Two days after the Gym Challenge in Sootopolis, which the time was mainly just spent in my room or casually navigating around the city on my wheelchair for meals and sightseeing, Winona's schedule was freed up to return to Sootopolis and bring me to final final location: Lilycove City.

I waited at the designated area slightly earlier than the planned time and as expected, the Flying type Gym Leader landed on the ground in her Altaria, Merodī five minutes earlier compared to the meetup time, which was a habit I had noticed from the Fortree Gym Leader through the flying trips she had offered me these past few weeks.

Before I tried to get on the back of Winona's Altaria, she briefly wandered around, seemingly expecting someone else's presence. I immediately knew who she was looking for and said, "Wallace's currently in a battle with a challenger at his Gym right now."

"Ah, I guessed so." Winona replied.

"He did have a message that he wanted me to transfer, though." I continued, "He just hopes you're doing well."

"We literally only met like last week, though." Winona slightly chuckled, "It's good that he has his priorities straight, at least. If I was him, I would have done the same thing."

She then gestured to help me get on Merodī's back, but to my surprise, my Pokégear suddenly rang. I hurriedly took it out of my pocket and saw that my sister, Charmaine, was calling. I instantly accepted the video call request.

Charmaine's face appeared on the screen shortly after as she maintained a gentle smile, [Lows, it's been a while! How are you doing so far?]

"I've been good, sis." I replied, "I'm actually almost done with all the Gym Challenges."

[I saw it through the updated PLA website that you reached the minimum requirement of Gym Badges for the Hoenn League, but wasn't sure whether you actually completed all of them yet.] Charmaine explained, [Where are you going next?]

"I'm actually just about to head to Lilycove soon!" I said, while adjusting the Pokégear screen to briefly show Winona's face to my sister, to which the two politely nodded at each other with smiles on their faces.

[Ah, yeah. Wally did say you haven't battled him yet, after all.] Charmaine said with a warm expression on her face, [I'm actually at Lilycove right now, so I'll probably be seeing you later!]

I slightly smirked, "I wonder why."

A small blush appeared on my sister's face as she said, [Well, I'll see you soon then!]

She then abruptly ended the call before she had to endure more of my teasing as a younger brother. I then looked towards Winona and briefly apologized, "Sorry for the slight delay, Winona."

"You're good." Winona replied, "...What a pair of lovebirds."

I was surprised by her additional comment, "D-Did they tell you about it?"

"Just my intuition. It was kinda obvious, anyway." She simply shook her head, "When I had dinner with them that other day before the meeting in Lilycove, Charmaine was staring at Wally quite often. Also, when you were talking to Charmaine, her eyes lit up when she mentioned Wally's name."

Sharp as always, Winona, I thought.

Winona then said, "If they wish to keep it a secret for now, though, it's not exactly my business to pry."

"I'm glad Charmaine has such understanding people working alongside her." I happily said.

"Likewise, really." Winona smiled.

The flight proceeded with no notable troubles in our way, as we eventually reached Lilycove smoothly after a few hours, where we stopped at an empty spot nearby, which was hard to find even for Winona due to the crowd that seemed to just always remain around the city.

Afterwards, just as we stepped foot (or in my case, wheels) into the city, we noticed a kid wandering around the corner of the city while looking lost, tears falling down from his face.

We instantly knew something was wrong and I hurriedly called him over, which fortunately caught his attention amidst this noisy crowd. He approached us two, to which I asked, "Do you need any help?"

As if he just found his saviours, more tears formed in his eyes as he replied, "I-I was just with my mother a second ago, but now… I don't know where she went…"

Winona and I looked at each other briefly, trying to think of what we could do for the young child, before the Fortree Gym Leader seemed to have noticed someone and quickly waved her hand at him.

I looked towards the direction Winona was waving at and saw the Lilycove Gym Leader, Wally walking towards us, and before he could greet us, his attention was shifted towards the crying kid as he gently placed his hand on the kid's shoulder with a warm smile to calm the kid down, "Hello there! I'm the Lilycove Gym Leader, Wally. Is there anything you need help with?"

The approachable energy that emitted from Wally made the kid comfortable enough to explain the situation to the green-haired man in front of him in between his brief sobs. After knowing the full story, he nodded and reassured the kid in a soft voice, "It must have been tough for you. Don't worry, you'll get to see your mother very soon."

