A.N: Yahoo, last chapter. To be honest with you, sometimes I read this whole fic all over again and start giggling because OMG IS SO FLOOOFFY ack :'D (I EAT FLUFF FOR BREAKFAST MUHAHAHA)

Thanks a lot for those who bothered to read this, yaa? If you loved it, then aww, thank you, I love you too! (Giant hug) and if not, then I'm sowwy :( (sulks in a corner and cries)

Let me know what you thought of it, I love hearing feedback (but pwease don't be mean, I'm a massive easily-butthurt baby) :D

Weird cliché confession is weird.

Enjoy le last chapter nyaa~? I'm thinking of re-editing and migrating more stories in here, as well as posting new ones...

HONTOU NI ARIGATOU!

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It wasn't too difficult for Ash to get to Jaune Plaza as the alleyway leading to it was only a few metres from where he stood chatting with Sakura. What was difficult though, was getting to approach the so called 'trainer and her Pokémon' standing in front of the yellow monument. If you asked him what he felt at the moment, the hazel-eyed boy probably would have described it as 'terrified for his life'.

Upon stepping foot in the plaza, he immediately felt cold eyes raking up and down his physique; the aura of the girl's eyes feeling way too deadly and menacing for him. Ash couldn't even directly look at her - she was that scary - but from a risky glimpse he noticed that she wore an entirely ragged black dress with crimson edges that fell down to her feet and vampire-looking makeup, complete with thick eyeliner and bloody red lipstick. He also didn't think that was for a costume party - her very red eyes were daring him to think so.

Eevee, Chespin, Fletchling and Pikachu also sensed the dangerous aura around the creepy trainer and immediately had their guards up. The sound of electric sparks combined with growling and snarling could be heard from behind Ash as he continued to pull the trolley into the heart of the plaza (and nearer to the intimidating girl). The ravenette swallowed a strenuous gulp of air, making it a goal to himself to complete the scavenger hunt even if there were, err, unapproachable people along the way.

"Hi..." He smiled shakily at the mysterious trainer after finally getting close to her. She merely glared back, carmine orbs boring their very souls into hazel ones. She reminded the Pikachu Trainer of a horrifying ghost Pokémon who couldn't speak and horrified the life out of people just by existing. Luckily for him, the hunt was almost over. 'Just ask for the Mail and gift, then leave...' He repeated to himself as a soothing mantra. 'Just ask for the Mail and gift, then leave...'

"Err, I'm Ash. You are?"

"..."

"Okay, uuh, I'll just..."

"..."

"Umm, uhh, are you the trainer I need to come to?"

"..."

"Errr, okay then."

Ash tried to subtly look around to see if there were other people in the plaza. He probably approached the wrong person, but she was unfortunately the only one around. She just kept glaring at him, which made him fidget nervously in the awkward silence.

"Lavinia. Yes. Here." She answered his questions monosyllabically in a quiet tone. Lavinia stretched out her hand to him as she held a sky blue and hot pink envelope, Ash's name delicately written on the front. A Lovely Mail for him. And he had to receive it. From her. With his hands. Even though she scared him. Well, wasn't that just lovely...

The hazel-eyed boy hesitated in taking it, but once he built up all the courage to move his limbs he had the girly-coloured envelope in his hands in no time. He was about to open it when perfectly manicured hands slapped his, startling him in the process.

"Don't. Open. It."

"But...?"

" Not yet."

"Yet?"

"YET. Open it later."

"Later?"

"With... Gary." She finished, turning scarlet as she mentioned his best friend's name. Lavinia's carmine eyes widened slightly at her sudden uncharacteristic behaviour so she turned her back to Ash to hide her humiliation, hoping he didn't notice why she acted that way.

"Pika?"

"Veee?"

"Chiichiirii..."

'What's her problem?' He eyed his Pokémon who seemed to have known why the girl was acting so strangely. He was so occupied in eye-communicating with his four friends that he didn't hear or see a flash of red light coming from a tossed Poké Ball behind him. What he heard though, was the loud cry of a familiar Pokémon.

"Sol!"

A white-furred, red-eyed, four-legged Pokémon caught Ash's attention, who stared at him as similarly as the creature's trainer did earlier. Lavinia was now facing him again but she was staring at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Yes, the ground, oh how very, ground-y and brown it was...

