It is time for FireGrassShipping! I suddenly got the urge to write a series of short conversations between Sceptile and Blaziken (and their previous forms), and how they became friends… and more. No Advanceshipping this time, so that roughly all shippers that are among you all can read it without being bothered by human ships. So, hang on for my second FireGrassShipping fic:
The Growing Flame
"Hi, who are you?"
The group of four people and their Pokémon had set up camp in the forest Treecko was born and raised. Still early in the morning, some of the Pokémon began to awake. He looked up, and looked at the one that had addressed him.
"I'm Treecko. And who are you?" he asked.
"I'm Torchic, nice to meet you." she replied.
"Hm, you're with that May girl, right?" Treecko inquired.
"Yes I am. Did Ash catch you yesterday?"
Treecko laughed. "Catch? He'd wish. No, I joined him out of my free will. He proved himself worthy by saving my home tree, so I decided to tag along."
Torchic shrugged. "Okay. As far as I know, Ash is a good trainer, who treats his Pokémon as friends. You'll be alright."
"I hope for him that's true…" he muttered.
"Whoa, Treecko- I mean, Grovyle, you look awesome!"
Grovyle opened an eye, and saw Torchic admiring him. The group had set up camp for the night, after he had fought and defeated a rampant Exploud.
"Thanks, Torchic." he said.
"Did it hurt? Evolving, I mean." she asked.
"Hurt? No, it did not hurt. It felt more like… how do I explain this… you expand; become bigger, stronger, faster… it's kinda hard to explain. You should experience it yourself to understand." Grovyle explained.
"Okay. I can't wait for my evolution!" Torchic happily exclaimed.
"Don't think too much of it, though. Although your body has changed, it still feels the same as before. You have to get used to it first to get the most out of it. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't turn out the way you want it to." he warned her.
"Oh, okay." she fell silent. "Grovyle, could I ask you a personal question?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I think you just did that already, but sure, go ahead."
Torchic smiled. "Well… do you regret evolving?"
"Regret?" Grovyle thought for a moment. "No. Although I'm not as small as I was before, I more than make it up with my new strength and speed. Plus, I have these." he raised an arm with a grin, talking about the razor-sharp leaves coming from both of his arms.
"Right, thanks, Grovyle." she said, and walked away.
"You're welcome." he replied.
It was already night. The four humans had retreated to their sleeping bags, and had fallen asleep. Most Pokémon had followed their example, except for two.
"I guess you were right." Combusken sat down next to Grovyle.
"What do you mean?" he looked up at the newly evolved Pokémon next to him.
"About the evolution thing. I feel a bit different, yet the same." she explained.
"Your body might feel different, but your personality doesn't change when you evolve." he said, looking vacantly in front of him.
Combusken sighted. "I know, but for some reason, the rest is scared of me now."
"Hm, maybe because you're not as cute anymore as you was before."
A short silence fell. "Wait, did you just say I was cute?"
"Of course you were. Big eyes, small body, an adorable walk, slightly clumsy: the epitome of cute. Why, do you disagree?" he asked surprised.
As a reply, Combusken grunted and made a fist.
"Uh oh…" Grovyle jumped out of the way, and a fist went through his former position. Combusken ran after him, with another attack ready. He tried to shake her between the trees, but to no avail; she stayed right behind him. Grovyle jumped, and planted his feet against a tree, propelling himself off the trunk, in an attempt to shake the crazy fire type off. Combusken followed his manoeuvre, but was launched faster and further than Grovyle, hitting him in mid-air. The two fell to the forest floor, tumbling around together. When they stopped, Grovyle laid on top of Combusken, with their faces a nose length apart. Surprised, the two looked each other in the eyes for a moment.
"Grovyle? Could you get off me, please?" she asked slightly embarrassed.
"Eh, sure." he got up, and helped Combusken up. "Why did you freak out like that?"
"Well, I can take a lot, but remember one thing about me, Grovyle." she suddenly raised her arm, pointing a finger at his face. He took a step back by the sudden motion. "I am not cute, but tough. Get it?"
Grovyle gulped. "I think I can remember that."
