"

Brock was smiling when he looked Ash in the eye. He answered without hesitation.

"Because I love you like a brother, Ash. It was instinct. I just knew you would accept."

Every time Ash heard that word – love – he experienced some strange confliction. It was as if it were some illness in his system. But when Brock said it in that context, he didn't feel so unwell. It felt nice, even. It still generated some weird turmoil, but in that instance, Ash believed him.

"Thank you, Brock."

Mallow's week had been strange.

The night Brock told them Ash's story she had left the lobby confused. Her heart ached, hurt for Ash's sake. But given the tragic nature of his experiences and her feelings towards him, that was to be expected. She also expected and experienced the hollow pain from learning that Ash didn't believe her confession, that her act of confidence in telling him, in kissing him, was in vain. But the story that led to why made her understand that it was not his fault. It was merely the fallout of a larger complication. Those feelings she understood.

What confused her, however, was how learning Ash could still be in love with another girl affected her. Initially, she felt as though an Iron Head had hit her heart. She had been disappointed, a numbness that lingered a while, but she wasn't in tears. She thought she should have been given her crush on him, but the globally proclaimed devastation born by heartbreak, that feeling so heart-wrenchingly depicted in films, songs, and Poké-Vision videos, did not hit so hard. For all of Brock's caution, strangely, it did not hurt as much as she had feared, as much as she thought it should.

The awkwardness stemming from Ash's pending response to her confession also made the week strange. It was so potent that she couldn't talk to him for long without getting embarrassed. Because of that, she couldn't try to help him as the others were attempting. That didn't matter too much; she couldn't think of an idea anyway.

The only time Mallow had mustered the courage to approach Ash was during Clemont's idea. Clemont's invention was supposed to have the ability to measure emotions on some scientific level. He had planned to have Ash realise her feelings as a result. She had thought it was a good idea, so she nervously agreed to participate. But it exploded without result.

Now, they gathered again at the end of the week, discussing while Ash was upstairs.

"…me why I thought of it. I told him that I loved him like a brother, and he didn't freeze up as he did with Mallow. He accepted it," Brock announced, bringing Mallow back into the conversation from her wandering thoughts.

"That confirms that the only type of affection he cannot accept is that of romantic feelings," Kiawe deduced.

"Yeah, but… that means some of our ideas were useless, huh?" Hau added.

"You're realising this now after ours were such failures?" Lana deadpanned.

Hau groaned, pouting. "Leave me alone…"

Lana poked her tongue out at him.

"I assumed that from the start, but yes," Brock said. "It's a difficult situation…"

"What can we do? How can we make Ash realises someone does like him that way?" Clemont asked.

"I don't know," Brock admitted. "There doesn't seem to be anything we can do."

"This might sound ridiculous…" Kiawe started after a moment, eyeing Mallow with caution. "Could you contact this girl from Ash's past to come and tell him the truth?"

"What?!" Lillie exclaimed uncharacteristically. Mallow – and everyone else, it seemed – looked at Lillie, startled. Mallow felt a jump in her heart from the suggestion, but it did not seem on the same level as Lillie's reaction. "S-Sorry. It's just… I'm not sure how that would end."

"Yes, I suppose it is a wild idea. Something so simple just wouldn't work…"

But Mallow suddenly realised in an epiphany, it would. In theory, that was all they needed. It was so simple. All they had to do was make Ash realise that somebody did feel that way for him. There was no need for complex or well-thought-out ploys. Someone with such feelings had to tell him outright and have him believe it, and when he believed it, it was likely he could resolve it himself.

But it did not just have to be the girl he loved. Mallow knew, being the only one with a crush on him, she had to do it.

But telling him was also the hard part. It had been difficult to do in Lush Jungle, where, in normal circumstances, she should have had the aid of Ash's rationality letting him know what she meant without her having to implore it. But that slightly vague manner of confessing didn't work. This time, it had to be a solid confession, one that Ash could not refute.

Mallow slowly used the arms of her chair to push herself to her feet. Everyone looked at her. Addressing none of them specifically, Mallow said, "I have an idea." She headed towards the stairs, ignoring the questions following her. Without another word, she ascended.

Climbing the stairs seemed as tense and laborious as tight roping across the crater of Wela Volcano on a single thread of String Shot. In the time it took her to reach the hallway to their rooms, time prolonged by intermittent pauses to temper her anxiousness, Mallow stabilised her resolve. She took a deep breath, followed the hallway, but stopped when she saw Ash on the balcony.