"Wow, an Absol. That's so amazing..." The sixteen year old dared to comment. He just hoped he wouldn't be pummeled for saying something.

"..."

The aforementioned Disaster Pokémon was succinct and wasted no time in presenting Ash the ninth Heart Mail. The Pikachu Trainer took it gladly but he remembered to ask Lavinia for confirmation. She didn't reply, surprisingly. She probably didn't care or see, as she was still mentally complimenting the awesome ground.

"Guess I'm opening it then..."

"Sol!"

And so Ash opened the ninth Heart Mail.

"Uttering words you'll soon remember dearly while I'm on my knees..." It read, the ninth and second to the last random sentence he had to read. The meaning of every sentence was still lost on him; all Ash knew was that they told him of Gary's feelings and he needed the last one to complete the message, whatever it was. Gary just had to make this difficult and perfect, didn't he? Oh how Ash loved him anyway...

"So, Ash. You're finally done with the ninth one. Arceus knows how impatient and nervous I am at the moment. Well, the good news is we finally get to meet each other. Yeyy, huh? I'm the one with the last gift, and the last Pokémon with the last Heart Mail. Surprise surprise... Head on over to Centrico Plaza and get up the fifth floor of the Prism Tower. See you then, love."

If his heart was beating fast before, then his heart was beating frantically at the speed of light right then. Yes, it did take him by surprise that he was to meet Gary next... and even though he was looking forward to it, the thought alone made him feel a thousand Butterfrees performing some ritual dance in his stomach. Did he even look that appealing? What if Gary laughed at his clothes, or get mad because he didn't even have anything to give him in return after everything he's done? What if Gary thought he was so stupid for not figuring out the message behind the hunt when the emerald-eyed boy worked so hard to make it perfect? Oh my gosh, he never even thought of the consequences...

"Chuuu! Chuuu-pikachu!" Pikachu yelped from the trolley behind Ash. They'd been together for six years; his buddy didn't even need to ask (if he could) to know that Ash was feeling like a Pidgey first learning how to fly. Ash managed to nod an "I'm okay" nod back, though. He let brown eyes land on Lavinia who eyed him warily for his agitated stance, then on Absol who scrunched its nose quizzically in reply. Time to go, then. Gary willingly did this for him. The Eevee Trainer said he loved him, so the sixteen year old didn't need to get panicky. He'd been waiting for this forever - it would be one of the most memorable events he could ever experience in his life, so it was going to be okay. Gary wouldn't reject him, or hate him, ever. Ash had to thank him for his efforts and bear-hug the guy for bloody pampering him like a baby, not to mention admit his own feelings to his best friend. It was finally time. Yeyy indeed.

"Soo err, Lavinia-" the girl glared fiercely at the z-scarred boy at this, as if he pronounced her name wrong, "-uhmm, I guess I have to go now. You know, to meet Gary-" with this she looked away and blushed, "-and all. Uhhh, thanks for the Lovely Mail. And, you too, Absol."

"..."

"Ab-sol sol."

He bowed politely before turning his back at them slowly, determined to find Centrico Plaza and enter the Prism Tower. Just metres from exiting Jaune Plaza, a loud and commanding female voice reached his ears, which he assumed was Lavinia's.

"TAKE CARE OF HIM, ASH. YOU'RE A LUCKY ONE. "

They traded small smiles before parting ways, and though she was quiet and mysterious during their encounter, she wasn't a bad person. Heh, another one of those 'you are so lucky' comments. She was right though, wasn't she? He truly was a lucky one. He was luckier than anyone else in the whole wide world for holding the heart of the most talented, most handsome and most loveable jerkface in all of Pallet Town. What a dream come true. All he had to do now was to tell the boy that, he, Ash Ketchum, dearly loved him too.

Prism Tower... otherwise known to all as the "Heart of Lumiose" or simply, the "Electric-type Gym of Kalos". How could Ash fully describe it upon first inspection? Well, it was undoubtedly tall at three hundred and twenty four metres, framed with the most high-tech electric glass panels that shone an azure light even during the day and its ivory structure intermittently gleamed with dignity. The ravenette had no trouble in seeking out Centrico Plaza of course - it was just a street ahead of him and the tower was tall enough to be seen from Santalune City.

