ahs and lillie chapter1-7

Chapter 1

"Come on Lillie, you can do it!" Ash cheered her on, as she inched closer towards Pikachu. Lillie slowly moved her hands closer to the electric mouse. But once she got within a few inches she felt her body take control and forced her away in fear. 1

"I-I'm sorry!" She crouched in fear facing away from everyone else. She whimpered in fear until Ash walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, we just need to keep trying." He consoled, "I've had plenty of failures and tough challenges to overcome. I believe in you." 4

"Miss Lillie." Hobbs called for Lillie. "Miss it's almost time for dinner." This revelation pointed Ash to realize how late it had gotten.

"Oh man! I didn't know how long I've been here!" He said, "I'm going to miss dinner at this rate!" He looked down in disappointment as his stomach growled loudly. Lillie giggled at his misfortune.

"If you'd like, you can have dinner with us." She asked. "We would love to spend more time with you."

"Really! Wow, thanks."

"Of course, you have been spending this past week trying to help Lillie touch Pokemon that aren't her Vulpix. It's the least we could do to repay the favor."

"Woah!" Rotomdex suddenly screamed out. "Alola Detective Raki will be on in 21 minutes and 39 seconds!" His screen flashed to show the time remaining.

"I thought you had it set to recorded. Or is this because you're such a big fan that you need to watch it both live and recorded?" Ash responded sarcastically. Knowing that Rotomdex never watched the recording after using that excuse to ditch him before.

"Well if you must know, it's a two-parter and I promised the professor that we'd watch it live together."

"Well if you'd like, you can go home now if it's-" Before Ash had the chance to finish his sentence, Rotomdex rushed out of the room.

"Thanks!" He said just as he exited, leaving Ash dumbfounded. After that moment, the trio may make their way to the dining room, a spacious area with a long dining table for Lillie and all of the staff. It had already been set with many of the staff sitting conversing. Hobbs was introduced as a dinner guest and he was very much welcomed to the table. Ash and Lillie sat next to each other, while the rest of the staff held conversation with each other, Ash could tell that something was getting Lillie down.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked. "Lillie?" He inquired when she didn't seem to respond.

"Huh? Oh sorry." She was broken from her thoughts. "I'm just worried, that I won't ever be able to touch Pokemon like you or any of the others." 2

"I already told you, don't worry about it. I'll make sure that you'll be touching all the Pokemon you want. It's a promise!" 2

"Really?"

"Yes really. When I make a promise, I never break them. Besides, I've seen how much you know about Pokemon. And how can you forget how when Vulpix needed you the most you risked your own well-being for her." Lillie lightened up. Feeling much better after his words of encouragement. 6

"I guess I did." She blushed, looking away from Ash to hide her embarrassment.

"Dinner's ready!" The chef called out, as the rest of the staff that had not been at the table brought out the food. It smelt wonderful as the aroma filled the room. They had also carried out a large bowl of Poke Food for Ash's Pokemon to eat from, as each one ran out to where it was placed. Ash ravenously ate through his food, after being stared for what felt like days to him. Lillie being more reserved took her time savoring each bite. Dinner went through without much event, as the pair continued talking about things such as Pokemon, school, and their classmates. Not too long after, they were finished with dinner, almost not noticing how late it had become. +

"I assume the young master here needs to be going now." Hobbs interrupted their conversation. "If you'd like, we may pull up a ride for you."

"Really! Thanks" Ash answered. He went to go get his backpack from Lillie's room.

"After you say your goodbyes" Hobbs turned his attention to Lillie. "We have have you bath and pajama ready for you, as soon as you are as well."

"Thank you." She politely nodded. She met Ash at the front door. "Thanks for being here again. I really am grateful for your help."

"It's no problem, I promise that one day we'll get you over your fear of touching Pokemon!"

"Pika-Pi!" Pikachu added in excitement.

"Yes, you're right!" Lillie felt a rush of excitement course through her veins. After he left, Lillie made her way to the bath, to get ready for the night. Thoughts of her time with Ash so far from when they first met ran through her head. She liked that they spent so much time together, that he was so helpful for her trying to move past her fear. She felt hope, believing his words that she'll be able to touch Pokemon without fear. Yet another feeling was also creeping up. "I can't wait for that day to come." She said to herself. "But when it does. Does that mean that Ash won't spend so much time here?" She frowned, placing her hand over her chest, as she felt her heart skip a beat over that realization

Chapter 2

"And that will be all for today's class." In class, the group was finishing up their lesson for the day. As Ash was packing up his backpack, Lillie approached him.