Wally then led us three into a large building which the front wrote, "Lilycove Community Center", where he walked towards the reception area and talked to the female receptionist there. Shortly, an announcement was made about the kid's details and current whereabouts, and the receptionist's clear voice was soon spread around the entire city through the P.A. system for the child's mother to come here and bring her son back.

And that she did. The announcement clearly worked effectively, as minutes later, a worried looking middle-aged woman entered the building and instantly noticed her child before running towards him and hugging him tightly. The kid cried once again upon seeing his beloved parent back to his side once again.

The mother saw us, particularly Wally, and took no time to apologize, "I'm really sorry for the trouble!"

Wally lightly shook his head and smiled, "It's fine. Just be more careful next time, you two."

"We will! Thanks again, you all."

With that, the kid happily waved us three goodbye and held his mother's hand tightly as they left the community center.

Let's hope he doesn't get lost again.

"Thanks for the help, Wally." I looked towards the Lilycove Gym Leader and said.

"Yeah. As expected of the new Hoenn Gym Leader, efficient as always." Winona praised.

"I honestly didn't do much." Wally simply smiled, "These things happen quite often, due to how busy the city always is. It just comes with experience, really."

"I can tell…" I said, already feeling dreadful thinking about returning to the Lilycove crowd very soon, "Oh yeah, I heard that Charmaine is currently in Lilycove. Where is she right now?"

"Well-"

Before Wally could answer the question, the entrance door of the community center opened once again, as Charmaine walked towards us while carrying multiple paper bags in her hands, which mostly contained vegetables and fruits. My sister likely went on a shopping spree before meeting us.

"Speak of the devil." Wally smiled as he waved towards his girlfriend.

Charmaine replied with a quick nod, the only action she could do at the moment due to the load she was carrying, before noticing Winona and I and said, "Winona, Lows, you two are here! Welcome back to Lilycove."

Wally took over some of the paper bags from Charmaine to reduce her load while asking, "How do you know I was here?"

Charmaine smiled, "After hearing that announcement, it's not hard to guess."

After temporarily putting the paper bags at one of the tables near him, he looked like he was going to gently caress my sister's head, but abruptly stopped himself after remembering there was company around him and Charmaine.

Charmaine noticed his sudden hesitation before chuckling, "It's fine, Wally. Lows already knew about us."

"Ah." Wally said, "Well, what about Winona-"

When Wally looked over towards the Fortree Gym Leader, he was met with a silent gesture and a small wink from Winona, indicating she knew a thing or two about their relationship. She then pretended to stretch herself with a fake yawn, "This crowd is quite something, Wally. I'll be heading back to Fortree, then."

"You don't plan on staying longer, Winona?" Charmaine asked.

"I would love to, but I have a scheduled match in just a few hours, so I'll head back to my Gym to do some preparations." Winona explained, "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Alright then." Wally said, "See you when the Hoenn League starts, Winona."

"Yeah, see you all soon." Winona replied.

"Thanks again for all the trips, Winona. I couldn't have completed the Gym Challenges without you." I gratefully said.

"You have thanked me way too many times at this point." Winona slightly chuckled before giving a pat on my shoulder, "Good luck and do your best, Lows."

The Flying type specialist then left the community center, leaving us three as she made her trip back to Fortree.

There was a brief silence after Winona left before Charmaine quickly broke it, "Lows, have you eaten yet?"

I shook my head, to which my sister happily said, "Let's head to Wally's house, then! I'll cook you two a feast today for lunch."

"Sounds like a plan, Charmaine." Wally agreed, "I'll help you out later."

"Me too." I also raised my hand, accepting the offer.

"Let's head back, then!" Charmaine cheered, and the three of us took no time to exit the Lilycove Community Center.

It did not take long for us to reach Wally's house, which was a small but cozy place, and we prepared and enjoyed a good meal mainly using the vegetables Charmaine just bought.

As my sister handed Wally and I a plate of apple slices, we took one of the slices for each of us as I said, "Thanks for the meal, sis. Your cooking skills are seriously amazing."

"Glad to hear that!" Charmaine smiled, "I couldn't have done it without you two's help."

