Ash and Amelia were exploring Route 8 together. A short ride from Circhester they arrived at the ruins part of the route. Amelia dressed for the occasion of exploring as her normal heels weren't suited for traversing rocky terrain so she switched into a pair of hiking boots. As the two moved through the place they took a break. Amelia had made a few sandwiches for them to eat for lunch and they sat on overlooking the ruins. Ash happily eating most of the sandwiches Amelia imagined herself somewhere else.

"I wish I can do this with him in a more beautiful spot." The view was nice but she rather preferred the beauty of nature instead of the old buildings. Maybe her summer home in Alola with a clean beach where she and Ash can walk hand in hand over the beach at sunset where they…

"Your face is getting red, you're not sick are you?" Ash thinking she might've caught a cold in their final day in the snow town he looked over her. Leaning over forward to feel her forehead she pulled away at the last second.

"Nothing! It's nothing! I'm just a bit hot!" She gave a fake excuse all flustered. She went back to her lunch by taking a large sip from her drink canister pressing down the heat scolding to control herself. She found herself making good progress with him but found it a bit early to press her advances.

"Yeah, it's completely different than Circhester." Ash admitted unaware why her face was really red as he just blamed the heat. Amelia glad that he switched the conversation to the weather.

"You're more used to it then I am, you are the Alola Champion after all." Since he won the tournament in the tropics he probably had no issue handling the climate. His tan told stories as well as he's either well traveled or really worked on it in his spare time. Ash bringing to Alola he has some questions about her family.

"Your mom used to handle in jewelry right? Does she have a Z-ring?"

"No. Her specialty was more in normal gems and materials like Nuggets, Red pieces and other valuables. No Mega Evolution, Z-crystals or Dynamax bands."

"You ever wanted to get a Z-ring yourself?"

"No. I don't have much use for it. The finish that Natasya did with the ice castle was impressive but it's too big for a Performance stage. Plus it seems just way too much power to handle and try to shape it into a fancy move."

Amelia reading up on the topic in her private studies the Performer doubted she needed it. It would just take away from her and her Pokémon being covered up by all that power. Ash hoping she got some value out of her gift.

"So you made a good start on your Performance dress?"

Still in the design phase Amelia had a great image in her head thanks to her skating teacher. Now it was just a matter of sewing it together and tidying it up so it looked great just for her. The materials Ash gave her are a great help so far.

"You just have to wait." She teased him by not revealing anything.

"Not even a little?" Ash asked nicely as she thought about it. He was so nice she can spoil a little.

"I will give you the colors." Ash a tiny bit frustrated because that didn't help much.

"I know the colors since I gave it to you."

"And that's all you're getting out of me. Performer confidentiality."

The two left it at that as they ate their lunch. During it Amelia's Rotom phone went off. Her inner self annoyed at another moment being interrupted by someone else she took it out.

"Again?" Ash asked her if it was Alfonzo. She gave him an apologetic look. Seeing the number on screen it was worse.

"I'm so sorry." She took up her phone and answered.

"Hello mother." Amelia had the talk in private the volume so low only she can hear it. She nodded as she looked at Ash as Louise continued on.

"Yes, he's here." Ash raised an eyebrow as she stared at him. Amelia listened on to her mother as she explained.

"Put you on speaker?" Amelia took the phone off her ear and pressed the volume button.

"Hello, can you hear me Ash?" The mothers voice mixed with only a tiny hint of static he listened closely.

"Loud and clear Mrs. Valuer."

"Excellent. Now since I already contacted Alfonzo and that he's already on his way to you to bring you to the airport."

"Terrific." Amelia sighed as she got pulled away for work and affairs. One of the downsides of being raised in a wealthy family is that she might be asked to go in her parents place.

"Ash?"

"Yes?"

"I have received word on how you treated my Amelia so far. I think I can trust you. Before I speak whatever I'm going to tell you has to stay with you until we fix this. Understood?"

"Yes." Ash can do the favor for her. Louise pleased over the other side of the phone before she got to the worrying part. Since Amelia gave him the tour on how the Power Bands are made she skipped straight to the point that mattered.

"The excess metals from the mines we send to the Steel type resort to feed the Pokémon have the wrong properties. Any Pokémon that eats it becomes wild and agitated. Something must've gone wrong with the sorting process and we're looking into it."

"That's impossible. We've been doing this for decades and nothing has gone wrong before." Amelia telling Ash it was not the workers fault. She herself thinking about sabotage in play as her family would not place their name at risk because of a fault.

"Now the staff at the resort are able to contain most of the Pokémon but for some of the bigger ones we need a bit more power to stop them. Will you help us in containing them before they escape and go on to cause further damage?"

"Of course I will."

"You're a good young man. Amelia knows which Steel type resort I mean. Take care and be careful."

"Bye Mrs. Valuer."

"Bye mother. We'll deal with it."

Amelia took her phone as the call ended. She gave Ash an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into our affairs. I'm sorry we can't explore further."

"It's fine. We can come back here some other time. Plus your mom is nice and I want to impress her."

"Impress…? Why would he want to impress her?"

