Archive of Our Own

Not for the first time that day, Ash pondered what he’d got himself into. 

The question kept replaying in his head with every step he took into the building, and with every glance he spared the walls surrounding him. This… This was uncharted territory, and he found himself a little disheartened walking down this corridor, more so when even both Brock and Pikachu’s presence by his side and on his shoulder, respectively, did little to alleviate his worries. 

If he were being honest with himself, Ash knew he wasn’t acting like himself. He usually wasn’t one to grow concerned; plunging ahead, betting on his team’s own skills and having faith that together they would pull through any battle, was more his style. For better or worse he was a guy of action, diving head-first into perilous situations and worrying about the possible consequences of his actions later—a trait that never failed to worry both his long-suffering mother and Serena. 

Serena…

At the thought of her, almost unconsciously, he began to walk a little straighter. As his eyes scanned the maroon, fur-covered walls, careful to stand a little ways off in fear of somehow being swallowed whole by them, he took in the corridor leading them to their destination. 

The wallchiere lamps tinged the space in a dim light, inspiring a comfortable and private sensation to their guests as they psyched themselves up to dare and take a leap of faith. He mused that was probably the wallpaper’s desired effect as well; to put their potential clients at ease, but in his case Ash couldn’t help but feel smothered, suffocated even. Perhaps it was what he was about to do that made him feel this way, made him tug at the collar of his shirt in discomfort, but no matter what he did, the lump in his throat wouldn’t go away. As the three of them kept walking down the seemingly endless corridor—seriously, it felt like the receptionist gestured them towards the door an hour ago!—, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the beige carpet they walked on, he chose to distract himself by letting his eyes wander, taking note of the framed pictures lining up the walls.  

Ash still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As a matter of fact, he didn’t exactly know what they were doing there in the first place! Brock simply told him to trust him, to leave it up to him. ‘I know who can help us’, he’d said. For all he knew, Brock could be leading him to a meeting with Giovanni, Team Rocket’s leader and former Viridian City Gym Leader. 

Now that he thought about it, what had become of the guy? Team Rocket was still at large, if his almost daily encounters with Jessie, James, and Meowth were any indication, but how long did they have until Giovanni tried to manipulate another powerful Pokémon to do his bidding? Would he try going after Arceus , next? Or maybe infiltrate some agents into Paldea’s mysterious Area Zero—?

His thoughts were interrupted by the need to do a double take, his eyes suddenly fixated on one of the portraits hanging on the wall. Was that… Alder? When he was young? Wow, without lines on his face and different, cleaner clothes he looked like much less of a hobo than when he last saw him. 

…was it okay to call a former Champion a hobo, even when he certainly looked the part? Maybe not, but the clear contrast between then and now was such a shock. Especially the composed and serious way in which Alder carried himself, a far cry from the laid-back, somewhat eccentric person he met back in Unova. Maybe he gained his current outlook with age? Ash could feel how even Pikachu appeared shocked at the revelation, his ears perking up in interest at the sight. 

“Pika?” He asked his trainer, clearly as disbelieving as Ash. 

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either, Buddy.” His interest piqued, Ash leaned forward slightly as his eyes swept over the photo, barely taking notice of the woman standing next to Alder before his attention was drawn towards the small, golden plaque at the bottom of the frame, reading: 

‘Another satisfied client’

Sharing one last glance with Pikachu, Ash was about to look more closely to the rest of the portraits, wondering who else could have come to this place in search of help, when Brock’s voice up ahead broke him out of his stupor. 

“Ash, c’mon! We’re here.” Brock called out to him from a few feet ahead, standing next to a dark green door with a golden doorknob. 

“Right.” He nodded, turning his back on the picture and hurrying his steps just enough to reach his friend without making a ruckus. 

Now that he, too, was in front of the door, Brock jabbed his thumb at it. “You ready?”

No, he was not ready at all. He still had no idea what he was even doing in this place, let alone what awaited him behind those doors, a primal feeling telling him there would be no turning back once he stepped through the threshold. But he’d come this far, and Ash Ketchum never shied away from a challenge. 

Especially not when it involved someone he cared about.

He took one last, steadying breath before pumping a fist, a determined glint in his eyes that Pikachu mimicked. “Ready!”

“Pika pika!”

With a quiet chuckle and a nod, Brock raised a hand and used his knuckles to knock on the door, gently, but with enough force behind it to ensure they would be heard from the other side of the room. For a moment, there was nothing but silence, you could almost hear a pin drop. After what felt like an eternity, from the other side of the door came a muffled, feminine, if a little husky, voice:

“Come on in.”

Trying to return Brock’s encouraging grin as the Pokémon Doctor turned the doorknob with one of his own—though Ash had a feeling he only managed an uneasy grimace—, he followed his friend inside the room and closed the door behind him. His eyes widened slightly at the sight before him.

The office they were in was spacious, yet cosy. Eyes darting around, he could make out two wingback chairs surrounding a round coffee table. Ash didn’t know much about interior design, but he couldn’t help but feel those things, with their carved trim around the edges and their cream velvet upholstery, belonged in a museum, not someone’s private office in the middle of Saffron City. In fact, this whole room looked like a museum exhibition. Tucked against opposite walls were a series of cabinets, each of them displaying ancient artefacts from various eras, most predominantly, from the Hisuian Era, the dawn of Sinnoh.  

Even now, Ash still couldn’t quite shake the suffocating feeling he got from the fur-lined walls back outside. Thankfully, there was no such heinous wallpaper here—instead, intricate patterns adorned the walls. It was a small mercy that didn’t do much to soothe his nerves, but at least now he didn’t have to worry about a possible Ghost-type Pokémon haunting this place and snatching their souls when they least expected it. 

He shuddered at the mere thought, causing Pikachu to look oddly at him for a moment.

The more tasteful, less nightmarish wallpaper seemed to serve as a canvas for countless other framed portraits. Unlike the ones outside, however, these ones alternated between showcasing pictures of what Ash could only assume were more former, ‘satisfied clients’, newspaper clippings, Hisuian art, and black and white photographs portraying a woman that seemed as fierce as she was beautiful. 

The very same woman was looking expectantly at the three of them from behind her desk, her posture hunched forward in bored anticipation and her propped up hands hiding the lower half of her face. Furrowing his brow uneasily, Ash realised she didn’t need to show her whole face to convey exactly what she was feeling, her sharp eyes—golden, ruthless and calculating—did the job for her. 

Finally, without so much as a word uttered between them, she leaned back in her chair and gestured for them to take a seat as well. As the two of them scrambled to take their seats opposite from hers, Ash stole a glance, intrigued. Despite the woman’s still guarded posture, the new position revealed much more of her. 

She wore a matching black ensemble consisting of a one-button jacket over a white shirt with lapels that were not only bright red, but also curved, reminiscent of the two halves of a heart, and a knee-length pencil skirt. Draped over her shoulders was a large, bushy boa whose maroon hue and texture seemed to match the dreaded wallpaper outside—a part of the raven-haired boy couldn’t help but shudder at the mental image of this woman suffocating her victims with the garment like an Arbok. Before he sat down, Ash caught a glimpse of her long, toned legs as one crossed over the other and the way one foot bobbed in the air, encased in red stilettos that could not be comfortable after walking for too long in them. 

This woman reminded him a little of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland , the symbol and colour red prevalent in her person. Aside from the lapels and heels, she wore matching heart-shaped earrings, and even her lipstick had been carefully applied exclusively in the very centre of her upper and lower lips, creating yet another illusion of the blood-thumping organ. Her snow white hair, done in an elaborate braided high bun that rested atop her head was a stark contrast to the chocolate tone of her skin. 

But what was truly captivating about her were her eyes. Surrounded by heavy mascara and framed by long, tantalising eyelashes, were two pools of gold. Rather than inviting, however, they felt more like quicksand—make the wrong move and she would have you right where she wanted, begging for mercy as you drowned. Something told Ash a single look was all she needed to pierce your heart, reach for your soul, and learn everything she needed to know about you as she left you to bleed. 

The young Champion had been in many difficult situations before. He’d lost count of all the times he made it through the skin of his teeth over the years, and yet, there was something about this woman that commanded his utmost respect. The only feeling that came close to this was being in the presence of a Legendary Pokémon—and he’d been in the presence of most. Fidgeting in his seat, Ash kept absentmindedly petting Pikachu, who’d come to rest contently on his trainer’s lap, and he chanced a look at the small golden plaque separating him from the aloof containment of mystery and allure in front of him: 

‘Mona Resu: Relationship Consultant’

Ash read the words to himself, before registering what they meant and doing a double take, flabbergasted. ‘What the actual—?!’

“Thank you so much for agreeing to see us today, Miss Resu.” Brock’s voice cut through the Champion’s thoughts like a knife, though he was sure his discombobulate expression remained intact. “We know you’re a very busy woman.”

“You don’t know the half of it, boy.” The woman, Mona—no, Miss Resu—, replied matter-of-factly, her tone bored and distant. She passed her thumb over her perfectly manicured nails. “So, what can I do for you, gentlemen?”

‘That’s a wonderful question…’ Ash couldn’t help but think irately to himself. He’d be lying if he said he had any more of an idea of what they were there for than she did. Relationship consultant or not, he genuinely had no idea how she could be of help when he wasn’t even in a relationship! He had half the mind not to just get up from his seat, apologise for wasting her time, and dragging Brock back with him and out of the building. But he refrained. He asked Brock for help for a reason, and if one of his oldest friends believed this was the best way to help him, the least he could do was at least hear them out. 

As he chanced a glance at the Pokémon Doctor, however, his curious expression turned into an uncomfortable grimace at the sight of his friend. Looking back, he really should have seen this coming; Miss Resu was Brock’s ideal type—she was a woman. 

In the blink of an eye, the squinty-eyed young man had vacated his own seat and was now on his knees, holding a stupefied Miss Resu’s hand in his as he regarded her with what could only be described as a smouldering look (how he managed to do that without actually opening his eyes, Ash would never know).

“You could help me by agreeing to go out with me.” He answered, his tone reverent. “My dearest Miss Resu, don’t you see? Us meeting during such a meaningful season… This can only be fate, working its magic as it pulls its red strings and brings two destined souls like ours together.”

The ever familiar rush of second-hand embarrassment coursing through both his and Pikachu’s veins, Ash could only rub his neck sheepishly at the scene. He noticed from the corner of his eye how Croagunk’s Poké Ball burst open and the Fighting and Poison-type readied himself to deliver a reality check in the shape of a Poison Jab to his trainer. 

However, while Brock’s friends readied themselves for the inevitable, what happened next completely disarmed them.

Miss Resu had remained slack-jawed during her potential client’s impassioned speech, her eyes wide and unblinking. But just as Croagunk was about to use Poison Jab, her expression hardened. Her golden eyes narrowed menacingly on Brock, who couldn’t help but jolt slightly at the icy fire flickering in them. Was it just him, or did the temperature just drop by several degrees?

Miss Resu’s actions were slow and deliberate, but not any less final. As she carefully extracted her hand from Brock’s grip, she pierced him with a glare yet again, her voice cool and even. “Before you do anything you will regret, allow me to explain two things very quickly: 1) I do not fraternise with my clients—I’m a professional; and 2) even if for some unfathomable twist of fate I were to agree to a date with you, you would not be able to handle me. So—you—had—better— forget —it.”

For the first time since for as long as he’d known Brock and his abysmal luck with women, Ash got the feeling Croagunk’s Poison Jab combined with both Misty and Max dragging him away from his ears would have been more merciful. 

A quick look at both Pikachu and Croagunk seemed to confirm they felt the same way. 

“With that out of the way,” The Monarch was snapped out of his thoughts by the frightening realisation that Miss Resu was now addressing him, “is there an actual reason as to why you sought me out, or must I tell my receptionist to run a thorough background check of any more potential clients before actually letting them in after shooing you lot out?”

Despite the shudders running down his body at the bone-chilling quality of her voice, Ash’s eyes narrowed in on the woman, his teeth clenched in distaste at the flippant way in which she had addressed his friend. Even now, she remained completely impassive even as Brock looked like he’d had the life sucked out of him after his most brutal rejection yet. By his side, Croagunk was trying pitifully to cheer his trainer up. 

With a start, he slammed both hands on the desk, Pikachu’s cheeks sparking as the two stared down the so-called relationship consultant with disgust. “Who do you think you are to treat him like that?!” He demanded. 

“Pika pika!” Pikachu agreed, his hackles raised in aggravation and the electricity coursing through his body so intensely Ash could feel it against his skin. 

Much to their chagrin and shock, Miss Resu remained unperturbed. Then again, given the way she had swiftly and ruthlessly ripped Brock’s still beating heart out of his chest, Ash couldn’t help but count the fact that she hadn’t kicked them out yet as a win. Crossing her arms, she let out an annoyed huff as she leaned back in her chair. That little sound alone dripped with derision for them.

“I’m well within my right to reject whomever I please, however I please. More often than not, being nice will get you more trouble than it’s worth.” She defended herself, her ruby lips curling into an intimidating snarl. “So forgive me for not wanting to risk having to deal with some douchebag who can’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

That gave Ash pause. “W-well, yeah. I-I mean, of course, it’s just—.”

“As I said,” she cut him off, disinterested in listening to him sputter, “I’m a professional, and there is nothing more unprofessional than going out with your clients. So if you only came here to waste my time, you can see yourselves out.” She dismissed them with a wave of her hand, swivelling her chair back on them without so much as a second glance. 

Was this woman for real? How could she just be so callous!? Sure, she had every right to reject Brock if she wasn’t interested, and the Pokémon Doctor’s approach on talking to women had always been a tad… intense, but that still didn’t give her the right to treat them like they were beneath her! Who did she think she was?! 

If this was the best help he could get, he was better off having no help at all!

