CONTINUING JOURNEY....

"How was work love?" Ash asked as he successfully snuck away from his friends. The group of six are now on Lilypad Town so that Dawn can compete for her fifth and final ribbon. It was after the quarter finals that Ash had manage to finally get away from the group.

"You know the usually. We find some text, translate it, and then store the data to our main network, the usual." Elena said as she looked at her lover to the other line. "What about you, where are you now?" Elena asked out of curiosity.

"In Lilypad Town, my group is here because Dawn needs to win her fifth ribbon." Ash exasperated annoyingly, something that Elena didn't miss.

"You seemed annoyed." Elena inquired, sensing something in his tone.

"I've been annoyed since we leave Twinleaf." Ash admitted with frustrated tone. "Our group has now increased from three people to seven." Ash said which caught Elena curiosity.

"You didn't tell me that in your last call." Elena stated with worry about how those girls act around him. Basing upon the stories that Ash told her about his female friends; Elena could already guess that they have a crush on Ash.

"Sorry for not mentioning it to you earlier, it was getting harder for me to sneak past them in the last couple of days; even my call time has been reduce since those guys came back to the group." Ash exclaimed with frustration.

Elena sighed in frustration as well, that explained why Ash's called had been relatively quick in the last couple of days. "I see, but why are they following you again? I thought this Misty person is the gym leader for Cerulean city, this May girl is competing in the Johto, and this Max kid is at Petalburg City, waiting for his time to go on a journey." Elena asked.

"There reasons are annoying. Misty said that her gym is closed for renovation and she won't be able to used her facilities for months, May on the other hand is just her because she has nothing to do because the Johto Grand Festival is already over, she only made it until the semi-finals so she went here to further her skills and to catch some Pokémons native here in Sinnoh, Max on the other hand just wanted to tagged along." Ash answered in annoyance.

"I'm guessing that is not the reason of your annoyance, right?" Elena asked, knowing those reasons were not enough to annoy him.

Ash chuckled after hearing that, she could really read him like a book. "You know, I'm glad that you're the only one who could read this well." Ash said gleefully.

"What do you expect from your lover?" Elena said humorously.

"You already knew my answer to that question." Ash said with a chuckled.

Elena laughed softly at that as well. "So what's the real reason why you're annoyed at your friends?" Elena re-asked her question.

Ash expression turned back into an annoyed one. "I'm not really annoyed on the entire group; I'm just annoyed on half of the group." That caught Elena's attention once again. "Since we leave Twinleaf Town, those girls are always sticking to me like glue, it's really aggravating. Misty is always trying to comment on my training while both May and Dawn pester me on teaching them how to used the moves that Pikachu did against Paul and Palmer, their beginning to get on my nerves." Ash said in an aggravated tone.

Elena's eyes glint dangerously when Ash told her that those girls are not leaving him alone but still managed to remain calm. "So they have been annoying you as a trainer, they are not doing anything hostile, right?" Elena asked with a sharp tone.

Ash, noticing the sharp tone that Elena used, just smiled at her. "Come on Elena, even if they actually like me like that, my feelings for them won't change, to me, those girls are like my sisters." Ash assured her with a comforting tone. Elena smiled at that but still feeling doubt on how those girls intend to do with her Ash.

"And why would I look at another girl when I intend to marry the person I'm talking to right now. Everything I want and desire from a girl, you already have in spades and you still have some more qualities that I truly adore. If I compare you to them, it'll be comparing a magnificent Goddess to a bunch of kids." Ash said with a soft laughed.

Elena smiled at that and shook her head humorously; her Ash is really the epitome of faithfulness. Elena then looked at Ash one more time before noticing something. "Hey Ash, why are you still wearing the clothes you wore in the festival?" Elena asked as she glanced adoringly towards Ash.

Ash then looked at her and then looked at his clothes before looking at her again with a goofy smile. "I kinda like this style and look so I'm keeping it. I already bought ten clothes just like this in Twinleaf." Ash said cheerfully.

"Plus, the scarf you gave me perfectly suits these clothes." Ash added as he emphasizes the scarf that he wore around his neck.

Elena laughed as she saw her Ash still wearing the scarf that she made for him. "I'm very glad to you like it." Elena exclaimed happily.

