The first thing I notice when I reach the top of those stairs is the fortunate absence of Calem. Thank Arceus he's not here- I've had enough of him. In fact, I shall celebrate by standing in his precious spot and see why the hell he likes that spot by the bench so much. I go there and all I can see is houses and trees- a shitty view for a shitty rival. Makes sense I guess. Maybe he thinks he owns the bench; well in that case, he sucks. Speaking of that bench, a small white glint flapping in the breeze catches my eye. I decide to investigate- after all, paper instead of Calem seems suspicious- not that I care whether anything happens to him or not: only someone who actually cares would care about that. I pick up the paper and hold it up to investigate. It's a note written in a very neat cursive way. This can't be for me, right? I decipher the text struggling a bit since I'm not used to such neat handwriting:

Tari, I have thought about you a lot recently- especially what happened to you yesterday.
I have decided that you need plenty of space and time to recover, so I'm not in my usual
area today. I will be here tomorrow, however, so there's no need to miss me. If you need
me, I'll be around Kalos somewhere. It's going to be okay, trust me- we're neighbors after all.
Seriously though, I genuinely want the best for you.

Best wishes, Calem

Shit.

Oh god.

He actually really does care for me; he took his own time to write me that note. And he signed it with more than just an initial. Holy shit- his penmanship is on point as well. Why is he so perfect all of a sudden? First it's his hands, now it's his handwriting. And worst of all, I genuinely can't say that I'm better at writing than him. Seriously, If our roles were reversed, I would write a note like this:

Not here- somewhere else.
T

This doesn't mean I love him though- it's more like jealousy: I want to write like that, but I failed school, so that's kinda not possible. After all, I don't want anyone to know that I can't spell even if it was a life or death situation. Okay, I can spell some words, but that's about it.
"I'm illiterate and proud." I say to nobody in particular. Okay, I can read, but I can't write well. Surely that counts towards illiteracy?

Anyway, the point is, Calem's not here, therefore I'm free to train Mr Gardevoir and catch the best Ditto without him interfering. And I can exercise for once in my life since I put Rayquaza in the PC and all. Experiencing a fresh sense of determination, I get my green bike out of my bag and cycle all the way to the Pokemon Village, where Dittos live: lovely little lilac blobs of joy. Ah, Dittos- just thinking about them is so calming. Literally: imagine a wide grassy expanse with no sounds except the happiness of many little lilac Dittos as they play and sleep and socialise and just have a good time. Basically a Flaafy meadow or a Miltank meadow but with Dittos. Of course, the best meadow would be a Garchomp meadow- Garchomps are so cool and powerful and yet they still know how to have a good time! Especially my one.

I'm now in the Pokemon Village and it smells like nature (as usual). This beautiful meadow with its flowery long grass just calls out to me. It says: "Tari, get your ass in that grass- there's Dittos to catch!" Damn right there are; there's also Mr Gardevoir, my Gardevoir that I actually bred from Diantha's gift Gardevoir myself- no wonder trading involved whatsoever. I'm proud of my Gardevoir- he has so much character even though I rarely take him out of my PC. Right from the beginning, he was always a bit sassy and he really wanted to be a Gallade, but I kept him as a Gardevoir so that he could keep his part-fairy typing, which is notorious for having an advantage to dragon types. Of course, this balances out my team, therefore Mr Gardevoir is the perfect pokemon to train- he's also around the same level as the Dittos around here.

"This is fine. So fine." I say as I let Mr Gardevoir and Garchomp out (just in case, you know).
Mr Gardevoir opens his little mouth in awe as he takes in his surroundings.
"Oh yeah," I say, "you haven't been here before, Mr Gardevoir. This is the Pokemon Village. Nice, huh?"
He lets out a sound of approval as he continues to take in his surroundings. Garchomp, on the other hand, is restless; he wants to explore.
"Alright, you can go off on your own. Have a good one."
Garchomp nuzzles with delight and walks off towards the river. I watch as he hitches a ride on a Lapras and goes to the other side. Satisfied with his journey, I immediately go back to Ditto catching with Mr Gardevoir, who knows what his surroundings look like now.

