The rest of the school day came and went with little fanfare.

"Okay, but their cheeks are so cute! I heard they're like rubber when you touch them!"

"Uh-huh."

"C'mon, Chloe! You want to touch a Pikachu's cheeks too, don't you?"

"Not in particular…"

By the end of lunch, Mika had seemed to forget about Ash and zeroed in even more on his Pikachu, discussing in glowing terms the time her brother showed her video he had recorded on his phone of a Pikachu in the wild.

'Mika sure is crazy about Pokémon. I'd be lying if I said it didn't remind me of Ash and Goh. Those two basically became best friends overnight, bonding over Pokémon. I almost think she'd get along better with them than I would…' She touched Eevee's Poké Ball in her pocket. The ball shook slightly, responding to her touch, Eevee letting her know that she was there for her.

'I might not be as outgoing as Mika is, but I still love Eevee,' She thought. 'We're going to find our way together, at our own pace. And we won't let anyone rush us, either.'

The ball in her pocket shook, as if Eevee was agreeing in her own way as well.

A few hours and classes later Chloe returned to the lab to the cheerful barks of Yamper. She felt exhausted, going through the hall. 'Today wasn't awful after the beginning of the day had passed, but boy am I glad it's the weekend now. Letting Eevee out of her ball, she entered the kitchen to look for Ash and Goh. But when she arrived, only one of the boys was sitting there, gleefully stuffing his face with some bread.

"Ash?" Chloe asked, somewhat puzzled. "Where's Goh?"

Ash was so busy stuffing that face of his that he didn't even notice her come in. He swallowed the bite of the croquette sandwich Mr. Mime had made for him hard. "O-Oh, hey, Chloe! Goh got a call from his parents, and they said they were free tonight and invited him to hang out at his place!"

Chloe took a seat across from Ash. She knew Goh's parents, of course. Especially how busy they were with work all the time. If they had a day off to spend with him he'd definitely take the opportunity. Even if it meant ending his self-declared watchfulness of Ash. 'Which means that the entire confrontation we had this morning was basically pointless,' she thought as began to look through her phone.

"You look like you're about t' say somethin'," Ash said, looking at her.

She looked up, her green eyes meeting his brown. "I wasn't going to say anything," she said, shrugging and looking away. She sat her phone down on the table, hoping that he somehow didn't gain the ability to read her mind.

"I mean, you and Goh had that fight this morning that we kinda forgot to talk about," he said, staring back at her with those brown eyes of his that reflected only the truth. "You probably wanted to apologize to him, right?"

The heavy guilt she felt this morning suddenly returned to her stomach, and she frowned at it. 'Why was Goh so upset…? It doesn't make any sense…' "I guess it doesn't matter," she said. "I can just talk to him later."

"Y'know, it's easier t' just apologize when you fight with a friend," Ash explained. "I've gotten in a lot of fights with my friends so I know what it's like."

"I don't even know why he got so upset," she admitted, shrugging. "And I guess I won't know until we talk tomorrow."

Ash gave her that winning smile of his again. "You guys'll figure it out! You've been friends for a long time, right? And friendships are pretty hard to break, even if you mess up." He laughed, scratching his cheek. "I should know. I can mess up a lot."

Chloe giggled at his statement. "Well, don't go around bragging about it," she said, smirking as she teased him back. "Some people like the illusion that you're flawless."

This just made Ash laugh. "Hey, I'm learning from my mistakes and everything I learn'll help me get closer and closer to my dream of being a Pokémon Master!"

"Speaking of being a Pokémon Master," she said, looking around, "where's your Pokémon, 'master'? Pikachu taking the day off?"

"Nah," he said, gesturing in the direction of Cerise Park. "He's just having his snack with the rest of the Pokémon. Since Goh's gone t' see his parents, I'm kinda in charge until he gets back so Pikachu is helping me by being a leader, too."

Chloe laughed. "I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in this case, huh?" she joked, which made Ash laugh as well.