I objected, "To be fair, I only washed the vegetables."

"I only chopped them." Wally added.

"Come on, you two!" Charmaine patted each of our shoulders using both of her hands before laughing.

We spent some time following up on each other's recent happenings over the past few weeks while having a short rest. Afterwards, Wally received a call on his Pokégear before saying, "I'll need to head to my Gym for a while to take care of some stuff. Lows, since you're going to register for the Gym Challenge, want to follow along?"

I nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

We headed out of Wally's house, with my sister pushing me on my wheelchair as we reached the entrance of the Lilycove Gym in no time. The benefits of living close to where you work.

It did not seem like my sister was going to enter the Gym as said, "You two, have fun in the Gym!"

I asked, "You aren't going to enter the Gym, sis?"

"Nah." My sister replied, "I'm going to go jungle trekking in a forest at one of the routes near Lilycove. I've never explored there before, so it's going to be a lot of fun!"

"Over the past few years, she probably has been to around ninety percent of the forests known in the Hoenn region already." Wally chuckled, "Oh, not to mention the revisits she made to the forests she particularly loved."

"It's my passion, and I'm proud of it!" Charmaine laughed.

"That forest is going to be a new one for you, right?" Wally asked, "Since there's still some time before schedule, I could tag along to briefly guide you around-"

"Nope, not happening! Focus on your stuff at hand, I'll be okay." Wally's suggestion was instantly rejected by my sister, before she lightly patted her boyfriend's shoulder with a soft smile, "Maybe next time, Wally."

"If you say so." Wally said, "Just give me a call if you need any help."

"Have fun out there, sis." I said.

"I will!" Charmaine replied, seemingly an appropriate response to both Wally and I. She then waved her hand before she walked towards the outside of Lilycove City, disappearing from our sights.

Wally and I then entered the Lilycove Gym, where the interior design and the decorations were unchanged from the last time I visited, which was for the private meeting between PLA members. It all felt like only yesterday when all of that stuff happened. I then headed towards the reception area, where the female receptionist kindly helped me smoothly register for the Gym Challenge, which would be happening in three days from here.

Afterwards, I had already decided to just spend the rest of the day in a more leisurely manner before I started my training the next day, so I stayed around the Gym Lobby for a while as Wally took care of some urgent Gym matters.

After around twenty minutes, he returned to the Gym Lobby, "Looks like the secret contraption for the meeting room is broken. I'll have to contact a mechanic for this another day."

"Is it that urgent to fix the contraption?" I asked, "Not like the room is used that often, anyway."

"I prefer the stuff around my Gym to be as maintained as possible, anyway." Wally answered, "Also, ever since that meeting happened, it's apparently going to be used more often from here onwards. I think they already planned to have an end-of-season review meeting here, for all the Gym Leaders in the region."

"I somehow feel like they built this meeting room in your Gym with that sole purpose already in their minds a long time ago."

"Perhaps." Wally laughed.

"I wonder how sis is doing." I said.

"Probably enjoying her time in the forest right now." Wally replied, "I wish I can follow her along sometimes, but with my body condition, it's better if I don't."

"If you're okay to share, what's the body condition you're talking about?"

"I swore I told you about it before. Maybe my memory's not treating me so well." Wally chuckled, "I have asthma. Even though my condition became much better in recent years, it's still advised for me to not do overly vigorous activities."

"That's the complete opposite to my sister, then." I said.

"You have a point." Wally said, "I tend to be more on the passive side unless I really have to step in."

"It didn't seem that way when you handled the situation earlier, though."

"As I said, you get used to it after a while." Wally smiled, "I do enjoy this change of pace, though. It forces me to take initiative and learn more not just as a Gym Leader, but also as a person."

He continued, "But early on, I struggled quite a bit having to adapt to the newer environment and gaining more self-confidence managing the Gym and Lilycove, unlike your sister. She's definitely more outgoing than anyone else I know here, and all the duties just came to be too easy for her. It would probably be a surprise to people who know us if they discovered that we're dating."

"Honestly, I don't think so. You two look very close, after all." I said, "How did you two meet each other, anyway?"

"Oh, did your sister not tell you?"

I shook my head, "She seems a bit shy in telling me about it."

