A kiss.

A kiss is like a symbol of many; showing various signs of emotions humans and Pokémon withhold against one another. A kiss is a brush of the lips, marking its place on where one desires. It can be quick and short, yet still showing the pure care and love one has for another. Or it can be deep and long, revealing the intense passion one has kept long for another. A kiss has many reasons and many signs. It can be for a family, a friend, a lover, a stranger.

A rival.

Silver tapped his foot impatiently as he glared at random nothing. People and Pokémon were walking about in the city of Olivine. Some sensed his presence with slight fear. Others were completely oblivious with lives of their own. He crossed his arms against his chest, mouth huffing puffs of sharp air for the fifteenth time.

One tap. Where…

Two taps. The fuck…

Three taps. "IS SHE?!" Silver snapped verbally at the last words. His voice shook the air around him, stunning a few passers-by. One foot stomping loudly, Silver moved his hands up his hair. It had been almost 20 minutes, and the annoying pigtailed brunette was nowhere to be seen. Silver was growing furious. His tiny thin strand of fragile patience was slowly snapping. She was late. There were no excuses. She was late for their battle while he waited like a dumfounded fool. Silver deserved every right to be mad.

Then again, she did say she would be 20 minutes late.

Then then again, it was him that called her first.

It is just a battle. I want a battle. Nothing more. Silver convinced himself, right palm slapping his forehead. It had been three weeks since he had last seen her. For the first week, Silver was at peace. He could finally train his Pokémon without any disturbance from the brunette. For the second week, he felt kind of restless, yet still able to focus fully on his training.

For the third week, an emotion called 'worry' rooted in his heart.

As the fourth week approached, that worry slowly evolved into – as much as Silver loathed it – pure longing.

So the next thing he knew, the minute he woke up, bathed, and dressed, Silver snatched his Pokégear and called her.

It was the spur of the moment actually, because the minute he heard her voice, Silver was at lost.

Well, to counter his frantic anxiety, all Silver ever said to her before he hung up was, "BATTLE ME AT OLIVINE DAMMIT!"

The boy sighed heavily. What the hell is wrong with me…? He slapped his eyes shut, lips pulling a sulking growl. No matter how many times he wanted to enjoy her absence, he couldn't. Silver tried so hard to run away from her, but when he did, some sort of spiritual force suddenly tugged him back toward her. And the worst part was: He didn't mind at all.

"Silver!"

He felt his blood freeze in all his internal organs. Quickly Silver looked forward, only to see a smiling and waving brunette standing beside her Charizard.

Compared to her, he felt the exact opposite. "Where the fuck have you been?!" Silver snapped and he paraded toward her. Kotone ceased her waving, though smile still intact on her face. "I have waited forever and all you can do it smile and wave at me?!"

Charlie, Kotone's Charizard growled threateningly at his snide comment. Kotone patted the fire starter's head, calming her before she could bite Silver's butt. "I'm here, aren't I?" The brunette stuck out her tongue like a child, emitting a playful giggle as she heard Silver's sour grumble. "I told you I will be 20 minutes late. Charlie here has to get her check-up from Prof Oak." She continued caressing the Charizard's head, merely increasing the volume of her purrs.

If Silver didn't know any better, he thought he actually melted at the sight.

He saw the radiance shining from her beautiful face. He saw the sunshine twinkling in her gentle hazel eyes. He heard the calming chimes of bells that were her laughs. He saw her pretty pink lips as she giggled.

And as his eyes stayed glued to her lips, his heart beat the most maniacal of beats inside his heaving chest.

Quickly Silver shook his head, hands on both sides of his head and eyes closed. "Shut up and battle me!" Without waiting for a response, he took out Alakazam's Pokéball and released him.

Upon seeing such a rash behaviour Silver showed today, Kotone did nothing but shook her head. "You are always so impatient." Taking it as a sign, Charlie walked toward Alakazam, the Kanto starter on all fours and wings majestically spread. The two trainers took their stand behind their respective Pokémon. One had her hands clasped behind her back with a cheery smile while the other clenched his fist with a growl vibrating from his chest.

