Chapter Basis: I've heard your voices and agreed to do Dragon.
Shipping: MareShipping

One-Shot 3: Brushing on Nature

Ash, Brock, May, Max and their Pokémon friends began to travel down roads on their way to Trainer Supremacy. Only right now, it's lunch time and Brock's cooking was on everyone's minds by a lake...including the breeder himself. Today, he chose to throw in some chopped berries to add a little extra kick. "Some Pecha and Sitrus Berries should revitalize ourselves," Brock mentioned. Ash and May set the picnic table, coincidentally placed where they would eat.

"I can already smell the deliciousness!" May awed with a rather high pitch to it. "I'd rather dive into that pot and gobble all in there!" Ash seemed startled with May's sudden cheer for Brock's cooking, fearing that May would keep all the food for herself.

"What about Torchic and Skitty and Beautifly?" he pointed out. May wasn't worried. Heck, it may have been a tease.

"I mean if I was a little older, I'd want to fall in love with Brock. His culinary skills are unbeatable and besides, it's never too early to fall in love with someone." Brock jumped a bit out of nervousness hearing May's confession.

"May, come on!" he stuttered a tad. "You're making me a little uneasy." Hey, she did explain. As they finished the settings, Ash glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye. A young brunette female with wings in her hair was staring at something on an easel. Wait a second...the green button-down shirt, the white skirt...

"Is that who I think it is?" he wondered. May and Brock looked at the startled raven-haired trainer then the direction of his peering eyes. That same girl suddenly noticed that she was being stared at and looked back. Brock was shocked. May was confused.

"Bianca?" The girl saw Ash...and got excited to the point of dashing over to the picnic site. Her long run ended with a diving hug onto Ash, freaking Brock and May more. May quickly recovered...only to show jealousy.

"Alright, miss!" she hissed. "Why are you all over Ash?" Bianca became frightened. She clung onto Ash more in fear...which stoked Ash into knowing who she was. Max, Pikachu and Torchic came out of the woodwork to find the predicament occurring in front of their eyes.

"Whoa, did we come at a bad time?" Max gulped, feeling a bad mess coming. Ash saw his best partner in crime and had a way of clarifying the outcome.

"Pikachu, over here," he called over his Pokémon. Bianca looked over to the upcoming Pikachu and was happy once more, releasing Ash. She knelt down and picked the mouse up.

("Is it you?") Pikachu asked. Bianca lifted Pikachu's face and rubbed her cheek with it's cheek. Enjoying, Pikachu figured out who it was. ("Latias, it's been a while!") Ash smiled, confirming that Bianca wasn't Bianca.

"You miss Latios, huh Latias?" Bianca...no, Latias became saddened and nodded. Max and May were more confused than before. Something didn't click to them.

"If I recall, Latias is the name of a Pokémon," Max remembered. May would agree on it. That's when...

"Latias!" another female called out. All gazed back at...another Bianca or Latias? She had a beret on, unlike Latias. Latias waived over her mirror match, much to her surprise. "There you are! I guess seeing Ash here made you leave your post." Latias scratched her head in slight embarrassment.

"Hey, Bianca," Ash greeted. "Sorry about that." Bianca shook her head with a smile as the siblings were still so befuddled, a simple explanation would worsen the discussion.

"Hey, no problem. Latias would've been excited to see Latios again if he wasn't slain by those lady killers while protecting home." Ash couldn't agree more.

"Yeah, but she still has that habit of transforming into you, huh?"

"Afraid so." Latias was ready to unveil herself. That was when she began to glow and morph. Before long, she had turned from human to the flying red creature Ash remembered. A loud caw woke Max and May from their confusing slumber...and awe at the creature. May brought out her Dex to review what it was.

"Latias, the Eon Pokémon," Dex computed. "Latias is normally shy around humans and will disguise themselves like water. Latias has the attributes of Dragon and Psychic." Something didn't make sense. This one seemed more playful than shy. That's when Latias transformed again...but this time, she became Ash. There's one problem. She was Ash wearing the open jacket, not the sweat-tee he's wearing now. Whoops! At least everyone could tell the difference between Latias and Ash.

"How did Latias do that?" Max wondered. That's hard to figure out. There is an ability called Transform but that can only be done by a Ditto...and it normally changes into another Pokémon.

"I don't think anyone could answer it," Brock summed it up. Suddenly, a ringing. Everyone glanced over to the stew. It's ready to be served.

"Lunch is done!" Ash cheered. "What do you say, Latias? Hungry?" Latias nodded before everyone sat and ate the meal. As they ate, Ash glanced over to the unattended easel. "Were you painting something, Bianca?" Pretty straightforward question. Bianca glanced at her easel with a smile.

"That's the purpose of why I'm here instead of back with Grandpa back in Alto Mare," she clarified. "I heard that there were great places to do artwork so I couldn't sit back or work making gondolas all day. I just wanted to get away from all that water surrounding us." It didn't really add up for the siblings. Escape the water but go to a lake with water in front?

"Then I don't understand because that's water right there," Max pointed out. There was more and As was willing to fill in the detail.

"I think she means the water the city of Alto Mare's floating on where there's water in all directions," he tried to clear up. Now Max was up to speed.

"Okay, I get you. She wanted to walk on more land than concrete." That would be the purpose. After eating, the group strolled over to the easel. There was a marvelous painting on the landscape with the trees which appear to be swaying in the wind.

