chapter 13

Happy Valentine's Day, Lana lana watched as Ash produced a modest bouquet of flowers from behind him. The red and pink roses wrapped in shimmering pink paper were then handed to her.

"Oh, Ash..." she managed to say as she took the flowers, "that's very thoughtful of you."

Ash quickly went to rubbing the back of his neck. "So... I gotta ask... but will you perhaps... be my Valentine today?"

lana, with pale cheeks now red, beamed. "Of course... my Valentine."

She leaned forward and planted a little kiss on his cheek. The two then linked arms and walked out of the classroom, lana still as red as the flowers from her Valentine.

Ash, what are you doing?"

Ash took the sunhat off of lana's head and put it on his own. "I just need to take your hat for a second. I mean, it would be pretty hard to do this while you're wearing the hat."

Lana stifled a small giggle with her pale hand. "Ash, don't tease me like this!"

"But you're so cute when you're complaining!" the boy laughed. "C'mon, just give me a minute." He took a section of her bleach blonde hair and separated it into three different sections. Over and across, over and across, over and across.

The girl tried to crane her head back, but Ash set his other hand on her head. Lana tapped her foot on the ground and waited.

She heard mumbling behind her. "And... done! Whew, it's been a while since I've braided anything."

In less than a second, Lana's face set on fire. "You... you braid my hair, Ash?"

Ash took the hat off of his head and handed it to lana "Yep. But it's probably not that good... I'm a Pokemon Trainer, not a hair stylist."

"But Ash, anything done by you is really great to me. So I'll probably love it," she contradicted.

The boy set an arm around his classmate's shoulders. "Aw, you're just saying that."

Lana shook her head. "Nope. Really." She put her hat back onto her head and giggled. "Now, how about we go get some ice cream?"

In the Pokemon School, Ash and Lana were the only students left in the room. While Ash was kicking back in a chair, Lana was standing up and petting an Alolan Vulpix's head.

"Ash... I can't believe I can touch Shiron," she quietly whispered. "It's so soft..."

Ash stood up and gave a grin. "Alright, I love to see that you and Shiron are getting along!" He stopped next to her and started petting the Ice Type Pokemon. "So, now that you're a Pokemon Trainer, you wanna one day have a battle?"

Lana giggled and picked Shiron up. "Maybe one day... but right now, I'm just focused on getting to know the Pokemon I bonded with as an Egg. And I think it's working just fine."

"Awesome!" He grabbed her hand and smiled. "So, why don't we all head to Hau'oli City and get to know Shiron better?"

The girl nodded and adjusted her sunhat while she kept an arm around her Pokemon. "Sure!"

Without any more said, the two kids and the Pokemon ran out of the room. Ash and Lana watched as Shiron darted past them, and they laughed, hand in hand.

It was a sunny day in Alola like usual. However, it was a very hot day. To the fortune of the citizens of Alola, the region was covered in beaches. So that day, the beaches were packed, and two classmates were there as well.

Ash and Lana, in their swimwear, were running barefoot across the hot sand tossing an Ultra Ball patterned beach ball around. They were both laughing and giggling due to the catch game and the faces the other was making as their feet made contact with the burning sand. Luckily, they made it to the sands near the water where the water lapped, saving their feet (lana's covered in a thick layer of sunscreen for her pale skin) from any more pain.

"I'm surprised you've never been to any of Alola's beaches in your free time," Lana pointed out. "Hau'oli City's beach is probably the most popular, considering all the shops on the boardwalk. You want to do that today, Ash?"

Ash tore his attention away from lana as he felt the cool water creep close to his toes. "Yeah, we should do that! But first, how about a dip in the water? I don't know about you, but it's as hot as a Fire Type's Flamethrower out here!"

lana nodded. "Sure. If Shiron were here with me, it would be able to cool me off with a Powder Snow... but I guess the ocean will have to do." She took a step forward, but then drew back. "But... There are Pokemon swimming around in there. What if I touch one...?"

Before she could continue, a tanned hand grabbed her pale one. "Don't worry! With a friend by your side, there's nothing to be scared of."

"Ash..." She shook her head and put on her determined face and gripped the beach ball tighter. "You're right! With a friend supporting me, there's nothing to fear! On the count of three, let's go!"

Ash laughed and set his brown-eyed sight on the ocean. "Alright! One, two-"

"Three!" lana let go of Ash's hand and ran straight into the water. She gasped upon the sudden temperature change, but the shock was replaced by laughter. "C'mon, Ash! You're gonna melt if you keep standing in the sun!"

The Kantoian backed up and crouched down. "I'm on my way!" He gained a running start and also dashed into the water next to lana

Now with half their bodies in the water, the two continued their game of catch with the beach ball. Occasionally, lana would spot a Pokemon and in turn would freeze, but Ash was there to set a gentle hand on her shoulder and show her the beauty of the ocean when not freaking out about it. Sometimes, the two would submerge their heads underwater and see the Pokemon and coral reefs, something they would thank Lana for later: she was the one who gave them the goggles.

