AUTHOR'S NOTE

I present to you a chapter with Bonnie at her absolute best (worst?), and quite an important turning point for the story. I have a feeling you guys are going to like this one :3

CHAPTER 15
An Invention Of Necessity!

The first step was to distract Clemont.

While Bonnie could have just asked him if she could go out for a while, he still saw her as his little sister who needed to be protected from the world, and she knew she would not get the freedom she needed if she made her intentions known. He would allow her out for only just enough time to walk to the closest marketplace and back, or he would insist on coming with her, neither of which she liked the thought of.

However, his inventions did capture his attention just enough for her to leave the tower unnoticed, which she did as soon as she had ensured he was appropriately "in the zone" and would not miss her for the next half hour. So she took the opportunity to make sure she would have the entire afternoon free of Clemont's overprotective watch, by drumming up some business for the Gym - literally.

"Step right up!" she called loudly to passerby as she stood outside Prism Tower, tapping rhythmically on a small children's toy drum she had found in the back of her closet. She had only found one drumstick, but that didn't seem to bother her as she alternated between using the stick and using her hand, drawing a crowd more from how ridiculous she looked rather than because of any musical talent on her part. "Come one, come all, to the most exciting Gym Battle you'll ever have!"

"I already have the Voltage Badge," one boy told her, trying to figure out what her angle was.

Bonnie ignored him, but she did call out even louder, "Repeat challengers welcome, today only!"

"Really?" Another boy walked over, grinning. "It was so cool to battle that robot! I would definitely like to do that again!"

"Uh, the robot is...not working!" Bonnie yelled frantically. While her original intention had been to switch Clembot off for the day, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew her brother would never forgive her if something went wrong with what he considered to be his best invention. So she had simply convinced Clembot to insist that Clemont do all the battles himself today, a task which had been easier than she expected. "You'll have to battle the other Gym Leader!"

"Aw, if there's no robot, I don't want to go!" the boy whined, and a chorus of voices murmured agreement.

"Yeah!" A girl around Bonnie's age stepped forward, and glared at her. "And if the Gym is doing so badly that you have to come out here and advertise, then maybe we shouldn't go anyway!"

Bonnie looked around, noticing that she had lost the attention of the passerby once more. Not wanting to lose the crowd almost as soon as she had gained them, she yelled out "Wait!" Not everyone did, but enough paused that she continued, coming up with the first thing she could on the spot. "Free ice cream for everyone who battles!"

That had their attention. The words free ice cream rippled through the small assembly, and the crowd grew larger as people on the outskirts heard the words and shuffled closer.

"What kind of ice cream?" one of the few adults in the group asked.

"All kinds!" Bonnie lied, trying to remember what they had in the freezer. "We have, uh...vanilla and chocolate...and some other flavors too!" Both Serena and Ash had a sweet tooth, so they had more of an ice cream stock than they would have if it was just Clemont and Bonnie living in Prism Tower, like old times. But still, she wasn't quite sure that they had enough to give everyone some free ice cream.

"Mint chocolate chip?" someone from the back of the crowd called out hopefully.

"Uh...okay!" Bonnie promised, though she knew Ash was the only one in the house who liked that flavor, and she distinctly remembered him polishing off a container the night before he left.

"I don't like ice cream," one of the younger kids whined, and practically everyone turned around to gape at them. "Do you have sorbet?"

"Sure!" Bonnie said, deciding that the ice cream, or lack of, was no longer her problem once everyone walked inside. "Just make sure you tell the Gym Leader your favorite flavor!"

At that, a cheer erupted, and the crowd stormed into the building. I hope Clemont isn't too mad at me, she thought as the last person disappeared inside.

The second step was to go shopping.

It wasn't actually so much shopping as it was searching. It was hard to find reputable businesses these days. From street vendors who had flooded every corner of town since the start of the League, and brand new shop owners renting every small space they could find in the city, it was hard to find somewhere that could be trusted. She knew the stores that her family frequented, of course, but she didn't necessarily want to go to those as her first choice today.