She lowered her arm. "Good. And by the way, nobody has to know what just happened here, okay?"
"Fine by me." he agreed. He followed Combusken back to the camp with something: a newfound admiration for her.
It was the Festival of Aura in Cameron castle. The Guardian of Aura and his friends had called out their Pokémon so they could go entertain themselves. Most of them went for the buffet table; others went to explore the castle. Grovyle spotted Combusken leaning on a table, watching the dancing couples. She gestured to him. As Grovyle walked up to her, Combusken pointed at a couple.
"That man May is dancing with, does he seem familiar to you?" he squinted his eyes slightly and saw the man she was talking about. Although that his black moustache did not match his navy hair, which was somewhat odd, the man did not ring a bell in Grovyle's head.
"No, not really." Combusken kept looking at the man, and Grovyle got a bold idea.
"Combusken, would you like to dance with me?" he asked.
"Dance? With you? Sure." she suddenly sounded a bit nervous. Grovyle took her hand in his own, and they stepped to the dance floor.
"Hey guys, come take a look at what we found!"
The two turned around, and saw Swellow perched on a chair.
"Oh, did I interrupt something?" he asked.
"No." they both said at the same time.
"Right…" Swellow grinned. "Anyway, if you want to stay here, that's okay. I'll tell the rest that…"
"No need to, we're coming along. Right, Grovyle?" Combusken asked.
"Eh, sure." he replied, disappointed at the interruption. The two followed Swellow up several stairs, which lead to an attic directly above the ballroom. The rest of the Pokémon were playing there with all kinds of toys. Grovyle watched as Combusken was balancing on a ball, first on her feet, then on her hands.
"Whoa, you're really good at this." he said in awe. She jumped off, and landed in front of him.
"Well, it's not that hard. Want to give it a try yourself?" she asked.
"Sure, why not?" Grovyle walked up to the ball, and put one foot on top of it. Combusken grabbed his hands, and put them on her shoulders.
"The key is to maintain balance. Forget about everything, just focus on yourself and the ball." she said, and Grovyle put his other foot on the ball too, coming loose from the ground. He was shaking a bit, but did not fall off. Combusken put her hands on Grovyle's shoulders to keep him in balance.
"Keep shifting your balance to the center to maintain it, but don't overdo it, or you will fall off on the other side." she warned him. Shaking less than before, she let go of his shoulders and slowly removed his hands from her own shoulders, until they were holding each other's hands.
"Forget about everything else. It's just you and the ball." she said softly.
"Just me and the ball." Grovyle repeated, looking Combusken in the eyes. "Just me and the ball. Just you and me."
"Yes, just you and… wait, what?" she asked. His concentration broken, Grovyle fell backwards off the ball, pulling Combusken on top of it. With a thud, he hit the ground.
"Ugh, we have to keep working on it for a bit." he said. The sound of shattering glass interrupted the playing group, and two Weavile stood in the room, looking at the Pokémon that Pikachu was playing with.
"Hey, who do you think you are, bursting in like this?" Combusken demanded, after she rolled off the ball. The two Weavile looked at each other and nodded, and one of them launched a Blizzard at Combusken.
"NO!" Grovyle leaped up, and jumped in front of the attack. Although Grovyle managed to block some of the cold, he could not prevent some of it to go around him and hit Combusken. Both were encased in a thick layer of ice.
Munchlax shattered the ice with a well-placed Focus Punch, and the frozen duo was freed. Combusken struggled back, and Grovyle hit the ground.
"Ugh, what happened?" he asked as he got up.
"We were attacked by two Weavile. They were after that Pokémon that was with us here: Mew." Corphish explained.
"Mew? Mew was here?" Combusken asked.
"Yes. He escaped the attack by Teleporting away. Unfortunately… he Teleported Pikachu along with him." Swellow added.
"What? Pikachu is gone?!" Grovyle exclaimed.
"Yes. We have to go tell Ash." Phanpy added.
"Agreed." Grovyle replied, and the Pokémon left the attic and ran down the stairs. He tried to follow him, but was stopped by Combusken.
"Grovyle, do you have a moment?"