After a bit of swimming, the two stepped out of the water and wrapped adorable Pokemon-print towels around themselves and headed towards the boardwalk. There, they stopped at a cart with an umbrella. Lana handed the man behind the cart some money, and in return the two were handed a cone of ice cream each.

They rounded to a bench as the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, licking their ice cream. The sunset against a shimmering ocean was beautiful.

Lana felt an arm around her shoulder. She looked over to the person who had done so and cuddled a little closer to him. "So... did you have fun today, Ash?"

Ash gently rubbed her shoulder with a soft smile. "Yep. I always have fun with good friends... especially friends I really care about, like you.

It was a nice, warm day in Alola's Melemele Island. At the Pokemon School, all the students were out and about for lunch. Principal Samson Oak had let all the students have an open lunch so they could enjoy the day instead of being locked up in their classrooms.

Two students ran across the bridge that led out of the school's premises, lunch boxes in tow. Lana has Ash's hand in hers, guiding him towards a secluded picnic table along the route that Ash usually walked to school.

Surrounded by a grove of trees, they finally made it. The subtle amounts of moss growing on the wood didn't faze the two children as they sat down and opened the containers. Ash had brought a peanut butter and berry jelly sandwich, while lana had brought a little salad with some of her home's homemade macaroon sweets.

It wasn't long before Lana gave Ash a macaroon knowing him. After that, Ash returned the favor by giving lana half of the sandwich. And so began the great food sharing war, each Pokemon Trainer even sharing with their own Pokemon while giggles and laughter weren't far from the scene. It was a kind gesture between Pokemon and Trainer, and an even kinder one between the two classmates.

It was a nice day for a picnic and to spend time with friends.

As always, it was a nice day in the Alola region. The sky was blue, and lots of puffy white clouds dotted the sky. Every time a cloud passed over the sun it would give the Alolan people a bit of shade, but just looking at the clouds was relaxing despite the scorching sun.

Near the beach, two young Pokemon Trainers were lying down on the roof of a sturdy home. Professor Kukui had never caught Ash and Lana climbing up to the roof, so they were safe for now.

Lana, who had her sunhat placed atop her chest, pointed up. "Ash, look! Aren't the clouds pretty today?"

Ash also had his hat in the same position as Lana's, but his arms were behind his head in a relaxed pose. "Yeah. I always liked these kinds of clouds... they look like the wings of Swablu and really soft!"

The girl giggled at the analogy. "They do! Say... since these clouds are the ones that make lots of shapes, do you wanna help me find a few shapes?"

"Sure thing!" Ash responded. He squinted and focused on a lumpy cloud with two "arms" extending from a round base. "lana, what do you see?"

Lana turned to Ash with a grin. "I see a Rowlet! Maybe your Rowlet is as fluffy as a cloud!" She turned back to the sky and pointed to a circular cloud with two long ears. "I know what that is!"

Ash looked at the cloud and laughed. "Of course, that's a Pikachu's head!" He felt his face warm up as he pointed to a cloud with a pointed tip and two rounded lumps. "And that one...?"

"...it's a heart." Lana quietly moved her sunhat up to cover her mouth somewhat. "It's... fluffy."

Silence followed the whole time the cloud was in the sky, but Lille quietly squeaked as she felt a warm hand atop hers. She turned her head to the left, and there was Ash, smiling at her in that gentle and warm way.

"Fluffy..." He quietly chuckled. "Yeah. I think it looks fluffy too."

Hand in hand, the two watched the heart-shaped cloud drift away and deform. Even after, they still remained hand in hand.

Lana's own heart was like the cloud: fluffy-feeling, because of the person she saw the cloud with.

AureliaShipping Drabbles and Short Stories

Written by SkittleBoxx

Studying

It was finally time for the part of the year every student dreaded: the end of the year when all the big tests came around. It seemed like everyone carried their huge study guides with test material while school was in session.

That ledTV to some late-night studying as well.

In Kukui's home, Ash simply smiled as he ran his tanned fingers through Lana's blonde hair. Her head was laying gently on his lap, all drained from reading the book in front of the two when they studied together.

It was a clear night in Alola. It was the time of day where everyone was asleep, tucked in and dreaming. However, not everyone shared that notion.

In Kukui's home, there was a light still on. Two kids sat in the loft, the bright glow of a small TV slicing the darkness. Both sat snuggled in a blanket, lana eating popcorn kernels in suspense of the horror movie that played. Ash was fixated on the screen, one arm around Lana's shoulders.

On the screen, a jumpscare appeared. lana let out a tiny squeal, the bowl of popcorn clashing on the floor. She grabbed Ash's arm as she leaned against him while making terrified little whimpers.

Ash turned his eyes away from the screen and rubbed a hand over Lana's back. He instantly felt her tense muscles relax.

"...if something scary happens during the night, will you protect me?" the girl quietly asked.

"Of course." Ash leaned his head against Lana's . "I'll always protect my friends... no matter what."