I stop.
Glancing around to get my bearings, I notice that the clock on the wall is ticking forward… then backward… then forward…
It never gets past the 7 mark. 'Come on, second-hand. You can do it. I believe in you.' It keeps ticking back… and forth… and baaaack… and foooorth…
Another hour passes. I yawn and slump down on the platform bench. Leafeon places his paws on my knee and looks wearily up at me. 'I don't understand, Leafeon. His train should have arrived ages ago.'
Leafeon gives a small cry of frustration. I pick him up and place him in my lap, stroking his furry back until he falls asleep. I look down at Pikachu to the left of me, who looks ready to pass out.
'You can sleep too if you want, Pikachu,' I say softly, gently scratching his head. He nods, and circles his spot for a moment, before setting himself down and immediately falling asleep. Poor thing.
We've been riding around Kalos for hours, finishing errands before we had to catch the plane to Hoenn. We're all so jetlagged, and if that's not enough we've been driving for two hours from the airport to the station.
Lapras, Charizard and Zapdos are still going, somehow. Nuzleaf is being brave too, but being smaller I can see he's struggling not to nod off. When will my darned cousin be here? He said he was to meet me at Platform 3…
Didn't he?
Uhm… Maybe I should send a quick Holo to check. Better safe than sorry.
Hold on a second, who are those two figures on the other side of the track? Why is one of them waving—oh thank GOD! It's him!
"Oy, cuz!" I yell, without thinking and jolting Pikachu and Leafeon awake. "You SPECIFICLY said Platform 3! Just like you to mess it up!"
"I didn't mess it up, YOU didn't listen to me! AS PER USUAL, might I add!" he loudly replies.
I grin. Good old Kid. We're ALWAYS arguing with each other, but no matter how far it escalates we both know that we never mean what we say.
I gesture to my Pokémon to follow me, picking up my bags and stooping to let Pikachu climb on to my shoulder. Scooping up Leafeon in my arms and adjusting the grip on my bags, I walk around to Platform 4 to meet my cousin.
"Hey dingus," I sigh, punching him gently on the arm.
"Hey dingus," he says, playfully punching me in return. "How were your travels? Safe, I hope?"
"Terrible," I chuckle. "But safe, as I AM still alive."
The other figure (who now I see is a man) accompanying my cousin approaches. He looks about my age, maybe a year or two older. He looks of Asian descent, possibly Japanese. He wears dark blue rectangular glasses and a dark blue checked shirt with jeans. "This must be the cousin you keep telling me about. Pleased to meet you!" He looks at Zapdos.
"Wow, is that a Zapdos? Amazing! How on earth did you catch it?"
Uhm… that's a little awkward. I've never met the guy before, and he's talking to me like we've always known each other.
Kid turns to the strange man, then to me again. "Ginger, I want you to meet my friend Mat. He and I met in a battle last year. He lives in Kalos too."
Oh. Mat… No, that name doesn't ring any bells.
"Uh, hi," I mutter, feeling my face go hot. I can't hide my emotions at all. It's quite annoying. If I feel sad, or super happy, or embarrassed, it always shows on my face. I cannot help it!
Mat smiles warmly at me when I look up again. I quickly put my head down.
Kid sighs. "I'm sorry. She's always been a bit shy around new people. Just humour her if you can." He takes my bags. "Come on, Shroomish and Xerneas. Let's take our guests back home."
Yaaaaawn. Dewford Town is farther away than I thought. Might just go to sleep for a few minutes…
GYAAAARRGGHHH! Pikachu, what on earth was that for?!
Oh. He must want me to stay awake in the car until we get to a more comfortable resting place. Thanks, Pikachu. But he couldn't possibly have found a worse way to keep me awake? He knows very well how much I hate being shocked…
Kid's place is quite luxurious compared to the other houses in Dewford Town. Put next to them, it's practically a mansion. From my room, I have a gorgeous view of the beach, and the sound of the waves on the shore are so relaxing…
Huh…? Wut… Where the hell am I? This doesn't look like my room…
Oh! I'm at Kid's place, in Hoenn! Ahh… that was a good sleep. The covers are so warm… Wait… where are my Pokémon?
