"What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace."

-Castiel; from Supernatural

Since Nova was making no effort to get any sleep, Alexis decided it'd be best for the princess to join her and the others in the kitchen. Brock had already finished the final touches on the meal, plus Ash and Dawn had put out dishes and drinks for everyone. Nova had to admit, she was impressed. The three Trainers knew exactly what each other's jobs were, doing so without hesitation or question. At least, that was how Nova saw it.

Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup were excitedly running around the kitchen table, letting out happy and excited sounds at the meal's completion. Nova couldn't help but smile at that. If the Pokémon were getting that worked up over Brock's cooking, then it had to be good.

"Smells great in here," Alexis chirped, a smile on her face. Mothim fluttered down to the kitchen table, seemingly just as excited as Pikachu and Piplup.

"Thanks," Brock said, a smile on his face. "I'll serve the Pokémon first, then I'll get to everyone else."

"You don't have to worry about us," Alexis said. "We'll be able to serve ourselves, right?"

"You got that right!" Ash cried, throwing a fist in the air. "I can't wait to dig into this!"

"Calm down, will you?" Dawn said, placing her hands on her hips. "I swear, Ash, you get way too excited about things."

"I can't help it." The smile on his face made the corners of Nova's mouth twitch. "Brock's cooking is the best. He should open his own restaurant."

"It's appreciated," Alexis said, placing a hand on the taller boy's shoulder. The two shared a brief smile. "I'll get a plate ready for you, how does that sound?"

"Great, thank you," Brock responded.

They interact with each other so easily, Nova thought. It's almost like they don't have a single care in the world. They're almost lucky, huh? The thought alone made Nova's stomach knot up. She wasn't sure if the sensation was out of jealousy or not, but it made Nova shake her head a little. She didn't want to be the one to rain down on their happiness. Nova admired the fact that Ash and his friends were so close. It was something Nova lacked growing up. Since her parents never let her leave the palace gates, she never really got to know other kids her age. Livia seemed to be the only human friend she ever had. Outside the palace gates, Nova got to witness the interactions of other people. She got to see how they worked together, and it made her wonder what would've happened if she had that kind of experience.

"Hey Princess, wanna sit next to me?" Ash exclaimed. His plate was filled with all the food Brock had prepared. It was almost alarming, seeing the food piled so high on Ash's plate.

"Oh. . . .uh, I-I. . . .," Nova stammered, wringing her hands in front of her nervously. "You don't have to call me Princess. My name's Nova. I don't know if I-I said that earlier."

"That's a really nice name," Alexis chimed in, adding some food onto a plate. "Why don't you sit down, I'll get to you, OK?"

With a nod, Nova sat down beside Ash. With a pleased sound, the young Trainer started digging into the pile of food he had on his plate.

"What's it like growing up here?" Dawn asked, sitting across from Nova. "It's a beautiful region, in my opinion."

"Growing up here's always been really nice," Nova responded quietly. "People and Pokémon get along very well. That's how Meridian functions so nicely."

"The relationships between people and Pokémon are important," Brock added. "If we didn't have Pokémon, who knows how we'd be able to do anything?"

"I can't even imagine a world without Pokémon," Ash shuddered.

"It's because of the relationship Princess Merida had with Palkia and Dialga that we were able to work so well with Pokémon." Nova shrugged shyly. "She inspired the kingdom to adapt to that way of life."

"This Merida woman seems important," Dawn hummed.

"She's the founder of Meridian." Nova glanced at Dawn for a moment, taking in the girl's curious expression. "Princess Merida's dedication to her people and to Pokémon was essential for our survival."

"It'd be an interesting subject to look into," Alexis said, placing a plate full of food in front of Nova. "Merida's contribution to the development of Meridian is something that's passed down to each generation. But it seems the royal family takes it more to heart."

"My parents admired the story, but they weren't as invested in it as my grandparents were."

"What're your parents like?" Brock asked. A simple question that led to a feeling of heartbreak in Nova. She knew that Brock's innocent curiosity wasn't to mean her any harm, but she felt the pain rip through her chest anyway. Her parents were still in the Capital, still being held captive be whoever started the riots. She wasn't supposed to be upset over the question, she wasn't supposed to feel hurt, but she did and she hoped that the others didn't see it.

"They're overprotective at best," Nova responded, hoping to keep her tone neutral. "I loved them, but they never really let me do anything the other kids in the Capital got to do."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, his mouth full of food.