"Actually, no, but what is it?" he replied.
"What did you mean when you said "you and me" when you stood on the ball?" Combusken asked.
"I was focussing on what you said, and "you and me" sounds more intimate, which allows me to focus better." Grovyle replied.
"Oh, good, because the way you said it made me think that you were talking about…"
"What, you mean that you and me…" he added. Both fell silent, and began to laugh.
Combusken had another question. "I… well, why did you jump in front of that Blizzard?"
Grovyle shrugged. "I dunno. I just did it. Besides, that's what friends do: they look out for each other."
"Well, you shouldn't have to do it. I can take care of myself." she replied.
"I guess you're right. It's not like it actually worked or something…" he agreed.
Combusken smiled. "Still, it was really nice of you. Thanks." she stepped forward, and embraced him. Surprised by this sudden gesture, he placed his hands on her back.
"No problem." he assured her.
"Hey guys, are you coming or..." Swellow saw the two hugging. "Am I interrupting something again?"
"No." Combusken said, and let go of Grovyle. He did the same.
"Are you sure? You looked like you were about to…" Grovyle shot a Bullet Seed at Swellow, who dodged the attack.
"We've got bigger things to do now." he said, and walked to the stairs, followed by Combusken.
Combusken looked up the tree Sceptile was sitting in.
"Sceptile, is something wrong?" she asked concerned.
"Leave me alone." the reply sounded.
"Are you alright?" Combusken asked.
"Please go away." Sceptile replied.
Feeling defeated, she walked back to the rest of the group. She sat down and sighted, worried about her friend.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Combusken saw that Corphish had walked up to her.
"Well, I am, but I'm worried about Sceptile. He seems so distant today." she explained.
"Wouldn't you be after what he went through?" he replied.
"What do you mean? Did something happen?" Combusken asked surprised.
"Haven't you heard?" Corphish asked. "Sceptile is feeling depressed after he got cruelly dumped by a Meganium in favour of a Tropius. That is was caused his evolution."
Combusken sat shocked. Sceptile was in love? Several emotions raged through her. Happiness, because he found someone to love. Sympathy, because he was turned down. Anger, because her friend's feelings were hurt. Combusken felt another emotion, one that she holds for impossible to feel right now: jealousy.
"Hello, earth to Combusken, is anyone?" Corphish waved a pincer in front of her face. He leaped back when she jumped up. "What are you going to do?" he asked.
"I'm going to give Sceptile what he deserves." she said resolute, and marched to the tree Sceptile was sitting in. Corphish gulped.
"Uh oh, I think I killed Sceptile. I hope he forgives me… if there's something left of him to do so."
Having arrived at the tree, Combusken jumped up to the branch Sceptile was sitting on.
"Combusken, please, I need some time alone." he said, his voice sounded pained.
She sat down next to him. It broke her heart to see her friend like this. "No. You need this much harder." Combusken wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him. Sceptile did not react, his eyes remained sad. Combusken had hoped that he at least returned the hug, but he didn't. After a short while, she let go of him.
"That's it?" he asked without looking at her.
"That's it? What do you mean that's it?" Combusken asked insulted.
"Something as simple as hugging doesn't heal what I've been through." he replied without emotion.
"Maybe it helps if you hug me back, or at least look at me when we're talking!" she snapped at him. Sceptile turned his head at Combusken. What she saw almost made her fall out of the tree. His eyes were blood-ridden, the remnants of tears were on his cheeks. However, it was the look in his eyes that scared her the most. There was no emotion in them. No anger, sadness, frustration, grief; his eyes were empty.
"Have you ever loved someone?" his words were as empty as his eyes. "I mean truly, deeply loved someone? That you are willing to give everything you have for that one special person? That just being with that person makes you happier than you could ever become? I have. Unfortunately, I have paid the price. That someone means everything to you, it doesn't have to be the same the other way around. This was my mistake. She didn't love me, but him instead." Sceptile buried his face in his hands.
Combusken sat moved by his words, unable to say anything.
