Summer sighed and glanced down at her lap dejectedly. The wooden bench she had plopped onto now burned her thighs. Ukulele Pichu, who sat next to her, looked up worriedly.
It was summer, and the sky was clear, without a cloud in sight.
Now, even though her name was Summer, summer was actually her least favorite season. Summer dealt with the cold better than she dealt with the heat. The ranger uniform scarf suffocated her, and she tugged at it in hopes of relieving her suffering.
It was summer, and she was bored.
Don't get the wrong idea. A peaceful, serene Oblivia was the best type of Oblivia. But there was absolutely nothing to do.
No little girl crying for her skitty, which had gotten itself stuck in a tall tree. No elderly woman complaining about the violent growlithe in her backyard. No young man asking for help searching for a cinccino that had run away from home.
It was summer, and the sun shined brightly in the clear blue sky.
Summer glared at the sun which burned her legs, and arms, and every part of her body not covered by the uniform. She could feel the sweat on her face and she tried to wipe it away, but it was futile. Pichu climbed onto her lap and played a tune on his small wooden ukulele. Some wild bug pokemon chirped to the tune. Summer absentmindedly stroked the top of his head, behind his left ear, his favorite spot to be scratched. Pichu let out a squeak of satisfaction and Summer smiled.
Averting her eyes from the brightly shining thing in the sky, Summer contemplated on summoning Latias. No, she decided. There was no point summoning a legendary pokemon just to feel the wind on her face. Even pokemon had duties to attend to.
Sighing, Summer wondered, "What is there to do?"
She could fill her encyclopedia, she supposed. But wandering around in the heat didn't seem very appealing. She could visit Rand's house. But they didn't have air conditioning there. She could...she could...what could she do?
It was summer, and ideas seemed to evaporate in the midst of the scorching heat.
"If Ben was here, he'd have an idea," Summer's mouth let slip out. Immediately, she closed her mouth and frowned. Ben.
Her partner, her best friend, her companion, her crush. Ben.
He was the light of her life. Whenever he smiled, the world seemed brighter. If he was there, the scenery sparkled and shined. He was better than the dumb thing called the sun. The sun only burnt people and made them sweat. Yes, Ben was definitely better.
He knew Summer like the back of his hand, and he was the first person she talked to whenever anything important came up. The small details she usually missed during missions were as clear as the sky when he was with her.
And they were usually together. Ever since ranger school, the two had been joined at the hip. But not anymore.
After the events that terrorized Oblivia, Ben had been ordered to work separately from Summer. He was still in the region, somewhere, but presently, he wasn't her partner.
Scowling, Summer swung her legs in boredom. She hadn't seen Ben ever since running into him coincidentally on Mt. Layuda, during a mission that required electric type pokemon. It was a really bland event. They had greeted each other and went on their separate ways. It had been months since they last met, with no contact whatsoever in between. Could she even still call him her best friend?
Summer stood up suddenly, causing Pichu to tumble onto the bench. The relaxing tune that he had been playing stopped.
"Whoops, sorry." Summer picked Pichu up and placed him back onto the bench. She sat back down with a sigh. The bench burned her thighs again. She should've put on sunscreen. Pichu squeaked with worry.
"I'm okay, Pichu. Nothing's wrong." He looked as if he didn't believe her. Well, whatever. She didn't even believe herself.
It was summer, and the exciting, fun atmosphere associated with it was nonexistent.
Summer fiddled with her capture styler. Voice Navigator accidentally turned on.
"No missions or quests are available at the moment."
Yeah, she knew that already. Summer leaned back and closed her eyes. A starly chirped. A tailow squawked. Several combee buzzed. The sun burned. The wind didn't blow. Wasn't there anything to do?
She was lonely. Summer knew that. She could only go on talking to pokemon for so long.
Without Ben, she had trouble completing missions and being the amazing hero of Oblivia.
Without Ben, she couldn't even speak to people properly. Summer was actually very quiet without a trusted companion beside her.
Without Ben, she didn't feel comfortable anywhere. Her shoulders were still tense even now.
She was ready to jump to her feet at any moment, ready for someone to shout, "Hey, ranger! Help!", but there was no sign of a person in need. Nothing was happening. Ugh.
It was-
"Summer!"
A very, very familiar voice rang out. Summer blinked in surprise and bolted up, Pichu jumped off of the bench, and there he was.
Ben.
He stood there, with his bright smile and all, and a strangled sound of joy bubbled up Summer's throat. Was this simply an illusion created by the heat?
She didn't care.
Suddenly, it was stupid of her to worry about the current state of their relationship. Sprinting up to Ben, Summer threw her arms around him. He was real, she noticed, and she buried her face into his scarf. He hugged her back with a laugh.
"Did you miss me?"
"Yes." He was silent. Probably blushing, Summer thought with a smile. He was never prepared for direct responses.
Ben was warm. Or was it just the heat? After a long time, Summer reluctantly pulled away. It was hot. Who cared if it was Ben or the weather. Ben knew that she hated the heat. Pichu climbed onto Ben's shoulder, and Ben grinned at Summer. The air around him seemed to sparkle.
"It's hot. Shall we get some ice cream?"
"Yeah, let's."
Ben grabbed Summer's hand and pulled her along, and suddenly, the heat didn't seem to matter anymore. Her face was burning hotter than the sun ever could, anyway.
"Then let's go!"
It was summer, and the sound of happiness filled the air of Oblivia.