"Oh Machop, what am I going to do?" I ask as I lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling.

"Machop?"

Machop scratches his head and lays next to me.

"The situation I'm in, remember?"

"Ma!" Machop says, his face lighting up and runs off to my desk.

"You have an idea?"

Machop throws the door open and rushes out. I hear my sister scream, followed by Machop groaning. He then rushes back to my room and flops on my bed, rubbing his forehead.

"What did you do now?"

Machop tosses a DVD box at me. I catch it and quickly look at the cover. The movie is called Ten Things I Hate About You. I grin.

"That's why Anna threw something at you. You took her favorite movie."

"Ma, Machop!"

He points at the cover.

"What? You want me to use the movie?"

Machop nods.

I frown.

"No, it won't work. I don't have a band that is willing to play for me. And my voice is terrible! She'll run away from me if I try to sing!"

Machop's eyes begin to tear me.

"No Machop, I didn't mean-"

Machop begins to sob, covering my blankets with tears.

"I'm sorry!"

....

"Good morning class!" Professor Kukui says, trying to get the class's attention. We quickly rush to our seats.

"Before class begins, I do have some quick announcements. Just a reminder that our school dance will be next week! You are allowed to take a date, so I would advise to get everything figured out as soon as possible. Lastly, Sophocles here has a little presentation for us! Sophocles, the classroom is yours!"

Sophocles gulps as he steps out of his desk, with a cube in his hand.

"I-I just have a little something I want to share with everyone," he says, as he places the cube on the ground. Professor Kukui then hits the lights, and the cube begins to project a picture of the class on the whiteboard.

"That's so cute! It's like a movie!" Mallow exclaims as music begins to play. As the music continues, the slide changes, bringing up a different picture every few seconds. All the pictures were taken at school of us. There was one of Lana trying some of Mallow's cooking. There one of everyone running away from Kiawe as he breaths fire with his Turtonator. Lana and I racing on the beach.

The slowly comes to an end, and a picture of Sophocles and Lana laughing pop up on the screen. Underneath the picture, there's a sentence that says "Lana, will you be my date to the dance?"

My mouth drops open.

"So, uh, Lana. What do you say?" Sophocles asks as everyone turns over to Lana. She's looking down at her desk, shaking. She then jumps out of her chair and hugs Sophocles.

"Yes! Yes! Of course I'll be your date!"

"Yay! Go Sophocles!" Mallow cheers as the rest of us clap for the couple in the front of the classroom.

"Congratutations! But unfortunately, we are at school, so I need to get some teaching done," Professor Kukui says, shooing Sophocles and Lana back to their desks and begins to lecture about the different types of Pokèmon.

...

We eventually break out into lunch, and our class usually sits together. But this time, we are without Lana and Sophocles.

"Look at them sitting together! They're so cute!" Mallow squeals as we watch them from across the lunch room.

"Sophocles really surprised me. I did not expect him to have the guts to ask Lana," Kiawe comments as he bites into his sandwich.

"Yeah, good for him," I mumble, as my head is on the table.

"What's wrong Luke? You're unusually quiet," Mallow says, as she takes a sip of her tea.

"Yeah, you're almost as shy as Lilly," Kiawe says.

"Oh nothing. I'm just bummed I can't find the right way to ask this girl to the dance," I admit, not moving my head from the table.

"Well, who's the girl? Maybe we can help!" Mallow says.

"Uh, I don't know."

"Come on! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Mallow says as she begins to shake my entire body as she pleads.

I look at Kiawe for help, but he just shrugs and continues to eat.

"Ok fine! I'll tell you!"

"Yay!" Mallow cheers as she lets go. I quickly begin to rub my arm.

Man, she makes Machop's strength look like nothing.

"So? Who's the lucky girl?" Mallow says, then winks.

"The girl I want to ask is Lilly, ok? Geesh," I say, blushing. Kiawe gasps, then begins to choke on his food. Mallow's smile disappears, and is replaced with a frown.

"Kiawe!" I yell, as I rush up and smack Kiawe in the back. He then spits out the food, and coughs as he begins to catch his breath.

"Luke, no offense, but I don't think asking Lilly is a good idea," Mallow comments as she puts her tea down.

"I agree," Kiawe says in between breaths.

"Why?"

"Where is she right now? Do you know?" Mallow asks.

"Uhh," I say, as I look around the lunchroom for Lilly's blonde hair, but I can't find her anywhere.

"You won't find her here. She's outside, sitting by the old palm tree with Snowy," Kiawe says, now fully composed.

"What? Why?"

"She's sad Luke. She's heartbroken Sun disappeared," Mallow says.

Sun is, or was Alola's champion who saved the region from Team Skull, and the Ultra Beasts. He was actually a fellow student, but he suddenly disappeared once the threats of the region were gone.

"What? Were Sun and Lilly, you know?" I ask, afraid of the answer.

"No, but they were close. Sun was always there to protect Lilly when grunts, or anyone really tried to harm her. He is the reason Lilly became a trainer, and wants to be as strong as she can be. Sun made a promise to her, and I have no idea what it is, but ever since his disappearance she has separated herself from everyone besides her Pokèmon," Mallow explains.

"Whoa. And why didn't I know about any of this?" I ask.