"What makes things worse is that I lost my ability to attack. Heartbroken and useless in combat: why am I still around?" to prove his point, he raised his arm. The blades on it glowed to a soft green hum, and faded a second later. "Useless, useless." he muttered, looking at his hands.
"That's not true!" Combusken exclaimed. "You're a nice, caring person, and this is nothing like I know you! What happened to that tough Grovyle I know and…" she left out the last word just in time, to spare his heart a little.
"He disappeared when I evolved." he looked away. "Please, Combusken, leave me. I want to be alone."
"Sceptile, I…" she put a hand on his shoulder, but he pushed her off.
"Go away!" he shouted. He immediately regretted his action, as she fell backwards off the branch. She yelled and tried to grab the branch, but missed. Her vision went black. She suddenly felt something brush her arm. Combusken immediately wrapped her arms around it, in the hope of stopping her fall, but it didn't. A shock was send through her body. Opening her eyes, Combusken saw that Sceptile had caught her in her fall, and had landed on his own feet.
"You saved me!" she pulled her wrap around his neck tighter.
"It was a short fall. You'd be bruised, at most." he said. "Sorry I yelled at you."
"It's okay." Combusken let go of him, and he put her on the ground. She had to look up to Sceptile, because he was about twice as tall as she was.
"If you need another hug, come tell me, okay?" Combusken asked. A small smile formed on his mouth, which made her feel a lot better.
"You'll be the first to know." Sceptile replied. Feeling relieved, Combusken walked back to the camp.
He jumped back into the tree. "She's really nice." he though to himself. "And cute, in a tough way, and… no." he shrugged off the thought. "If I let her into my heart, she'll only break it."
Back at the camp, Corphish informed about the fate of his friend.
"So… is there anything left of him?" he asked Combusken.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
"Well, you went to gave Sceptile what he deserved, right?" he asked. "How badly did you beat him?"
"Beat him? I wasn't about talking about hurting him!" she said back. "He needed a hug, that's all."
"A hug? That's all? The way you said it made me thing you were jealous that he fell in love with that Meganium instead of…" Combusken brought her face close to his.
"Finish that sentence, and I'll make sure you get what you deserve. And I'm not talking about a hug here…"
Corphish gulped, and quickly scuttled away.
"Hey, Combusken, do you have a moment?"
She looked up, and saw Sceptile leaning against a tree.
"Sure, what's up?" she asked.
"I want to tell you some things, but it's best to do somewhere where we won't be disturbed." he explained.
"Okay." she got up, and followed him away from the camp. When they were out of sight, he stopped.
"Right, first things first." Sceptile said. Sceptile quickly turned around, and zoomed in on Combusken. Before she could do anything, he lifted her up and hugged her. Surprised, it took her a while to realise what he was doing, and hugged him back. When he pulled back, she let go of him.
"What did I do to deserve that?" she asked with a smile.
"If I remember correctly, you hugged me once without me returning it. I figured this would make up for that time." he said.
"It does." Combusken replied. "Does this mean that the guy I know and love is back?" she asked.
"I think so. And what did you mean with that 'love' part?" Sceptile enquired.
"Nothing, I'm just happy that you're not depressed anymore." she explained. He grinned. Combusken knew what he was thinking, and put her hands on his shoulders. "You know," she said with a sweet voice. "A Flamethrower from this range would knock you out cold."
He didn't seem impressed. "I could just drop you, remember?" he said, and the grin disappeared. "But we don't want to hurt each other, right?" he added, and hugged her again. "Thanks for being there for me, Combusken." he whispered.
She put her arms around his neck. "No problem, Sceptile." Laughter disturbed the two. The looked up, and saw two Pokémon hiding in the bushes.
"Corphish, Swellow, you can come out. I can see you." Sceptile said calmly. The two walked out to the open, barely able to hold their laughter.
"Oh man, look at the two lovebirds." Swellow laughed.
"If we had been silent for a little longer, they might have started to kiss." Corphish added.
"That's not true! We're just friends!" Combusken shouted.
"If that's so, why are you holding him so passionately?" Swellow asked slyly. She realised that this was true, and let go of him.