In the end, she had gone everywhere from the overly touristy and trendy part of town to the most questionable alleyways that she was almost certain she shouldn't have been in unaccompanied, but her arms were weighed down with good quality paper bags holding almost everything she needed. Everything, that is, except for the most important thing.

"Hello, Professor Sycamore!" Bonnie called as she stepped into his lab, looking around before she set down her shopping bags. A friend of her father's, the professor had always been kind to her and Clemont, and could be depended on to help her when she needed it.

"Bonnie," Professor Sycamore said warmly, stepping into the main room of his house and laboratory. "I haven't seen you in quite a while. How is everyone doing?"

"We're all doing great," she told him with a small smile that wavered slightly before breaking into a worried expression. It was a subterfuge she had practiced on the way over, knowing that what she wanted would be very difficult to ask for without a good reason. "Except...well, except my brother. I'm really worried about him." That part, at least, was not a lie.

"Worried? Why?" Professor Sycamore walked towards the living room, and Bonnie followed him, taking a seat on the couch. It felt wonderful to sit after walking all day, and she wished she could put her feet up, even for just a minute. But the only options to do so would be the couch or table, neither of which was appropriate to put her shoes on.

"You know Clemont." Bonnie shook her head, looking just slightly upwards. "He just gets so involved with his inventions! He barely has time for anything else. I mean, he's made three new things in the past week alone." This was also true, but it wasn't abnormal for him in the slightest.

"Oh, really?" the professor asked, sounding very interested. "What did he make? Do you know what power supplies he's been using lately? I actually had the opportunity to check out a brand new style of battery the other day..."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did she always have to be surrounded by technology nerds? "Professor," she whined, and he stopped rambling, nodding once.

"Sorry, Bonnie. I like gadgets myself, you know! But please, continue. You were saying that you're worried about Clemont?"

"Right," she said, putting her worried expression back on. "He just stays up so late, you see. He'll be working on an invention, and then he won't go to bed until it's nearly light outside!" He had actually only done this once in recent memory, but once was enough for her to make it sound realistic. "He's just tired all the time but he still keeps pushing himself. I really want him to get a good night's rest."

"I see." Professor Sycamore looked at her thoughtfully, and then put his hands in his lap, looking at her expectantly. "Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well, I..." Bonnie paused. It was an idea that had come to her back when Ash had been exhibiting signs of not sleeping well, but she hadn't been entirely sure how to get any - but then, she had remembered that Professor Sycamore had a lot of Pokemon, and more than one of them was capable of producing it. "I was thinking about sleep powder."

"That's an interesting idea," Professor Sycamore said, not sounding at all like he really thought it was. "Are you familiar with the side effects?"

"Drowsiness, headache, dizziness, and possible nightmares," Bonnie stated matter-of-factly. To her great surprise, she had stumbled upon the side effects when first researching sleep powder to see if it could even be collected from a Pokemon, or if it simply disappeared on contact. "But one of those is expected!" Sleep powder that didn't make someone even the slightest bit drowsy sounded like a bad joke.

"Bonnie." Professor Sycamore's voice was kind, but stern, and the smile fell from her face as she realized that he was probably not going to give her what she wanted. "I admire your willingness to help. But Clemont is old enough to make his own decisions, no?"

"I guess..." Bonnie muttered under her breath. She was not of the belief that being older and able to make decisions meant you always made the right ones. "But it would work, wouldn't it?"

"In theory," he said patiently. "But there are other things to consider here. For example, if Clemont even sees his lack of sleep as a problem. If he were to come talk to me about this himself, then we could decide if that's the right thing for him to try. Or," he said with a smile, seeing that Bonnie was disappointed, "you could always make a new friend - one that has learned the move Sleep Powder. Not that I'm making a recommendation to use this on Clemont without his permission, but it's safer in its natural form."

"Natural form?" Bonnie asked, blinking in surprise. "Isn't it always natural?"

"Hardly." The professor chuckled. "It can be synthesized in a laboratory, and either taken as a pill or added to food. This is what you were looking for, wasn't it?"

It was, but Bonnie hadn't been aware of that. She had read that it was often added as a supplement to meals, which is what she had been preparing to do, but she couldn't figure out why the usage was so different when compared to a Pokemon actually using the move Sleep Powder. This explained a lot.

