~Chapter One~

The lively beach house was alive with laughter, girls showing off their summer skin, Water Pokemon swimming in the indoor water hole, and the occasional roar of a indoor water battle.

"Yellow! Take the shaved ice to that table over there," called Blue.

"Coming!" said Yellow, her long blond hair pulled back in the usual ponytail. As she walked to the table, she self consciously pulled her white t shirt down to cover as much of her legs as possible.

All the waitresses wore a white t-shirt with the store name and brightly colored shorts. It was a nice outfit, but Yellow sometimes wished the shorts were a little longer.

It was uncomfortable to wear and it only made her stick legs look worse when compared to the other waitresses who were all much more better looking than her. It was said that this beach house hired people based on looks, but Yellow was still unsure about that based on the fact she was an employee.

On the other hand, all of the other waitresses were as pretty as the busty shapely Blue and of course, the fact remained that . . . Red was working here, too.

And Red was so handsome and so toned, his muscular arms only accentuated by the black bro tank he wore on the job. Yellow smiled dreamily to herself, narrowly getting missed by a jet of water from a feisty Squirtle.

Opps. She became so out of it-Red liked to tease her that she was always living in her own little "Yellow World"-that she forgot to look out for the battling water Pokemon.

The restaurant, situated on the beach, was a famous spot for Pokemon Water battles, which attracted tons of customers both spectators and Water Pokemon trainers-including the famous red headed Misty. Who at the moment was flirting with the cheerful, always friendly Red.

Yellow sighed sadly looking at the happy pair. They looked like a real couple. If only she was as good as talking to boys as Blue or Misty. But being as shy was she was . . . She'd probably never get a boyfriend. Especially not someone like Red . . . He would never see her in a romantic light unless he suddenly developed a liking for awkward, clumsy blond girls who were often mistaken for middle schoolers when they were actually high school juniors.

Her childhood friend Lance had once told her not to worry about Red's feelings.

"Boys are simple creatures, really." Lance had said after listening to Yellow's worries.

"But you're a boy, too-"

"I'm a man!" he said. Yellow laughed at this. He was seven years older than her but he always seemed like a peer to her. "On a more serious note," he continued, "boys are easily impressed by the most simplest and arbitrary things-like vibrant red hair . . . a pretty face . . . or a nice body."

"But in the end, mistaking this feeling for love . . . Is not the right way to go around getting a girlfriend. And they will eventually realize this."

But Lance was probably just being nice to her. Blue's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Hey Yellow, can you bring this to that table over there?" asked Blue.

Yellow glanced over at the table which held a large group of tall, good looking boys who were constantly yelling out to the passing waitresses. It was the only table with boys seated at it.

"Oh no!" She cried. "I can't do that! You know I can't talk to boys!"

"Oh come on," said Blue impatiently. "You're going to have to learn someday! Stop being so shy-"

Yellow gingerly reached out for the large platter of food, but then Red reached out and took it gallantly. She jumped with shock at seeing him appear so suddenly. Blue tsked and Yellow's face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's ok Yellow," said Red with a smile. "I can take it. You don't have to worry. Here, take over my table." He gestured to a table with a few girls sitting by it.

Yellow smiled gratefully up at him. Of course Red would offer to help. He was so nice. "Th-thanks Red," she said. Blue let out a huff of annoyance.

"Red, you might as well let her take it. She needs to talk to boys other than only you and Green!"

Red just smiled neutrally and said, "It's ok if Yellow's a little quiet. She's Yellow, after all. She's great the way she is." Yellow blushed. Red was such a gentleman to say those things about a girl he didn't like. She didn't notice how Red's cheeks reddened as if knowing he may have said more than he meant to.

"And it's no trouble." He hurried over to the table before Blue could start nagging him again.

Blue glared after him. She knew she was being a little mean by picking on Yellow, but she couldn't help it. Not when Red came to her rescue.

