Hello everyone!

I would like to apologize for my lengthy absence, but a lot of things happened, but I won't bore you with the details, but all I can say, is that I am glad to be back!

Anyway, here's a nice little short story to get these stories back on track.

This one is a stand alone; and is actually told from Riley's P.O.V. I think saying anymore might give away the whole story, but you can guess where it's going from the title.

There are also guest appearances from Diantha and Wallace.

Rating it a T for safety.

Thoughts are in italics.

Hope you enjoy!

"You want me to what now?"

Riley couldn't help but stare dumbfounded; at the two people stood in front of him. Surely I haven't heard them right?

"Well you see, we've both heard about your rather…uncanny knack of helping wannabe couples actually get together," the woman smiled charmingly, before folding her arms. "So, we thought we'd seek your assistance."

"Indeed," the rather flamboyant man stood aside of her chimed in. "You see, we require your help with regards to two individuals who…well…pardon my manners; need a swift kick in the backside."

He blinked, before pinching himself to make sure he hadn't slipped into an alternate reality. Nope, still here, so that means… Unfortunately, that meant that what he was actually hearing, was reality. Damn.

"Let me get this straight," he replied, running a hand across his forehead in exasperation. "You want me to try and get, the current Sinnoh champion and ex-Hoenn champion; together? That's what you're asking me to do here right?"

He received two nods in response. Well Arceus…

"Why yes," Wallace cheerily replied, before waving his right hand around in a circle. "With the reputation that you have, it should be easy for you."

"Indeed so," the Kalos champion smiled charmingly. "And since you know them both, it should make our request that much easier for you."

Despite their attempt at appearing innocent, he wasn't fooled. That's it, if anyone is to ever mention how sweet and innocent Diantha and Wallace are in my presence in the future, I'm going to vehemently declare otherwise.

Previous to this rather…bizarre encounter, he'd only briefly met the actress once before, courtesy of Cynthia; but honestly, he could clearly see that his opinion of her was completely misguided.

As for Wallace, well, he'd never personally met the new Hoenn champion, (since he'd taken over from Steven a few months ago,) but now that he had, he could clearly say without any hesitation, that he'd preferred Hoenn's previous champion.

Speaking of the previous one, Steven was actually; a very decent guy. He'd met him last year, again, courtesy of Cynthia. They'd bonded instantly over their liking of steel type pokemon; which grew, when the young heir had divulged his passion for rocks and how to excavate them.

As for Cynthia, well, he'd known the Sinnoh champion ever since she'd been a teen. In fact, he was the one that had given her the Lucario that she now had as a member of her main team. Okay, I didn't exactly give her it. More like he'd given her a Lucario egg, which she had hatched and trained to be what it is now.

But he digressed.

However, despite knowing the pair, he wouldn't say he was close-friends with either of them; they were more… friendly acquaintances more than anything; and he certainly, did not know them well enough, to go poking into their private lives. Unlike the two stood in front of me it seems.

He dreaded to think about what Cynthia and Steven would think; if they ever found about what these two were asking him to do. Cynthia was Sinnoh's current champion after all, and one of the strongest champions in the world. As for Steven, well…he was an ex-champion and a powerful figure in the business world, what with being heir to that large co-operation and all.

Individually, they could probably destroy him in many ways, but together? A shudder passed through him at the thought. I need to get out of this ridiculous plan quickly.

He cleared his throat.

"Uh…I don't think I'm the right person you should be asking," he stuttered slightly; cursing inwardly as he did. "I mean, I don't really know Cynthia and Steven all that well." He shrugged his shoulders. "Plus, I'll have you know, that those stories you have heard, with regards to me helping those other couples, are highly over-exaggerated."

The pair of champions' glanced at each other, before returning their gazes back to him.

"Nonsense. You're just being modest that's all," Wallace replied, twirling his hand around in a circle again.

He mentally snorted at the man's response. I'm really not; but before he could correct the rather, flamboyant man, he continued.

"I mean, how can you say that your expertise is highly exaggerated, when you have successfully helped join together two couples; all of which are still happily together."

"Indeed," the Kalos champion chimed in, before lifting a perfectly manicured eyebrow in his direction. "You are exactly the sort of man, who can help get these two oblivious individuals together."

He begged to differ. In fact, he thought the whole thing was ludicrous. So what if he had helped a few couples along in the past, (albeit unintentional,) it didn't necessarily mean he was an expert at this sort of thing; in fact, he derived no satisfaction at all from wasting his time with such things.

However, it seemed that the two people in front of him, didn't seem to want to take no for an answer.

