A.N: Second to last chapter, yipeeyahyayy woot woot!

I have just finished writing my other Palletshipping story and I'm crying so much because I can rest easy now. (But nope, I still have two other stories to update ARCEUS SEND HELP PLEASE)

Wartortle refuses to shine.

So, err, I guess I'll just... umm, leave this... here.

Yay~ xD

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"ASHTON KETCHUM! YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO GET YOUR TIME-CONSUMING BUTT OVER HERE! Five, four, three, two, one! Oh my gosh, why are you so slow? You should have been here an hour - no, two hours - or maybe three? Oh who cares, you should have been here hours ago, I swear you have no body clock, don't you wear a Pokétch, why do you deem it useless when it is the most important thing ever invented?! You should be lucky you even have one, goodness me, most people don't have Pokétches, but anyway, argh, finally you've arrived, sheesh, it took three years for you to walk here! For that you owe me a million - no, two million - or maybe three? Agh, whatever! You owe me a three million Poké dollar fine! Pay up, Ashy! PAY UP!"

An orange-eyed blonde could be seen ranting uncontrollably at a moping ravenette in the middle of a circular plaza marked by a magenta coloured monument - known also in Lumiose City as the stylish Magenta Plaza. The ravenette's Pokémon couldn't help but cover their ears at the annoying shrill that was the blonde's voice.

Ash rolled his eyes mockingly at the blonde. "Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you again, Barry. I see you haven't changed. Except for growing a little taller, I suppose."

"Haha, and you're still slow as always, aren't ya?" The blonde in question smirked in reply. "Anyways, you're finally here, you big slowpoke! Couldn't wait to see you again - we still have unfinished business, ya hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, challenge me to a battle if you want later on. On the more friendly terms, how's life going on for you?" The hazel-eyed teen inquired nonchalantly. Barry chuckled at the remark, arms travelling behind his blond mop of hair in an attempt to make the "cool guy" pose.

"So and so. My schedule's not too bad; decided to take a favour for your friend Gary since I TOTALLY had the time. You know, we met somewhere in Sinnoh one day and after seeing someone as punctual as me, I decided to challenge him to a Pokémon battle. Hehehe, it was a piece of cake, really."

Brown eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You beat Gary in one GO?!"

"Nope. I got creamed in one move, actually. Badump-tss... Hehe, ya get it? Piece of cake? Creamed? Hah, I'm so hilarious..." Barry laughed, pretending to wipe a laughter-induced tear from his eye. With this, Ash's Pokémon and Ash himself looked at each other and shook their heads disappointingly.

"Anyway, that's how I'm here, Ash. I respected Gary for not only being time-wise but also for being a skilled trainer-slash-researcher, so I gave him my Poké Gear number to call me if there's anything I can do for him. Yup. I'm alright doing this scavenger hunt thing; fancy seeing you again, really. Haha!"

"That's cool, Barry."

He didn't really expect it, despite the fact that Gary mentioned it in his Heart Mail, but Ash was really happy to see another old friend and former rival. It made him wonder how his other friends were doing so far, like Iris, or Dawn, or Max... oh how he missed travelling with friends.

"By the way, your Pokémon look great, Ash! Is this little one carrying your bag of things the Kalos starter?" Barry asked, snapping the ravenette out of his reverie as he bent down to pat the Spiky Nut Pokémon.

Ash grinned at his Sinnoh rival's question. "Uhhuh. His name's Chespin. My flying type here's called Fletchling and of course, you've met my Pikachu. This Eevee is Gary's though; we're taking her to him along the way."

"I see. Nice to meet you then, Chespin, Fletchling and Eevee. Still electrifyingly outgoing, are ya, Pikachu?"

"Pikaaaaa!"

"Chespin-ches!"

"Veee-eeevee!"

Barry nodded firmly before standing up again, throwing a Poké Ball up in the air to reveal a large, blue penguin Pokémon. A loud cry of relief came from said Pokémon, stretching its flippers out and tilting its head from left to right metronomically.

"Meet Ash's new Pokémon, Empoleon! 'Member him? He's the trainer with the happy-go-lucky Pikachu we used to battle with all the time. Say hi!"

"Poleon!" A flipper wave accompanied with an attempted grin was exchanged with the four other friends the water type was surrounded by. Ash decently waved back before turning to the orange-eyed teen for whatever the guy had to give to him this time.

