Ash was walking through one of Beacon Academy's courtyards, admiring the view with Pikachu perched happily on his shoulder. After his encounters with Ruby, Weiss, and Blake, he was starting to feel more comfortable navigating the school.
"Yo, you must be Ash!" came a lively voice from behind him.
Ash turned to see a blonde-haired girl with lilac eyes and a wide grin walking toward him. She radiated confidence, her golden locks bouncing with each step.
"That's me," Ash said with a friendly smile. "And you are?"
"Yang Xiao Long," she said, tossing her hair dramatically. "Ruby's older, cooler, and much more awesome sister."
Ash blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're Ruby's sister? But… you two don't look alike at all."
Yang froze mid-stride, her grin faltering as her eyes narrowed playfully. "Excuse me? Did you just say I don't look like my sister?"
"Uh, yeah?" Ash said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I mean, Ruby's got black hair and silver eyes, and you've got blonde hair and lilac eyes… and you're, uh, taller."
Pikachu nodded as if agreeing with Ash's assessment.
Yang placed her hands on her hips, pretending to look deeply offended. "Wow, Ash. Way to make a girl feel special."
Ash panicked, waving his hands in defense. "I-I didn't mean it like that! You're definitely special! I mean, uh, not that Ruby isn't special—she's special too, just, you know, in her own way!"
Yang burst out laughing, her lilac eyes sparkling with amusement. "Relax, I'm just messing with you!"
Ash let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. You really had me there for a second."
Yang leaned in closer, her grin turning mischievous. "You're kinda cute when you're flustered, you know that?"
Ash's face turned red. "W-What?! I—uh—"
"Pikaaa…" Pikachu gave Ash a side-eye glance, clearly amused by his awkwardness.
"Don't worry, I won't steal you from Ruby… yet," Yang teased, giving Ash a playful wink.
"Wait, steal me?" Ash repeated, utterly baffled.
"Yeah, she's totally been gushing about how cool you are," Yang said, leaning casually against a nearby post. "But if she doesn't make a move, who's to say I can't swoop in?"
Ash's blush deepened as he tried to process Yang's playful flirting. "I-I think you're joking, right? You're joking… right?"
Yang smirked. "Maybe, maybe not."
Pikachu, sensing Ash's growing embarrassment, leapt onto Yang's shoulder and gave her a light zap.
"Yeow!" Yang yelped, though she was laughing as she gently picked Pikachu up. "Okay, okay, I'll lay off the poor guy. But you're a feisty little thing, aren't you?"
"Pika-pika!" Pikachu chirped proudly.
Yang placed Pikachu back on Ash's shoulder and crossed her arms, still grinning. "You know, I like you, Ash. You've got this charming, wholesome vibe. It's refreshing."
"Uh, thanks?" Ash said, still a bit flustered. "You're… uh… cool too. And kind of scary."
Yang laughed again, ruffling Ash's hair. "I'll take that as a compliment. You're alright, kid. Just don't let Ruby boss you around too much, okay? She's got a bad habit of trying to act all responsible."
"Hey, she's been really nice to me so far," Ash said, defending Ruby.
Yang raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Aww, look at you, sticking up for her already. You're a keeper, Ash."
Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Why does everyone here keep embarrassing me?"
Yang gave him a hearty slap on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Because you make it so easy! Welcome to Beacon, buddy."
As Yang sauntered off with a wave, Ash couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Phew… she's intense."
"Pika," Pikachu agreed.
As Ash watched Yang walk away, thinking he was finally safe from her relentless teasing, he heard her voice again.
"Hey, Ash!" Yang called, striding back toward him with that same confident grin.
Ash blinked, startled. "Uh, yeah?"
Yang stopped in front of him, placing her hands on her hips. "I was thinking… why don't we hang out for a bit? You know, just the two of us."
Ash's face immediately flushed. "J-Just the two of us? Like… like a date?"
Yang smirked, leaning in just enough to make Ash fidget. "If you wanna call it that, I won't stop you."
"W-What?! I-I didn't say that!" Ash stammered, his face burning red.
"Pikaaaa…" Pikachu snickered on his shoulder, clearly enjoying the show.
Before Ash could say anything else, another voice interrupted them.
"Excuse me?!" Ruby shouted as she appeared, stomping toward them with an expression of pure disbelief. "What's going on here?"
"Oh, hey, Rubes," Yang greeted nonchalantly. "I was just inviting Ash to hang out with me."
Ruby's eyes widened, and her cheeks puffed up indignantly. "What?! You're going on a date with Ash?!"
"Hey, I didn't say yes!" Ash protested, waving his hands frantically.
"Oh, come on, Ash," Yang said, feigning innocence as she twirled a strand of her golden hair. "You don't have to be shy about it. I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out with me?"
Ruby's silver eyes narrowed as she pointed a finger accusingly at Yang. "You're stealing him from me, aren't you?! He's my friend!"
Yang laughed, folding her arms. "I'm not stealing him. I'm just borrowing him for a while. You can have him back… eventually."
"Yang!" Ruby whined, stomping her foot. "You can't just take Ash! He's too young for you anyway!"
Ash groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Why does everyone keep making this weird?"
Pikachu covered its face with its paws, clearly amused but also feeling secondhand embarrassment.
Ruby marched over to Ash and grabbed his arm. "Ash, you don't want to hang out with her, do you? She's just gonna tease you the whole time!"
"Uh…" Ash hesitated, caught between Ruby's pleading eyes and Yang's amused smirk. "I mean… I didn't even agree to anything yet!"
"See?" Ruby said triumphantly, sticking her tongue out at Yang.
Yang chuckled, leaning casually against a nearby wall. "Relax, Rubes. I'm just messing with you. Ash can make his own decisions." She gave Ash a sly wink. "But the offer still stands."
Ash sighed, feeling utterly exhausted. "Can we all just hang out together? That way no one feels left out?"
Ruby and Yang exchanged glances before Ruby huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine. But if you try anything funny, Yang, I'm telling Dad."
Yang rolled her eyes. "Oh no, not Dad! Anything but that!"