"That looks like a great painting there, Bianca," May judged.

"Thank you, May," Bianca accepted. "But it's not yet done. I still have to patch in a couple of details and then it should be a wrap." Not much to do.

"I have an idea," Ash spoke up. "Why don't we get some practice in as Bianca polishes up her work?" Good idea. Ash, May and Brock decided on doing a triangle spar.

"Author, is it okay if I explain what a Triangle Battle is?" Brock requested. Sure, go ahead. "A Triangle Battle is a 1-on-1-on-1 battle with three trainers. Trainers can attack any of the Pokémon and/or team up for double attacks as eliminating one opponent before battling another. The winner is the lone Pokémon standing. This takes twice the amount of strategy than in a double battle." Thanks for the explanation.

"Brock, what's the purpose of breaking the 4th wall?" Max questioned. Brock hiccuped in embarrassment. As the three trainers got into their battle, Bianca got back to her artwork. As she worked, she began to back pedal into her memory bank.

'It seems you nor Brock have figured out who kissed Ash,' she minded. 'I remember greatly.'

(Flashback)

In Alto Mare, Bianca finished a painting and had rolled it up to give to Ash. Stepping out of her room, she confronted Lorenzo, hard at work on the wooden gondolas. "Grandpa, have you seen Ash?" she asked. Lorenzo stopped and tried to backtrack the last place Ash and his friends had gone to. It was a tragic night last night. Latios sacrificed himself after being weakened by Annie and Oakley abusing his power for the Alto Mare Defense system which did not stop Ash and Latias from saving him, Lorenzo and Bianca. Departing, Latios became a new Soul Dew destroyed by the destructive dames.

"I think they're getting a ferry back to the inland," he figured. Bianca had to see Ash and his friends one more time. Now or never.

"Thanks!"

"Hold on!" Bianca was a hand away from the doorknob. "Where's your beret?" Her beret was on the easel in her room but she only wanted to give Ash the painting. Ignoring her granddad, Bianca raced out to find the ferry. A local resident, she knew the only exit leading out of the city and chased it. It was at that time that she spotted the ferry and hopped onto the bridge, waiving her rolled artwork out. Pikachu alerted Ash who was with Brock and Misty who spotted Bianca but wasn't sure if it was her or Latias.

"Bianca?" Ash womdered before turning to the driver in the cabin. "Hey, driver! Can you pull over?" The captain spotted an open dock and parked the vessel where Ash hopped off. Bianca raced to the same dock where she spotted Ash. She had to have run a mile because she was breathing rather heavy. "Hey..." Bianca presented the artwork roll to Ash who was hesitant to take but Bianca nodded that it was okay. But when Ash accepted her present...SMOOCH! Right on the cheek! Misty dropped Togepi from the shock, Brock fumbled his feet in surprise and Pikachu...flat out chimed. Rather satisfied, Bianca ran off and left a still stunned group.

"Wait a second," Misty stuttered. "Was that...Bianca...or Latias?"

"I don't know," Brock murmured. "But I'm extremely jealous!" Togepi and Pikachu liked Ash getting a little loving. Who cares if Ash was kissed by a human or Pokémon? He was served some romance. Bianca walked back to her house, satisfied that she left a mark for Ash to remember her.

Bianca was done with her painting just before the sunset. Not to mention that the triangle battle was over which Brock's Foretress won. Latias, still in the Indigo Ash form, played around with Max and Pikachu but got pretty tired and hungry. Luckily, Brock still kept a natural composure and cooked for everyone. Because it was getting late, the gang decided to camp out for the night. Ash and Pikachu came over to Bianca's side with some leftover food. "How's it coming?" he asked. Bianca was just polishing up as they came over.

"You're just in time," she answered. "I finished it." Ash came around to see her artwork...only there were a few additions. She illustrated herself and Ash in the lake...kissing...under the starry skies. Ash became puzzled.

"Is that...suppose to be..?"

("That's you and Bianca,") Pikachu guessed. ("Or is that Latias?") Bianca shook her head to Pikachu's second guessing.

"What do you say?" Bianca wished. "You and me for a midnight swim? It's been awhile since I gave you that farewell kiss." It finally dawned on Ash. This was who gave him the kiss as he left Alto Mare.

"Wow, um..," Ash stuttered badly. "I-I'm not sure what to say." Bianca softly giggled at the bobbling Ash was acting.

"Hey, I'll admit I wasn't trying to make Brock jealous. But you did earn it for helping Latios and Latias." Ash couldn't argue about that point. And to seal it...SMOOCH! This time, on the lips and Ash fell to the intoxicating feel...into the lake. That made Bianca freak a bit. "Ash!" Ash popped out of the water, thankfully recovered from that spell.

"Couldn't wait until we were in the water, huh?" Bianca laughed at that teasing retort. However, instead of changing into some swimwear, Bianca jumped right in with the clothes she had on. Popping out, she was in Ash's face.

"Is this good enough?" SMOOCH! Again on the lips. Both Bianca and Ash were posing just like Bianca's painting...but not for long. Despite their kissing, neither acknowledged the fact that they were submerging...or was that what they wanted? Pikachu and Latias watched, hoping Ash and Bianca would come out soon. They were human, right?

("Max!") Pikachu yelled out. ("I need you!") What would Max do? Pull Ash away from Bianca?

END of DRAGON

(So far in my poll, it looks like the next one-shot may be Psychic, but keep the votes coming)