"Are you going to be coming over again Ash?" she asked

"Ah, sorry, but I promised Kiawe I'd help him on the farm today. Once that, we're going to do some training!" He answered, as everyone grouped up, with their Pokemon running out and having fun.

"Yeah, but I've noticed that you and Ash have been spending a lot of time lately." said Kiawe. "What have you been doing?" Before either could answer, Togedemaru in her excitement bounced around, landing on Lillie's hat. This caused her to yelp and completely freeze up.

"We're working on that." Ash said with a laugh. "Too bad that no matter what I think of it seems to be making any progress." Everyone else joined in the laughing except Lillie.

"I too can touch Pokemon, if I put my mind to it!"

"Of course you can." Mallow responded. "Look at you and Shiron. The two of you are so close." The Alolan Vulpix purred at Lillie and was picked up by her trainer.

"Yes, you're right." She gave it a pet. "And I promise that I'll be able to touch every Pokemon in the whole world!" 3

"That's the spirit Lillie!" Ash said with much enthusiasm.

"That's great," Kiawe joined in. "But Ash, we should get going. More time we spend here, the longer it'll take to finish the round and the less time we'll have to train."

"Of course! See you later!" They bid their farewells and headed out the door.

"I guess I'll be going home then too." Before she was able to leave on her own, Mallow grabbed her arm.

"Wait, Lillie, I have a little time before I need to help out at the restaurant." By this time, Lana and Sophocles had already left. Lillie and Mallow were the only two in the classroom with their Pokemon. "You should come with me to do some shopping. I heard there's new stock at the store."

"Really? Well ok then, just let me tell the driver that I'll have them pick me up later." After Lillie had taken care of her affairs. The pair went on their way to the town. It was bustling with people as they were doing their usual activities. As they passed the marketplace, they could smell the wonderful aromas filling their noses. This also led Mallow's Steenee to let off it's own scent. "Your Steenee really has such a wonderful smell." Lillie complemented her. "I read that the better the smell, the closer the bond between the Pokemon and its trainer."

"Aw!" Mallow blushed, "The two of us have been together for so long, I don't even know how long it's been."

"Ste~!" Her Pokemon sounded out to her, pleased.

"Of course this comes as no surprise. Isn't that right?"

"Steenee~!"

"It looks like you've gotten really close to Vulpix as well! You haven't even put her down since we've gotten here." She was right. Lillie almost always carried her Vulpix any time she was out. "But shouldn't you let it walk around sometime? I believe you're the one that told me Pokemon need to be able to get exercise fairly often."

"Of course, you're right." She put Vulpix down. "Sorry it's just that I want to make sure it's safe every time we go out."

"It's no problem. Look! There's the store." They walked through the door and went straight to the new section. It was mostly stocked with necklaces, Pokemon plushies, and some books. "I guess there's less cool stuff than I was expecting." Mallow sighed.

"I think some of it is nice" Lillie scanned over some of the books, as some of it had facts and info on Pokemon that were not native to the region. Over at the necklaces, she noticed one with a Z.

"Going to get that for your boyfriend?" Mallow coyly came up from behind when she noticed where Lillie's attention had been placed.

"B-b-boyfriend!?" She recoiled back, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh please! I'm obviously talking about Ash!" Mallow teased her. "You've spent more time with him than me ever since he's joined the Pokemon school. Don't think I haven't noticed." 1

"W-well he's just been really nice a-a offering to help me, but of course he's not my boyfriend!" Lillie, flustered and her face burning redder than the sun, tried to maintain her composer." I mean he's my friend, and he happens to be a boy. But that's not how it works!"

"Really then? Then I guess that necklace you've been staring at is for you then." Knowing Lillie for as long as she had, Mallow enjoyed teasing her over small things. But this time, she felt that there might have been a hint of truth to those statements.

"Well..." Lillie paused, trying to choose her next words carefully. "I mean do you think he might like it?"

"Gee, you sure are worried about getting a gift for your 'not-boyfriend'." She responded with a sarcastic tone. "But if you want my opinion, I'm sure he'd love it!"

"I'm only getting it because he's been trying so hard to help me. I should repay him somehow." She picked up the necklace from the stand and took a closer look at it. The golden necklace glimmered from the blazing sunlight, giving off an entrancing glow. "Yeah, I think I get this for him."

"Yeah an-Oh no! I just lost track of the time! I need to hurry to the restaurant or I'm going to be late." Mallow started running out of the store, with barely any time to bid farewell to her friend. "I see you in class!"

