Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or Dave, or RJ. I own the Pokémon Mudross, and any other Pokémon I come up with on the way, but the label Pokémon is not mine to use in any other way. Dave belongs to R'N'Rer, and RJ to Bigfoot12310. And now that we've got that straight…

With the school term now officially up and running, I realized I'm going to be busier than before. Hopefully I get to finish this chapter today, but pardon me if it isn't very long or written in as acerbic or witty a fashion as I would prefer… that said, let's start the next chapter already!

They sat at one of those ubiquitous cafes which seemed to appear in almost every city; a symbol of the romance (and coffee) of the French, yet one which seemed overdone. No longer did it seem to be romantic; now it just seemed boring. Unless you were in France; but they weren't.

Erynn looked happily at the purchases she'd made, totting up the bill on her PokéNav.

"Are you sure you haven't gone over the budget…?"

She smiled; a smile of happiness as much as of self-satisfaction.

"Not at all… you wouldn't believe the number of trainers who keep rushing back and forth between Rubidium Gym and the PokéCentre… you mightn't know, but the job of a Gym Leader really is quite lucrative."

Ash shrugged helplessly; it wasn't his place to say anything more, anyway. While he gave his weary limbs a rest, he kept a lookout for any trainer who looked promising enough to be his Double Battle partner. Secretly, he was wishing he could swap places with Dave.

Erynn took a bite from the sandwich she'd ordered. He'd learnt along the way that she didn't exactly eat meat; she found the eating of Pokémon too inhuman. Thinking about it, he silently admitted that it probably was a tad cruel, eating your friends.

The frilly parasol which hung over their table shaded them from the harsh glare of the afternoon sun. It'd only been a few hours, but he felt like he'd been helping her do her shopping forever.

"Remind me when this deal ends again?"

She turned to him, her violet eyes meeting his for a second.

"It's only till dinner tonight. After that you're free to go wherever you please."

Inwardly he groaned.

I'm free…? Not very likely… trust me to get myself into a situation like this…

She saw his miserable look and laughed gently.

"That'll be the last time you say something as chauvinistic as that."

He sighed. Ditto had been right to warn him, after all.

"Fine… so, Princess, where to from here…?"

Another soft laugh; she put her sunglasses on again and left her seat, stepping out into the sunlight. Stretching, she turned to him with a grin on her face.

"We'll put this lot back in our room, and then I want to go look at some swimwear…"

Great. More shopping. I guess I was right, after all.

"We hope to see you again!"

Dave received his Pokéballs from Nurse Joy, his spine chilled by the portent of the words.

"What kind of sick person are you!"

Nurse Joy just smiled. Just then, he heard a hiss, and turned around to see Erynn stepping through the sliding door. Ash lay on the ground beside her, his arms weighed down by what looked to be the entire GDP of the Purple-and-Black County.

"No wonder he's knocked out… that's a lot of shopping…"

Erynn looked between the two of them, humming a soft note.

"No… that was the sliding door."

Ditto waddled in from behind the shopping, pulling at Ash's face until he recovered consciousness.

"Wha… oh, it's you, Dave."

With a small smile, Dave helped Ash to his feet, helping him carry the bags into the room. When it was finally done, Ash groaned and started to massage his arm.

"Man… that hurt."

Erynn's face coloured.

"It wasn't that bad…"

Ash laughed and shook his head.

"So… Dave, how'd it go with you?"

Grinning, Dave tossed two Pokéballs in the air, releasing a Mudross and a Zubat. While Ash felt happy for him, he felt a tad more miserable. Erynn watched him for a moment, and then spoke.

"Ash… it's alright… you don't have to come shopping with me if you don't want to."

He shrugged; it wasn't Erynn's fault…

Alright it is her fault.

It might've been Erynn's fault, but he really couldn't find it in himself to blame her.

"Don't worry… it isn't a problem. Dave, you want to come along?"

Looking at the large pile of shopping on the ground, he backed away slowly.

"I… think I'll go kit myself out at the PokéMart first…"

Erynn looked genuinely embarrassed. Ash shrugged and Ditto quietly giggled.

"I can't say I blame him… but then again I can't say anything at all. Oh well…"

The store was small, but relatively comfortable. There were chairs and even a water cooler. The cashier counter was one of oak; the machine itself an earthy colour, located in a corner of the shop. The walls were of the same oak paneling, reminiscent of another time… perhaps just different, considering the minimalist approach the rest of the town had leant toward.

He sat in the armchair, drinking from a glass of fresh water… it made a refreshing change, not to be burdened by the bags of shopping; though he knew it was only a temporary respite, still he felt freed, if only for a while. Soon she'd step out of the fitting room in front of him, flounce over to the cashier, and add another burden to his load.

A rustling of curtains; he sighed… she was coming out.

No she wasn't. Yes she was. The curtains rustled as she seemed to be struck with a sudden indecision. And then she was out.