"I don't blame her. If I had a younger sibling, I wouldn't tell them, either." Wally chuckled, "But I suppose I can tell you the story. It all started from the program we undertook for the new Gym Leader spots."

Flashback…

A few years after Wally finished his Hoenn League run, he continued exploring around the region as a Trainer, and even built a solid team, solid enough that it could even deem him as one of the top Trainers in the region that did not have the title for themselves.

However, he still could not feel satisfied about his progress. The feeling of still being so far away from his rival, the Trainer who helped him start his journey, the Trainer who always defeated him no matter how hard he tried, the Trainer who was deemed as the Special One, constantly surrounded Wally.

All these years were an endless path for him to escape from the inferiority he felt as a Trainer.

One day, Wally was heading back to his hometown in Petalburg City for his monthly visit to his parents. However, the person who greeted him outside the house was not any of his parents, but the rival he was trying to chase all along.

The current Hoenn Champion, Brendan.

"Ah, long time no see, Wally." Brendan greeted, "I apologize for the impromptu visit, but I heard you're heading back home to visit your parents, so I just came here to wait for you."

"Don't worry about it, Brendan." Wally smiled at his friend, "Anything I can help you with?"

"I'm actually here to give you an invitation letter." Brendan explained as he took out an envelope from his backpack, "Apparently, the Hoenn PLA is planning to open two new Gyms around the region to provide more options for new Trainers to do their Gym Challenges and also further develop their skills through more experience. They are currently recruiting trainees for the Developmental Program, where two Trainers will end up being chosen as the new Gym Leaders."

He continued as he handed Wally the envelope, "Naturally, I thought of you, one of the best Trainers that I know in the region. Are you interested?"

It did not take long for the green-haired boy to reply, "Yes. Count me in, Brendan."

"I expected nothing less from you." Brendan smiled, "I'll give you more details about the program over the next few weeks. Good luck, Wally."

"Thanks, Brendan."

Wally was glad that the Hoenn Champion, his friend, was giving recognition to his skills as a Trainer, but that was not enough for him.

He wanted to become stronger… and perhaps one day, he would finally be able to catch up to his rival and challenge him again with full confidence.

And he hoped that this program could help him move one step closer to his goal.

With that motive of his, Wally wanted to succeed in the program no matter what.

A few weeks after Brendan's invitation, the chosen trainees gathered around the Pokémon League in Ever Grande City to briefly introduce themselves and had an orientation regarding the program before it began. Wally briefly glanced at all the Trainers at the scene, most of them who already had made a name for themselves throughout their years as Trainers.

This program would be no easy task, and Wally expected nothing less, anyway.

After the orientation ended, Wally was going to head back to his room for a short rest, but a feminine voice temporarily halted his actions, "Hey! You're Wally, right?"

He naturally replied as he looked towards the girl calling for him, "Yeah."

The brown-haired girl in front of him was slightly tanned, and she wore a white tank top under a dark green long-sleeved button up shirt, along with black long pants and grey trail shoes.

Wally was able to recognize her, "You're Charmaine Landerson, the Trainer who recently reached the semifinals of the Hoenn League, right?"

"I'm glad you know about me!" Charmaine smiled, "I heard the competition would be fierce here, but I didn't expect a Trainer with such a caliber like you to be here."

"You're offering too much praise. I'm just like anyone else here." Wally shook his head. He really felt that way about himself.

"Anyways, I hope we get along well!" She extended her hand for a handshake.

Wally obliged and shook her hand, "Likewise. Let's do our best together, Charmaine."

There were sometimes Trainers who approached him with impure motives, but looking at the girl whose eyes were sparkling right in front of him, she just simply looked like an outgoing and warm person who wanted to get along with everyone. Wally, although a competitive person, was also kind and reserved by nature, so he took Charmaine's greeting relatively nicely.

Afterwards, the program began as every trainee suffered from the intense training and weekly evaluations. There were many who initially started alongside Wally and Charmaine, but they were eventually nowhere to be seen anymore, either quitting themselves or being eliminated from one of the many evaluations.

But throughout these grueling periods, Wally never once considered giving up, and continued pushing through. It was tiring, but at least the friend he made from the beginning, Charmaine, was also still with him, showing her true resolve to survive in the competition. Charmaine was friendly with everyone, but particularly preferred spending time with Wally because according to her, he was "easy to talk to". Guess his reserved nature helped with that.

