Ash X korrina chapter no.6

The tourists and citizens of Ambrette Town walked along the waterfront, in front of Ash's eyes, as he leaned against the back of the bench he was sitting on. He and Pikachu were waiting to go on an excursion that had both of them excited: a Wailord-watching trip, on a boat a few miles off of the coast of Kalos. He had seen Wailord and Wailmer up close in the past, but he was never going to pass up a chance to see rare Pokémon in the wild, even though this was slightly stretching the definition of "the wild". He had woken up early, and was itching to hop up and get on the boat, which was waiting for passengers less than a hundred yards away. There was just one thing he was waiting on - or, more specifically, one person.

Korrina and Ash had briefly separated the day before, upon their arrival in Ambrette Town. She had run into an old friend who wanted to catch up, and Ash had offered the two of them some time alone, not wanting to be a third wheel. He'd spent the afternoon training with his Pokémon, and the evening relaxing and eating. He'd gone to bed earlier than usual that night; he wasn't particularly exhausted, but without Korrina there to talk to, there didn't seem to be much point in staying awake any later. He'd been surprised at how quickly he'd gotten used to her constant presence, and even more surprised at how lonely it felt to not have her around, even for one night. He had arrived at their agreed-upon meeting point a good twenty minutes early, just in case she decided to show up early as well.

Ash absentmindedly reached up to rub Pikachu's head as he watched the people come and go, pausing when he only felt air. His head whipped around to look at where he thought his partner had been, only to find his shoulder unoccupied.

"Pikachu?" He quickly looked all around the bench, and the sidewalk in front of him, scanning all the way up to the water's edge. There were plenty of people and Pokémon, but none of them were his. He stood up and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Pikachu! Where are you?" He tried to keep a cool head, certain that his partner was nearby, having found someone to play with while they waited. Still, part of him worried about what might have happened. Maybe he got too close to the water and fell in. Maybe Team Rocket had somehow snuck up behind him and made off with Pikachu before he had noticed. Maybe-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling behind him, in a voice that caused his heart to leap. He whirled around and took in the sight of Korrina standing behind the bench he had just been sitting on, a wide smile on her face as she laughed lightly, with Pikachu nestled happily in her arms. He looked just as comfortable with her as he did with his own trainer.

Ash let out a breath, both relieved and irritated. "How long have you been there?"

"A few minutes," she answered, walking around the bench. "I was certain you'd notice when I snatched Pikachu off your shoulder, but you just kept people watching." She scratched the top of Pikachu's head gently, and the Pokémon's ears flattened as he basked in the affection.

"Well, I was looking for you!"

"You must have been looking pretty hard for me, if you were that wrapped up in it." There was a teasing tone in her voice as she leaned in, a tone that Ash was well used to by now. "Did you miss me that much?"

Yes, Ash thought.

"Let's just get our tickets and get on the boat," he said. "Come on, Pikachu."

"Hm, I don't know." Korrina grinned down at the Pokémon in her arms. "I think Pikachu's pretty happy here with-"

She was interrupted as Pikachu sat up in her arms, leaping away from her and toward his trainer. Ash quickly held out his arms to catch his Pokémon, grinning as Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder.

He looked back at her with a smug, insufferable smirk. "You were saying?"

She grumbled and marched ahead of him. "Come on, let's go." He chuckled and caught up to her, and they walked over to the boat side-by-side.

Thirty minutes later, the vessel was eight miles off of the coast of Ambrette Town, on the edge of a herd of Wailmer that had been spotted that morning. Ash and Korrina were leaning against the railing around the edge of the boat, as he finished relating tales of meeting Wailmer and Wailord in the past, while traveling through Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova. Pikachu was perched on Ash's right shoulder, as he often was, scanning the water for signs of Pokémon; Lucario, Ash had learned, was in his Poké Ball, resting after an evening spent battling. Before long, one of the tourists shouted and pointed at the water, and everyone gasped as numerous Wailmer began emerging from the ocean, some of them spraying water from their spouts.

"Oh, wow!" Korrina's eyes lit up as she looked over the half-dozen Wailmer that were swimming alongside the vessel. "I didn't think we would see so many so soon!"

