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The tale of the wishing star is a tale as old as time. For centuries, people have believed that wishing upon a star will make their dreams come true — and so far, those beliefs are right. The people who have wished on these stars have gotten anything they wished for, whether it was wishing to beat a Pokémon Gym Leader, or wishing to be a champion. Even wishes for love have been fulfilled. Many have tied this phenomenon to the Mythical Pokémon, Jirachi, who can grant wishes. Others, though, have said the wishing star is just a hoax, and that it can’t possibly grant wishes. Regardless, the star has made many people believe that any wish can come true if you wish hard enough.
•••
Goh doesn’t believe in wishing stars.
Well, he did . He remembers staying up late at night and looking out the window, waiting for a star to shoot down. He remembers wishing, and wishing to meet Mew, or wishing to catch all the Pokémon out there and learning more about them. He also remembers wishing for his newest wish: for Ash to love him back.
Most of his wishes came true: he met Mew and learned about (almost) every Pokémon. His last wish though? That hasn’t come true, and after spending months wishing for it, he gave up. Honestly, it was a stupid wish, and he knew it wouldn’t come true, but he still had some hope. Sadly, that hope died down.
At this point, Goh has just accepted the fact that Ash only loves him as a friend . Ash is only touchy because they’re friends , and because he’s always like that. Ash only wants to spend all his time with Goh because they’re friends . It doesn’t mean anything, Goh thinks. It means that Ash cares about him and wants him to be happy, and for now that’s enough.
It still hurts, though.
•••
Goh’s aimlessly flipping through his sketchbook when there’s a knock on his bedroom door. It opens with Eevee and Grookey running inside, Chloe right behind them. Her hair is in a ponytail and she’s carrying a bag, most likely filled with some Pokémon treats and a notebook. “Hey, Goh. Ash and I are gonna go watch the meteor shower, wanna join?”
Meteor shower? Oh, right, the one Ash has been talking about , Goh thinks. Ash has been buzzing about this since he’s heard about it from Professor Cerise, and Goh would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little excited too. He doesn’t believe in those wishing stars, sure, but the meteors falling from the sky are pretty to watch.
He nods and closes his sketchbook as he gets up from the bed, letting Grookey jump on his shoulder. Chloe smiles, arms crossed. “Y’know,” she starts, “meteor showers are pretty romantic.”
Goh raises an eyebrow. “And…?”
Chloe shrugs. “Well, it’s a perfect setting to tell Ash you love him.”
Her friend just stares at her, mouth open as his cheeks turned red. She’s been teasing Goh about his crush on Ash for years . While she does it because she cares, she also does it because she’s tired of the constant pining on Goh’s part.
“I don’t love him,” Goh says. It’s an obvious lie, with his cheeks red and his desperate attempts to look anywhere but his friend. “I mean — I do love him, but not like that .”
“Yes, you do . It’s written all over your face,” Chloe teases. “I’m surprised Ash doesn’t know yet.”
Goh’s blush spreads through his entire face. Is he really that obvious? Does he giggle too much at Ash’s jokes? Does he stare at him for way too long? He hopes not. He’s been trying his best to not make it too obvious. Though, even if Goh was obvious about this, Ash probably wouldn’t know — he’s oblivious to these kinds of things. It’s both annoying and endearing.
Chloe giggles and picks Eevee up. “Well, do you wanna come with us?”
The boy chews on his bottom lip with a sigh. “I — okay, I’ll come,” he says. “But don’t expect some grand confession from me.”
“Okay, okay.” Chloe rolls her eyes playfully. “Now come on, Ash is waiting for us.”
•••
It’s around 7 PM when the trio leaves to see the meteor shower. It’s a little early, but they waste that time talking (Ash does most of the talking; Goh just listens to him like a love-sick fool while Chloe brushes Eevee’s fur). Eventually though, Goh sees a strand of light pass through the sky. More come through, and he can’t help but watch the show in awe. He’s always loved meteor showers; when he was younger, Goh had a calendar just for meteor showers. He would watch them with his parents, Chloe, or with Ash.
Goh glances over at Ash, who’s staring at the stars, eyes filled with wonder. He can see the reflection of the sky in Ash’s eyes, the way the stars brighten up his face and make him look so beautiful. Goh’s stomach is filled with Butterfrees flying around. He smiles, because he can never look or think about Ash without smiling.
He looks back at the shooting stars, a thought lingering in his brain. He taps his fingers against his leg. Goh wants to be Ash’s friend, because that’s what they’ve always been, but he also wants more . He wants to hold Ash’s hand in a not-so-platonic way. He wants to go out on dates. He wants to kiss Ash’s hand, cheek, nose, and lips. He wants Ash to love him like that .
Goh looks at the sky, the thought still lingering in his brain.
Goh doesn’t believe in wishing stars.
But right now, he’s desperate. So, he closes his eyes and wishes. He wishes to take Ash out on dates, to hold his hand, to cuddle with him, to kiss him. He wishes for Ash to love him the same way Goh does.
Chloe looks at her friend when his eyes are open. She whispers to him, “Did you wish for something?”
Goh nods, and then she asks, “What did you wish for?”
Here, Goh hesitates, because there’s the risk that Ash might hear him. He’s preoccupied with Pikachu, but still. Goh just gestures over to his crush, hoping that Chloe gets the signal. Thankfully, she does, giving him a small smile. Goh smiles back.
•••
Goh spends the next day helping Professor Cerise out with his research while Ash is training with his Pokémon. Cerise is researching this mysterious Pokémon, Koraidon, that’s been spotted around a region named Paldea. Goh, being the curious boy he is, has a lot of questions. Unfortunately, the professor can barely answer any of them.
