A.N. This story is not going to make sense unless you've watched episode 135, so be mindful of that! Lots and lots of spoilers abound!

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to pretend this all happened "between scenes" after episode 135 and during episode 136. If not, consider this a "what if". I deliberately waited for it to come out because of the prompts I was going to use for this one…

Speaking of which, the prompt and quote this time are:

Confession / 'With the whole world crumbling, we pick this time to fall in love.'-Lisa, Casablanca

And since this is the last of my unused prompts, it's also curtains for this year's satogou week – but if you want more, the fics that I associate with 2020's Day 5 and 6 prompts are the fics 'Snowy Solitude' and 'Delicious as a Donut', even though they use different quotes. Careful, though – one of them is very depressing!

And with all of this said, goodbye, my friends, goodbye! As the title of this chapter says… until next time!

"So, is there a particular reason you tattled on me?" Goh asked Chloe.

"Eh? Tattle on you?"

"About the stuff you told Ash!" He huffed. "You know that's not the sort of thing I wanted to get out!"

"Well, after you threw that big tantrum and said you were 'through'… did you expect me to sit by and do nothing?" Chloe asked indignantly. "You're so dumb sometimes!"

"It wasn't your story to tell! If I wanted Ash to know, I'd tell him!"

"No, you wouldn't've." Chloe stated.

Goh paused. "I… I would eventually, though."

"And when would that be? You were going to screw up the first actual friendship you've ever heard and you know it." She returned.

The dark-haired boy looked down at the floor. "I… I don't think that's technically true."

"Really, now? You'd have to be pretty blind not to realize-"

"No, it's just… you're mistaken about how I view you two", Goh explained. "You're my first friend, Chloe. Ash is… something else."

Chloe looked surprised at Goh's honesty. "…I know. But you know, Goh. Even if that's how you feel about him, unless you do something about it, you and Ash will only ever be friends."

She picked her Eevee up and walked away, but not before saying one last thing.

"Will you be satisfied with that?"

Goh didn't reply.

"Oh? Welcome home, Goh!"

Goh had decided to return to his house briefly. His grandmother was there waiting for him.

"Do you want me to prepare some food for you? You must be hungry!" Halta asked him.

"No, it's alright", Goh insisted. "Are my parents home?" He asked.

"Actually, yes!" His grandmother replied. Goh was surprised. He wasn't expecting that. "They finished work early, so they came back. They're in their bedroom now.

"I see. I'll go talk to them."

Walking to his parents' room, Goh hesitated briefly. "They might be too tired now, maybe I shouldn't…"

But Grookey quickly started to bonk him lightly with his stick. Goh smiled at him. Usually, when he did this, it was a way to encourage him. "I get it, Grookey. I shouldn't be scared. They're my parents, after all!"

"Kiii!" Grookey grinned at him supportively.

"Mom? Dad?" He called out. "I'm home!"

"Oh, it's you, dear!" His mom replied. "It's so nice of you to come. We've missed you!"

"How've you been, sport?" Goh's father asked him.

"I've been… okay. Some stuff happened, but I'm fine."

"What is it?"

Goh tried to compose his thoughts. "Well, um… I'm thinking of going on a pokémon journey soon"

"That's great news! You know, your father and I always wondered if you'd want to, someday…"

"I wasn't sure about doing it, but then Ash said he wanted to go on a journey, too, and I… didn't know how to react. It was…" Painful? Confusing? Ironic?

"Are you going to go on this journey together?" His father questioned.

"…No", Goh replied. "I've relied on Ash too much already. If we kept traveling together, I'd never grow as a trainer."

"It doesn't look like you're that sure…" His mother pointed out.

"Of course I'm not sure!" Goh exclaimed. "But… I want to have the same experience Ash had, traveling by himself over all the regions. I don't want to be selfish and ask him to follow me. But I didn't want to tell because I thought he'd feel betrayed – but then he was the one who told me he wanted to go on a journey, first? It was so confusing!"

