A/N: I wanted to give a special thanks to some of the reviewers who gave this story a shot and enjoyed what they read. Those who offered suggestions, thank you very, very much. I read everything you say, and I see every favorite/follow. I'm excited to share with all of you what I have cooking in terms of AshxLillie, and I'm sure I'll learn a thing or two as I go!
As always, keep reviewing and sharing your input. If there's something, you want to see changed, please include that as well. I'll take suggestions, ideas, thought bubbles, all of it.
Talonflame blew across the battlefield with a blazing aura. The fire and flying type Pokémon launched itself into the opposing Linoone and angled back towards Ash's corner. As soon as the impact was made, Linoone flew back but quickly countered with a quick attack.
Lillie kept a close eye on Ash. Her eyes were still perceiving the image before her. The chances of the two of them encountering each other on the Battle Raft were meager; Lillie hadn't even planned on this trip but instead made the adventure for the goodies and to study the art of battling. If fate was at hand here, it certainly had a funny way of showing itself.
Her eyes glistened in awe as Ash seemed to be carrying his attitude well. The Talonflame that he was using seemed to be putting its heart on the line, a Pokémon she wasn't even familiar with.
"Talonflame! Flame Charge one more time!"
As if Ash could sound any more clear, Lillie relished in the sound of his voice as if confirming even further that this man was the same person she was hoping it to be. There wasn't any more confirmation to be had, and yet Lillie felt her heart climb up her chest into her throat as Ash failed to take his eyes off of the threat before him.
"See me..." Lillie thought to herself. Realistically, Lillie knew he couldn't see one person out of the hundreds witnessing the battle. But somewhere in her pride, she begged him to see through the crowds and lock eyes on hers.
Suddenly she realized she was much more invested in this man than she had previously thought. Questions began flowing through her overworking mind, questions that she's dying to have answers to. What was once a friendly adventure through Alola with the rest of their classmates quickly turned into a passionate companionship driven by a molded respect for each other... backed by a molten hot passion for his presence.
As she watched the young Kantonian trainer work his magic with the fire Pokémon before him, she remembered holding Pikachu for the first time. It was with him that she took her first steps towards amounting to something. Even if Ash didn't give himself that credit, young Lillie did without a blink of an eye.
Oh, how she wished she could hold Pikachu one more time. From her distance, she could see the electric rodent posted on his shoulder encouraging his companion the same way Ash did by simply being in the room.
"Vul?"
Snowy looked up at Lillie now, expecting something. Lillie wasn't the master of reading body language, but she knew Snowy wasn't stupid. With their bond and shared hyper-awareness of their surroundings, Lillie knew there wasn't a chance in the universe that Snowy wasn't paying close attention to her fired-up stare.
"It's nothing, Snowy, don't worry..." Lillie lied for no particular reason. "We should say hi once his battle is over."
As if she hit a switch, Lillie began overthinking the whole ordeal. How was she going to talk to him? What would she say off the bat? How will she find him once things start moving after the battle?
Better yet...
What if he doesn't want to see her?
With a violent shake of her head, Lillie dismissed the darker thoughts and focused on one smaller objective, something her mother taught her to do when she was a little girl. First, she would track him down once their battle was over and go from there.
Even as her mind attempted to run off ahead of her, she kept herself level-headed and instead continued watching the battle unfold before her. Snowy traded gazes between Ash and Lillie before settling into Lillie's arms like a handcrafted bed.
Once the battle ended, Ash rejoiced with his Pokémon before thanking the respective trainer and heading on his way. After leaving the booths, Ash made his way to the clinic, where he released his pokeballs into the care of Nurse Joy.
There were so many people pouring in and out of the clinic that Ash had to make sure Pikachu didn't get swept off of his shoulders in a frenzy between matches.
"I'll come back to check on them within the hour, Nurse Joy!" Ash informed the nurse, who was partially too occupied to carry out an entire conversation. It was understandable; the crowds intensified, and people made their rounds to prepare for the next battle.
Once his Pokémon were at the grace of Nurse Joy, Ash proceeded to stroll out into the hallway with his Pikachu on top of his shoulders still. Without an idea of where they would go, Ash decided to use his small vantage point between hallways to peer down at his next destination.
On the hallway to his left lies different clothing boutiques and small tents looking to sell self-made items. Ash wasn't known for doing a lot of shopping, so his eyes skimmed over each one until they instinctively locked on a particular body.
A person. It was a girl.