A smirk touched the corner of Diantha's lips; her aura turning quite sinister, along with the man stood aside of her.

"Besides, if you weren't willingly going to help us, we decided…"

"…to find a way of making you help us," Wallace finished, raising his hand towards him, before gripping onto his shoulder tightly.

He gulped as the grip on his shoulder tightened. He was like a trapped Stantler, surrounded by two hungry Mightyenas. I'm royally screwed.

"I uh…how…how do you think I can help? It's not as if I know the first thing about romance after all," he managed to utter out. "I mean, I wouldn't know where to even begin!"

"Nonsense," Wallace chuckled, before giving his shoulder another squeeze. "I'm sure you will figure it out; you are the ultimate wingman after all."

One week later…

"I'm sure you will figure it out; you are the Ultimate Wingman after all."

He growled at the memory of those words. Who knew that underneath their rather cheery exteriors, that Diantha and Wallace could be quite ruthless?

Even though he was royally cheesed off by their request, his frustration mainly stemmed from the fact that he had actually caved to it. Despite all of his protests, he'd still given in. Coward.

Although, he supposed the situation could be a lot worse. At least he knew the two people in front of him. But this whole notion of them being in love with each other? He wasn't sure; but then again, I am rather useless when it comes to romance.

However, according to the two champions' that had demanded his help, they were very much so. Apparently, the pair only had eyes for each other.

He snorted at that.

Although, to be fair, from what he was currently witnessing, he could clearly see what Diantha and Wallace were talking about, because despite coming on this trip as a party of three, the pair, who were chattering amongst themselves as they walked slightly ahead of him, seemed to be in a world of their own. In fact, it was quite possible, that they may have forgotten about him altogether. Geesh, talk about being a third wheel.

Not that he minded of course. Usually, he was used to be being on his own; (well, not necessarily on his own, he had Lucario of course;) but honestly, he loved the peace, solitude and freedom being by oneself brought him. So, being excluded from their current conversation; didn't actually bother him in the slightest.

He sighed, as he ran a hand across the back of his neck. So, why exactly did I agree to this again? The memory of the two champions' threat and their rather, innocent, yet sinister grins briefly flashed through his mind. He shuddered at the memory. Oh yeah, that's why.

He once again glanced at the pair in front of him, who were still completely oblivious to everything around them, including him. So how exactly am I supposed to get these two together? Wallace's words echoed in his mind once more.

"I'm sure you will figure it out, you are the Ultimate Wingman after all."

He scoffed at the ridiculous notion. Ultimate wingman…right. He seriously hated that title.

The ridiculous nickname had been brought to his attention, after he'd 'managed,' to get Falkner and Janine together; the second of his successes apparently. The title had come from a very jubilant Koga, who had been thrilled beyond belief; that his daughter had finally found herself a partner that he had approved of.

He cringed at the memory. The man had been singing his praises, as if he'd planned the whole thing, which he hadn't. He didn't even really know them all that well. All he'd done; was accidentally trip into Janine; causing her to fall right into Falkner's arms.

Apparently, according to Candice, the whole thing had looked like a scene out of one of those cheesy romance films, that the females (and Burgh apparently,) liked to watch constantly.

However, all he remembered; was having a sore chin for a week after the event, because unlike Janine, no one had caught him in their arms on his downward fall. He groaned at the memory, as he rubbed his chin in sympathy.

Unfortunately for him, once news of this, 'fantastic event,' had gotten out, (thanks very much Candice and Koga,) and when his first 'successes,' Roark, Gardenia and Roark's jubilant father Byron had added to the story, by sharing how he had 'helped' them figure their feelings out; he was then, henceforth known as the, 'Ultimate Wingman.'

He groaned again, as he rubbed his temple in frustration. He had a good mind to try and get some sort of revenge on Gardenia, Roark and Byron for bringing up that incident to Koga, and for encouraging the man to promote this ridiculous nickname.

It wasn't as if he'd intentionally set out to help them either, it had once again, been a total accident on his part.

He'd been helping Roark and Byron at the time, with setting up some remains of an ancient pokemon in the Oreburgh Mining Museum, when the incident occurred.

One minute, he'd been hoisting a bone up with a piece of rope; the next thing he knew; the rope had slipped free from his grasp and the bone that he was supposed to be raising, had begun a free fall to the floor, in a direction; that would have landed on top of a paralyzed Gardenia; who had popped in to see how things had been going.

What happened next; was almost like time had gone into slow motion. He remembered his lips moving, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember the words he'd actually uttered. However, he did remember being extremely grateful for Roark's fast reflexes.

