So for those of you who know my writing, this is something a little more light-hearted. Okay, it's a romance story, so for those who aren't thrilled by romances, it's fine if you don't read this. But for any who still dare to read…enjoy! Also, for the purposes of this story, the female love interest (don't wanna reveal too much) is 16.

Lavaridge. A sleepy little town. As the young man relaxed in the hot springs, he thought about what had transpired earlier that day, which was a friendly battle with the Gym Leader, Flannery. He had lost, but he had taken it well, and Flannery had even complimented him on his improvement. He sighed as he sunk lower into the spring. Better…but not better than Flannery. He really wanted to beat her, just once, but…when he thought he was ready, it turned out that he wasn't. He knew he wasn't out of his league, he just knew that it took time to master things like this.

Someone knocked on the door of the hot spring. The man called out, "Who is it?"

"Nurse Joy. Your Pokémon are replenished and you have a visitor."

"A visitor?"

"Yes, Flannery."

The man scrambled for his clothes, hanging by the door. "One sec!"

The young man of sixteen grabbed his blue shirt, jeans (which still felt fine, even with the town's proximity to Chimney), and his sandals. After he dried off and dressed, he walked out of the spring area and looked at Nurse Joy. "Where is she?"

"Main lobby. I told her you were soaking in the springs, and she said she'd wait."

"Thanks." The young man walked out to the lobby, and sure enough, there she was, waiting. She turned to him and grinned. "Hey, Johnny!"

Johnny grinned as well. "Hey, Flannery. What's up?"

She shrugged. "The usual. Challengers, some win and some lose, but none of them lose that fiery spirit that possessed them in the first place."

He nodded. "That's good to hear. Being a Trainer, chances are you're gonna lose once in a while. Best thing to do is just deal with it."

She nodded, and he took in her flaming-red hair, which was spiked everywhere. She wore a small shirt and jeans, leaving most of her stomach exposed. Her red eyes glinted with happiness, because quite frankly, she had never been unhappy, as far as Johnny had seen.

She broke him out of his reverie. "Hey, whatcha doing tonight?"

"Hm?"

"Whatcha doing tonight?"

He thought a moment. "Just staying in again, I guess…why?"

She chuckled. "Wanna head down to Mauville and hang?"

He thought this over. Mauville was only about ten minutes' walk from Lavaridge, and there was a lot more to do there than Lavaridge, not that there was nothing in Lavaridge. Johnny looked at his fellow teenager and said, "Aw, sure. I got nothing better to do."

She smiled. "Great! So…when you wanna head out?"

"How about…6?"

She nodded. "Sounds good!" She skipped off.

Johnny blinked. He couldn't remember the last time she had skipped…probably not since she was a kid. He wondered why she was skipping now…eh. He grinned, excited at the new prospect.

He went home and looked in the mirror, looking at his black hair and green eyes. The mirror was where he could be completely honest with himself, and this was one of those times. He had a slight crush on Flannery, and this trip to Mauville could help him, but not in ways he could think of right then. He was just really excited about tonight's venture. His cell phone buzzed, and he read a text from his best friend Frank, 'Hey.'

He texted back, 'Hey.'

'Got plans tonight?'

'Yeah.'

'That's new. Gonna daydream about you and Flannery?'

Johnny sighed. 'It's not that bad.'

'Dude, we're best friends. You have more than a slight crush.'

Okay, maybe he wasn't totally honest…'Shut up.'

'Lol. So what are these plans?'

'Going to Mauville.'

'Mauville, eh? Sounds fun.'

'With Flannery.'

No response for a minute. Then 'What?!'

'You read right. Flannery. She and I are hanging at Mauville tonight. And it was her idea.'

No response. All of a sudden, Johnny heard a knock at his door, and he went to open it. He did, and Frank stood there, blue eyes, brown hair, and completely out of breath. "Tell me everything!"

Johnny pulled him inside and shut the door. "I did. Flannery suggested a Mauville venture tonight, just the two of us."

Frank smiled from ear to ear. "You dog!"

Johnny groaned. "Why did I tell you…"

"Hey, be sure to tell me everything, got it? I need deets!"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine. But if I see you following us, you're going in the water on Route 110. Got it?"

Still grinning, Frank nodded. "I want deets, but I'm not that desperate."

"Good."

Someone knocked, and Johnny looked out the peephole to see-

"It's Flannery! Get!"

Johnny kicked Frank towards the back door and opened the front. "Hey, Flannery."

She smiled. "Ready to go?"

He checked his phone, and sure enough, it was six. "Wow, time flied…yeah, I'm good!"

She chirped, "Good!" She and Johnny walked out and headed towards Route 111 to enjoy an evening on the town.

I'd love feedback.