Three days later, after lunch, Austyn felt a burning desire to talk to Ash and help Misty. "Ash, there's something I was hoping to talk to you about sooner, but I didn't really get an opportunity. Misty told me about some struggles you're having now, and I think I can help you. Are you willing to talk about it?"

"No, I hate boring love conversations! I just don't want to think about it! I just wanna battle someone!" Ash moaned.

"Alright then, I have a deal for you. I'll battle you, and if I beat you, you'll talk to me about this. If you win, I'll shut up about this," Austyn proposed.

"I don't know... Oh well, I'm sure I can beat you, and it's the only way to get some battling during this boring trip!" Ash shouted. "Let's go outside and battle now!"

"As you wish," Austyn said. She opened the door and led Ash, Misty and Brock to the water in the city. After all, the biggest part of the surface in the city was covered by water. Meanwhile, she took Whiscash out of his pool and carried him by herself, as he didn't like being in a Poke Ball.

"This is a one on one Pokemon battle between Austyn from Sootopolis City and Ash from Pallet Town! Both trainers will use one Pokemon! When one Pokemon is unable to battle, the other one wins! Trainers, choose your Pokemon!" Brock shouted. As usual when Ash had unofficial battles, Brock served as the referee.

"Whiscash, I choose you!" Austyn shouted, while throwing the Poke Ball she kept Whiscash in when carrying him from her house to the water. "Cash!" the Pokemon screamed energetically, while landing in the water.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said, while his yellow friend walked up to the shore.

"Begin!" Brock shouted.

"Pikachu, let's start with your Thunderbolt!" Ash tried. The yellow mouse jumped in the air and tried to shock the opponent. However, even though the water conducted the electric shock, the Ground-type opponent didn't take any damage.

"Whiscash, Spark!" Austyn shouted. Normally, an electric attack would only leave light damage on Pikachu, but now Whiscash jumped out of the water and struck Pikachu while still being wet, the electric mouse suffered a great deal of damage. And so, the mouse was almost done for in just one hit!

"Pikachu, can you go on?" Ash asked. After hearing a happy "Pikapi", Ash told his Pokemon to try an Iron Tail. However, the ineffective attack failed miserably, as Whiscash used his whiskers to grab the tail.

"Awesome, Whiscash!" Austyn complimented. "Now use Rock Slide!" Hard rocks came falling out of the sky, striking the Electric-type, who was incapable of avoiding the attack.

"Pikachu!" Ash screamed, while his Pokemon was still stuck in the whiskers.

"Pikapi!" the yellow mouse shouted, realizing he couldn't win this battle.

"Whiscash, end this battle with your Surf!" Austyn commanded. After throwing Pikachu out of his whiskers, the fish caused a tidal wave to crash down on his opponent, who got washed up on the shore defeated.

"Pikachu is defeated, Whiscash is the winner! Victory goes to sexy Austyn!" Brock declared.

"Pikachu, are you alright?" Ash asked, while his Pokemon opened his eyes again.

"I think he just needs some rest, I don't think he needs to go to the Pokemon Center," Brock said.

"That's a relief," Ash said. "And Austyn, do I really have to talk about this?"

"Sorry, Ash, but I believe we had a deal..." Austyn answered.

"Okay then, we'll give you two some privacy," Brock said. "How about it if Misty and I do some sightseeing in the meantime?"

"That's nice," Austyn said. "Have fun!"

"Thanks, good luck!" Misty said, while walking off to the market together with Brock. At the same time, Austyn went back to her house, along with Ash.

While walking home, Whiscash received some tight hugs from his trainer as a congratulation for his sweet victory. "Your Whiscash is really strong!" Ash complimented.

"Thanks," Austyn said. "He's a hard worker and an amazing battler!"

"Anyways, why do you want to talk about my love issues?" Ash asked.

"Because I want to help you to understand what you feel," Austyn responded. "And it could also help Misty."

"Alright then, I'll explain the situation," Ash said. "I always saw Misty as hot, even though I have trouble saying that to her face. And I also feel something that I don't feel for my other friends. I have the feeling that Misty means more to me than May, Dawn, Iris and Serena, but I don't know what..."

"So you're in love?" Austyn asked.

"I don't know... I don't know how being in love feels, I don't understand love. I just hope I won't become just like Brock..." Ash moaned.

"Well, do you sometimes get jealous when other guys like Misty?" Austyn asked.

"I don't know if it's jealousy, but when other guys hit on Misty, I always get pissed off!" Ash snapped. "I just don't want her to give other guys attention! Maybe it's because I want to spend time with my friend?"

"Well, if it's because of friendship, you'd also feel that way when other guys like your other female friends. Do you also feel that way about Drew liking May, for example? And about Conway flirting with Dawn?" Austyn asked.

"No, not at all, I don't mind that," Ash said.

"And how does it make you feel when Brock hits on me, or on other girls?" Austyn wanted to know.

"I don't really care about that, I just hope I won't be like that when I'm his age," Ash explained.

"So you only feel that way about Misty and no one else?" Austyn asked.