It was a little sad that Blue could be so jealous of such a plain, sweet girl like Yellow and so mean when she saw Red and Yellow interacting-but there was no choice in the matter. Blue knew Red and Yellow had good chemistry . . . And she always wondered how long it would take before they'd start dating.

But she didn't want this to happen. She had to interfere before it was too late. Because she wanted Red, too. She wanted all of his attention and love.

Unfortunately, this meant she would let her selfishness and jealousy take over her actions when dealing with Yellow.
And she would never let the oblivious Yellow know of Red's obvious feelings for her . . .

FROM RED'S POINT OF VIEW (REWIND OF LAST FIVE MINUTES)

Red passed the table with a group of loud senior boys laughing and jostling each other. His friendly smile suddenly disappeared as he listened to their conversation.

"Hey," said a moderately handsome boy with brown hair. "Don't you think that blond girl's cute?" The other boys started to check Yellow out.

"Yeah, she really is. I kind of like her better than the other girls here," said a tall boy with elegantly high cheekbones.

"Let's call her over," said another boy who was awfully tan and muscular.

Red quickly walked over to Yellow and Blue who were arguing over who would deliver the plate of food to the seniors. "I'll take it to them Yellow," he said smiling widely.

His smile decreased somewhat as he walked to the boys' table debating whether or not he should spit in their food for even looking at Yellow.

All loves bring out selfishness to a certain degree in others.

High School Underclassman

Number one again. Crystal smiled satisfactorily as she looked at the latest test results.

"Of course Crystal sets the curve!"

"Gosh, Crystal can't you ever get a B once in your life? It'd make everything so much easier for us!"

Crystal laughed, hearing the usual compliments directed toward her.

Crystal was probably one of the most hardest working students in the school.

She always got the best scores in almost all of her classes and everyone knew about how she was helping carry out a small research project with the esteemed Proffesor Oak although she was only in high school. And she wasn't only brains, she was also athletic. She was the best capturer in the school and renowned in the surrounding areas and was often hired to capture particularly dangerous pokemon. She wasn't a bad battler. To top that all off, she even had a babysitting job.

So people liked calling her a superwoman. Or perfect. They saw a image and took it for granted that Crystal was more than a person, more than a normal average teenager girl.

But Crystal really wasn't. She prided herself on being a perfectionist but at the same time, wished she could have fun and take some time just to relax.

There were so many things people didn't know about Crystal. She liked shopping. She wanted to wear dresses and let her blue hair down. She wished for a best friend to laugh and gossip with. She preferred a shoujo manga to a classic novel any day. She believed in true love. She hated homework. She was embarrassed by middle school memories of boys calling her the 'beast' for her toned legs and killer mode when capturing. She wasn't perfect.

She was just hardworking, that's all. And that hardworking always came with a price.

That price included friends, sadly. The bell rang and everyone grabbed their bags to go to the next class. Crystal sat up and was about to get out of her chair when the window next to her desk suddenly opened and out dropped a jet black haired boy who literally crashed into Crystal.

She was knocked out of her seat by the force of his fall and she screamed. The boy fell down with her, pining her to the ground with his hands. He immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.

Crystal had inadvertently shut her eyes. Attacking in broad daylight! Why wasn't anyone helping her? What should she do . . . If he was a murderer-

"Am I late?" Gold asked in a harsh whisper. Crystal opened her eyes.

The hazy golden eyes of Gold who was only inches away.

"Gold!" Crystal yelled. "Fourth period just ended! You are so out of it!"

She tried getting up, but Gold was still positioned above her. She blushed, seeing how his hands held her arms to each side and how close his face was; she could feel his body heat.

"Get off!"

Gold finally pried himself off of her and offered her a cheeky grin and a hand. Crystal slapped his hand out of the air and sat up.

"Don't start nagging me," said Gold. He adopted a mock kid voice. "I'm sorry Mother! I really am!"

"Are you ever going to stay a whole day at school?" Crystal, asked exasperatedly.

Gold laughed. "Sorry, I'm not as dedicated as you or as smart and-"

"Oh shut up! I told you that kind of talk won't work with me," Crystal said.