“Well, that’s just as well—!”

“I’m sorry. You are right, that was uncalled for. But please, we seriously need your help.” This time, it was Brock who interrupted Ash, who was shocked to the bone at the sight of his friend acting so collected and calm despite receiving a brutal hit like that. 

“Brock, what are you doing?” Ash almost hissed through gritted teeth, incredulous.

“Pika chu!” Pikachu agreed, looking up at the Pokémon Doctor with wide, disbelieving eyes. 

“I’m doing what we came here for.” He replied, calmly. Seeing as his friend still didn’t seem too convinced, he flashed him a reassuring smile. “Ash, it’s fine. Miss Resu is right; she is a professional just trying to do her job and I almost got in the way of that.”

The raven-haired boy shot a dark glare at the back of the chair when he heard the ‘professional’ in question mutter, “That would imply you had a chance with me at all…”

Ignoring the jab, Brock went on. “Besides, I promised you I would help you, and I really can’t think of a better way than this.”

Just as Ash was about to counter, to tell him they could probably come up with a good enough solution by themselves, Miss Resu seemed to perk up, turning her chair to face them again. “Oh, so you’re here for you.” The same uninterested glint in her eyes was still there as before, but she was willing to listen to what they had to say now. 

After all, she would be the judge of if their case deserved her attention or not. 

“Erm, yeah. That’s right.” Ash gulped nervously. To be completely honest, he still didn’t know why Brock had dragged him here. What could he possibly gain from hiring someone like Miss Resu? Judging from her cold, distant, and cutting demeanour alone, the only way she could have become a relationship consultant was if she had been married several times already. 

In which case, she was better off working as a divorce attorney!

“Well? Don’t keep me waiting!” She exclaimed, and the men and Pokémon present in her office couldn’t help but jolt in surprise at her sudden outburst, so unlike her previous cut-throat yet collected demeanour. “Out with it, boy! I don’t have all day!”

Taking a deep, steadying breath and half wishing this woman would not deem his case worthy of her—seriously, compared to her, Jessie had the temper of a Teddiursa—, Ash levelled her with his own stare. 

“I want to confess my feelings for someone. On Valentine’s Day.”

“Valentine’s Day? What’s so special about it?” He queried, an eyebrow raised as the question caused him to stop eating, his hands holding his sandwich halfway to his mouth. 

Of course, he knew about the holiday. Or rather, he knew about the legend behind it. Back when he still attended school, his teachers would always dedicate some time to explaining it to the kids before 14th February actually came. 

Valentine was a member of the Diamond Clan, an ancient tribe of settlers that used to inhabit Sinnoh when it was still known as Hisui. He was said to be a brave and determined young man who travelled around the region, helping people and Pokémon in need, made all the more impressive by the fact that Pokémon were largely regarded as dangerous beasts by most people back then. 

However, what made Valentine really cool was the fact that, apparently, he had been the only person in history to befriend Enamorus, the Love-Hate Pokémon and the long lost fourth member of the Forces of Nature. It was said that Valentine was also the only person the elusive Legendary deemed worth of entrusting any mission to. Unlike other Chosen Ones of old, however, Valentine wasn’t tasked with saving the world through seemingly unbelievable feats, but by doing what he did best—helping those in need. 

In particular, Enamorus entrusted Valentine to act on her behalf and help solve the affairs of men and Pokémon, mainly the romantic kind. Acting on Enamorus’ name, the Hisuian man was said to have prevented the destruction of countless couples and families through his acts of kindness and bravery. He reunited wives with their husbands when territorial disputes drew them to battle and then left them for dead. Saved innocent girls and women from being forced to marry greedy lords coveting their beauty and bodies. He was said to even lure settlers and hunters alike away from Pokémon breeding grounds. 

As it seemed, Enamorus had truly chosen the best possible candidate to act as love’s guardian. Which made it all the more tragic when Valentine’s own beloved, Suki, was prematurely separated from him. Legend has it, Valentine cried and prayed for Enamorus to help him for days on end to save his love, just like she had intervened to save so many others, but when the Flying and Fairy-type finally responded, it was too late. Suki had succumbed to her ailment. 

His hand carrying the shattered remains of his broken heart, Valentine swore off Enamorus forever, never again doing her bidding. And yet, despite his own life having been robbed of its guiding light, the man’s good nature still shone through, for he still did whatever he could to ensure no other person had to suffer the same terrible fate as him. 

Such was his devotion to love, even after feeling slighted by the embodiment of love and hate herself, that, according to the legend, Enamorus herself declared 14th February to be a date dedicated to honour his actions and devotion to his beloved by performing acts of true love. Because what better way to honour the day on which both Valentine and Suki supposedly passed on than by celebrating your own loved ones?

As Ash briefly thought back on those boring lectures from his childhood—ancient hero chosen by a Legendary Pokémon? Cool. The whole love part? He really didn’t see how that was so important—, his eyes fell on the girl sitting next to him on the ground, gauging her reaction. 

It didn’t disappoint. 

Ash couldn’t help the small smile that spread over his lips as the loveliest shade of pink dusted Serena’s cheeks. Just like it usually did. “W-well, I guess you could say I was just wondering how you guys celebrate it here in Kanto, that's all.”

“I dunno.” He shrugged, his eyes back on his sandwich as he took one bite. “I haven’t really been here around that time since before I left for my journey, and even then I was just a kid—I didn’t really celebrate it either way.”

“Oh, I see.” 

For some reason, seeing her shoulders deflate brought forth a fresh wave of panic, a manic feeling that he had to make her feel better somehow. For reasons he wasn’t quite ready to face yet, there were few things more painful than seeing Serena sad. 

“But!” He said, cringing at the accidentally loud volume of his own voice. With a clearing of his throat, he tried again, more gently. “But my mum used to gush about it whenever I called her during this time, something about youthful memories she couldn’t wait for me to experience or something like that.”

The light returned to her blue eyes, her smile curious. “What would she tell you?”

“Apparently, in Kanto it’s common for girls to give handmade chocolate to the boys they like on Valentine’s Day. Said that’s how many girls decide to confess, or something. I don’t really get it though, how can they wait that long?!”

“What do you mean ‘wait that long’, Ash?”

He swallowed another bite of his sandwich, eying curiously at Serena’s mostly untouched food. Following his line of sight, she too took notice of this fact, and, with a soft giggle, resumed her lunch as well. Ash’s smile widened slightly; that was better. 

“Apparently, if the guy they confess to feels the same, he will return the favour on White Day, exactly one month later, by either giving them chocolate in return or some other present.” He explained, scratching Pikachu affectionately on the head as the yellow rodent rejoined them after eating his own food. 

Momentarily distracted by his partner’s grateful cooing, his head perked up at the sound of Serena’s amused giggling. 

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s how it really works, Ash.” Serena told him, smiling at him as fond as she could be. The raven-haired boy’s amber eyes followed her fingers as she nervously tucked a golden strand behind her ear. “I mean, I have obviously never celebrated Valentine’s Day in Kanto, let alone White Day, but making a girl wait a whole month before receiving an answer just seems mean. They probably just talk things out on Valentine’s Day and then the boy repays the favour the next month.”

Trainer and Pokémon shared a glance, both thinking the same thing, before Ash shrugged once again and Pikachu decided he could use some strokes from the Performer, too. Strokes and caresses she was more than willing to give. 

“As I said, I’ve never really celebrated either, so I wouldn’t know.” Ash spoke, head resting against his knuckles as he watched Serena holding his best friend against her chest and gently running her fingers up and down his back, the Electric-type letting out delighted chirps at the contact. For the briefest moment, the young Monarch felt a twinge of jealousy towards his partner, but it was gone as soon as it came. Rather than dwelling on that strange occurrence, however, he asked, “Why, is it very different in Kalos?”

Serena momentarily halted her gentle caresses on Pikachu to make a ‘so-so’ gesture. Even then, some colour made its way back to her cheeks. “I’d say, overall, it’s more of a mutual thing?” She said, her face scrunching up in thought. “I mean, sure, there are lots of people who… take the opportunity to confess…” As she explained that, she lowered her gaze, face burning as she resolutely focused on Pikachu’s adorably tilted head instead of the boy by her side. With a shake of her head, she went on, looking back at Ash more confidently. “But overall I’d say it’s more of a day for couples and showing how much you love them and the people in your life. So people usually exchange gifts and go out on dates.”

The young Champion furrowed his brow at the word ‘date’. He knew it was supposed to be a big deal between couples, if Brock’s insistence on getting one was any indication, but he still wasn’t sure what they even were about. Stowing that thought away from now, he decided it was more interesting listening to Serena talk about how their respective regions did things differently instead. 

“Then Kalosian girls don’t actually make chocolate for the boys they like, do they?”

“As a matter of fact, in regions like Kalos, Paldea, or Galar, it’s usually the guy who gives chocolate to the girl as a token of his affection, not the other way around.”

“Really? The guy makes the chocolate instead? Huh, that’s pretty cool. I don’t know if I could ever do that without burning down the kitchen, though.” Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Pika pi…” Pikachu sighed in agreement, his ears drooping. Delia had permanently banned her son from ever stepping food in her kitchen after the last time he tried to help her with dinner. 

The moment his amber eyes locked with Serena’s blue ones, however, the raven-haired boy couldn’t help but feel as if the light in them had dimmed somehow. Even her smile was nowhere near as radiant as usual. 

When the honey-blonde laughed, despite the light-heartedness she tried to imbue her voice with, it sounded hollow even to her ears. Ash’s quiet admission had got to her more than she would have expected it to. Still, she refused to let that get in the way of enjoying her time with him. 

“As a matter of fact, they don’t.” She began, tapping a finger against her chin pensively. “They usually just buy them a chocolate box alongside some flowers.”

“Well, that makes a bit more sense…”

“Yup. It’s so iconic, it’s even been featured in lots of old cartoons over the years!”

Ash’s expression lit up in recognition. “Ah, so you mean like Lamu, that alien girl with the Electabuzz swimsuit?”

“I’d say that’s more of an iconic character, but yeah, pretty much.” Serena pointed out. 

There was a lull in the conversation after that. After they each finished their food, Ash considerably more quickly than Serena, the two childhood friends chose to just enjoy the amicable silence. While Serena resumed her ministrations on an elated Pikachu, her fingers gently going up and down his back, Ash took the opportunity to just lean back against the picnic blanket, his arms folded behind his head. 

For a while, he just stared up, watching the clouds go by as the breeze carried them, trying to discern their shapes. Just then, he caught sight of a Fennekin-shaped one, but when he turned to Serena to point it out, his breath hitched. 

He didn’t get it, he really didn’t, but for some reason, the sight of his childhood friend tending lovingly to his partner, a soft smile on her lips as the gentle breeze swayed her golden hair, was enough to make his heart do a funny thing in his ribcage. 

He was even more surprised when he found himself asking, “Why did you ask?”

The Champion winced when his question seemed to startle the Performer out of her own thoughts, so he wasn’t surprised when she looked at him a little out of sorts. “H-huh? S-sorry, Ash. I spaced out for a second. What did you say?”

He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. “Why did you ask about Valentine’s Day?”

The blush was back at full force. “Oh! It’s just…well…you know…” She cleared her throat, averting her gaze until she finally got a hold of herself. “I heard there’s going to be a bit of a festival, and since it won’t be long before I have to go back, I was thinking that maybe it’d be fun if we went to check it out?”

Before Ash could so much as reply, Serena hurriedly threw her hands up in an appeasing manner. “O-only if you feel like it, of course! It’s not like I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’m sure we can squeeze in some time to do some other thing, and—.”

“Serena.”

She gulped. “Y-yes, Ash?”

He offered her a smile, wide and boyish. “I’d love to go to the festival with you.”

Her own smile was breath-taking. “It’s a date, then!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the honey-blonde began sputtering. But while Serena tried to excuse herself, Ash was too busy trying to decipher why those words sparked this weird fluttering in his stomach. 

Mona just blinked at her newest clients. And blinked twice. Thrice, for good measure. As the World Monarch fidgeted nervously in his chair, his hands constantly going to rub the back of his head, or neck, or to scratch his cheek and even under his nose, all of his previous bravery for calling her out in her callous rebuttal of his friend had disappeared without a trace. As for said friend, to his credit, he was patiently waiting for the boy to finish his tale alongside his Pikachu. 

His own Croagunk had retreated to his Poké Ball as soon as the show began. 

Finally, it looked like the boy, Ash, was done with his rambling. “...so yeah, I really want to do this right, but I’ve never confessed before. I don’t even know where to begin! So I asked Brock for help—”

‘Just because he can profess his love to someone as easily as breathing does not mean he’s an expert on the matter.’ She kept her observations to herself, though. 

“—and he said he knew just what to do. He brought me here and, well, the rest is history…” Ash finished, rather lamely, his hand back to the back of his head. Man, somehow that had been more nerve-wracking than facing Leon in the finals of the Masters Eight. 

Mona’s eyebrows raised slightly at the revelation. So Mr. Impassioned Speech over here had some semblance of knowledge on these things. Noted. 

Speaking of which… “We know you’re surely very busy, Miss Resu. But I’ve been keeping tabs on your exploits; if there’s someone who can help Ash give Serena the confession she deserves, it’s you.”

“I see my reputation precedes me. You are correct; if anyone can organise a successful confession, that’s me.” Mona smirked, before her features settled back on a neutral expression. “However, as you said, I’m a very busy woman, my help is always in high demand around Valentine’s Day, and this is very last minute.” She leaned back against her chair, one leg crossing over the other. “There is no guarantee I’ll be able to spare you any time. Just the fact that I agreed on seeing you at all is putting quite a strain on my schedule, you see.”

Brock nodded, his hands raised towards the woman in a pleading motion. “We understand, but isn’t this right up your alley?” 

