A/N: Hello again! I just wanted to give another special thank you to the reviewers and people who've been favoriting this story. I'm enjoying creating new content for you all, and I'm happy the reaction has been as positive as it has been.
Keep it up! I appreciate you all.
(Warning: I haven't proofread this just yet. So, any large mistakes please just let me know!)
Blinking twice in confusion, Ash waits for some form of speech from Lillie. Whatever is on her mind, the Kantonian trainer can see that it's troubling her to the depths of her mind as her cheeks begin glowing a dim red upon accidentally meeting gazes. Part of him almost feels terrible for digging deeper into a sore subject. Deciding that it didn't need to be discussed if she didn't feel like talking about it, Ash opened his mouth and swallowed hard before starting to talk.
His voice never came to fruition, though, as Lillie had tightly wrapped her arms around the upper body of Snowy and looked down, dodging his eyes by focusing on the icy patterns of the white Vulpix. Her thumbs traced over her Pokémon as though the action would settle her nerves. Throughout her life, she was never good at admitting her feelings to school sweethearts or friends, and somehow she expected that not to be a problem here.
Part of Lillie begged herself to move on and pretend to switch the subject that way; she could step out of the boiling hot water she had accidentally landed herself in. Meanwhile, the other party decided that now would be an excellent time to grow up and face her fears. For months that's all she saw Ash do for her; face his fears. He even helped her face her own, too, by allowing her to use his Pikachu in battle.
As close as they had bonded, she never imagined that she would be pushing it to the next level.
"W-well..." Lillie started aimlessly as she kept her eyes held low as not to make any tense eye contact with Ash. "Ash... I... I look up to you for your love of Pokémon and your desire to always do better... I want to be the girl who wakes up every morning and chooses to become a better me..."
Ash began blushing quietly as he watched her intently still, grunting inquisitively as she seemed to start fidgeting with her hands out of sight. Her nerves were sky high as now she knew it was time to seal the deal.
"I want to go everywhere... but... only with y-you," Lillie admitted as Ash noticed her cheeks turned into hot lava immediately following the silence of her voice. Even still, she doesn't meet his gaze in fear that he was disappointed or offset by her sudden heart having been spilled onto the table. Instead, both Pikachu and Ash alike were flabbergasted at the revelation.
But, for Ash, it was different. He, too, harbored some feelings for Lillie since their Alolan days. He often kicked himself for not speaking up at all when their adventure ran its course. When they parted ways on the docks before Lillie ultimately left Alola with her brother Gladion, Ash had wished that he wasn't always so restricted when it came to feelings. Yet, his mistake would cost him valuable time with the girl he cared for.
But now, things were different. They're hundreds of miles from anyone that they'd recognize, and he was sitting on a second chance, one he had wished for so long. This wasn't the time to wish things were different before; it's time to make them further now.
As Ash's eyes shimmered in revelation, Lillie finally felt the need to look up after an uncomfortable amount of silence between the two. With her heart racing, she noticed Ash was still processing what she had said.
"Please don't make me explain anymore, Ash... don't be dense."
After seconds, Lillie finally inquired further. "Ash?" She had asked gently before the intercom overhead crackled to life. It was loud enough to make her jump and sudden sufficient to pull Ash from his daze as he looked up.
"Attention, Trainers! We're now proceeding with the next round! Please come to the stadium: Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Harley Yates from Twin Leaf Town! I repeat; Ash and Harley, please make your way to the stadium for the semi-final round!"
"No... you're kidding me... you're absolutely KIDDING ME!" Ash whined to himself as he realized he had to part ways temporarily. But, the begging look on Lillie almost appeared as though she was begging him not to leave without saying a word. She hadn't gotten a reaction from him yet, and she wasn't excited about the idea of stressing over his feelings until after the battle. But Ash was a battle maniac, and if there was a challenge, he wasn't going to back down... especially if it was this Harley character who seemed to pry at him about who deserved Lillie not long ago.
Maybe if it weren't for his pride on the line, Ash would've backed out of the challenge to look at Lillie a little bit longer.