"Not exactly," she admitted, looking a bit sheepish. "Thanks anyway, Professor. I'll figure something else out."

Something else ended up being the kindness of Professor Sycamore's assistant, Sophie, who ran outside shortly after she had left, pressing a very small bottle into her hand. "I couldn't help but overhear," she explained with a smile. "The synthesized version is perfectly safe in small doses. Just be careful - and don't tell Professor Sycamore I gave this to you." And then she hurried back inside, leaving Bonnie inwardly rejoicing over her good fortune.

The third step was to bake the world's best macarons.

This would have been much easier had she not walked into the apartment to find Clemont waiting for her in the kitchen, looking angrier than she had remembered seeing him for some time. His arms were crossed and he was frowning as he glared at an arbitrary spot near the door; each annoyed huff of breath he took accompanied by the tapping of his foot on the linoleum floor.

"Uh, hi, big brother..." she said nervously. There was no point in trying to sneak in, not when the elevator had announced her arrival with its telltale ding and she was carrying more shopping bags than she even knew what to do with.

"Bonnie! It's about time. Where have you been?" She winced. Obviously, distracting Clemont had not been as successful as she was hoping.

"Oh, you know...out..." She laughed, blinking her eyes at him, but his expression had not changed. It was time to switch tactics. "I'm sorry, Clemont."

"You should be! Don't worry me like that again," he scolded. "Next time you want to go somewhere, just ask! Don't send a bunch of challengers to the Gym!" Bonnie took a deep breath, grinding her teeth together. "And another thing!" He gestured to the side of the kitchen, where several empty cartons of ice cream were lined up on the counter. "You owe me more ice cream!"

Wordlessly, Bonnie set down her bags, and reached into one to withdraw a large carton of vanilla ice cream - Clemont's favorite flavor. She held it out in front of her as a peace offering, and after grumbling at her under his breath for a minute, he strode forward and took it from her.

"Promise me you won't do that again," he said seriously, once the ice cream had been safely tucked into the freezer.

"I'm not a little kid anymore," she told him, glaring at him. "And I did this for you." She understood him being upset, but she was not in the mood to make promises that would compromise her freedom, especially knowing she would have to break such a promise sooner rather than later.

"So sending triple the normal amount of challengers my way, asking my own robot to not help me, and then telling those challengers they could eat all our ice cream was something you did for me?"

"Well, when you say it like that..." Bonnie sighed. "I really am sorry, okay? Can you just..." she pondered for a minute. She didn't exactly want to tell him to leave, but she needed him to. "I have a surprise for you," she said sweetly, and Clemont's expression immediately went from suspicious to tolerant.

"Oh, Bonnie." He ruffled her hair affectionately, smiling down at her. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I didn't," she said, and he blinked in surprise.

"I thought you said..."

"I'm making you something," she said. "Can you just let me work on it in here, pleeeasssee?" She blinked innocently at him, and was pleased when he smiled and took a step towards the door.

"Okay," he said. "Just don't make a mess in here - or if you do, clean it up yourself!"

The fourth step was to get Clemont to fall asleep.

"Clemont!" Bonnie yelled through his bedroom door, unable to knock due to a tray of macarons in her hands. "Let me in!"

The macarons were a mix of Nanab and Mago Berries, a sweet flavor that she was fond of and would often ask Serena to make for her. This was her first time making them herself, and it was not as difficult as she had imagined, but she still eyed the unbalanced confectionaries she held with some contempt. It had taken her three tries to get them right before she could even make a special batch, and she almost hadn't finished in time.

"It isn't locked," he told her, but opened the door anyway, looking down on her and the pink macarons she was holding. "Is that what you've been down there making?" She nodded, and he smiled. "I wonder what smelled so good. You're getting to be very talented!"

"Thanks!" she said, feeling pleased with the compliment. "Do you want to try one?"

"I appreciate the offer, but you know I don't like to eat right before bed. I'll try one in the morning, I promise."

