With the Firium-Z in his possession after a heated trial on top of Wela Volcano, Bob wished Blaze a nice farewell before returning to Melemele Island. With one more Z-Crystal added to his collection, you'd think the lad would gain some sort of boost in his confidence, right? Well, that's not exactly the case here. Sure, he feels better about his skill and direction as a Pokémon trainer and all, but as an everyday person, he's as intact before stepping into the heating volcano park. The boy woke up rather late in the morning, kinda wiped out from all the sugary beverages he had as a celebration for achieving his hard-earned victory, but today was just as much of a threat in comparison to the Island Challenge.

"Am... Am I even ready at all?..."

Bob picked himself up from his position in bed, still in the sheets of the bed. He felt rather hollow, like his energies had been drained after a wild party he went to the night before. He stood outside in the balcony of his hotel room as he rested his arms on the edge of the gate, staring at the ground and buildings below which eventually led to the ocean. One thought led to another as his eyes drifted across the beach right to Lana's house. He couldn't help but sigh, he knew the day to confront his true feelings. Dartrix flew outside as well, resting on the gate right next to the boy, tilting its head at the boys noticeably quiet all morning.

"Dar-?"

Like a dad to his son thinking about life and what the future, he just placed his hand on its head without saying a word. Bob stood straight up and returned back into the room. He ate breakfast and changed into some rather nice clothes and walked towards Lana's place, his mind clouded with several thoughts on how today could end. Bob and Dartrix walked along Hau'oli City, which eventually became his favorite place to spend time in Melemele Island.

Right on the beach, stood Lana's home. Bob grew hesitant of approaching the front door and ringing its doorbell, but even choosing the idea of turning back from his crumbling cowardness was no option.

"Dar! Dartrix!"

His Dartrix chirped, flapping its wing to knock on the door, which he eventually did, and waited both patiently and anxiously. However, Lana herself wasn't the one who answered the door, it was her mom. She had such a welcoming smile as soon as she opened the door, expecting for the boy to stop by and to visit.

"Oh, its you,"

She said, setting herself aside as she opened the door wide enough for Bob to enter.

"Please come on in, Lana is just spending time with her little sisters, Harper and Sarah. She'll be ready in a few minutes."

Bob nodded, no way could he turn down such a polite woman and her warming invitation, so he stepped inside as he sat on the living room couch. For a house to be placed right on the beach strangely felt like any other he's been to. As strange as it felt, the gentle splashing of waves didn't seem to rock the house back and forth, so it felt like it was entirely on land instead. It was a really nice place nonetheless, but it had to cost a fortune. Bob quickly snapped out of glancing at the area when Lana's mother sat at an open recliner chair after informing Lana of his arrival.

"Excuse me, the girls were playing a silly game so it took me a second to get their attention."

She gestured a light giggle, but Bob shook his head in response with a sense of ease, since Lana's mom was an easy woman to talk to.

"Oh no, that's okay. I know how much of a handful Harper and Sarah could be, so it's perfectly understandable."

Bob chuckled after he said that, trying to lighten the mood, in which the woman chuckled in agreement.

"That's true, but they mean no harm. The girls get along very well, and I say the same for Lana's classmates. You in particular."

Without context, it almost sounded like the woman wasn't pleased with him, almost as if she was setting him up for an accusation. Due to her need to stand Bob out in particular, he was heavily taken back, even if it didn't seem much of a surprise. Lana must have brought him up every now and again, since she wasn't really the type of girl to harbor a secret crush story or anything. Hell, she was pretty much the opposite. Still for some reason, Bob just played along as if he had no awareness of Lana's feelings towards him.

"O-oh, really?"

He scratched the back of his head while replying, which made Dartrix peck him in irritation, since it likes both Lana and Popplio, so acting so oblivious wasn't its cup of tea. Lana's mother nodded, buying the act like he was legitimately learning about how much her daughter mentioned him every now and again.

"Yes. Sounds like you two are really good friends at the Pokémon School, are you?"