The man had thankfully, been within touching distance at the time, meaning, he'd managed to push the frozen woman out of the way; and by push, he meant; wrapped his arms around her before toppling to the floor, away from the eventual crash site.

He wasn't quite sure what had happened after that, as he'd still been in a state of shock. But the next thing he knew, he was being slapped on the back by a rather jubilant Byron, who was congratulating him on, and to quote;

"Getting his son's head out of his rear end, with regards to his feelings for the Eterna gym leader."

It seemed, that during those many minutes that he'd been in his frozen stupor, the two gym leaders; had ended up admitting their feelings for each other, whilst being in an entangled mess on the floor.

It still baffled him to this day.

He shook his head at the memories, before snorting in disbelief. How people thought that his accidents, (that almost caused two women to have serious injuries by the way;) were classed as being wingman attributes was beyond his comprehension. To him, it was just plain ridiculous.

He released a long sigh, as he once again refocused on the present; his gaze returning to the oblivious pair in front of him.

They were all currently taking a stroll around Lake Verity. Earlier, he'd received a phone call from Professor Rowan, asking if he could meet him in Twinleaf Town. Apparently, there was something he wanted his opinion on.

He'd had no problem with that. It wasn't as if he had had anything else to do, apart from maybe training Lucario a little; but then his partner pokemon had trained yesterday, so he probably wouldn't be too thrilled about the prospect of doing it again today. He wasn't too bothered, as battling wasn't really his thing.

So, with nothing better to occupy his time, he'd agreed.

After arriving in Twinleaf Town, he wasn't really surprised to see the Sinnoh champion present as well; also having been asked to attend by the professor.

However, what had surprised him greatly; was the presence of the ex-Hoenn champion. Apparently, Cynthia had invited him to join them, (since he, 'happened' to be in Sinnoh;) as his expertise could be of some use, or so she claimed anyway. Yeah right.

Despite knowing Steven, on this occasion, his actual presence, made him extremely nervy. Why? Well, there was a perfectly good explanation for that.

He groaned as he remembered why. Damn you Wallace and Diantha. The pair must have known that Steven would be visiting Sinnoh soon, so, that is why they had cornered him and all but, forced him to agree to help them, despite his vehement protests. He cursed once more at the pair inside his mind. Why can't they do their own dirty work?

Thankfully for him though, nobody seemed to take a blind bit of notice of his rather, nervy disposition. Thank Arceus! So, brushing his feelings aside, the three of them had set out to help the professor.

A few hours later, after concluding their business with Professor Rowan, Cynthia had suggested that they all take a stroll around the neighbouring, Lake Verity.

"It's a nice day after all, plus, we can discuss more about what we have discovered."

Which is how, he had ended up in this current location.

To be honest, he had no idea why they had even bothered to invite him to join them really. Although, he guessed it was just their way of being polite, they were both courteous people after all.

He growled, as he ran a hand over the back of his neck in frustration, as the words of the two champions' resurfaced in his mind as he continued to glance at the pair.

He shouldn't really be feeling this anxiety, because honestly, their relationship (or lack thereof apparently) was none of his business. However, he knew that if he wanted any peace and semblance at all in the near future, he had to at least attempt to make it look like he had tried to help them. At least then, he could tell Diantha and Wallace that he had made the effort, even though, he really hadn't.

An idea briefly flashed through his mind. What if I trip and stumble into the back of Cynthia like I did to Janine? Surely that might work again? However, in the case of Janine and Falkner, his fall had been a genuine accident, something he had had no control over.

A groan slipped free, as he ran a hand over his chin again at the memory. He wasn't looking forward to face planting the floor again in a hurry that was for sure, but, if he planned it correctly, he could make sure it was just a small stumble, meaning, no forthcoming injury to himself.

He just hoped that Steven had fast reflexes like Roark and Falkner did, otherwise, this could end in total disaster for him, especially, if Cynthia was to hit the floor. He shuddered at the mental image. Yeah, that wouldn't end well for me that's for sure.

However, despite his reservations, he knew, that the quicker he went ahead with this so called mission; the quicker he could get back to his everyday life, without the lingering fear of any potential backlash coming his way.

He snorted at his musings. Wow, I can't believe I'm actually going through with this ridiculous plan.

With that thought in mind, he picked up his pace slightly, so he was now within touching distance of the Sinnoh champion. Thankfully, both her and Steven, were still in their own little world and hadn't noticed his silent approach.

He mentally counted to five. Here goes nothing.

