Bianca hummed a soft tune as she leaned against the nearby building, relaxing after a couple well-spent hours of painting.

It was only when she was satisfied with the day's progress did she pack up her things and rest, allowing herself a soft smile as a breeze brought the faint scent of flowers and the sea.

She took in the view in front of her, as she had many times in the past few years; the buildings that sat on the edge of the city, overlooking the body of water that separated them from the mainland of Johto. It was without a doubt a beautiful sight, and one only enhanced by a setting sun.

And yet….

Her gaze slowly made its way to the docks that faced the mainland, and one in particular never failed to draw her gaze. Looking virtually identical to any other in the city, it was rather unremarkable in appearance, if not in dire need of a few licks of paint in some places.

No, its appearance was not what called Bianca's attention in the slightest. Rather, it was her history with it, a single moment in time that lasted too long, and not nearly long enough. Every time she closed her eyes, Bianca remembered it as though it were yesterday.

Taking a deep breath, Bianca stared at her latest artwork with a tingling spine. A portrait that had a ghastly amount of time put into it, and even then, she feared it would not be enough.

"Bianca, your friends are leaving! Bianca!" Her grandfather's shout made her jump, and she hurriedly grasped her drawing and after a moment's hesitation, rushed out of her room, leaving behind her beret. As much as her instinct told her to grab it, she simply did not have the time.

She rushed down the stairs, and after carefully rolling up her art, sprinted out of the house and towards the docks. If he was just now leaving, she should catch him on the way there.

Her prediction was proven true as she ran through an alley and caught sight of movement in a nearby canal.

Cruising at moderate speed was a small speedboat, and sitting in the back were Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and…Ash. She waved her hand high in the air as she ran in a desperate bid to catch their attention.

She was rewarded with the sight of Pikachu slightly turning and perking up at the sight of her, and she could have hugged the little guy to death as the Pokémon got Ash's attention. Her heart pounded in her chest as his eyes met hers, and she wasn't entirely sure it was from her running. As his friends turned and looked, she waved once more as she ran over a bridge and through another alley.

She didn't dare to stop, as she saw the docks and the ocean beyond them just ahead. As Bianca cleared the city, she saw the boat pull over at the very end of a dock, and Ash quickly climbed out to stand facing her direction.

As Bianca slowed to a stop, he greeted her with a friendly "Hey!"

She recovered her breath and was close to greeting him back when her response died before it began. Her stomach fluttered as she looked into his eyes, almost forgetting what she chased after him for. She held out the rolled-up drawing, wondering why her hands trembled as she continued to stare at him.

Ash gave it a glance before looking back up at her as though asking if she was giving it to him. She nodded her assent, and suddenly felt a spark travel up her body as his hands brushed up against hers in the process of grabbing it.

When he looked down at his gift, her body seemed to lean forward on its own, and she could only watch as she laid a gentle kiss upon his unsuspecting cheek. Her mind screamed its confusion, while the warmth of his skin seemed to permeate her entire being.

Almost instantly, she turned away and ran back towards her house, feeling a blush climb up her face. She spared one last look in his direction, the look of surprise the last thing she saw before a building obscured her vision once more.

Bianca tore her gaze from the docks, and looked up towards the sky. To this day, she could not help but wonder what had prompted her to kiss him. She had never planned on doing so; it was an action driven purely by instinct, and that knowledge consistently made her uneasy whenever she thought about it.

However, that feeling was dwarfed by the anger her reminiscence brought with it. Clenching her teeth for a moment, Bianca glared at the clouds as she thought about what her grandfather had told her.

"'He'll visit again,' he said," she scoffed. "'Surely he's just busy,' he said."

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Bianca stretched out a leg before picking herself up, having had enough reminiscing for the day. Casting one last look at the docks, the artist grabbed her bag and set off towards home at a quick and somewhat forceful pace.

Her confused emotions only intensified with every step, causing her to clench her fist around the strap of her would he be back if he hasn't already? It's been so long, does he even remember?

She couldn't help but doubt it; she had kissed him when she was twelve. She was now nineteen, and there wasn't a word from him. The only time they had any clue as to his whereabouts was…when it was announced that he was the new World Monarch a few weeks back.

Needless to say, the family was stunned when they watched the results of the match. Latias had been spinning in circles, happy for her long lost friend. Her grandfather, after recovering from the surprise, chuckled and said, "And to think that's the same young man I yelled at for leaning against the DMA."

Bianca…Bianca had been conflicted.