"And I'm very glad that you're wearing my family heirloom that I gave to you." Ash commended which caused her to looked at the two necklace that she was wearing. Truth on what Ash said, she was wearing the necklace that he gave him during the Twinleaf Festival and the first ever necklace that Ash gave her.

She then blushed lightly before touching the two necklace with her right hand. "This two are very important to me. You gave this first necklace to me when we confess to each other that we love each other." Elena said referring to the winged necklace. "This on the other hand is my most prize possession." This time she was referring to the family heirloom that Ash gave her.

"And I see you're wearing the ring that I gave you during the festival as well." Ash said referring to the ring that Elena was wearing.

That caused Elena to giggle. "My friends have been looking at this ring since they saw it; I think they want to steal it and I won't let that happen." Elena replied between her giggles.

"Good to know." Ash said as he noticed his Pikachu appearing in front of him. "Shit its time." Ash whispered in disappointment.

"Hey Elena, I'll call you later. It's time for Dawn's battle." Ash said in a disappointed tone.

"I see, call me later okay." Elena requested, also disappointed.

"Ash nodded. "I love you." Ash said passionately.

"I love you too." Elena replied with as much passion.

The two of them then hang-up at the same time, Ash then put the phone back to his pocket and looked at Pikachu with an irate expression. "Is it time already?" Ash asked in aggravation.

"(Yeah, it's time)." Pikachu replied uncaringly. Ash nodded and began walking towards the backstage to support his friend. "(I can't believe you thought them how to used the 'swallowing' manoeuvre, do you know how hard Sceptile work on that technique)." Pikachu said, quite disappointed on Ash teaching them how to used that technique.

"Don't remind me, partner." Ash said spitefully. "But what choice do I have? After the slaughter we performed during the Twinleaf Battle Tournament, they been pestering me to teach them a thing or two, I don't have a choice." Ash then grinned maniacally like the time he was battling seriously.

"Still, the three of them had yet to discover the full potential of that technique." Ash said with a grin. "And that is a good consolation prize."

Pikachu can't help but grin as well. '(I know those three though that move was a thing of beauty, they still don't know the true applications of that move, the implication of power)." Pikachu said with a laughed.

"Yeah buddy, were both lucky that those three are very simple minded." Ash said with a laughed as he walked towards the backstage. He and Pikachu was so caught up to their conversation that they didn't noticed that there was someone in front of them, equally busy as the said person was reading some papers on a folder, the said person didn't noticed Ash and Pikachu walking towards her.

Ash then suddenly felt something bump into him which caused him to look right in front of him, only to see a black haired girl about to fell and the papers that she was holding was thrown to the air because of the collision. Ash, with his fast reflexes, quickly took the girls hand, preventing her from falling, and took the papers that she was reading before it even passed his head. "Are you okay miss?" Ash asked casually to the girl.

"Yeah, sorry for that, I was just too busy with those papers." The girl said as she looked at the person she bump with her crimson eyes. She was a bit startled to see a handsome guy with a cute Pikachu on his shoulder.

Ash then pulled her up until she could stand properly. "Don't apologized miss; I should be the one apologizing in the first place, I should be paying attention to the direction I walk." Ash said with a smiled.

The girl didn't know why but she can't but blush at that smiled and she also felt a strange warmth as the stranger held her hand. "Nevertheless, I'm sorry." The girl said with a smiled of her own.

Pikachu knowing where this conversation will lead decided to break it up before another person is added to his 'brother's' ever growing fan club. "(Hey partner, let's moved or well be late)." Pikachu said which caught the attention of Ash.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Ash exclaimed suddenly much to the girl's surprise. "Here you go miss, sorry again for that again." Ash said as he let go of her hand, much to the girl's disappointment, and giving her the papers that she was reading. Ash then walked pass her but was stopped when the girl spoke.

"Hey, do you, by any chanced, know me." The girl asked with a confident tone.

Ash then glanced back at the girl with a confused expression. "How can I know you? I just met you." Ash said as he ran towards the backstage.

The girl was shocked at that, a person, a boy at that, not knowing who she was, that was unheard off. 'How could someone not know me? I thought all the trainers in the world know who I am.' The girl thought still in shock.