Hesitating a moment, Mallow grasped the handle to the balcony, the handle to the door of her heart, and opened it.

On the other side, Ash was playing with a Stufful, who was lightly bonking him over the head with its plush-like paws on the bannister top. From the grimace on Ash's face, it looked like Stufful didn't realise the force behind its playful blows. Mallow could not help smiling at the sight, nor the giggle that escaped her.

When Ash's turned to her, the discomfort in his expression morphed into a small smile. "Mallow," Ash said, shifting to face her more directly. "Hi." He gently set Stufful down on the floor, pointing him and Pikachu toward the hallway. They ran inside.

"Hi, Ash," Mallow said, closing the door, shutting out the final possibility to turn back.

She stood beside him. She intended to speak right away, but the words would not come. They stood silently for a few long, awkward minutes, watching some Pikipek on the battlefield below.

"Umm… Mallow?"

"Y-Yes?"

"About me almost starting a fire in the jungle… I'm really sorry. It's not like me to get so careless. I didn't realise how big Inferno Overdrive would be."

"Oh, you don't have to apologise for that," Mallow insisted, waving her hands frantically, glad, though, that he started on a different topic. "Yes, a forest fire would have been terrible, but that's a consequence of battling. Things like that happen a lot more frequently than people think. The larger, stronger Pokémon in the jungle always destroy the ground and knock down trees. The Pokémon fix everything."

"Pokémon battles do cause a lot of damage to places, now that I think about it… I do feel bad, though. I bet Tapu Lele is annoyed."

"It was only one incident, Ash. People are allowed to mess up sometimes. And it didn't end up being anything major, so there's no need to worry," Mallow said. She smiled, looking down at her feet, which she absently started tapping. "But I suppose how much you care about things like this is just your nature."

"It's nothing special."

"Hmm… I don't know. There are a lot of trainers who wouldn't have cared if they caused some collateral damage. And there are definitely not a lot of people that would run into the fire, endanger themselves, to help. That's–" Mallow stopped herself. She looked up from her futile fidgeting to Ash's expectant, oblivious eyes. Taking another deep breath, Mallow continued. "That's one of the reasons I like you, Ash…"

The discomfort in Ash's expression returned, and it was a lot more obvious than it had been in the jungle. All in a few seconds, he recoiled, gave a crooked smile, his eyes turned sombre, and he slumped his shoulders before shaking his head in the way one attempted to remove fatigue. But much like how fatigue did not vanish after such an action, how the person merely boasted a false, fleeting rejuvenation, Ash's quick smile faltered.

"It's nice to hear that you think of me so highly, Mallow. I hope everyone thinks the same," Ash said.

Mallow tried her hardest to ignore the sting of being grouped into having the same feelings as the others. She knew that was merely Ash's coping mechanism. But that fact did nothing to dull the subsequent ache that told her it was not just a coping mechanism. It was an allusion to what his answer would be.

"N-No, Ash," Mallow said as firmly as she could, forcing herself to keep an eye-to-eye connection. "I don't just like you as a friend. I didn't express myself properly last week but… I have a crush on you, Ash."

Mallow expected the panicked paralysis her words inflicted on him, his rigid posture, wide eyes, and lack of words. What she had not anticipated, however, and what made her feel even worse for everything that had happened to him, were the tears that appeared in the corners of his eyes. She drew a breath, a noise that seemed to jerk Ash awake.

"Y-You do…? Me?" Ash asked with such a quiet voice that Mallow wanted nothing more than to hear his normal, upbeat self once again. "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you have a crush on me?" Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean… it couldn't be me…"

Despite the possibility that it might worsen the situation, hearing Ash speak in such a way hurt so much that Mallow hugged him tightly without even thinking.

"Yes, I'm sure, Ash. I don't l-love you, but I have had a crush on you for a while."

"…Me?" Ash asked again, the word only a breath, an embodiment of disbelief. "Why?"

"Why?" Mallow hadn't expected him to ask such a question.

"I just – why me?" Ash whispered again, that incredulity enduring.

"There are a lot of reasons," Mallow said, pulling back from the hug. She still held his shoulders, looking him in the eyes, a pair of eyes that were so soft and confused it just did not look right on him. "Everything I said after my trial. How kind and caring you are towards people and Pokémon, your dedication to training… a-and you're handsome…"

For the first time that Mallow could remember seeing, a tinge of red coloured Ash's cheeks just below those two, striking lightning-bolt markings of his. A red hint of some other emotion on him felt like a light of hope.