Ash didn't even realize what he said as he ate the final sandwiches before Alfonzo would arrive. Amelia cleaned up the blanket they sat on but still pondered on why Ash felt the need to impress her mother. From so far they got along well compared to her father and her mother would not include Ash in family business unless he had proven himself.

Alfonzo soon came around driving a jeep having already packed Ash and Amelia's bags from the hotel. The room was emptied of their belongings as they were going to be driven to the airport to fly to Kalos and the Steel type resort they were going to help.

Louise Valuer shut off the call towards her daughter as she was being driven to one of the many mines her husband owned. The limo driving over the bumpy road her grumpy husband sat next to her.

"I still don't get why you called him."

"He's young, a friend of Amelia and eager to help." Louise told him. Charles might not get along well with Ash after their first meeting but the mother was willing to give him a chance.

"And he's quite strong. Apart from Olivier I don't think she can be in better hands. Just give him a chance Charles."

The father still distrusting of Ash's real intentions the limousine pulled up to the mine. The workers and Pokémon were outside as the tunnel was shut down till further notice. Seeing the owners get out of the limo with their huge bodyguard they all went silent. The foreman of the mine with his yellow hardhat on and grey overalls welcomed the couple.

"Mr and Mrs Valuer. A pleasure to see you despite circumstances."

"Let's go inside and see what's really going on here shall we?" Louise offered.

"Yes ma'am." For safety the Valuer couple and their bodyguard wore hardhats as well with lights attached. Entering the tunnel they only walked a shirt bit before the foreman stopped them. A mine cart on tracks was filled with the rocks and metals the workers excavated.

"We collected the materials here. We did not wanted them to be exposed to sunlight and affect the qaulity of it."

"Allow me." A former jewelry worker her experience allowed Louise to find any impurities in any rock. From her purse she took out a tiny microscope with a light as she studied the rock. It was difficult to see but Louise did spot something.

"I see...purple." The color bringing back good memories as it was Amelia's favorite color it did not belong in this mine.

"Purple?" Charles took the microscope from his wife. His left eye to it he saw the particles as well.

"None of the rocks here are purple as far as we know." The foreman added. Digging for years they never found anything of that color.

"Keep digging until you find more of the purple rocks. Collect them here and don't send out the rocks from here until you find the source. Use sonar if you have too." The group moved outside of the mine with the workers watching.

"Ok men! The break is over! Mr Valuer has given instructions to keep mining! Nothing leaves this mine without my permission! We're on the hunt for purple rocks people! Find them!"

"Yes sir!" The workers and Pokémon went inside again as the Valuer couple moved back to the limo. The bodyguard opened the door for them before he stepped in as well. As they drove away from the mine to move to their next appointment with another mine they wondered if they would find more of the purple particles that were out of place.

Back on the plane to Kalos Ash and Amelia flew first class. Alfonzo took a bathroom break leaving them alone in their row. The Performer a little sleepy sat next to Ash who sat at the window with Pikachu on his lap looking out watching the clouds like a child.

She wanted to take a quick nap since there wasn't much to do on flight and taking out her notebook was not an option as Ash might peek in it and see her new dress design and Performance idea's. She wanted to surprise him after all. Mischievous in her thoughts she had an idea.

Amelia leaned slowly into Ash's shoulder slowly as she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep. Ash feeling a weight on his left shoulder turned his head. Amelia leaned on him as she supposedly slept.

"Let's see if he protests."

Making herself comfortable some of her long hair brushed his left hand. A little startled he could not help but feel how smooth it was. It was as running his fingers through water like he imagined from the way her hair looked and took care of her appearance but he shifted his weight gently not to wake her up.

Pushing her slowly off her so her head leaned against the pillow of her seat she hid her disappointment. Making sure she was comfortable and off him just in time before Alfonzo came back. The aid back into his row saw the heir sleeping. Glancing over to Ash he squinted his eyes.

"I assume nothing strange occurred while I was gone?"

"No. Not at all." Ash hid it pretty well of being flustered by her leaning on him.

The aid none the wiser took place and continued reading his book as he still kept an eye sideways to Ash to see if he would not do anything inappropriate to his keep while she was 'sleeping' on the flight. Amelia at least understood now why she was pushed off after the small strokes in her hair by Ash's fingers.

"Alfonzo has to go. I can't experiment the way I want to with him around."

The flight going off without a hitch Ash felt an itch on his nose at one point. Using the hand he brushed Amelia's hair he rubbed it as a unknown infiltrated his nostrils.

"I wonder what shampoo she uses. She smells great."

Trying to get more of the scent in his nostrils he tried to get a hold of the smell but failed. He just had to ask her when she woke up. Mirroring the idea Amelia had Ash leaned opposite of her against the plane itself taking a quick nap as well before they would touch down in Kalos.

Unaware she wasn't sleeping at all but plotting her next move to remove the aid from her and Ash for a longer time so she can truly start digging about what he thinks about her and if there is a prospect of becoming more than just friends.

Not much to say again but a bit more physical attraction between the two.

Updates might slow down cause I want to catch up with some places going back to normal where I live. Virus and all that. Gotta take it before the predictably next wave.

Later