"Yeah, Pikachu's the best and totally dependable! Though sometimes my Mom makes it sound like he's more dependable than I am…"

Chloe continued to giggle. "Well, Pikachu is very dependable."

Ash kept laughing, leaning in. "Don't you start, Chloe. Soon you'll be thinking Pikachu's more dependable than me, too!"

"What I think is-"

"Yamp! Yamp! Yamp!"

"Vui! Eievui!"

Chloe's comeback was interrupted by Yamper angrily reminding her that he hadn't been fed yet, and of course her little copycat Eevee had to join in if for no reason other than it looked fun.

"I guess I better feed them," Chloe said, standing up from her chair and picking up her backpack.

Ash stood as well. "I better go check on Pikachu and the others. I didn't get any battles today, but hopefully tomorrow after some extra special training!"

"No battles all day?" Chloe asked, walking over to where the Pokémon food was stored.

"Nope! Turns out Ultra Class trainers are kinda rare! Which makes sense! There's only ninety-eight stronger guys in the world than me!" With that he gave a wave and left, and Chloe poured food in the Pokémon's bowls. Yamper and Eevee began to eat with gusto as she left them to their meal.

"You guys enjoy your snack. I'm going to be in the study, getting started on my homework." And so, too, did she leave to the study, her pink Rotom Phone laying on the table, blinking quietly.

"Aaaah! Where is it, Where is it?!"

Chloe had turned her backpack over several times since coming home, removing everything and checking every pocket at least twice each.

"Where'd I put my phone?!"

She didn't even notice on the way home from the laboratory that she didn't have it. In fact, she thought she had just misplaced it, which is why she was still searching her belongings for it. "Think, Chloe, where'd you put it…?" She wracked her brain, trying to come up with the last place she saw it. "Did I have it when I was doing homework…? Did I leave it at school…? I'm pretty sure I didn't leave it there…"

Coming downstairs, she began looking for someone who could help, and she came to her father watching the news with a cup of tea in his grip. Desperate, she asked him "Dad, have you seen my phone?"

He took a sip of tea before answering. "No, not outside of your hands, anyway. Did you misplace it?"

"I think so," she groaned. "I can't remember where I put it…"

Chloe's father picked up the tablet sitting on the table next to his cup of tea and tapped it on. A few moments later, it was displaying a map. "Ah, I see. It's at the lab."

"At the lab…?" Chloe repeated. "What did I do as soon as I got to the lab…" she said, thinking over it. 'I came in, let out Eevee, saw Ash…' "That's it! I left it in the kitchen!"

Professor Cerise put down the tablet and picked up his tea cup again. "See? Everything's fine, then."

She sighed. "But if I don't go to the lab this weekend then I won't have my phone all weekend either…" she groaned. "Not to mention the Rotom inside'll probably get lonely…"

"That is a pickle," Professor Cerise thought out loud.

"Can I just go get it tonight?" she asked.

He frowned, looking at the television. "Chloe, it's almost 8PM."

"I could stay in the guest room!" she said. "And I'll come back as soon as morning comes, I promise!"

He scratched his chin. "Well… I suppose it's not that big a problem. You are pretty responsible, and it's only for a night, right?" He reached into his pockets and pulled out his key ring, carefully removing the key that Chloe recognized opened the front door to the lab. He handed her the key. "Take care on your way, Chloe."

She took it in her hands excitedly, but even she could tell that this was an unusual request. "Uh, thanks, but are you sure that Mom's gonna be okay with it?"

He laughed. "You would be the one of my kids to say that, wouldn't you?"

She frowned. "Dad, I'm just trying to be responsible here, okay? But I can't go a weekend without having my phone, especially since the Rotom is in there."

He chuckled. "I'll speak to your mother. Things will be fine here. Take Yamper with you, as well. You know he'll be nervous unless he gets to stay with you."

She nodded. "Right. Thanks, Dad!" She stepped in close to give her father a hug, one he carefully returned to make sure he didn't spill tea on her. Then, she returned to her room and roused Eevee and Yamper from their sleep. "C'mon, we're going for a little walk!"