Bonnie pouted, lifting the tray a little higher and giving him a hopeful expression. If he didn't have one tonight, she would have done this for nothing. "But Clemont..." she whined, giving him her most adorable little girl look. He sighed. He hated that look. And what he hated even more than the look itself was the fact that it still worked on him, even though at the age of 12, Bonnie could no longer really be considered a little girl.

"Just one," he told her, reaching down and taking one. He examined the pink macaron, wondering to himself why Chespin hadn't burst out of his Pokeball yet to inspect them. These were one of the Spiny Pokemon's favorite treats. But he had been working on training Chespin to be a little more respectful of the boundaries the Pokeball provided. Perhaps it was working after all.

"Try it!" Bonnie encouraged him. "I worked really hard on these." Not only had she spent most of the evening making them, but she had sacrificed an entire tray of delicious macarons just so she could put sleep powder in all the ones she presented Clemont with, and she was not going to walk away until he had actually eaten one.

"Mm," Clemont said, biting into the macaron. "These are really good, Bonnie!" They weren't as good as Serena's of course, but for what had been her first attempt at baking by herself, they weren't bad. He popped the rest of the macaron in his mouth, mumbling "goodnight" at her as he closed the door. For some reason, he was starting to feel really tired, and only a minute later, Bonnie heard him climb into bed, his breathing becoming deep and even as he fell asleep.

It was time for the fifth step.

Clemont awoke to the sun streaming through his window, filling his room with the light of mid-morning. That was odd. Normally he woke up much earlier than this. He knew it had been a bad idea to eat macarons before bed.

Getting out of bed, he dragged himself over to his closet. It was unusual for him to get early morning challengers, and in fact with how many people had shown up yesterday he thought it would be unusual to get any challengers at all today, but he still needed to get himself dressed and ready so he could open the Gym. Opening the closet door, he reached inside and pulled out...an empty hanger?

That couldn't be right. He was very organized, and he had a system for everything, including his closet. His jumpsuits were ordered from left to right, with the jumpsuit for that day located on the left hand side. When he took it off the hanger, he moved the empty hanger to the right hand side, and then a new jumpsuit would be on the left again for the next day. But, maybe he had forgotten to switch the hanger location. Just this once.

The second hanger was also empty, though. He paused, confused. Now he knew something was wrong. He threw open his closet door, gasping at the sight in front of him. It was completely empty. He opened the drawers at the bottom of his closet, confirming his fears - even his underwear was missing. The only clothing left in his room was what he was wearing.

"Bonnie!" Clemont yelled, a strong blush emerging on his face. It seemed unlikely that his own sister would empty out his closet while he was sleeping, but he could think of no other scientific explanation for why his clothes would go mysteriously missing overnight.

"Yes, big brother?" Bonnie skipped into his room, looking like she had been waiting all morning for him to wake up and notice his closet. "Is something wrong?" She was doing her best to look innocent, but her smile seemed extra wide, and she appeared to be holding in laughter.

Now that she was here, he was completely speechless. He was used to her antics, and normally he didn't scold her too heavily for them because he knew she had a good reason for them. But this was one of the most senseless things she had done. What possible reason could she have had for stealing all of his clothes?

"Are you looking for these?" From seemingly out of nowhere, she produced a small cloth bag that Clemont presumed held at least some clothing. He made a grab for it, but she yanked it away before he could wrap his hand around the handle. "Your clothes are all at the cleaners. I made sure to put them on the super extra delicate cycle, just for you." To anyone that didn't know her, her charm and smile seemed genuine, but Clemont knew better. "You can wear these today, instead."

She set the bag down gently on the bed, beaming at him and motioning for him to open it. Looking at her suspiciously, he untied the bag and took a quick look inside. The clothing had obviously been picked out with him in mind - they were all his size, in colors and fabrics he liked even though he didn't wear them much. But they were not a style he would have ever pictured himself wearing - they looked more like something Ash would be comfortable in.

"I see what you're doing here." He actually didn't, not when they would be alone all day, but he was confident he could figure it out once he had time to think. "But you seem to have forgotten we're the only ones here today. It doesn't matter if I have my regular clothing or not if I don't have to leave the apartment - or even my room. And by tomorrow, you'll have to return my normal clothing."

