I do not own Pokemon, Nintendo, or Gamefreak. This is a nonprofit fanfiction series...for now.

"ELIZABETH!?" I exclaimed in awe of the sight before me. At first glance, I thought the figure in front of me was a young girl wearing a tutu and a headband with decorative horns. I was expecting Elizabeth to pop out from behind the girl and introduce me, but then the girl spoke.

"Who else would I be, silly?" She hid her amused giggles behind her hands before reaching out to help me up. "Are you gonna sit there all day or what?" Every word she spoke oozed with an infectious joy that quickly began to invade my body, making my heartbeat like some hyperactive Spoink. I grabbed hold of her tiny hand and stood up, my mouth still agape. Overcome with both confusion and tremendous excitement I was unable to form a proper sentence, much to Elizabeth's amusement.

"Wha-huh-hmm." I blurted out, still unable to figure out how to react to what was right before me. Elizabeth burst out laughing at my reaction, with one hand on her belly and one on her forehead she lifted off the ground and kept laughing as she floated, kicking at the air in amusement. Her tremendous joy hit my heart like a tidal wave and I couldn't help but join in and laugh with her. After holding my sides and rolling on the ground for a bit I again stood up and wiped a happy tear from my eye.

"You evolved?!" I asked excitedly, looking down and closely observing her new figure. She was a lot taller now, more than twice her original height. Even more so if you count her two horns, which sprouted from the sides of her head instead of growing from the middle like when she was a Ralts. Those brilliant red eyes, full of joy and love were no longer kept hidden behind her hair. The long white dress she wore in her previous form was replaced by a white, sleeveless top with an open back that ended in a tutu like skirt. Unlike when she was a Ralts, this evolution provided something to wear under her dress in the form of what looked like leggings in the same color as her lush pale green hair. I was so busy ogling her new physique that I didn't notice Elizabeth's lips curl into a mischievous smile. Suddenly, but elegantly she twirled, showing me all of her new features.

"Do you like it~?" She teased excitedly. Her question caught me off guard and colored me a few shades pinker. The only response I could provide at that moment was a series of quick nods. "You're cute," She snickered, clearly enjoying how flustered she could make me. I cleared my throat and tried to regain any piece of my composure left and gave her a nonchalant expression.

"You look good, Elizabeth," I stated, trying to sound cool and not like a lovesick puppy in order to conceal the sheer wonder and amazement I felt about her evolution. With that same smirk she twirled with, Elizabeth effortlessly floated up to me and started gently stroking my cheek.

"You know I can read your mind, right?" She stated matter of factly. She stared into my eyes with an enticing, hypnotic gaze as her hand slowly moved from my cheek and she dug her fingers into my hair. A new feeling invaded my body that made me tingle from head to toe as this familiar, burning emotion seeped itself into every part of my body.

"The dream," I blurted out, upon realizing why this incredible sensation felt so familiar.

"What?" Elizabeth looked at me confused. She stopped playing with my hair, moving her hands to my shoulder and anchoring herself onto me. She then playfully cocked her head to the side and gave me an expectant look.

"The dream I had, or rather the dream we shared!" The excitement I had previously tried to conceal now came bursting out like a Camerupt. I grabbed hold of the floating girl in front of me with this rush of joy and excitement that took over my body, spilling out with every word I spoke.

"You turned pink and then grew and this sensation that I just felt was in the dream too! That was your evolution!" I frantically exclaimed, unable to control my excitement. Elizabeth chuckled and gave an expression that one gives to a Poochyena pup that got stuck in the doggy door.

"Is that all you can remember or are you just too excited to describe your dreams?" She laughed with a bit of defeat in her voice. The clueless expression on my face made her shake her head and snicker a little. "Yes, I evolved in my sleep and while our minds were linked, I realized…certain things, and that lead to my evolution," She lectured in a slightly sarcastic tone. My eyes lit up in awe and I felt like a kid in Trainer school who just saw his first Pokemon, and Elizabeth could tell. She smiled softly, then playfully flailed her legs, signaling to be put down. I gently put her down then ruffled her hair, thoroughly enjoying the new height dynamic between us. She stuck her tongue out in protest of her treatment, causing us both to laugh.

