The morning sun of Indigo Plateau streamed into the room through a gap in the curtains, and Ash suddenly sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. "Great, no matches today!" He excitedly jumped out of bed, almost stepping on Pikachu, who was still sound asleep.
"Pika? (What's wrong?)" Pikachu groggily opened his eyes and let out a disgruntled cry.
"Sorry, sorry!" Ash squatted down and ruffled Pikachu's head. "Today we can train properly. Lucario's Aura Sphere wasn't perfect in yesterday's match..."
Just as Ash was enthusiastically planning his training schedule, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Ash, are you awake?" His mother, Delia's, gentle voice came from outside the door.
"Coming!" Ash opened the door, surprised to find not only his mother, but also the three girls, Xiao You, Lucia, and Serena, standing outside, their faces adorned with expectant smiles.
"Good morning, Ash!" The three greeted him in unison.
"Uh... good morning?" Ash scratched his head in confusion. "Why are you all..."
"It's a day off today, so we decided to go shopping at the commercial street in the Indigo Plateau Center!" Xiao You clapped her hands excitedly. "Ash, you should come too!"
"Huh? But I need to train..."
"Train what?!" Lucia interrupted him directly, hands on her hips. "You've made it to the semifinals, it's time to relax!"
Serena gently added, "And Auntie Delia hasn't been shopping in a long time, right?"
Delia smiled and nodded, "Yes, it's rare to have a chance to go out with everyone."
Ash still tried to protest, "But..."
"Pika Pika! (Brock, hurry up!)" Pikachu suddenly jumped onto Brock's shoulder. Brock had appeared in the hallway at some point.
"Ah, Pikachu and I agreed to help out at the Pokémon Center," Brock said with a serious expression. "Nurse Joy said she needed extra hands today to give the Pokémon health check-ups."
"Pikachu! (That's right!)" Pikachu nodded in agreement, even making an apologetic gesture to Ash.
"Hey! You two—" Ash stared dumbfounded at their blatant defection.
"It's settled then!" Xiao You grabbed Ash's arm. "Go change quickly, we'll wait five minutes for you!"
Ten minutes later, Ash reluctantly followed the four women down the bustling commercial street of Indigo City, feeling like a prisoner being escorted.
"Why do I have to..." He mumbled, but his gaze was caught by the latest combat gear displayed in a shop window.
"Ash, don't space out!" Lucia called back. "First shop!"
It was a fashionable women's clothing store. Ash hesitated at the entrance: "This is a women's clothing store, I'll just wait outside..."
"No way!" The three girls objected simultaneously, and even Delia smiled and said, "Come in and help us look."
Ash sighed and followed them in, immediately dazzled by the colorful clothes. He stood awkwardly near the fitting rooms, watching the girls excitedly pick out clothes.
"Ash, how about this one?" Serena was the first to emerge, wearing a light blue dress, twirling in front of Ash.
"Huh? Oh, it's good..." Ash replied distractedly, his mind still on his Pokémon's training plans.
Serena's expression visibly dimmed.
"My turn!" Xiao You bounced out, wearing cool shorts and a crop top. "Does it suit me?"
"Hmm, it's very suitable for battle," Ash commented seriously. "But won't exposing your midriff affect your movement?"
Xiao You's smile froze on her face: "This is fashion, fashion!"
Lucia made her final appearance in an elegant white gown, like a princess from a fairy tale. "Ash, what do you think?"
Ash scratched his head: "It looks good, but what if you suddenly have to battle? The skirt would hinder movement..."
Lucia put a hand to her forehead: "We're here to shop today, not to battle..."
Delia, standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle, saying softly, "Ash, girls don't just wear clothes for practicality, you know."
"Huh? Then what for?" Ash looked bewildered.
The three girls exchanged a helpless glance, while Delia sighed inwardly—her son's denseness had reached a new high.
Two hours later, Ash had lost count of how many shops he had entered and exited. His arms were laden with shopping bags, and several more hung around his neck.
"Ash, help me with this one," Xiao You handed him another bag.