I sit up and look around the room. Pikachu, Leafeon, Nuzleaf, Zapdos, Charizard and Lapras are all asleep in six different beds, each suiting the Pokémon's types. Zapdos is sitting in a large nest. Leafeon is in an enclosed patch of grass. And Charizard is in the fireplace.
I smile. They rarely go into their Pokéballs. I might as well not carry them around with me.
I slowly slide out of bed, rubbing my eyes. I had better not wake my Pokémon, they need sleep much more than I do. I tiptoe cautiously past the corner where they're all sleeping, and turn the handle as gently as I can. But that doesn't make a difference, it's so well oiled.
I look down at myself. Goodness, I'm only wearing my little nightdress. I should put my dressing gown on for the boys. I hastily grab it from the door handle and slide my feet into my Eevee slippers.
Oh my. This flight of stairs makes me feel so dizzy now that I look at it from up here. Gripping the banister with both hands, I make my way down.
Wow, Kid is so rich, he even has his own butler and maid. I suppose he IS the Pokémon League Champion over here.
The butler greets me at the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning, Miss Ginger. I must say it is quite a surprise. Even young master Kid never rises at this hour."
Really? I figured he would be at breakfast by now. I can't see Mat anywhere either. Perhaps the people in Hoenn sleep in regularly?
"Monsieur Butler—"
"Please, call me Stanley."
"Uh, Stanley, is it the custom in Hoenn for people to sleep in so late?"
Stanley is looking at me like I'm out of my mind. "Whatever do you mean, Miss Ginger?"
I don't know what to say. "Uhm, well…" I think for a moment.
"In Kalos, we wake up early to start as soon as we can. You know, chores? Like making bread and galettes, harvesting Berries, that sort of thing?"
"I see. Now I understand. It is not usually the norm for teenagers like yourself to willingly get out of bed at 5 am. Breakfast is almost ready. You may sit in the living room and entertain yourself until it is served." He elegantly strides into the kitchen.
First of all, I can't even FIND the living area. This place is massive!
Ah, here it is. There's a huge plasma TV on a mahogany bookcase. The bookcase itself is stuffed full of video games. There's also a Wii U, an Xbox, and a PlayStation. I start salivating. Gaming is my hobby, my pastime, and my joy. It's one of the things I live for, besides Pokémon, family, friends, and food.
I sit down on one of the soft-looking white couches. It's very warm, although nobody's sat here for hours. It must be heated. That's amazing! Only rich people can afford that luxury.
"Ah, master Mathew. You're up early as well. Breakfast is on the way. Perhaps you would like to make yourself comfortable in the living area?"
Uh oh, I can't let Mat see me like this! Quick, straighten up and sit like a lady!
Just in time too. He's just walked in. I give my best smile. "H-hello Mat."
"Morning Ginger." Oh. I like it when he says my name.
"Sleep well?" he says, visibly examining me up and down. I'm in my dressing gown, but I'm still not wearing much under it.
"Uhm, yes," I say nervously. He's wearing a loose-fitting shirt with a Pokéball emblazoned on the front, and grey pyjama pants.
"So." He sits down next to me on the couch. "You still haven't told me the story of how you caught your Zapdos. I'm very interested to know."
This time a genuine, relaxed smile breaks out on my face. "Well, I had the whole gang with me. We chased him around the whole of Kalos. First we found it on Route 12, then we chased it to Route 4…"
I tell him the whole story about my encounter with Zapdos, and how we were riding and flying around the region for hours on end, and how we eventually cornered it in the legendary Sea Spirit's den, and how Leafeon nearly ran out of PP trying to get it to fall asleep with Grass Whistle, and how at last I was able to catch it with a Timer Ball.
He listens to the whole story. He laughs at all the right parts, like when Charizard ran head-on into Prism Tower on the way to Route 5. It was a foggy day, and he couldn't see it at first.
I also notice that he's not fully keeping eye contact the whole time. Let's just say he's looking in the right place if he wants to be called a pervert. But he's a nice guy and I don't want to embarrass him, so I keep talking.
Once I've finished talking, he smiles and praises me for telling the story so well, and for the 'fantastic effort' I made in catching Zapdos.
"You're very persistent, Ginger. I love girls who just don't give up.'
He's looking into my eyes now. I look into his. They're a brilliant shade of mocha brown, like mine but much more… nice-looking…
Stanley the butler walks in at that moment. "Breakfast is served," he says.