"I see you then as well!" Lillie shouted back. She took another look at the necklace and went to the register to go and purchase it. Once she had the gift wrapped, she made her way outside and saw as she still had some time. She decided to mall and grab something to eat.

By the time she had gotten there, the lunch rush had just ended and the food court appeared largely empty with the people remaining about to finish and leave. Lillie was fine with this, she preferred it when there were less people. It's not because she had any issue with people, but as a child, she always loved learning about Pokemon that she never gained that many social skills. It also did not help that she lived on the estate for as long as she did. But before she found a place to sit, she saw her teacher walking with some bags. "Professor!" She called out.

"Oh hey!" He saw here and began to make his way to her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. Any special occasions?"

"No." She shook her head, "I was just shopping a little earlier with Mallow."

"Ah I see. I remember when you first came here. She was the first person to proclaim that the two of you were friends."

"Yes, I was too shy to talk to anyone. It was so embarrassing when she did that." Lillie remembered her first day at Pokemon school. She wasn't quite sure how to fit in with everyone else. She was so frightened when Mallow essentially forced them to be friends, but she was very grateful for it. If she hadn't done that, then Lillie wouldn't have met Lana, Sophocles, or Kiawe.

"I've noticed that you've spent a lot of time with Ash as well," Kukui added. "Even to the point he didn't even get back home for dinner." He noticed something else that Lillie was holding that she did not usually have. "Lillie, what in the bag?" 6

"Hmm? Oh! This is a gift that I got for Ash. As a sign of thanks for what he's done." Lillie did not feel as shy about this as she did when Mallow was talking to her.

"Really, well then. Why don't you come over and have dinner with us then."

"Huh?

"I'm trying out a new recipe and it's the least I can do for you after you treated Ash to some dinner as well. According to him it was some of the finest food he's ever had, and well I can't just be out staged like that. You can even give him his gift then."

"Well ok, but then I need to call the Hobbs that I'll be late then."

"It's not a problem, you can use my phone here. I have all of your family's numbers in case something bad happens to one of you guys."

"Thank you." Lillie took the phone and called the residence. Once she explained her plans to them and was granted permission, she returned the phone.

"Great! Now let's head over now, Ash should be about almost home by now." Lillie nodded and followed the professor as they made their way to his place.

Chapter 3

Welcome to my abode!" Kukui welcomed the young girl to the place where he and Ash called home. "Not much, but I promise that I'll make up for it with this meal." He went into the kitchen and set out the ingredients for dinner. "The two of you have been spending a lot of time together." He inquired. "I know he's been trying his best to help you get over your fear of touching other Pokemon, but that can't be all you're doing."

"Of course not!" Lillie answered. "There's been some days where we'll forget why he's even over in the first place." On days such as those, the two would exchange stories about their lives before Ash's arrival to Melemele Island. She learned of his many adventures across the many regions in the world, even some she had never heard of. She also told him a few things about her family and of some of the many things that had happened in the Alola region. At this point, she would be certain that she knew more about Ash than anyone else in the class, even more than the professor.

"I see, well maybe there might be some embarrassing secrets of his that you wouldn't mind sharing?" He laughed, but Lillie shook her head.

"Sorry, but there's nothing that he's said that sounds like it."

"Hello! I'm home!" A voice rang out as Ash walked through the door. He was surprised at the sight of Lillie. "Whoa! I wasn't expecting to see you here?"

"Well I ran into her while shopping earlier today." Kukui answered for her. "After she was so kind to treat you to dinner, I figured it would be best to repay the favor."

"Ok, that sounds great!" He ran up to his room to put down his backpack, ushering out Rowlet from his slumber. "Rowlet, wake up. We have visitors, so be on your best behavior."

"~Kuu" The Pokemon groggily responded. Once he got his bearings, he perched himself on Ash's shoulder. The rest of his Pokemon stood by each other, giving out their noises.

"Alright, not let's eat!" He made his way downstairs to the table, where Lillie was waiting with her Vulpix. Just in time as well, as Kukui came to the table with plates for the two of them, placing them down in front of them, going back for his own plate.

"This looks really good." Lillie said polity. "I'm sure it'll taste just as good." Their Pokemon had their own bowl filled to the brim with Poke Food. Ash however, did not have the same patience as the rest and started to dig in.

"Yum!" With his mouth full, he chowed down on the meal. "I think this is your best meal yet!"

"Thanks Ash. What do you think Lillie?"

"I think this is quite fine. Maybe even better than what their staff has ever made." She took her time compared to her friend. "Just don't tell them" She jokingly whispered. 1

"Ahh." before they knew it, Ash was already finished with his meal. "Professor, thank you for the meal."

