Disclaimer- I don't own Pokémon or the song in the chapter.

A/N:- this chapter is not exactly a happy or light one, so please don't kill me because this scene was basically the turning point for the relationship between certain characters. And sorry for the late update.

Enjoy :)

-Wise men say only fools rush in...

But I can't help falling in love with you...-

She closed her eyes exhaling a deep breath, and hugging her knees tighter. Her chin was resting on the top of her knees, and brown hairs were dancing with the old song track, which was playing for testing the new setup of speakers. The song was so loud that she could hear it from the top of the building. The shallow pool, in which she dipped her legs after releasing them from her grip, had a special power to attract people who were in search of some answers. The same shallow pool which attracted every confused soul.

-Shall I stay?...

Would it be a sin...-

The bride-to-be hummed with the song, enjoying the winter noon. The cold wind touched her face, leaving a soothing effect on her.

"The more you think, the more you'll confuse yourself."

"Hey Brock...," she greeted, swirling her feet absentmindedly in the cold water, "have a seat."

"Sure," he smiled at his friend.

If I can't help falling in love with you?-

"It's a beautiful song isn't it?" she asked, yanking her feet from the pool and hugging them again.

"Yeah, it is. But this song can't bother you, can it?"

She smiled at the sixth sense of her older friend, "No... It can't."

"So, should I call your mom?"

"Why?" She looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

-Like a river flows surely to the sea-

"For the mother-daughter talk, that one which a girl has with her mother, or sister or any other experienced female to confide in before her wedding because she's nervous that she and her partner are not ready for the wedding?... It's so common in movies...Why are you laughing?"

"You watch those movies?" she said giggling.

"That's not the point."

"No Brock, that's not happening. I am totally sure that Drew and I will make it, and that we will grow old together."

"Then why are you looking so uneasy?"

"I don't know, but it's the same feeling I had before my first Grand Festival."

-Darling so it goes

Something's...Are meant to be...-

"So you're totally sure that you love Drew, and...umm.."

"And?..."

"And you... don't like..err...Ash anymore?"

She burst into laughter at hearing his last words. It seemed she was laughing at herself, "Oh my God! Brock! That was a long time ago, it was a stupid crush!" She said punching his arm and laughing.

"It's so funny when you think about what I'm told, almost every girl that travelled with Ash had a crush on him." She giggled, "He's such a numbskull, but you know, as soon as I became his close friend, I realized that he is one of my bestest friends, and tagging him with 'crush' will ruin it. I mean, when I became his good friend, my feelings actually disappeared."

-Take my hand, take my whole life too...

For I can't help falling in love with you...-

"It had to, because it's all written," he said dramatically.

"Yeah! That's why I met Drew," the brunette agreed.

For I can't help falling in love with you

"Give it some time, everything will be fine."

Misty's words repeated themselves in his mind.

"Thirty six hours is enough time, but the situation is not progressing a bit," Ash murmured under his breath, before sitting on the soft mattress, dribbling some drops of coffee on his t-shirt. He grabbed the T.V. remote from the side table,switched on the TV, and his final league match appeared on the screen.

"What a miracle! That's my final match...recorded? Who was watching it's recorded version? I have fans everywhere," he smirked at the thought.

As usual, Gary entered the room, and first thing he did was glare at Ash, before sitting on the opposite end of the bed.

Ash wanted to see his reaction on the match displayed on the TV. The remote between he and Ash. He grabbed it instantly and switched the channel to 'Pokémon Planet'.

"Why did you change the channel? That was my match." Ash said with hopes in eyes.

"Sorry. Didn't know that." he said, unaffected and rudely.

"Switch it back." He pleaded.

"It's your match. Aren't you tired of watching it? How many times did you watch it anyways?"

"I want you to watch it!"

"I'm not interested. By the way, I don't want to see your face on T.V. too, I already had enough of it."

Ash stood up placing his coffee mug on the side table, and politely turned the TV off from the main switch.

"What's your problem, boy?" Gary raised his voice.

"What is your problem?"

"You know what my problem is."

"I wanna hear it from you!"

"Drop the act, Ashy boy!"

"Come on, Gary! We're friends! More like brothers! Don't break your promise!"

"Some friends we are? This is the first time in three years you've come to see us! You've called what, ten? Okay twenty times." He stood up while saying and walked towards the mini fridge to take a chilled coke bottle. "And asking what my problem is…!"

"It's not as if you contacted me everyday. Did you ever call me?"