Approaching the Laboratory at night was something that filled Chloe with unease, but she figured that if anyone inside the darkened building was still awake, it was most likely Mr. Mime.

Yamper was invaluable in the approach up the steps, his body gently glowing with electricity as he walked ahead of Chloe and Eevee. Yamper was the only light source this far up other than the bright glow of the moon itself. The Electric-Type waddled up the stairs before entering the lab's grounds proper. Chloe looked over the darkened building. Everything was off. Taking a deep breath, she approached the door and took out the key her father usually used to open the lab each morning when they arrived before she went to school. Even though she knew no one was awake inside, she opened the door gently. At the very least, one of the Ghost-Type Pokémon might be out roaming, and she didn't want to spook them.

The door made an angry creak as she opened before she and Yamper stepped inside. Without the moonlight, it was even darker. Following more of her memory than the faint glow of Yamper, the girl and her two Pokémon companions moved cautiously across the creaking floorboards and into the kitchen. There, laying screen-down, was her phone. The Rotom inside seemed to have fallen asleep waiting, which only made sense to the girl. She reached for the phone and picked it up, startling the Pokémon inside.

"Shh…" she said, hushing the Rotom.

With her phone now in hand, Chloe began her quiet walk to the guest room, using the flashlight function to light the way. She put down Eevee and the Evolution Pokémon carefully walked next to Yamper, trying not to make a sound. But as she placed her first foot on the steps, Eevee's ears perked up. And then, Chloe heard it. It sounded like someone plucking on strings of an instrument. The plucking was slow and methodical, creating a gentle song that only grew in volume as she ascended the stairs.

She stepped as lightly as possible as she approached the music, only to find it coming from the gently ajar door that led into Ash and Goh's room. Her breath caught in the throat. She couldn't even speak lest she break the illusion. Even Yamper was being quiet, a rarity itself.

Chloe looked through the door to see Ash leaning against the wall of his bottom bunk. He was dressed in a yellow and black t-shirt with Pikachu's face printed on the front. Laying across the cream colored pajama shorts he was apparently wearing to bed was Pikachu, lying very still and docile, his ears down and tail gently wagging.

In Ash's hands, he held a small instrument that Chloe only recognized because it was a popular staple of Alolan culture; a ukulele. She had never seen the small stringed instrument before in person.

Ash looked relaxed as he strummed the instrument's strings, playing a simple, calming melody. His brown eyes were barely open, but the moonlight flitting into the room did make them glow with a gentle warmth that she was unaccustomed to seeing. His hair was still as wild and untamed as ever, but in this light, Chloe felt like there was a regalness to it as she looked at Ash through the door, listening to his fingers pluck out a gentle song.

It was as though she had never truly seen him before, but now the scales had fallen from her eyes, and for the first time she saw Ash not as he presented himself, but as he truly was. The gentle soul that laid beneath the loud and energetic surface. She was so taken aback by the image of Ash playing the ukulele that was burning into her mind, she didn't notice her hand grazing the doorknob, gently pushing the door open.

The music ceased instantly as Ash looked up at the door, shock in his eyes as he looked at the slowly opening door. Pikachu immediately sat up, glaring at the darkness, his cheeks flaring to life with sparks and light. As the door drifted open, he was able to see Professor Cerise's daughter standing in front of him in her brightly colored school uniform.

He didn't look away from her, though even Chloe could tell by looking in his eyes that he was shamefaced. She stood there in the doorway, looking back at him, knowing her eyes were concealed in the shadows of the doorway.

"Chloe…?"

Ash was the first to speak. He sat there, holding his ukulele, puzzled. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Now it was Chloe's turn to feel ashamed of herself. "I…" she stammered before taking a few steps into the room. Pikachu's cheeks stopped sparking, but the mouse still looked tense until Ash put his hand on his back and rubbed. Chloe stepped into the moonlight coming in through the window. "I… forgot my phone and I came back for it." She held out the phone as proof. "I was worried that the Rotom would get lonely if it was here all weekend."

"I get it…" he said, his own face relaxing into a gentle smile. Pikachu similarly laid down in Ash's lap again.

