The Road to our Destiny

Chapter 68

It is early the next morning, and Holly has woken up before Serena, Iris, Axew, Dawn, Piplup, Misty, and May have. She sits up from her bed and stretches before grabbing some clean clothes and going to the bathroom to change into them. After that, she decides to leave the room and get some breakfast at one of Indigo Plateau's restaurants. As she exits the Pokemon Center, she yawns and has a smile on her face as her mind goes back to last night.

A few hours after Ash defeated Giselle, it became Holly's turn for Brock to treat her to a meal. He came to pick her up at the Pokemon Center and took her to a nice restaurant where he held the door for her before they came in. As they ate their food, they talked about several things like her battle in the quarterfinals, who she might face at the semifinals, and she would ask him to tell her more about the adventures he experienced over the years with Ash and their friends. The only thing they never talked about was the deal between the two of them and Lucy. Both of them seemed to avoid it as if they were standing on an old wooden bridge, and bringing up the situation would cause the bridge to break. Regardless though, Holly had a great time being with Brock like they used to before Lucy came in.

As Holly thinks about the situation while she walk, her smile falters. No matter how much part of her wants to, she still can't bring herself to forgive Brock for what he did. And yet the more time she's been spending with him after the deal started and the more she felt like her heart was breaking every time he leaves to be with Lucy, the more she wants to find it in herself to take him back. She wants to work something out between her and Brock to patch things up and have the official relationship they both wanted, but something has been keeping her from doing that. Whatever it is, she can feel in her gut that it has something to do with Lucy.

But as she's walking down the plaza, she hears laughing and giggling. She looks up and feels a pain in her heart as she sees Brock and Lucy sitting at a table in front of a restaurant and having a fun conversation while they eat their breakfast. Not wanting to disturb them, she finds a large tree close to them and hides behind it. She sighs, knowing that she has successfully kept herself from interrupting them, but then her curiosity gets the better of her, and she slowly peeks to watch them from afar. She can only see the back of Brock's head, but she can see Lucy just fine.

As she keeps herself hidden, she can see Lucy resting her head with her arms. She has a smile, and a small blush on her cheeks as Brock is talking. Holly can see the admiration in Lucy's eyes as they stare into Brock's eyes. It's at this moment as she watches Lucy that she realizes this other woman is feeling the same way she is. Whether she is planning to forgive him or not, she doesn't know, but deep down, she knows that somewhere deep inside her rival is also treasuring the moments she has with the tan-skinned man.

Holly's face falls as the reality of the situation sinks in. She looks down at the ground sightly, feeling more afraid of what is happening between her, Brock, and Lucy than before. She looks back up and sees that Lucy and Brock are done with their meals, and Brock is bidding Lucy farewell before he leaves. Lucy takes a moment to smile brightly for herself, happy that she's had this time with the guy that she likes. Suddenly, Holly feels a tap on the shoulder, and she turns around, and her eyes widen to see Barbara and Lucy's other sisters with their hands on their hips, glaring daggers at her.

"How dare you spy on Queen Lucy!" She rebukes.

"Oh no, I wasn't spying," Holly says in a panic. "I just uh... happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I didn't want to disturb Brock and Lucy."

"You liar!" A different sister hisses. "You have some nerve to spy on your opponent!"

"Look, I really didn't mean to bump into them," Holy protests. "I just got curious when I saw them."