It was drizzling. Pitter-patter drizzling.

Greninja perched on a tree branch, watching the rain fall.

Watching the rain fall when it was bright and sunny.

"Rain", "bright" and "sunny" never went together. He took it as some sort of sign for his future relationship with a very very very specific fire-type. (All right, too specific… even if it didn't happen, he could still have his fantasies.)

His other friends which—he had pushed aside the last few months for her—had asked him if he was going to join them while they played whatever funky sport they were playing. Greninja had told them he was feeling sick so he wouldn't play. Thankfully, they were fools and believed him. They even left him to wherever he wanted to wander off to—in that sense, they didn't give a shit about him.

The frog was pissed at first that they hadn't really bothered to ask him something like "Hey, what's wrong?" but later took it to the face because hey, he could daydream all he wanted.

Hmm, whatever. Why was he wasting his time rethinking things like that?

Amidst the pitter-patter and his daydreams, he heard someone call him. It was faint, it was soft, and sounded very unreal. Like he was listening to a ghost speaking to him with all the commotion in the way.

Thankfully, it wasn't a ghost.

"…ninja! …Whatever are we… do with you…" he heard the pretty voice sigh. Hm, oh. Someone was there. Was it one of his friends? …Hopefully not her.

"I'm fine!" he yelled out to whoever was speaking with him. "I'm fine. I'm a water-type, I can handle the rain!"

Something shook the tree, and then something mystical shoved him off the tree branch completely.

"So what if you can handle the rain?" the voice chided. Greninja looked up, seeing a fox-like face that had a grimace fixed onto it. "It doesn't matter if you're a water-type, or anything like that, but the possibilities of you getting sick is still… there."

"…Delphox?" Greninja squinted, and the fox sighed in exasperation.

"Yes, Greninja, it's me. Delphox. D-E-L-P-H-O-X. Delphox. You know me, right?" With a thoughtless laugh, he saw her shake her head. "Well, maybe not. I've only spoken with you once or twice, isn't that right?"

Yes, it was right. Twice, to be exact. He'd spoken with her twice and that was all it took to make him charmed into liking her.

Remembering he was on the ground like an idiot, Greninja scrambled to his feet, trying to pretend the pink that formed on his cheeks didn't exist. "Um, yes, only twice. Though, I remember you." Delphox grinned visibly. Greninja smiled back, which twisted into a frown a second later. "…T-Though, what are you doing out here looking for me? You could've sent one of my friends that aren't bothered by water that much."

Delphox's smile widened. "I'm fine, you know. It's just a little rain." She outstretched her paws. "And I think you're a nice person. I don't think you deserve to sit in the rain and have nobody look after you. Do your parents not do that?"

Greninja shook his head. Delphox hummed in reply.

It was getting unbearably silent with the pitter-patter of the drizzle making the only noise in the background, but Greninja could tell she was at a loss. She played with her ebony paws, cast wary glances around, and was oddly fascinated with the grass.

He grabbed her paw (and tried to be gentle). "What's wrong?"

The fox shook her head. "N-Nothing, I j-just…" Her voice warbled, and even through the stupid drizzle, he could see tears.

Oh fuck no one made her cry and got away with it.

"Delphox, what happened?" Nightmare? Bully? Someone insulted her? Whatever it was, he'd avenge her.

"Don't you… friends… why aren't… worried…" she mumbled inaudibly, sniffling. She was clearly unwilling to tell him anything at all, but he'd make her spit it out. Even if he liked her, he had to know, because Delphox was too nice to get anyone in trouble.

"I won't laugh at it," Greninja assured her with a faint smile, "promise."

Delphox sneezed. He'd have to take her to a warmer place, and he'd have to be quick. "W-Why don't your f-friends care a-about you?" she asked, wiping away her tears as if they were nothing. "W-Why do you call them your f-friends if they a-aren't?"

All right, he was not expecting that. At all. His friends made her cry?

…Well, no, the more he thought about it, it was mostly his fault. If he didn't exist, she wouldn't be crying because she wouldn't have to worry about it.

"Delphox… What are you saying? They are my friends," he insisted, tugging at her paw. She didn't resist, but she was clearly unconvinced by his statement.

"Y-You don't know what they were s-saying, t-then?" Delphox sneezed again. "I was at home, and they c-came into my home, because it was the n-nearest shelter f-from the rain. My mum was with me and she in-invited them in. While I was cleaning the d-dishes, I a-asked them where you were."

Ah, so she was thoughtful enough to think about him! How sweet she was.

"And then t-they said that they d-didn't care about y-you." Delphox clenched her teeth and ground out the words, as if she didn't want to say them but she knew she had to say them. "They said y-you're a loser. …You a-aren't, you're a g-good person."

Another sneeze. She needed to talk faster so Greninja could find a shelter.

…But really, was that what they said..?

"S-So I came out to look for y-you." Delphox managed a fatigued smile. "A-And I managed to f-find you and you're a-all right."

"Yep, I'm all right." Greninja began to drag her away from under the tree so they could find a warmer place to talk in. "You're okay, right? Not sick or anything?" She didn't reply, so he guessed she was unsure. "Well, whatever. Anything else there is..?"

Sure, he was astonished that they would say that kind of thing to him, but screw them. He had Delphox, so pssh.

"…M-Mm! Promise me something, okay?" Delphox tugged on Greninja to tell him to stop walking. The frog glanced at her curiously. "…You have to s-stop being 'f-friends' with them, okay? They're d-dangerous, they'll h-hurt you!"

Hurt. Him. It was generously thoughtful of her, but no one was hurting him anytime soon.

"Delphox, you know that it won't happen, right?"

She didn't take that as an answer. "…It will!" she insisted. "Promise?"

Ugh. If she were anyone else, he'd slap her outstretched ebony paw away. But Delphox was Delphox, big difference from "anyone else". He hesitantly shook her paw. "Um… promise."

The fox giggled childishly. "Okay, okay! You won't break your promise, right?"

No. Well, at least not to you.

She sneezed, but smiled brightly. "…Let's go home—oh."

"Hm?" Greninja stared at her blankly—why the abrupt "oh"?

"…They're at my house, those… 'friends'. You know." She bit her bottom lip. "Oh, we can just head over to that shelter. It looks… sort of warmer. Probably not as warm as my home, though, but still warmer."

And it at least sheltered her from the rain, that was a good thing.

They sat down quietly at the benches under the shelter. It was quiet, but wasn't creepy, it was a lot warmer than he thought it would be. Greninja tilted his head upwards where he saw Delphox gazing out into the rain.

"…Hey, why're you helping me all with this..? Telling me that they aren't my friends?" They hadn't seen each other much before, right?

Delphox's attention snapped towards him, and she smiled. "That's because we're friends, aren't we?"

Friends.

Ah. Oh. Uh. Of course she wouldn't think of him that way.

Oh well, it was okay. "Friends" was better than being "acquaintances". Besides, he still had a chance. And he could still fantasise and daydream.

A/N: ...Onto random babbling...

When it was still an MSWord document, I entitled it "moop" because I hadn't bothered thinking of a title of it yet. Afterwards, my sister asked me "whats moop" and I replied "dont touch it".

I cannot allow her to see my crappy writing of painful fingers. It would hurt my pride.

(psshpridehahayeahright)