"Why would he feel betrayed?"

Goh looked at them sadly. "We had a good thing going here, at the Cerise Lab, doing research together. I guess I thought he enjoyed it more than he actually did…"

"So you're sad that Ash found it so easy to tell you that he was leaving you, but you didn't?" His dad speculated.

"Y…Yeah. That's what happened."

"And then, how did you react?"

Goh sat down on his parents' bed and started explained everything that had happened – the camping trip, the Abra, the Spearows, Lugia, everything.

Meanwhile, Ash was in the Cerise Lab again, picking up his things.

"Let's see… where did I leave my Rotomphone? Wait, do I even get to keep the Rotomphone?" He pondered while rummaging through his and Goh's room.

Soon-to-be former room, actually. Ash sighed. He was going to miss this place, but it couldn't be helped. He'd stayed in one place too long already!

"Pikaa…"

"Want to visit Raichu one last time, Pikachu?" Ash offered.

Pikachu nodded excitedly.

"Hehe. First Buneary, and now Raichu, huh? You're a chip off the old block, mister!" Ash said teasingly. Pikachu blushed and scratched his head in response.

"You know, people used to say that two people's pokémon falling in love was a sign that their trainers would fall in love, too…"

"Huh?" Ash turned around in the direction of whoever had just spoken.

It was Chloe! She gave him a neutral expression and continued to speak. "I'm just wondering if there's any truth to that."

Ash was a bit confused, but he was always willing to help his friends with trainerly advice. So he thought about it for a bit. "Well, it doesn't necessarily mean that… but it sure looks cute when it happens!" He explained, giving her a silly smile.

"I see. I didn't know you even understood what love was!"

"Oh, I barely get it, to be honest", Ash told her. "But I know what it means when people say they have Vivillons in the stomach, or stuff like that."

"Vivillons in the stomach?"

"That's an expression I used to hear a lot in Kalos! It's the region of romance, after all!"

"And… do you think Goh ever made you feel that way?"

Ash was startled by the sudden topic shift. "E-Eh? Well…"

He suddenly seemed to become a lot more sheepish than Chloe was used to seeing him be. "Sorry, I know it was pretty random."

"It's okay… Um. Yeah, Goh has made me feel that way a lot…" He considered.

"Alright, then." Chloe replied. "That's all I wanted to know."

"Why so curious, though?" Ash questioned. "Are you jelly?"

"…Huh?!"

"Do you want Goh to fall in love with you? You're childhood pals, after all", Ash pointed out. "You know what they say about those!"

"You're silly", Chloe said, exhasperated. "I don't even like boys! And even if I did, Goh is…"

Too weird? Too obsessed? Too lost in his own little world? "Too focused on other things", she finally said. It was true enough, she thought – and one of those things was Ash.

"I'm still confused why you wanted to know about it, then?" Ash commented.

"Well, it's not for you to know. I was just asking for… a friend!" Chloe told him, with an uncharacteristically bright smile.

"Oh, so it was for a friend! I get it", Ash replied, seeming completely satisfied with the explanation. "You're always so thoughtful, Chloe."

"I try. You know… even though I really couldn't stand you at first, I'll miss you being here. You and Goh really livened up the place.

"Yeah…" Ash mumbled, going back to fiddling with his possessions. "It's really happening, huh…"

"You seem pretty dead-set on leaving." Chloe observed.

"It's gonna be tough, but I've done it a million times already", Ash said, looking up at the ceiling in comtemplation. "I'm just used to it… I guess Goh isn't, as much."

He smiled to no one in particular. "Heh… thinking of going on a journey just as I decide to do the same. Me and Goh really do think alike."

"You should see him before you go", Chloe suggested. "I'm sure there's a lot you two will want to talk about."

And then she left and Ash and Pikachu were alone again. Ash considered her words. What would he want to talk about with Goh? What did she mean? Girls were so mysterious.