Mona’s eye twitched at the tone of his voice. He was baiting her, she knew that. Using her pride against her to get her to hear them out, to agree on going against her better judgement and accept the Monarch’s case. And what was worse, it was working. She always rose up to the challenge. 

She scoffed quietly. A part of her lamented they didn’t need her help on White Day, then she would have had a legitimate reason to refuse. She never worked during Spring. 

Swivelling her chair to her right, fingers tapping against each other as she pretended to consider Brock’s words, she finally conceded his point. “I suppose I wouldn’t be living up to my reputation if I didn’t manage to work my magic even in the most challenging circumstances…”

She stole a glance the raven-haired boy’s way, who was gawking at her as if she would sprout a pair of wings and fly out of the room any minute now. Mona had to stifle the need to laugh. Of course she could help the boy, time crunch be damned! The only thing that made his case stand out was the fact that the current World Monarch and first Alola Champion was asking her for help—that was, understandably, new; a rarity in itself in her long career. 

If only because firstly, he was the first Champion of Alola and, secondly, the previous World Monarch had quite the reputation for being even denser than this kid appeared to be. Not an easy feat, indeed. 

But really, just one glance and she knew exactly what he needed. 

“Uh, I don’t mean to be rude.” Ash spoke up for the first time since finishing his retelling of the events that brought him to her office. He had to admit, he felt unsure, as if he were about to defuse a time bomb. “But, who are you? I mean, what do you even do?”

The moment he asked his question, he realised defusing a time bomb was exactly what he had been doing. And he had failed. Badly.

At his query, Miss Resu, who up until that point was barely looking at him from the corner of her eye, snapped her head towards him so fast, it was a miracle she didn’t give herself whiplash. His own eyes wide in surprise at the sight of her flaring nostrils and twitching eye, he braced himself for what came next, a glance Brock’s way showing his friend doing the same thing. 

“Who am I?” Miss Resu echoed, her voice quiet at first. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before it gained more volume. “What do I even do?! I’m Mona motherfucking Resu, kid!” She finally snapped, slamming her hands on her desk, not unlike Ash himself had done a little while earlier. “I’m what makes or breaks a couple! You have no idea how many couples were born thanks to my intervention! My services are the difference between everlasting happiness and dying alone in a ditch!”

Ash held onto the armrest of his chair for dear life—Pikachu holding onto him—, visibly startled at the way this woman—at first glance, elegant and poised—did a complete 180 and turned downright vulgar. He jolted slightly when Miss Resu abruptly turned to her side and strutted over to a cabinet, brusquely opened one of its drawers, and began to rummage through its files. For a few, agonising seconds, the rustling of the pages as they came into contact with her fingers was the only sound that could be heard inside the office. Finally, she took out several folders that she held against her chest with one arm and, after closing the cabinet once more with her other arm, returned to her desk. She unceremoniously let the folders drop on the wooden surface with a resounding thud!

“There!” She snarled, her face scrunched up in distaste. “Seeing as you’re in such dire need for proof of my abilities in the romance department, have at it!” She gestured at the papers scattered across her desk. “Take a look at some of my most successful cases.”

Slowly, tentatively, both Ash and Brock leaned forward in their seats, peering over the desk and down on the files with the same caution they would approach a rampaging Pokémon. Reaching out his hand, the young Champion took hold of one of the folders and began to leaf through it, Pikachu glancing down at it curiously from his shoulder. By his side, Brock mirrored his actions. 

As he skimmed over the information detailed inside and glanced sparingly at the pictures attached to the pages—and wondered idly if this didn’t breach some sort of NDA—Miss Resu spoke up, her voice tinged with equal parts pride and offence. 

“Somehow I’m not surprised you’d choose that particular file.” She addressed Ash, one eyebrow arched in amusement. “More so given the rumours of your… exploits. Nevertheless, that was one of my most entertaining assignments. My client’s girlfriend was a food connoisseur—though, really, proper Kalosian would be connaisseuse— and a stunt double. So she asked me to organise the most thrilling, most adrenaline-pumping, most action-y anniversary date I could come up with.”

Brock, who was now peering over Ash’s shoulder to take a good look at the anniversary in question, intrigued, furrowed his brow in disbelief at what he saw inside. “...Are those police helicopters?”

She chuckled fondly. “Why, yes. Though I’ll admit, for reasons I cannot disclose, it was easier to convince Officer Jenny to help than you might expect.” What she didn’t add, however, was, ‘Mostly because my client was an Officer Jenny…’

“And isn’t that Kalos Elite Four member and world-renowned chef Siebold?” Ash added, equally surprised. 

“He owed me a favour.”

Ash was really starting to regret not paying more attention to the portraits showcasing her former clients when he had the chance. 

As he pondered those thoughts, Brock turned his own folder around, pointing at the description inside. “What about this one?”

After squinting her golden eyes to get a better look, a small smile spread over her lips, stretching the heart painted on them. “Oh, yes. That was a bit more traditional—just your classic confession with a picnic.”

It was Ash’s turn to lean into his friend’s space to get a better look, his and Pikachu’s eyes bulging at what they read. “A picnic at the top of Mount Silver? How is that ‘traditional’?!”

“Pika chu?!”

“Well, the two of them were hikers so…” Miss Resu shrugged dismissively. Honestly, given her line of work, that was definitely one of the most normal requests she had accepted.

“I…I see.” Both trainers and Pokémon sweatdropped at the flippant tone of her answer. Only to then become startled when she jabbed a finger into a specific folder, before holding it up and leafing through the pages herself. Humming in approval upon reaching a certain page, she handed it over to Ash for him to see. 

What he saw inside made his jaw drop. 

“Look at this couple, for instance.” She began, her thumbs tapping against each other as she retold that particular case. “Another example of a satisfied client. With my guidance, he resolved to take his girlfriend out for a nice date in town in order to ask her to marry him.” Mona began listing items off with her fingers. “A candlelit dinner at a good restaurant, a romantic walk under the stars, and finally, he proposed to her by lighting five hundred fireworks reading 'Will you marry me?' in the night sky!” She waved her arms around in a grandiose manner as means to finish her recounting. Then, she leaned back once again and shrugged. “It doesn't get much more romantic than that, kid.”

But Ash wasn’t entirely convinced. Then, a spark of recognition flashed through his eyes  before they darted back and forth between the folder in his hands and Miss Resu’s unnervingly calm expression. 

“...wait, isn't this the couple that got sentenced to jail for accidental arson and Pokémon habitat endangerment?” He queried, apprehension dripping from his voice.

Said apprehension only got worse when Miss Resu’s pleased grin grew. “Yes, and the judge that sentenced them to jail was kind enough to officiate their wedding in court.”

Ash tentatively put the folder back down, giving it a careful pat as if it were a hungry Ursaring, ready to pounce. 

Ignoring the way both young men seemed to be having a silent conversation with just their eyes—with Ash practically begging Brock to get the Heck out of there!—Mona went on, “As you can see, there is nothing I can’t do. All my clients always get exactly what they want; once my job is done, all there is left to do is for them to do their part. So, what do you say, Mr. Ketchum? Changed your mind yet?”

His silent pleading having been abruptly interrupted, Ash stiffly moved his body so he would face Miss Resu, gulping at her predatory smile. “Sure looks like you know your stuff…” He said uneasily. 

Sensing his discomfort, Mona chose to cut straight to the chase. “I understand your apprehension, Mr. Ketchum. After all, the matters of the heart aren’t always as simple or straightforward as a Pokémon Battle. The outcome can’t be determined by parameters as simple as victory, defeat, or draw.”

Eyes widening, Ash could feel his reservations melting away at her words. He didn’t know how, but this woman, this intimidating, difficult, mood-swinger of a woman, was managing to summarise all his fears and concerns so concisely. Somehow, she was proving herself to know his innermost feelings like the back of her hand when not even he could make sense of it all most of the time. 

Realising she truly understood what he was going through allowed him to lower his guard a little. Noticing this, Brock smiled. 

“Yeah, that’s right…” He breathed. 

“But believe me when I say I know what I’m doing.” she pressed on, her golden eyes locking with his amber ones. “Just like you’re the best Pokémon trainer out there, Mr. Ketchum, I’m the very best at my job. So I will stop at nothing until I’ve managed to help you achieve your goal.”

“Does that mean you’ll do it? You’ll help me tell Serena how I feel for her?” Ash asked, eyes shining with hope. 

“That depends.” Miss Resu replied, giving the raven-haired boy pause. Then… “Do you want her to know how you feel? Do you care about her enough to dare to be brave and upfront with her? Is she worth it?”

He didn’t even realise when his mouth opened, his words more sincere and determined than ever before. “Yes, she is.”

Miss Resu smiled genuinely for the first time since they stepped foot into her office. 

“Then I’m looking forward to working with you.”

He couldn’t tell when, exactly, but somewhere along Serena’s visit to Pallet Town, Ash found himself with the habit of letting his eyes linger on her, watchful of her every move. He remembered the same thing happening once in a while back in Kalos, but since those times usually coincided with Serena either practising her Showcase routines or trying out a new outfit, he never really gave them much thought. 

It wouldn’t be until much later that he would come to realise—or, more accurately, admit—he was actually terrified of the conclusions he would reach. 

Nevertheless, none of those instances held a candle to the frequency with which he had been doing it ever since Serena arrived at his hometown. A part of him felt like a paparazzo; it was almost as if her every move just had to be recorded for posterity. 

To further draw the simile, each time his eyes found her form, it was as if the moment had been immortalised in a picture, with his heart skipping a beat serving as the telltale click! of the camera.

It didn’t matter if Serena had simply knelt down to take a closer look at the wild flowers lining the road leading away from Pallet Town. Or if the sun shone down on her and turned her silky honey blond locks golden when its rays hit her head just right as they retook those steps into the forest where they first met. Or if she was doing something as simple as getting to know his Pokémon and reuniting with his Kalos team, their beaming faces mirroring each other.

It really didn’t matter. Serena’s image engraved itself into his memory just the same. 

Which was the reason he wasn’t all that confused by the way he seemingly couldn’t take his eyes off the Performer as she helped his mother around the family restaurant, baking limited edition treats and desserts. He remembered with a fond smile how Serena had insisted on doing more to assist, like serving tables, taking the customers’ orders, washing dishes… But his mother would not have it. 

‘You’re our guest, Honey!’ she’d said. ‘You should be looking around with Ash, having fun, not all cooped up here with me!’

In the end, the two women had come to a compromise. Serena would wake up early alongside Delia to prepare that day’s batch of sweets, and after both she and Ash had breakfast, they’d be off to explore and have fun. 

A guilty part of Ash had to admit he really couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day than eating Serena’s baking for breakfast and then spending all day with her. 

Thus, how he found himself that morning. Lazily leaning over the counter with the small plate that’d previously displayed a generous serving of pain perdu in front of him , head resting on his hand. As his free hand kept absentmindedly scratching Pikachu between the ears, his amber eyes remained fixated on the scene before him, unwilling to tear themselves off it. 

Really, it was nothing out of this world. Serena’s giggling as she joked around with his mother shouldn’t have been enough to take his breath away. 

And yet, there it was. The telltale sound of his heartbeat taking another picture. 

“The most important thing you must know, Mr. Ketchum, is that you can’t make a half-assed confession.” Miss Resu stated over the brim of her cup. As she took a sip of her café au lait, Ash and Brock couldn’t help but grimace slightly at her… interesting choice of words. How could this woman alternate between refinement and grace, and slang and vulgarity so easily was beyond them. “When someone comes to me, that means they’re willing to do anything for the object of their affections. Therefore, I expect you to do your part.”

Miss Resu had insisted on meeting up at a café near her office, insisting the air in the room tended to turn ‘stuffy’ after a while, more so after a meeting with clients. The place was fairly simple, yet elegant. The clear inspiration it took from all those cafés he remembered lining the streets of Lumiose City yet another reminder of the reason why he was even meeting up with the woman in the first place. At least the fresh air from sitting outside instead of cooped up in a small room made it a little easier to breathe. 

His usual determination coursing through his veins, Ash gave her a nod. “I’m not someone who gives up until the end.” He said resolutely, pumping a fist. On his shoulder, Pikachu did the same with a “Pika pika!”

“That’s good.” Miss Resu agreed as she set her now finished drink with a clink! Straightening her posture, she regarded him with her full attention. “Is there anything I should know beforehand? A particular way you’d like to confess? Any experiences you wish didn’t repeat themselves?”

The young Monarch could only blink slowly at her, not following. “What do you mean?”

Miss Resu shrugged one shoulder up and down. “You know. Things such as places that hold meaning to the both of you or where you’d like your confession to be. Any key details that might help draft the perfect scenario—like her favourite flowers or her favourite song. And, most importantly, it is imperative you inform me on how your professing your feelings to your previous crushes and/or girlfriends was done so as to avoid repeating it with Miss Serena.” She shook her head as she took a bite out of her strawberry cream cake as she brought her fork to her lips. “There is no faster way to ruin your chances than your intended finding out you did something first with somebody else—women like to feel special when being courted, you see.”

She turned back to face him as she said this, only for her expression to freeze, her brow furrowed, at the blank stare the current World Monarch was regarding her with. The way Pikachu’s ears seemed to droop in second-hand embarrassment and Brock averted meeting her eye only served to further cement her unease.

She was almost too afraid to ask. 

“...what is it?”

It was Brock who spoke, though his mouth felt like it was full of cotton. “The thing is, the reason we saw fit asking for your help—”

“You saw fit.” Ash corrected him, before flashing a still bewildered Miss Resu an apologetic look. “No offence, but I think we already made it pretty obvious I had no idea who you were until today.”

“Right. The reason I saw fit asking for your help is because Ash just… doesn’t have experience with this?” He finished with a wince, unsure. 