'Well, this is it, Ash. Your big chance with Gary. You better not screw it up or else!' The Pikachu Trainer berated himself mentally. It was acceptable at least. I mean, how many times has he actually had a crush on someone before and figured out that that same crush of his held feelings for him too? He wondered...oh, right. That's just it. NONE. He'd been agonizing over the situation even before they went to a trip to Camp Icinda, fantasizing about several ways a very impossible confession between themselves could happen, whether it ended good or bad. Now it was actually happening. It just felt... weird all of a sudden.

As expected, Prism Tower was as fancy as it looked from the outside, with automatic glass doors and grand, mosaic tiles that may or may not have been made out of silver. Around the ceiling hung multicoloured LED lights shaped somewhat like the scars on his cheeks, to represent electricity maybe? Ash could barely pick up a burning rubber smell combined with citrus air freshener hinted in the air.

"Pika-pika..."

"Chespin-ches-ches!"

Even the ravenette's Pokémon could feel the nervous aura the boy seemed to emit. Clumsily, he looked around the first floor which had a crowdful of people, asking for directions to where the elevator was located. He left the trolley full of his gifts in the baggage claim area, taking only his Pokémon and the Mails he received so far.

"I wonder why there are so many people? This is supposed to be a gym isn't it? I doubt there'd be THAT many trainers wanting to challenge Clemont in here."

"Well that's because I happen to be a highly advanced inventor, so I've made the first floor sort of like a museum for them to see my latest inventions." A low, teenage male voice resounded from behind Ash. "If you didn't know, I'm also working on a new and better version for the Pokédex and contributed to the mechanics of the Holo Caster. Hey, Clemont's the name." The boy finished, using a controller to hold out the robotic hand from a multifarious invention of his, which he somehow wore as a backpack. He also wore an electrician-like blue jumpsuit, and on his face were circular glasses that obstructed his very cerulean eyes.

"Oh, hi! You're the gym leader of Lumiose right? I'm Ash from Pallet Town! I want to challenge you to a battle right now!" Ash replied impulsively, getting into a fighting stance before he knew it. Fletchling, Eevee, Pikachu and Chespin tilted their heads to one side in confusion.

The blonde, electric-type gym leader grinned at the quirky sixteen year old. "Well, you're Ash alright. Nice to meet you. And as for the battle, I don't think I can do that, seeing as I can't really compete with anyone when I know that a snobby brunette with green eyes and a lab coat basically decided to rent my top floor for the day."

"You mean Gary? Oh, I'm sorry he did that... gosh I'm such an idiot, having him do all this for me..." The ravenette shook his head disappointedly.

Clemont laughed in response. "No, no! I was just kidding! He sent me out to get you - I knew the instant you walked in that you've finally arrived. Have lots of cameras, you see. Glad to help out someone in need. And if you didn't know, my Gym is in fact the most beautiful place in all of Kalos and the best view for fireworks. Not even bragging, mind you."

"Pika-pikachu."

"Vee-veee!"

Clemont didn't need to tell Ash to follow him when the teen inventor bypassed crowds of people and stopped in front of a battery-shaped elevator. The duo and four Pokémon were soon looking out to see people's heads disappear through the translucent, grey elevator doors and caught glimpses of the other floors. While they made their way to the top most floor of the tower, Ash's hands began to sweat profusely.

"Nervous?" Clemont asked. He saw Ash nod a little timidly from the corner of his eye.

"Well don't be. He's actually worse than you; pacing back and forth the balcony like a Clefairy using Metronome on him, not to mention the hissing he tries to hide as he contemplates whether or not you got his message." Clemont smiled in reassurance. "If he asked me for help, I could have just made a card with a glassy screen to project a video of whatever he wants to say. Much like the Holo Caster, but with colours. Oh, we're here."

The opening of the elevator doors seemed like an eternity to Ash. He expected another glass-panelled place with random device contraptions on display but was instead met with white walls, several four-seated couches, rectangular white marble tables, a black granite table attached to one wall and adorned with cushioned high chairs. The walls had posters and framed pictures of Electric Pokémon, Clemont, his sister Bonnie and their beautiful mother. A cozy place, really.

"Chiichiirichichii!" Fletchling cried happily. The others followed the robin out into the balcony, and it was then that Ash noticed the glass doors that led to the viewing place was open. Gary was in there, no doubt.