Hearing that almost sounds like there's a bit more implications than what she said. It wasn't something that he could feel like he could shake off, but he nodded in response before he could either attempt to say something witty only to make things awkward or to upset the Pokémon that was sitting on his shoulder like a Chatot. A second later, Lana stepped into the living room, glad to see Bob in the presence of her humble abode with Popplio in her arms.

"Oh, Bib! I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you here so soon. But I'm glad to see you!"

"Pop! Pop!"

The boy stood up, a shade of blush ran across his face, now knowing Lana doesn't mind calling him by the nickname she has given him not only to her friends, but her family as well. Dartix flapped its wing, waving at Popplio as it replied back by clapping its flippers together.

"Yeah..."

Bob tried to chuckle the redness on his face away without making it forced or drawn out, but it was pretty challenging with the conditions.

"I thought I'd swing by early, so we can catch a boat to Akala, I... thought I'd scrape something for us to do."

Bob scratched his head again, Lana perking up as his plan grabbed her attention. Her mom seemed surprised they were heading out to Akala for the day, but like he said, he had something planned for the two of them, so she might have an idea where this is going.

"Oh, well in that case, I hope the two of you have fun. Just don't stay out too late."

Lana's mom giggled, as Bob took her words earnestly before stepping out with Lana.

"N-no worries, we'll be back in several hours!"

He and Lana both waved as her mom waved back with that gentle smile of hers.

"Bye, mom!"

Lana smiled as the two quickly departed for the harbor. Thankfully, it wasn't far since Lana lives right on the beach, so it wasn't that long of a journey. They eventually departed towards Akala Island with something under the boy's sleeve.

***

Arriving on the harbor of Heahea City, the two walked along the busy streets towards the bus station. Bob suggested to Lana to meet him at Brooklet Hill so he could pick up the "surprise". The girl brightened her smile, energetically raising her anticipation to where the boy was going through with his idea. One quick wave, Lana and Popplio climbed onto a bus that escorted the two to route 5.

"Don't keep me waiting too long, Bibby Boo!"

Lana said before climbing onto the bus while she couldn't fight the urge to blink at him a wink before she lost sight of Bob from the departing bus. One small blush later, the boy checked his pocket right before poking at the bus schedule. He had at least an hour before the next bus to Route 5 arrived, so there wasn't really any rush to pick up his surprise for Lana. So he took a stroll towards a sandwich shop that was only a few blocks from the bus station.

He purchased a few cans of soda from a nearby vending machine and plopped right on a park bench in the small park in the center of the city. He stared deep into the small open whole of his drink, the brown bubbly liquid somewhat reminded him of Lana's home and how her house rested right on the beach itself. Next thing he knew, he imagined himself right in Lana's living room just like this morning. Except here, her mom sat right next to him on the couch, her words from early wrapped around his brain just like all the suggestive comments his friends and his cousin had said about him and Lana.

"Sounds like you two are really good friends at the Pokémon School, are you?"

It could easily sound like nothing more than an ordinary friendship, but considering how flustered Bob took each and every comment referring to him and Lana only made his head pump so fast. He groaned, his face buried in his hands, considering if he should address his own feelings for her or to let the opportunity slip by, but Dartrix certainly wasn't having it.

"Dar-Dar-Dar!"

His partner chirped, pecking his head to snap off his mental constricting to make the proper position, which caused Bob to push and shove Dartrix's beak to prevent any more jabs on the head.

"Ouch! Oww-oww-oww! What's gotten into you-?! Stop it!"

Suddenly, without any warning or indication, a girl popped right out of the bushes behind the park bench leaped into the air and gave the boy and his Pokémon a good scare. The two looked behind them to see a good friend who he hadn't seen for a while. He knew that girlish and confident twirl just about anywhere, it was Acerola and her Mimikyu!

"Hiya, Bobbie! Sorry for the scare, it's just been so long that I just had to make our reunion something special!"

The spooky girl giggled and took a seat right next to him, her Mimikyu landing right on her lap.