"No problem." Like with Mallow before, Kukui has had his own suspicions about the relationship between the two. But also like her, he likes to play around with his students.

"So Ash?" He began, "Speaking of good cooking, I'd love to find me a woman that knew her way around a ladle. What about you?" Lillie didn't understand why this type of question would come up.

"Umm." He thought about it. "Well I've met some girls that were terrible cooks." He paused, but Lillie knew enough to finish for him.

"Of course! Like Misty and May right? I remember you telling me that you nearly died trying their food." 4

"Yeah!" They laughed, "I'm really glad Brock was around, he was great!" He stopped to try to come up with more ideas, coming to remember one. "Well I guess Serena counts, but only if you count baking."

"Oh really?" Kukui inquired. "What types of treats did she make?"

"Oh some of the best!" He exclaimed. "I remember one time where she made these great cookies!"

"Serena?" Lillie interjected. "She was the one you traveled through the Kalos region with."

"Yep! I had a lot of fun with her, Clemont, and Bonnie."

"Oh really then." Kukui added. "What did you think of her? If you know what I mean."

"Professor, I think this is really appropriate!" Lillie raised her voice more than she intended. She could feel her body heating up, but did not know why. She may have felt that it might have been unfair to Ash, but yet a part of her didn't want to know the answer."

"It's fine, Lillie." Ash tried to relax her, he didn't mind the conversation. "She was so nice, we almost never fought, unlike the other girls." As he continued to mention the good traits about her, Lillie felt a strange feeling that she never felt before. Hearing this praise may her wonder, what did Ash feel about her? "... and she even kissed me!" 2

"What!" Lillie yelled out without meaning to. Ash looked at her confused, Kukui smirked, now knowing what he had been looking for. Realizing how awkward she had made things, she tried to play it off. "I mean, wow I'm surprised to hear that."

"Are you telling me that Ash couldn't get himself a girlfriend." Kukui playfully asked. 3

"No! Of course not. Ash has plenty of things that girls love!" She blushed, realizing that she didn't want to make it seem as though she liked him. "I-I mean it's not like I think that way about him, just that other girls might find it endearing!" In this moment, closing her eyes, she felt like sinking down into an abyss.

"Thanks!" She opened her eyes and looked at Ash. "That's really nice of you to say." She blushed, not saying a word back.

"Of course, I didn't mean to imply that people wouldn't like Ash." Kukui added in. "That said, it's getting late so Lillie, maybe you should call for a ride."

"Yes, you're right." She called for her ride, which would take about 10 minutes to arrive. She was surprised to see how late it was getting. But while waiting, she felt something in the back of her mind. It was bothering her more than she thought it should've been. "Ash?"

"Hmm?"

"That kiss..."

"Ohh, yeah what about it?" He was confused for why she would be bringing it up.

"Did it mean anything to you. I mean, does Serena mean anything to you?" Her body warmed up again. In her mind, she couldn't believe that she would say anything like that. Yet at the same time, she so badly wanted to know the truth now.

"Well it wasn't the first time I've been kissed like that." She was bewildered, is he really that much of a ladies man? "I've had a Pokemon done once." Or maybe his definition of a kiss is different from everyone's. "Except she was a human when she did it." At this point she completely lost him. 3

"Well what about her. Serena?"

"I never even knew she liked me like that until the moment she kissed me. That was the last thing we did before we left on our separate paths."

"What if she told you before that, like during your travels?"

"I'm not sure." He paused to ponder this question. "Maybe things would be a lot different." This statement shot right through Lillie's heart. For some reason that she didn't understand, this made her feel bad. "But I'm not too worried about what ifs. I'm just really glad I've gotten to meet you and everyone else at the Pokemon school!"

"Right of course." Lillie saw out the windows, the lights from her ride. "Well it looks like it's time for me to go." But before she walked out, she remembered the reason for her visit. "Oh! I nearly forgot. Here Ash" She pulled out the gifted box from her bag. "I got this for you when I was out shopping with Mallow."

"Wow really!" She gave him the box and he quickly ripped open the wrapping. Inside was the Z necklace that she bought. "Wow this looks so awesome! He put on the necklace, "Well what do you think?"

"I think it looks great on you." She answered. "It really is time for me to go, bye everyone!" Everyone responded with their goodbyes and she walked out the door and into the car.

"I take it you had a good time, miss?" The driver asked.

"Yes." She said. "I had a great time." But before the vehicle started up, she heard a bump on the window. It was Ash, she rolled down the window.

