Hello readers! If this little story caught your attention, I hope you're not totally regretting clicking on it! This is my first Oldrivalshipping story ever, so don't flame.(Flaming gets you nowhere) Oldrivalshipping is pretty much the only pairing that I'm disclosing to you…..for now.
Enjoy!
Italics= inner thoughts
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or else Leaf would actually be a recurring character in the show.
The sun sets and gives an orangish glow to my very plain room. I can't help but sigh. Summer hasn't even started yet and I'm already bored; every single year is the same as the last, making every thing seem like one big blur.
Beeping comes from my computer. I turn from my window and plop myself down in my chair. I click Accept and almost immediately I see Marina's face and her black pigtails. She's my best friend that lives in Sevii Islands.
You're probably confused, right? I was born in Pallet Town, but Dad got a job promotion that required us to move to the Sevii Islands when I was seven. We only lived there a year before Mom got homesick and moved back. I went with her, of course. What I didn't know at the time was that Mom and Dad decided to divorce because both refused to move back. The thing I don't understand, though, is how they still had feelings for one another (and still do oddly enough) but divorced anyway. Mom got custody of me for most of the year. Dad only got to keep me from July to September. So you can pretty much guess that I'm a lot closer to Mom.
"Hiya!" Marina's in a super cheerful mood today. She's so bubbly that I'm always half-expecting her to be able to use the move bubble-beam. You can get how bubbly she is by the way I used "bubbly" so many times.
"Hey." I'm smiling slightly.
"School's almost over and, guess what?" She starts giggling.
"What?" I echo.
She comes closer to her screen, cupping her hand over her mouth as she whispers, "I think Jimmy's going to ask me out soon!"
"Great!" I'm happy for her, I really am. But I'm also envious. I cast a wistful glance out the window to the house next door.
Marina catches this look. "Don't worry, I'm sure when you come over, we'll find you someone too."
I feel heat in my cheeks. "I am not jealous that you're going to have a boyfriend."
"Suuuurre. You definitely do not have a thing for Gary Oak." She gives me a coy wink.
If my face wasn't red before, it definitely was now. "I do NOT have a crush on Gary!" I deny a little too loudly. Whoops. Maybe I should have closed my window.
"Hmmmm….let's see." Marina pretends to be deep in thought, "You mention him all the time, 'Gary won the Kanto Region Geography Bee', 'Gary's such a jerk!', and 'Gary always thinks that he's so smart!' 'Gary was spotted with yet another cheerleader today'!" She's mimicking me and all the times I went on what she calls a "Gary Rant". She continues this for several minutes, while I'm sitting there wondering how she could've remembered all of this to last over this twenty minutes.
"So?" I counteract after I can't take it anymore.
"So you obviously have a crush on him." She squeals.
"Marina, I'd rather be shocked by a million Pikachu's then like Gary."
"Liar, Liar, Your face is on fire!" she sings.
I see an opening for a topic change so I take it. "It's 'Liar, Liar, pants on fire', Marina."
She giggles some more. "Yeah, but, one: you're not wearing pants ,and two: you're face is redder than a Pikachu's cheeks."
"See?" Marina takes out the compact mirror that she always carries around and holds it up to her screen.
She's right; my face would put any rose to shame.
"Whatever!" I roll my eyes.
"Any who, I can't wait for you to come over here so we can double date!" Marina's high pitched squeal almost breaks my ears.
"Just one problem." I interject.
This seems to bring her back down to earth. "What?"
"I don't have a boyfriend." I point out, "And I'm not going to be third-wheel on your date."
Marina makes a face, "You're right. I mean, how are we going to convince Gary to go to the greatest vacation spot ever?" She's using sarcasm and I hate it.
"Okay, Okay." I admit, "Chances are, he might go. But not because I'm going to ask him."
"What! You should totally ask him!" She advises.
"It's not that easy, Marina." I argue.
"Sure it is! Just say, 'Hey, I think you're cute. Wanna spend the rest of the summer with me on the Sevii Islands?'"
"Marina!" I protest.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttt?" She's obviously back in Lala town.
"There are several complications." I start.
"Like what?" she demands, putting her hands on her hips.
