"Fire!"
Normally, this call would raise alarm anywhere else, but in the Vientown Ranger Base, it just signaled that Tuesday morning had come around again. It's the only day Luana is allowed to try to cook, and she is known for making the toaster and the stove explode every time she does try her hand at cooking. Elaine, the base's mechanic, walks calmly into the kitchen with one of her (many) fire extinguishers and gets to work on extinguishing the weekly fire.
Meanwhile, Barlow just sighs and calls Crawford over, "Listen, Crawford. You know the drill, coffee and donuts for everyone. I think Luana might have permanently damaged the coffee maker this time."
"I guess we are going to need to get a new one that can take the heat," Crawford jokes.
"..."
"Sometimes you don't have a good sense of humor, Chief," Crawford laughs. "I just can't seem to get you fired up!"
"…"
"Okay, I'm going!"
Crawford leaves the base and steps out into the crisp autumn air. After having to breathe in the smoke from the fire, the clean air is welcome. The donut shop is all the way across town, so he sets off at a brisk pace. As he is walking over to the town's local donut shop, he runs into Big Bertha. She smiles warmly at the area ranger who always delivers the tribune before asking if he has the paper yet.
"No, I don't have the paper yet, Bertha. Luana made the kitchen explode, so I'm going to the donut shop on Main Street to get breakfast for the base," I explain. "I'll be around later with the paper."
"Oh that poor girl! She must not be feeling good after that incident; maybe there is something I can do to lift her spirits? I know! I'll just give everyone some milk pudding for breakfast instead of you going across town to get food!" Big Bertha declares.
Crawford, knowing that arguing with Almia's strongest person is futile, just says, "I still need to get coffee-"
"Which you will make at my house."
Crawford follows Bertha to her house obediently instead of arguing with her. Big Bertha is not someone that anyone can win an argument with. When they get to her house, she insists on making the coffee while Crawford goes and handles the kids with Tim. The kids are, as always, happy to see Crawford, and they drag him all around the house to play all kinds of games like Hide-and-Seek and tag. Finally, Big Bertha finishes the rangers' breakfast and goes to fetch Crawford. She gives him the pudding and the coffee before sending him on his merry way.
"I'm back!" Crawford calls when he gets into the base. No one answers. "I have breakfast!"
"Do you mind bringing it into the kitchen?" Elaine replies.
Crawford lugs the food into the kitchen which looks almost brand new despite the scorch marks on the counter. Everyone crowds around the table that they use to eat to get their food.
"Milk pudding? You're the best Crawford!"
"I thought you were supposed to get donuts... I'd be madder if this isn't one of the best foods I've ever had."
"Luana should cook more often if we get milk pudding out of it!"
Everyone grabs a milk pudding, but Crawford notices that Luna is nowhere to be found. Taking the last milk pudding for his friend, he searches the base for her. When he can't find her at the base, he searches the entirety of Vientown. She's nowhere to be found. Crawford was starting to worry for his friend, and it was starting to show.
In a last ditch attempt to find her, he checks at Lookout Ridge. There, he finds her doing what she always does when she visits. She's screaming.
"Why do I always have to screw up cooking? I just want to do something nice for my friends!" she cries out. "Is that so bad?"
Crawford looks at Luana sadly, "No. It isn't."
"Huh?"
Luna turns around to see Crawford. She blushes a deep red; no one was supposed to see her yelling. She looks down at her feet and mumbles unintelligibly. Crawford walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Lulu," he comforts using her nickname. "You might not be the best cook, but nobody at the base really minds. It's as much a part of you as my jokes are a part of me, Elaine's obsession with destroying things a part of her, and Barlow's fear of the ocean a part of him. We all like you because of it not in spite of it."
Luana looks at Crawford with watery eyes. With no warning, she encircles her arms around him in a crushing hug. She starts crying a little.
"W-wait Lulu! Don't start crying on me!" Crawford panics; he's not the best with crying girls.
"You are just too nice when you aren't playing pranks on me, Crawford!" Luana sniffles.
"Uhhh...thanks, Lulu?"
Luana wipes her tears and steps out of the hug, "No, thank you, Crawford! I would go back to the base to eat, but I think that they ate all of it already!"
That reminds Crawford of the reason he came, "Now what kind of friend would I be if I didn't bring you any milk pudding? I think Barlow was giving me a death glare when I took it though!"
Luana giggles and takes the pudding. She sits down on the grass before gesturing to Crawford that he should sit down too. He complies with her wishes while taking out his own breakfast. Together, the two look out over the ridge and eat in a companionable silence. When they finish, they get up to go back to the base, but Luana stops Crawford for a moment.
"Thanks for coming after me," she thanks before kissing him on the cheek.
Crawford would do it a million times over if that was his reward.
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Cherry the pachirisu: You have two fanfics that you should be working on! Why aren't you working on them?
Me: They finally added Sven, Wendy, Crawford, and Luana to the character list! I had to write something!
Cherry: …
Me: That's what I thought. Anyways, review and start writing your own stories for these characters! There really isn't enough love for them!
Cherry: *cough* and she doesn't own Pokémon *cough*
What was that you little rat?