“What do you mean, he doesn’t have experience? Has he only been the confessee and never the confessor?”

“In a way, yes, that would apply here. But what I mean to say is…” Brock hesitated. After a beat, he opened his mouth to continue, but closed it again instead. As he repeated the process a few times, Mona couldn’t help but be reminded of a freshly-caught Magikarp gasping for air. 

“What you mean to say is what?!” She finally snapped, her already limited patience wearing thin. 

“I have never been in a position like this before.” Ash said, drawing Mona’s wide eyes and slackened jaw to him. Tugging at the visor of his hat uncomfortably under her flummoxed scrutiny, he cleared his throat. “This is… this is actually the first time I’ve ever had feelings for someone. And, to be honest, I’m not sure she even returns my feelings, so… Yeah. It’s a little nerve-wracking.”

Brock and Pikachu miraculously found the strength to refrain from staring blankly at him at his admission, especially that last part about the possibility of his love being unrequited. Had they had a little self-restraint, they would’ve said something along the lines of ‘Duh! No wonder you have doubts; she’s only hopelessly in love with you!’

As for the clueless boy, now that he’d finally admitted it, Ash felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Suddenly, it was so much easier talking about it. Ignoring the way the flabbergasted relationship consultant jerked a disbelieving thumb his way—silently asking Brock, ‘Is he for real?’—, Ash took his cap off and ran his fingers through his messy black locks. 

He took one deep breath. “And it’s Serena, of all people… A part of me knows she’ll never, I don’t know, stop talking to me if she doesn’t feel the same way or this whole thing isn’t perfect but…” He pursed his lips, finding it increasingly difficult to voice his thoughts all of a sudden. How was it possible that, one minute, the dam had been broken, and the next it all but rebuilt itself?! Feeling a soft tap on his cheek, he turned his head around just enough to see Pikachu giving him an encouraging nod. Ash felt himself smile warmly at the gesture. He let out a sigh. “Is it bad that I want this to be perfect?”

Mona was still reeling by the revelation when the boy finished his impassioned, if somewhat awkward, speech. Exchanging one last ‘what the fuck what the fuck what the FUCK’ look with Brock, she cleared her throat, regaining her composure. “No, Mr. Ketchum. That’s completely normal. And though I don’t know Miss Serena myself, I’m sure she’ll appreciate all the trouble you’re going through for her sake.”

“Thank you.” Ash told her sincerely. His cheeks were a little flushed from his admission, but the smile on his face was genuine. 

“Just one question, though. Have you seriously never been in such a situation before?”

And then it fell. 

“No, I have not.” He deadpanned, unamused. The same thing couldn’t be said for the Pokémon Doctor and his partner, who were doing a very poor job of stifling their laughter at his expense. 

“But rumour has it you’ve been travelling with lovely and accomplished ladies in their own right from the moment you first started your journey.”

“They’re all good friends, but that’s it.”

“But you’re the World Monarch!” She finally exclaimed, incredulous. “Nowadays, you’re featured in more gossip magazines than Pokémon ones. You’re literally dubbed ‘The Kantonian Heartthrob’!” The ‘heartthrob’ in question flushed scarlet at that, his friends’ resolve broken as they now had to hold onto their aching stomachs as they doubled down laughing. “Surely you have more admirers than I have white hairs— and don’t you dare comment on my age!” She warned, her voice dangerously low. 

“Um… I don’t really… pay attention to… to any of that…” Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his head with his cap back in its rightful place. “Especially not now that I only have eyes for Serena.”

Once again since she’d known this boy, Mona was reduced to blinking in disbelief. The best part had to be how he was obviously, painfully unaware of the fact that he’d just said something wholly romantic and heartwarming. 

…okay, no. The best part was still the fact that he was experiencing his first ever crush now. How old was he, 18?! Clearly, she must have not been doing her job right if puberty had waited this long to work its magic on him…

Pressing her clasped hands against her forehead, Mona let one last steadying breath. “Okay, well. This… certainly veers things off to a new course of action, that’s for sure.” She exhaled heavily, meeting her client’s gaze again with a reassuring smile—who she was trying to reassure, whether Ash or herself, she wasn’t so sure. “But worry not, I’m the best for a reason. We’ll come up with the perfect confession.”

“Great.” Ash said, nodding. He leaned his body slightly forward over the small, round table separating them from the relationship consultant. “So how do we do this? Do you show us some ideas you’ve previously prepared in a folder, or maybe a brainstorming wall with clippings and fabric samples and the names of possible businesses we could contact for help or…?”

Mona blinked, astonished. In fact, she was so stupefied it took her a while to find her voice. Finally, her Noctowlish expression sobered into casual bemusement. “That’s how you plan a wedding.” She pointed out flatly.. 

However, it was Brock who voiced the questions running through her mind. “And how do you know so much about weddings, anyway?” Then, he gasped in mock surprise, a hand to his chest as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his old friend. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Ash actually shuddered at that, Pikachu wielding an equally uncomfortable grimace. 

“I literally lived with Professor Kukui in Alola back when he was planning his wedding to Professor Burnet.” He explained, his voice monotonous. “Pikachu and I tried so many cake samples we almost swore the thing off completely.”

“Pikachu…” The Electric Mouse verified as a disgusted shudder ran down his tiny body. 

“Now that you mention it, you did send pictures of the wedding…” Brock admitted, his thumb and index finger holding his chin pensively. His expression went from introspective to dreamy as he sighed wistfully. “There’s just something so romantic about watching the sunset from a paradisiacal island like Alola…”

“Yes, that place is essentially the epicentre of all honeymoons, alongside Lumiose City.” Miss Resu spoke matter-of-factly, years of experience shining through. But then her expression turned steely as she turned her focus back on Ash with a sharp fingernail aimed in his direction. “But you had better forget confessing there, Mister.” She warned. “I don’t care how much becoming their Champion and World Monarch has increased your life savings, Valentine’s Day is in a matter of days and it will be nigh impossible getting you tickets there.”  After a beat, just as Ash was about to speak up, she added, almost as an afterthought. “That, and the fact that so many other couples will probably have the same idea, and I happen to pride myself in the uniqueness of my services, thank you very much.”

“Not to mention, there’s always the possibility of rejection, Arceus forbid. Can you imagine how awkward it would be if the two were to spend several days together after a botched confession? Yikes!” Brock winced sympathetically. Of course, he knew better than to believe, even for a second, that Serena could ever reject Ash… But still, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared just in case. 

“Oh, good point! You definitely don’t want to go through that.”

“I mean, how would the conversations even go? ‘Hey, how did you sleep? Everything okay? Man, I sure hope the bleeding wound I left in your heart from when I stabbed my knife and twisted it the other night wasn’t too uncomfortable’?”

“Ugh, absolutely. It’s just this whole thing you want to avoid at all costs—!”

“I’m not confessing in Alola!” Ash finally hissed, his patience running particularly low after a solid five minutes of their back and forth. He flashed an apologetic Brock a slanted look. Way to hype him up! Geez, had he been like that when he competed in the Pokémon League, back when they still travelled together, he wouldn’t have made it past the first round.

Unfortunately, his little outburst drew the curious eye of all the other patrons around them, and a few passersby, who all proceeded to look at him oddly. His cheeks on fire, the young Champion did a poor job of concealing his face with the menu as he stage-whispered: 

“I’m not confessing in Alola.” He repeated more quietly. “Serena and I already agreed that we’d meet up at the Valentine’s Day festival held in Pallet Town.”

“Uh-huh! So you have already secured a date!” The relationship consultant exclaimed, triumphant. This might be even easier than she thought. “That means you’re already half-way there! Surely she is already expecting you to confess at some point during the night.”

Mona raised an eyebrow when she heard Brock mutter sarcastically to himself ‘Knowing Ash, Serena probably found wiser not to get her hopes up.’ As she looked at him in concern, she almost missed it when Ash said, “I don’t know… We’re always hanging out together, but it’s just that, hanging out. Realistically speaking, what could possibly make her think this would be any different?”

Huh. Would you look at that? Turns out, the boy had some level of self-awareness, after all. Colour her shocked.

Luckily for him, what he lacked in romantic experience, Mona more than made up for it. 

“Simple. You let her know. By confessing your feelings for her.” She sentenced with as much finality as she could muster, folding her arms over her chest for added effect. 

At her words, Ash’s resolve strengthened, his amber eyes flickering with newfound vigour. He always strived to take on any challenge head on, telling Serena how he felt for her would be no different. Even if the prospect of laying himself bare in front of her was more daunting than jumping into a volcano to save Fletchinder, he refused to give up until he saw it through. 

“Right. I’ll let her know.” He pumped a fist, sharing a cheeky grin with his Pokémon partner as Brock nodded approvingly. He turned back to Miss Resu. “Okay, so how do we do this? How do I confess?”

“Oh, I have no idea. That’s all you.” Miss Resu replied casually, taking a nonchalant sip out of her drink once the waiter had refilled her cup. 

The boys nearly fell over at her response. 

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Ash bellowed, incredulous. “Isn’t this literally your job?!”

“Ah, a common misconception.” She tutted him playfully. “I’m a relationship consultant, not a matchmaker. I guide and assist my clients however I can as they come up with the perfect way to carry out their plans, be it a marriage proposal, giving their partners the perfect anniversary, date, or whatever, or confessing their feelings. But I have no previous knowledge of the object of their affections beyond what they tell me—I can’t just make up the perfect date for someone I don’t know!”

“So what you’re saying is…?” Brock trailed off. If this led where he feared it would lead, he was going to regret ever bringing Ash to enlist Miss Resu’s help.

“I’m saying first you have to come up with the perfect way to tell Miss Serena how you feel and then you come to me. If I think it’s good enough, I’ll help you carry it out right away. If I think you’ll be lucky if the girl doesn’t end up filing a restraining order against you, I’ll let you know.”

“That’s just great…” Ash muttered in defeat, letting his face drop onto the table. He was far beyond caring if anybody was sending him odd looks for his behaviour. Both Brock and Pikachu were patting him empathetically on each shoulder. 

“Hey, don’t worry, Ash.” Brock told him gently, smiling reassuringly down at him when the raven-haired boy turned his head just enough so their eyes would meet. “Miss Resu is right; you probably know Serena better than anybody else, at least in Kanto. I’m sure you’ll come up with just the thing to let her know how special she is to you.”

At the Pokémon Doctor’s words, a tentative smile made its way over the World Monarch’s lips. “Thanks, Brock. I needed that.”

“Pika pika!” Pikachu joined in too, nuzzling his cheeks against his trainer’s. The slight static emanating from them caused him to laugh. 

“You too, Pikachu.”

“Wonderful!” Miss Resu clasped her hands together, beaming at them from her seat. “As soon as you have a general idea on how you want your confession to go, just hit me up and I’ll go take a look.”

With that taken care of, the group of people finally redirected their focus on finishing off their orders. Ash in particular was blown away by the fact that the conversation had kept him so occupied he had barely touched his food! If his mother were there, she would immediately call for an ambulance, convinced something terribly wrong was going on with her only son. 

After paying the bill, as they raised from their seats, ready to leave, Mona spoke up suddenly. “So, just curious. But are you really telling me that if your confession doesn’t go well, chances are you’ll die a virgin?”

“MISS RESU!”

Turns out, drafting the perfect confession wasn’t as easy as Ash and Miss Resu would have expected. They were drawing a blank. 

Well, no, scratch that. It would be more accurate to talk about a creative rut. Just as it would be more accurate to point out it was Ash who was in a creative rut—Miss Resu was busy spending her time rubbing her temples in disbelief and frustration at how long it was taking the boy to figure it out. And she thought her brothers could be complete morons! Though, to be fair to the boy, it wasn’t like Ash had no idea what to do to impress Serena, it was rather that no matter what he tried to pitch to Miss Resu, she would soundly reject. 

It was as if her job, rather than acting as his consultant, was all about poking holes in his plans.

He suggested taking Serena out on a ‘typical’ date and telling her how he felt during dinner?

‘I thought you two going to your hometown’s festival was the date? Also, word of advice, avoid leaving presents in her glass at all costs—choking hazard.’

Maybe he could take a page out of one of Miss Resu’s previous clients and ask her to work her magic so the fireworks display spelled out a message for her?

‘Do you seriously want to risk spending time in jail for accidentally causing a fire? …and, no offence, but I don’t see you ready to declare your undying love for her in the middle of a very crowded event.’

Oh, what if they staged his kidnapping so Serena, alongside Pikachu, would have to rescue him from some evil organisation on the rise who wanted him for their nefarious plans, and, as they freed him and all three tried to escape, he and Serena inevitably grew closer until the climatic moment—before or after the final battle, he hadn’t decided—when he finally admitted he was in love with her?

All it took was Miss Resu arching an eyebrow in an extremely ‘are you serious’ fashion for him to know it was a terrible idea. Though a worried look from both Pikachu and Brock told him he might need to talk to a therapist about his lingering PTSD from the Kalos Crisis…

Okay, then! What if they just went to Lilycove, the last place where they reunited? It wasn’t Alola, but given the two had actually been there at the same time…

‘Didn’t we just agree you’re going to the Valentine’s Day festival together?”

So, yeah. He had ideas. It was just that, apparently, none were good enough. And he was running out of time! Valentine’s Day was just around the corner and all he had was scrapped ideas. It would not be an exaggeration to say Ash had been pouring himself into planning this for far longer than he ever planned most of his battle strategies.

And worst of all, his mum had eventually caught wind of it all. 

It wasn’t like he made it difficult for her to put two and two together, though. With the way he’d been acting, it was bound to happen eventually. 

Ash had been waking up at the break of dawn for the last few days, a fact that had immediately made his mother suspicious. As any mother worth her salt, Delia knew her son. And no amount of travelling the world and spending long periods away from home was going to change that fact. And her son was a lot of things, but an early riser when he wasn’t on the road, up and moving towards his next destination, wasn’t one of those things. 