"Oh! Have you met Mimi yet? I don't think I call since it's ages since we last seen each other,"

The girl smiled, while her Ghost-Fairy Pokémon flicked its adorable head in a playful manner, its ears flopping back and forth. One closer look at this one in particular, Bob tilted his head at the faded gray fabric on it, at the same time having a piece of the cloth a normal one would have. It seemed rather as open and friendly as Ash's Pikachu. Saki's own Mimikyu was rather a shy Pokémon to Bob's perspective and Jessie's was... hollow and disturbing.

"No we haven't... That's not any Mimikyu I've ever seen before. You really stand out from the ordinary girl, don't you?"

Bob asked, Acerola clearly blushing, but she spoke as if she wasn't. She hid her redness with her upbeat behavior, almost managing to brush off her embarrassment at the same time. She nodded as she sat a teeny bit close to the boy, a bit... too close even.

"Yup, you know me! This gal is one of a kind, only discovered by some lucky people such as yourself."

She looks right at Bob and gives him a wink, similar to the way Lana did earlier ago. It served as a reminder of his objective, which made Bob peek at the time on his phone to make sure he didn't miss the next bus to Route 5. The sudden phone check made Acerola pause in the middle of her sentence, tilting her head at the same time, not that she believed Bob wanted to distance himself from her or anything.

"Whatcha up to, Bobbie? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

She asked, the mere thought of considering her as a nuisance was NOT a thought Bob wanted to conjure up, in response, he shook his head immediately.

"Oh goodness, no! You're one of the last people that could interrupt me! I'm just... grabbing some food for a picnic with a friend of mine,"

Bob explains while finishing the last of his drink after offering Acerola a can of soda, mentioning he was referring to the girl with the blue hair that she met way back a month or two ago. Thankfully, Acerola remembered who Lana is, and glad she was spending time with her, as friends.

"That's very kind of you to buy her a nice lunch, Bobbie! You're so considerate and thoughtful, it makes me really happy to see you going out of your way to make those around you smile, like me."

The girl giggled, this time drowning her volume of her voice down until she was silent seeing Bob slowly turned his head towards the right in embarrassment. She patted him on the back, hoping she wasn't pushing his buttons too much. One deep breath managed to return Bob back on his feet, right before he had to leave to pick up the sandwiches he ordered for the special picnic he planned.

"Me? Ahh... What could I say? Lana's just someone who... means a lot to me-."

Saying that outloud nearly caused him to choke on his own spit that went down the wrong pipe, which caused Acerola to rush towards the back of him and give a good back patting, which seemed to calm him down. Bob cleared his throat, speaking that outloud made him feel strange, not in a negative manner, but it felt rather... good. What was this unexplained feeling of relief?

"I... I..."

Bob turned his head around after feeling a pair of hands gripping between his shoulders, which was simply Acerola giving him a back massage.

"There, there, Bobbie. Settle down, Acerola is here to lighten the mood,"

She giggled despite feeling a slight sense of shuddering deep in the core of the boy. It was a strange feeling, Acerola hoped she didn't push him too far off the deep end with what she said. She leaned towards his ear and spoke in a soothing tone, almost to the point where her voice alone tickled his side.

"You're feeling so tense Bobbie, I'm sorry if I said anything to make you feel so jittery."

The assuring words of Acerola and the massage she was treating him with hit right on the shoulders, not only made him feel more at ease, but speaking his mind openly felt so relieving. Bob paused, considering what he just had said, the moment of silence filled his brain with all the comments and compliments from Lana made him feel... bad for the girl. All those times she spoke from both the mind and heart made Bob such an awkward wreck. He felt a crawl of guilt, wondering if Lana was so straightforward with her own feelings so she wouldn't bottle up her thoughts and affection, just like Bob... all this time. He questioned himself if he was purposely acting like a weirdo because he was too shy to properly respond to the girl he really likes, or if he was serious about keeping all of his thoughts to himself. All of a sudden, Bob stood up, causing Acerola to release her hands from the boy's shoulders. He picked up his backpack and hugged the small girl in such a grateful grip.

"A-Acerola. I don't mean to be so hasty, but there's something I need to do. Let's hang out again soon, I want to properly thank you."

The unexpected hold of arms wrapped around the ghoulish girl caused her to blush a deep red, replying immediately before Bob let go, nearly falling onto the ground.