Gold flashed her one of his famous half grins, the one that made all the girls blush but Crystal kept her face blank.
"Lighten up Super Serious Gal! This is why you'll never get a boyfriend."

Crystal glared at him, why did he have to always find her weak spot? "I don't need a boyfriend." She tried pulling her bag on her shoulder with much difficulty due to the fact it was packed with about ten books, it was a wonder her bag didn't break someday, what with it defying the laws of physics.

Gold sighed. "Here, let me carry your bag."

"No way! I don't need your help for anything-" she said buckling under the weight of like, a Purugly.

Gold snatched it away from her and nearly dropped it. "Whoa! Heavy!"

"I told you-" Crystal tried grabbing it from him.

"And I'm telling you to stop. Seriously, you may collapse one day." He moved his face close to hers, laughing when seeing her flinch, and flicked her forehead. "You work too hard."

Crystal smiled slightly and let him take the bag. True, Gold was a flirt, a open pervert, and an idiot but he was always there for her.

A lot of girls in class were jealous of Crystal because Gold and her spent a lot of time together, but she knew they were overreacting. They had nothing to be jealous of.

Gold didn't see her in a romantic way. There was no way. He just liked teasing her to see her reaction.

But like all people, Gold overestimated her. She was a teenage girl, not the mature, dignified front she liked to display to the public. She was just as susceptible to his charms as every other girl.

MEANWHILE

Freshman Sapphire sat moodily in her battle class, usually her favorite period of the day, watching her classmates exclaim over choosing their partners for the practice battle.

She sighed. For some reason, everyone stayed clear of Sapphire. Was it because she was easily the strongest person in the class? Or was it because her fierceness and aggressive actions scared people off?

Probably the latter, she thought sadly. She tapped Ruby, her red eyed seat partner who she often argued with, on the shoulder and asked him, "Do you think I'm unlike able?"

"Definitely yes," Ruby said immediately.

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I," he said, concentrating on poking a needle in a pink button. She glared at him.

"Why don't you choose a different color than pink?" She asked him, trying to give him a hint.

"It's magenta!" He said. "Not pink! How do you not know that?"

Sapphire rolled her eyes. So what?
Pink is pink. But maybe that was a wrong thought for her to have . . .

"Do you think I should be more feminine?" She asked. "Maybe people would like me more if I wasn't so . . . crude."

Ruby's red eyes narrowed. He finally looked at her seriously.

"Be yourself," Ruby said simply. Sapphire stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

He continued, "Take it from me. My dad spent all his life trying to make me someone I'm not. And the only thing I learned from that is I definitely do not want to be his ideal gym leader's son and will never be."

He absentmindedly tugged on his white beanie. "Even if you make more friends . . . Is it really worth it to bend for them? Do you want to have someone like a false picture of you?"

Sapphire stared at Ruby who continued to sew a dark pink (no, sorry, magenta) button on his sweater and decided to re evaluate her opinion of him.

Ruby wasn't exactly a popular guy. True, he had more admirers (mostly girls and the odd boy) than most people-but she was probably one of his only real friends.

Ruby was popular in the way people flocked around an artist. He was an individual. He was creative. He didn't care that boys thought he was weird for being president of the fashion club or taking videos of his Pokemon or fleeing from the battle arena-he really didn't care what people thought about him.

Ruby looked up and caught Sapphire staring with surprise at him.

"That doesn't mean I like your attitude or the way you act or anything!" He yelled with a small blush on his face.

"Oh, shut up," she said, kicking his chair and almost knocking him over. She could've really laid him flat on the ground like the way she did when other girls tried flirting with him under her watch, but this time, she didn't.

Love, she thought slightly bemused. Love was the only force that could make a girl love a boy with magenta colored buttons on his sweater.

Love is random, unpredictable, and sometimes stupid.

But once it hits you, nothing else matters anymore.

Note: I'm going to try to add Green and Silver in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading! :)