"I... I gotta' go, Lillie...!" Ash hesitantly confirmed as he snatched his backpack up and checked on his pokeballs before rounding the table and looking down at Lillie, who hadn't taken her eyes off of him even as tears built up in her eyes. "Please... don't leave! I'll come back to you when this is all over, and we can talk more!"
"Ash--wait!" Lillie tried to call after him as they both bolted down the pathway to the stadium. A pit of anxiety began festering in her stomach as Lillie debated whether she had made the right choice by confessing her feelings to the young man. Now, she had plenty of opportunities to kick herself for wording things wrong or even opening her mouth in the first place. The only thing that seemed to be going right at the moment was her Vulpix, who clung to her arms but looked up at her with worry. Snowy could quickly feel the pain in her trainer's heart and wished to soothe it. Catching a glimpse of her Vulpix's eyes, she looked down to Snowy and forced a half-smile. "I hope I didn't make a mistake, Snowy..."
With all the time in the world on her hands, Lillie figured the least she could do would be to watch and support Ash, who was going up against Harley, the boy who seemed to be extremely friendly with her. But, regardless, she had her mind made up as to who she was going to support.
Her boy from Kanto.
"Alright, gentlemen, the rules are simple! For the semi-final round, we're doing a three versus three Pokémon battle. Whenever a Pokémon is declared unable to continue, you must recall it immediately before bringing out your next. The first trainer to knock out three Pokémon will be declared the winner and will battle the final trainer in the Battle Raft Championship. Understood!?"
"Right!" Ash exclaimed as his eyes looked over to Harley, who looked just as confident.
"Let's do this! Rhyperior, let's GO!"
In an explosion of white light, the pokeball that Harley cast out released a Rhyperior, a massive rock and ground type Pokémon with two long and solid arms protruding at its sides. It looked ok at Ash with malicious intent without faltering a step.
"Alright, Pikachu! Let's get in there!" Ash pointed a finger out as Pikachu dashed off of his arm and somersaulted through the air before landing on all four, crackling small jolts of electricity at his pouches.
"Pikachuuu!" Pikachu challenged the Rhyperior daringly without disengaging eye contact with the opposing Pokémon. Pikachu felt the burning desire for victory in Ash which seemed to be only slightly more potent than Harley's, who Pikachu could see was smiling off in the distance. It wasn't so much as a welcoming smile but something of deranged excitement.
"An electric type against my ground type? That couldn't be the smartest thing you've ever done, is it?" Harley cracked as he shook his head dismissively. "Oh well, your loss! Rhyperior, Earthquake!"
Ash and Pikachu watched as the enormous evolution of Rhyhorn jumped up and slammed into the ground causing the stadium itself to shudder and vibrate as Pikachu was thrown off balance before being catapulting upwards nearly thirty feet.
"Pikaaaaa!" Pikachu whaled in pain before landing upright still. Ash could feel that Pikachu had been ravaged by such a super-effective attack but smiled when Pikachu brushed it off.
"Get in there with a quick attack!" Ash demanded. Pikachu followed orders and bounded off his step by jumping around quickly. As it zoomed in closer to Rhyperior, it made contact with the chest of the large Pokémon before bouncing off, having done minor damage. But, the impact was at an angle that sent Pikachu upwards into the air over Rhyperior's head. "Now! Iron Tail!"
Following an excellent combo, Pikachu spun around before smacking Rhyperior over the head with a solid iron tail attack, knocking it backward temporarily. To Ash's dismay, Rhyperior wasn't down yet.
"Alright! Rock Blast!" Harley called back, watching his Rhyperior launch away from a formed rock from its two hands.
"Dodge it!" Ash yelled as Pikachu ran away from Rhyperior but watched from behind as the rocks closed in on him. Waiting until the right moment, Pikachu jumped onto one of the flying rocks before being shot down by the second one.
The damage was harsh as Pikachu flew closer to Ash and impacted the ground without breaking his fall. Still, Pikachu shakily rose to his feet and panted with the massive amounts of damage set in.