"Me either!" Ash grinned wide as his eyes moved from one to the next. "Maybe these ones really like people?"

"I bet they see these boats all the time," she replied. "They're probably used to the attention."

"That makes sense." He watched the Wailmer take turns blasting water out of their spouts, lightly misting the onlookers on the boat. The herd was swimming very close to the vessel, not intimidated, almost seeming like they were enjoying the attention. Pikachu waved and called out to the Pokémon from Ash's shoulder, causing the trainer to laugh.

As Ash relaxed and watched the water spouts dance, he suddenly froze, his heart nearly stopping, as he felt Korrina's hand wrap lightly around his.

He stood motionless for a moment, not turning his head to look her way, waiting to see what she would do next. She kept her eyes forward, not saying a word, not giving any indication that anything was strange. Her right hand kept a gentle grip on Ash's left. She wasn't giving it a reassuring squeeze, as she had done once or twice before. She wasn't trying to get his attention, or lead him somewhere. She was just standing next to him, holding his hand tenderly, somewhat stiffly. And she wasn't letting go.

Ash quickly entered into panic mode, his heart thumping in his chest. This was a situation he had never been in before, and he had no idea how to react. Even if he had known how to react, his brain was currently short-circuiting, unable to send signals to the rest of his body. All of his mental capacity was focused on the sensation of his hand in hers. He knew he needed to do something, instead of keeping her waiting, but that was easier said than done.

His body ended up making the decision for him. His hand curled back around hers of its own volition, wrapping awkwardly around her fingers. He could feel her slacken somewhat in response, her body relaxing as her affectionate gesture was reciprocated. He took note of how tough her hand was, from years of combat training with Lucario and her other Pokémon. He could feel one of their pulses, but he couldn't tell whose it was. Perhaps it was both.

Now that he had managed a reaction, Ash was able to think again, though his mind was moving a million miles an hour. With this one gesture, there had been a fundamental shift in the nature of their relationship. Fifteen seconds ago, they had been two friends hanging out together, and one of them happened to be a boy and the other happened to be a girl. Now, however, they were a boy and girl, out together doing things that boys and girls do, holding hands like the many boyfriends and girlfriends, or husbands and wives, who were also on the boat with them.

Their two hands were clasped together a bit inelegantly, as they gripped each other's fingers more than their palms, a result of their shared hesitation and nervousness. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Ash wriggled his hand free while keeping it against hers, and he felt her hand open up in response. With room to move, he slid his hand properly into her grip, his thumb hooking onto hers, their overheated palms pressed against each other, before grasping it again. She gripped his hand in return, and the two now fit together perfectly. It was an oddly casual and courteous action in an otherwise world-changing moment.

Ash wished that he could know what she was thinking right then. He wasn't even really sure what he was thinking, at this point. He thought he had known how he felt about Korrina, but now she had suddenly been painted in a new light, and he had to reevaluate everything he had known about her. All he really knew right now was the sensation that he was currently feeling was indescribable. He felt as if he was hooked up to a car battery, his body buzzing from head to toe with an electric charge, his heart beating out of his chest. It felt as if all of his senses were sharper, and he could see the ocean with greater clarity, take in the scent of the ocean water in the air, feel the boat rocking under his feet…

He paused for a moment, noticing that the boat was rocking a little more heavily than usual. Seconds later, there was a powerful surge, and a large wave rocked against the boat, reaching most of the way up the ship's hull. As the vessel lurched to one side, both Ash and Korrina gripped the railing with their free hands, while their joined hands held each other more tightly. As the boat righted itself, they turned their eyes back to the water, gasping as an enormous Wailord surfaced from the depths, less than a hundred feet away. The gigantic Pokémon came to rest on the surface of the water, in full view of the tourists.

"Oh my gosh, look at it!" Korrina exclaimed excitedly. "I had no idea Wailord were that big!"

Ash grinned and nodded, standing up fully, taking in the sight of the Pokémon whose size dwarfed the boat they were on. "I've never seen anything else even close to it. It's amazing, isn't it?"

She nodded, her eyes locked on the whale Pokémon in front of them. "Yeah… it is amazing." She sounded taken aback, almost breathless, and Ash wondered what it was that was stealing her breath away.