Clemont ushered Ash into a seat, asking the z-scarred boy if he wanted any refreshments during his stay. Ash knew that it was only an excuse for the blonde so that he could leave the two boys alone to themselves while they worked things out.

"Just press this button to call me if you need anything." Clemont pointed at a red button ingrained on the couch's armrest. "I'll receive an instant message via this robot over here telling me that you need me. I'll come back, okay?" The blue-eyed teen directed.

"Okay."

The sound of Clemont's footsteps soon dissipated through the walls as he walked away. Great. Now it was just Ash, his Pokémon, Gary, Gary's Pokémon and the large but cozy top floor.

Ash was stumped.

'Holy Arceus, I am freaking out for dear life. What should I do now? He's my best friend, I love him, what's wrong with me? Why am I worrying about this all of a sudden?'

He was still all alone in the room, sitting on the couch and fidgeting incessantly with his fingers.

'Aghh, to hell with this, I'm gonna approach him.'

...

'Crap, I can't do it. It's like I'm glued to this seat. Why is this so hard?!'

...

'Come on!'

'Get off the seat, Ash!'

...

'I wonder if he knows I'm already here.'

"Kokikokikoki."

The hazel-eyed boy was too busy arguing with himself in his thoughts to realize a water creature was calling out for his attention.

'Of course he knows, my Pokémon is out there with him, for Arceus' sake.'

"Kikokikokiko."

'But why hasn't he come out yet?'

"Kikokiko."

'And why can't I hear him? I can only hear Pikachu and Chespin...'

"Kiko...!"

'Errr... what now?'

"KOKIKOOOOOOO!"

...And so a girly scream escaped from Ash's mouth as he was clamped on the shoulder by an offending crab's claw.

The sixteen year old turned around to glare at his attacker and found that it was a familiar Pincer Pokémon. Same big, shell-y crown, same red and white shade, eyes as big as pearls, same crabby personality.

"Oh, it's you, Kingler! Didn't have to attack me... that hurt, y'know!?" He complained. Then again, this was Gary's Kingler - the same, hot-tempered, slightly bigger water-type compared to his. They were only friends because of Ash's own crab Pokémon.

"Kokiko."

"How you doing buddy? Haven't seen you in ages!" He took the heavy crab in his arms and riskily gave it a hug. He was glad it didn't attack him in return. That Clamp on his shoulder still hurt...

"Kikokikokiko."

In one of Kingler's pincers was the last Heart Mail to complete the scavenger hunt and solve Gary's supposedly hidden message. Was Ash allowed to take it? Kingler WAS giving it to him right? And if he did get it, should he read it right away, or wait for Gary to say so?

"Hiya, Ash."

Speak of the devil.

The same baritone voice that made his heart skip a beat everytime he heard it echoed through Ash's ears. He was here. The hazel-eyed boy hesitatingly looked up from where he sat on the couch, and there he was. How the brunette stood there without him noticing how he got there, Ash didn't know, but the brunette was there nonetheless. Green eyes. Brown hair. Annoying smirk on his face, only this time, it didn't look annoying but a little forced on the researcher's part. White lab coat, fair skin, full, pink lips. He wore the Poké Ball white half necklace Monica claimed he brought with him everywhere and a tinge of pink stained the older boy's cheek. Gary. His Gary.

"H-hello..."

'Oh my Arceus, Ash, the love of your life is about to confess to you and you just say hello? Pathetic pathetic pathetic pathetic!'

"Hello yourself. How's it going?" Gary asked straightforwardly. He appeared to be fidgeting, and hell, Gary NEVER fidgeted.

"Err, good."

"Good, huh? Me too. Very good."

"Hmmm."

"..."

"..."

"So..."

"Errr..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Kingler suddenly made an uproar, clearly not enjoying the stupid, uneccessary silence that loomed in between the two boys. Pikachu, Chespin, Fletchling and Eevee rushed back inside the room, wondering where the loud outburst came from.

"Veee!" Eevee ran to her one and only trainer, who caught her in his arms.

"Chespin?" The Spiky Nut Pokémon stared oddly at the angry crab.

"Chichiri!" Fletchling flew nearby to inspect Ash's new friend.

"Pika..." And Pikachu had to clean up Kingler's act.