The first day it happened, Delia assumed it was just a fluke. Everyone had their off days, after all. But when he woke up even earlier than her or Serena for the second time in a row… That’s when she knew something was up. So she confronted him about it. 

Nothing could have prepared her heart for the sight of her Ash working diligently on organising the perfect first date for him and the little sweetheart using their guest room for the time being. She had to press a hand against her wobbly lip, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, when Ash—breathless and red-faced and so embarrassed, but also eager and impatient for Valentine’s Day to come for the first time in his life—explained things to her. 

It was a strange feeling, seeing him like that. Memories from when he was little, showing her his macaroni-made handiwork proudly, and the image of him right now, all grown-up, as he racked his brains for the sake of his first love converged together seamlessly. The heart-pulling combination of past, present, and future, all at the same time, left her breathless and made her feel more than a little lightheaded. 

In the end, smiling widely at him and reassuring him everything was fine when a stray tear rolled down her cheek, Delia resolved to help Ash in any way she could. Namely, she would make sure to keep Serena busy in the mornings so she wouldn’t accidentally ruin the surprise for herself. 

‘Thank Arceus mum’s helping me with Serena.’ Ash couldn’t help but think to himself. There were only two days left before Valentine’s Day and he was back to square one. Loathe as he was to admit it, he was stressed out enough as it was to have to worry about Serena intruding on his planning because she’d caught wind of his habit of waking up with the break of dawn lately and came to check in with him to see if everything was alright. 

Bless her heart and the rapt attention she seemed to always pay to him, but he just couldn’t risk it! 

“Especially not today…” He thought aloud, willing the sleepiness to leave his eyes. Man, waking up so early for several days in a row when his body kept telling him to just sleep in was killing him! Blinking the grogginess away, a hand running tiredly through his messy black locks, he absentmindedly watched as Pikachu held a pencil and drafted down his own suggestions. After a while, the Electric Mouse set the pencil down on the desk, satisfied with the final product. 

“Pikapi!” He called out to Ash to take a look at what he’d come up with. Unfortunately, just as he chirped to get his trainer’s attention, the sound of the doorbell ringing drowned out what he had to say and stole Ash’s focus away. 

Stealing a glance at the Poké Ball clock resting on his nightstand, the raven-haired boy hoisted himself up from his chair with a grunt of effort and moved towards his bedroom door, muttering, “Just in time.”

Upon reaching the door frame, he realised his faithful companion wasn’t with him. Turning around, he noticed the Electric-type staring back at him from his desk, a piece of paper held in his paws. He cocked an eyebrow, perplexed. “You coming, Buddy?”

Ears perking up, Pikachu shook his head to himself, deciding his idea could wait. Then he remembered whom his trainer would be relying upon today and thought better of it. On second thought, he could always sneak the paper inside Ash’s backpack and bring it out when their plan ultimately—erm, if! If their plan—failed. 

Rolling the piece of paper and bringing it to his face to carry it with his mouth, the small Electric-type scampered down the desk and onto Ash’s shoulder. Chirping happily, if a little forcedly, with a “Pika pika!” when his trainer looked at him oddly. 

Staring blankly at his buddy, Ash ultimately brushed his weird behaviour off with a shrug of his shoulders. These past few days have been stressful for all of them. Miss Resu in particular seemed closer to suffering an aneurysm with each passing day. So after closing the door behind him, he walked down the familiar path leading from his room to the door, relieved it was so early in the morning neither his mum nor Serena would be home in a few hours. 

That gave them plenty of time to prepare and set everything up for when Miss Resu arrived later in the morning. Hopefully this time they would get the go-ahead to carry out their plan. 

Taking one deep, steadying breath, steeling himself for the day up ahead, Ash turned the doorknob and opened the door. He smiled at the familiar face standing on his porch. “Good morning~!” He yawned, his hand barely making it on time to cover his mouth. 

The squinty-eyed image of Brock greeting him from the other side. He rolled his eyes with a chuckle at the display. “Good morning to you too.” He stepped inside the house, adjusting the straps of his backpack with purpose. “You ready for today?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Ash gestured for Brock to come inside, stepping out of the door to give him some space. As Brock slung his backpack off his shoulders and let it drop on the floor, Ash made his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. After a quick sweep at its contents, he called out to his friend over his shoulder. “Would you like anything to drink? We got sodas, Oran Berry juice, milk in case you want coffee… and tap water, of course.”

Brock chuckled, his shoulders moving up and down with the motion. “You’re quite the gracious host, aren’t you?” He teased, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. 

With a shake of his head, Ash good-naturedly rolled his eyes and grabbed some juice for himself. “My mum literally runs a restaurant; she would kill me if I didn’t at least offer my guests something to drink.” 

“Really, then what does she think about your less than stellar table manners?” 

“She says it’s a lost cause and that she prefers to quit while she’s ahead.”

Between the Monarch’s matter-of-factly answer and the careless shrug of his shoulder, there was just something inherently humorous. After a beat where they remained as stone-faced as possible, the two old friends couldn’t help it anymore and burst out laughing. It was good to just unwind after the last couple of days they had, if only for a bit.

After closing the fridge, Ash, finally getting his laughter under control, walked around his counter and grabbed himself a glass from the cupboard to pour his juice into. Once he’d done just that, he reached out for a plate of lukewarm pancakes with a knife and fork his mother had left on the counter for him before going to the restaurant with Serena and set both items down on the table as he sat down. His fork raised halfway to his mouth, a piece of buttery goodness dangling in the air, he raised an amused eyebrow at the Pokémon Doctor. 

“And you still haven’t answered my question. No point being a good host if my guests won’t let themselves be… hosted?” He finished rather lamely, unsure of himself. But then he just shrugged and dug into his food with gusto. 

Pikachu was already by his side enjoying his own plate of Pokémon food—which Delia had also planned beforehand. 

Brock took a seat in front of Ash and brought his backpack closer to him. “No, thank you. I already ate.”

Ash stared back at him with slightly wide eyes and stuffed cheeks, causing the older boy to sweatdrop nervously—Delia was right; teaching her son table manners was a lost cause. 

“You already ate?!” Ash repeated incredulously. “But it’s not even 9:00 AM!”

The Pokémon Doctor moved his mouth around in amusement. “Ash, not everyone makes it a habit of sleeping in whenever they’re not on the road. The world is wide awake by the time you even muster up the energy to open one eye. And there are people going to sleep by the time Pikachu finally wakes you up with a zap…” He meant to mutter that part to himself, but Pikachu’s ears perked up at the sound of his hushed voice and the two shared an impish grin at that. 

Eyes darting back and forth suspiciously between the two, Ash muttered, “I suppose you’re right…”

“Also, you know I’m currently working at Viridian City’s Pokémon Centre. Even if today is my free day, I had to get an early start if I wanted to reach Pallet Town on time.”

“Fair point.” Ash conceded with a shrug before returning his focus to his breakfast. 

As he watched his old friend eat up, Brock had to admit the raven-haired boy had polished his manners somewhat. The fact that they actually got a few words in before he began furiously gobbling down his food was down-right impressive. So much so, a devilish part of the squinty-eyed young man couldn’t help but wonder if Serena’s presence in his house had anything to do with it. 

Once Ash had finally polished his plate off and chugged down his juice, his hand going over his head in a stretch that made his bones pop while Pikachu was content with patting his bloated belly, he finally gave Brock his full attention. 

“So, you got it?” He asked as he leaned forward on the table. 

Brock nodded, lifting his backpack for Ash to see and giving it a few appreciative pats. “It’s all in here. Don’t worry.”

Instead of looking at the backpack as if it contained the answer to all his problems, as he maybe should have, the young Champion couldn’t help but feel uneasy. A part of him felt like he was in the presence of Pandora’s box and about to unleash powers beyond his control. 

Although maybe he should’ve thought of that before enlisting Brock, of all people, to help.

Eyes glancing back between the backpack and its owner, he involuntarily gulped. “You sure this is it?”

Brock waved him off with a motion of his hand. “Ash, trust me. I’ve made sure to take everything into account as I came up with this. It’s a foolproof plan!”

“More like I might make a fool out of myself with this plan…” He muttered sarcastically to Pikachu, who could only let his ears drop in apprehension.

Someone remind the Electric Mouse Pokémon again why they weren’t going along with his plan? It would certainly be less risky than this! 

…okay, that was an understatement. Everything involving Brock and romance was. Zapdos unleashing its Zap Cannon on them on a rainy day would still be less risky than this!

Even though the Pokémon Doctor hadn’t been paying attention to Ash’s comment, just a look at the World Monarch’s face was all it took for him to sense his anxiety. Then again, Ash’s vulnerability on the matter had been prevalent since the very beginning. If this didn’t mean so much to his friend, he would have laughed. 

There was something oddly rewarding in seeing Ash Ketchum—Champion of Alola, World Monarch, the Chosen One, and densest, less romantically inclined boy on the planet—go through the woes of love. It was something of a bittersweet compensation for all those years he made a fool of himself in his search for the one. 

Bittersweet because, on the one hand, no matter how amusing it was to finally see Ash struggling to come to grips with his feelings like most people his age had done long before him, he was still his friend and he worried for him. As someone well acquainted with Enamorus’ fickle nature when it came to pairing people up, Brock knew better than most how heartwrenching the experience could be, especially if you had never gone through anything quite like it before. 

And, on the other hand, the one where the bitterness came from within (accompanied by a healthy dose of envy), it was bittersweet because he couldn’t quite enjoy it. Not only because it would be wrong to get a rise out of his friend’s suffering— schadenfreude was such an ugly thing—, but because his suffering was unwarranted!

Seriously, here Brock was, not only getting rejected on a daily basis, but receiving a well-aimed Poison Jab in his rear for his troubles! But Ash? Oh, while he was moping around and overthinking things for the first time in his 18 years of life, the object of his affections, thief of his heart, the girl whose smile intruded upon his dreams bringing forth many restless nights, was as hopelessly in love with him as he was with her. 

How was that fair?!

Was that some sort of side effect resulting from being the Chosen One? Compensation from the many Legendary Pokémon he had encountered over the years, perhaps? Was Arceus Itself in on it, too?!

‘Hey, man. Sorry that we keep on killing you every other day. Here, may your first love be your soulmate. You know, for your troubles.’

Wasn’t Brock supposed to be Uxie’s own chosen, or avatar, or whatever? Where was his soulmate?!

Still, as he laid his eyes back on Ash, he knew his feelings were unfounded. Just some childish envy, really. Even though the young Champion was certainly lucky his feelings were returned with as much fervour as he held his own close to his heart, the fact that he had yet to truly confirm how Serena felt for him was nerve-wracking to him. Love was filled with uncertainty, and worries, and insecurities, all of which could morph something as beautiful as caring about somebody else more than you care about yourself into something twisted and ugly. 

Back in the day, long ago, when Ash was first entering puberty and Brock had been half expecting him to act on his hormones beyond hot-headedness and impulsiveness a little more—only to be left flabbergasted when it never seemed to happen—, the boy confided in him his deepest thoughts. How he had heard enough horror stories about love dying when it was twisted into wrath and jealousy. How his own father didn’t love him and his mother enough to stay or at least stay in touch with them. How terrified he was that could happen to him, that he could be capable of hurting someone so deeply by betraying them. 

How the fact that he had never fallen in love felt like a blessing. 

So when he admitted to being in love with Serena… Brock wasn’t surprised at the sheer terror and vulnerability reflected in his brown eyes. Fortunately, just one look was all it took for the Pokémon Doctor to realise that, hidden behind all those doubts, Ash was, above all else, entranced with Serena, and so, so excited to explore his newfound feelings and do what he did best: take a leap of faith. 

Ash was finally ready to let somebody into his heart, and Brock took it upon himself to show him the ropes. 

The World Monarch’s gaze, which was strained on the forsaken backpack as if it were about to explode at any minute, snapped back to Brock when the sound of his chair scraping against the floor registered in his ears. Both he and Pikachu could only stare at him curiously as he got up from his chair and made his way over to them. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, he couldn’t help the warm smile that spread over his lips at the supporting hand Brock placed on his shoulder. 

“Ash, I understand you’re worried.” He said, trying to offer as much reassurance as possible. “This is your first time doing this and it’s not like you can just practise until it’s perfect, unlike Pokémon battles and strategies.” In the midst of his earnest speech, his smile turned mischievous as he said, “Unless you want me to put on a wig and a dress so you can pretend to confess to Serena, that is.”

“I’m good.” Ash raised his hand up with a deadpan, but there was a wry smile on his face. He could hear Pikachu snickering at his expense on the table, though. 

“Suit yourself:” Brock replied jokingly. But then his expression sobered. “But seriously, I understand confessing your feelings can be a bit… daunting, especially since you actually have to get somebody else’s approval before you can actually go through with it—”

“Yeah, what is up with that?” Ash interrupted him. “Sorry, Brock. I know you said Miss Resu is the best at what she does, and there are times where just by looking into her eyes I know she definitely knows her stuff, but don’t you think this is overcomplicating things?”

Brock could only sigh. “I understand why you’d feel that way, Ash. But we just have to put a little faith on Miss Resu’s abilities; while I might not have enlisted her services myself—”

“If you had and she were as good as she claims, you would be married by now.” Ash snapped sarcastically, though he didn’t mean to sound so harsh. Mouth snapping shut when he realised how insensitive that had been, he sent the Pokémon Doctor an apologetic look. 

Luckily for him, Brock just shrugged his jab off. “As I was saying, even though not a single romantic gesture she’s organised was the same, all her clients agree on one thing: they got exactly what they wanted. I’d say that’s reason enough to give it a try, right?” He smiled down at Ash, his expression oozing encouragement. 