"Oh! I've got an idea!" I enthusiastically proclaimed.

"I read your mind and I'm in!" Elizabeth cut me off before I could even tell her my plan. I was both shocked and thrilled by her psychic powers and she definitely felt it. A cheeky grin quickly appeared on her face as I ushered her into the tent and had her fetch me Tide and Blitz' Pokeballs, just as planned. Once they were in my hands she quickly slipped back into the tent and out of sight.

"Tide, Blitz! Wake up you two, it's morning!" I called out, throwing both balls at my feet. The two Pokemon emerged looking groggy and tired. They lazily scoured their surroundings until they laid their eyes upon me. Tide slowly walked up to my feet to greet me with a gentle headbutt, while Blitz just gave a subtle nod in my direction. My little buddy shifted his gaze towards the tent and after a brief pause, he jolted up and turned to me with a worried look. I knelt down to pat his head while trying to hold back my laughter as much as I could and ended up puckering my lips to stop myself. However, my puckered, twisted frown only seemed to worry him all the more.

"She's fine, buddy. See for yourself!" I turned his head away from me and in the direction of the tent. "Oh, Elizabeth~" I called out to her. Right on cue, Elizabeth burst out of the tent like a professional diva. Tide and Blitz were speechless, while Elizabeth and I shared a snicker that turned into an uproarious laughter seeing how stunned they were. Tide hesitantly approached Elizabeth, unsure of what he was staring at.

"Kirlia?" She asked with a reassuring gaze then knelt down to pat him on the head. His eyes lit up and he started hopping circles around his now tall buddy.

"Kip! Kip! Kip! Tide chanted, now practically a blue blur at Elizabeth's feet. I noticed that Blitz was still just standing there speechless and in awe of the scene before him. When he saw that Elizabeth and I were staring at him with a smug grin on our faces, his demeanor quickly changed back into its natural state.

"Taillow Tail," Blitz squawked, waving a wing at her to congratulate her evolution, his gaze averted and his tone less than amused. Elizabeth's grin became even wider and she took a few steps forward in his direction and bent over with her hands at her hips, ready to lecture anyone in her path.

"Lia~" She sassed. Blitz froze at her response and began to quickly dart his gaze around.

"T-Taillow-low." He waved his wing in a dismissing fashion as if to save himself from the embarrassment. Elizabeth just leaned closer and gave a smug look to which Blitz just became even more flustered. He quickly pointed towards the creek with his wing, causing all of us to look there. Taking it as a chance to escape the awkward situation, he quickly flew up to a low hanging branch a couple of feet away. We all shared a good laugh at this, except for Blitz who was now sulking on the tree branch. Elizabeth brushed hair to the side and looked at me lovingly. That tingling, warm sensation returned strong as ever. The sudden shock of these strong emotions hitting me forced an audible gasp out of me. In order to stop my heart from exploding, I quickly decided to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"Bu-uh you're pretty," I confessed. The unexpected compliment caught her off guard and she quickly looked away, but not before I saw how pink she turned. My plan worked, but now the situation was even more awkward. Tide, however, was oblivious to the whole scene that played out right before him and continued to goof off around Elizabeth in celebration of her evolution. Looking at him gave me an idea to save myself from all this awkwardness.

"A-Are you guys hungry?" I asked, still averting my gaze from Elizabeth. Tide's eyes lit up and he charged at me, wagging his tail as if he were threatening to take off into the air. I took that as a yes and headed for my pack to pull out the bag of Pokefood that I brought. Pulling out the now half-empty bag, I noticed that Elizabeth was awkwardly inching closer to me, her gaze averted and her thumbs fumbling.