I shake myself out of my trance, feeling more awkward than ever. Mat looks embarrassed too. I bite my lip. We both walk out into the dining room.
Kid's sitting at the end of the table, on the longer side. "Mornin' guys! Good sleep, I hope?" He's got a plate topped with five rashers of bacon and three slices of white toast with Oran Berry jam. I lick my lips. I didn't realise how hungry I am!
"Very good sleep, Kid! I've never had a better sleep," says Mat, smiling. "Man, I'm starving. Shall we dig in?"
"Ooh, yes please!" I say, sitting at the end of the table around the corner from Kid. Mat sits next to me.
The maid brings our platters to us. I've met her before. Her name's Carolyn.
She lifts the lids from the plates, makes a quick curtsey, and walks back into the kitchen.
The food smells so GOOD! I've got four rashers of bacon and two slices of toast. The toast would be good with some Pecha Berry jam. I reach for the jar. Mat reaches for it at the same time. Our hands touch. He looks at me.
Ugh, this is such a cliché scene. But it's okay when it's happening to you in real life instead of a movie.
He chuckles nervously, and takes his hand away from the jar so I can open it. "Ladies first," he mutters. Luckily Kid is too busy chowing down on his own breakfast to notice this whole scene.
I try to twist the lid open, but it's screwed on impossibly tight. I keep trying, as hard as I can. My hands hurt, but I don't want Mat to think I'm a weakling.
At last I take my hand away in pain. I put the jar back down on the table.
Oh.
I think Mat just witnessed the whole thing.
There I go, blushing again.
"Uhm, are you in need of any assistance?" he asks, nervously pushing up his glasses.
"Ahaha… uh, yes please."
He takes the jar in his hands and opens the lid with one strong twist. Goddammit. Now I feel like crying. Why can't I be strong like a guy? Like Mat?
I go to grab the jar from his hands, but he stops me. "Allow me."
He reaches his arm around me to hold the plate steady, and spreads my toast for me.
Uhm, he didn't have to put his arm around me just to reach my plate. And just because I'm too weak to open a jar doesn't mean I can't spread my own toast. But I appreciate the thought.
'Just give him a smile,' my conscience is whispering. 'Show him how grateful you are.'
But I can't. I'm too shy. The best I can manage is a forced grin, but it probably looks to him like I have gas, because he asks, "Are you okay there?"
"Wh—oh yeah, I'm just… peachy…"
Shit. That sounded better in my head. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
He grins. "Glad to hear it,"
He continues spreading my toast. "Hottie," I hear him mutter under his breath.
Oh my god. I think my heart just skipped a beat. Did he really say what I thought he just said?
Now he's blushing. Maybe he didn't mean to say that out loud.
I think I'm blushing too.
Kid must have finished his breakfast, because he's loudly whistling 'Crazy Love' in our direction.
Mat hastily takes his arm away and puts the knife down, leaving me with a piece of half-spread toast. But I don't care. I'm not hungry anymore. It feels like a million Flabébé are dancing around in my stomach.
"I… think I'll go get dressed," I say nervously, slowly standing up and leaving.
I pass Lapras on the way out of the dining hall. "Morning Lapras," I say with a smile. Lapras has always been an early riser. Once she got up two hours before the other Pokémon.
Lapras greets me with her familiar friendly cry.
"No, we don't have to do any errands while we're here. You can just relax for now."
Lapras gives me a look that says, 'Seriously?'
"Yeah, no chores or errands for three weeks. Isn't it awesome?"
Lapras gives a cry of joy.
"Go on into the dining hall with Mat and Kid. I think they have Supreme Honour Poképuffs on the table." I give her a scratch on the head and let her go.
I slide my dressing gown off my shoulders and hang it on the doorknob.
My bath has already been run, perhaps by Carolyn or one of the other maids. I inhale deeply. Mmmm… Rose Incense.
I dip my big toe in the bathtub. It's huge, and insanely deep for a tub. It's more like a swimming pool than a bathtub.
There's steam rising off the bath. I can't resist anymore. I throw off my nightdress and slide in.
Ahhh! This is seriously the nicest bath I've ever had! I sink in up to my chin and cover myself with the bubbles like I'm in bed again.