“You’d think her clients would at least mention you need to figure out what you want to do first. You know, sort of like how the fine print in toy boxes warns buyers that some pieces are sold separately.” Despite the snark in his words, Ash’s eagerness to do this right was genuine. He got up from his own chair, gesturing at Pikachu to take his rightful place on his shoulder, and, hands on his hips, sent the spiky-haired young man a determined look. 

“You really sure what’s in your backpack will be the answer?”

“Trust me, Ash. When Miss Resu sees what we got planned for your confession, she will be helping you straighten out the finer details in no time.”

“And if she still doesn’t approve?”

“Then you’re lucky you still got two more days before your date with Serena to fix it.”

Pikachu summed Ash’s thoughts on the matter best. “Pika chu…”

Mona Resu had seen a lot throughout her long career. Disasters of such magnitude, the only reason sociology experts didn’t develop a scale of severity to categorise them by was because there had, thankfully, been no casualties. Really, she wasn’t a stranger to catastrophes such as grooms setting their mother-in-law’s dresses on fire during wedding rehearsals; or having to intercept and tackle waiters to the ground like a professional Unovan football player because they were about to serve a champagne glass with a ridiculously expensive diamond ring in it to the wrong table; or many other near-heart-attacks she rather not reminisce about.

And yet, she was sure she had never found herself staring in abject horror at the ideas presented to her as often as she did ever since accepting Ash Ketchum’s case. 

Moral of the story, kids: being the best that ever was doesn’t save you from sucking ass at anything other than your area of expertise. 

Seriously, the only thing worse she could think of was that time she had to help a client get his boyfriend back after saying his ex’s name during rather… unfortunate circumstances. 

As she blinked in utter disbelief for the umpteenth time that day, her posture slouched forward and her jack slackened, all Mona could do was ask, “What the fuck am I looking at?”

Arceus above, they were actually doing jazz hands as they showed their latest monstrosity to her. Jazz hands were supposed to express triumph, but the only feeling the complete mess in front of her elicited out of Mona was the all-encompassing desire to just crumple in on herself like a used tissue and let the winter breeze carry her far away from here. 

She had to admit, she would be genuinely impressed if whatever positive feelings brought forth by their suggestion weren’t totally eclipsed by the utter horror coursing through her veins. It couldn’t have been easy to screw things up so badly in the relatively short amount of time they had until her arrival, so how did they manage to paint the back of Ash’s home like that so quickly? The relationship consultant knew her latest client still lived with his mother—how in the fresh Distortion World did they convince her to let them inflict this nightmare upon her precious home? 

And where did they get all those roses?!

Squinting her eyes at them, Mona couldn’t help but step forward and take one out of its respective bouquet. She delicately traced her fingers over its petals as she marvelled at their deep red hue. Upon realising they were actually very high quality, she could only hum in approval. She might have to ask them about their provider, still. 

Rose still in hand, she turned to face the two boys responsible for enlarging her therapist’s trust fund considerably. An eyebrow raised, she prompted, “Well? I’m waiting.”

Any good feeling they might have been feeling before was immediately quashed by Miss Resu’s… less than favourable reaction. Still, they could try applying salesman logic here; maybe if they advertised things just right, they could actually sell it. 

Exchanging one last uneasy look with Brock, Ash took it upon himself to explain. His clearing his throat had nothing to do with him being nervous or anything, however. “It’s…uh, it’s how we thought I could confess to Serena. We were thinking after the festival, when we returned home, I could bring her here for a minute first and—”

“And let that do the talking for you?” Miss Resu asked sarcastically, using her free hand to point at the paint sprawled over the back of the house. At first she just glanced at it disdainfully before quickly looking away, her retinas burning, but immediately after she had to do a double take. 

“...why is it in red paint?”

“Oh!” It was Brock who perked up at her question. This was actually a part of his plan he had studied extensively, so he was sure he’d be able to sell the white-haired woman on it if he just explained his vision to her. “Well, you see, it’s all a matter of colour theory. Red isn’t just strongly associated with love and Valentine’s Day—even though it does make it doubly fitting—, but in general it represents strength, passion, and confidence. All things we believe best represent Ash and Serena as both individuals and as a couple—”

“Spare me the lesson, Professor Hueston.” Miss Resu snapped, cutting Brock’s spiel as her golden eyes flashed dangerously. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, boys, but colour theory is worth jack if it looks like someone’s dragged a dead body all over your wall!”

At her words, both boys and Pikachu turned their attention back to the message on the wall. The three of them tilted their heads in unison the longer they stared, until they almost fell over from shock upon reaching the same realisation as the agitated woman tapping her foot impatiently a few feet away. 

“Okay, yeah. Maybe it lacked some forethought.” Brock admitted, sheepishly scratching the side of his head with his index finger. 

“You think?” Ash deadpanned, doing everything in his power to prevent himself from glaring a hole into his friend’s skull. 

Poor Pikachu could only shake his head in defeat. “Pika…”

“Hey, maybe the writing on the wall is a bust, but it’s nothing we can’t fix, right, Miss Resu?” The Pokémon Doctor raised his palms up placatingly, sending the relationship consultant a pleading look. 

In all honesty, both Ash and Brock half-expected the throbbing vein on Miss Resu’s forehead to just burst and her tearing them a new one and ordering them to start from scratch, but were taken by surprise when something seemed to… change in her demeanour. They watched, their hearts in their throats, as something flickered behind her golden eyes as they danced from one place to another, her posture straightening. 

“Now that you mention it, there is something that could easily improve all this.” She said almost to herself, her chin caught between her thumb and index finger in a pensive manner. 

For some strange reason, Ash felt compelled to hold Pikachu close to him as he watched Miss Resu calmly walk over to the other side of his garden, her hands resting behind her back. Absent-mindedly, his brain registered how Brock also came to huddle closer to the pair, peering over the Champion’s shoulder curiously. 

The three of them shared dubious glances and wore matching furrowed brows when Miss Resu picked a moderately-sized rock from the ground and experimentally weighed it down in her hands. With a pleased hum, she turned back around and went back the direction she came from. She shifted to tuck the stone against her side with her arm, and with her free hand she grabbed the harp stool, though not before shooting the instrument a look of disgust as she shuddered—seriously, what was the need for that?!

Still under the gobsmacked glances of Ash, Brock, and Pikachu, she dragged the stool in front of them, daintily removed any lingering lint or dust with a swipe of her hand, and passed the rock over to the boys with a cheerful ‘Here!’; right before dropping carefully to her knees and laying her head against the cushion. 

Blinking rapidly, it was Ash who broke the silence. 

“Um, what are we supposed to do with this—?”

“KILL ME!” 

She had screeched so loud, not only did Ash, Brock, and Pikachu recoil in fright at her reaction—in fact, the Pokémon Doctor almost dropped the rock in surprise—, but they could distinctly hear the startled calls of many Flying-types echoing in the distance. 

“Wha-what?!” Ash managed to ask despite everything. Unfortunately for him, that only gave the relationship consultant more ammunition.

“You’ve heard me! Smash that rock against my head and just let my brains splatter everywhere! Go on, put me out of my misery!”

“...Is it really that bad?” Ash managed to ask with a small voice, sharing a dejected look with Pikachu. He jolted once again when Miss Resu was back up in a flash and mere inches away from his face, her expression so dark it would have given his Gengar a run for his money. 

“Do I need to bring the bloody wall up again?” She asked rhetorically, her pupils turned to slits. Without so much as a warning, she whirled around so fast, her hair would have slapped Ash in the face had she worn it loose instead of in its usual bun. She was flailing her arms around animatedly as she began to speak, seemingly to herself. “I seriously don’t understand. What the fuck possessed these two to come up with…with this! Dilapidating your childhood home;  buying enough roses to either attract a swarm of Beedrill, or cause an anaphylactic shock to an allergic person that might come around, or both! And actually bringing,” she paused to shudder, “a harp… I’ve seen a lot of things in my career, but this takes the whole cake!”

As the relationship consultant seemingly lost her mind, Brock leaned closer to Ash to whisper in his ear. “I’m sorry, Ash. I really thought this would work.”

“So did I, Brock. So did I…” The raven-haired boy sighed. Still, he couldn’t let this get him down. He still had a day and a half before his date with Serena. He could still get it right. “Thanks for the idea, though.”

“Wait, WHAT?!” 

Once again, they were startled out of their little conversation by the sound of Miss Resu’s supersonic screeches. Seriously, this woman could put a Golbat to shame. They didn’t have much time to dwell on those thoughts, however, for she was jabbing a perfectly manicured nail in Ash’s face while she waved the rose she was still holding in Brock’s general vicinity before they knew it. 

“So you’re telling me, this whole fiasco,” she gestured widely at the space around her, “is the result of you listening to him!?”

“I was running out of ideas!” Ash tried to defend himself. Then his eyes narrowed in on the woman, his arms crossing over his chest. “And you weren’t exactly helping…” He accused. 

“Pika pi!” Pikachu agreed with a nod from his shoulder, his own posture showing his displeasure. 

Miss Resu just ignored his jab with a huff. “But seriously, you asked him for help!? Come on, he can’t get himself a date but he’s going to be able to help you? What part of that makes you think that taking his advice on this matter was a good idea?” She countered derisively with a roll of her eyes, before turning briefly to the young man in question. “No offence.”

“None taken…” Brock replied, although the meek tone of his voice indicated that was partly a lie. 

“He suggested I asked you for help.” Ash shot back, his voice dripping with venom. Though a part of him couldn’t help but think he was partly admitting Miss Resu was right in her assessment of his friend’s judgement, seeing as she was proving herself to be rather useless. He hoped his comment would at least appeal to her ego. 

For a few tense moments, nobody said a word. The World Monarch and allegedly best relationship consultant had entered a stare down, their eyes narrowing menacingly on each other. The atmosphere was so tense, Ash could have sworn the breeze actually picked up for a moment. Until…

“Touché.” Miss Resu finally relented, straightening herself up as she looked down at her nails disinterestedly.

Still, she remained unapologetic. And Ash had just about had it with her attitude. However, he didn’t want to risk another argument so, taking his cap off and running his hands furiously through his hair in frustration, he went to lean against the wall to will himself to calm down. Right now he didn’t particularly care for the way Miss Resu was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. 

He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration before letting out a loud sigh. Right now the only thing keeping him moderately grounded was scratching under Pikachu’s chin. 

“I just don’t understand why nothing I try seems to be good enough for you.” He finally spat out. 

“It’s not because your ideas aren’t good enough for me.” Miss Resu countered pointedly, though not unkindly. “But because they aren’t what you need; what Miss Serena needs.” As she explained this, she went to join Ash against the wall, tilting her head forward to get a better look at him. “Didn’t I tell you back at the café? I can and will help you to the best of my ability, but I can’t organise something for someone I don’t know; that’s where your experiences and understanding of Miss Serena come into play.”

“So you’re saying I need to think about what would make Serena happy to make this a success?” 

“Precisely.” She smiled kindly at him, and not for the first time, Ash found himself believing this woman would really play a key role in helping him out. She nudged him with her elbow, a playful smirk on her lips. “Come on, don’t you have another idea you’d like to run by me while we still have time?”

Ash was about to regrettably tell her that, no, he didn’t have any more ideas, when Pikachu’s unexpected cry of “Pika!” prevented him from even opening his mouth. 

Looking oddly at his partner, who was now standing on his hind legs on his shoulders, the raven-haired boy couldn’t help but ask, a little uneasily. “Everything alright, Buddy?”

Instead of answering, the Electric-type took everyone present aback when he went skittering down his trainer’s arm and dashed inside his house as quickly as if Team Rocket was hot on his tail. 

Brock voiced everyone’s thoughts. “That was weird.”

Before anyone could agree, however, Pikachu came scampering back, a folded piece of paper in his mouth. With an agile hop, he landed straight into his trainer’s outstretched arms, where he deposited the piece of paper with a happy “Pikachu!”

For a moment, all Ash could do was stare in confusion at the piece of paper. “What’s this?” He questioned no one in particular right before unfolding the paper and looking inside. Immediately upon skimming its contents, his confusion gave way to elation.  “Wait, is this…?” 

“Pikachu!” The Electric-type replied with a nod and a smile. 

“Pikachu, you came up with all this?” A huge grin spread across his face when his partner puffed his chest out proudly. “Arceus, Pikachu. This is…this is incredible!”

“What is it, Ash?” Brock asked, walking over to his friend. 

“See for yourself.” The boy answered, showing him the paper. By the look on the Pokémon Doctor’s face, he also approved. 

Now, all that was left was…

“What do you think, Miss Resu? What about this?”

For her part, Mona remained impassive even as she eyed the paper’s contents. Her expression was unreadable. After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke:

“Yes, I suppose that could work.”

Ash loved a lot of things. 

How could he not? He was a passionate, earnest young man with an insatiable wanderlust who formed strong, lasting bonds with the people and Pokémon he encountered. His ever-growing love for the world he lived in was essentially a given. 

He loved his mother, who’d always been there for him and was arguably his biggest supporter. 

He loved Professor Oak almost as if the man were his own grandfather. The acclaimed expert was essentially the closest thing Ash had to a father figure until Professor Kukui came along. 

The fact that the old professor had given him his Pikachu —his best friend, with whom he shared so many dreams, the one who got him the best, and one of the things he loved more in the whole wide universe— was probably another reason to love the man as well. 

Speaking of Pokémon, he loved each and every one he had captured throughout his travels. Each of them represented a piece of who Ash was and the many trials and tribulations he had had to go through before being where he was today. If he were to start talking about how much he cared about each of them, he might never stop. 