As if on cue, the blonde went on to frantically rummage through his backpack for another one of those familiar gift bags that he needed to give Ash. "Well, let's get this delivery message thing started then, alright? Every minute counts!"

A crumply-looking red gift bag was thrusted into the hazel-eyed teen's hands before he knew it. "Here ya go. Sorry about its appearance. Had to be on time so I stuffed it in this ol' backpack here. Hehe." the blonde explained, scratching away at his neck guiltily.

Empoleon also waddled towards Ash and handed him the Heart Mail he needed. The penguin nodded at the Pikachu Trainer in a friendly way, giving Ash another smile before backing away.

'What is it this time, I wonder?'

The ravenette tore open the envelope and read through the Heart Mail's contents. He was getting used to this scavenger hunt routine. It didn't even require much brain power, much to Ash's benefit.

"Everything you are I want, you make me smile like Togepi..."

"Well, I'm running out of gift ideas, Ashy. Don't kill me for my lack of originality. Hurry up here soon, okay? I'll spoil it for you now; there's a fireworks display at six o'clock, so you better quicken your pace up if you wanna see it from up here. Surely five hours (I'm guessing you'd be reading this at around one-thirty) is enough, huh?

See you then, Ashy-boy. Make your way towards Autumnal Avenue's Café Pokémon-Amie and you'll find another Pokémon Trainer and her Pokémon."

He pocketed the Heart Mail like he did to the rest and tore open the crumpled red gift bag within seconds. Inside the bag was another huggable, soft thing - this time it was a smiling Togepi plush toy, holding a tiny heart of its own with the words "I Choose You" embroidered on it with yellow thread.

"Oh my gosh, this is so cheesy..." Ash chuckled to himself, holding out his new Togepi plushie at arm's length. He heard a quiet "Pika" from his starter Pokémon who immediately recognized it as a figure of one of his friends.

"Hehe, it's like Misty's old Togepi isn't it, Pikachu? Here, wanna take a look at it?" He bent down, handing the doll to the addressed Pokémon. Pikachu took it gladly, observing the rather fruitful smile subjected on the Togepi's cute face.

"So that's what was inside the bag! Never knew you liked that kind of thing, Ash. It looks cute though, haha." Barry commented enthusiastically, slinging an arm around his dear Empoleon.

Poking a tongue out, the sixteen year old countered, "Oh shut up, will you, Barry. You'd probably want to take it from me to give to Dawn for its cuteness. Well too bad it's mine."

"I DO NOT LIKE DAWN! SHE'S JUST AS SLOW AS YOU AND TARDINESS IS NOT AN IDEAL TRAIT FOR SOMEONE TO BE WITH ME!"

Ash couldn't help but laugh at that. "Heh, whatever helps you sleep at night. I guess I gotta go now, though. I don't want the next person ranting at me for being late again. See you soon?" He remarked, gesturing to his Pokémon to follow him. Empoleon waved a flipper goodbye to his four Pokémon friends before they decided to follow Ash around Lumiose once again. Barry waved the hazel-eyed teen a warm farewell also, earning a friendly salute in return.

"Our battle awaits in the future, Ash! I'll schedule it sometime when we meet again. Don't you dare be late to that!"

"Oh, I won't dare! My wallet is empty, sorry."

"Hey! That reminds me, you owe me that fine! Hey, come back here Ashy- oi, wait up! Hey! HEY! You owe me!"

The once again, annoying shrill that was Barry's faded out in the distance as the ravenette and his Pokémon friends ran towards Café Pokémon-Amie, escaping a rather pricey fine in the process. He couldn't wait until this game was over. Couldn't wait until he could finally give his one and only best friend the hug that he deserved for all the effort the emerald-eyed boy put into this confession plan. For now, he had a few more landmarks to stop at before arriving at the Prism Tower's top floor to meet him.

Café Pokémon-Amie was full of loving trainers with Pokémon that were well taken cared of. In this particular café, groups of people gathered together to feed their beloved friends deliciously baked PokéPuffs, give them friendly massages, personal tummy rubs and even play games with them while they waited on free refreshments. Another special thing of theirs included the ability to buy special drinks based on the amount of affection points their Pokémon has received. Their theory to great training was to give their Pokémon maxed affection, because the more a Pokémon felt loved, the more in sync you can become with them, enabling them to further enhance their individual skills and trust you as a Pokémon Trainer.