"You really like those dumb jumpsuits, huh?" She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Her brother was quite possibly one of the most self-conscious people she had ever known.

"My jumpsuit protects me against the dangers of electricity, thank you!" At least, that's what he told people whenever they asked. "I work with electricity all day. I need it."

What a prude! Bonnie thought. She wasn't buying his excuse for a second. But all she said out loud was, "Well for today, it's those..." she pointed at the bag of clothing on the bed "...or your pajamas." She pointed again, this time at Clemont's current outfit. "I'll let you decide." With a confident smile, she strolled out of his room, shutting the door behind her. She knew he would choose the clothes she had bought for him.

Back in his room, Clemont debated what to do. On one hand, he could just stay in his pajamas. He had said it himself, no one else was here - and if he just had Clembot run the Gym for him, then he wouldn't need to leave the apartment all day. On the other hand, he was a creature of habit, and relied on daily routines such as getting dressed to live a normal, functional lifestyle.

With a resigned sigh, he turned towards the bed, eyeing the clothing Bonnie had given him. He could deal with it for a day, right? It wouldn't be so bad. With a furtive glance around his room, he pulled a curtain clip from his nightstand and overlapped the curtains, so no light could come through the middle. He didn't care how much the curtains were open at other times, and in fact even left them pulled wide open most days, since it was difficult to look into the tower anyway. But he always took that extra precaution when he was changing.

Naturally, the first thing he picked out of the bag was a pair of underwear, which he looked at with scarcely concealed disgust. He had always been a fan of loose clothing, a preference that extended to his oversized and roomy boxers. What he held in his hands now was a pair of boxer briefs, with thin fabric in a shade of blue that was eerily similar to his eyes. He considered for a moment simply rewearing the pair he had slept in, but it felt wrong, somehow, and he slipped on the new pair with a grimace.

A pair of light blue jeans were next, and these he pulled on without much hesitation, pleased to note that at least the legs flared out, giving him some extra space near his ankles. He ran his hands over the stiff fabric, smoothing out the crease where the pants had been folded. They hugged him in a way that his jumpsuit didn't, but even so, he felt around in the bag for a belt, eventually pulling out a black strip of leather that he quickly wound around his hips.

The shirt was a bit more challenging, simply because there were multiple options, and not having much of an eye for fashion, he didn't know if all the choices were fine, or if they were picked specifically so Bonnie could laugh at how stupid he looked. In the end he chose a navy blue shirt with a yellow stripe across the chest that was aligned with and continued on through the armbands of the short sleeves. He was not overly pleased with the way the sleeves gripped his arms, nor with how the bottom of the shirt did not quite meet the top of jeans, but he doubted any of the other choices would be better.

With a scowl, he opened his curtains again, looking outside. While he was quite high above the city, he could still see people walking around near the tower, all of them wearing outfits similar to his. He did not find any of them to look ridiculous, and yet he was sure that he did, to the point that he was convinced anyone who saw him would simply burst out laughing. Resigned to that fate, he sighed. He might as well go find Bonnie and get it over with.

If nothing else, a day that he knew he would not be setting foot outside his apartment, or even his bedroom if he could help it, was perfect for working on his inventions. And after several uninterrupted hours, it was with some pride that he could finally say he was done with the Bravery Increaser 5000. It was a rather unusual-looking machine; small enough to be portable and yet large enough that it stood out while sitting on his bedroom floor. It seemed like a long shot, to invent something that would truly enable him to push back his fear for long enough to act on his emotions, but he knew he had to at least try.

He had just turned the machine on when the door to his bedroom crashed open, and he bit back an annoyed sigh at a soft thump that sounded like something being thrown on the bed. "You do realize it's rude not to knock," he said shortly. He was sure he had been firm with Bonnie when he told her he wanted to be alone today. "I hope this means you brought my clothes with you."

"Your clothes? Why would I have your clothes?"