"Uhm, E-Eric…I" She was abruptly caught off by a quiet, but distinct rustle in the bushes behind her. We looked at each other and exchanged a worried glance. I dropped the bag of food on the ground then took a step closer to the bush where I heard the sound coming from. I was about to take another step in its direction when Elizabeth suddenly walked past me and crouched down in front of it. Not a second later a little round Pokemon came marching out, holding a berry branch in its mouth.

"Shroomursh," It chirped happily. With a swift motion, Elizabeth plucked the branch out of the Shroomish's mouth, then pat its head like how I always do. I would've questioned her ethics regarding taking another Pokemon's food, but that thought quickly vanished when I saw how happy and contempt the Shroomish looked about having its meal taken.

"He is one of the Shroomish we saved last night," She clarified. "Better make a meal for four, Eric!" Elizabeth declared turning to me, then ushered our little guest towards the now smoldering ashes of last night's campfire. I saw her taking a peek at me as she walked by and when she noticed she was caught, Elizabeth quickened her pace and hurried for the campsite. I can't believe how much cuter she got when she Evolved into…into her new form. Thinking about how cute she was now made me realize that I didn't even know what this evolution was. I went back to my bag and pulled out the two bowls and the plate I brought along with my pot, then I pocketed my Pokedex as I couldn't carry everything with just two hands. I laid down the bowls and the plates near the tent and after a bit of sweet-talking, got Blitz to come back down from his branch and eat with us.

"There aren't enough plates for this many of us, you'll have to wait a turn. Sorry, Elizabeth!" I apologized and gently brushed her hair with my hand to make it up to her.

"No problem!" Elizabeth looked up at me. "We could just share whatever you eat. I'll share my Oran berries with you in exchange!" She offered, waving the berry branch enticingly. I took her up on it and asked her to put some water in the pot while I started up the fire. She eagerly grabbed it and scurried off towards the creek in anticipation of sharing a meal with me. Seeing her this excited made my heart beat a little quicker, but I snapped myself out of it and started fumbling with the matches I brought. After a few stubborn matches that refused to ignite, I finally got the fire burning. I was expecting to see Elizabeth next to me with an almost too full pot, but when I looked up I saw that she was still standing in the creek and playing in the water. She jumped up and down, twirling mid-air then landing for only a second before taking back off into the air. She was dancing. Seeing her like this ignited something within me. A warm familiar, comforting feeling.

"I want to see her dance every day for the rest of my life," I thought to myself, then regretting it immediately since I forgot that I was ogling a girl with very strong telepathic powers. Elizabeth suddenly stopped dancing and shyly turned around, smiling ear to ear pink as a Nanab berry. She bowed, holding her skirt as if she were performing on a stage, and with that same smile etched into her lips, she picked up the pan and slowly floated up to me.

"I-I could dance for you, i-if that's what you want," She offered, now turning dangerously red from embarrassment. "W-Wait! That came out wrong!" Elizabeth yelped, showing the pan into my hands, then buried her face in her hands to escape the situation. I laughed awkwardly and put the pan over the roaring fire with hasty, mechanical motions. I sat down on the big log I rolled here yesterday and reached into my bag, looking for a pack of instant porridge to serve as our breakfast. After a bit of digging, I managed to pull out one packet of Chesto berry-flavored instant porridge. I heard Elizabeth plop down next to me. The sudden burst of excitement I got from her sitting so close to me nearly made me drop the pack.

"Would you like to drop in the porridge?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

"Y-Yes, please," She shyly accepted, then proceeded to drop the full, unopened pack into the water. Luckily I managed to quickly save it from the boiling waves of my pot, while Elizabeth watched from behind her fingers.