"Pi...ka...pi..." Pikachu continued panting with exhaustion as Rhyperior stared him down with a playful look in the same way a Liepard would eye a Rattata.
"Can you continue!?" Ash asked worriedly as Pikachu simply gave a stern nod to Ash before facing Rhyperior once again. Now wasn't the time to give up. "Then let's try it again! Quick attack!"
Harley cracked a smile as Pikachu took off again with the identical incredible amounts of speed. Waiting, he didn't command his Rhyperior to make a move until after Pikachu had already collided into his chest, bounding off of it before flying above his body. Again, the Iron Tail callout came soon after as Rhyperior looked up at Pikachu.
"Grab it!" Harley demanded. Rhyperior snatched Pikachu out of the air and held it out at arms reach. "Now, throw it down into the ground!"
Ash watched in horror as Pikachu was flung into the ground, opening a hole in the environment before Rhyperior loomed over him.
"Oh, no!" Ash cried out, "Pikachu! Get out of there!"
"Earthquake!" Harley shouted with a smirk as his Rhyperior jumped up and slammed the ground again, shaking the battlegrounds harshly.
"No! Pikachu! Iron Tail the ground!"
Watching in confusion, Harley saw Pikachu suddenly spring from the ground milliseconds before the shockwave reached him. Once up in the air, Pikachu was back into the same advantage it had been minutes earlier. Ash smiled brightly.
"Iron Tail!"
Spinning rapidly, Pikachu smacked the Rhyperior upside the head twice in quick succession and landed back on his feet before nearly losing balance. He watched as the Rhyperior sputtered off-camber before stumbling backward and ultimately falling to the ground. Pikachu had defeated the Rhyperior.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle! That means the winner of the first round is ASH!"
Pikachu ran back to Ash before jumping into his arms, hugging each other sweetly. Their moment was shared as Lillie watched over them from the top of the stadium.
While her mind had still been running miles, she found solace that Ash seemed to be focused as usual. The only thing that seemed off was his body language. She noticed that he seemed less confident this time, and his eyes kept darting up to the stadium, panning it left from right in between moves. Lillie wasn't sure if he was looking for her or taking in the massive crowds.
Smiling, she patted Snowy on the head and settled into her seat while she watched Ash recall Pikachu and grab another ball.
"You got lucky, Ash." Harley bickered as he, too, readied his next Pokémon. "A lucky start isn't always going to lead you to a lucky victory. You're not ready for a commitment like that."
Blinking twice in anger, Ash wracked his brain to see if this guy was telling him he wasn't ready to win this competition... or was he telling him that he wasn't prepared for Lillie? Who was this guy? He spoke like he had some experience in the real world, but he didn't look much older than Ash.
Deciding not to let that bother him and instead let the battling do the talking, Ash sent out his next Pokémon without responding.
"Talonflame, I choose you!"
The ball exploded, sending out a fire and flying type bird from Kalos. Talonflame flew amongst the crowd temporarily as Harley watched with an amused look.
"Alright, Aggron! Let's go!"
As quickly as Talonflame, an Aggron made its way out of the pokeball and into the battlefield where it stood massively, eyeballing the Talonflame as it took in strides above it.
Ash noticed the type advantage and disadvantages that Talonflame held against the Aggron given its Steel typing. Moreover, Harley seemed to be a trainer who used proper strategy and likely wouldn't give out his pokémon's strength so easily without really putting up a fight. Quickly, Talonflame returned to his side of the battlefield, where it stood on two feet watching the opposing Aggron.
"Aggron, stone edge!"
Strong stones began protruding out of the ground, becoming pillars of sharp rocks that beamed out of the battlefield. Talonflame kicked off the ground and took off into the air, but the stones followed.
"Flame Charge! Break up the rocks!"
Ash knew that the trade-off here was an increased speed while losing some strength as its body began glowing with fire. The impact surely would damage some, but the benefit would be beneficial. Out of the closest four rocks, Talonflame shattered three of them before falling back to Ash's side, where Talonflame poised for the next attack.
