Touko was walking down the road on Route 1. The same path that she, Cheren and Bianca had walked the day they started their journey; what could it be, a few months ago? Half a year? It felt like forever.
Touko gazed sideways on a couple of trees as she walked by. The leaves on the branches and on the ground had turned orange. Brown. Autumn colors. She didn't quite understand why that made her feel depressed.
Touko left the road and sat down by a calmly flowing river. The water was clear and the wind brushed the brunette's skin; it was chilly.
She pulled up her knees to her chin and hugged them, while a brown leaf slowly floated by. This caused the thoughtful Pokémon trainer to carefully lean forward and gaze down into the transparent water and see her reflection staring back at her. She didn't look too happy.
Touko sighed and laid herself on the back in the grass. She watched the clouds sail by in the sky. A few birds were flying up there. Heading south.
Touko closed her eyes. She thought of the day when they got their Starter Pokémon. She thought of Cheren and Bianca.
How long had it actually been since they started their journey? She'd felt so happy at the time. So happy… and innocent.
Ever since they were kids, Touko and her two best friends had always discussed and dreamed about the day when they would get their first Pokémon. And when they'd set out on their own adventure. Their journey… Their goals… Touko thought of how Cheren always kept going on about how he was going to become the Champion and beat all the Gym Leaders. And how Bianca always said that she wanted to know what to do in life. She wondered if she'd found the answer by now?
But what about her… what about Touko?
Did she ever discuss or question her goal? What was her goal? Her dream? She wasn't sure. Back then, all she thought of was how fun her journey was going to be, and the adventures that laid ahead; how incredible it was going to be. And it was. It really was.
She probably thought that her dream back then was to catch a lot of Pokémon… to become a strong Pokémon Trainer. She wanted to know more about Pokémon. She wanted to be friends with her Pokémon, she wanted to be acknowledged by them. Like partners. Friends. She wanted to show them that she didn't think of them as her tools.
And now she was acknowledged by them. They were not her Pokémon anymore. They were more than that. They were her friends. After all they'd been through together, they had gained each other's trust. They were happy with her. And she was happy with them. They were about the only things that comforted her when she was sad.
Touko observed a specific cloud and thought of her friends again. Cheren and Bianca. She frowned; they'd matured so much since their journey began. Touko smiled. They became rivals, though.
She thought of how she always beat Cheren in their battles; he didn't win. Not even once. In the beginning she was worried that he might dislike her for that, but she'd come to realize that it would take more than a childish game to break their bonds. At least from her perspective.
Nor did Bianca win; she'd probably not beaten Cheren either. Not yet. But they didn't get mad at her or anything. They were still friends. Right?
She felt a sting of pain in her chest. She suddenly realized how much she missed them. And the excitement of their adventure. Her journey had been so fantastic, wonderful, incredible. But now it was over.
Touko's heart sank. Everything was over? She felt a lump in her throat. Maybe it was really over…
She felt stupid, but she had to acknowledge the fact that she felt like she was on the verge of tears, and she probably would have started crying, if not someone had thrown water right into her face.
Touko flew up, alarmed, shocked, spitting and snorting, rubbing her eyes, coughing and blinking to regain her vision; she heard a boy's chuckle.
"Sorry about that, Touko. I couldn't resist"
It was Cheren.
Touko blinked the water out of her eyes.
Half of her was frustrated, half of her was relieved to see her friend. Apparently the frustration was stronger. "What the heck was that for?!" Touko hissed.
Cheren blinked. "I'm sorry, Touko, but you.. you kinda looked like you needed it."
The innocent sound in his voice seemed to calm Touko down.
"I told you it was a bad idea" said another voice before Touko got the chance to give her male friend a reply.
She turned around, confused. "Bianca!"
"Hiya, Touko!" Bianca said, with a beaming smile as she walked down the slope toward them.
Touko didn't really know what to say, except; "Why are you two here..?"
Bianca walked up to them. "No reason," she said. "Except that you've been sulking for like.." she checked her watch, "Six days, 14 hours, 54 minutes and 6 seconds."
Touko raised an eyebrow at her.