"Goh, son, I think you're worrying over nothing."

"You don't know that for sure!" Goh protested. "If he really likes me back, why would he just come out and say he wants to leave?"

"I'm not sure you've noticed this, but…" Goh's mother tried to think of a way to say this next thing in a polite manner. "Ash isn't the smartest person around. He could've just said it like that because he wasn't thinking!"

"I suppose." It was possible, Ash had done a lot of thoughtless things over the years.

It made being with him a little painful, because he'd do things like hold his hand, or offer him an umbrella in the rain, things that should be romantic, and then turn right back around and say "Goh's my best buddy!" It was confusing. Maybe that's why Goh hadn't wanted to tell him he was leaving, either…

Still, if Goh had told him before Ash did, he'd at least have tried to soften the blow somehow. Buy him something nice… take him to dinner and tell him then… not just blurt it out in the middle of a sweet moment! But that's how Goh thinks.

Maybe his parents are right, and Ash just has a different way of looking at things. He should ask him about when he sees him next.

He just really thought he'd have more time to prepare before the decision to be separated from the boy who always made him feel so warm inside was taken from him, that's all…

"Either way, you should tell him how you feel before he goes", His father told him. "Letting someone you love carry the knowledge of how much you care about them, even if they can't be with you… well, that's an irreplaceable gift."

"Oh, you smooth-talker, you!" Goh's mom remarked to her husband in a fawning tone. "You should say things like that more often!"

Ick! Why did his parents have to act mushy now, of all times? Not that it wasn't good advice…

Goh thanked his parents for the advice and quietly left, figuring that he should head back to the lab and get anything he might have left there, to prepare for his journey.

On the way there, though, he bumped into Ash. "Ouch!" Ash yelped as he fell onto the floor.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Goh complained, rubbing his head in pain.

"Right back at ya!" Ash grumbled, before realizing who it was he'd ran into. "Wait, Goh?" Ash quickly helped Goh up to his feet. "Really sorry about that! My head was just in the clouds…"

"…Same here", Goh admitted. "Soon we're going to part ways and might not see each other for a long time. I'm not sure how to deal with that."

"Me either. I'm used to it, though."

"…Want to take a walk together? For old times' sake?" Goh offered.

"Sure!" Ash nodded. "Where to?"

"You know where." Goh said mysteriously. Ash followed along, eager to see where they were going.

"Is that place…" Ash exclaimed in awe.

"Yes, it is!" Goh declared.

Standing before them was the familiar sight of a towering Pokémon Gym, now filled with Ivysaurs and Venusaurs.

"It was where we had our first official mission! And…" And it was where I fell in love with you, Goh thought.

"Have they finished work on it yet?"

"The inside still needs some work, from what I heard", Goh commented. "But it was decided it's not going to be a gym anymore, actually."

"Really? Why?" Ash inquired, looking surprised.

"Because this place was so important to the Bulbasaur and its evolutions, they're going to convert it into a habitat for them! And, well, it's not like we need two gyms, anyway, so the city decided it worked better as a tourist attraction."

"That sure is nice of them", Ash remarked. "I can't believe it looks so different already!"

Ash waved at the various Seed Pokémon on top of the tower. "Hey, guys! Any of you remember us! We saved some of you from Team Rocket!"

Goh chuckled at Ash's enthusiasm. "Ash, I don't think they can hear from up there!"

"Oh, right. Man, this does take me back, though. This is where it all started", Ash observed. "Remember that big fight we had?"

"Which one?" Goh joked.

"Heh, I guess technically it's two big fights now. You're right!" Ash chortled in response.

The two of them kept staring at the former gym, reminiscing about everything. Grookey was amazed at all the Grass-types around, wondering if he should run up to them and make friends.

"Hey…" Goh started to say, before trailing off.

"What is it, Goh?"

"Back then… you said you were going to leave for a new journey, but you said in such a… cavalier way", Goh remarked. "Are you not even a little scared? Leaving behind such a big part of your life?"