"Well, maybe you don't like him, but he certainly likes you. Why else would he keep you in his arms like that?" Corphish grinned.
"Sceptile, put me down." Combusken said. He didn't listen, and kept looking at the two.
"Ah, you see? Sceptile loves his little Comby too much to let go. I bet he's going to kiss her." Swellow grinned.
"Why you…" she got angry, but a calm voice both interrupted and astonished her.
"You know, I might actually do that." Sceptile said calmly. Combusken looked at him as he had hit her in the face. He looked her in the eyes, and smiled. "Who am I kidding? I'll do it right now." Corphish and Swellow fell silent as they saw him kissing her on the cheek. For a second they were silent, then bursted into laughter. Sceptile pulled back, and gave a nod. Combusken nodded back, and grinned. His hands slipped down, and grabbed her by the ankles.
"Hey, what are you…" Corphish began. Combusken pushed herself away from Sceptile. He made a quick spin around his axis, and hurled her at Corphish and Swellow. Combusken managed to keep a straight flight, and readied an attack. Swellow saw the fire type zooming in at him, before being hit in the face with a Fire Punch. Combusken pulled her legs up and placed them against a tree, and propelled herself towards Corphish. Before he could dodge, a Double Kick knocked him down. Combusken landed on all fours, breathing slightly faster than normal.
"Great throw, Sceptile." she said, and got up.
"You crazy woman! What did you do that for?!" Swellow yelled.
"Actually, this was my idea." Sceptile said. "I just made it look like I kissed Combusken, but I was actually explaining my plan to get even with you guys."
"Do you really think you can just do this?!" Swellow shouted.
"Actually, we do." Combusken calmly said. She kneeled down in front of him, and looked him in the eyes. "By the way, this was just a preview of what I'll do to you if you'll ever call me Comby again." he gulped. "Good. I'm going back to the group now." she stood up, and walked to the camp. Sceptile followed her.
"Shouldn't we say something witty now?" Corphish moaned.
"Bad idea." Swellow replied.
"That was some pretty fancy fighting back there." Sceptile complimented.
"It was nothing special. You don't give me a cute nickname without getting a beating for it, that's all." Combusken shrugged.
"Note: never give Combusken a cute nickname." he said to himself. She smiled. Having arrived back at the camp, Sceptile sat down against a tree, his hands behind his head. Combusken sat down next to him.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" he said.
"Who?" she asked.
"The stars. They're like our sun, but very far away. There are a lot of them… hundreds? Thousands? Millions? Who knows?" Sceptile said, gazing upwards.
"I don't." Combusken said, and shivered. "It's cold tonight."
He raised an eyebrow. "A fire type who thinks it's cold? That's something new."
"Hey, I'm still subjected to the rules of life, just like you, Mr. Stars." she teased him.
"I know… anyway, do you see that bright star up there?" he pointed towards the sky. "The Pole Star. They say it's directly above the North Pole. If you draw a few imaginary lines, a few stars form the constellation Ursa Mayor, or the Ursaring."
"I know that. How do people associate an Ursaring with a frying pan, anyway?" she asked him.
"I don't know. I think the first humans had a lot of imagination." Sceptile shrugged. "And not too far from there, a few stars form the Ursa Minor, the Teddyursa."
"Who has roughly the same form." Combusken shivered again.
"You're not getting sick, are you?" he asked concerned.
"No, it's just cold." she said.
"Right. Anyway, there are a lot other constellations, like the Corphish, and the Serviperbearer, and…" he saw her shiver again. "Look, Combusken, if you want me to put an arm around you, you can just ask."
"What? What makes you think I want that?" Combusken asked surprised.
"Come on, it's night, we're the only two awake right now, we're looking at the stars together, all the ingredients for a touching moment." Sceptile explained.
"I think I understand what you're saying, but no, I'm just cold." she acknowledged.
"Well, in that case…" he put an arm around her. "This'll keep you warm."
She raised an eyebrow. "So, if I am the one who wanted this, why did you initiate it?"
"I just don't want you to freeze to death, that's all." he explained.
"Sceptile, really, you don't have to protect me. I can take care of myself." she said.