"Wait, I can't carry any more..." Ash said with difficulty, the bags already stacked up to his chin.
"Use your small world!" Lucia reminded him.
"Oh! That's right!" Ash suddenly realized, closed his eyes, and concentrated. A moment later, all the shopping bags disappeared.
"It's always so amazing to see," Serena exclaimed.
Ash grinned proudly: "This small world Arceus gave me is really too convenient!"
Delia looked at her son gently: "When you were little and suddenly said you had a small world, it scared Professor Oak and me."
"I remember the first time I took you all inside, everyone was stunned," Ash recalled. "That lake should be even bigger now. The Pokémon living in it last time said they wanted to expand the water area."
"Take us to play again next time!" Xiao You said expectantly.
"Alright, but for now..." Ash was suddenly drawn to a shop across the street. "That's a new battle gear shop!"
Just as he was about to step forward, he was simultaneously pulled back by three hands.
"No!" The three girls said in unison.
"We said we're only shopping today!" Lucia declared firmly.
"And you already have a lot of battle gear," Serena added.
Xiao You simply dragged him in the opposite direction: "Next, we're going to that dessert shop! I heard their pancakes are super delicious!"
In the dessert shop, the five sat around a table. Ash's spot was piled high with various desserts—three different cakes, two drinks, and a plate of pancakes.
"Uh... why did you order all this for me?" Ash looked at the mountain of food in front of him.
"Because you like sweets," Serena said with a smile.
"You barely ate any desserts during the matches," Xiao You added.
Lucia directly forked a piece of cake and brought it to Ash's mouth: "Try this, it's said to be the shop's specialty."
Delia watched the three girls vying to take care of Ash, a slight smile playing on her lips. She noticed Serena discreetly tidying Ash's wind-blown hair when he wasn't looking, Xiao You pretending to casually lean on Ash's shoulder, and Lucia constantly seeking opportunities for physical contact with Ash.
And Ash... he was focused on devouring the desserts in front of him, completely oblivious to these subtle intentions.
"Ash," Delia suddenly spoke, "do you think Serena, Xiao You, and Lucia's outfits today look good?"
"Huh?" Ash, his mouth full of cake, mumbled indistinctly, "They're all pretty good."
"Be more specific," Delia prompted.
Ash struggled to swallow his food, then thought for a moment: "Serena's blue dress suits her well, Xiao You's clothes are convenient for movement, Lucia's dress is very pretty... that's it."
A faint blush appeared on the faces of the three girls, clearly pleased with Ash's evaluation, simple as it was.
Delia decided to press on: "They all care about you a lot, always ordering your favorite foods."
"Yeah! They're all really good friends!" Ash laughed heartily.
Delia almost choked on her tea, while the three girls' expressions instantly fell.
"Ash..." Delia shook her head helplessly. "Sometimes I really wonder what your brain is made of."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused.
"Nothing, just eat your cake," Delia decided to give up, at least for now.
After leaving the dessert shop, the group browsed a few more stores. In front of a men's clothing store, the girls suddenly unanimously decided that Ash should try on clothes.
"Why do I have to try on clothes?" Ash protested. "I have clothes to wear!"
"You've been wearing that jacket for years!" Xiao You pointed out.
"And it's always the same style," Lucia added.
Serena had already picked out a few outfits: "Try these?"
Ash was pushed into the fitting room and reluctantly changed into the casual outfit Serena had chosen.
"How is it?" He walked out, awkwardly tugging at the hem of the shirt.
"So handsome!" Xiao You gasped.
"It suits you very well!" Lucia nodded.
Serena's eyes lit up: "It looks even better than I imagined!"
Delia also praised him: "You look a lot more mature."
Ash looked at himself in the mirror: "Really? I still think my old clothes are more comfortable..."
"Try this one!" Xiao You, without a word, handed him another outfit.
And so, Ash was forced to try on over a dozen outfits, with the three girls each having their own opinion, arguing over which one suited him best. Finally, with Delia's mediation, they decided that each of them would choose one outfit to buy for Ash.