"One," I list off on my finger, "I'm not pretty enough to be in Gary's league."
"Not true!" she interrupts.
Rolling my eyes, I continue, "Two, I have the social grace of a Metapod."
"….They evolve into Butterfrees…" she suggests weakly.
Even she can't deny that I have issues talking to other people. Some sort of shyness takes over me that enables me to somehow always be a bystander. Many think that I can't even speak. That I was just some poor, unfortunate girl born inaudible. A bonus is that teachers don't call on me; but then again, I barely have any friends, so I actuallydo my homework.
"Three, he totally hates me." I finish.
Marina is shocked. "He- he…hates you?"
I shrug in response.
"B-but…..I remember when I first met you, you used to go on and on about your friends at home."
I let her keep talking as I duck my head in shame. The last thing I need is for one of my only friends to think I was a complete loser.
"T-that Ketchup kid and Gary, right?"
I inwardly laugh at the strange nickname she unknowingly just gave Ash. It's also totally coincidental that Ms. Ketchum has to have, like, a million ketchup bottles.
"I dunno, Marina. He's been ignoring me. He's never talked to me in the course of eight years."
"Seven." She automatically corrects, "You aren't sixteen yet."
"The point is, I have no connection to him whatsoever. So you should seriously stop pairing us up together in that devious mind of yours."
"Me? Devious?" She laughs.
"Yeah, you." I join in.
Marina couldn't be deceitful enough to save her own life.
"Leaf." Her voice is quiet now.
"Hmmm?" I'm startled at the change.
"Promise me that you'll get a boyfriend before you get here. Really promise me." She's switched tactics. She knows that serious Marina will get me every time. Not only that, but I hate it when people beg.
"Fine" I sigh, "I promise that I'll have a boyfriend."
"Good!" she chirps, rapidly switching her mood. "Have fun watching the meteor shower with your Mom!"
"And who knows," she adds, "Gary may actually talk to you! You did tell me that it's one of the biggest gatherings of the year!"
She signs off cheerfully before I bang my head on the desk, groaning.
Leaf Green, what were you thinking?
A few hours later, Mom and I are lying on a hill, waiting for the meteor shower to begin. We're not the only ones on the hill with picnic blankets and telescopes. Not too far from us are the Oaks. Professor Oak is setting up this huge telescope up while Daisy's spreading out their food. Gary's standing off to the side moodily for some reason.
"Go on." Mom nudges me, "Go ahead and talk to Gary."
"MOM!" I hiss embarrassedly. She still thinks that Gary and I are BFF's, just like we were back before I moved to Sevii Islands. If it's one thing that she and I both don't understand, it's how much Gary and I's relationship changed in the course of a year.
I guess Gary hears Mom or something because he looks over at us. Smirking like the jerk he is…
…Okay, I won't deny it; his smirks always send shivers down my spine and his beautiful green eyes stirs up the Butterfrees and Venomoths in my stomach. But that doesn't mean that I like him….right? He is the complete jerk who ignored me for eight years.
Gary walks over and my heart starts racing. What is he doing?
"Hello Ms. Green" he bobs his head out of respect for my Mom.
She smiles in return and elbows me. She thinks she's right as always.
"Leaf." He acknowledges me.
"Gary." I attempt to greet him but my voice gets caught in my throat. As a result, I end up squeaking.
Gary and Mom both give me a weird look.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Mom pats my back with one hand and feels my forehead with the other.
"Mom." I hiss through clenched teeth. My face heats up. Way to go Leaf, if you weren't unpopular before, you totally are Queen of the Dorks now.
"Hmm…your face is red. Maybe you're coming down with something." She takes her hands away to get into the classical thinking pose.
"I'm fine." In an attempt to actually convey my voice, I shout loud enough that everyone else on the hill can hear me.
Daisy comes to my rescue, "Leaf, why don't you come over here? I'm pretty sure that some food will make you feel better."
I nod hollowly and hastily walk over to her picnic blanket.
"Hello, Leaf." Professor Oak says as he bends over the telescope with a wrench.
"Hmmm….mechanics was never much of my thing…." He mutters, scratching his head.
"Maybe I can help." I offer. Dad could fix anything, and I picked up a few things over the years.