Ash rather liked this method of Pokémon Training. It was similar to the way he treated each and every one of his friends - he gave them equal amounts of love and always made sure they developed a healthy friendship with one another. Upon entering the café he was immediately served a nice drink of cola and his Pokémon were observed closely by the many Amie trainers around.

"Hmm, very shiny Eevee coat over here. Glittery eyes full of love and emotion - that must be five affection points, isn't it Karla?"

"Yes, yes. A healthy Pikachu with cheeks full of electrical energy. Definitely never pushed too hard and always fed well. Oh, and it even has its own Togepi doll. Another five affection points."

"This Chespin looks so happy. Oooh, what sharp wood covers on its body! And with this package its holding, its physical strength is further developed! That's great for battle, ain't it? Three affection points!"

"Michael, take a look at this Fletchling. Preened red-black feathers, but there could be room for improvement. Two affection points!"

"All in all a total of fifteen affection points! Yeyy! You can grab yourself a mocha latte or even an ice cold frappuccino. They're definitely delish, I tell you now."

As friendly as they were, Ash wasn't very comfortable being surrounded by nagging Pokémon Trainers. Even his Pokémon were intimidated by their happy faces and their scarily observant eyes. A beauty with red hair helpfully dispersed the crowd with a loud, attention-grabbing cough, followed by a request to speak with the boy who had a Pikachu.

"Sorry about all the Poké fans. They're good friends with Pokémon, so they love to see how each and every one of them is doing." The beauty spoke up, holding a hand out to Ash who was cramped up sitting with his back against the wall. Ash's Pokémon created a barrier around their Trainer out of fear that those crazy lunagoons would dare attack him with their creepy hands and suspicious, ogling eyes.

"Hehe, thanks. I'm Ash, and these are my buddies." The sixteen year old introduced himself after standing up and straightening out his crinkled clothes.

"Well, hi there, Ash. I'm Monica. Nice to meet you. I was told a boy with a loose Pikachu would arrive here to pick something up from me and my Yanmega. Speaking of my Yanmega, she's just flying near the coffee counter. Yvonna, come here, girl! Sorry, she just loves the smell of coffee. We visit this place way too often."

Monica made a hand gesture calling her beloved bug and flying type over. The aforementioned Pokémon was soon seen hovering above the duo; its beating wings making a smooth whirring sound which almost sounded like a musical tune.

"Yan-megaaaa!"

Ash and his Pokémon looked impressed with Yvonna's appearance. Despite her rather intimidating physique, the Ogre Darner Pokémon had a shiny green shell and she emitted a sweet scent of honey as she flew.

"Chii-richi-chiri-chii!" Fletchling hooted, flying around the Sinnoh Pokémon to befriend her.

"Veee-veee!"

"So Monica, is she seriously playing music with her wings?"

The red-haired girl laughed at her Pokémon's enthusiasm and Ash's astounded question. "Yup, she sure is. You recognize the tune from a television show I used to watch, I see. That's a hidden talent she developed after being showered with so much affection from me thanks to the Pokémon-Amie training."

"Wow. So this Amie training must be something everyone does here in the Kalos Region. I'm guessing competition won't be as easy then, with some top notch and talented Pokémon being entered to battles." Ash pondered upon this with a rather serious expression. He should probably start direct Amie training as well if that helped his Pokémon be the best they could be.

Monica agreed with him as she watched her Pokémon communicate with Ash's buddies. "Haha, she's a wonderful one, my Yvonna. Most people don't let their Yanma learn Ancientpower in fear of them evolving into a dark green, weird-looking ogre-dragonfly thing. I think Yvonna's the prettiest Pokémon I've ever met. Sure, she's not a physical beauty but she really is a kind-hearted one. She even plays me lullabies with her wings when I sleep at night. Plus, Ancientpower's a rather effective move on fire and flying types; Yvonna's disadvantageous types. She's quite a handy battler too, if I do say so myself."

"Wow, maybe I should challenge you so I could see what it's like to battle a maxed affection Pokémon."

"I don't see why not!" She claimed, grinning at her new found friend. "But right now, I play delivery girl. The battle would have to wait. Alright, Yvonna. You do your thing!"