"Oh, of course!" Ash replied without hesitation. "But you have to do these kinds of things if you want to grow as a trainer. You know that, right? That's why you wanted to leave, too!"

Goh gulped. "Y-Yeah… but…"

"…Were you going to tell me?" Ash asked with concern.

"To be very, very honest, I was probably going to give up on the idea entirely… I was too scared to tell you something like that, only for you to react like I did."

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'm used to saying goodbye."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… back then, seeing those Butterfrees, I remembered something", Ash told him. "One of my first pokémon was a Caterpie. He evolved so fast… before I knew it, I had to say goodbye. It had outgrown me."

"Just like my Floette…" Goh realized.

"The first time it happens, it's always hard!" Ash admits. "I cried a lot back then, but after a while, I realized that I shouldn't be sad."

"How come? It's a sad situation, isn't it? Why shouldn't you feel sad?"

"Because! When someone gets sad that you're leaving, it makes it harder for them to do it, even if it'd be better for whenever I have to say goodbye, I make sure to put on my best smile!" Ash explained, putting on just such as smile to make his point.

"That way, my friends can chase their dreams without worrying about me. When they think back on me, they'll remember the happiness we shared, and not think about sad goodbyes."

"That's… really nice", Goh commented. "I guess it's not that different from what I tried to do with Raboot and Grookey, back in the day… except both times, I only thought they wanted to leave me! And now someone actually does want to leave me, and I… I don't know what to do!"

"Oh, Goh…" Ash whispered, drying Goh's tears with his hands. "I'm never leaving you. We'll always be connected, just like your pokémon!"

Goh took a moment to compose himself. It wouldn't do for Ash to see him acting so inelegant during one of their last days together (at least for a while). "I'll miss everything about you", He eventually said.

"Yeah, well I'll miss everything about you… more!" Ash declared cheerfully.

Goh smiled softly at him in response. Ash returned the gesture.

"I talked to my parents before coming here."

"Yeah? What did you guys talk about?"

"Well… they told me I should be more understanding of you… and also… uhhhh."

"Uhhh… what? What is it? Spit it out!" Ash chided.

Goh's face burned bright as he leaned in closer to Ash, and proceeded to plant a small, soft kiss on Ash's lips.

"They told me I should let you know… just how much I love you", He said after a time.

Ash was dazed for a couple of seconds at this. "…Ohhh. So that's why Chloe was asking all these questions."

"Wh-WHAT? What questions? What did she say?!" Goh asked, startled by this revelation.

"Ah, she asked if I ever felt Vivillons in my stomach when I was with you… I said yes!"

"O-Oh! So that means…"

"Not quite as dramatic as your love confession just now, but it's the best I can do", Ash said with an awkward expression.

Goh smiled. "Well… I guess tomorrow we can both leave with a clean conscience."

"Yep!"

Grinning, the two boys fistbumped, like they had done so many times before..

Goh felt conflicted as he, Cinderace and Grookey walked together in the direction of the next Gym.

This was his first journey without Ash, and he wasn't sure how it would go. A new chapter in his life was beginning.

Trepidation and determination filled his heart in equal measure as he opened the door to the Gym, ready to meet its challenge.

One day, I'll be a strong trainer and show you how much I've grown! Just you wait, Ash! Those were the thoughts that ran through his head at that moment.

At the same time, Ash was walking across an entirely different region.

Suddenly, he got an odd feeling. "Hm?"

"Pikapi? Pika-pika!"

"Oh? It's nothing. But I had this sensation just now… like someone was thinking of me."

Ash smiled, and looked up at the sky. He saw several young trainers flying around in various Flying-types, some alone, some together with friends. It reminded him of an old friend, and how they met…

He lowered his hat so the people around him wouldn't see him getting emotional.

One day we'll met again. I know it, Ash thought confidently to himself.

Until next time… Goh!