"Yes, Misty just means more to me than others," Ash admitted.

"Well, then you're obviously in love, you just don't realize it!" Austyn concluded.

"I always denied that," Ash said. "I always denied it when people like Tracey said that, but I always felt like I was lying, even though I didn't realize that I love Misty. But I just never accepted the fact that I'm just really in love with her," he admitted. "I suppose you're right, why else would I be that jealous?"

"And what are you gonna do now?" Austyn asked.

"I don't know..." Ash moaned. "How am I supposed to tell Misty? She'll never like me back, she must hate me... She and I argue so often, and she even used her mallet on me a few times..."

"Really, she doesn't," Austyn said. "Even some married couples argue, it's normal. And Misty is really short-tempered, it's nothing personal. She also hits Brock all the time with that thing, but she doesn't hate him. She's just sick of the way he treats women, she thinks they deserve better than being objectified by your pervy friend."

"But just because she doesn't hate me, doesn't mean Misty loves me back..." Ash complained.

"Are you blind?" Austyn asked. "Really, Misty loves you too, isn't that obvious? Don't you remember all the moments when other girls liked you? Don't you remember how that pissed you off? Misty told me all about that!"

"Well, yeah, she was pissed off, but wasn't she just trying to protect me, just like she does when protecting women against Brock?" Ash asked.

"Not really, her reaction is different," Austyn said. "It's way more emotional. And besides, do you know how Misty reacts when someone says that she loves Ash? She's just battling her feelings to deny it, because she knows it's true. And Misty told me how she feels about you."

A smile was put on Ash's face. However, he still had some issues. "How am I supposed to tell her this?"

"Well, tell her how you feel, and ask her if she wants to be your girlfriend," Austyn said. "Let's practice, let's pretend that I'm Misty and that you want to confess your feelings. What would you say to me?"

"Wow, confessing must be difficult, there must be a reason why a smart, mature person like me doesn't get love..." Ash thought. After imagining Austyn as his beloved redhead instead of as her blonde-haired self, he tried to start an awkward confession. "Misty, there's something I have to tell you... You know how you always called me unromantic and stupid? Well, do you wanna be unromantic and stupid together with me as my girlfriend?"

"No, no, no, that's not how you confess!" Austyn said. "You've got to be more romantic, or at least not so negative! Misty would feel really insulted if you would say this to her!"

"Okay then," Ash said. He tried to think of confessions he saw in his life. Then, he knew it. "Hey, Misty, you are so hot, you have awesome boobs!" he said, while holding Austyn's hand. "Would you like to date me, share the bed and marry me?"

"What was that? Why were you imitating Brock?" Austyn asked, while getting her hand away from Ash.

"I tried to think of confessions I've seen, and Brock had so many confessions, I thought it'd be worth a try," Ash explained.

"And have you ever seen Brock seducing a girl with that?" Austyn asked.

"Not really... Two or three girls liked him back, but that never turned into anything serious..." Ash moaned. "But Brock always said he's so romantic, so I thought this would be romantic!"

"Well, Brock isn't romantic, I can tell you that," Austyn said. "He's just being pervy. Never comment on a girl's chest, unless you're in a relationship with them and are comfortable enough for that!"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ash asked.

"Well, just tell Misty how you feel, without being pervy or negative," Austyn said. "You just have to try practicing until we get it right."

"Okay, I can do this," Ash thought. Then, he tried again. "Misty, I love you!"

"Awesome! That's how it's done!" Austyn complimented. "Was that really that hard?"

"Well, I never understood love, so I thought it would be more complicated..." Ash said.

"And do you think you're ready to tell Misty this?" Austyn asked.

"Sure, I guess," Ash said.

"I don't think so, Ash," Austyn said. "You smell kinda dirty, and I don't think it's very romantic to smell like that when confessing your feelings to a romantic girl like Misty..."

"Well, I never change my underwear, I'm wearing these underpants for six years now," Ash admitted.

"Gross!" Austyn screamed. "Do you have any fresh underwear with you?"

"Yeah, Misty bought me some new boxers for my birthday recently," Ash said. "But these feel so comfy, I just never feel like taking them off!"

"Then you're gonna change your underwear right now!" Austyn screamed. "I can't take this smell!"

"Oh yeah? Then why can Misty and Brock take it without complaining all the time?" Ash asked.

"Because they're used to being around that smell for six years," Austyn said. "Could you please just put some other underpants on? I beg you..."

"Fine..." Ash moaned. Then, he went to another room, changed his clothes and came back. He even put on deodorant for the first time in his life. "And, how do I smell now?" he asked Austyn, while opening the door of the living room again.

"Awesome! Exactly the smell Misty deserves for your big moment," Austyn said.

"Thanks," Ash said. "Hey, what do you actually do as a trainer? Do you never travel and just stay in your house all the time? That's got to be boring..."