"S-Sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to open it," She apologized. I pat her head to calm her down. She nuzzled her head into my palm, welcoming my touch. Tide, Blitz, and the Shroomish have already finished their feast and loafed off around the campsite. Blitz flew back to his branch and picked at his wings, while Tide decided to take a nap in the shade of the tent. The Shroomish sat down in front of a big stump and lazily watched the other two. Elizabeth kept scooching closer as I stirred our breakfast. When she got close enough, she rested her head on my shoulder, making my heart nearly jump out of my chest. Being the powerful psychic Pokemon she is, she felt it and quickly jolted back into her previous sitting position.

"It's ready!" I exclaimed, pulling the pot off the fire and placing it between us. "I'll grab my normal spoon for you, and I'll eat with this wooden one," I offered, reaching for my backpack. Elizabeth stopped me, pulling me back by my shirt with that same ear to ear smile from before.

"I said we would share! That means, this too!" She pointed at the wooden spoon in my hand.

"Okay," I gulped. "It's a bit too hot right now," I explained, scooping out a small amount and brought it to my lips then started blowing on it to cool it down a little.

"W-Why are you k-k-kissing it?" Her question nearly made me blow all the porridge off the spoon.

"W-What?" I nearly yelled from the mixture of excitement and surprise from Elizabeth's sudden adorable question. "No, no, no, no! I was just blowing on it to cool it down!" I pointed out desperately.

"I see…" She stated, looking at the ground. "C-Could I have that bite?" She turned back to me blushing harder than ever. I slowly nodded and moved the spoon up to her mouth. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth in anticipation of her delicious meal. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I put it in her mouth. She hesitantly bit down on it and I quickly pulled the spoon away, so she could eat and so that I wouldn't explode. Elizabeth slowly started chewing, then her eyes lit up and she happily munched down the porridge I gave her.

"I guess that means you like it, huh?" I snickered and got a spoonful for myself. She nodded enthusiastically and patiently watched me eat my piece before she demanded another bite. We finished our meal in less than a minute, leaving the pot looking even cleaner than it was before we started cooking.

"It's gone already?" Elizabeth whined, dropping the wooden spoon in the empty pot with a depressing clank.

"Sadly, yes," I confirmed with an equally sad look. "But we still have those berries!" I chirped and reached for the branch next to Elizabeth, only to have her slap my hand away.

"You fed me this food, s-so I will f-feed you this one!" Elizabeth pointed the berry branch at me as if it were some deadly weapon. She then carefully plucked one Oran berry off of it and slowly raised her hand up to my face. Imitating her, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth a little. When I felt her silky smooth fingers touch my lips I thought I was going to go crazy. My brain went numb and I had to use every ounce of my spirit to chew that berry like a normal person and not drool like some brain dead Slowpoke. This went on for a little while, but thankfully there weren't too many berries on that branch.

"Aww, this is also gone now," Elizabeth whimpered, idly turning the now bare berry branch in her hand. I nodded with empathy, but I was glad I no longer had to endure any more of these heart-pounding scenarios. She looked so adorable sitting next to me. Her flowing green hair, her soft skin, those enchanting crimson eyes…

"Stop thinking, you idiot! She can hear that!" I yelled to myself mentally. I slowly turned my head back in her direction and saw her blissfully doodling in the dirt with her stick. Seems like she was too busy focusing on her art and wasn't able to hear my thoughts. I leaned back, stretching when I realized my Pokedex was still in my pocket.

"Ooh, Elizabeth!" I tapped her on the shoulder. "I still haven't scanned your evolution, would you mind if I did now?" I pleaded excitedly. She rolled her eyes playfully then smiled up at me, or rather into the camera of the Pokedex.

"Pretty," I thought, forgetting once again whom I was ogling. Elizabeth started awkwardly fidgeting, proving that she was in fact listening. "Ehm. I mean the scanner app is so pretty! It has a nice design!" I quickly slammed my finger down on the screen and initiated the scan.

