A/N: Oh my god, less than a year in between chapters?! I must be possessed or something. Anyway, just cause Ash is gone, doesn't mean this story is.
Mallow was a very responsible person. To reach her grand dream of becoming an amazing chef that can create delicious food for people and Pokemon alike, a significant amount of focus and dedication is a necessary requirement. Mallow had never really been impulsive or made a spontaneous decision that didn't immediately benefit her friends or family. She takes pride in how careful and meticulous she is, both inside and outside the kitchen. So why, why was she acting like that? Inviting a random stranger from off the street into their school. What a great idea! Mallow sighed, berating herself for her bizarre thoughtlessness. She was never like this, so why.
Mallow looked up from her desk, it seemed as if Kukui had finished his lesson, and was handing out an assignment. Mallow added spacing out in class to her list of out-of-character behaviour. She noticed Lillie's gaze on her. Mallow turned toward her, with a front of the exuberance she normally displayed, masking her incessant exasperation. Lillie raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying Mallow's expression.
"Is everything okay, you've been acting weird all day. Is it because of that Ash guy?" Lillie asked, eyes bubbling with concern. Mallow let out a chuckle at Lillie's continued ability to read her mind.
"Kind of. It's just that I've been acting weird ever since I almost ran him over. I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with me." Mallow explained, lacking her usual fervour.
"I mean maybe you're just nervous or something. That's how I get when I get close to a Pokemon." Mallow tilted her head in confusion at Lillie's words. Nervous and Mallow were nowhere near synonymous. Mallow was always good at talking to people like she'd known them her whole life. She'd never been nervous around strangers, especially people her own age. A thought that had been lingering within her for a while popped up, but she immediately shut it down. It simply couldn't be that, right?
"I don't really know why I'd be nervous, he's just a guy." Mallow looked at Lillie quizzically. Lillie simply shrugged, not having a sufficient answer to Mallow's dilemma.
The door clicked open as two figures walked into the classroom. Mallow's eyes widened as she recognized one of them as Ash. Her eyes were naturally drawn to him. She didn't understand why, but there was something so captivating about him. Was it his dark hair, falling softly over his face which beckoned Mallow to touch it, was it his radiant smile that felt like it could melt icebergs in a second? No, it was his eyes. Big and brown, they held an unadulterated childlike joy. They possessed a shade of discontentment, the thirst for adventure practically oozing from him. Mallow couldn't put her finger on why she couldn't stop looking at him, maybe it was the same reason her stomach felt like it was floating.
"Hello everybody, I hope you're all enjoying class, but I have a big announcement for you all. Allow me to introduce you to our new student, Ash Ketchum!" Mallow looked towards the source of the voice, Principal Samson. In her state of Ash-related hysteria, Mallow failed to notice the principal's presence. Sophocles and Lana jumped out of their chairs to question Ash about his joining the school. Mallow looked at Lillie, who smirked at her, knowing her current struggle. Kiawe was the only one who shared the look of utter shock that Mallow herself had maintained. Mallow's eyes retreated back to Ash, who was looking right back at her. Mallow blushed, and she retracted her gaze from Ash's. Could she actually be nervous, right now, about a guy she knew nothing about?
"Alright class, settle down, let's give Ash an opportunity to introduce himself." Kukui proposed, in an attempt to quell the fiery passion of Sophocles and Lana's attempt to get to know their new classmate. The pair quickly scattered back to their seats as Ash prepared to speak.
"Uhm, hey everyone, my name is Ash. I'm 17 years old and I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region." Mallow was shocked at that. Why did this boy come all the way from Kanto to Alola?
"I've been sent here on a mission to observe the Totem Pokemon phenomenon, I thought, why not try to go to a Pokemon school and have some fun along the way." Ash flashed a bright smile to the class which effectively turned Mallow's legs to jelly. Kukui quickly dismissed everyone to their seats. Was it a coincidence or God's cynical jokes that made the seat next to Mallow the only open one? Mallow wasn't exactly opposed to sitting next to the boy, the opposite really, but she was afraid she would embarrass herself, her body seemingly being stripped from her control.