The girl was walking with her hands tucked around her waist with a Pokémon clenched gently to her abdomen. Parts of her were obscured due to passing people and Pokémon, and he struggled for seconds to figure out who this was. Whoever they were, Ash could recognize that they were familiar even if he didn't have a name to the face.
Pikachu perked up as well, and he could hear a curious tweak from his partner following his curiosity.
Ash moved his head left and right to angle around people to see this person. He could tell they were looking around desperately, but he couldn't see their eyes.
Until a fraction of a second, where the perfect alignment of the girl and space matched with his viewpoint, causing Ash to freeze in his place practically, as quickly as he noted the appearance of a familiar face, they were hidden again.
"Huh...!? Did you see that, Pikachu?" Ash muttered as he looked around frantically to find the girl, as mentioned earlier, to no avail.
"Pika, pi!" Pikachu seemed to be pointing in one direction, which Ash took as a cue to move. Instinctively, Ash followed orders and moved through crowds of people, sandwiching himself between various trainers and shopkeepers.
The more he walked, the more uncertain he became until the silhouette of Lillie appeared less than fifteen feet away. Ash couldn't help but fight a grin as he crept around people. As he approached, he caught the end of a sentence Lillie was trading with Snowy.
"... I can't see to find him."
Waiting to say anything until he was less than a yard away, his plan to spook the young girl was about to unfold. Once he got the chance to surprise her, he could chat with her and catch up.
That is until Ash heard his name boom from the opposite direction.
"Ash Ketchum!"
Quickly, Ash snapped his head around to see an approaching figure of a young teenager. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lillie turn as well as if looking for some reaction to spot Ash himself only to find him posted next to her in a similarly surprised manner.
Lillie gasped and jumped back, bumping into a spire tower-inspired hat display and knocking it over. The poor girl yelped in shock as she tumbled over with Snowy still gripped between her arms. The cluttering sounds of hats and metal caused several bystanders to look in fear and concern.
"Woah! Lillie!" Ash exclaimed as he all but threw himself down to her level, offering an outstretched hand.
Lillie saw the hand and reached out to grab it. As soon as her hand touched his, her cheeks lit up in combination with the embarrassing circus act that just unfolded as well as the physical sensation of his touch. For the better part of an hour, she had been stressing over finally getting to talk to this man, and here she was being picked up by him.
Her eyes glistened in shock as Ash lifted her to face level, where she made a quick mental note of their height difference. Pikachu looked worried but excited to see a familiar face and rapidly descended onto her shoulders to greet both Lillie and Snowy at the same time.
As soon as she was upright, Ash scurried to retrieve all the hats in a frantic dash and replace them neatly. He extended his apologies to the shop owner, who seemed to forgive and forget almost immediately. Once his attention was free, he turned his eyes back to the person who had run up to them and shouted Ash's name in the first place.
"I'm Ash Ketchum. Are you looking for me?"
Lillie watched as she patiently waited to be fully acknowledged by the young and easily distracted trainer to her right. In the meantime, she stroked Pikachu's cheeks and played with his head while watching closely. Only then did she realize this was the same guy from earlier; Harley.
Harley stood in front of Ash, who had his hands at his sides now. Though he was partially frustrated with the surprise, which led to Lillie falling over, he could easily forgive and forget. Harley had a smile on his face with a look of determination that resonated with Ash as they stood face to face.
"I've heard a lot about you, Ash. You're from Pallet Town?" Harley asked as he held up his first poke-ball. "I hope you know that when we face-off, I'm giving it everything that I've got!"
A challenge. At least, what sounded like one, Ash realized then that this would be his next opponent and looked the man up and down. He was wearing black jeans that joined together a dark grey open sweater and black running shoes. His hair was a messy black mop that ended at his ears, but his diamond blue eyes pierced through Ash.
"... Wait! Aren't you the girl from earlier!?" Harley exclaimed as he directed his attention towards Lillie, now surprised by the sudden attention shift.
Lillie nodded.
"I'm Lillie... it's nice to meet you again, Harley."
Her track record with strangers was a rocky one but given that some of her best friends were strangers at one point eased her mind to starting new conversations with new people. This 'Harley' didn't seem so bad though he looked to have a lot of energy.
"You as well. I can't help but say you have a mighty fine Alolan Vulpix there." Harley said as he reached his hand out to pet it. Snowy took the compliment and let the man show affection though she was extremely hesitant after a couple of seconds. "It goes well with your outfit, Lillie."
Ash grew curious about this man's intentions. First, he was complimenting a girl he had just met and seemed to have interrupted their reunion to pet the Vulpix. He was doing his best to give Harley the benefit of the doubt, but him giving her a small amount of complimenting gave him an uneasy feeling.