"You're going to have to try harder than that, Ash! Aggron, rockslide!"
The rocks came above as vehicle-sized boulders dumped from the empty sky above Talonflame. In Ash's mind, he knew that Talonflame could outpace the stones, but it would cost more and more strength to do so. Even so, Talonflame wasn't landing any real hits on the Aggron.
"Dodge those!" Ash begged his pokemon, who listened, bobbing and weaving through various-sized rocks effortlessly. But, Talonflame wasn't getting any closer to Aggron, and Ash took notice further.
"Getting tired yet?" Harley snickered.
"We're just getting warmed up! Talonflame, brave bird!"
Harley all but chuckled as he watched the Talonflame glow a bright white before launching towards Aggron. The speed was incredible and honestly hard to watch as it bolted across the battlefield in little time. Indeed it was too fast for the Aggron, who took the blow completely without moving. Once Talonflame landed, it was hit with recoil damage even as Aggron planted itself without much injury at all.
"You tried, Ash. Let's finish this! Stone Edge one more time!"
"Flare Blitz!"
The two Pokémon launched their attacks head-on, with Talonflame burning bright as it soared towards Aggron. In response, Aggron punched the ground and hurtled large spikes of rock out of the earth to thwart the Talonflame. But, flare blitz was a much more powerful attack, and Talonflame shattered the rocks with relative ease. Shimmying through the debris, Talonflame contacted the Aggron with intense speed. An explosion ensued following the impact, and Talonflame could briefly be seen creating the outer parts of the cloud of smoke. Collapsing to the ground, Aggron and Talonflame were unable to continue further. It was a double knockout.
Shocked, Harley shook his head. Out of his three Pokémon he was losing the battle against Ash. He could tell Ash was powerful but couldn't understand how he was still defeating his pokemon round after round. Frustrated beyond measure, Harley called back his Aggron and rested the ball among his belt. Thoughtfully, he retrieved his last pokeball and clenched it tightly.
"When I questioned you earlier... It wasn't because I thought you weren't brave enough for someone like her." Harley spoke hardly audible to Ash as he also recalled his Talonflame. "It was because I could tell you were having doubts. You didn't present yourself as the man who would tell her how you felt. I saw it in your eyes. I see it now. You're battling like you have something to prove, and it's doing numbers on me. You're the one, Ash. I hope you see that now."
To say Ash was surprised would be a significant understatement as he pondered thoughtfully what he was saying. It wasn't a secret that he was scanning the crowds between pokemon to see if Lillie was watching, but part of him already felt awful for having to leave her so suddenly to battle Harley. His tension was eased, though, when he realized Harley wasn't challenging him to impress Lillie but to motivate him to impress Lillie, to be the best Ash he can be.
Nodding slowly, Ash finally understood.
"Thank you..." Ash muttered thoughtfully as he looked to his right towards the crowd as if he knew exactly where to look. To his surprise, Lillie could be seen with her respective Vulpix wrapped around inside her lap. He couldn't make out a ton of details but could see her looking back at him. He smiled, and she smiled back.
Upon the bleachers, Lillie blushed slightly as she suddenly felt all of her nerves quell, and the fears stabbing their way into her heart finally alleviate as Snowy hummed in satisfaction seeing Ash look up at them.
"So, Ash... What's it going to be?"
Ash hung his head low as he clenched his next pokemon tightly but didn't throw it. The crowd boomed in confusion and excitement as they patiently waited for Ash to send out his pokemon. Without pausing, Harley sent out a Mandibuzz. But Ash didn't lookup.
Inside his mind played the memories of Alola with his friends, but they focused on Lillie, with who he had particularly enjoyed the company. The big question loomed in his head of what he was going to do. Being the champion of Alola to this day, Ash already knew how fun it was to battle. But, his mind couldn't keep Lillie, who was now looking down in worry as she waited for him to continue his struggle. The crowd waited for a pokemon that never came, and even the announcer urged him to continue, or he would be disqualified. Seconds went by as Ash's hearing faded out even as Pikachu stepped into frame and looked up at his trainer.