"Sorry! But I almost forgot this." He handed her a medallion with a Vulpix marked on the center. "Kiawe told me I should get you this. See it's got an Alolan Vulpix on it, like Shiron!" She took it, admiring the craftsmanship.

"Wow, Ash thank you." She gave her Vulpix a closer look at it, where it gave a cry of approval. "It's really wonderful."

"Yep, well then I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow!"

"Right, see you!" He started to walk back into the house as she rolled up her windows. She looked again at the medallion, holding it close to her chest. "It really is." She said warmly.

Chapter 4

Without school the next day, Ash was staying out late on the beach to train even more. "Alright! Litten, use fire fang! Rockruff, Bite!" He shouted commands to his Pokemon. The two charged at each other, with Litten's fanged fired up, he attempted to hit the other. Rockruff dodged by jumping over the attack. Now behind he got Litten with a powerful bite. Taking a lot of damage, Ash called it out in exchange for Rowlet. "Now Rowlet, use Leafage! Rockruff counters it with a rock throw!" The attacks went out and met each other in the middle. Causing sand to blast all over the battlefield. Using that as a cover, Rowlet quickly appeared behind Rockruff and before it could react, hit it with a power kick from its legs. The puppy Pokemon was knocked back several meters towards his trainer. "You did a good job" Ash picked him up, "Take a good rest."

"It seems like Rockruff isn't the only one that needs to rest. Professor Kukui came in with water for Ash and his Pokemon. "I know there isn't any school tomorrow, but you should still get some sleep." He tossed a bottle to him.

"I know, I'm just training to get some training now so I don't have to in the morning."

"Really? That's strange, you normally make sure you're up early for training. Don't tell me you're getting lazy on me now."

"Of course not!" Ash replied. "I'm going to be with Lillie, she asked if we could go to a secret place, but she wouldn't tell me." This piqued Kukui's curiosity.

"A secret place huh? Sounds like the perfect place for you two lovebirds." He said in a teasing manner.

"Oh it's nothing like that. She told me that it's a place that has a lot of Pokemon, maybe we might be able to help her get over her fear by touching them there."

"Really?" He had a devilish grin on his face. "Maybe she's just looking for an excuse to get the two of you alone."

"We won't be alone. I got Pikachu, and she has her Vulpix." Ash completely missed the point on what the professor meant. 3

He really is naive! He thought to himself. I feel bad for that Serena girl that traveled with him then. "Well I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun tomorrow, but if you oversleep you'll be late." 12

"Ok professor. Alright everyone, let's head in for the night." He walked with his Pokemon into the house to get changed and go to bed for the night. Rotom was already sleeping as he was watching tv with Kukui earlier. After getting changed, he laid down on the couch, being so exhausted he was out the moment his head hit the pillow. Elsewhere, Lillie was laying in bed, struggling to fall asleep.

It's already so late! She despaired, Why can't I just fall asleep? In truth, she knew exactly why she could fall asleep. Her Vulpix had already fallen asleep and no amount of tossing and turning from her would wake it. I don't know why it was so hard to ask him. I mean I invite him over here all the time. Lillie was lucky with how dense Ash could be some time, when she asked him, after class, to hang out. If it had been any other person, they would've noticed the stress in her voice, the stuttering and unease of her body. His Pokemon certainly could tell when they gave her strange looks. Yet he did not seem to notice. Or maybe he simply did not want to embarrass her.

Oh why! Why am I acting so strange around him! Things were so normal before, when we first met. And that was when we were pretty much strangers. This was no lie. She always felt more comfortable with him, enjoying the company he provided. This is all Mallow's and the professor's fault. Their teasing is putting weird thoughts in my head. Yeah, that's why. I don't like Ash, we're just friends. While true, the two put more attention to what she was thinking. This was not something new to her. She thought back to when Ash stayed for dinner when he had stayed too long at her place. Remembering what she felt when she had finally left for home.

No. No, I'm just lying to myself now. I can't blame them for something that I've felt for a while now. That night, she had a dream. One that she would have rather forgotten. Hearing Ash tell her stories about his many adventures also showed her something that stayed rather consistent for him. When he was done, he also left his friends, to continue on his journey. And either never saw them again, or maybe once or twice thereafter. She dreamt of his time at the Pokemon school ending, and saying goodbye. Was that going to be the end for her too? Was she going to be another chapter in his journey, ending when he entered into a new one. 2

I don't want that. She thought. But what about if, no when I get over my fear. Does that mean less time together? She felt her eyes well up, her heart skipping a beat. I don't want that at all. She closed her eyes, calming herself. I don't think I like him like that. But I feel some things that I've never felt before. I need to know for sure about... She pulled herself to sleep before finishing her thought. When she opened her eyes, sunlight was filling the room. Hobbs was knocking on the door.