Upon hearing the command, balls of white light suddenly appeared around Ash, followed by a pink envelope floating towards him with a Psychic attack. He was about to take it into his hands but the envelope opened itself for him, leaving him to on,y grab and read the pink letter from midair.

Monica giggled at her Poké partner's talent. "She also likes to move with style. Hah, a Secret Power Psychic combination, huh? You go, girl! Quite true to the sassy nature she has, hahaha."

"I think she's amazing. Thanks, Yvonna!" The ravenette said as he took the addressed letter to him from midair and began to read.

"Together since forever, and forever I promise we'll be..."

"Hey, do you mind me asking if you have your lucky halved Poké Ball charm with you, Ashy? I'm very sentimental, if you haven't already noticed, so I still have mine and I've turned it into a necklace that I started wearing recently. I'll show it to you when you arrive. For this section's gift, I was hoping you still had that thing. Just give it to Monica and she'll know what to do. If you don't, just tell her so and I've already got everything planned.

You're getting close to finishing, aren't you, my sweet? Well, you'll continue going around "in circles" despite this fact, sugar baby. Off to Rouge Plaza you go! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Ash, cherry scarlet though his face was, pocketed the letter away to find the Poké Ball half Gary had asked him about in his travel backpack. It was honestly embarrassing to read Gary's given nicknames for him, like that 'sugar baby' remark and the typical 'my sweet' comment. Seriously! And he thought Ashy-boy was awful!

A few or so minutes later, he found his lucky charm and meekly gave it for Monica to use. "Oh, so this is the Poké Ball Gary was talking about." She muttered to herself. "That emerald-eyed boy had one too, actually. A red half; the partner of this one, I'm guessing now. Last time I saw him it was around his neck tied by a Destiny Knot and the words, 'Gary, Forever' engraved on it. How do I know this? Well I made it, of course! Yvonna's not the only one with hidden talents! I'm a funky junk decorator as well!"

She was such an optimistic and happy character. Ash decided he really liked Monica, not that the other people he had previously met weren't as happy and nice as she. He'd probably keep in touch with her as a future Amie training coach for him. And as he thought about this he didn't notice the red-haired girl pull out a wireless burning tool to trace intricate patterns on his white Poké Ball half.

A nice eye hook was already glue gunned at the top of the ball with a shiny, silky red thread tied through it in necklace length. The Destiny Knot item, Ash assumed. Wasn't that supposed to make one Pokémon fall in love with another in a different gender? Did it even work for humans? Or guys like them? Oh, it didn't matter anyway. They both already loved each other, if Ash could safely say they did. It was still sweet though, all the thinking his best friend had to do. He wanted to cry at how lucky he was at the current moment. Curse his sensitive, feminine-like, emotional side.

"There, all done now. Whaddya think? Not too shabby, right? Now you guys can be soulmates." Monica grinned as she handed the finished necklace to its owner, making sure his brown orbs first landed on the patterns she traced on the ball. Surely enough, the words 'Ash, Together' was written on it, in contrast to the words Gary's necklace also had. How very sentimental indeed.

It wasn't long before the two had exchanged Holo Caster numbers for further communication on Amie training and said their final farewells. Monica wished the Pikachu Trainer good luck on his scavenger hunt and his Kalos journey, promising that they'd meet again someday. "Now you take care of that necklace, Ash! That's a treasure from me now!" She voiced out, Yvonna sitting on the top of her head as the bug flying type bid adieu to the ravenette's Pokémon.

"Octillery! No, don't climb up the monument! That's not your play place. Hey, no, don't ink it up! "

From the alley next to the Berry Juice Shop where Ash knew would lead him to Rouge Plaza, he could see a youngster boy struggle to make his water Pokémon behave nicely. Black ink trickled slowly down the red monument in the middle of the plaza; the laughing octopus perched upon the top of the monument waving its tentacles around, amused with its recent crime.

"Get down here now! Oh, you are not getting your treat when you get home. Down, Octillery, "

"Phwee-phwee!"

Suddenly, a Fletchling flew next to the Jet Pokémon, asking it to climb down the red monument as well. Octillery glared at it heatedly, but a few more chirps and it finally decided to come down. The tiny robin tweeted in success and flew over to Ash, who was making his way towards the middle of Rouge Plaza.