In a way, they gave each other just that little more strength to pull through every day.

Time flew by in a flash, and the last week of the Developmental Program soon approached. That meant the two Trainers chosen as the new Gym Leaders in the Hoenn region would be announced on the spot.

It was either elation, or heartbreak for any of the Trainers remaining.

At the end of their final session, the announcer first congratulated everyone for their hard work for the past few months and gave a few words of encouragement for the Trainers to hopefully prosper in their journeys ahead, no matter the results.

And finally, it came the moment everyone awaited for.

"The first Trainer that would become the new Gym Leader in the Hoenn region is…" The announcer stopped for a moment before revealing, "Charmaine Landerson from Pallet Town."

Charmaine gasped in a mix of surprise and happiness, but did not make too big of a reaction, likely due to being considerate to the others around her whose names were not called yet. Wally looked at her before silently giving her a thumbs up, congratulating her for getting a spot.

The announcer took a few seconds before announcing the second name, "The second and last Trainer to become the new Gym Leader is… Wally from Petalburg City."

Wally silently cheered upon hearing his name, feeling more relieved than happy; relieved that his efforts did not meet with failure. He looked towards Charmaine again, who looked even happier than when her name was first called. Looking at the reaction of the kind-hearted girl who went through it all alongside him, a warm feeling surrounded the green-haired boy.

However, what was left for the others who did not make it through the final hurdle was only sadness and regret; sadness that their efforts were not enough at the very end, regret that they did not try harder to stand out from the others and become one of the chosen ones.

They could only leave the place in disappointment, uncertain about their futures as Trainers.

When Wally and Charmaine headed to a restaurant nearby to celebrate with a hearty dinner, Wally mentioned about the other Trainers, "I wonder what they're going to do from here."

"Yeah, it's a shame. They're all talented and deserve a spot as much as us." Charmaine sighed, "I felt sad for them. They worked just as hard as us, but unfortunately, the spots were limited from the very beginning. And obviously, as selfish as it sounds, I wanted a spot as badly as everyone else who were there."

"It's not anything selfish to think that way." Wally said, "That was why we were all there, after all."

"...I had sacrificed a lot to get to this point." Charmaine started her story, "I did mention I was from the Kanto region, right?"

"Yeah, but I kinda knew that long ago." Even if Wally did not know her beforehand, based on the time they spent together, where she felt fascinated towards every new thing she learned regarding Hoenn culture, it was not hard to guess for the Petalburg native.

"Well… I left my home in Pallet Town to pursue this program alone." Charmaine continued, "My parents weren't really supportive of my decision, and we had an argument before I decided to leave on my own. I wished I could've left in better terms… and that I could've said a more proper goodbye to my brother at home."

A few tears started forming in Charmaine's eyes, the Kanto native clearly feeling emotional from reminiscing her past. In a way, Wally could relate to that: the conditions were obviously different, but he also left his uncle's house in Verdanturf without informing anyone to start his journey, despite his recovering condition at the time. Looking back, he did not regret his decision, but he would have rather done it in a way that would not worry his parents for months.

"You really love Pokémon battling, don't you?" Wally asked with his usual gentle smile.

"I do. It was always my dream… to keep battling on a more professional level." Charmaine replied, "So as much it hurts that my other friends couldn't get the spot as a new Gym Leader… I have to accept it and move on. Besides, if I didn't get the spot… I wouldn't know what to do anymore."

As Charmaine finished her story, she clasped her hands on the table, the trembling enough for her friend to notice at a glance. The friendly, outgoing and courageous girl in front of him… was just another soul who was in fear of losing everything while walking on a treacherous path to pursue her dreams.

"It's okay, Charmaine. I understand how you feel." Wally gently placed his hand on top of her clasped hands, "Have I mentioned I started as a Trainer in the same year as Brendan?"

A hint of surprise striked Charmaine as she shook her head.

"Before the Hoenn League that year began, I actually challenged Brendan once again in Victory Road, and the results… Unfortunately, they weren't even close." Wally nonchalantly said, as if he was reading someone else's story, "I was defeated in a quite convincing fashion."