Suddenly, before both could convey their commands, Kotone suddenly gasped, "Wait wait!"

The three flinched at her voice. All turned their heads toward Kotone, eyebrow raised at the sudden change in mood. "What now?" Silver huffed angrily, hands crossed and foot tapping anxiously.

Once again he saw her tongue jutted out in front of him. "You don't have to be a sour grump to me. Sheesh." She shook her head in disappointment, hands on her waist. Before Silver could snap yet again, Kotone gave a light cough and clapped once. "Let's make a bet!"

Well, that attracted his interest. "Bet?" Silver questioned her, tone reaching a much quieter tune that before.

Kotone shook her head happily, pigtails bouncing up and down. "Yep! I'm hungry and haven't had breakfast yet since you called me so early in the morning." Eyebrows moved up and down suggestively as she toyed with him. Silver cringed to hear the statement, heat crawling up to his cheeks. He could feel his right eye twitching embarrassingly; the anxiety knocking back on his head. "I-I told you I wanted to-"

"I know, I know." Kotone waved her hand nonchalantly, biting back a snicker to see such a rare reaction. "I also know you're hungry too. So why don't we make a bet? Loser gets to treat the winner to anything he or she wants. Deal?" She showed a thumbs-up, waiting for Silver to respond to her wager.

Silver blinked for a good few seconds. In the nick of time, his stomach began to growl, accepting her offer without his genuine consent. Unwarily, his hand moved to his empty stomach. A low mumble shook his lips, mentally yelling at himself for not getting anything to eat before their battle.

Then again, her bet did sound ravishing. "You're on!" With a proud, cocky smile, Silver pointed his finger at Kotone.

She smiled a wide smile, happiness immediately turned into determination. "Alrighty then! Charlie!"

Claws digging into the soft soil, the Charizard rapidly zoomed for her opponent.


Silver banged his head continuously with his fists. He sat near the cliff side near the Olivine lighthouse. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!" He chanted the word as if it was some sort of cursed mantra. Sneasel stood by his side, eyeing his trainer in worry just in case Silver decided to end his embarrassing life by jumping off the cliff.

"Ice-cream!" They heard Kotone's voice echoing from a few feet away. Silver stopped his constant banging, but his fists remained on his forehead. His team cheered as they each received their ice-cream. Thankfully, Kotone willingly bought his and her Pokémon some treats the minute they finished the battle. Silver only had to treat Kotone since it was the bet.

Her winning the bet wasn't bothering Silver that much, though. He should have known she would win. And it wasn't like she ordered a huge steak at some fancy-shmancy restaurant. Still, Silver couldn't shake the feeling that he was still completely agitated.

"Here you go!" Kotone plopped a seat next to the grumpy redhead. Silver didn't react nor respond. He remained frozen in his seat, fists slowly sliding down to his shut eyes. "Silver," She frowned to receive such a cold reaction. "Come on, your vanilla ice-cream is melting."

"I don't want it." Silver retorted coldly.

"You said you were hungry." She gently rocked his ice-cream in front of his face.

"I did not."

Suddenly, a loud growl echoed in the skies.

Kotone and Sneasel gawked at the bearer of the brutal sound. All eyes went to Silver's stomach. "Um…" The brunette bit back a hearty laugh, for she might be worried that it would hurt Silver's feelings.

Silver, on the other hand, was all shades of red on his face.

"Gimme that…" Not even looking at her face, Silver snatched the ice-cream from her grasp. He looked away, mouth mumbling sourly with a mix of abash. Kotone giggled quietly, mouth hiding behind her own mouth-watering delicacy. She cast a glance at Sneasel, who snickered in amusement as Silver's red face. "Sneasel, Serena has your ice-cream. Go get it from her before it melts." Kotone spoke with such warmth and kindness. And because of that – thankfully he wasn't facing her – it only deepened the crimson colour on Silver's face.

Sneasel cheered joyfully at her words. Wasting no time, he dashed for the Ampharos, leaving the two teenagers by their own. Silence filled the air. The wind caressed their hair and skin. Sounds of their Pokémon resonated in their ears, creating a cheerful environment upon such a quiet situation. "Silvy," Kotone called his name softly, eyes casting a peek at the redhead.