"Kirlia! The emotion Pokemon! It is said that a Kirlia that is exposed to the positive emotions of its Trainer grows beautiful!" The Pokedex stated in its usual monotone tone.

"I must have a lot of positive emotions then," I blurted out unconsciously, reading the data that the scan provided. Still absent-minded of what I just said, I pocketed my Pokedex and looked down at the dying flames of the campfire. I pondered what our next move should be as my gaze shifted between Tide, the guest, and Blitz. However, my train of thought was halted by a green blur that I noticed from the corner of my eye. Elizabeth was furiously flailing her legs with an ear to ear grin permanently painted on her face.

"WE SHOULD START PACKING UP!" I yelled in my panic and jolted up, finally realizing what I had said. Tide, Blitz, and probably all the Pokemon in a 5-mile radius woke up and stared at me confused. The beaming girl sitting next to me, however just simply stood up and walked towards the tent, passing a loving glance at me as she went by. I entrusted the deconstruction of the tent to my little buddies while I put out the fire and went down to the creek to wash off the bowls and the spotless pot we ate out of.

"MUD! MUDKIP!" Hearing the sounds of struggle, I quickly turned around to see that the tent had collapsed on top of Tide. The little Mudkip was scurrying under the tent's cloth desperately looking for a way out, only to quickly find himself running in circles. Elizabeth lifted up the deep green cloth and rescued my little buddy, who ran to hide behind the log we were sitting on and watched as the rest of them tried to figure out how to do the task I gave them.

"That's okay guys, I'll deconstruct the tent." I chuckled, walking up to the scene of the crime. "How about you guys get my dry clothes off of that branch and put them down somewhere?" I suggested, then got to work on the tent. A few minutes later we were all set and ready to go. I just had to change.

"I'll be right back, I'll just put my travel clothes on," I stated, grabbing my pants off the ground and hid behind some bushes. As I was taking off my boxers I started feeling dizzy. My head felt fuzzy and I had double vision, I grabbed my forehead and that's when I felt another presence in my mind.

"Elizabeth! I said no peeking!" I shouted, holding myself up against a tree. I heard a yelp coming from her and the dizziness quickly vanished. After I changed I marched out of the bushes, feeling a little groggy. Elizabeth was staring at her feet, embarrassed of the mischief she tried to pull. Tide was chatting with the Shroomish, while Blitz was sitting on my backpack and listening to their conversation.

"Alright guys and girl, time to get going!" I ushered, withdrawing Tide and Blitz back into their balls. "What? Do you also wanna come with us?" I squat down to the little Shroomish looking up at me.

"Mish!" He nodded cheerfully. I pat his head and unclipped an empty Pokeball off my belt.

"Welcome to our group, Brim!" I proclaimed, capturing him and turned to Elizabeth victoriously. She rolled her eyes, disapproving of the name I gave to the Shroomish. I clipped Brim's ball onto my belt and ruffled up her hair getting her back for the eye roll.

"You're too big to ride on my shoulder now," I stated, strapping on my backpack. She looked up at me defeated, quivering her tender lips in grievance of my statement. At that moment I wanted to hold her tight and not let go until she was smiling again. I quickly smacked that thought out of my mind and came up with a far better alternative.

"W-We could just h-hold hands and walk together…if you want," I offered, holding out my hand. Her smile returned and she quickly grabbed hold of my hand as if she were waiting for an eternity to do so. I snickered at her reaction then steered ourselves towards the road so we could continue our journey towards Rustboro city, hand in hand.

Author's note: Sorry for the slight delay, I had some stuff to deal with, but I hope it was worth the wait. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter as it marks the first step of Eric and Elizabeth's romantic relationship. I personally love awkward romantic interactions so you may look forward to seeing it in the future. In the meanwhile feel free to check out the official Instagram of Eric and Elizabeth the Gardevoir, davidt00ns. Don't let the lack of new art content scare you, or the lack of quality. Now that I finished this chapter I can finally get back to drawing.