He loved the many human friends he’d made over the years, too. He had learned so much from all of them, even when he was supposed to be teaching them the ropes. It was simply incredible that he got to share so many wonderful experiences with so many wonderful people ever since he was ten years old. Heck, he even deeply appreciated his rivals! For challenging him, for pushing him forward, for helping him get better and forge himself into his best self. 

He really never would be here without them, without any of them.

He loved hitting the road. The quiet pounding of his feet against the ground and the loud thumping in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins at the prospect of what laid ahead. 

And, boy, did he love food! Getting to taste the different gastronomies from all over the world due to his travels would never stop being a huge bonus in his book. 

He loved battling. He loved challenging Gyms and then the League and now having friendly and exhibition matches with the other Champions. 

He loved his life!

In fact, it would be a safe bet to say one of the few things Ash Ketcum didn’t love was another person. As in, he had never been in love. 

He wasn’t sure he even wanted to ever fall in love. 

True, romantic love could be a wonderful thing. He’d seen as much during his travels. But it could also rot away, corrupt you, be manipulated and twisted into this awful, poisonous, self-serving thing. 

Just like love gave you wings, it could rip them off your back just as easily. 

Again, he’d seen as much in his own mother’s eyes ever since his father left them. 

It was frighteningly easy how people who claimed to love you could make you bleed and leave you for dead. It was horrifying to know how many people there was out there whom you could give your heart to only for them to, not only steal it with no intention to ever give it back, but to play carelessly with it until they let it drop to the floor and shatter into a million tiny pieces you might never be able to piece back together. 

So yes, Ash had many loves, but he was happy with the prospect of having never been in love.

At least, he was until a curtain of golden hair and eyes so blue they looked like they belonged to Rayquaza’s domain crossed his path one too many times. 

Ash didn’t know how it happened, or when things changed from a deep friendship to…to…to this! All he knew was that it did.

Suddenly every waking moment was consumed by thoughts of her. Of the hypnotising way in which her body moved as she performed her latest choreography alongside her team. Of the sensation of his heart simultaneously threatening to burst out of his chest and melt into a puddle of goo at the heartwarming sight of her bonding with both her Pokémon and his own. Of the way her eyes lit up in excitement, and joy, and something else at the mere prospect of spending time together, just the two of them (and Pikachu, and Delphox, Pancham, and Sylveon, of course). Of the feeling of electric anticipation making his every muscle buzz at the mere thought that she was in his house, just down the hall, only separated by a thin wall. Of his taste buds crying in elation because once again he got to taste her baking, for however limited amount of time. 

Of the ghost of her lips on his skidding his mind to a halt while sending his heart into a frenzied race. 

Ash didn’t know how, he really didn’t. But somehow, between their time in Kalos, their goodbye, their reunion at Lilycove, and her unexpected visit to Pallet Town, Serena had done it. She had crawled deep under his skin; so deep, removing her would mean carving parts of Ash himself out. 

And just like that, one day he knew. 

Ash loved Serena. 

Everything had been carefully chosen. From the Pokémon that would be participating, to the moves they’d be using, to the story they’d be telling. Even the location for his surprise had been thoroughly calculated—a beautiful clearing in the middle of the forest lining with Professor Oak’s laboratory that was meant to bring back the memory of Ash and Serena’s first meeting, and hopefully make the place even more meaningful by becoming the spot where they would confess their feelings for each other, too. 

Honestly, if this didn’t work, Ash would happily resign himself to becoming the male version of a crazy Skitty lady—which in his case was probably to grow into some sort of eccentric, old Champion mentor-type living in the wilderness with his many Pokémon and measuring younger trainers’ worth by battling them. 

Maybe he could go to Mount Silver? It seemed to work for Miss Resu’s hiker client. 

…considering he usually wasn’t one to think about the worst case scenario or to make life-long commitments to the hermit way of life, perhaps he was more nervous over the whole deal than he cared to admit. 

Only a little, though. 

His anxiety must have been palpable for his companions, however, for he was snapped out of his thoughts by a grounding hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Brock smiling down kindly at him.

“It’s gonna be okay, Ash.” He said, apparently reading his mind. “It’s a great plan and full of heart; Serena’s going to love it.” After a beat, he added. “By the way, you might want to stop stroking Pikachu now. If you keep that up, I’m afraid you’re gonna get shocked.”

Face scrunching up in confusion at what he said, Ash quickly glanced down at where his partner was resting leisurely in his arms. Only for him to yelp when he finally took notice of Pikachu’s sparking cheeks and surly face at his trainer’s almost frantic caresses. 

“Whoa! Sorry ‘bout that, Buddy…” He apologised sheepishly, hastily stopping his ministrations to rub the back of his head instead. 

“Pikapi…” The Electric-type chirped sourly, before shaking his little body off and making his way to his designated place on Ash’s shoulder. 

“Sorry.” He apologised again. “It’s just… I guess I’m just nervous.” He admitted, heaving out a deep sigh. “I mean, this is it, isn’t it? Today I’m telling Serena how I feel. It just feels like such a big deal, you know?”

“I understand why you’d feel that way.” Brock assured him. “But think about it this way, you’re finally going to rip the band-aid off! After today, you’ll know for sure how Serena feels about you and you’ll be able to move forward. All that’s left to know is if it’ll be with her or on your own.”

Of course, everyone present at that clearing but Ash already knew how everything was going to play out, but he needed to figure things out for himself. No matter how frustrating it could get for everyone else watching. 

“Besides,” Brock nudged him on the shoulder. “If it really were that bad, Miss Resu would have said something by now, don’t you think?”

As in on cue, both boys turned their heads around to face the aforementioned woman—Pikachu peeking his little head over Ash’s shoulder to get a good look himself. She was leaning up against a tree, her hands tucked inside her jacket pockets, though her thumbs were lining their red welts. Although she had burrowed her head deep into her maroon boa, there was no way to mask her expression—it remained as unreadable as the moment Pikachu first suggested all this. 

“It serves its purpose.” She finally answered their questioning gazes with a shrug. 

“See? Even she likes it!”

“Well, that is the most positive thing she’s said about any of our ideas so far…” Ash conceded dubiously. Taking a deep breath, he decided there was no point in second-guessing everything now. He finally had a plan on how to confess to Serena, and he was not about to let all their hard work go to waste because he was feeling jittery. 

Pumping a fist in the air, almost to pump himself up, he turned to address the Pokémon gathered. Staring back at him expectantly were Talonflame, to remind Serena of their adventures in Kalos; Lucario, since their connection was the closest thing to Ash-Greninja’s Bond Phenomenon and the two of them worked perfectly in synch; Snivy, because she was his only Pokémon that knew Attract and… Well, nothing quite said Valentine’s Day like sparkling hearts, right? And Palpitoad, because Serena had once said he reminded her of the Poliwag from when they were children and she had a special soft spot for him.

And of course, as the mastermind behind all this, Pikachu would be participating as well. 

The goal was simple: to create a small Showcase-like performance (while sparing everyone involved from the scarring experience that was Ash dancing) to show Serena how much he admired and cared for her. 

After all, she and Pikachu battled that Jimmy guy and his Pikachu for his sake. Wasn’t it natural that Ash took a page out of her book and tried walking in her shoes for a while as well?

“Okay, everyone!” He called out to them, his hands on his hips as if it were a regular training session. “We still have some time before the festival starts and I gotta meet up with Serena, so how about we rehearse some more until then?”

All of his Pokémon cried out their approval in unison. Aside from Talonflame and Pikachu, who knew her best, they all liked Serena from her visits to the ranch alongside Ash. She was always thoughtful enough to bring plenty of her delicious Poké Puffs for everyone—even Bayleef, who glared at her like she intended to become a Fire-type and burn a hole through her skull. 

They wanted to do something nice for her in return

(Besides, none of them doubted she would ever reject Ash’s confession, so it wasn’t like they had anything to lose anyway).

“Awesome! Then, from the top!” Ash exclaimed, making a sweeping motion with his hand to give them the go ahead. 

The first couple of tries, everything was just fine. Each member of the operation was executing its parts perfectly. Lucario and Palpitoad were in charge of setting the stage by performing some acrobatics; they would stage a battle where each of them would be moving around the space—Lucario by performing katas and undulating his athletic body in response to Palpitoad’s own moves, while the Vibration Pokémon simply hopped around in something akin to a dance. Then, they would cap it off by hurling an Aura Sphere and a Hydro Pump at each other, the resulting explosion giving way to a series of sparkles meant to shower over them and hide them from view as Snivy and Pikachu made their appearance. 

From them on, the tiniest members of his team would be in charge of amping up the charm. The Electric-type was meant to throw himself towards Snivy, who could catch him with her Vine Whip and their bit would turn into a classical circus routine—Pikachu would curl into himself until he resembled a ball and Snivy would juggle him in the air with her long vines. And then, just in time, she would hurl him high in the air right before spinning on her axis and summoning forth a wave of the heart-shaped projectiles resulting from using Attract. For his part, Pikachu would unfurl himself just at the right moment to break the little hearts into yet another shower of sparkles with some well-aimed Iron Tails. 

And last but not least, Talonflame would wrap it all up by enveloping himself in a Flame Charge meant to leave harmless ambers in his wake. Looking back, maybe his plan relied a bit too heavily on sparkles, but since Ash didn’t have access to fireworks, he figured this would be the next best thing to light up the night sky. 

Yes, everything seemed to be going just as planned.

Until it wasn’t. 

He didn’t know how, but just as he was about to have to return them all to their Poké Balls and go home to prepare for the festival, everything came crashing down with their very last rehearsal. 

Lucario and Palpitoad’s part had gone off without a hitch, but when it was Pikachu and Snivy’s turn, something went wrong. At the moment he didn’t know what it was, but when it was finally time to toss Pikachu up, Snivy miscalculated and threw him slightly off-course and higher up. At first it didn’t seem like much of a problem, until the new position caused Pikachu’s Iron Tail to miss one of Attract’s glittering hearts and fall under its thrall instead. What’s worse, the slightly altered course and Pikachu’s trance resulted in him not taking notice of a rapidly approaching Talonflame—his previous usage of Flame Charge rendering him faster than what either he or Ash had anticipated. With no way to halt his accelerated trajectory, the Scorching Pokémon met the Electric-type’s misaimed Iron Tail beak-first, sending both Pokémon tumbling down and onto a startled Snivy. 

Ash’s eyes widened. If Pikachu and Talonflame came crashing down, they could hurt themselves and especially Snivy, who would suffer immensely from the super effective Fire-type move. Not thinking twice, he addressed his Water and Ground-type. “Palpitoad, quick! Try to slow Talonflame down with Hydro Pump!” Despite the Fire and Flying-type’s own weakness against Water-type moves, Ash knew he could shoulder it far better than his Grass-type. 

“Palpitoad!” Not wasting any time, the Vibration Pokémon conjured forth a powerful torrent of water straight into Talonflame’s collision course. Unfortunately, in his own panic, Palpitoad underestimated the force behind the attack and momentarily lost control of it. The torrent reached its desired target, yes, but it also slammed an unsuspecting Lucario against a tree. 

But the catastrophe didn’t end there. For, even though Talonflame’s body was no longer encased in flames, his form still managed to soar through the Hydro Pump and collide against both Snivy and Palpitoad, knocking them all back. 

For a moment, all Ash, Brock, and even Miss Resu could do was blink in astonishment. Just like that, all five of his Pokémon had been knocked out; his ultimate plan to confess to Serena had gone up in flames right before his very eyes; and, what’s worse, he had run out of time to come up with an alternative. 

He had nothing. 

The shock of that realisation must have knocked him out, because Ash didn’t even register the way his knees gave out under him as he fell to the ground. Or Brock worriedly calling out his name. Instead, he just brought himself to his feet on autopilot, returned his Pokémon to their Poké Balls before thanking them for everything, and gingerly picked Pikachu up. 

And just like that, he ran towards Professor Oak’s lab so he could treat his Pokémon. 

As all that was taking place, Miss Resu just stared.

Ash stared back at his reflection in the water—the defeated expression, the dishevelled black hair poking every which way now that he had his cap in his hand, the complete hopelessness radiating from it—and scowled. He was leaning against the railing on the little bridge over the river lining the forest and going up Professor Oak’s ranch. 

His eyes were fixed on the water, on the little ripples formed by the currents. A part of him couldn’t believe the boy reflected on the liquid surface was himself. He had never looked at his own face and felt any less like himself, not even when he literally encountered parallel versions of himself from other dimensions that acted completely differently from him. He barely registered Pikachu, perched by his side on the same railing, looking at him with concern from the corner of his eye. 

Is that what love did? It fundamentally changed you as a person?

Because he was starting to really want to just hand in the receipt at the store and get his old life back. 

He shook his head at himself, River Ash mirroring his actions. He may not know much about love, but he had a feeling he would have been able to do that already if it were possible. 

Just, how could he have been so stupid? How could he think he could perfect a five-Pokémon routine to impress Serena with in a matter of hours? Even if she danced alongside them, Serena spent weeks working on routines involving her team, and they were only three Pokémon!

How could he think it would work?

Maybe this had all been a bad idea. Maybe this was Arceus’ way of telling him he was making a mistake, that he should be content with the deep friendship he shared with Serena and not get too greedy. Maybe it would be better if he kept his feelings to himself, or even if he cancelled their… He gulped. Their date. 

(Unbelievable. It’d been weeks since Serena first called it that—by accident, may he add—and just thinking of the word still sent his heart aflutter.)

Against his better judgement, he wondered what kind of face Serena would make if he cancelled their plans. And instantly regretted it. Ever since their journey through Kalos, the idea of Serena losing her smile for whatever reason was enough to make his heart sink into his stomach like a rock in the ocean. 

He scoffed derisively at himself. Typical; risking his life by trying to help rampaging Pokémon or thwarting evil organisations’ plans was no big deal to him. Something he would always do in a heartbeat. But putting himself out there and being honest with Serena about the way she made him feel was enough to make him want to throw in the towel. She honestly deserved so much better than him. 