"What." He responded coldly, lips slowly nipping the tip of the ice-cream.

His little nipping however stopped when Kotone asked, "Why did you call me so early in the morning anyway?"

His fingers clenched the cone tightly, nails almost breaking the soft biscuit. "I said I wanted to battle you!" Silver shouted without even looking at her face. His heart drummed a frenzy rhythm. His cheeks were back to a nice tint of crimson. He knew she was frowning even though he didn't face her.

"Yeah, but to call me at 6 in the morning?" she giggled amusingly, merely intensifying his embarrassment. "You literally woke me up with that call. When I saw who it was, I almost jumped out of bed!" Her giggles turned into fine laughs, one that was filled with enjoyment rather than mockery.

Silver merely listened with silence, mouth not uttering a peep. A strong sense of unknown bliss wrapped around his heart to know her response. Though he didn't show, Silver bit back a smile, thrilled to know that he wasn't the only one who seemed jittery around one another. "Besides," He heard her voice, this time much quieter as if she was whispering.

And it was a good thing Silver held his cone tightly so it wouldn't fall, because the next words from her mouth was, "I was so happy I got your call because I thought you forgot about me…"

Quickly Silver snapped his head to her side, shining silver eyes gawking at the girl. Forgot? His mind gasped out of reflex, You were in my mind 24/7 how is that fucking forgetting?! It was a great thing those words weren't verbal, because if it did, Silver would have a hard time finding an excuse.

Her shoulders flinched to receive such a startling reaction from Silver. Her cheeks were light colours of pink. Kotone stared at Silver, who merely gawked as if she grew a second head. Her lips trembled a smile. The expression he bestowed was priceless in her sight. Her eyes trailed down to his mouth, spotting a tiny white smudge on the edge of his lips. Without a word, Kotone leaned closer toward him – toward his mouth.

And that honestly pressed the panic button in Silver's brain. "U-uh…Kotone-"

"Stay still," Kotone shushed slowly, eyes focusing on his mouth. Silver forced a heavy gulp. What the fuck… Move dammit! Move, move, move…! But he didn't move. He didn't scoot back. He didn't stand up and run away. He only froze in his place, letting Kotone do her bidding. Silver could feel his lips shake as she closed their distance. He closed his eyes as she felt her breath on his face, increasing the strength of his heartbeat.

Suddenly, he felt her finger gently caressing the corner of his lips.

Silver opened his eyes, blinking dumbly to see the giggling teenager. "You got ice-cream on your face, silly." Kotone wiped the trace away with her thumb and index finger.

Silver, on the other hand, really felt like he wanted to jump off the cliff.

Heat was back on his face, this time the reddest it had ever been. His ribcage was about to crack at the amount of heart-pounding moments it received. He saw her laughter, showing the obliviousness of what he thought she had almost done. What… he stuttered mentally, What the… His lips formed a shaken frown. His teeth clenched madly inside his mouth. The ice-cream in his hand was threatened to fall.

"Hey Kotone." She heard his voice; cold and sharp. However, engulfed in her own amusement, Kotone kept giggling and looked at Silver. "Yes Silv-"

She was completely silenced once his lips met hers.

Her hazel eyes were round as plates. His silver eyes were tightly shut. The boy held the face of hesitance and fear. The girl bared the face of pure, clear bafflement.

Finally, 13 seconds ticked by, Silver broke the kiss. He sat up straight, eyes still shut in embarrassment. Kotone froze like a bewildered doll, one hand gripping her cone while the other cupped her mouth. She looked at Silver, who was now seen bashfully stroking his ice-cream with mumbling lips. Though bangs of red fell and cascaded down the sides of his face, Kotone could perfectly see the boyish awkwardness on his face.

To see such an expression, to realize what he had done, Kotone wanted to laugh and jump in joy. "Silver…" She murmured sweetly, lips curving to a wide, gleeful smile.

Silver swore, if this keeps up, he might actually jump off the damn cliff. "There was s-some smudge on your lips s-stop staring!"

END.