"Well, how do I look?"

The words were spoken a little too quickly, but he had no reply ready, anyway.

"You look…"

She was wearing a purple-and-black bikini… which was hardly surprising. But the sight in her dressed like that caused him to instinctively avert his eyes, trying not to blush.

"What… does it look… that bad…?"

Her voice was halting; it sounded a tad amused, but also hesitant. Cursing inwardly, he forced himself to face her again. Behind him he could hear Ditto sigh. Whether it was directed at his behaviour or her appearance, he couldn't be sure.

"Well… it suits you… I guess…"

He kept his head low; he could hear an amused humming from her.

"Fine… thanks, I guess."

She flounced back inside and emerged minutes later dressed in her normal clothing. Relieved, Ash waited while she bought the outfit.

"And…"

She turned to him from the cashier's counter.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Ash sat there, confused.

"Even if you didn't say anything, your expression was enough."

She winked at him, and he dipped his head lower.

What have I gotten myself into…?

He watched the boy with more than a hint of interest. Four Pokéballs at his belt, and a good-natured face. Perhaps he'd be a good Double Battle partner…

He walked up to the boy and noticed the Espeon which slunk toward him from around a corner. Definitely strong, then.

"Hey…"

Dave looked up and noticed the boy talking to him. They looked around the same age.

"My name's RJ. You?"

Cautiously, he examined RJ. Three Pokéballs on his belt. A trainer, then.

"Hello… I'm Dave."

RJ opened his mouth, then closed it again. The Machop behind him urged him on.

"I was just wondering if you were planning on challenging the Fluoride Gym for the Synchro Badge… just because…"

"You haven't got a Double Battle partner," Dave completed the sentence for him, "I know."

RJ looked genuinely enthusiastic now.

"So… can you help me out…? I'm not weak or anything… I just happen to be travelling solo."

His tone turned a tad defensive at the end. Dave shrugged.

"Sorry… I've already got a partner…" RJ sighed. "But…"

As everybody knows, when there's a 'but', there's hope. And RJ was no exception.

"I've got an idea of who you can go to see…"

Dave turned to the counter and received his purchase.

"He'll be at the PokéCentre tonight. Come to Room 137 later on… and I'll introduce you to him."

He nodded. At least he was going somewhere now… he looked to Machop, who nodded at him. Machop had always been a good judge of character; he had to be sure he wasn't being led into a trap.

So with any luck… I'll be able to get my second badge… and be a step closer to my dream…

He wished she wasn't dressed in the bikini. He really did. It would've made things a lot less awkward. Sitting on a rock, he mused about his misadventures thus far.

She'd been in the water for a while when he felt a vibration in his pocket. Absent-mindedly he flipped his PokéNav open, and noticed that he'd received an email from his parents.

Dear Ash,

It's been two days now; are you well?

Attached is a picture of our dear Gyarados. We've decided to call him Gary. We're doing fine back here; I hope you're enjoying your journey! From what we've heard, you've defeated the Rubidium Gym leader; that's really quite something!

If you're wondering about Seaking back home, we've managed to buy it an aquarium so it didn't have to live with Gary. We're going to keep the house going till you come back a Pokémon champ! Keep working at it, son!

Love,

Your Parents

He laughed as he closed his PokéDex, and then jumped as he felt something brush his cheek; she'd been reading over his shoulder. He kept his eyes averted as she sat down beside him, humming softly to herself. The sunset looked beautiful in the background; along the beach he could hear children screaming and the busy chatter of other tourists.

Beautiful… most of it, anyway.

"I'm sorry."

She spoke abruptly, breaking the silence. Curious, he looked over at her, keeping his eyes on her face. Even in the setting sun, she wore her sunglasses.

It must be hard to see…

"What for?"

She laughed, a small lilting noise carried away by the sound of the waves.

"I really shouldn't have pushed you so hard today."

Now she realizes… sheesh.

But he shrugged off the thought.

"No problems at all… I mean, why be enemies if we're going to have to go this journey together…?"

She shrugged; she didn't have anything to say.

"And Dave too. He's a good boy."

She nodded at this.

"We shouldn't make life difficult for him; you know, I think he's got a mind to travel with us now."

Ash allowed himself a small moment of mirth, remembering how he never liked to get involved in their arguments. She smiled.

"Whatever it is… thanks."

He nodded, this time.

"I guess it's time to get back to the PokéCentre now; I expect Dave's been waiting for us…"

Ditto slid off Ash's head and began to lead the way back.

"Well, I'm glad that's solved…"

A/N: The end of another chapter… I didn't have a lot of time today… and I've got to sleep pretty soon, so I hope this leads up to something good. The meeting is finally going to occur in the next episode, so unless any of you have violent objections to any part of the story till now, I hope to see you again in the next episode of Pokémon Go!