"I… Thank you, Mallow. Because of that… you like me?"

"Yes, Ash. No matter how many times you ask, I will say the same thing."

Ash stayed quiet for a few moments after that, looking at his feet. He looked as if he had a stinging pain somewhere that just would not fade.

"I…I'm sorry, Mallow," Ash finally said.

"W-What?"

"I'm really sorry. Telling me all of this must be really hard for you and yet I just – as awful as this sounds, for some reason, I'm finding it hard to believe…"

Mallow offered a tiny smile. "That's ok, Ash. Brock told us all what happened the last time you thought someone liked you."

Ash's head jolted up. "He did…?"

"He did. I'm sorry you had to go through that. But, Ash, you know what was said wasn't real. And just because of what happened, you don't have to be scared of thinking someone likes you…"

Ash parted his lips as if to refute her statement, but he stopped abruptly, contemplation drawing his brows higher.

"I… I'm scared?" Ash asked himself.

"That's for you to figure out, Ash," Mallow said. "All I wanted to do was make you believe in my crush on you. And I'm not going to leave until you do. If you believe that, I think you'll be able to figure everything out. Do you – believe me?"

"I don't–" It took Ash a few moments, but he eventually, slowly, nodded. "Yeah…"

Mallow sighed, her tense shoulders falling. "I'm glad."

"Umm… Thank you, Mallow. Could I have some time to think about all this?"

"Of course, Ash. Take as long as you need," Mallow said, pulling Ash into one final hug. It was just as well because a desire to return to her room was starting to rise in her. Maybe the fact that she had confessed before made it easier to do so this time, but the emotional drain was just as strong.

Their final hug stretched on a few moments. Despite the situation, Mallow allowed herself to enjoy it.

Ash pulled away first.

"Thank you again, Mallow…"

"I hope you'll be ok, Ash," Mallow said, and she returned to the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

Mallow headed back to her room, her emotions in a jumble. The first thing she did was jump on her bed and cry a few tears into her pillow. He hadn't said it directly, but given his state of mind, Mallow knew Ash did not feel the same way. She knew he hadn't given it any thought. That deep despondency and disappointment lingered even after the tears stopped. But it was tolerable. Once more, Mallow wondered why the feeling even Elesa had once infused a modelling shoot with hadn't quite reached her to the fabled degree.

Lana entered the room some indeterminable time later. When Mallow saw her sympathetic expression, she knew she knew. Mallow opened her arms and Lana gave her a big sisterly hug, something she desperately needed.

"You alright?" Lana asked.

"No, but that's normal when you're quite sure you've been rejected, right?"

"True. It's hard, huh?"

"Yes, but… Somehow, it's not quite as bad as people have made it out to be…"

Lana nodded. "I'm glad."

"What do you mean?" Mallow asked, pulling back.

"The reason I suggested you confess even if Ash recently liked someone else is because I didn't want you to get hurt more than necessary. We both know you've got a big crush on Ash; you have since you first saw him. And that's great, I love seeing you happy like that. But I know you. If your crush stretched on any longer, I'm sure you'd have attached yourself to the idea of it. And nothing comes of doing nothing. I didn't want to see you stressing over a crush when you've got a lot of other things you could focus on right now. I had no idea what Ash's response would be. If he accepted, you could see if it was more than a crush. If not, well, you would get over it."

"What if it had already become more than a crush?"

"We'd have been in trouble," Lana said. Mallow laughed. "I'm not trying to downplay your feelings because they are genuine, and I'm sure it's going to hurt to be around Ash for a little while, but you will heal in time. Now if you were in love with him, I'd be saying differently."

"You really are the best friend ever."

"And the only trial captain so far that has bested Ash. Just add that to my list of titles," Lana said in her deadpanned voice.

Mallow laughed and pulled Lana back into a hug. The silent rejection hurt, and she knew that was only a prelude to how awful she was going to feel when she heard him say it for real. That was going to be much worse. But, if what Lana was saying was true, she was hopeful. And if Ash believing her was true, she was hopeful for him too.

Hi!

A longer chapter today than last time. If I'm being honest, I both like and am unsure about this chapter at the same time, but there we are! It will be what it will be for now!

Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!