Clemont looked up, startled at the unexpected sound of Ash's voice. "Ash! You...you're back!" He jumped up from the floor in surprise, staring at him with wide eyes. Suddenly, it didn't matter that he had wanted to be left alone, or that he was wearing ridiculous clothing, or even that Ash was back a whole day early and he didn't know why. All that mattered was that he was here, that he had come back at all, and he ran forward and wrapped him in a tight hug that was instantly returned.

They stayed locked in an embrace for what seemed like an eternity to both of them. They were aware that their hug was lasting much longer and seemed much more intimate than one two friends would usually share, but they were both content to hold each other for as long as they could. It was finally Clemont who broke the silence between them, gripping the fabric of Ash's shirt tighter with every word. "Not that I'm complaining, but I thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused. "I called..." That's when it dawned on him. Bonnie had obviously not told Clemont he would be returning, either because he had returned to the apartment too late for her to tell him, or she had simply forgotten.

"You called...?" Clemont prompted.

Stopping to think before acting or speaking was not something Ash normally did, but rather than the impatience that would typically cause him to rush his responses he felt only a relaxed happiness as he held Clemont close. "But no one answered," he murmured. Lying was also not something that came to Ash naturally, but he felt strangely determined to tell Clemont just how much he had missed him, and this seemed the best way to do it. "I had to come back early. I missed you too much to stay away for even one more day."

He pulled back with only a hint of regret, studying Clemont's face. He really had missed him more than he expected to. He missed seeing him and talking to him every day; he even missed the peace of mind that came with knowing he was no more than a few steps away at any given moment. And he was not disappointed by the blush that emerged on his face in response to his words, smiling at him fondly as he tried to stammer out a coherent response.

"I-I missed you too..." Clemont shook his head, blinking as he processed what Ash was telling him. "But, you...you shouldn't have...I mean..."

What he should have done was reassured him that he would do anything for him, including rescheduling a flight at the last minute, but at that moment he had cast his eyes downwards where they settled on the bare patch of skin showing between the pulled-up hem of Clemont's shirt and his low-riding jeans, and he swallowed hard as he realized how close his hands had been to that spot. He wondered what would have happened if his hand had accidentally slipped in between the pieces of fabric, and part of him wanted nothing more than to feel Clemont's skin against his own; his palm massaging Clemont's back before finally easing lower on his body. He had already started to reach his arms out again involuntarily when the sound of Clemont's voice brought him back to reality.

"Ash...?" Clemont asked uncertainly, trying and failing to follow his friend's gaze. "Ash, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh! Of course I am," he said, bringing his hand up to rest behind his head briefly. "It's just..." He looked at the blond properly for the first time in weeks, for the first time realizing that something was very different. Clemont did not normally outfit himself in a t-shirt and jeans, even on the hottest summer days, but he immediately found himself wishing he would do so more often. "Wow, Clemont," he said softly. "You look..."

"I know!" Clemont wailed, covering his face with his hands. "I look absolutely ridiculous! Can you believe this is Bonnie's idea of a joke? If I had any idea you were coming back today..." He stopped suddenly, lifting his head and staring at Ash incredulously. If he had any idea. He hadn't, of course. But for Bonnie to pick today, of all days, to do something like this...she must have.

"I was actually going to say, you look amazing." The word that had immediately come to mind was sexy, but thankfully he had been saved from accidentally saying that by Clemont's outburst. The comment seemed to fluster Clemont anyway though, and he grinned nervously at him. "You should dress like that more often."

Oh, yes. Bonnie had to have known. Even though the only word that came to mind was uncomfortable when he viewed the effect in the mirror, he would eagerly trade out his jumpsuit permanently for an outfit that Ash seemed to enjoy looking at him in, something that she must have been confident about. Unfortunately, this only begged more questions, such as how did Bonnie know? and Ash was telling me the truth earlier, right? But both were answered by the leaving of a voicemail, so he ignored them in favor of something more important: why would Ash think I look amazing, anyway? He could think of only one possible answer, and he felt something he hadn't in a long time - hope.

"Hey, what's that?" Ash asked suddenly, looking at the invention Clemont had forgotten he was even working on, much less in the middle of testing.

"Oh, this thing? Just an invention I've been working on." He bit his lip, looking down at the rows of blue LED lights blinking in a radial pattern on the front of the device. Had it really been on this whole time, without showing signs of overheating or burning out?