He dragged his foot slightly; lifting his hand out towards the Sinnoh champion. He then took another step; his palm landing flat against her back, before he pushed his whole body weight forward into the gentle push.

He could see Cynthia's steps falter and then… Oh Arceus.

"Cynthia!"

He could hear Steven call her name, but all he could do was watch in shock, as the Sinnoh champion stumbled, before falling sideways into the Lake with a loud splash.

Oh hell! What have I done?

The next thing he knew, Steven had tossed his jacket aside; his shoes quickly following; as he dived into the lake after the Sinnoh champion. He could only stand and watch in sheer horror, as the ripples slowly began to settle on the surface.

Yet, as the seconds ticked by, there was still no sign of either of them resurfacing. Oh Arceus! I think I might have killed Steven and Cynthia.

He felt his mouth instantly dry, as his heart rose into his throat. The pounding of it, was the only thing he could hear, as spots began to cloud his vision. Arceus…Arceus…Arceus.

Why had he done such a stupid; moronic; brainless; dim-witted thing like that?He'd only meant to give her a little shove, a little light push to make her stumble, so Steven could catch her, just like Falkner had done to Janine. (Or so Candice had told him.)

But no. Instead of falling forward like he had predicted, Cynthia had ended up toppling sideways, causing this whole mess.

He should have guessed that with his luck; something was bound to go wrong. Why'd I agree to this whole ridiculous scenario again?

He thoroughly laid the blame on Diantha and Wallace's shoulders. Yes, it's their fault; they were the ones that threatened me into this. If it weren't for them and their…demands, he wouldn't have even entertained the idea of doing such a stupid thing. I'm going to hell for this.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash, as the pair finally resurfaced, spluttering slightly, as they gasped for breath. Oh thank Arceus!

All the panic he felt began to ease as the pair began swimming back to shore, although, Steven seemed to be pulling Cynthia more than anything.

Once the pair reached the shoreline, he ran to the drenched pair.

"Oh my Arceus, are you alright?"

He couldn't help but curse internally at his rather stupid question. Of course they are not all right idiot, you pushed Cynthia into the lake, causing both her and Steven, who had dived in after her, to almost drown.

He was now chastising himself in his own mind. I really am losing the plot.

Thankfully, the pair didn't really answer him, as they settled next to each other on the bank; both of them still panting slightly.

Despite looking like a pair of drowned Rattatas, both Steven and Cynthia looked relatively okay, especially, considering they'd taken an unexpected dip in the lake; much to his relief.

He saw the ex-champion raise a hand towards her, brushing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. The bright smile she gave him in response, would have brightened up even the darkest of rooms.

Once again, it seemed that the pair was oblivious to everything, apart from each other.

"I'll just…go and get some help...be back soon," he quickly uttered, as he turned and began high-tailing it back towards Twinleaf Town.

He had no idea whether they had heard him or not, but as of that moment, he had more important things to do. One; was to get some help and two; was to get as far away from Steven and Cynthia as possible, before they start asking questions.

Two weeks later…

He sighed as he finally stepped off the ferry, once again arriving back onto mainland Sinnoh. Despite being highly reluctant to return, unfortunately, he did have some commitments on the mainland that he needed to attend too.

Ever since the…incident; he'd spent the last two weeks hiding in a remote part of Unova. Why? Well, that was something that still sent a shudder down his spine.

Five minutes after he'd dashed off after the incident, he'd returned to the scene of the accident, with a group of people ladled with an array of blankets and warm drinks.

He noticed that the pair had still been sat in the same place that he had left them in; albeit, sitting closer together. Although, he did raise an eyebrow; at the bright smiles they seemed to be sharing, and at the sight of Steven's arm being wrapped around her shoulders; before shrugging the feeling away.

Of course, after seeing that they were indeed both okay and being distracted by the good citizens, he'd then slinked off towards the nearest ferry port, before booking an immediate passage to Unova.

Many would probably call him a coward for fleeing the scene, but he thought of it more as self-preservation, because no doubt, he was now a wanted man by four champions. Well, three and one ex; but still, very powerful and important people.

He didn't know whom he'd prefer to find him first.

He just knew that Diantha and Wallace, would probably be demanding some sort of explanation for his grand failure and, for potentially hurting their friends. The complete opposite of what they had asked him to do.

As for Cynthia and Steven…well, Cynthia would no doubt want some sort of revenge for his stupid stunt that almost caused her to drown; whilst he was quite sure that Steven, would want his head on a pike, for potentially threatening the life of the woman he was supposedly in love with. (Or so Diantha and Wallace had claimed.)