Part of her was happy for him, her body slightly tingling with warmth at seeing his mature face glowing with joy and accomplishment as he hefted the massive trophy in his arms. Another part felt annoyed it wasn't her in his arms, although she quickly shunted that to the side.

However, it was the last bit that weighed heavily on her, the despair in her mind that he'd ever come back. Why would he, now that he was the top trainer in the world? He'd never have the time.

"Not that he ever had the time before, apparently," Bianca muttered, drawing small glances from a couple as she passed them by, to which she ignored. "Must be hard, trying to fit a visit to an ocean-bound city into his schedule."

She knew her rants were borderline childish, but at the same time, she couldn't muster up the energy to care. She just wanted to go home and-

Wham!

A soft body impacted her from the side, completely catching her off guard. The only reason she wasn't sent tumbling into the canal was because said soft body was clutching on to her, giving her a few shakes once they steadied themselves.

"What the-"

"Bi! Bianca! You gotta come back to the house!"Latias' voice shouted in her head, replacing the confusion in Bianca's mind with anxiety and panic.

"What?! Why, what's wrong?" She quickly replied, only to pause once she saw her own face looking back with an excited expression.

Latias merely shook her head and grabbed her arm, dragging Bianca along as the dragoness hurried along."Nothing is wrong, but you're gonna love it, trust me!"

"This better not be something stupid," she muttered, causing her friend to giggle.

"Depends on your definition, but I'd say it's a little stupid. Just a little, though."

Bianca rolled her eyes, although she couldn't deny that she was curious. What was both stupid and exciting at the same time? Apart from Latias, that is.

Despite this, she was still grumbling during the whole trip, all the way up until her house came into view. As the pair slowed, she could make out the vague silhouettes of multiple individuals through the window, making her frown.

"Are the twins in there?" Bianca asked with an annoyed side-eye. "Please don't tell me you rushed over just because-"

"ComeON!" Latias insisted, earning a sigh from Bianca as they closed the distance to the house. Bianca rolled her eyes and marched up to the door, practically slamming it open.

"Tatiana, I swear, if there's a…a…" She trailed off, freezing in shock at the sight before her.

Sitting in the living room amongst her grandfather and the twins was a certain Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu, heads snapping over to her as she stared at them.

"Oh, hey, Bianca!" The trainer exclaimed with a wide grin, quickly standing up. "Looks like she found you, huh? How are you? It's been so long-"

She stopped listening after the first few questions, vision becoming tunneled as she focused on the boy-no, man before her. As he rambled, her mind was taken back once more to the moment on the dock, sun reflecting off of his face as she handed him the-

"Oh, yeah!" His words interrupted her thought process as he slightly leaned closer, and she realized with a start that she had closed the distance until only a couple feet remained between them. "I should have done it back then, but I wanted to thank you for that drawing!"

He still had it?

"When I was all done with the journey, I pinned it on my wall back at home. I-m glad–mmph!"

It took several long delicious seconds before Bianca realized she was kissing Ash, and she tore away from his warm lips with a gasp, much to her heart's regret.

The living room was silent as everyone stared at her, although it was broken when she heard Latias snickering from behind her.

"Uh.."

"Woah!"

Bianca felt her face begin to heat up as she backed away from a stunned and blushing Ash, before turning and running out the door in her embarrassment, beret falling off in the process.

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Author's Notes: I know what you're thinking: "Bianca just kissed Ash? She wouldn't just kiss Ash, you didn't set it up properly!" And you're right, I suck. Another confession: I didn't run through any editing process whatsoever with this chapter. What can I say? I'll always be a villain!

Another apology for the lackluster quality and quantity. I've been stressing about life, and "You're My Inspiration" (which is a proper MareShipping fic, now on its fifth chapter with the sixth being worked on) is mildly kicking my ass. My latest work, "A Champion, a Brain, and a Murder" (AbilityShipping) is also beating me up, although that's because I've never attempted to write anything similar to it before. Chapter 2 will come out...whenever. I don't even know how long it will be.

And then there's the ugly child...Shadowed Eons. I'm working on revamping chapters 1-5 before working on six, because man, I really do not like chapters 1-5. At all. Two is okay, three is meh, but it really fell off hard after, which is truly an accomplishment.

That being said, I'm glad to be done with this one. If anyone has any ideas for one shots in the future, feel free to leave them in the comments. If it's Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, or Serena, I definitely won't be writing those. But any other pairing, I'll take it into consideration. Gotta get those rare pairs...