With a pitiful groan he couldn’t remember emitting since he was a bratty beginner trainer, Ash buried his face into his forearms, too overwhelmed to even think straight. 

He was so lost in his own thoughts, he was legitimately surprised when the sound of heels clicking against the bridge’s wooden boards managed to cut through his mental fog. Blinking wearily, he turned his head to the origin of the sound, only for the urge to do a double take to overwhelm him when he realised Miss Resu was leaning against the railing beside him. 

His surprise soon hardened into annoyance, however. “What are you doing here?” He sniffed. 

If Miss Resu noticed the venom in his voice, she didn’t show. Instead she just shrugged. “Checking in on you. I imagine you must be feeling pretty lousy right now.”

“Geez, thanks. Because that’s gonna help me feel better.” He rolled his eyes. 

“Never said I was good at it. I’m a relationship consultant, not a couples therapist.”

Good riddance for that. Seeing her ‘impeccable’ work as his consultant, there was just no way Ash would ever entrust her with any further relationship issues. 

They stayed like that for a while, neither saying a word. Pikachu could only look back and forth between the two uneasily, wondering where this all would lead. For his part, Ash, who had finally began to feel the tension ease off his stiff muscles after a while, tensed back up when she finally said:

“Tell me about her.”

“What?” He blinked at her, confused. 

“Tell me about her, about Miss Serena.” Miss Resu clarified, her golden eyes still locked on the river below. Then, she turned to face him, an eyebrow raised, though for once it held no judgement. “Didn’t I tell you, Mister Ketchum? I can’t help organise something for someone I know nothing about.”

The raven-haired boy’s jaw slackened at her words. “So all this time, when you said that, you actually meant you wanted me to tell you about Serena?” He asked, incredulous. Said incredulity was swiftly replaced by a spark of irritation, however. “Then why didn’t you say so from the start?!”

The white-haired woman remained unaffected by his little outburst. “I assumed you would catch my drift, if only because people in love usually take advantage of any excuse presented to them to talk about the object of their affections.” She shrugged, returning her gaze up ahead as she muttered, “It appears as though I underestimated your utter lack of common sense, however.”

“Hey!” Ash exclaimed, offended. “Is that why you’re here, to gang up on me? Because if so, you can save it.” He tried to wave her off, Pikachu doing the same by turning his back on her, but they found themselves halting in their actions when her golden eyes pierced through them. 

“No, I am here to help you fix things. You are my client, Mr. Ketchum. I have not let a single client down in the entirety of my career, and I am not about to start now.”

Returning his own focus to the body of water ahead, the young Champion let out a sigh. 

“What’s there to fix, anyway? I blew it. I’m meeting up with Serena in barely an hour and I have nothing to show for it.”

He tensed up when he felt her hand on his shoulder. “Let me take care of fixing everything. You can just start by telling me about Miss Serena. Come on, what do you like about her?” She prompted gently.

His face marred with doubt, Ash allowed himself to sigh once more to ease the tension and allow himself some time to think. A few seconds ticked by before he said, “Honestly, I’d be done sooner if I told you what I don’t like about Serena.”

“We still have time, don’t worry.” Miss Resu assured him. 

And so, he told her about Serena. About their first meeting in the very forest surrounding them at that moment all those years ago. About meeting up with her years later in Kalos, when seeing him on the news had inspired her to the point of starting her own journey and searching for her own dream with the intention of returning his old handkerchief to him. About all the times she helped him, one way or another—be it by cheering him on during his Gym Battles, or even helping him train for them, by teaching him how to ride a Rhyhorn, or baking her mouth-watering confections that she always presented to him first… About her unrelenting kindness, and courage, and her unwavering support and faith in him. About the time she helped him find himself when his true self had got buried under the weight of expectations and his competitive drive. 

About the memory of a kiss that tinted their every interaction, and the way her mere presence in his hometown these past few weeks had turned the usually overseen and boring town into his most exciting adventure yet. 

About how he wanted her to know just how much she meant to him. 

Ash could have been talking for seconds or hours, he couldn’t tell, but when he finally stopped, all Miss Resu could say in response to that was: 

“Wow, you really have it bad.”

Ash almost fell over into the river with a disgruntled Pikachu in tow. 

“That’s all you have to say?” He flashed the relationship consultant a small glare. 

Again, she just shrugged, unperturbed. “Just stating a fact.”

“Well, I highly doubt stating the obvious is going to be of much help.” He grumbled bitterly to himself. 

“On the contrary,” she corrected him. “Now I know exactly what I have to work with.”

“But I don’t get it!” He exclaimed, whirling around to face her fully as he threw his arms to his sides in exasperation. “I get you’re, like, the best in your line or work or whatever, but don’t you see? I have less than an hour to meet up with Serena, that’s nowhere near enough time to come up with some big, romantic gesture!”

“And who said I’ll be organising a big, romantic gesture?”

That gave Ash pause, not having expected her retort. “B-but… isn’t that what you do?”

“Nope”, she said, popping the ‘p’. “I help people with their relationships; I never necessarily said I make a living out of imitating old, cheesy movies.”

“But…but! What about the action-y anniversary with… with the helicopter and whatnot; or-or the picnic on Mount Silver; or the couple that got married as they were being sentenced to jail?!” Ash felt like he was grasping at straws at this point, but he didn’t care. Nothing made sense anymore. 

“That’s just what my clients requested for their respective plans, nothing more.” Miss Resu waved him off, as if the whole thing was unimportant. 

But Ash was not having it. “So you admit you do help with big, romantic gestures!”

Her expression hardening at the valid point he made, she gritted her teeth, her fists clenching on the railing. “Yes.”

“Then how can you say you won’t be doing the same for me?!”

“Because I never said that’s what you need!” She cut him off, something flashing in her eyes. 

At that, all Ash could do was let out a weak, “...what?”

Willing herself to calm down or they’d risk losing more time—time they did not have—, Mona forced herself to take a deep breath, her hands rubbing her face in frustration. Finally, she began, “Mister Ketchum, do you remember what I told you? About how I always get my clients what they want?”

Unsure where she was trying to get at, all Ash could do was nod dumbly at her. “Uh-huh.”

“What I mean by that,” she explained, “is that my clients always get exactly what they ask for: the perfect confession, the perfect date, the perfect proposal… I make sure everything goes off without a hitch so they get their one chance at love.” Her voice dropped a few octaves at what she said next, denoting her seriousness. “Everything that comes after that, it’s entirely up to them.”

“Everything that comes…?” The boy trailed off, sharing a dubious glance with his Pikachu. “What do you mean?”

“Anyone can get the object of their affections to return their love.” She clarified with a wave of her hand, her gaze turning skywards with the knowledge of someone who’d seen what she was talking about a million times. “What not everyone can or is even willing to do is live with that love. 

“Love takes time. It takes dedication. Being in love and sharing that love with someone means working every single day to make sure it doesn’t die. Love, true love, is a never-ending commitment. Sure, some things become second nature with enough time, but others never stop being a struggle, just like challenges never stop resurfacing. But not everybody can take that, and that’s when people have to decide if their love is worth the effort or if they’d just rather let it die and go on with their lives.”

The young Monarch felt his throat hitch in his throat when, once again, Miss Resu pierced him with her golden eyes. “The reason I chose to take up your case is because one look at you was all I needed to know you would not back down so easily from the challenge. And judging by what you’ve told me about Miss Serena, neither will she.” Finally, she too, turned, her body facing him as she flicked her boa over her shoulder. “You don’t need to go all out to confess your feelings, Ash. You never did.”

His mind only half-registered that that was probably the first time she ever called him by his name. Not ‘Mister Ketchum’, or ‘boy’, or ‘kid’, or anything like that; just ‘Ash.’ He was too busy trying to make sense of everything. 

“Then why did you agree to the performance?”

“Because it served its purpose.” She replied simply. 

“How?!” He laughed mirthlessly, almost deliriously. “You just said I don’t need any grand gestures to tell Serena how I feel, and even if I did, the performance certainly wasn’t it! So tell me, how the Heck did it serve its purpose?!”

He was taken aback by her knowing smirk. “It finally got you to calm the fuck down and listen to me.”

Her smirk widening at the way he blinked rapidly in confusion at her, she took the chance to finish her spiel. “Look, Ash, as I said, you don’t need to do anything grand or extravagant to confess your feelings for Serena, because the fact that you’re mustering up the courage to speak up at all is amazing enough. And for once I don’t just mean nobody thought the day would come where you’d get yourself a girlfriend.” She couldn’t help but tease, winking at him playfully. 

Despite himself, Ash snorted. “Gee, thanks.”

“Just stating the facts.” Miss Resu shrugged. “But I mean it. Sometimes, the best way to show someone we care about them is to tell them.” As she said this, Miss Resu procured a rose from seemingly out of nowhere. Ash’s amber eyes widened at the sight. Its hue had to be the deepest red he had ever seen, and you could feel the velvety touch of its petal just by looking at it. 

Gingerly taking the flower offered to him, his eyes snapped back up in shock when Miss Resu spoke up one last time. 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” She smirked. “You have a date to go to and you need to shower and change first!”

Blinking slowly one more time at her, his open-mouthed expression soon morphed itself into a touched grin. Sharing one last look with Pikachu and sending a grateful nod Miss Resu’s way, Ash turned on his heel and straight for home. 

He had a date to prepare for, after all. 

Serena was on cloud nine.

Getting to spend Valentine’s Day with Ash was already a dream come true, but somehow, she had this weird feeling the best had yet to come. 

Even if she knew better by now than to consider her one-on-one time with the boy she adored to be actual dates, she couldn’t help the fluttering of her heart when Ash had run up to her at their meeting point, dressed to the nines, just like her.

Oh, and they had so much fun, too!

While Delphox had preferred to stay at Delia’s home, not feeling comfortable navigating the crowded streets lined by the different festival stands given her size, Pancham and Sylveon chose to accompany her instead. The two and Pikachu spent their time scurrying around and playing with each other, though never straying too far away from them—especially not when Ash eagerly dragged her to try out the food!

Although she remembered having to do a double take at the sight of one particular stand. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, just some people serving takoyaki. But it was the appearance of the people manning the business that gave the honey-blonde pause. There were three people, all of them wearing matching dark blue and grey kimonos. One of them was a woman with long, magenta hair and blue eyes; her companions being a man with shoulder-length lavender hair and green eyes, and a short, weird-looking guy that somehow resembled a Meowth?

Before her eyes could linger for much longer, however, Ash’s hand in hers snapped her out of her thoughts and caused a furious blush to creep up her face as he tugged at her to check out this one stand where you could earn a Goldeen if you won the game.

Neither of them won a Goldeen that day, but it didn’t matter. Serena already had a thousand Butterfree in her stomach, anyway. 

Just when the Performer really thought the night couldn’t get any better, her crush surprised her yet again. Just as the sun was setting and the fireworks display was about to go off, Ash led her away to a nearby bench where they were supposed to have a great view. When the two sat down, however, Serena couldn’t help but notice how Ash seemed to be… Nervous? He looked flustered, even. 

But just as she was about to ask him if he was feeling alright, he shut her up by presenting the most beautiful rose she had ever seen to her. And when he began to talk, to describe everything he liked about her and how much she meant to him, Serena never wanted him to stop, her heart beating so loud it was a miracle he didn’t hear it over the crowd around them. 

Although he did stop talking, his voice growing concerned, when tears began to roll down her cheeks. She had to hastily explain to him nothing was wrong, quite the contrary, actually! Those were tears of joy. Taking advantage of his blank stare, his mind trying to catch up with what her heart had known all along, she presented her own gift to him.

“Here,” she said, untangling their hands long enough to place the box of handmade chocolates on his outstretched palm. “You don’t have to get me anything for White Day, though. This is already more than enough.”

Serena knew a firework display was supposed to cap the festival off, but Ash and her never once took their eyes off each other. Oh, well. Never mind. They made sure to light up their own fireworks anyway. 

Unbeknownst to the fledgling couple, a figure was keeping a close eye on them from atop the roof of one of the stands. Feet dangling over the edge, one hand twirling a rose just like the one Serena was holding close to her chest, Mona smiled down at the pair of Luvdisc giggling softly and smiling lovingly at each other as soon as their lips separated. 

With a chuckle, she brought the rose to her nose, inhaling its sweet perfume deeply. “He is just like you, Valentine. Is there anything you boys won’t do for love?”

She blew delicately at the rose, its petals flowing away in the night breeze as if it were a dandelion. Once the very last petal had begun to rise into the night sky, Mona let its bare stem drop and stood up. Had anyone been watching her direction instead of at the colourful assortment lighting up the sky or their beloved’s eyes, they would have noticed something incredible. 

A mysterious mist began to envelop the woman’s legs, engulfing her lower half as the wisps began to gain volume, curling into a white cloud that hid her limbs from sight. Her chocolate-like skin gained a rosy hue spotted by red markings, the biggest one of all resembling an upside-down heart that stood where the heart-shaped lapels of her jacket used to be. Her boa lost its fuzzy texture in exchange for a series of heart-shaped markings and a life of its own as it came to coil around her neck and shoulders. While her nose decreased until it disappeared completely, she sprouted four red horns on her forehead, almost matching her pointy ears. Her silver hair, just like her lips, though still in her bun, grew in length, her braids now intertwining atop of it in the shape of a heart. And finally, her golden irises came to overtake her entire sclera, flashing in the night impishly. 

With a pleased smile and a nod their way, Enamorus bid the two new lovers goodbye, ascending into the night sky until she disappeared from sight. 

As she set course for home, as spring was practically around the corner and she needed to prepare, one last thought broke the quiet of the night:

‘Another satisfied client.’