"Miss, are you awake? I don't want you to be late for your date with your friend."

"It's not a date!" She yelled, before realizing that Hobbs simply referred to these meetings as dates with no romantic implication. "Sorry, I mean I'll be right out." With all that teasing, I forgot that he doesn't mean anything by that. She got out of bed to take a shower and change into her dress. When she was ready to walk out the door, she remembered what she was thinking of last night. Right! Today I make sure I know what I really think of him

Chapter 5

The pair entered into the forest after being dropped off by Lillie's limo. It was damp and somewhat shaded from the sun, making it appear dim within. Walking side by side, with Lillie slightly leading the way.

"So Ash..." She broke the silence. "What do you think of the Alola region?"

"It's great!" He exclaimed, "They're so many wonderful Pokemon here."

"What do you think of us? I mean the class and the professor?" She used the question as a means to also know what he thought of her.

"Well..." He paused to think. "You guys are a lot of fun." Was his answer. He continued to delve into the question. "Sophocles has so many cool gadgets. He reminds me of Clermont. Oh right! You don't know him, I traveled with him in the Kalos region."

"He must have been pretty nice if he went across an entire region with him."

"Yeah, and his inventions were the coolest. Oh!" He remembered what he was originally talking about. "Right, before I got distracted. There's Kiawe, I love training with him. He's always so passionate about Pokemon and getting stronger. Same with Lana, she's going to try to become the best with Popplio. We even have a plan to go fishing sometime later."

"Oh..." Lillie responded, feeling a bit jealous. "Like a date?"

"What's that?" He answered. 9

"Huh? You mean you don't know."

"I have no clue what you're talking about. Is it like going out to catch Pokemon?"

"N-no. It's" She felt shy trying to explain it to him. "It's when a boy and a girl go someplace together alone."

"Oh, so like what we're doing right now."

"That's not what I meant!" Her face flashed beet-red. She felt her body heat up instantly. "W-w-we're just two friends."

"Now you're just confusing me." Ash looked at her in bewilderment. "Wait, now I get it. It's romantic isn't it."

"Yeah, that's what I meant." Lillie caught her composure.

"Ok I understand now. You looked just like Lana when her sisters asked if I was her boyfriend." He laughed. "I guess girls can get a little embarrassed about these things, but I don't know why you'd get so flustered about something that isn't true."

"I guess you're right." After walking for a while in the forest, they finally reached a clearing, somewhat dim aside from one area where the sun shone through. In it was a small rock, just big enough for someone to sit on. As they continued inward, Ash admired the scenery.

"This place looks wonderful, How did you find someplace like this?" He asked.

"Well actually, this place holds one of my dearest memories." She began. She explained that as a kid, probably about five years ago, she had gotten separated from her mother and brother. For a five year old child, that was an extremely frightening experience. "I was so scared, I thought that I'd never see my family ever again."

"I can imagine so. What happened next?"

"Well, it was dark, and I remember sitting right here." She sat down on the rock. "Because it was the only place that was lit. From here, the rest of the forest seemed so threatening." As the young Lillie sat there, crying in fear, she noticed eyes peering out from the darkness. "I didn't know what it was, but I thought for certain that something bad was going to happen to me." She had braced herself in fear as the thing approached her, scared she closed her eyes. But all of a sudden, she simply heard a weak sound of a whimper. When she opened her eyes, Lillipup greeted her vision. It looked at her confusingly, wondering why she was so scared. "Looking back, I don't even know why I was so scared." She laughed.

"Lillipup? Wait, was that the same one from the photo?" She nodded.

"Yes. That Pokemon kept me company while I waited for my family to find me. I almost forgot I was even lost in the first place." She stopped, her smile wiped off her face. "I wish it could still be like that."

"Lillie?" Ash asked, concerned over her change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"Oh Ash, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get sad. It's just that, I love Pokemon. But I can't even get close to them anymore." Tears were flowing down her eyes. "Why? What's wrong with me!" Her voice rose, almost to the point of screaming.

"Lillie!" Ash grabbed her by the shoulders. "Lillie please." She stopped, looking him in the eye. He had a much more serious look now. But it only appeared for a moment, before he smiled at her. It calmed her, and she felt more at ease with him holding her. She looked down at snow, who was now rubbing up on her leg.

"Ash..."