The first Ditto's so happy and playful that I do not catch him. After all, why would I want to imprison such a happy little pokemon? Okay, maybe if it were a Chespin I would, but it's a little Ditto, so no. As I let this Ditto get on with what it was doing before, Garchomp comes running to me.
"Garchomp! Garchomp! Garchomp!" he's being a little attention seeker, just like me sometimes.
"What is it? You wanna show me something?"
He smiles and nods enthusiastically, leading the way to whatever it is he's found.

Across the river on Raphael we go, showing Mr Gardevoir even more of his surroundings...

Then through long purple grass, where there are less Dittos...

To the thing Garchomp wants to show us: a big brown gazebo with an equally brown mat where Snorlaxes usually sleep. However, this one was empty.
"Ah," I said, seeing the space, "you wanted to show Mr Gardevoir a place he can relax when he wants to?"
But Garchomp shakes his head and points to the gazebo.
"What is it?" I ask him as I take a closer look "There's nothing- oh god why would you show me that?" Suddenly, I am overtaken with a burning feeling from inside my body. It's coming back- yesterday's feeling. It's somewhat less intense but it's still there.
"Garchomp..."

It's him. Calem. I thought I was free today, but I guess I'm wrong now.

"Garchomp, why?"

No. Not again. My body's going to be stuck and I'm going to panic.

"Garchomp, I..." I thought I could trust him. Seriously, doesn't he know- oh wait he didn't see what happened. Of course he doesn't know.

Now Mr Gardevoir's by his side, and that's when I realise he's asleep. At least he's not fully conscious. That's good, I guess. That means it's easier for me to put on my strong act and be near him without freaking out. Garchomp's looking in my direction, then at Mr Gardevoir and Calem, then me again. He wants me to go there with Mr Gardevoir and be strong. I raise my hands and go there, sweat starting to pour from my forehead with each step.

Mr Gardevoir turns to me and moves aside. He lets out a quiet sound of reassurance- clearly he senses my tension. I nod my head in understanding, bracing myself as I kneel down, next to Calem's outstretched arms and his relaxed hands. I decide to properly look at him for once: His slightly crooked fingers are curled towards his peaceful sleeping face; his slightly thin arms are spread on the floor towards me; his mouth is slightly open and I can hear the gentle rhythm of his breathing; his lips are presumably soft like his skin (I mean, it is Calem after all). His eyes are shut and his eyelids are fluttering ever so slightly; his black hair falls over a part of his face, covering his cheek. His shoulders are relaxed and his stomach gently rises and falls in time with his breathing; his legs are bent slightly and his slender pale feet are bare. I notice his boots by his bag, which is literally right next to me. In conclusion, he's beautiful when he's asleep. I'm sweating now; yet at the same time I have a warm feeling within. Warmth not heat- that's an improvement. I decide to run my fingers along his palms- just a bit. After all, he does have nice skin. I trace each individual line, caressing his smooth skin as I do so. Okay, maybe my skin isn't so superior after all- just like my writing. Crap: that's two things he's better at than me, having soft skin and perfect writing. Jealousy, not love.

I would stay with him for longer, but I'm not in love with him, so what's the point? After all, he's still the same weak rival as he usually is, despite his calming gentle beauty. Before I leave though, I find some paper in my bag and write him a little note. Short and simple, because why the hell would I write a proper one when I'm so bad at spelling and I don't love him.

Found you sleepyhead

I place it by his boots and stand up. I turn to Garchomp and Mr Gardevoir and solemnly lower my head in gratitude. Especially to Garchomp. I owe him one.
"Garchomp?" Garchomp seems to be asking me if I liked his present.
"Yes. I surprisingly liked that- don't get any ideas though! I'm definitely not in love with him. Come on now, we can get a Ditto another time."
We let Calem sleep and leave the Village, heading back to my hotel room.