“I’d love to answer your questions, Goh, but I barely have any answers myself,” Cerise says with a frown. “I’m still researching, but if I find something interesting you’ll be the first to know.”
Goh’s a bit disappointed, but he understands. He nods and decides to help organize some papers while Grookey is playing with Eevee. He’s a little bored, and Cerise can definitely tell since he says, “Goh, why don’t you and Ash go out and get some snacks for us?”
“Oh. Sure.” Goh nods. He picks Grookey up (despite some protests from the Pokémon) and walks to Cerise Park.
He looks at Ash, who seems very focused in training Lucario. It’s a little funny, honestly; Ash is the World Champion, yet he still trains whenever he has free time. Goh had always assumed if you’re that strong you don’t need to train as much.
“Hey, Ash,” Goh greets, “you and Lucario seem to be training hard today.”
The boy stops what he’s doing and looks at Goh with a smile, the smile of smile that makes his heart flutter. “Hey, Goh!” Ash says. “We are training hard, huh? We always have to be ready, y’know? In case someone strong wants to battle us. Or if Team Rocket shows up.”
Lucario grunts in agreement. “Pika!” Pikachu chirps, also in agreement.
Goh giggles. “I know. Anyway, Professor Cerise wants us to get some snacks.”
“Ooh, snacks?” Ash’s eyes sparkle. “What’re we waiting for then? Let’s go !”
Goh rolls his eyes playfully at Ash’s response. Ash grabs Goh’s hand, saying goodbye to Cerise and the others as they head out. They’ve held hands before, but it still makes Goh’s face turn red. Luckily, Ash never notices (or he does , and he just doesn’t ask). They go to a nearby shop, filled with Pokémon-shaped goodies. They buy some cookies, which are shaped like the Kanto starters. Ash gets a milkshake, too, only because it has a photo of Pikachu on it. It does taste pretty good, though.
They buy some snacks for their Pokémon as well, like berries and other food. When they leave, Goh quickly notices that Ash is holding his hand again. He freezes.
“Uh, Ash?” Goh’s voice is high-pitched.
“Yeah?” Ash asks, eyebrows raised.
Goh doesn’t know what to say. He hesitates and clears his throat. “Uh — why are you holding my hand again…?”
He realizes that the question is rude to ask, and he regrets it instantly. He opens his mouth to clarify what he’s trying to say, but Ash is quick to respond. “Because I want to. You don’t wanna hold hands?”
“No, no ! I didn’t mean it like that!” Goh clarifies, shaking his head. “No, I just — uh.”
He stops speaking. Arceus , what is he trying to say? Is he even making sense? Ash is just looking at him, confused and curious. “Are you okay, Goh?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” Goh murmurs, but Ash doesn’t believe it. Goh bites his lip before saying, “Actually — I, uh, need to tell you something.”
Oh. My. ARCEUS . Is he really gonna do this? Yes, yes I am . Ash nods and motions him to continue. Goh’s mouth opens and closes multiple times, no words coming out. His mouth becomes dry. Ash is a bit worried.
“Goh, you know you can tell me anything, right?” Ash reassures him. “You’re my best friend.”
“I know,” Goh sighs. “It’s just — nevermind. I just — what I want to tell you is —”
He keeps cutting himself off, because he doesn’t know how to say this. How do you confess your love to someone? He’s never done this before. It’s scary . How do people do this?
“I…” Goh trails off for a bit. Then, he whispers, “I like you.”
“What did you say?” Ash asks, moving closer.
Goh’s face heats up. “ I like you ,” he repeats, loud enough for Ash to leave. “I — I have liked you, for a long time. And when I say ‘like,’ I mean, ‘I’ve had a crush on you for a REALLY long time, and—’”
He stops when he feels Ash’s lips on his cheek. It’s just for a second, but it’s enough to make Goh stop. His heart practically soars up to the sky, face red. What the — did that really just happen? Did Ash just kiss him? On the cheek ? Is he dreaming? Goh pinches himself on the elbow, relieved that he isn’t dreaming at all.
“I — you — what was that for!?” Goh exclaims, cheeks burning.
“What do you mean?” Ash says. “Isn’t that how you show people you like them?”
What? What did Ash say? Did he just say he likes Goh back? He can feel his heart racing. “Am I dreaming again?” he accidentally asks out-loud.
Ash pinches Goh on the arm, causing the other boy to flinch. He smiles. “No, you’re not dreaming.”
Goh looks at his crush, a million thoughts going through his head. “I — you — you like me?” he stutters out.
“Of course I do!” Ash answers, smiling.
“Like, you… you like like me?” Goh asks.
Ash nods, still smiling. Goh can feel his brain short-circuit. He doesn’t know what to do now. He chews his bottom lip and plays with the strings on his hoodie. He speaks up after a few seconds, awkwardly asking, “Can I, uh, can I kiss you?”
Ash is a little startled by the question, but he eventually nods. Goh mentally counts ‘3, 2, 1,’ in his head before leaning over. He kisses Ash, and the other boy immediately kisses back. His lips taste like cherries. Goh quickly pulls away, his face burning and red, but he’s smiling like an idiot.
“We should probably go and drop off the snacks,” Goh murmurs, looking at the bags in his arms.
“Yeah, we probably should,” Ash agrees, his permanent smile still there.
Goh looks at Ash again. He kisses Ash quickly before they walk back to the laboratory. Ash’s fingers find their way to Goh’s, intertwining them together. Goh can’t stop smiling.
Huh.
Maybe those wishing stars aren’t so bad after all.