I Can Do This!

Chapter 8

 Walking towards the store, Lillie was already beginning to regret this. This wasn't even her idea, nor was it something that came naturally. She cursed Mallow for putting her here, even though all it was, was just a couple of friends going out to shop. She'd done it with Ash before, with the other two girls of course. But this time felt different.

"So Ash, what do you think of Alola?" She asked him, trying to not make their trip an awkward silent one.

"Awesome!" He answered excitedly. "There's so much Pokemon that I've never seen before." That was the usual thing about him, he always was talking about Pokemon. She figured that made enough sense, he did say that being a Pokemon master was his dream.

"That's nice Ash. I'm glad that we can provide." Admittedly, she hoped he had something else to say, even though she loved talking about Pokemon with him. It certainly was her favorite topic.

"Oh and you guys of course!" He added.

"What?" She was confused, he never talked about that before.

"You know what I'm talking about. I mean Kiawe, Sophocles, Mallow, Lana, Professor Kukui, and you of course."

"Oh, well of course, but that's because we're friends." She replied.

"It's more than that." He stopped them, a fair distance from their destination. Surrounding them, were the many residents of the island. Each going about their day with the friends, family, and Pokemon. He directed her vision to a couple of trainers, standing together discussing something unknown to them. They each had z-rings, a clear sign of them going for island trials.

"I don't understand." She asked, "Looks like some trainers going on a journey. We gotten plenty of them lately."

"Exactly, just like I've done though countless regions by now." He responded, as Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder. "I'm certainly I'm glad for the people, and Pokemon, that I've met along the way. There's so many I can call friend now."

"Oh, like us." She thought she understood what he meant. That they're friends, just like the many others that he's met and journeyed with.

"But it's different now." He continued. "Before, I planned on going out into the world alone." Alone? She wondered. That didn't sound like something he would do. "Because when I first set foot there, I was usually on my own. I didn't know anyone there, and it things went differently. It could've stayed that way. This was different for her, why was he telling her this now of all times?

"So that's what makes us different, because you knew us before you enrolled at the school?"

"Yep! You guys are part of the reason I'm going to the school in the first place."

"If you didn't meet us, would you just gone home after your vacation?"

"No. I'd probably be like one of those trainers you see there. I might even be friends with someone completely different."

"Then why stay here then. If you could've easily just go on another journey?"

"For you." His answered stopped time for her, what did he mean by that?

"Me!" She screamed suddenly, scaring him and knocking him backwards.

"And the others." He finished his sentence. Laughing a little at her overreaction. She looked away from him in embarrassment.

"I-I knew that!" She countered in a desperate attempt to deflect. "You really think we're that special?"

"Yeah." He answered, standing back up and dusting himself. "I'm glad we got a chance to meet." They continued their short walk to enter the store. As with the rest of the mall, the store was filled with plenty of girls searching for new outfits. Ash stood out among the crowd, being the only boy there. Of course, he wasn't there to shop for himself.

"Wow, it's really packed today." She told him as they tried to worm their way through the sea of people.

"You're telling me, I don't think I've ever seen this many people in one room before." He replied. They worked their way in, being polite and patient. After some time, they were able to claim a small corner in the store, by a rack of skirts and a few blouses on the shelves.

"Finally." She sighed in relief. But before she could relax, Ash asked her a question she didn't have an answer to.

"So why are you looking for some new clothes?" He said, wondering why she would need anything new, especially since they had already gone shopping with the other girls.

"Oh, um, I." She struggled to find the words. Because she didn't have a reason to look for clothes. In fact, from the moment she stepped in the mall. There wasn't an inkling of an idea of what was going to happen in her mind. "I have an event coming up!" She answered in the best way she could.

"Really?! Wow, am I invited?" He had a look of joy on his face at the prospect of being at what he thought would be a fun party.

"Oh no, it's uh. It's just a boring meeting type deal. Y-you know, at the mansion." Trying to come up with an excuse to keep him from asking more questions.

"Aww. That's too bad." Which seemed to work. "You gotta tell me about this stuff sooner though. I'd love to help you out."

"Help me? Oh you've already done so much." She turned away to pretend to look for clothes for the so-called 'event'.

"Well I don't mind it, even if it's just for shopping."

"I thought you didn't like shopping?" She asked, confused at his response.

"You noticed huh?" He replied wryly. "It's not really my thing."

"I guess we did have to drag you into that." She picked up a dress that looked like it'd fit for a formal event. She showed it off to him, where he gave his approval.

"They'll love it." He complimented. "You know, I think if I had to pick one person I'd have to go shopping with. It'd be you." She paused for a moment, waiting for him to finish his comment. But his continued silence proved that was all he had to say.

"Me?" She asked, slightly flustered, though keeping her composure. "What's wrong with everyone else?" Hoping that there wasn't negative he had to say about anyone else.

"Nothing. It's just that I think you're special." She blushed at the compliment, using the dress she was holding to subtly hide it from him. "I mean, with Kiawe it's always about getting stronger. Or with Mallow it's about new recipes." He started. "I guess it does sound like I'm ranting about the others, but it's not like I dislike any of that stuff. It's that when I'm with you, there's just so much we can talk about."

"You really think that?" She was flattered, she didn't realize how close the two had become. Maybe that's why she felt this way about him, but did he feel the same? "Like what?"

"Well you're the only one that's ever heard about my past journeys and I love hearing what you know about taking care of Pokemon." He started, but she was able to continue. Walking towards him, she said.

"Of course, I love hearing about the crazy ways you won battles, and I'm grateful for all the help you've done for me about my problem." They listed more and more thing that they loved discussing with each other. Before they knew it, they were inches away from the other's face. Snapping back to reality. She suddenly stepped back, trying to regain her composure, but heart beating fast. He also seemed a bit flustered, but she was unsure if that was just her eyes playing tricks on her. "I should try this on." Trying to get back on track. Their Pokemon looked up at them in confusion.

"Right, go ahead." She sneaked her way through the crowd to, luckily, find an empty stall. Once inside, she stopped to calm herself down. Taking a deep breath, she knew that she couldn't it from him much longer. "I need to tell him, but how?" She looked at the dress she held, it was rather beautiful. No wonder he liked it. That's when she came up with an idea. If she could 'wow' him, maybe that might be enough to convince him. From the sounds of it, he already enjoyed his company. At least, from her point of view.

Getting into the dress, she looked at herself in the mirror. A bit on the simple side, but it did speak to her style. Thinking carefully, she undid her hair. Letting it fall down her shoulders. Hoping that he might prefer it that way. Grabbing the handle, her heart skipped a beat. Knowing that she only had one shot at this. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out...