It seemed Ash was becoming slightly agitated, and Pikachu took notice.
"Pika...?" Pikachu asked Ash as he leaned into view. Once Ash locked eyes with his partner, he shook his head and realized he was becoming jealous and that it wasn't a good look for him.
As though Harley could hear his voice, he turned to Ash and smirked. Stepping closer to the young trainer from Kanto, Harley leaned into his ear and whispered something that Lillie couldn't hear.
"The real test of worthiness is to put all of your pride on the line in the form of a battle... let's see who comes out victorious in the next round, Ash."
As quickly as he appeared, Harley walked away, leaving Ash to process what he had said. There was no way he would lose in the first place, but if this guy was questioning his worthiness... regardless of why, Ash was going to take him out of the picture.
Now, the two were left on their own and instantly lit up as they knew they could finally reconcile once more.
"Sorry for that distraction, Lillie...!" Ash apologized as he stepped closer to Lillie, who instinctively took a single step back before being scooped into a warm embrace by Ash. Once she was in his arms, Ash laid her instincts to rest as she felt as though she was floating in a cloud. They hadn't been this close before, and Lillie wrote it off as a welcoming gesture even as the hug lasted for an almost uncomfortable amount of time.
Once they split apart, Ash chuckled and nervously scratched his head.
"It's quite alright, Ash! It's just so nice to see you here of all places!" Lillie exclaimed as she clenched her arms together and stood in a timid position with Snowy gripped tightly to her body.
"Speaking of which... what exactly are you doing here anyway?" Ash asked after several minutes of pondering.
Lillie gestured towards her oversized bag, holding various clothing items and souvenirs. It was clear that she had been shopping for several hours. While they talked, the two made their way to the opening to the upper deck where hardly anybody was. The wind was picking up as the ship moved, and the crashing of waves filled any cracks in their conversation as they stopped alongside a railing where Ash leaned his back against it with Lillie facing him on the left.
"I came to see what Unova has to offer since I'm on my way back to Kanto after visiting my mother. I figured I would shop around and find something for Snowy and me... I really didn't expect to see you here, though!" Lillie admitted as she smiled.
Ash returned the smile and looked down at Snowy.
"Well, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to see you here, neither... But, I'm sure glad I did! Right, Pikachu?" Ash remarked as Pikachu called in reassurance before waving to Snowy.
Lillie felt her cheeks warm up again and fought herself to distract her nerves. All she was here to do was talk to Ash, and so long as she could do that, she would be fine. But when she looked up at his face and traced his smile, she could only see him in the beautiful light that only he could shine in.
"Thank you... I've really missed you and everyone in Alola recently. It's good to see a familiar face every once in a while!" Lillie exclaimed with a smile. "Where are you going after the Battle Raft?"
Ash pondered for a second and even went as far as to check with Pikachu before shrugging. Each time he completed an adventure, he had the next one lined out soon after. So, for the first time in ages, he was at a loss for what came next.
"I hadn't planned that far ahead, I guess..." Ash said with a sigh as he looked around outside. "I guess I'm just going back to Kanto once I'm done. Are you doing the same?"
"I think so... I guess we're kind of stuck together here, huh?" Lillie joked, to which Ash smiled.
"I think I'm okay with that, Lillie!" Ash flirted as he slid his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall behind him while staring up at the star-filled sky. Lillie blushed briefly but followed suit and leaned beside him with her eyes glued to the skies. With zero light pollution, thousands of stars were staring back at them.
What Lillie didn't see with her eyes watching the shimmering stars was Ash watching her closely. He was simply admiring her hair and physique. They had all this free time together without hardly any interruptions, and so he felt that he should take full advantage.
Her smile was breathtaking, and her tight body wrapped around her Vulpix only decimated his heart even further as he imagined her turning to face him and giving him the adorable uncertain gaze that she so often had in Alola.
For as far away from home as he was, Ash felt right at home here at Lillie's side. A smile forced its way through Ash's stare until Lillie lit up again at something she saw.
"Did you see that!?" Lillie exclaimed without taking her eyes away from the sky. "There was a shooting star! I saw it!"
Ash chuckled and put his hand behind his head as he realized he wouldn't be able to see it unless he was already looking for it in the first place. As unfortunate as it was to miss such a spectacle, Ash felt his excitement fulfill itself, seeing Lillie as happy as she was.
"No, I didn't..." Ash admitted before nudging her with his shoulders, "you should make a wish before it's too late! Close your eyes and make a wish!"