"That made me realize that my decision to leave my uncle's house alone wasn't even close to being enough. I was still far apart from the Trainer who helped me start my own journey, and I needed to work a lot harder." Wally continued, "So I took this program as an opportunity to maybe catch up just a little closer to Brendan."

Just like Charmaine's Wally's love towards Pokémon battling was also what made him leave his uncle's house in the first place, and he did not want to give up that easily… even if the road came with devastation and disappointment sometimes.

The emotions slowly crept into Wally but before they could engulf him, Charmaine distracted the green-haired boy with a reassuring smile, "It's okay, Wally. In the end, it was all worth it, right? Out of everyone else who got the spot besides me… I'm glad it was you. Really."

Wally smiled back, feeling somewhat glad that the girl in front of him was the one that would be alongside him, as they embarked on the new paths in their journeys as Trainers.

"...Me too."

After the Developmental Program had concluded, due to the preparations for their upcoming Gym Leader duties, Charmaine and Wally met each other less often. But when they did, they would always chat a lot about their recent happenings and their hopes for the future. They cherished every opportunity to be together as friends.

However, the dynamic was starting to change slowly but surely. For Charmaine, at least.

She noticed that after telling Wally her story that one time during their celebratory dinner together, she would have a warm feeling inside her every time she met Wally. Although she was a friendly person and cared about everyone around her, she never felt that way towards anyone else.

She had always been a person who was clear with her own feelings, and she knew what it meant. She liked Wally. A kind-hearted yet passionate person behind a reserved, frail figure.

However, being clear with her feelings did not mean she could be straightforward enough to tell him about them. For Charmaine, she did not want the friendship dynamic between them to change just yet, not when it could distract them with their busy workload in becoming new Gym Leaders.

Someday, I'll tell him. For sure.

While taking a break after a meeting he had to participate in regarding his Gym Leader duties, Wally received a Pokégear call from his friend.

"Wally, are you free this weekend?" Charmaine eagerly asked, "I plan to do some jungle trekking in a forest I just discovered in a route nearby Fortree. Let's go together!"

Wally knew his asthma was at risk, but did not want to disappoint his friend, who treated jungle trekking as one of her diehard hobbies.

"Sure, I'll be there."

"Sounds like a plan!" Charmaine said, "I'll see you soon, then!"

The day quickly came, and they met up at the entrance of the forest, located in a more secluded area in Route 119. Charmaine's eyes were sparkling as she said, "Let's head in, Wally!"

"W-Wait, Charmaine…" Wally knew he should have at least informed her about his condition from the very beginning, but better late than never, "I have asthma, so I can't do too vigorous activities. I really wanted to join you on this trip, though."

Wally was scared his friend would judge him on speaking out that late due to his own hesitation, but by Charmaine's nature, it was obvious that she did not do that.

"...Thanks for telling me this, Wally." Charmaine reassured her friend, "If you still want to follow along, we can take this jungle trekking trip slower. I prefer thoroughly observing the scenery around me, anyway!"

"If you don't mind, Charmaine." Wally nodded.

And that they did. It was obvious that Charmaine slowed down her usual pace for her dear friend to feel comfortable throughout the trip, but she did not mind a little bit. She was glad she could share her love towards her long time hobby with someone she cherished.

It was the same for Wally. Wally was able to enjoy himself looking around, while the amount of exercise required was fine enough for him to not have to worry about his asthma condition. Seeing Charmaine's eyes sparkling with joy as she talked about every plant that looked just a little more unique than the others brought a wide smile to his face that he found it hard to remove throughout the trip.

He always liked that about her. Being so passionate in doing the things she loved, be it Pokémon battling or her hobbies, like gardening and jungle trekking.

After a few hours, they eventually reached the top of the forest, which revealed a beautiful scenery that featured Fortree City, which looked so tiny from up above, surrounded by tall green trees and crystal clear rivers.

Charmaine's joyful smile remained as she opened her arms to welcome the cool breeze towards her while enjoying the sights she was witnessing. She then looked towards Wally and said, "Not bad, eh?"

"Yeah, it's pretty good." Wally chuckled, "I'm glad you invited me here."

"Of course! I never disappoint." She said with a boastful look on her face, which made Wally let out a soft laugh.

