Let It Evolve

                                    

                                          
Goh went into his dorm room and slammed the door behind him. Everyone else but Ash (obviously) had left for the day, and Goh wasn't interested in initiating conversation at the moment. He climbed up to the top bunk and buried his head beneath the covers, angry at himself mostly for how much this rejection hurt. He wasn't ready for this.
                          
He wasn't expecting this.
                          
Chloe was his friend – his closest friend – and the thought of everything they had done together weighing down upon him felt like he was getting crushed under a mountain of Pokémon, putting him farther and farther away from his goal.
                          
Cinderace and Sobble let themselves out of their Poké Balls, but Goh remained hidden away, not wanting to face anyone right now.
                          
"Ace?" the rabbit asked Goh.
                          
Goh's response was to immaturely curl up in his blankets. He didn't want to be strong right now. Or mature. He didn't want to be the smart guy.
                          
He wanted to talk to Chloe more. But from their talk at the café... what conclusion was there to reach other than she only saw him as a friend?
                          
"I didn't know it would hurt so much..."
                          
"S...Sob...?"
                          
The Water-Type scrambled up the bunk bed to join Goh, and tapped him with his claw. Goh stuck his head out to look at Sobble, looking as absolutely miserable on the outside that he did the inside.
                          
"S...Sooooooobubububble!"
                          
And just like that, Sobble began to cry, and his potent, onion-like tears brought tears to Goh and Cinderace, as well.
                          
Now the sound of all three of them crying finally brought Ash upstairs. "Goh? What's the matter? Why are you-BWAAAAA!"
                          
And now Ash and Pikachu were crying, too.
                          
Cinderace picked Sobble up and began rocking him to calm him down. The Fire-Type sat in a corner, cooing softly to Sobble. Sobble sniffed and hic'd but soon his tears were dry. And with that, everyone else's tears dried up.
                          
Everyone else's but Goh's, that is.
                          
Ash frowned. "Goh, what's up? You've been completely bummed ever since you came back from talking to that girl you thought liked you. Did you two have a fight or something?"
                          
"It'd have been better if we did..." he said, lying down.
                          
The Palletonian crossed his arms. "C'mon, Goh. I can't help you out if you don't talk."
                          
"There's nothing to help, Ash. She doesn't want anything to change between us and I can't risk bothering her more about it."
                          
Ash was confused. "Why not?"
                          
Goh rolled over in his bed. "Because I like being able to sleep here and have a place for all my Pokémon to stay."
                          
The gears in Ash's head began to turn.
                          
"...wait, the girl was Chrysa?!"
                          
Unfortunately the gears turned in the completely wrong direction.
                          
"CHRYSA?!" Goh push himself up into a sitting position on the bed. "SHE'S WAY OLDER THAN ME!"
                          
This just made Ash laugh. "Haha, well, there was this guy I know-"
                          
"It's not Chrysa, okay?!" Goh shouted, his face burning. "It's..."
                          
Ash blinked and tried to think a bit more.
                          
"That Kricketune girl?"
                          
Goh sighed. "Now you're just trying to get it wrong."