"I tried-a lot! But I was just wasting my time! I got sick of listening your answering machine!" He said in a high pitched voice. Opening the coke. "You forgot us Ash."

"Try to understand, man! I was so caught up! Understand my situation! I was confused! New people, new places, new cities. It was so complicated! I was struggling! I had to make my life! I had problems! I had...I had dreams!" Ash's eyes started to fill.

"Your life! Your struggles, your problems, your dreams! Your excuses!" he shouted, "everything is about you! What about me, Ash?!" His eyes filled too, with tears, with pain. "How much do you even know about me?! My life?! My dreams? My…circumstances!" He shouted as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Gary, man, chill! Look at Leaf, she and I didn't talk either, but she's not so sore with me!"

"Because she didn't expect anything from you!" He said with a painful snicker, "She thought that you wouldn't even come to May's wedding. And who can blame her, when you didn't even come when Mrs Ketchum was almost dead!" he blurted, suddenly feeling that he said something he should not have said.

Ash's brain went numb, and his face blank at the dreadful memory.

"So that's what you think of me..." He mumbled under his breath. "Listen. Leaf's right. Don't expect anything from me… this is how I am..." he started to move towards the door.

"How!?" but Gary decided to stretch it. "Selfish? Shameless? A snob? Halfway around the world, you've lost your mind!" Gary shouted. Ash remained silent for some seconds, perhaps the lump in his throat was making not letting him to speak.

"At least I'm not like you!" Ash shouted. "Lost! Drunkard! A... failure..." He said, in a low pitched, shaky voice. Even though Ash's words were less hurtful, Gary couldn't ignore the feeling they gave him.

SLAP!

Gary's slap made the moment neutral for a second. Both of them were shocked that what happened right now. Gary regretted his move, but unfortunately couldn't take it back.

Ash, was looking directly in Gary's eyes, trying to believe what happened right now. After realizing the reality, he lost his remaining patience, retaliated. Gary couldn't tolerate a slap from the person he hated, so he grabbed a lamp from the table nearby in a fit of rage. At the very next moment, a lamp was flying towards Ash.

Smash!

The lamp hit the wall, only after Ash barely managed to dodge it.

"Are you insane? You wanna kill me?! That's hotel's property! May will have to pay for it! Idiot! Show your manhood, you loser!" He scanned the whole room, before rushing towards the bed and grabbing two pillows.

"Here… use this pillow." He handed one of the pillows to Gary, who was so mad that he snatched the pillow and started the war again.

Some moments later the room was filled with white feathers, which had previously been stuffed in the pillows. A a stunned Leaf stood nearby in a red dress. Her eyes were filled with tears. She knew there was tension between the two of them, but she never even imagined that their rivalry could reach to this level.

"Wh-what are you guys d-doing?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"He started it!" they blurted at the same time.

"I don't care who started it!" She screamed. "Don't you two even feel a little amount of guilt? It's May's wedding, she is expecting it to be perfect, and you guys are not going to destroy it. Just look at this. You were fighting like dogs!" The shocked girl roared as loud as she could, the feeling she had right now could be compared to the feeling of those people who evidenced 'World War-I'

"Leaf-"

"Shut up," she interrupted Ash, who was trying to control the situation. Gary, on the other hand, was just standing grumpily. "Now stop this drama! both of you. And apologize to each other right now!" She said calming down a bit.

"Sorry?"

"To each other!" She hissed frustrated by their behaviour. Now she just wanted peace between them at least until the wedding.

"Sorry..." Ash apologized, looking at Gary's face. He had to, as he wanted to attend the rest of the wedding peacefully, and there be chances of them to get along. Who knew.

"It's okay."

The raven haired trainer waited for him to apologize but got nothing. "This jerk is not apologizing!"

"Gary!" she hissed.

"Fine! Sorry Red," he sighed.

"Good," Leaf smiled at them with teary eyes, "Now, Red, Chuck, hug each other."

"Eww! Girls apologize this way!"

"Gary!"

"Fine!"

The Pokemon researcher stepped forward to face his no more rival, then wrapped his arms hesitantly around his shoulders, Ash returned the hug. Leaf smiled at them. She wiped her soggy eyes. "Wait a minute...my turn!" She cheered while sobbing. And ran towards them, jumped on them and joined the hug.

A forced reunion, all thanks to leaf. Anyways, thanks for reading and please don't forget to review ;P

-IndianKnight