"Combusken, you don't have to keep that tough image up for me. I know that deep inside you, there's a cute girl who just wants to be loved." he smiled. Combusken gave him an evil look. "Okay, really deep inside." Sceptile laughed.
"Okay, if you want to have your arm around me that badly, have it your way." she sighted. "Remember one thing, though: there is nothing between us. I'm just using you as a big blanket."
He shrugged. "I can live with that."
Still, she snuggled a little closer. "Good night, Sceptile." she whispered.
"Good night, Combusken." he whispered back.
"Hey, Sceptile, do you have a moment?" Blaziken asked.
"Sure." Sceptile jumped down from the branch he was sitting on. "Alright, what's up?"
"The sky." she smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about a few things."
"About the battle? That was awesome. I feel that we both really gave everything we had. Ending in a draw: it couldn't have end better. We are really matched." he said enthusiastic.
"Yes, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. You know what's going to happen tomorrow, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, I know. Our trainers are going to part ways, and we probably won't see each other again for quite some time." he replied.
"Although that sounds overly dramatic, you're right." Blaziken sighted.
"Does it weight that heavy on you, Blaziken?" Sceptile asked.
"Hey, we've been through a lot, and have become pretty good friends. Plus…" she stepped forward and embraced him. "I want to thank you. For being there for me, for all those times you made me laugh, for saving me when I was captured… thank you."
He retuned the embrace, holing her tight against his own body. "No problem." he whispered. "By the way, there's something I would like to tell you, too."
She looked him in the eyes. "Yes?"
"I… well, how do I say this properly? Blaziken, you… no, that's not it…" he struggled with his words.
Blaziken slightly tilted her head. "Are you trying to say that…"
"It's weighting heavy on me for longer than I like…" Sceptile added, unable to find the right words.
She sighted. "Look, Sceptile, if you love me, you can just say it."
He looked surprised. "Who said anything about love? I wanted to say that you're standing on my foot."
Blaziken looked down, and saw that she was indeed standing on his foot. She quickly removed her foot from his. "I'm sorry, I…"
"It's okay. Now, what was this thing about love just now?" Sceptile asked.
"You were stuttering so much, I thought you were going to tell me that you love me." she explained.
"I see. How would you react if I had, by the way?" he asked lightly.
"How? Eh, I'd… well…" this time, it was Blaziken who had difficulties with finding the right words. He just looked her in the eyes. Her voice toned down in volume unto the point that she fell silent.
"You love me, don't you?" he asked, his voice a whisper.
"I… well… yes." she said embarrassed, and looked down.
Sceptile pushed her chin up with a gentle motion of his hand, until their eyes met again. "That's good." he smiled. "I love you too." Before Blaziken could react, he leaned forward and kissed her. She froze in place, unable to do anything else but standing in his embrace. When he backed up, she kept looking her in the eyes.
"Something wrong?" Sceptile whispered.
"I just got kissed by my best friend, that's all." she replied.
"Best friend?" he echoed, somewhat disappointed.
"Hey, I was just surprised, that's all. And by the way…" she raised a hand and gently brushed his cheek. "if you want to be promoted to boyfriend, that's okay with me."
His eyes brightened up. "Really?"
"Of course." Blaziken smiled. "On one condition though: you'll kiss me more passionate than you did the first time."
Sceptile grinned. "I think I can do that." he put a hand behind her head, and pulled her closer with his other hand, around her back. She, in turn, wrapped her arms around his neck. They both looked at each other for a moment, then kissed. They were completely different, but didn't care: they were in love, which was all that counted.
From a nearby bush, two pairs of eyes looked at the couple.
"See, I told you they were going to be all over each other tonight." Corphish whispered.
"I guess you were right." Swellow replied, but was hushed by his partner-in-crime.
"Keep it down! If they hear us, we're dead! Remember what happened last time?" he asked. Corphish looked at the lovers, but they did not hear anything. They had sat down, still holding and kissing the other. "I think we'd better leave before they start doing things we don't want to see."
"I agree." Swellow added, and the two left. Back at the couple, they had broken free from their kiss, but were still holding each other.