"Hey Mallow, it's nice to see you again." Ash offered his hand as he sat down beside her. Mallow shook it eagerly. She smiled at him, her fallacious, forced smile. As Ash didn't have the same time with Mallow as Lillie did to learn about her tendencies, the false expression seemed to satiate him.
"So what do you guys do in Pokemon School anyway? There doesn't seem to be a lot of you, so what are the classes like?" Mallow continued to answer Ash's barrage of questions, while Ash told her more about his mission and the Totem Pokemon. Her gaze began to soften as their conversation progressed.
"That's basically it, advanced Pokemon courses can't be taught efficiently to a large group of students, and Alola doesn't really have a trainer culture like other regions do, Pokemon are kept mostly as pets, so most people don't see the value in attending a Pokemon School." Mallow explained. It was incredibly tough to explain the fundamental cultural differences between Alola and other regions. He just simply couldn't get it through his head that somebody wouldn't want to battle, it was so fun! Mallow giggled at Ash's cute logic. Mallow noticed Ash's smile drop, she questioned the boy on his sudden change of attitude.
"It's nothing, it's just that I got so wrapped up in the whole Pokemon School thing that I forgot to ask about you. How old are you, what's your family like, what's your dream, all of that stuff." Ash explained sheepishly. Mallow blushed at Ash's thoughtfulness before properly introducing herself.
"Alright, here goes. My name's Mallow, I'm 16 years old. My family owns a restaurant and my dream is to be a world-renowned chef." Mallow went on to speak about her family members individually, a sparkle in her eyes as she passionately introduced them all to Ash.
"Wow, that's awesome. I've met a lot of people that are great cooks too, I'd love to try your food sometime." Ash professed passionately, it seemed his love for food rivalled even Mallow's.
"Of course, come around anytime." Mallow and Ash both laughed at the exchange.
"Your restaurant must be having some great business with such a cute girl cooking all the food." Ash said with his usual smile. Mallow did a double take. Was he flirting? Mallow chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to the compliment. Luckily, her teacher came to save the day.
"Alright you guys, I get Ash is new here but you guys should really get started on the assignment." Kukui insisted with a hand on each of their shoulders. Both students nodded frantically before returning to their studies. Mallow couldn't forget about Ash's words. Compliments weren't anything foreign to her, she'd received them nearly daily from Alolan guys just like Ash, but she never let them affect her. For some reason, when Ash said it, it felt amazing. She felt blessed for being born attractive just so Ash could compliment her for it and make her feel like this. Mallow shook her head, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this day was the beginning of a major change in her life.
/
Ash resisted the urge to bash his head into the desk. 'Your restaurant must be having some great business with such a cute girl cooking all the food.' Who did he think he was? Ash continued to surprise himself with his decision-making ever since arriving on Mele-Mele. Enrolling in a school and flirting in broad daylight in pursuit of a girl, since when did he become so much like Brock? She looked incredibly taken aback by the compliment as well, he probably pushed her away with his aggressiveness. Ash couldn't help but feel it had all ended before it even started. He looked down at his assignment. The goal was to complete the type effectiveness chart for each Pokemon listed. Ash began lazily filling in the answers, he could do something this simple in his sleep.
"Hey you're pretty quick Ash. Hot and smart, you're quite the catch." Mallow smirked as she reciprocated Ash's attempts at flirting. Ash's eyes widened as he broke out into a smile. He noticed Mallow's cheeks redden, which only served to make Ash even happier.
"Please, the last thing I could ever be is smart." They both laughed together, the former tension seemingly vanishing in front of their eyes. Ash looked at Mallow laughing. She was stunning. Ash was sure now. Forget all of the doubts and listen to your heart, you have to try. There was no way Ash was going to let this be the end, it was only the beginning.