"It looks really cool," Ash said, his eyes sparkling with genuine honesty. "What does it do?"

"It makes you braver," Clemont replied. He realized even as he was saying it that he did not feel nearly as nervous as he would have expected, and wondered if that meant the invention was not only on but working, or if it was purely coincidence.

"Awesome! But...how do you know if it's working?" Being someone who tended to take action first and think later, Ash was naturally brave, and couldn't even begin to fathom how an invention such as this one would function in the first place.

Clemont smiled shyly at him. "I suppose, by doing something you don't normally have enough courage to. Like this." He took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves that he was just starting to feel. He was so close to taking the first step; so close and yet so far, and he stared at Ash with wonder as he tried to remember why it had taken so long for this day to come. Closing the distance between them, he took Ash's hands in his own and gave him a very serious look, one that made Ash's breath catch in his throat as he noticed just how very, very blue Clemont's eyes were, and how his expression was filled with longing that he never expected to see there. "Ash...will you go out with me?" he asked, and Ash gaped at him in shock. There was no way he had heard that correctly.

"What?" he asked, licking his lips which suddenly felt very dry.

"Will you go out with me," Clemont repeated. "We could go to Cafe Soleil tonight. Just you and me."

Ash let out the breath he had been holding. Did Clemont mean...as a date? No. He couldn't have, even if it had sounded that way. Either way, one on one time with him was not an offer he was about to pass up. "You bet!" he said enthusiastically. "But, um...I don't think I can stay awake that long. Can we do Friday instead?" He desperately hoped that rescheduling wouldn't be a problem, but due to the time difference between Kalos and Kanto, it already felt like nighttime to him. By the time evening rolled around, he doubted he would be able to do anything that involved something other than sleeping.

"Jetlag?" Clemont asked sympathetically, and Ash nodded. "Of course. Friday would be...Friday would be wonderful." He felt a sort of awe fill him as he realized Ash had not said no, only asked to reschedule for a couple of days from now. Surely he could wait that long to tell him how he felt - what was a couple days compared to the couple years he had already waited? "So. Friday. 7:00?"

"Yes," Ash said, feeling completely elated. "That sounds perfect."

They were so absorbed in each other, they had failed to notice the large, Meowth-shaped balloon come to hover outside their bedroom window, where the occupants were watching every move they made with rapt attention.

"I think da science twerp just asked da other twerp out on a date!" Meowth declared proudly from his perch on the windowsill, where he stood leaning against the building, a pair of binoculars held up to his eyes.

"A date? Meowth, don't be ridiculous! Give me that!" Jessie made a valiant effort to grab the binoculars from Meowth's paws, only to nearly fall out of the balloon and be rescued at the last second by James.

"What makes you think they're going on a date, Meowth?" James asked, all too used to trying to keep the peace in their little group.

"Because I'm an accomplished lip reader an' emotional interpreter, dat's why! Dey got all close together, an' dey looked all nervous, an' den da science twerp said 'Friday. 7:00.' An' da other twerp said yes!"

"That doesn't make it a date," Jessie said, sinking to the ground and looking defeated.

"But it does mean there will be no one home at 7:00 on Friday night," James pointed out with a smirk.

"But, James! Aren't we forgetting about the twerpette?" Jessie was never quite as excited over new plans these days, always fearing failure. She wasn't sure how much motivation she had left in her, to try so hard and yet never experience the success she was convinced would bring her true happiness.

"Leave da twerpette t' me," Meowth said, hopping back in the balloon. "She'll never know what hit her!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Even if Ash is being particularly obtuse - come on, even Meowth realized that was meant to be a date! - it felt really good to write that chapter. I hope it felt just as good to read it!

That delayed chapter I mentioned is probably the next one. Not only is it tricky to write, it's going to set off a chain reaction throughout the next couple chapters, all of which involve decisions I need to make in advance and just...haven't. This upcoming weekend is a dedicated writing weekend though, so maybe I'll figure it out then.

Stay tuned for Chapter 16, and thank you for reading / following / favoriting / reviewing!