"So…" Chloe asked, swallowing her nervousness. "...I really liked your song."

She felt stupid saying it like that, but Ash took the complement. "Thanks, Chloe."

"If you don't mind me asking…" she said, stepping closer. "...what is it?"

Ash began plucking on the strings again. "It's… a song I learned to play in Alola."

'That would explain the ukulele,' she thought. But she didn't dare to say that out loud. "You learned to play the ukulele in Alola?"

"Not really," he said, chuckling under his breath. "At least, not very much. But Professor Kukui would sometimes play little songs on a ukulele like this one, and I wanted to learn how to play, too! But I wasn't able to get my own ukulele until Professor Kukui gave me one right before I came back to Kanto."

For Chloe, that cast the ukulele in a very different light immediately. She had in effect stumbled into something very personal and private. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Didn't mean what?" he asked, looking up with his gentle brown eyes. "To see me playin'?"

She sat down on the floor, tucking her knees under her. "I… I mean, yeah, you know? This feels like I intruded on something private."

Ash didn't answer immediately, only continuing to strum on the ukulele. "I mean…" he started. "You're the first person besides me t' even know about this."

That caught her by surprise. "Not even Goh's seen your ukulele?"

Ash looked at her. "I don't even think about playing it most of the time," he admitted. "And really only Pikachu gets it, besides me."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I lived in Alola with the Professor for a while. I saw all sorts of places and things. People and Pokémon. I made so many friends, had battles with rivals, and that whole time, the power of Alola just… y'know, it just swooped inta us."

"The power of Alola…?"

Ash nodded. "I know lots of people really like Alola as a place t' go on vacation. I did, too, at first. But after living there for so long, Alola means more t' me than that now. It's like a second home to Pikachu and me. And…" he grew quiet as he continued to strum, shrugging. "I dunno. I miss it sometimes."

"Pi ka chuuu…,' Pikachu said in agreement.

He quietly strummed on the strings for a moment. "It's like… more than the friends and Pokémon I left in Alola… I left part of myself, too."

"Pi ka pi ka…"

"Playing th' ukulele helps me remember Alola, and I feel closer to it when I do. I guess I didn't ever think about showing anyone 'cause…'' he went quiet again before chuckling. "...it feels weird, I guess. It feels weird to say 'I love Alola' because there's so many ways people'll take it. But I want to love Alola my way. And my way is this."

Chloe put her hand over her chest as he spoke. Even in her candid conversations with him, this was an entirely different side to him than she had ever seen before. He had such a gentleness about him that her heart ached for her to reach out to him, to tell him that his love for Alola was beautiful, and that it moved her heart, as well.

But even as those words danced on her tongue to the music Ash continued to play, she wouldn't allow herself to say them 'That just sounds so… weird. I can't say something like that to him. What would he think…?'

Instead Chloe drew closer to the side of his bed and put her arms on it to prop herself up. "Sorry that I interrupted your personal moment, Ash."

"It's okay," he said, the gentle smile returning to his face. "You seem like you get it, too. And you won't tease me about it either."

She smiled back at him. "You can continue playing, if you want. I'll be quiet."

"Heh… alright."

And so Ash returned to his gentle ukulele song, closing his eyes and letting his thoughts drift back to Alola. Chloe watched the warm smile grow on his face, and felt her own heart grow warmer watching him. She watched the rising and falling of his chest, unaware that her own gentle breathing had matched his.

Ash played for a little while longer until his fingertips began to feel sore. He peaked out from under his eyelids to see Chloe having drifted off to sleep with Eevee and Yamper curled up next to her.

Quietly, he slipped off the bed and pulled his blanket down before draping her in it.

"G'night, Chloe."

Tiptoeing out of the room, Ash began to approach the guest room where he'd try and sleep instead. As he closed the door behind him, he thought he saw a shadow move at the top of the stairs but looking closer, he didn't see anything. Shrugging and thinking that it might be Mr. Mime, he headed to the end of the hallway and entered the guest room.