"Whoops, 8 seconds now" Bianca continued.
Touko frowned at her. "I'm not sulking," she said. "I'm just.. thinking."
She felt Cheren watching her. "Care to tell us about what?" he asked.
Since you just thew water in my face, no. Touko didn't answer.
After a few seconds, Bianca strode away to examine some brown leaves. Touko was staring at the other side of the river, and Cheren was still watching her, stubborn like always.
"I've known you for whole my life," he said, walking up to her. "And as far as I know, you have always been the one who never sulks. In fact, you're just the opposite; you're the one who's always encouraging and cheering other people up."
"Even if a friend throws water at you," Bianca pointed out innocently from where she had bent down to touch one of the leaves.
Touko didn't respond at once. But after a while, she spoke. "Have you thought about our journey lately?"
Bianca looked up. "Why?" she asked.
"Well.. We defeated Team Plasma—"
"-You defeated them" Cheren corrected her.
"—and we've visited all the Towns, and we've probably seen most of the Pokemon in our region" she continued. "It's just.." Touko bit her lip. "It feels.. like.. our journey is.. over.." Thinking it had been one thing, but saying it out loud was something else entirely. It hurt.
None of them spoke for a while.
".. You know.. I've been thinking about that too.." Cheren suddenly said, now watching the river as well.
"It just feels like.." Touko forced a smile. ".. You just want to do it all over again, right?"
Cheren smiled. "Yeah."
Bianca rose, walked over to them and positioned herself on the left side of Touko. "Me too," she said, with a somewhat dreamy voice.
They stood there, quietly, watching the river flow, for a long, long while.
"But, you know.." Cheren said. ".. I don't think our journey has ended."
Touko turned her head and looked at him. So did Bianca.
"Uh, I mean," he adjusted his glasses, "I think that.. even if we've seen all the Pokemon there is to see.. even if we've visited all the places there is to visit.. there is still.. more."
Touko blinked. "More?"
"Yes, more." Cheren repeated. "You know.. of.. life."
Silence.
When no one spoke, he continued; "All I'm saying is.. there are other regions.. other people out there.. and life itself.. it.. never ends."
He didn't face Touko or Bianca. He was watching the river, and Touko could have sworn she saw his face turn faintly scarlet. "The guts, the will... … I… I don't think your journey ends… until you want it to."
Touko stared at him. Were things like this going on inside his head? It sounded so odd coming out of his mouth. But then again, their journey had stirred both feelings as well as new thoughts in their heads; they were different from when they'd left their home.
Touko turned her head back towards the river. For some sudden and silly reason, she felt relieved. "Yes… I think you're right," she said quietly, now smiling.
Cheren blinked, but then his face was hard to read.
"Yeah, me too!" Bianca beamed.
"The journey never ends…" Touko repeated. "Not as long as I am with you two… and our Pokemon."
Bianca grabbed her hand, and Touko grabbed Cherens (he winced, but did not protest.)
The three of them stood there, watching the landscape. Bianca to the left, Cheren to the right, and Touko in the middle; just like on their first day. Always in the middle.
"And no matter what may happen.." Touko said, "we'll always be here for each other."
She could see Cheren roll his eyes in the corner of her own eye, but she didn't care,and Bianca simply continued to beam. "Of course!" she exclaimed.
"Because we are, and will always be, friends," Touko finished.
"Best friends" Bianca corrected her.
Touko giggled. "Yeah, sorry."
She turned around and looked at her friends. "Thanks, you two. I feel much better now," she said with a happy beam.
"Always there for ya," Cheren said with a cough.
Bianca giggled; "Come on! Let's go to Nimbasa City and ride the Ferriswheel!" and with that, she let go of Touko's hand and took off, waving her arms at her friends that she kind of left behind.
Cheren sighed, but with a smile. "Why not? And we can have our rematch there as well," he said as he walked towards the road, following the impatient Bianca.
Touko nodded, and then turned to watch the sky one last time; the leaf that had been floating on the water surface had lifted again, and it was now sailing up in the sky, towards the distant clouds.
That's right. Touko smiled. Our journey isn't over.