"Well, when I was a kid, I befriended Whiscash when helping it to beat some crooks," Austyn said. "Then, I started taking parts in contests, as a Coordinator. However, those weren't really my thing, I don't like the way Pokemon get judged for looks instead of inner strength and beauty. Then, I decided to travel around and participate in small contests, like the Catch-A-Seaking Contest. I also participated in the Hoenn League once and won," Austyn said. "Anyways, after eight years of traveling, I went back to Sootopolis City and started writing and editing for the magazine I work for now."

"A League victory? Wow, you're an amazing trainer! Why didn't you say that earlier?" Ash asked.

Austyn started blushing. "I don't like talking about that League victory, it makes me feel so arrogant..."

"You're not arrogant, you're the least arrogant person I've seen," Ash shouted. "You never take credit for anything you win, you always give the prize to others or pass all credits on to your Pokemon! Sure, your Pokemon do most of the work, but you guided them in the right direction to win!"

"Thanks, but they did everything, really," Austyn said, talking down about her own role in the success. "All this talk is making me miss traveling so much... I wish I could go on a journey again with Whiscash and rekindle those amazing moments..."

"Austyn, you know how you've always just been Misty's friend, while there was some more distance between Brock and you, and between me and you, but I think we're pretty good friends now too," Ash said.

"Yeah, I agree," Austyn said. "You might be dense at times, but you're a good person and I can see that."

Then, the doorbell rang. "We're back!" Brock said, while Austyn opened the door.

"And, Ash, is there something you'd like to tell me?" Misty asked, while walking into the living room.

"Misty, I love you!" Ash confessed, while spontaneously hugging his beloved. "Thanks to your amazing friend, I finally realized and accepted it!"

Tears from happiness came out of Misty's eyes. "I love you too, Ash, and now, you're finally ready to understand it!"

"So are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Ash asked happily.

"Yes, we are!" Misty said, while the tears stopped. Then, she gave Ash a kiss on his right cheek.

"That's so sweet!" Austyn thought, while tears were streaming out of Brock's eyes. "It's not fair! Why can't I ever get a girlfriend?"

"Um... Because you're a pervert?" Austyn suggested.

"No, I'm not!" Brock protested, despite knowing Austyn was right.

And so, hours later, Ash, Misty and Brock left Austyn's house. "Bye, thanks for letting us stay!"

"Bye," Austyn said, while waving. She held her Whiscash in her arms, who waved with his fin. "Whis Whiscash!" A tear went down Austyn's face. "What am I doing here?"

Two minutes later, our heroes were walking to the shore, where Misty would let Gyarados out of his Poke Ball. "We sure had a great time!" Ash said. "And I finally confessed my feelings to Misty!"

"The same goes for me," Misty said, after giving Ash a kiss on his cheek, causing a heavy blush.

"Yeah, I just wish I could've had a nice time in bed with Austyn," Brock moaned.

Then, Ash turned around and saw a girl holding a blue, fish-like Pokemon running at them. It was Austyn! "Hey, did you forget something, or what? Why are you running at us like that?"

"I want to join you," the blonde-haired girl said, after some heavy gasping. "Could I travel with you three?"

"What?" Misty asked. "And what about your job?"

"I can take my iPad with me and still write and proofread," Austyn said.

"But why do you wanna travel with us?" Brock asked.

"Talking to Ash just made me realize how much I miss being a Pokemon trainer," Austyn explained. "Is there anything I can do to join you three?"

"You can join us, but you'll have to share the bed with me," Brock suggested.

A few tears appeared in Austyn's eyes. "Is there really no other way? I just can't do that..."

"No, I was kidding, you can join and keep your virginity," Brock said. "I was just teasing."

"Are you two also okay with that?" Austyn asked the couple that just got together that day.

"Sure," Ash said. "It's always nice to make new friends!" His yellow Pokemon agreed. "Pikapi!"

"And you're already my best friend, it'd be awesome to have you around all the time!" Misty said.

"Really? You guys are amazing!" Austyn cheered. "Whiscash!" her happy Pokemon squealed from happiness.

"But are you ready to travel now?" Brock asked. "Don't you need to pack your bags first?"

"Of course I do, but I had to run after you three to reach you before you went away from the city," Austyn explained.

"That's fine. Take your time, we'll wait here," Ash said.

And so, an hour later, Gyarados and Whiscash were swimming next to each other. While Gyarados carried Ash and Misty, Whiscash had Austyn and Brock on his back. "Brock, you're a complete pervert, but I still think we can be friends," Austyn said. "You're still a kind-hearted person."

"I'd love to be friends!" Brock shouted. "Will there be benefits?"

"No," Austyn said, much to Brock's dismay. Then, she shifted her attention to her Pokemon. "This is the best day of my life, Whiscash! Misty got together with Ash, and we're travelling again! And I'm also glad you like travelling!"

"I hope you're also happy to have me on your back, Whiscash!" Brock added.

"I'm not happy that my trainer is getting objectified, but I'm too happy to care. Going on adventures again, frequent battling and becoming stronger, facing new challenges... Awesome!" the Water/Ground-type thought. He nodded, while letting out a squeal from joy. "Whiscash!"