After enjoying the scenery for a while, Wally wanted to head down earlier due to him feeling the effects of the thinner air in the higher altitude. Charmaine then asked, "You know the way back, right?"

"Roughly." Wally replied as he took out a Pokéball, sending out his Gallade, Blade, "Don't worry. If anything happens, I have Blade with me."

"Alright then!" Charmaine smiled, "If you need any help, just call me on my Pokégear."

Wally replied with an "OK" sign before he started walking down together with Blade in case any trouble or misdirection happened.

After a while, Charmaine was satisfied enough and decided to do the same as Wally earlier. However, due to it raining the day before, the ground was slightly slippery than she had hoped for. Even though she was mostly careful in her footing, one misstep was all it took for her to accidentally slip and unfortunately, fell into a somewhat deep hole right after. She tried calling Wally for help, but the signal in the forest was weak, resulting in an unsuccessful call attempt.

On the other side, Wally and Blade were able to head down the forest safely, and the Trainer became more and more worried after not hearing from his friend for a while.

"Blade, let's head back in to find Charmaine." Wally suggested, which Blade immediately accepted.

Wally's pace quickened trying to search for his friend, ignoring his own condition despite his Pokémon grabbing his arm multiple times in protest. He could only hope that she was still at the top longer than he expected.

However, that was obviously not the case, as after walking back up into the forest for a while, a weak yell caught his attention, as he instantly recognized Charmaine's voice. His usual composure was starting to break apart as he started running around the forest as fast as he could in an attempt to track his friend, his Gallade following right behind him, concerned about Wally's condition.

Eventually, he was able to notice the hole at the side of the path and see the female Trainer in there, "Charmaine, are you okay?!"

"Wally!" Charmaine said, relieved that her friend arrived to help, "I-I think I broke my ankle. I can't get out of the hole on my own."

"Blade and I will help you out of there right away-" His sentence was cut off by a sudden pain felt in his chest, as Wally's face was immediately covered with cold sweat as he kneeled onto the ground out of his own will and started gasping for air.

Charmaine, who noticed Wally's change in condition, immediately became worried, "W-Wally?"

Wally tried searching through his pockets, but realized he lost his inhaler during the desperate search he just had. Blade, noticing the severity of the situation, let out a few cries as if he was trying to communicate with his Trainer, before starting to run downwards along the path, leaving the two alone temporarily.

"H-He's probably looking for help right now…" Wally struggled as he said, "Y-You'll be fine soon, Charmaine."

"What about you?!" Charmaine asked, as tears started forming in her eyes. At that point, she was more worried about her crush, who looked to be in even more danger than her.

Charmaine then tried encouraging Wally to stay conscious from down below by blabbering a bunch of empty sentences to capture the boy's attention, but time passed, and the situation looked more and more hopeless.

Guilt started hitting the poor girl as she could not help but started apologizing to Wally, "I-I'm sorry, Wally… If I didn't stay behind for longer, if I was more careful, you would've…"

Wally garnered all his energy to shake his head lightly before saying, "D-Don't be, Charmaine. I-I'm glad… I got to see you so h-happy."

He then struggled in his next sentence as he continued lying on the ground, "...I-I know it's not really a good t-timing to say this… but i-if I manage to survive t-this, let's be t-together, Charmaine."

Charmaine was stunned for a moment, but then, she quickly forced a smile amidst the tears in her eyes and said, "You'll survive this, Wally. You must survive this. We still have our Gym Leader duties to fulfill soon, after all."

Wally could not let out a reply, as his vision was turning heavier, and the last thing he could feel was a flashlight shining towards him, and a deep feminine voice followed shortly after.

Wally woke up in a blue bed, the scene all the familiar to him from his visits to the hospital when he was a kid.

...Looks like I survived, huh.

Apparently, Winona, the Fortree Gym Leader, who recognized Blade (since at the time, there were not many Trainers with a Gallade as their Pokémon in Hoenn), followed the Psychic and Fighting type before finding the two Trainers at the scene. She then rescued them and took them to a small hospital in the city she managed.

Charmaine only suffered minor injuries from the fall, which were cured after days. She was beside him in the hospital bed when he woke up as she immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"I knew you would survive. You love Pokémon battling way too much, after all."