However, regardless of who did find him first, he was in for a whole lot of trouble either way. Oh joy…

He was actually quite surprised that none of them had been waiting for him at the ferry port. News of his disappearance would have travelled fast, especially, once Steven and Cynthia had noticed that he was no longer with them.

He couldn't help but snort at the thought. Right…if they could tear their attention away from each other for five minutes.

But alas, no one had. I don't know whether I am relieved or disappointed by this. It was like the sensation of pulling off a band aid, the quicker you dealt with it, the faster the pain was over.

He sighed, as he stepped outside of the ferry terminal, before breathing in the cool, Sinnohnian air. Arceus, I've missed home.

"There you are!"

He instantly froze at the sound of the voice that called out to him. Spoke too soon.

He mentally counted to five, before slowly turning in the direction of the caller; only to come face to face, with the Hoenn and Kalos champions.

Their appearances gave nothing away, but he was quite sure that underneath their calm exteriors, they were plotting his demise.

So, with that in mind, he was determined to express his side of the story, before the pair potentially murdered him.

"Um…before you start, I just want to sincerely apologize for what happened between Cynthia and Steven," he stuttered, holding his hands up in surrender. "I…I didn't mean for her to end up in the lake. I only meant to trip her slightly, but she sort of…stumbled the wrong way." He lowered his hands. "And I deeply, deeply apologize, for potentially ruining anything that could…" He trailed off, as he finally took notice of the baffled looks he was now receiving. I'm missing something here.

"What are you talking about?" Diantha asked, seemingly bemused by his frantic apologies.

He furrowed his brow at her response. What am I talking about?

"Well…you know, the incident?" he replied, whilst sheepishly running a hand across the back of his neck.

The pair briefly glanced at each other, before bursting into spontaneous laughter.

Now he was thoroughly confused. I am definitely missing something here.

It took at least another minute, before the pair managed to control their mirth.

"You thought we came here to berate you?" At his nod, the Hoenn champion snickered again. "That is actually the complete opposite as to why we are here."

"Indeed," Diantha chuckled, shooting him a wide grin in the process. "In fact, we are here to congratulate you on another job well done."

Okay, now I'm thoroughly confused.

"You don't know do you?" Diantha asked, before raising an eyebrow at his obvious, dumbfounded expression.

He shook his head again.

"Well, I suppose it's no surprise really, since you upped and left pretty sharpish after the incident after all."

He groaned, as a slight blush tinted his cheeks. It seems that Cynthia and Steven did notice my disappearance after all. Damn.

"Can't say I blame you mind," Wallace chuckled. "I would have feared for my life too. I mean, pushing the Sinnoh champion, one of the most powerful female trainers in the world into a lake? Pretty ballsy if I do say so."

His blush deepened. Yeah, definitely not one of my finest hours. He just hoped that Cynthia and Steven went easy on him.

"I agree, however…" Diantha winked at him, as her lips curled upwards into a little smirk. "…it seems your gamble paid off."

"Indeed. It seems the fear of losing each other, was the catalyst they needed, in order to finally admit their feelings for each other. Who'd have thought huh?" Wallace chuckled again, before slapping him slightly on the shoulder.

Yes, who'd have thought? He internally groaned.

So apparently, it seems that the fear of something happening to someone you care deeply for, causes feelings to surface; resulting in potential confessions of the heart.

No wonder why he has this reputation of being a wingman. If he'd have known this was the reason why, he'd have been extra careful, in order to stop those accidents from ever happening.

Okay okay, it wasn't as if he wasn't happy for the couples, far from it; he wished them all the happiness in the world, but he'd rather have let them all find out in their own time. Would have saved a lot of headaches for him, that was for sure.

Despite his lack of a response, the two champions' didn't seem to mind, as they continued prattling on about his recent success.

"Now that I think about it, there are a few others I know of; that could use your assistance."

"Now that you mention it Diantha, I could name a few as well," Wallace chimed in, with a chuckle and a snap of his fingers.

He couldn't stop the loud groan that slipped out at their shameless requests. Oh hell no.

"I mean, you are the Ultimate Wingman after all!"

The boisterous laughter only increased his annoyance. I officially hate that nickname.

And there we are! Poor Riley!

The idea came from my other fiction, about Riley being a potential wingman, so I ran with the idea. I tried to make it as funny as possible, so I hope I did it justice.

Anyway, thanks to you all for your reviews and requests! I will try and do my best for you all. Hopefully, I won't be leaving it as long as last time.

Anyway, until next time!