"I guess I'll have to leave it at that for now."
Bianca sat daydreaming on a nearby bench. She wondered if Hilda or Cheren gave any real thought to what she had said to them before they took off.
"The way those two act, they're like a couple in love." She giggled, resting her cheek in her hand, "I wonder if I could… hehe, probably not. But it would be fun to imagine!"
Her eyes came across a small bookstore placed at the corner of the gravel road, "Hmm…. I wonder if…" She stood up and walked down the trail and into the modest building.
She was politely greeted by a woman seated at the front desk, "Welcome to Driftveil Bookstore."
"Excuse me…" Bianca approached, "Do you have any books about romance?"
"Are you talking about romance novels or celebrity love lives?"
"No, I'm talking about advice books on dating and relationships."
"Ohhhh!" The lady realized, "Yes, we do. If you go to the upper right corner, there'll be a shelf labeled romance. What you're looking for should be there."
"Oki doki! Thanks!"
Bianca hurried to where she directed her and sure enough, there was a self with a sign hanging off the top reading, 'ROMANCE'.
The bookshelf had three rows and looked to be at least six feet in width, giving her a lot of books to choose from. As she slowly strolled down the aisle, her eyes scanning the books; she came across a small section of the bookshelf that was locked up, restrained behind glass doors.
She looked through the glass doors, "Why is this part locked up?"
Her question was quickly answered by some of the covers and titles of the books. She blushed intensely at the sight of them, "Well that's definitely not what I'm looking for…" and walked away.
Finally she spotted what she was looking for, "Aha! Here's something."
She pulled out a bulky book titled, 'Dating and Relationships: Your Universal Guide.'
"Gosh this book is heavy…" It was so weighty that she had to sit at a nearby table to scan it over.
As Bianca looked through the book, she became more and more satisfied, "Wow… this is the best book ever!" She flipped through a few more pages before deciding, "This is it, this is what I need!"
She stood, heaved the book in her arms, and headed to the front desk.
The same woman acknowledged her, "Did you find what you were looking for miss?"
"I sure did!" Bianca happily affirmed, "I would like to buy this!"
She tried to lay it gently on the table, but it had slipped out of her hands and slammed on the desk with a loud bang. Everyone in the bookstore went quiet.
The lady giggled, "Careful sweetie." And scanned the book.
Bianca smiled and nervously giggled, "Sorry…"
Back outside, Bianca was lugging her newly bought book in her arms, "Who knew dating books would be so expensive! Oh well, it'll be totally worth it! I just know it!"
Clutching the book, she ran to the Pokemon Center to start reading.
"Okay, I'll need to start reading the 'finding out if two are compatible' part to start off. Then the next time I see Hilda I'll..."
When the automatic doors to the Pokemon Center opened, she was surprised to see Cheren in line to have his Pokemon healed!
"Oh no! Cheren's here! Okay, he hasn't seen me yet... and it looks like he'll be occupied for a bit. I'll just sneak over here..."
She sat at a vacant table and quickly flipped through the book, "Come on where is it... ah! Here we are! Okay, let's see..."
The page she landed on read,
True love and romance is never easy territory to tread on, but with these guidelines, you'll have more confidence in dealings with your crush!
#1. Ask yourself, am I compatible with my beloved? Do we get along? Are they my type?
"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Is Bianca actually reading?" Cheren surprised her.
"Ah Cheren!" Bianca startled, "Um... of course I'm reading!"
"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day." He sarcastically said, "So, what are you reading?" He gently pushed beside her to get a closer look.
"Wait I'm not done yet!" She tried to protest, but he persisted. He was shocked at what he saw, "A dating book? What are you reading a dating book for?"
"Uh..." Bianca didn't want to spoil anything... yet.
"Don't tell me...Are you... interested in somebody Bianca?"
"Not exactly..." She quietly replied.
This confused Cheren, "What are you reading this for then?"
"Um... Curiosity?" Bianca thought of, "Yeah! That's it! I'm just curious because... I never really... had much experience with dating so I wanted to... maybe get a view on what it's like."
Cheren gave her a look that told her he didn't believe her, he answered, "Whatever you say." and started to leave.
Bianca shut the book and stuffed it into her bag, which proved to be a bit of a struggle, she hurried next to Cheren, "So where's Hilda?"
"At the gym last I saw. She probably challenging Clay right now."
"Okay, say Cheren?"
"Hm? What?"
"On the topic of my research... what kind of girls do you like?"
Cheren's cheeks glowed pink, "Huh? You mean like, what I'm attracted to in a girl?"
Bianca smiled and softly answered, "Yes. Like, let's say you have a crush on a girl. What would she be like?"
His face reddened further, "Honestly... I don't say I know. I guess she would have a bold personality."
"Hilda has a bold personality." Bianca gave herself a small silent victory.
"Uh... Bianca? You aren't planning anymore scheming are you?" Cheren voiced his suspicions, referring to what had happened earlier.
She reassured him, "No Cheren, you got the message across. I absolutely and completely get the hint. This is entirely for curiosity purposes." Then thought to herself with a hidden smile, "Not..."
"Hmm... well, all right then."
"I better not ask him too many questions. I think I'll be able to ask more with Hilda, she's less likely to get suspicious." Bianca gave an excusing bow, "I think I'll go check on Hilda now." She took off, "I'll see you later Cheren!"
"This is fun already! Okay! Time to play matchmaker! Here I come Hilda!"
Author's Note: Soooo was this a change of pace? Totally unexpected? Did I surprise you? I hope so! Haha! :D
I decided to give a chapter focused solely on Bianca, and then... the chapter just kinda wrote itself from there XD
I hope you liked this and are looking forward to more!
See you next time!
P.S.
Sorry for the long wait!