[Best Rankings : #39 in Pokemon, #18 in Aureliashipping, #1 in Lonashipping]
After an unspeakable incident with her mother, Lillie Aether is afraid of Pokémon to the point where she can't even touch most of them, except her trusted partner, Shiron...
A few hours had passed since the mall incident. With Ash's help, Lillie was trying her best to be able to touch Pokémon. The pair of trainers sat at Lillie's house, the girl staring directly at Ash's Rowlet.
"Okay Lillie, remember what I told you." Ash encouraged her.
"This Pokémon is harmless," Lillie repeated a mantra Ash had given her minutes ago. It is my friend. It will not hurt me."
"Good. Now slowly reach out to pet it..."
Lillie took a deep breath and slowly moved her hand towards Rowlet. What was the big deal? It was just a cute owl with big eyes.
Big...cold...undead eyes...
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Lillie pulled her hand away at the last second, breathing rapidly. I can't... she thought.
Rowlet shrugged its wings and made its way to Ash's bag. Once inside, it fell asleep, a large bubble coming from its nose.
"You're making progress, that was much closer than when you last tried to pet him." Ash said encouragingly. Lillie's mouth formed into a small smile. "Yeah...I guess it was."
"Why don't we take a break?" Ash asked, not wanting to stress the girl out too much.
Lillie nodded and went over to Shiron, who slept quietly on the couch. She shook the Pokémon awake. "Shiron? Time for some lunch." Shiron sleepily got up and rubbed her face on Lillie's hand. Lillie smiled. She was grateful she could at least touch her beloved partner.
Ash was already reaching into his backpack, Pikachu jumping in excitement. The trainer pulled out a bottle of a red substance.
Lillie and Shiron tilted their heads in confusion. "Ketchup?"
"Pikachu loves it." Ash explained. Pikachu took the bottle and popped open the cap, digging into the tomato goodness within.
"I'll go bring the sandwiches I made." Lillie said, giggling a bit. She walked out of the room and down the hallway to the kitchen, picking up the tray of sandwiches and made her way back to the room Ash was in. Before walking in, she watched as Ash tried to pull the bottle of ketchup away from Pikachu. "Pikachu, your lunch can't entirely be ketchup!"
"Pika!" the yellow Pokémon complained.
Lillie giggled and stepped into the room. "Here are the sand-"
"Chuuuuu!"
The room exploded as a Thunderbolt was unleashed. When the smoke cleared, Ash, Lillie, and Shiron were stained black and left with shocked expressions (AN: Literally). Pikachu went back to eating his prized ketchup.
Ash turned to Lillie. "You ok?"
Lillie's face burned at the question. It's probably just the heat from the explosion.