"Perhaps." Wally let out a weak chuckle.

After a few weeks, Wally was discharged from the hospital and returned to his Gym Leader preparations, the date of opening his new Gym in Lilycove nearing day after day. As for the relationship between him and Charmaine, things stayed the same between them for a while, but with a hint of added awkwardness between them.

Charmaine obviously did not forget about what Wally said back in the forest, but she thought Wally forgot about them during his weak state of mind. As such, she was not going to bring it up to him before things get even more awkward.

Until one day, Wally called her to head over to Verdanturf Town, the beautiful town that always held a special place in the frail boy's heart.

When Charmaine arrived at her destination, the beautiful flowers and sceneries of the small town impressed her as always. But none of those were comparable to the surprise Wally was about to give her.

Wally kept his confession brief and simple: he first handed Charmaine a bouquet of flowers he recently bought from the Verdanturf Flower Shop, which his friend dumbfoundedly accepted.

The green-haired teenager then said, "I like you, Charmaine. I like how strong of a person you are, all while being kind to others and caring about them so much, perhaps even more than yourself sometimes. I also like how you're sparkling doing the things that you love."

He then looked away briefly with a blush on his face, "I-I don't want you to feel obliged to accept my confession… just because of the stupid promise I suggested back in the forest there. I want you to accept it only because you feel the same."

Charmaine simply let out a soft laugh before approaching Wally to give him a gentle embrace, "So you remember all along, after all. You're so silly, Wally."

Wally sheepishly chuckled, but Charmaine's warm smile remained as she said, "It's okay, Wally. I like you too."

A mix of emotions enveloped Wally; happiness, relief, surprise. Eventually, Wally accepted the fact that his feelings were reciprocated.

"I'm glad. Let's go out, Charmaine."

"Yeah."

Back to the present…

"This might sound really cliché, but I'm glad your sister entered my life." Wally smiled, "Even though she's always so much more outgoing and strong compared to me, I hope to support her from the back with everything I got."

"...You probably already are, from the very beginning." I replied, "From your story, it seemed that you were part of the reason she was able to hold on to her goals, all while my family and I weren't there for her. Thank you for that, Wally."

"She always told me that too, actually. Guess like sister, like brother, huh." Wally chuckled, "I'll take you on that, then. I just hope I can continue becoming someone she can rely on in the future."

"I'm sure you will!" I chirped, before the entrance door of the Gym suddenly opened, revealing my sister returning from her jungle trekking plans.

"E-Eh?" Wally was surprised, "I thought your jungle trekking trip would be longer than this."

"My jungle trekking trip is unfortunately cancelled for today!" Charmaine sighed, "When I reached the place, there was a notice saying that the forest is currently temporarily closed off due to an outbreak of Mightyenas yesterday."

"That's a shame." I said.

"It's alright, I'll just return there next time I visit Lilycove." Charmaine said, "And perhaps, you can come with me for the next trip, Wally."

"I thought you'd still be concerned after what happened to me before, Charmaine." Wally lightly poked his girlfriend's cheek with his finger.

"Of course I'm still worried!" Charmaine pouted, "...Which is why this time, I'm going to walk alongside you every moment possible. I'm not going to overwork you, nor I'm going to let you off my sights."

"...I look forward to it, then." Wally smiled.

Seeing the two smiling at each other, I could only wish that the happy times remain between them for many years to come.

...They really do make a good pair together.

Lows' Pokémon Team:

Surfer (Blastoise, Male), Jolly Nature

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Surf, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Iron Defense

Ziggs (Linoone, Male), Naive Nature

Ability: Quick Feet

Moves: Dig, Iron Tail, Protect, Facade

Grace (Kirlia, Female), Calm Nature

Ability: Synchronize

Moves: Calm Mind, Magical Leaf, Shadow Ball, Psybeam

Woody (Grovyle, Male), Lonely Nature

Ability: Overgrow

Moves: Agility, Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, Rock Tomb

Power (Machoke, Male), Timid Nature

Ability: Guts

Moves: Rock Tomb, Scary Face, Submission, Seismic Toss

Shadow (Absol, Female), Quiet Nature

Ability: Super Luck

Moves: Payback, Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Protect