"Sceptile, it's a bit cold tonight, and I, well, don't want to sleep alone. Could I sleep in your arms tonight?" Blaziken asked.
"Sure, Blaziken. If you want something," Sceptile gave her a quick kiss. "you can just ask."
She smiled. "I love you." she whispered, as she closed in for another kiss.
"I love you too." he replied, and gave his girlfriend what she wanted.
The next morning, the group was about to split up. The ship, which was due to leave for Hoenn, was about to leave. Both people and Pokémon were saying goodbye to each other. Two, however, remained notably cool. In an attempt at keeping their tough images, they had decided in advance not to have a heart-breaking goodbye. They were struggling to keep their roles up, which went not unnoticed.
"Hey," Donphan whispered to Corphish. "Do you know what's wrong with Sceptile and Blaziken?"
"Yes, I do. They're in love, but they don't want to suck each other's face off with all of us watching." he replied softly.
"That makes no sense. If you love someone, you should have a passionate goodbye." Donphan whispered back.
"I know, but they think they have to keep their 'tough' appearances up for us. Futile, because we know that Sceptile is actually a big softie inside." Swellow quietly explained.
"All aboard!" a voice from the ship shouted. Most of them boarded, except for Blaziken.
"So… I guess this is goodbye?" she asked.
"For now." Sceptile replied. "Take care."
"You too." she replied. They stared each other into the eyes until the point where they couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring the rest, they flew into the other's arms, and kissed passionately. The bystanders, both human and Pokémon, didn't knew what to say. The couple ended their kiss, and looked the other in the eyes.
"I'll miss you." Blaziken whispered.
"I'll miss you too." Sceptile replied. He tried to kiss her again, but was interrupted by a voice.
"Hey, Blaziken, we're leaving!" Munchlax called out to her.
"I'm coming!" she shouted back. The lovers let go of each other, and Blaziken did a step back. With a smile and a wink, she jumped up onto the deck of the already-moving ship.
"Be careful in Johto!" he shouted after her.
"You be careful too, wherever you go!" she shouted back. As the ship left, the friends, both human and Pokémon, waved each other goodbye. Sceptile and Blaziken were the only exceptions, who just looked at each other. When the ship had moved away from the concrete pier, Sceptile crossed his arms and walked away. Looking worried, Blaziken ran to the back of the ship, leaning against the railing to see what was bothering her boyfriend. He suddenly turned around, and took a quick sprint. When he reached the end of the pier, he took a great jump, after the ship. He grabbed the railing right in front of Blaziken, and slammed against the ship itself.
"What are you doing?" she asked surprised. As an answer, he pulled himself up, so that their eyes met. He put the front of his feet on the deck, wrapped an arm around Blaziken, and kissed her. First surprised by this sudden turn of events, she put her arms around him and pulled him closer to her own body. When he pulled away, he smiled at her.
"I forgot to tell you that I love you." he whispered.
"I know. I love you too." she replied. "How are you going to get back to the rest, anyway? You can't jump far enough to land on shore in a single jump."
"Relax, I've thought of that. Now to test it…" Sceptile gave her a quick kiss, and let go of her. The orbs on his back began to glow, and he grabbed the railing with both hands. With a quick jump, he put his feet against the railing, and launched himself away from it. He did a backflip, and fell, face-first, towards the sea. The orbs on his back had reached maximum brightness, and Sceptile released the energy. Due to the power of the Solar Beam he had fired straight down, he was launched back, towards the pier. With a grunt, he landed on all fours on the hard concrete. He stood up and smiled as the water, which was blown into the air, fell back into the sea.
Blaziken smiled and shook her head. "Showoff."
"Whoa, Sceptile, that looked awesome!" Corphish complimented his friend.
"Yeah, that was amazing!" Swellow added.
"Thanks. And by the way…" the blades on his arms began to glow. "Who did you call a softie?"
"Uh…" Swellow stuttered.
"I…" Corphish gulped.
"Run, shorties, run." the two ran away at full speed, followed by an angry Sceptile.
And that's it! Please review, and keep an eye open for my other works!