It's actually as comfy and as warm as being in bed… I feel as if I might just… drift off…
Hang on. Did I hear the door open a smidge?
I open my eyes. I'm facing in the opposite direction to the door. I'm scared to turn around.
"Oh… hi Ginger."
I freeze in terror. It's Mat!
"I, uh… didn't know you would be in here…"
That was a dumb thing to say. This is my personal en suite! Why is he even coming in here in the first place?
"Ginger? You okay?"
I'm opening and closing my mouth like a goldfish. I feel like I have the brain capacity of a goldfish too. I don't know what to say. I don't know what's happening anymore.
"What… what are you… doing in here?" I finally manage to mumble.
There's a brief silence. "Well, I uhm… uh…"
"You wanted to see me? Is that what you wanted?"
I cross my arms over my chest and turn my head slightly to look at him. He's turned Roseli red and is sweating like mad. I already know without him telling me what the answer is.
He stares at me a little longer. Then, "I-I-I have to go check on my Pokémon…"
He puts his head down and backs out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
I sigh in relief. That was a little creepy. I mean, he's cute. Really cute. But I honestly thought he was going to try to make out with me. We're not even going out!
I facepalm hard. That's got to be the most awkward moment of my life. I quickly hop out of the bath and throw on a fresh towel, and head into my room.
Now I'm dressed in a striped navy blue shirt and a navy blue T-shirt, with denim shorts and my favourite hat, just for luck. I wear it all the time, even if it's really hot.
I sit back down on my bed and tie the laces of my black Converse sneakers.
All my Pokémon are now wide awake and stuffed to the gills. "Come on, guys. Walk on the beach?"
We all make our way downstairs. Mat and his Pokémon are waiting at the bottom. I've never seen Mat's Pokémon before, for some reason. He has a Blastoise, a Turtwig, a Torkoal, and a Tirtouga. Huh. Somebody really likes turtles.
"Morning Ginger!"
"Morning Mat!" Ah, that's nice of him. He's obviously trying to put that bathroom incident behind him.
"Kid's gone shopping for Potions and Herbs. He's not going to be back for a few hours."
"Oh… Really?" What is he trying to say by this I wonder?
"Wanna play some video games or something?"
Oh.
"Well, actually, we were just going for a walk on the beach…"
"Oh, well… we'll come with you then."
Yes! Ginger has scored! "Okay, cool! Let's go."
Lapras gives me an accusing look. "What?" I hiss. "It's not like I have a major crush on him and want to be with him forever… not like that at all."
Lapras gives me a '-_-' look.
"Don't give me that, Lapras. I've seen the way you look at his Blastoise. As a matter of fact, I've seen Blastoise checking you out too."
Lapras blushes and giggles to herself.
Mat punches in the passcode for the front door. I check the clock on the wall.
8 o'clock. Isn't that a bit late to be getting dressed?
Stop thinking like that, Ginger. We're in Hoenn now, not Kalos.
"Holy muffins!" I mutter under my breath. Dewford Town is amazing in daylight! And what a perfect day too! The sunlight is shimmering on the water like a million Mega Stones under the sea.
That makes me think… Are there any new Mega Stones in Hoenn I have yet to find?
Anyway, that's not important now. Right now I'm spending time with my Pokémon and my new friends.
"Isn't the beach beautiful today, Ginger?" sighs Mat, snapping me out of my train of thought.
"Uhm, yeah! Yeah, it's really pretty today." Focus, Ginger, focus!
"Shall we go on the jetty? Maybe we could fish for some lunch. Give Stanley and Carolyn the day off."
"Okay, sounds great!" Perfect. Sitting down together, in front of the shimmering water…
I sit down on the edge of the jetty and take out my Super Rod. Mat sits next to me.
"A Super Rod! That's… super?" He blushes. I can tell he was trying to make me laugh.
It's not that funny! Why the hell am I laughing so hard?
Mat takes out a Good Rod. Lapras sits down next to me. Mat's Blastoise sits next to Mat. We both cast our lines.
Seeing that Lapras is near, Blastoise leans back to look at her. Lapras sees him looking, and gives him a seductive grin. Blastoise winks back.
There's clearly a lot more going on in our Pokémon's minds than we're aware of!
Mat sees Blastoise and Lapras flirting. "Seems our Pokémon are both into each other," he chuckles.