"Listen, I know it's hard right now. But believe me, I know you can do it." He started. "Trying to be a Pokemon master hasn't been easy either." He went on to her detailing his journey thus far. How he had first met Pikachu and his many victories across every region, as well as all of the bitter defeats.

"You've been in six league tournaments and only made runner up first? I think I'd get discouraged after just one."

"I'm not worried about the losses. And I've never finished outside of the top 16, which I've been told is good for the number of tournaments I've been in."

"But you never seem to have any problems with Pokemon. All of the ones you have love you so much and you return so much affection back."

"Believe me I've had plenty of problems with Pokemon."

"Really?" She was shocked to hear that he would even have any trouble with Pokemon.

"I've learned a lot, thanks to them though. Some of my strongest Pokemon gave me quite a bit of trouble, but I never gave up."

That is exactly what I like about you. She thought, then paused.

"Lillie?" Ash wondered why she now had a blank stare after being so talkative.

This is why what everything everyone's been talking about is true. This is why I'm in love with you.

"Lillie?"

Chapter 6

She couldn't believe it. It really was true. She was in love with Ash Ketchem, or at least had a crush on him. Lillie lay there in bed, uncertain of what to do next. A part of her didn't want to be, yet at the same time. She knew it was something that was true for quite some time. Even then, what now?

It's not like she could just tell him, right? It's not like he liked her in the same way. Even if that was the case, What would be next, they are only ten. Especially since he was only planning on staying until his time at the Pokemon school was finished. Then they'd have to say goodbye. She didn't want that. Him saying yes might be worse because of it.

"Oh Snowy, what should I do?" She asked her Pokemon. The little vulpix looked at her questionably. She wished that she could understand what it thought, if anything. She needed some advice from someone else, preferably one that she could understand. "I wonder who could be of help though..." She didn't want to tell her butler, he may overreact as he usually would. The boys probably would be much help either. They only seemed to ever care about tech or becoming stronger trainers. Maybe one of the girls? They never seemed to ever talk about boys, but that was probably her best chance.

"It sure was nice of you to invite me for lunch!" Mallow said, as she bit down on her meal. After some thinking, she decided to invite Mallow and confess her thoughts. She would have invited Lana as well, but the latter was going to be busy with a fishing trip. "Seems kind of sudden. What's your problem?"

"Ehh?! I can't have some friendly lunch with one of my closest friends!" Lillie felt kind of embarrassed that that was true.

"Relax, I'm just pulling your leg." She laughed. "Though with that reaction, you must really do have one."

"It's not funny." She blushed. Feeling hot in her dress. The hot day only being a minor contributor to it.

"Oh come on, I'm sure it's not that bad." Mallow didn't sound too concerned. Not one to blow things out of proportion.

"Ok fine, let's just say hypothetically speaking." She explained, hesitantly. Was this something she could admit? Maybe it might have been better to beat around the bush instead. "I have this friend."

"Yes?"

"And let's say that they like another one of their friends." Mallow thought that over. This wasn't something that she really thought about in her everyday life.

"If I'm getting this right, you have a crush on Ash."

"That's not what I said at all!" Not even attempting to hide her emotion. Any person would clearly see that it was the truth from her reaction.

"Come on, it's so obvious. You're the one with the problem here, and all you've done is hand out with Ash since he's gotten here."

"That's because he's been helping me with my problem."

"I see, I guess you must like the nice guys then."

"It's not just that. I mean of course I like that. But there's more than that." It wasn't easy to explain, but she knew for certain that she didn't feel that way the entire time. She didn't know when for sure, but it was there longer than she originally thought.

"Ooh, that sounds so romantic!" She said louder than what Lillie would have liked.

"Shh! Are you trying to tell the whole place?" She scanned the area to see if anyone else was listening in.

"What's the problem, it's not like this is something to be embarrassed about."

"Well how would you feel if you were in my place!" She was beginning to regret her decision to tell her. "Do you want people shouting out that fact?"

"Well to be honest, I think that if I felt that way. I'd probably already tell whoever I had a crush on."

"If only I had your confidence." She sighed.

"Don't worry about it. We all work in different ways." She understood her friend's ordeal, even if she couldn't relate. Though she was also aware that she may overreact to things at times.

"I just don't know what to do. I mean, I've never felt this way before. There's also so much that runs through my mind when I think about it." She explained everything that was keeping her up at night.

"I see, Well what do you want?"

"What?"

"I mean, do you want to tell him?"

"I'm not sure. I was hoping you'd tell me what to do." She looked confused. This wasn't what she was expecting.