"Wait, I can pay for it myself..." Ash tried to refuse.
"No!" The three said in unison again.
"This is our gift to you," Serena said softly.
"To celebrate you reaching the semifinals," Xiao You added.
Lucia directly took out her wallet: "It's settled."
Ash looked at them, touched: "Thank you... you're really my best friends!"
Delia, standing nearby, put a hand to her forehead and sighed, while the three girls barely managed to maintain their smiles, a hint of disappointment flashing in their eyes.
In the evening, the group finally finished their shopping and walked back to the Pokémon Center. Although Ash had been reluctant at first, he now seemed to be in a good mood.
"Actually, shopping is quite interesting," he admitted. "Especially seeing you all happy."
The three girls perked up again at his words, smiles returning to their faces.
"Let's come together again next time!" Xiao You suggested.
"Mhm!" Serena and Lucia immediately agreed.
Delia walked a little behind, watching the backs of the four young people, deep in thought. When the three girls each found an excuse to get closer to Ash, she couldn't help but smile.
Back at the Pokémon Center, Ash finally saw the "defectors," Pikachu and Brock.
"You two finally came back!" Ash said, feigning anger. "Do you know how much stuff I carried today?"
"Pika Pika~ (Sorry about that)" Pikachu rubbed against his leg ingratiatingly.
"Is the storage in your small world full?" Brock asked with a smile.
"Not quite, but it's pretty full," Ash rubbed his shoulders. "Even though I wasn't actually carrying them, it was still a bit mentally tiring."
Delia walked over: "Ash, would you like to take a walk with me?"
"Sure." Ash nodded, following his mother out of the Pokémon Center.
Under the moonlight, Delia softly asked, "Were you happy today?"
"Yeah, more interesting than I thought," Ash replied honestly. "Though I still think training is more fun."
Delia smiled: "Ash, did you notice anything special about Serena, Xiao You, and Lucia today?"
"Special?" Ash thought for a moment. "They were all very excited, bought a lot of things... Oh! They also bought me clothes!"
Delia stopped, looking directly into her son's eyes: "Ash, the three of them... they all like you very much, not just as friends."
Ash's eyes widened: "Huh? What do you mean?"
"What I mean is," Delia patiently explained, "they might all have romantic feelings for you."
Ash's face instantly turned bright red: "Wh-what? No way! We're just good friends!"
"Think about it," Delia coaxed. "Were they particularly concerned about your opinion today? Always looking for opportunities to get close to you? Competing to be good to you?"
Ash recalled all the events of the day and suddenly realized that it seemed to be true. "But... but..." He stammered, "We've always been like this!"
Delia shook her head helplessly: "Sometimes I really wonder if you're my biological son. I was quite popular when I was young."
"Mom!" Ash cried, embarrassed.
"Alright, alright," Delia said, smiling as she patted her son's shoulder. "I'm just reminding you to pay more attention. They're all good girls, don't break their hearts."
Ash walked in silence for a while, then suddenly asked, "So what should I do?"
"Just let nature take its course," Delia said gently. "The important thing is for you to be honest with your own feelings. But first, you need to be able to distinguish what a 'special feeling' is."
Ash scratched his head, looking confused: "That's too hard... much harder than battling."
Delia couldn't help but laugh: "Come on, let's go back. You still have a match to prepare for tomorrow."
Back in his room, Ash lay on his bed, replaying everything from today. Pikachu jumped onto his stomach, looking at him curiously.
"Pika? (What's wrong, Ash?)"
"Pikachu, do you think... they really like me the way Mom said?" Ash asked softly.
"Pika Pika... (You finally noticed, huh?)" Pikachu rolled his eyes.
Ash sighed, rolled over, and buried his face in his pillow: "It's harder than dealing with a Champion..."
Outside the window, the moonlight quietly bathed Indigo Plateau. Tomorrow would be another fierce battle. But tonight, the young Trainer's heart was experiencing a different kind of "battle" he was completely unfamiliar with—the confusion of emotions.