The sky above Coumarine City was without clouds, perfectly clear. The travelers had finally made the journey to the port city and were taking in the sites of the exclusive resort area. There were hotels everywhere, as far as the eye could see it seemed. Boats were ferrying travelers to and from the port, the same way the group had arrived in the city. There were so many sights to take in and none of them had the faintest idea where to go first. One thing was for certain, Seth at least wanted to find the gym so that he had an idea of where to go later on. Having done his research on the next gym, he determined his team ahead of time, knowing that he held a major advantage. That didn't stop him from taking any extra precautions as this was a gym leader that he was dealing with. He'd learned the hard way that type advantage meant nothing in a fight of pure skill.

"Someone's got a lot on their mind."

Glancing over at Allie, Seth nodded and replied, "how can I not? just look at this place," he added, gesturing to the open water and the boats ferrying from hotel to hotel.

"It is quite a feast for the eyes isn't it?" Allie chuckled, her eyes dancing from resort to resort, wondering which one she ought to stay in that night.

Tomorrow night marked the end of her trip with Seth and the beginning of another. While she was relieved that this would be the last of her time with him until the ball, she was also very conflicted about it. She hadn't expected to actually enjoy the company of this ragtag group of individuals, much less have any fun talking with them. But after seeing them bonding together and conversing with them herself, she'd developed a bit of a soft spot for them. Astonishingly enough, she'd come to find that Seth had just as much of a shot at winning her heart as the others had, and it was a shame that wasn't his goal. She could still live with it, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

At first she'd set out to make him regret his views and persuade his mind to think of her as everyone else had. But her plan ended up backfiring due to her own views on him changing little by little. For once, when she looked at him, she actually saw him as eligible. And that part was what scared her the most. While Charles had swept her off her feet and Thomas had been playful and her childhood friend Grayson had been fun as always, Seth was a completely different caliber of man. Disciple of the Chevalier was a title he held that no amount of nobility could overshadow.

She'd read enough Kalosian History to know just how much of an honor it was to be called her student. All this time she'd considered him a pauper, and while it might stick as a nickname, it does not do him justice status-wise. All of this she'd come to realize in just a few short days. And now, she wasn't angry that her mother had placed him on the list. Truth be told, she was more than happy about it now. She'd seen how he treated his companions with care and respect and his Pokémon with the love they deserve. She could find no reason for him not to be in the competition.

"Allie? you there princess?"

"Huh? oh, sorry... I must have zoned out for a moment there. You know, with all the pretty scenery and such," Allie replied to Serena who shook her head with a sigh, smiling slightly as she placed a hand on her hip.

"It's okay. You're not the only one who does it," Serena replied in a hushed tone while looking pointedly at Seth.

Following her eyes, Allie held in a giggle as she watched Seth continue to stare out over the water, blissfully unaware of what the youth was thinking.

"Watch closely Seth. This is not something that you should attempt without full control over your abilities," Mathilde said as she stepped up to the water's edge.

Sixteen year old Seth stood idly by as Mathilde removed her sandals and prepared to enter the water. This week had been mainly focused on aura control and mind strengthening exercises. At the end of each week, Mathilde would demonstrate another part of her ability that she would soon teach Seth when the time came. Wondering what she was about to do, Seth waited silently for his teacher to move.

Mathilde breathed in deeply and began channeling aura through her body evenly and with sure footed elegance, began to walk on top of the water. There was a visible azure glow beneath her feet that Seth could make out, leading him to believe that with every step, Mathilde was creating a solid pathway for herself to walk on without changing anything about the water itself. Even as the waves rolled in, they broke at the mere flex of her power, never disturbing her balance. And then, in a burst of speed, she took off, generating a massive spray of water behind her with every step...

Seth knew he wasn't quite there yet. His power was still growing as evidenced by his ability to converse with just about all of his Pokémon now. He could feel the power coursing through his veins with every passing day. Every second of every day was a training session for him without him even realizing it. Mathilde had made doubly sure that he wouldn't become rusty. Redirecting his thoughts from the water to his friends, he'd taken note that they had decided to start heading into the city itself. Chuckling to himself, he followed them, his mind set on the gym battle he would take part in the next day. 

He'd decided to end their time together on a high note, fitting in a gym battle and a date which he needed to plan. Seth wasn't the most experienced when it came to romance. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing and his intense focus on his studies and his goal of helping his family, or maybe it was the fact that he had an insane teacher who put him through hell. However, just because he didn't have the experience like the others in the competition seemed to have, didn't mean he didn't have any knowledge about how to romance a woman. 

Anyone could give a woman roses and a box of chocolates and ask them out on a date, and even that was just a textbook move. At least, that's what Melody had told him. The two had conversed earlier in the morning while the others were still asleep and she had given him a few tips on what he ought to do. Just another reason why Seth loved his little sister. She always had good advice for him. However... he had one problem. He had no idea where to set up the date. Which meant that he would need to call in a little backup from an old friend. 

As they reached the Pokémon Center, they all sat down to plan out their day. Serena and the others were planning to take on the gym which would probably take up most of the day. Seth had informed the group of his choice to take the challenge the next day to give him an opportunity to prepare. Knowing Seth liked to plan out his strategy, the group had no qualms with that plan.

"So we're all agreed then? we'll go grab a bite to eat and then hit up the gym afterwards, sound good?" Tierno asked, earning a nod of agreement from the others. 

"Now that we've got that taken care of, I say we go grab a bite from the Coumarine Cafe!" Shauna exclaimed. "It's the cutest little place. They have the best desserts! their rawst berry cream cupcakes are to die for!" 

