All for You

Chapter 20

"I choose you!" Ash hurled a pokemon at the feild and out came Dragonite. I bet I can use Dragonite's draco meteor, dragon pulse, dragon dance, and hurricane moves to make something pretty cool!

"Allllllright, now that eeeveryone's chose their pokemon, let's get started! The trick to choreographing an asstouunding performance is to imagine what you want the audience to feel. The goal of an appeal stage is to show off the beauty, elegance, skill, and tallllent of a pokemon. This can mean that you tailor you perforrrrmace to the type of pokemon you use. For instance, it is easier for beginnerrrs to use an ice type while doing an iiicey performance. It can also mean doing a spaaaarkling, fun perforrrmance for fairy types, or a frrrightening performance for darrk or ghost types. Now, spend some time to mentally crrraft a perforrmance for the appeal round of a contest, then spend the rrrrest of the class prracticing it. We will perform them on Thurrsday, ourr next class. Hop to it!"

Ash thought about this. Dragonite's a dragon type, so that would mean... I've got an idea!

Just as he was sorting out the details, a girl from his class walked up to him. "Hi! You're Ash, right?"

"Y-yeah," Ash muttered nervously. He didn't like how many girls had been aproaching him recently. What had changed? No girls had approached him like this in Alola or Galar...right?

"I'm Trina! Nice to meet you!" She smiled and stuck out a hand.

"Likewise!" Ash shook it. She seemed nice.

"Is that your Dragonite?" She asked politely.

"Yeah! Is that your Lapras?" Ash looked behind the girl at her pokemon.

"Yeah! I nicknamed her Silla, because I found her playing in the sand when I caught her. How did you first meet your Dragonite?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

Now that they were talking about pokemon, Ash forgot all about 'girls'. "Well when we first met, Dragonite was a dragonair. I was falling and dragonite was trying to catch me, but when i tried to grab her, she slipped away. Then she evolved, midair, into dragonite to catch me! She asked to come along with me on my journey, and so I caught her!"

"Draaa!" Dragonite, who heard the conversation, shouted happily.

"Wow!" Trina exclaimed, suprised. "Your pokemon evoloved while saving your life! Then asked you to catch it? That's incredible!"

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, and now Dragonite and I are great friends, right buddy?" 

"Draaa!" Dragonite picked up Ash and gave him a large, tight hug. 

"Dragonite! I can't-ugn-breathe!" Ash said while trying not to laugh. In the end, he failed, and broke out into laughter one Dragonite released him. Trina laughed as well.

Once everyone calmed down, Ash turned to walk away. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to practice my routine-"

"Wait! Would-Would you like to go on- I mean- would you like to get something to eat sometime?"

"Sure!" Ash said cheerily. Nothing beats food and friends!

Trina gave Ash an incredibly happy smile. "Great! It's a date!"

Ash was confused. "Wait, what date?" They hadn't set up what day or when they were going to eat, or even where, so how was he supposed to meet with her?

Trina simply giggled. "You're really funy, Ash! Let's say 6 o'clock this Friday night, at Roberto's Italian resturant in the city. See you then!" She grinned wider than Ash though was possible as she skipped away. 

Ash wondered why the girl was so happy as he went to practice his performance.

---***---***---***---

As Ash went to the cafeteria, he sat down in his normal spot next the Gary and Serena. 

He wanted to tell Gary about what happened, and waited for a break in the conversation before saying, "Hey Gary, in Pokemon Coordinating, a girl asked me to go to a resturant with her, than ran off grinning. Do you have any idea why?"

This caused quite the reaction.

Gary and Serena, who had just been taking a sip of water, immediatley performed a clasic spit-take. Gary did it because Ash managed to get a date without even realising it, and Serena because Ash was going on a date with another girl.

Dawn sat back in shock, which thankfully prevented her from getting soaked in spit water.

Unforunately for May, Drew, Chole, and Goh, who were sitting across from Serena and Gary, leaning back in shock was not enough to fully protect them from the spit-water. They all got slightly misted and leaned back not only in shock but also disgust.

The entire exhange drew multiple concerned and confused looks from their fellow students and even from one of the new lunch staff.

Gary was the first to speak up. "WHAT!! YOU GOT A DATE WITHOUT TELLING ME ASHY-BOY?!?!?!"

Poor Ash jerked back in suprise, having no idea what he did wrong or why everyone was so shocked and upset. "What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?"

Gary simply put his face in his hands. "Ashy-Boy, what am I going to do with you?" Gary grabbed Ash's arm and dragged him away from the table without letting him finish his food. 

"Wait! Gary, what?" Gary dragged Ash out of the cafeteria.

---***---***---***---

Gary led him around the side of the cafeteria and into a corner. 

"Alright, Ash, listen. That girl asked you on a date. A date is an outing, oftentimes at a resturant or somewhere romantic, where it's just the two of you alone together. When you like someone and you want to get to know them more, you ask them on a date. If you both liked the date and agree to do it again and again, you're going out together. If you start going out together, then you are boyfriend and girlfriend, a couple. If you spend enough time as a couple, then eventually when you're an adult you get married and spend the rest of your lives together. Do you like this girl in that way?" Gary carefully explained this in words Ash-boy would hopefully understand.

"What do you mean? We just met less then an hour ago! I don't think I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I mean, she's nice, but the rest of my life is a long time, wouldn't I want to spend that time with someone extra-special?" Ash said, confused.

Gary gaped at Ash in disbelief. Did he just... He-What-Finally- He just explained it! Ashy-Boy finally gets it!

"Ash! You got it! That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you this whole time!!!" Gary was so incredibly alarmed and excited that he forgot to call Ash Ashy-Boy.

Ash, for the first time in the last few minutes, was not incredibly confused. In fact, he finally understood what Gary was saying. "Ohhhhh, so when you said 'thinking about girls', you meant thinking about someone who you want to spend the rest of you life with. Someone special, who means a lot more to you than other people. Like Pikachu!"

"YES!!! Well, not quite like Pikachu. It's a little different then that, but still, you finally get it! YES!!!" Gary literally danced around the corner they were in.

"Alright, now about that date of yours. You clearly don't really like this girl in that way, right?"

"Right." 

"So here's what you do: You go on the date with the girl. You have a nice time eating your fill *which will be three times more than her fill*. If she asks you if you'd like to do it again, politely decline or tell her you don't see her that way, but you still want to be friends. Then start thinking about who you really want to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe a certain blonde you know?"

"Alright Gary, thanks! It finally makes sense!" Ash completely ignored Gary's final dig, but still, it was a major breakthrough. 

As if timed perfectly, the bell rang, signaling the final period. "All right! Pokemon battling for the rest of the day!" Ash happily ran to get Pikachu from the Pokemon corner of the cafeteria and headed off to battling class.