"Maybe you don't want to tell him then."

"Why wouldn't I? I told you I liked him."

"Then you don't need me in the first place." She didn't understand. "You already know what you want to do. You just think you don't know because you're not confident of what's going to happen. All you need is someone to push you in the right direction!"

"Something tells me that I won't like what you're planning here." She glared at her friends grinning face.

Chapter 7

The following day after her lunch with Mallow, Lillie was wondering why her friend wanted to meet her in front of the shopping center. Like always, it was sunny in Alola. She silently thanked her hat for providing her with shade from the rays. The light breeze flowing also aided in fighting the heat. After making sure to be on time, Lillie was upset at Mallow's apparent tardiness.

"Lillie!" A voice called out. She looked around, unable to find who was calling out to her. The large number of people shopping made it difficult to pick any one person out. "Lillie!" It called out again, sounding much louder. At this point, she clearly knew whose voice that belonged to, but still the person eluded her. Then suddenly, she felt someone reach around her from behind, giving her quite the shock. It was Mallow, appearing very excited.

"Ahh! Get off!" She responded to the hug. Brushing her dress once that was done, she scolded her friend for being late.

"Sorry, I was making sure everything was perfect." Mallow tried to answer for her tardiness.

"You still haven't told me why you wanted to meet in the first place." They walked into the store, now that they were together. They stayed close to make sure they wouldn't be seperated, given the large crowd today.

"Ah ah ah, that's my secret."

"I mean, really a shopping mall. I'm pretty sure I have a good idea what you're planning." Waiting there gave her plenty of time to think up why Mallow would bring her here after telling her about her feelings for Ash.

"Oh I know what you're thinking, but I think you're going to be surprised." That smug look didn't fill her with confidence. What could be going on in her mind? Wouldn't take long for her to find out. Despite the fact that the place was so crowded, it was obvious that who they met next was no surprise.

"Lillie! Mallow! I didn't know you guys would be here too." Ash said to them when he and the professor ran into them.

"Yeah, we were just out to get some groceries." Kukui followed up. "We've got a lot of hungry mouths to feed lately." He mentioned quietly to them as Ash turned his attention elsewhere.

"Yeah, it's a surprise seeing you guys here too." Mallow replied, something that Lillie was confident that was a complete lie. This was too big of a coincidence to have just happened by chance.

"It's a surprise alright..." Lillie sarcastically responded to the two before her. "But I'm pretty sure that you two are in on something here." She told them outright. Knowing that they were scheming up a plan made her not look forward to what it was.

"You always were one of the smarter students I've had" Kukui commended her.

"Professor I'm not sure this is something that a teacher should be doing. This seems a little immature."

"Oh you'll understand when you get older, but I'm always there for my students." He answered. By now, Ash had returned to the group. "Ahh, Ash I need to discuss with Mallow about some things we need to pick up."

"Cool." Ash responded. "We'll have lots of fun."

"Actually you won't be with us." Mallow corrected, to his confusion. "You see, Lillie over here needs to get some shopping done herself." She grabbed her friend's shoulders.

"I do?" She looked at her having no clue what she meant.

"Yep, you have some new clothes you'll be needing. Don't you?" She hinted at her.

"I... guess?" She answered. This didn't seem like a good idea, nor did it sound like something that Ash would want to do either. He wasn't exactly excited when the girls forced him to shop with them a while back.

"Sure I'd love too!" He said enthusiastically, shocking her like a thunderbolt. To be honest, even the other two weren't entirely sure that their plan would work.

"Great! Then we'll see you two in about an hour." Kukui stated as he and Mallow zipped off to the market before Lillie could get a word in edgewise.

"Huh, they're acting weird." Ash commented in classic clueless fashion.

"Yeah..." Was all she could respond with. Her disappointment in them was at an all time high. But looking at Ash made her realize the situation, they were now on a 'shopping date'. She felt a tingle in her body at the thought. But she also didn't have a plan, she wasn't expecting to be doing this when she walked into the shopping center.

"Hey, if you're looking for new outfits. Why don't you try that store?" He pointed over a little down the way. It was an exclusively girls' clothing store that was advertising a sale.

"There? Are you sure?" She asked, thinking that he might feel out of place there.

"Why not? I'm not looking for anything, we're just shopping for you. Right?"

"Right..." She answered, unsure. Maybe it was the anxiousness that was making her more worried than usual. She took a calm breath and collected herself. Centering her thoughts. "Alright let's' go then." Yet once they started making their way there, her nervousness quickly returned, and it wasn't going to be easily contained.