Crinkling her nose up a bit in disgust, Nova shook her head to regain herself. "I wasn't allowed to leave the palace gates," she said. "Even inside the palace, my parents had to know where I was at all times. Pichu was given to me as a companion, but I felt as if we were both trapped. My parents tried so hard to keep me safe, but it didn't really matter, I guess."

"We'll get you to Expansion City," Alexis promised. "I told you that, right? Once you're all healed and ready to go, we'll be on our way."

. . . .

Nova had to admit, Brock's cooking was as good as Ash made it out to be. If she were being completely honest with herself, Nova swore Brock's cooking surpassed the palace chefs. And the palace chefs were the best cooks in all of Meridian. After everyone had finished eating, Nova offered to help with the dishes, even though Alexis said she would be the one to help Brock out.

When it became just Nova and the taller boy, a feeling of uneasiness washed over the princess. Brock's presence was calming, but he was still an unfamiliar person in Nova's eyes. Despite all of that, however, the princess would still attempt to be friendly with him.

"Where'd you learn to cook like that?" she asked, looking up at him. The duo had decided that, in order to make the dishwashing task go by quicker, Brock would wash and Nova would dry.

"My parents had a tendency to leave a lot," he answered, an obvious tension in his voice. "Because of that, I was left in charge of my siblings, among other things. I cooked for them, made sure they did their homework, washed their clothes, and put them to bed each night. I had to learn to cook for them."

Nova's brows shot up at that. "How many siblings do you have?" she asked.

"I have nine younger brothers and sisters."

That statement alone was enough to make Nova almost drop the plate she was holding. Nine younger brothers and sisters? Nova almost felt relieved she was an only child! How Brock managed to do all of that without going crazy was something else entirely. Though she had to give him credit - having to be the older sibling and the parent? It couldn't be an easy task. Not to mention Brock had to be forced into stepping up to the parental plate with his parents gone.

"You probably had your hands full."

"All the time," he answered. "It was definitely hard having to take care of them all while still being a kid myself. But I got to see things in a new perspective, so that's one of the reasons I want to be a breeder. I get to take care of Pokémon, I get to understand them better."

Nova simply nodded. She had to admire Brock's dedication to the ones he cares about. She wasn't exactly like that, was she? Yeah, she was trying to figure out a way to save Meridian, but she wasn't entirely sure yet. She didn't know if she had the strength to. Feeling her shoulders slump, Nova felt the doubt inside her starting to rise. She had done what she was supposed to and left the Capital, she put as much distance between herself and her home as possible. What more could she do after that? With everything going on, she didn't have time to think up strategies to help her parents and Livia. The only thing that seemed to matter was finding Livia's daughter in Expansion City. Maybe. . . .Maybe Nova wasn't cut out to do anything. Maybe she should let the riots take over Meridian, should let everything she knows get destroyed. She's just a princess. . . .

"Is something wrong?" Brock's voice snapped Nova out of herself. She looked up at him and saw he was looking at her worriedly.

Those big brother instincts, probably, she thought.

"My parents are still in the Capital," she sighed. "So's one of my friends. My only human friend. I. . . .I want to get them out, but I don't know how. I can't really do much."

There was a moment of silence. Nova wasn't sure what Brock thought of her, and that made her anxious. Was he thinking she was weak? She did manage to pass out when she ran into them again. That made her feel even more doubtful. Brock's possible thoughts on her being weak made her feel even less about herself.

"Don't worry about your parents, OK?" His voice came off as gentle, and he put a hand on Nova's shoulder. The gesture itself brought a sense of calm over her, but there were still those doubtful feelings lingering in the back of her mind. "We'll save them and your friend. You've got us and your Pokémon."

Looking up at him, Nova tried her best for a smile. Brock's kind gesture and supporting words did help her some, but it didn't help relieve all of the doubt. She had to get stronger if she was going to stop what was happening. She couldn't wallow in self-pity, but she'd allow it that one time. Just for a little bit. But Brock did have his head in the right place. They'd help save Nova's parents and Livia.

(A/N):

Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but hopefully you guys like it! If there's anything in here that you think could use some improvements, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? I'm always a fan for constructive criticism.

This fandom does not belong to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me or leave a review.

I know I'm a little late for the party, but has anyone actually watched that whole 'Pokémon I Choose You' movie? The only thing I know about it is that it focuses mostly on Ash. Which I guess is cool since pretty much all the other movies focused on Legendaries. Anywho, if anyone did watch it, how'd you like it?

If I get any of the canon characters wrong in any way, don't hesitate to let me know. I'd hate to find out later on I wrote them wrong and then I'd have to go back and rewrite a bunch of stuff. So let me know!

Let me know if there's anything I should improve on.

Thanks.

Kaia Milligan