"Be my guest, Leaf" he chuckles, "Though you may run into some issues."
I say nothing as I head over and take the wrench from his hand. I kneel down because I'm half aware that I'm wearing a too-short skirt (five inches above the knee)…..well, at least for my standards. Gary isn't known as a pervert, but in my book, 'player 'is a synonym to 'pervert'.
Professor Oak leaves to have a chat with Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother. Bill (the creator of the Pokémon storage system) comes over, and in no time, he has Daisy swooning over him as he talks about …whatever he's talking about.
I feel eyes on me, and I begin to lose focus as I become self-conscious.
"You're doing it wrong."
I'm startled and drop the wrench.
Gary couldn't have actually spoken to me….
Turning, I see Gary walking closer to me and…..
….picking up the wrench.
He kneels down right next to me and begins to unscrew the mistakes I had made while I was distracted.
For some reason, I'm irritated. It's almost every day that Gary decides that he just has to flaunt that he's better than me. That he actually got somewhere in the Indigo League. I probably would have never seen his face again if the Elite Four of all the regions hadn't decided that all Pokémon trainers and coordinators needed more formal education and should, therefore, go to high school in their hometowns; Gary and I wouldn't have to spend almost every day together in almost every frickin class if it wasn't for Bruno, Agatha, Lance, and Lorelei.
"I got it." I say curtly. "Here," I add as I hold out my hand expectantly.
He gives me a blank look before reluctantly giving it back.
I set off to work, resolute in showing him that I was just as capable as he was. The determination I was feeling made me temporarily forget the usual shyness I feel around Gary and…well, everyone else. Almost as if this energy brought back this me that was buried deep behind years of loneliness.
At some point, the screw doesn't seem to be budging. Gary, who was still watching me (and invading my personal space, as I might add), puts a warm hand around mine and turns the screw in. I forget to breathe for a few minutes and my vision blurs.
"T-thanks," I breathe out after I realize that that was the last screw. I was finished with Professor's telescope and there was no need for me to stick around anymore.
His hand's still on mine. Why is he…?
It seemed that the fact that he was still touching me occurred to him. He draws his hand back like he was burned by a Charmander.
For some reason, I'm offended, relieved, and sad at the same time.
"So…how have you been?" I look at the ground.
"So-so." He shrugs in response.
"Great" I awkwardly laugh.
"What were you doing before we were required to attend PTSA?" He asks, trying to make conversation.
PTSA is what we call our high school (Pallet Town School of Academics).
"Ummm….. nothing much….." I'm embarrassed to mention that I didn't get anywhere.
His eyebrows furrow. "You had to have been doing something. "
"I-I was…." I say haltingly.
"What was it?" He prods me. Obviously he only wanted to know so he could rub the fact that he was better in my face. Everyone knows that the pride of Pallet Town is Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum.
"I was aiming to be a top Pokémon trainer." I confess.
"Then what happened?" His questions are starting to get on my nerves.
"I wasn't good enough, okay?" I snap.
He says nothing at all and silence envelops the air until Bill and Daisy squeeze between us.
"Look over there!" Bill shouts excitingly.
We all follow his finger and see a bunch of shooting stars.
"Make a wish!" Daisy cheerily reminds as she closes her eyes shut.
Gary and Bill shut there eyes too, before I decide that one wish wouldn't hurt.
I wish my summer will be totally eventful.
Will Leaf get her wish? What will happen in the course of time before she goes to Sevii Islands? Why didn't Leaf make it to the Indigo Plateau? Of course, I know because I'm the author. But getting your minds running would be totally fun.
Just to clarify, Leaf only refers to Kanto/Johto Region Pokémon because those are the only regions that she's been to.
There will be more characters, guaranteed. Oldrivalshipping isn't the only pairing in this story (though it IS the main one). Each chapter will be from a different character's point of view (that means that there will only be one P.O.V each chapter).
I'd like to know what you think of this story so far. One thing you should know though (This is especially for you, future haters of my stories). I WILL ALWAYS CONTINUE MY STORY, NO MATTER WHAT. I MAY TAKE A LONG TIME TO UPLOAD, BUT I WILL NEVER DISCONTINUE MY STORIES.
Please give your comments, opinions, and suggestions!