Without a second to waste, Lillie clapped her hands together and bowed her head before mouthing something. He couldn't read her lips but knew that she was making her wish promptly after seeing it.
Again, the thought of reaching out and grabbing for the girl to his right was almost impossible to fight. It wasn't a great idea for the off chance that she didn't like it. Lillie and Ash were great friends, and if something ruined it, Ash knew he wouldn't be the same... especially if it were his fault.
As Ash saw her rise from her wish, he heard his stomach rumble immediately afterward, which caused him to blush slightly.
"Oh, Ash... some things just never change about you!" Lillie joked as she looked towards the entrance back into the lobbies. "Shall we look around for something to feed you?"
Internally kicking himself, Ash sighed as he realized he lost his opportunity to do anything with Lillie in private here... not that he even knew what he was going to do. Now, whatever they did would have to be in the public eye and possibly infringed on by that Harley kid.
Shaking off his annoyance, Ash felt his wrist get pulled after he had been standing still for too long. Lillie dragged him down the hallway, where Ash started to enjoy feeling her touching sensation.
Like it was only natural from her.
As the two strolled around the different kinds of booths and food stops, Ash decided he wanted to treat Lillie to a bit of specialty food that she likely hadn't eaten before. Since he traveled the Unova region with Iris and Cilan, he was exceptionally well versed in the foods that were native to Unova.
As they walked closely together, the two made their best attempt at speaking over the roaring sounds of people talking and walking through the halls together. Each step, they were paranoid of being spotted by Harley and approached. As much as they were thinking about eating, neither one made a plan to deal with the young man when he would eventually find them.
Ash spotted a food booth handing out one of his all-time favorite foods; Unovan Macaroons.
As soon as he saw the booth, his eyes lit up, and he tugged Lillie along at his side. With a surprised expression, Lillie tagged along. Once they reached the ordering counter, a young teenager appeared at the entrance and asked for their order.
"Um..." Lillie tried as she realized there wasn't a lot on the menu that she was familiar with.
"Don't worry; I have the perfect thing for us! I bet Snowy will love this too!" Ash chirped as he faced the counter. "Can we get two Chocolate Macaroon bags?"
The woman taking the order replied quickly and took his form of payment before handing them two tightly wrapped baggies filled with a dozen chocolate macaroons.
Lillie stared at her snack temporarily as Snowy sniffed at the closed bag. Never before had she eaten one before, but Ash said she would love it. So, they searched endlessly for an open table and only found one once they had finally given up. Thankfully, the raft had placed the perfect table far from the battlefield, so now they won't be spotted too quickly.
Ash sat down across from Lillie, who was dying to open her snack bag and try one. Ash opened his first and pulled one of the macaroons out to feed Pikachu. Another one was retrieved but this time handed over to Snowy. Lillie smiled at the sight of her sweet ice-type Pokémon taking a gift from a long-time friend.
To her surprise, another macaroon was handed to her directly by Ash, and she took it with shaky hands. Once she popped the macaroon into her mouth, she fell in love and fought the urge to scarf the rest of her snacks down on the spot.
"That was delicious!" Lillie exclaimed as she ate another one. "I can see why these are so sought after here!"
Ash chuckled and gave another one to Pikachu before enjoying one himself.
"Right? When I went on a journey with two of my Unovan friends, we often shared macaroons. I thought you'd like them too!" Ash chimed as he finished his bag and crumbled it tightly before disposing of it.
"You sure have been all over the place, Ash!" Lillie said as she smiled and stroked Snowy gently while they ate.
Ash watched with a smile on his face as he watched her eat. She seemed to enjoy the snack, as did Snowy, which instantly reminded him of the last time he had seen her smile in person.
The last day they spent together before she left Alola ultimately. Both her and Gladion were saying their goodbyes before leaving together, and Lillie had started to say something before Gladion interrupted her.
In the back of his mind for months, he was pondering what she was going to say but decided that if it were important enough, she would have clarified. But, now Mallow nor Lana was here to interrupt their conversations. He could ask her anything and get something out of it.
Like she'd remember.
One more glance at the woman sitting across from him simply forced him to speak his mind through shimmering eyes.
"Hey... Lillie?"
"Hm?" Lillie hummed as she looked up at Ash, who seemed intent on something. "What is it?"
"Well... it's just that I never got to hear what you were going to say when we parted ways in Alola," Ash mentioned as he nervously scratched his head, "I don't think you even remember, but it's been kind of bugging me."