"O-okay! Wow, umm-sorry! I was just really caught off by that hug-but wait. What did I do for you?"

Before she could finish asking her question, Bob already grabbed his backpack and headed towards the sandwich restaurant before the next bus's arrival.

"Sorry! I gotta go, I'll explain another time! You're the best, Acerola! Bye!"

There he goes, running towards the block to the best of his ability. Just the sight of him leaving was enough to make her smile. She grabbed Mimi who was floating in the air and placed it in her arms similarly to a particular girl and her Popplio.

"No, Bobbie... you're the best. Bobbie..."

Saying that, Acerola couldn't help but blush, her smile grew a teeny bit wider than before. Mimi plops its head upwards on its trainer, curious on how flustered the girl felt. It suddenly plopped its head slightly down, making a yawning sound.

"Let's go back to Ula'Ula, Mimi. I bet you must be feeling sleepy by now, right?"

***

One bus ride later, Bob walked down the trail of Route 5 into the entrance of Brooklet Hill. There she was, Lana and Popplio relaxing on the bridge above the pond below. Fish Pokémon such as Magikarp and Goldeen swam in its clear, even a group of Dewpider were spotted down below.

A sudden flashback blinded Bob's brain, speaking so openly made him feel at ease, he dropped the picnic basket full of sandwiches and raised his arms forwards as if he hadn't seen the girl in ears or if she managed to survive a fatal injury. To Dartrix's surprise, it leaped into the air while it's trainer spoke in such a relieved and apologetic tone.

"L-Lana!"

He ran, almost towards the girl, and despite his approach looked rather aggressively happy, the hug that caught her was far more gentle even Bob expected. Despite her shock, Lana was still very much happy to see him. She was going to speak up of his return, but she was welcomed with few drops of tears rolling down his face.

"I-I'm sorry, Lana! I'm really sorry!"

The boy sobbed, legitimately expecting himself to burst into tears after stuffing his personal feelings deep down. Lana on the other hand wasn't expecting to see Bob in such an emotional state, so she asked him what was wrong after calming down a bit.

"B-Bibby Boo?! Don't cry! What has gotten you so down?"

Dead silence rose in the air, before the boy was able to reply to her. The thought of him keeping his feelings to himself caused a sigh to slip out, wiping his face dry from his eyes.

"I-I... It's because of how much I've been keeping us from being together... I know, I know you like me. Everything you said and did to me means a whole lot! I-... I l-like you a lot too! I-I just didn't know how to respond in a way you would want me to-or if I was ready to take... "us" to... "that" step. After all of this time acting like a moron. I can't help but feel like I owe you a huge apology..."

Bob shot his head down to the ground, but was raised by the soothing stare of Lana. She giggled, couldn't resist the urge to wag her finger before wiping the running tears on his face.

"Bibby Boo... It makes me so happy you said that. I've been waiting for the day you were ready to tell me. It's okay, a nice relationship starts when both sides are ready to commit themselves to each other. What matters is that we're both here. So what do you say, are you ready to start something with me?"

Hearing those words felt like Bob could cry all over again through tears of joy. The smile raised between his cheeks, gushing a red color. His head began to pound not from his previous states of anxiety, but... it was through a sense of love.

"Oh Lana... I love you so much. I-I can't keep it to myself anymore... W-would you be my girlfriend??"

The question bursts out in the open, as Lana nodded vigorously. Hugging him just as tight as he did before.

"Yes! Yes I do! I love you too, Bob!"

Lana couldn't resist the urge to kiss him right on the cheek, right before leaning a bit too far on the side of the bridge and falling right into the pond itself, scaring the nearby fish Pokémon. Dartrix and Popplio sat on the edge, wide eyes to see both trainers soaking wet from tumbling into the water. Laughter rose in the air as the two didn't really care if their clothes were dripping since Lana wore her bathing suit underneath her clothes, and Bob was just damn happy to care. A huge weight of worry and anxiety lifted from his shoulders, now that the stored feelings were set free, having a nice picnic with his new girlfriend, Lana.