The Wailord let out a cry like a foghorn, blasting an enormous geyser of water out of the blowhole on its head, which turned into a light drizzle that fell upon everyone watching. Ash and Korrina laughed and held up their arms to try and block some of the water, while Pikachu did his best to hide underneath his tail. Looking up at the top of the geyser, Ash could see the mist glistening as the sun shined through it, forming a small but vivid rainbow.

Ash couldn't stop himself from grinning ear to ear. Between the enormous Wailord in front of him, and the rainbow floating above him, and the hand that was tightly gripping his, he could sense that a pivotal memory was being formed, one that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

Two hours later, Ash was slumping into a chair, his head tilted up and looking at the sky, as Pikachu sat on his lap. They had returned from their Wailord-watching trip fifteen minutes ago, and immediately sought out lunch, which Korrina was currently retrieving. Ash had reclaimed his hand for the first time since that morning, but he hadn't reclaimed his peace of mind. His head was swimming, working overtime to make sense of what had just happened between the two of them, which neither of them had uttered a single word about.

Ash knew that he could be dense sometimes, especially regarding girls, but even he was able to decipher the meaning of Korrina's unmistakable gesture. Girls didn't stand next to you and hold your hand for two hours just to be friendly. They also didn't start leaning against you after the first hour, their arm and shoulder resting fully against yours, so you could feel their bodies gently rise and fall with each anxious breath. She was signaling her intentions loud and clear, offering her heart to him and hoping that he didn't push her away. So far, he hadn't, but mostly that was because he was too paralyzed with fear to do anything else.

He had some serious thinking to do about his feelings, which was by far his weakest skill. He'd never seriously considered Korrina as anything other than a close friend, telling himself that he just really enjoyed her company. Sure, maybe he thought that she was pretty cute, and they always had something to talk about together, and she was one of the best training partners he'd ever had, and her smile sometimes made him feel funny inside, and the sound of her laughter was like a healing balm on his soul, and every moment spent without her felt three times as long as a moment spent with her, and…

He could feel his face heating up, as he held his head in his hand. Maybe he did like her as more than a friend, just a little, or perhaps it was a lot. Even so, the idea of actually making the leap from "friends" to "more than friends" was utterly terrifying. If things didn't work out and the two of them couldn't be friends again, he would be utterly devastated. But if things did work out, and their friendship blossomed into a beautiful relationship… somehow, that was even more intimidating. The thought made his heart race and his anxiety spike. Was that just how it felt to like someone this way?

His mind was telling him one thing, but his actions told a different story. He had rested his hand on Korrina's waist while the two of them were getting his picture taken, without thinking about it. He had stored the picture of the two of them inside his Pokédex, feeling that it was too precious of a memory to let it be damaged. He had chosen not only to hold her hand on the boat, but to do so a second time so he could hold it even more firmly, to keep her from slipping out of his grasp. It seemed like his heart had already made a decision. Why couldn't his brain do the same?

Ash sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. This was not a deliberation he could have on an empty stomach. Thankfully, Korrina arrived right at that moment with two baskets of food, one for each of them. Of course she had exactly what he needed.

"Here you go, Ash." She placed her basket in front of him, which contained a decadent-looking sandwich and a pile of fries. "And here's something for you, too, Pikachu." She grinned and placed a ketchup packet on the table, next to Ash's meal. Pikachu cheered and hopped off of Ash's lap and onto the table, grabbing the packet in his paws. He used one of his teeth to pierce the corner, before placing it in his mouth and starting to suck the condiment out, like a ketchup vampire. She giggled as she sat down, a musical sound to Ash's ears.

"Thanks, Korrina." Ash quickly popped one of his fries into his mouth as she sat down, with her own sandwich and a pile of potato chips. She quickly got to eating as well, less chatty than she usually was. He studied her for a moment, eyes flicking in her direction in quick bursts before going back down to his own food, trying not to stare. She was keeping her eyes low, her posture stiff, not relaxed as it usually was when she sat. It seemed like her mind was just as occupied as his, her nerves written all over her face. The idea that she was also nervous and uncertain was an oddly comforting thought.