"I can't argue with that. It's been so long since I've had one of those," Allie chimed in. "You have good taste in desserts, Shauna. I'm impressed," Allie added with a smile. 

"What's this? could it be that the princess is starting to like those who aren't of noble status?" Serena giggled, earning a flustered frown from Allie. 

"I am capable of giving out compliments you know," Allie shot back with a huff. 

"Relax, I'm only kidding here. And for the record, those are my favorite cupcakes too," Serena said with a smile. 

"And how did you know they were my favor--I walked right into that one didn't I?" Allie paused, realizing her folly only to giggle with Serena at her own folly. 

Seth couldn't help but laugh to himself as he watched the group getting along. Feeling something brush against his leg, Seth glanced down to notice Furfrou sitting beside him, a smug grin on her face as she watched his expression. 

"Starting to like her are we?" Furfrou asked, snickering as Seth smiled faintly.

"I've come to find that she's not so bad after all, if that's what you're asking..." Seth replied in a hushed tone. 

"Hmm... I'll take that response as an acceptable one for now. While we're on the topic of my trainer, have you thought of where the two of you would have your date? because if you need any help I know everything there is to know about what she likes..." 

Seth looked down at Furfrou with a raised brow. He had thought of calling upon the queen herself for this task, but he had a feeling that Allie would suspect that. Getting information from her Furfrou though... now that was something he could do discreetly considering she had no knowledge of his being able to actually talk with Pokémon. 

"I might just take you up on that offer..." Seth replied discreetly. 

Furfrou looked over at Allie and the others and then back at Seth before speaking again. 

"There's this one place called The Cozy Cove that she absolutely adores. It has great music and a spot by the water that you can reserve for just the two of you. On top of that you could..." Furfrou trailed off, feeding Seth a myriad of things that Allie liked to do while in Coumarine. 

"I'll keep all of that in mind. I think I've got enough to cover all of that. I saved my winnings from the gym battles I've had so far so I should be able to make the reservation," Seth replied. 

Furfrou nodded and then placed her head in Seth's lap and looked up at him with bulging eyes. Seth reached down and stroked her head as a reward for her information. Allie looked over at Furfrou and rolled her eyes at the attention hog of a canine. Yes, that ball of fluff was spoiled in every way possible. For some reason, while she watched Seth pet Furfrou, she found herself momentarily envious of the little rascal, almost wishing it were Seth running his hands through her hair at that moment. Her eyes widened in shock from the sudden thought, causing her to shake it from her mind immediately. It took all she had not to blush and hold a straight face. 

"Seth, Allie... you two coming?" Trevor asked as he got up from the table to follow his friends out the door. 

"Errm... Seth, why don't you go on ahead. I need to visit the restroom first. I'll... I'll meet you guys there," she stuttered, getting up to hurry into the bathroom at the back of the center, leaving Seth and Trevor to their devices. 

"That wasn't weird at all... was it?" Trevor asked Seth. 

Seth's gaze shifted to Furfrou's grinning form, getting a feeling that she knew something that he very much didn't. Resolving not to ask, he decided to wait for Allie, telling Trevor to go ahead and that he'd catch up in a few minutes. After Trevor had left, Allie was just coming out of the bathroom. She blinked upon seeing that Seth had actually decided to wait for her. A smile crept onto her face upon seeing him. 

"You doing okay?" Seth asked, standing up from his seat as she made her way to him. 

"I'm alright now. I just needed to uh... take a minute to myself, that's all," Allie replied with a nervous laugh as she played with a strand of her hair. "Anyway, shall we catch up to the others? after Shauna mentioned those cupcakes, I started craving them." 

"I'm pretty hungry too. I'll need all the energy I can get before I start training up for tomorrow," Seth replied, heading towards the door, Allie following behind. 

"Seth... about tomorrow I-" she paused, her eyes locking with his as he turned to meet her gaze. 

"What's up?" he asked, wondering why she seemed so nervous all of a sudden. 

Steeling her nerves, she shook any nervous thoughts from her mind and took a deep breath before saying, "oh it's nothing, I just... well, this has been fun so far, and I am curious to see what you'll do tomorrow night," she finished with a smile. 

Seth let the comment sink in for a moment before offering her a smile in return. 

"If I'm being honest, Allie," he paused, his eyes still fixed on hers as he spoke, "I wasn't sure how this would turn out when you first arrived in Shalour City. I had expected us to... well, you know what I'm getting at. But we didn't, and you know what? I'm actually glad we didn't. You're actually pretty fun to be around and I can't say I'm excited for this part of our journey to end," Seth replied with a faint smile. 

"Y-You're not? does that mean you... I mean... do you-"

"Like you? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to, Allie," Seth replied, looking down at Furfrou who winked at him in return. "I'm not exactly sure myself about this, but I do know that these past few days have changed some of my views about you as a person. I don't know how tomorrow night will go, but I think I can say with confidence that we're going to have fun. Now, what do you say we go join the others?" 

Allie had to stop herself from smiling too big. She had nearly succeeded in completely changing his views on her. She had sought to have him desire her as the rest did to prove a point that she was irresistible and should be adored for that, but what she was getting was something better than that. She was forming the beginnings of a friendship with the man who she had once detested and now wanted to become friends with at the very least. And even that wouldn't be enough for her. This was a competition for her hand. Having one of the men in it that wasn't for her just wouldn't do. It was time she had started seeing him as more than what she'd viewed him as before. 

It would take time, but she would make time. The date tomorrow night would determine for her whether or not he was worth investing more thought into. Charles had swept her off her feet along with the others. Now it was time for Seth to step up to the plate and give her a reason to pursue him as she had pursued the others hearts.