Lillie instantly turned a hot red as she was reminded of the day in its totality. Like Ash, she could recall Gladion thwarting her sentence, except she spent weeks wishing she could contact him to finish her breath. Part of her felt eased that he would never have to know, while another part hoped that she could spill her guts to the one boy that managed to pick her up every step of the way.
Now what?
Being practically backed into a corner sent embarrassed blushes to Lillie's cheeks as her brain worked overtime to develop some sort of a lie to cover her tracks.
"W-well..." Lillie attempted as she looked around for some sort of inspiration, "I just wanted to say... uh, thank you!"
Nice job.
Ash laughed out loud though he sounded sort of disappointed due to waiting for so long to hear something that he'd heard beforehand. But it's better than something he didn't want to hear.
"Well, you're welcome!" Ash said through laughs. "I had a lot of fun with everyone in Alola... speaking of which, how is Gladion? Is he here to participate!?"
Lillie shook her head and again saw Ash look a little disappointed.
"He's staying with mother to take care of her... he said he needed a break from searching for something that he hasn't gotten any leads on... he isn't sleeping through the night anymore, and so I suggested seeing mother for a couple of days!"
Ash recalled the events of Lusamine and the ultra beast that robbed her of a lot of strength and willpower. As unfortunate as it was that Gladion wasn't going to be present, he was glad to hear that he was at least safe.
"I guess we kind of got lucky running into each other here, huh?" Ash joked with a smile.
"Yeah, I really missed seeing you every day, Ash," Lillie confessed, which surprised even herself by the clarity and power placed behind each word. To her surprise, she saw Ash blush slightly, which fluttered her heart to no end.
"I really missed you too, Lillie... it's too bad our journey had to come to an end! I really enjoyed all of our shenanigans."
The thought bubble that popped into Lillie's head next sent her back into her seat with awe. Since they were both returning to Kanto after the Battle Raft, she would see him more and maybe include him on their search for some form of help for Lusamine. It was a win-win.
Of course, that would be inviting someone to carry the weight of a loud that wasn't his, to begin with. So, Lillie bit her tongue.
But not fast enough as Ash caught onto her spectacle.
"What is it?"
"Oh, nothing..." Lillie lied as she avoided eye contact with Ash temporarily though he quickly spotted her deception and moved his face into her field of view, forcing her to see him.
He didn't say anything and instead raised an eyebrow with a smile. Seeing Lillie crack up in an annoyed laugh confirmed that he had gotten through to her.
Lillie cleared her throat and calmly looked away from Ash as she started to speak.
"I thought maybe we could use your help in Kanto... if you were already going that way once you finished up here at the Battle Raft." Lillie muttered through her anxious stare. Ash noticed that she seemed half committed to the question and smirked as he realized what he could do from here.
He could quickly tell that Lillie wasn't exactly truthful about what she would say when they parted ways in Alola. If she was going to get his help, which would happen regardless, he wanted to have a bit of fun before ultimately accepting.
"You know, Lillie... I'd love to tag along!" Ash exclaimed. Lillie instantly perked up in a surprise turn of her head that was so fast Ash swore she would hurt herself if it were any faster. Once she opened her mouth, Ash stuck up his index finger. "But... I really really would like to know what you were actually going to say back in Alola."
Once Lillie saw Ash's dorky smile, she frowned and realized what game he was playing. It wasn't precisely blackmail, but Ash was looking for leverage, and she had lied her way into giving him plenty.
The idea of creating another lie popped into her head, and she pondered around with it. But, deep down, she felt awful for lying to such a good friend, and depending on how he reacts to the truth, she may not have to see him afterward. Half of Lillie felt as though she deserved to spill her feelings onto the table before Ash while the other fought back and attempted to preserve her dignity.
Snowy peered up at Lillie and frowned as she seemed concerned for her owner. Lillie shook her head and patted Snowy, gently searching the floor for some story.
Ash took note of her frantic state and started feeling bad for pushing her to talk about something that seemed so troublesome for her. Just as he went to speak to interrupt her train of thought, Lillie felt a teardrop fall to her lap, and that's when she decided it was now or never.
With a big breath in, she looked up at Ash and stared deep into his soul.
"Ash... I--"
A/N: I know, I know! Another cliffhanger that doesn't necessarily answer the question of what Lillie was going to say to Ash. I promise that answer will be given next chapter when we find out how the battle between the Lillie-loving Harley and Ash will carry out.
For some clarification: Harley isn't an actual character from the anime. Instead, he's a guy trying to be the top dog between him and Ash by challenging him and forcing him to either acknowledge his feelings or move out of the way so he can.
Thank you for reading! See you next time.