If she was still this worried now, after the morning they had spent together, he could only imagine how scared she must have been as she took his hand for the first time. It must have taken an awful lot of courage to lay her intentions bare like that, to run the risk of her heart being broken if he had rejected her. He had thought that he was brave, always running headfirst into danger to save people or Pokémon, but he was fairly certain he could not have done what she had.

The two of them continued to eat in unusual silence, listening to the sounds of passersby around them. After several minutes, Ash glanced across the table at her, the lack of conversation starting to drive him batty. As he thought of some way to break the tension, a mischievous smirk crossed his face, and his hand darted across the table to snatch one of her potato chips, causing her to jump.

"Wh- hey!" She glared at him as he popped the chip into his mouth, a smug look on his face. "Why don't you eat your own food?"

"I wanted yours," he answered simply.

She hmphed. "Maybe I'll just take something of yours, then."

He grinned and gestured toward the fries in his basket. "Go ahead."

She reached across the table, hand hovering over the selection of fries he was presenting to her, seeking out the best-looking one. After a couple of seconds, her hand shifted and snatched his sandwich, pulling it back to her as quickly as she could.

"What the-?! I didn't mean that!" Ash reflexively moved to grab at it, but as he imagined squeezing all of the life and fillings out of his poor sandwich, he relented and withdrew his hand. She took a small but triumphant bite out of an untouched side before handing it back to him.

"Mmm, that's good," she said tauntingly.

"Yeah, I know," he grumbled, accepting his own lunch back and taking a bite. The two of them continued to eat, each of them more relaxed than before, though they were still wracked with anxiety. Ash in particular was only half-focused on his meal, as he deliberated over one of the most difficult questions anyone had ever posed to him.

Once they were finished eating, Ash, Korrina and Pikachu sought out the Ambrette Town Aquarium, which had been part of their plans since before they arrived. Korrina had repeatedly been told about their incredible collection of Water-type Pokémon, but had never managed to make the trip herself. Ash was always excited to see Pokémon, and had needed no convincing at all. He hadn't anticipated seeing it under these exact conditions, but he wasn't complaining.

After buying their tickets, they stepped into the aquarium proper, and were immediately faced with a crossroads. A sign in front of them was directing them toward several different exhibits; directly in front of them was the Unova exhibit, a path to the left led to the aquarium's Hoenn exhibit, and off to the right were the Water-type Pokémon of a region Ash had never heard of before, called Alola.

"What should we see first?" she asked.

He shrugged. "As long as we see it all eventually, it doesn't matter to me." He turned his head to look down the hallway to the right, already starting to reconsider. "…Although, I am kinda wondering what Pokémon are in Alola. I've never been there before."

"Well then, let's start there. Come on!" She turned and started down the hallway to the right, and he walked alongside her on her left. As they walked side by side, he turned his head to look at her, his eyes drifting down toward her left hand. He could feel his heart starting to pound as his eyes lingered on it.

He had spent most of lunchtime, and most of the walk to the aquarium, thinking through the question that Korrina had wordlessly asked him on the boat that morning, and he had finally come to an answer. He was going to follow her along the path that she was leading them both down. It was a big step, and a scary one, and there was a chance that everything would come to an unhappy end, but if she was going to take the plunge, then he was going to do it with her. He had been by her side all this time, and that was where he wanted to stay, for as long as she would have him.

He reached out and took her hand in his, with the same firm grip that he had used on the boat, and he pulled it gently toward him, giving it a caring and confident squeeze. He immediately felt her squeeze his hand back, and as he looked up at her face, he could see her positively glowing, her smile shining like a sunbeam. She turned her head just enough for her eyes to meet his, and they were as bright and joyous as he had ever seen. His smile spread infectiously to him, spreading so wide across his face that he felt like his cheeks were hurting. Seeing her like this made him a lot more confident that he had made the right decision.

The two of them continued their tour of the aquarium, hand in hand, with Pikachu sitting obliviously on his trainer's shoulder. Every gentle tug they felt on their arms felt like a periodic reminder of the exciting step forward they had taken together. Occasionally, one of them would squeeze the other's hand, too excited to help themselves, and they would immediately receive a squeeze in return. It felt almost like a pulse, like a heartbeat shared between the two of them. They continued to be joined together by this new heartbeat for the remainder of the day, refusing to let each other go.