Is this a sign?
"Pikachu, Leafeon, Nuzleaf: why don't you go for a fly around Dewford with Charizard and Zapdos?"
Good, they like that idea. Pikachu and Leafeon jump on the back of Zapdos, and Nuzleaf climbs onto the back of Charizard.
"Make sure you don't make any contact with Charizard's tail flame…!" I yell to Nuzleaf, before they all take off.
"Pika-pikaaaa!" cries Pikachu from the air.
"Bye! Have fun, guys!"
Mat sends his Pokémon too, for a swim in the sea. "Take care of yourselves, and have fun," he yells after them.
Now it's just the four of us: Mat, Blastoise, Lapras, and I.
Hey, I've got something! Reel it in, reel it in. Quickly and carefully, that's the way to do it. Whoa, this one's a whopper!
"Mat, help! I think I've got something!"
"Shit, don't let it get away! One second, I've gotta put my rod down—!"
"Hurry! It's going to pull me in!"
Mat jumps to the side and grabs me by the waist, dropping his own rod in the process.
Wow, this guy really is strong.
Aww, the Pokémon took my Super Rod away with it.
Mat and I sit on the jetty, panting. "Oh… well..." I gasp. "It was only a Sharpedo. I have… tons of… them."
"Really? That's… heaps cool…" he pants. "But… what about your rod?"
"Oh, yeah… n-never mind about my rod…" Dammit. Where am I going to get a replacement for THAT?
Lapras and Blastoise didn't even help. Looking around, I can't even see them here anymore. They must have walked off along the beach together. Ah, there they are. If something happens they can take care of themselves just fine.
Wh—hey!
Mat's just grabbed me under the arms and pulled me into a standing position.
I turn around to face him. "What the—?"
Oh. He's looking at me with those glazed-over eyes you get when you see a game you really want, or a food you've been craving for ages.
"…Mat?"
"Ginger…" he says softly, stroking the side of my face that's not covered by my hair. "Ginger, have you ever kissed a guy?"
Ohhh crap… Is he suggesting what I think he's suggesting?
"Uh, well… no, I haven't, actually…"
"Then now's the time to learn," he whispers. He grabs the back of my head and brings it close to his face. Our lips touch, and he kisses me.
WHOA!
His lips are salty from sweat, but I don't care.
This is my first kiss! It feels SOOOO good…
I can feel warmth flowing through my whole body. I can't breathe… this is so amazing!
All my friends have experienced a kiss before. I was starting to think that I might never… And now I am. Now I know what it feels like. This is the best day of my life!
Finally, Mat pulls away from me. He's sweating even more than he was before. His glasses are all askew. He straightens them. I laugh, breathlessly.
We both catch our breath for a while, looking into each other's eyes.
That brilliant shade of brown. I can never get enough of it.
I throw off my hat. That's something I never do unless I absolutely have to.
I purse my lips and extend my arms slightly to the sides.
He blushes and grins. I do too.
I want to kiss him all day now. And I think he knows how to grant my wish without me even telling him.
Ginger and Mat spent the rest of their time in Hoenn battling, playing video games, playing with their Pokémon, playing video games with their Pokémon, and eating.
They flew back home to Kalos together, and from then on regularly visited each other.
A few years later, they flew to Hoenn again, where they were married.
They spent their honeymoon in Unova, where they spent their time battling, playing video games, playing with their Pokémon, playing video games with their Pokémon, eating, and… carrying out other classified means of business.
Ginger and Mat now live in a house together in Lumiose City, along with their children Phoenix (13), Dakota (10), and Vincent (4).
Lapras also recently had a child, a healthy little boy Squirpras named Felix.
The family runs a stall in Lumiose City, selling the famous Lumiose Galettes. You can regularly see Ginger standing at the stall, greeting her customers with a friendly "Heya! Come buy the famous flavour of Kalos! Our special today: One bottle of Moomoo Milk! Goes fabulously with a salty-sweet galette!"
Mat earns his main living from designing games in Lumiose. Word is, he's currently in the process of coding 'Ninja-type Pokémon' into Pokémon X & Y, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. (And no full conclusion yet, but there may also be another Pokémon generation in the near future! Ssshhhh, you didn't hear anything!)
THE END