"You aren't part of our original class. You're a great guy, but you just don't have the bond like we do. We've all practically grown up together," Kiawe answers.

"Gee, what a nice way to say it," I mutter, as I sit down.

"So stay away from Lilly. It's for her sake, and yours," Mallow says as she stands up.

I sigh.

"I'm sorry Mallow, but I don't know if I can do that."

Mallow stops and turns to face me. Kiawe stares as well.

"Before Sun disappeared, Lilly was the first one to talk to me. She forced me out of my shell, and I managed to become friends with all of you guys! I don't know what is was, but the way she talked and treated me had, I don't know, some love behind it. She was so caring, and made me feel comfortable when I was new. I just hope she can get out of her depressed state by going to the dance, and realizing that it's all going to be ok, and to have fun."

Mallow stands in silence for a second, then walks away.

"I don't know if you did the right now, or are just plain stupid," Kiawe says as he chases after Mallow.

Stupid? Yeah, that sounds like me. But that's a price I'm willing to pay to see Lilly smile again.

...

The final bell rings, and everyone rushes out the classroom. Sophocles and Lana run off together, while Mallow and Kiawe walk together in the opposite direction. That leaves Lilly and I walking down the road together. She silently holds Snowy in her arms.

"Hey Lilly," I say, giving her a smile.

"Hi," she murmurs, looking at the ground.

"So uh, Kiawe's performance was interesting," I say, trying to spark some sort of conversation.

To be honest, Kiawe's fire dance was pretty cool. And the way he managed to make a sentence to ask Mallow to the dance was cool as well, until he almost set her hair on fire. Luckily, she looked past that and said yes.

"It was cute."

That's progress, I think.

"Speaking of the dance, are you going?"

Lilly pauses for a moment as she puts Snowy on the ground.

"I really don't have a reason to go," she says. She then turns to me.

"Are you going?"

"I uh, I'm still debating on it," I spit out.

"You should go. You'll have lots of fun," she says with a small smile.

"You should come then too! You know what they say! The more the merrier!"

Yes! That was so smooth!

Lilly shrugs.

"Maybe. But I don't want to spread my negative attitude when everyone is going to be having a blast," she says.

"Well, how do you know that you're going to be upset?"

"I know who I am Luke."

"And I know you. And the Lilly I know is rather shy, but once she opens up to you is the sweetest person I know who does whatever she can to help you out with a smile on her face. And she wouldn't let-"

I immediately shut my mouth. Lilly raises her eyebrow and eyes me.

"I wouldn't let what?"

"Nothing."

"No! Say it! Finish what you started!"

"You wouldn't let one person stop you from having fun," I whisper, closing my eyes, waiting for her hand to make contact with my face.

One minute passes.

Then another.

Then another.

I open my eyes, and Lilly is gone, along with Snowy.

Great. Now she's mad at me.

I sigh, and walk home with my head down.

...

"Its game over Machop. She's mad at me. She's never gonna wanna go to the dance with me now," I say in bed staring at the ceiling.

"Machop," Machop whimpers, as he joins me on the bed.

"If only I wasn't so stupid!"

Machop frowns, and gently taps my head.

"Machop, Machop!" Machop says, as he steps off the bed and goes over to my closet.

"What are you doing?"

"Ma!"

A something metallic and heavy hits the ground.

"Ma, Machop!"

"Uh, I don't know. I don't think she would appreciate it."

"Ma! Machop!"

...

"I suck at singing. Why am I even doing this?" I mutter as I walk towards Lilly's house.

"Ma! Machop!"

Machop gives me a dirty look as he continues to carry the boombox he found in my closet. I didn't even know I had that thing in there.

"Oh look, we're here."

We're standing in front of a huge mansion.

"Bro, I don't even know which window is her room. What if-"

"Machop!" Machop growls angrily as he puts down the boombox, presses play and lifts it up. The music starts to play.

"Oh great," I mutter, as the introduction begins.

I can't believe I'm in front of Lilly's house at 10PM. I'm crazy.

A window lights up, and a shadow appears.

"Luke? Is that you?" Lilly asks, opening the window.

And that's when the chorus begins.

"You! Are the girl of my dreams! But you say I'm just a friend, and you say I'm just a friend! Oh baby, you! You got what I need! And you say I'm just a friend. And you say I'm just a friend!"

I lift up the poster I made that says "Let's go to the dance together?" And in small letters it says "possibly as more than just friends?"

As I continue to sing with the poster over my head, Lilly begins to laugh.

I feel my face turn a shade of red, and I'm tempted to stop. But this is the first time I've seen her laugh in a long time, so I kept on singing. She eventually stop laughing long enough to make her way down.

The song ends as she makes her way over.

"Luke!" Lilly says in between giggles.

"Yes?"

"You're crazy, you know that right?"

"You know, I told myself that on the way here. But then I realized it's ok, because I'm crazy for you."

It's Lilly's turn to blush.

"And I'm sorry for showing really late, I just-"

I'm interrupted as her soft lips meet mine.

"Thank you. I needed this," she says as she walks back towards the house.

I watch her walk away, grinning like an idiot.

"Oh, before I forget! My answer is yes!"

I quickly snap out of my gaze.

"Wait, to which question?"

"To both," she says with a smile.