"I want to go everywhere... but only with you."
He could see Lillie's smile in his eyes, her ponytail and short skirt. Her figure. No longer did he want to battle, and instead, with a glance up to Lillie, he disregarded the battle entirely and replaced his pokeball and grabbed Pikachu. The crowd erupted in surprise as Ash dashed out of the battlefield, not seeing the public again.
Lillie covered her heart in shock as she could hear people nearby asking each other questions and complaining about the battle. Before she ducked out of the stadium, she listened to the announcer one last time.
"Ash has forfeit! That means the winner of the semi-final round goes to Harley Yates from Twin Leaf Town!"
Once Lillie entered the hallway, she was bombarded by people leaving the stadium in massive rows. Desperately, she clawed her way through the masses and searched relentlessly for the figure of Ash thought it was impossibly hard to see any specific person. Calling his name in fear she didn't know she was holding, Lillie bumped into person after person who either bickered at her or brushed her off as well.
What happened in there!?
Deciding to check all of the places they had gone before, Lillie did her best to backtrack whichever way she thought she had been through. The girl hadn't the slightest clue if she was accurate or not. None of it mattered. Ash seemed to run away from a battle he hadn't done before in front of her. Worried about his well-being, Lillie wasn't going to stop until she found him.
Her footsteps picked up in speed as she rounded corner after corner until settling on a set of double doors that led out onto the deck of the ship. There were dozens of people out on the deck but mainly just stragglers either taking pictures of the night sky or couples. Lillie's eyes bounced from object to object until they rested on the figure she instantly recognized to be that of Ash.
Pikachu was resting on the railing, looking out with his back pressed against Ash for support. She didn't hear him talking but saw that he hadn't noticed her yet.
"Ash...!?" Lillie exclaimed as she caught up to him in a fit of heavy breathing to catch her breath from running around like a madman. "What happened...? Why did you...!? Why are you out--here...!?"
Ash turned around slowly and looked inward to Lillie. She completely expected him to resemble a broken man as she wasn't sure what forfeiting a match would do for his ego. Yet, to her surprise, he was smiling.
"Hi, Lillie... I was hoping you'd find me here." Ash muttered with a calm voice. It was then that Lillie realized how serene it was outside. The clear waters, quiet air, and cool breeze poured through every crevice of her skin and clothing like nothing. Ash turned again to face the water with his body still supporting Pikachu.
Lillie reluctantly stepped forward and stood at his side with her body supporting Snowy as they leaned into the railing. Fluttering hair due to the gentle breeze, Ash looked slightly in her direction.
"That was a pretty fun battle."
"Then... how come you walked out of it?" Lillie asked thoughtfully as Ash chuckled and returned his eyes to the moon on the horizon.
"Because... I didn't need to battle anymore. I think I got what I wanted out of this place," his eyes then looked over at Lillie, who hadn't noticed quite yet, "and then some."
"I get it... but you've never run away from a battle." Lillie pushed back at Ash. That much was true; when it came to battles, Ash was always the one trying for it to continue until the end, and yet he had sprinted away from this one to run somewhere that Lillie had to search desperately. "I'm... I'm sorry if what I said was unfair--I didn't mean to put you in that position."
Ash grinned and shook his head, earning a side glance from Lillie and Snowy both. He didn't speak up right away and instead just thought to himself quietly. Never before had he done something like what he was planning on doing. There was a specific reason he chose the outdoors to have Lillie find him in, a reason that Lillie was blissfully unaware of.
"Oh, Lillie..." Ash said with a small laugh. "You didn't put me in any position. I was just thinking about what you said and... and I wanted to tell you how I felt but I couldn't. So..."
Lillie's heart skipped a beat as she jumped and looked towards Ash with utter shock at his words.
"... I choose you over battling... because I want to go everywhere with you, too."
"Piiiiika~" Pikachu seemed to back him up as he retrieved a small rose from behind his back from in between himself and Ash before outstretching it towards Snowy, who also looked about as shocked as Lillie was. But, with a cheeky smile, Snowy took the rose and held it close to its warm body.
Lillie began blushing as though a fire engulfed her face, following Ash and Pikachu's movement of endearment. Her eyes went back and forth from Pikachu to Ash as Pikachu crawled back up onto Ash's shoulder. Ash reached out and touched Lillie's right hand and softly twirled her to face him ultimately, her eyes shimmering with emotional tears as the reality of the situation set in quickly. With cheeks blazing, Lillie became weak in the knees and wrapped her arms temporarily around the small of Ash's back as support.
"Wha... why? I thought you--"
"Lillie... what you told me earlier--I've wanted to say that to you for so long. I've just... well, I haven't been the most honest with myself. But... I think I'm going to start being honest by telling you that I'm... stupidly in love with you."
Sounding uncharacteristic from the Ash she knew in Alola, she felt a tear fall from her eye as she waited for her mind to find a gear to drive in. So badly, she wanted to say something intelligent or sweet to the boy in front of her, even just to smile. Yet, her body remained still as Ash chuckled shyly and looked away for a moment.
There it is...
Lillie felt herself nearly dissolve at the sight of his shy gaze and practically begged him to turn back and look at her. Instead, her left hand came to rest on the left side of his face as she forced him to turn. With surprise, he looked down at her glowing emerald eyes with awe as he got to take in her natural beauty at such proximity.
"I--I love you... too..." Lillie shakily whispered though she hadn't known she said it out loud. His broad smile had only confirmed that she had let Ash in on the fact that she was in love with him... not that she hid it that well. Still, with their proximity dwindling, neither one made a move to secure the deal. All they could do was watch each other drive the other crazy as their eyes bounced from eye to eye--mind flickering with sweet images that neither acted on even as they practically begged each other too. It would be Ash that would grow a pair and decide that since he had gotten Lillie outside under the beautiful nighttime stars, he should be the one to show her just how much she meant to him.
As his face hung lower and lower to hers, she almost begged him not to move as her view of his suddenly mature face seemed to run chills up her spine. Snowy, sensing the closing distance between the two trainers and not wanting to become flattened between them, had jumped out of her grasp and carried its rose to relax alongside Pikachu off the side of the railing. Meanwhile, Lillie brought her now free hands to Ash's chest as they flattened out against him. Even as she moved, Ash zeroed in on her eyes and never wavered his stare even as they moved in for a slow kiss. Once her eyes gave his one last inquiry for reassurance, they quickly shut, and a tear shimmered out of her emerald eyes as she was practically scooped up into Ash's warm arms with ease.
Once their lips met with blazing tension, his arms stretched around her back and pulled her closer to him in a smooth manner. It was as though nobody in the world was watching and as though they had figured it all out.
For once, Ash looked forward to arriving in Kanto because now he knew that Lillie would join each journey, and so long as he had her at his side, there was little the world could do to stop him. Breathing one final longing breath as their lips separated, the two peered back into open eyes as if wondering if this was happening. Blushing, Lillie shook off more chills from coming up her spine as Ash traced a random shape back and forth along her lower back.
Pikachu and Snowy took their eyes off of their owners and instead looked up at the night sky with happiness. Both Pokémon could see that their partners were finally happy in ways that no Pokémon could dream to make them. For Pikachu, he felt at ease knowing that the journeys would be even better now that his good friend Snowy would accompany them. For Snowy, it was just perfect to see Lillie so happy even as Ash purely swallowed her attention.
For the next couple of days, Ash and Lillie enjoyed each other's company before the raft was over, and they returned to Unova, where Ash sat them on the first flight back to Kanto. From here, he would introduce his new lover to his mother, and then he'd resume Lillie's already distant search.
But things are different now.
Better now.
JEEEZ! This took FOREVER to write and I kept falling asleep so I'll proofread and fix some glowing problems tomorrow! Thank you for the read! Happy Monday!