Duty Calls

Nevada and Andy decided to simply be friends. They were too alike to be anything more, of which I was certainly glad. I didn't think I was ready to compete for Andy's attention so soon after Roger. Rina was getting really far in her battles and Rikki, Andy and I were all really proud of her achievements so far. We had all agreed in private that if Rina didn't win the finals, we were going to be super supportive and understanding.

"What do you mean Tubby is banned from the restaurant?" Rina asked with a frown. She had just won her latest battle against some absolute weirdo in no shoes. I tried to look innocent but knew it failed so I stuck my expression on 'mysterious'. Tubby had apparently been sleepwalking into the restaurant at night and eating all the specials for their meals. The supervisers had talked to me about it quietly and we had all agreed that it was in Tubby's best interest if he didn't know. It was also super embarrassing to have an overweight, sleepwalking Snorlax so I thought it would be best if I didn't tell my friends what had been going on.

"Oh, it's nothing," I said quickly, forcing Tubby's ball on Rina and dashing off in search of cakes. When I got there, I thought it was fate. They had an entire table piled high with fresh desserts that caused me to drool with anticipation before I had made three steps inside. I blinked and the next thing I knew I was crouched under the dessert table, stuffing my face with stolen goodies. I had an apple pie in one hand, a large blueberry muffin in the other and all around my mouth were indistinguishable crumbs.

I realised that maybe I have a little bit of a food problem. I mean, I see food – especially sugary food – and I can't help but shove it in my mouth. Most of the time, I can't even control myself. On the plus side, I don't eat meals regularly and my metabolism is sky high so it's not as if I put on weight like Tubby. But just in case, perhaps both he and I should go on diets.

I dropped my sweet goodies and covered my mouth with my hands as I giggled. It went on for quite a while and I could hear people above the table wondering aloud what that high-pitched noise was, which made me laugh longer. Eventually though, I got thirsty and crawled out from under the table, still clutching a half-eaten slice of marble cake in my hand. People stared at me but I ignored them.

The only drink I could find in the entire restaurant that wasn't in a glass was an energy drink so I grabbed that and raced outside in search of Rina and Tubby. I was probably (okay, definitely) on a sugar rush because I kept yelling random things until I tripped over Rina who was lying by a tree. My cake fell on the grass messily and my drink spilled everywhere. Tubby toddled along and swallowed my cake in one gulp, which made me laugh hysterically once again.

"How many sweet things did you consume?" Rina asked tiredly.

"Hundreds and thousands!" I responded at once, slapping Rina on the back. Laughing, I started to run off again but knocked head-first into that Nicholas boy. Rina joined us and tried to engage Nicholas in conversation but he was unresponsive and borderline rude. Rina made me promise not to tell Rikki about it and of course I agreed, though I thought it was a pretty strange request. What was so special about Rikki that she couldn't know Nicholas had been unfriendly to her best friend?

X

"Rikki, are you alright?" That was the first time I noticed Rikki wasn't acting her self. We were in the stands, watching Rina battle against Sky. It had been a long time since any of us last saw the little blonde girl and none of us had been expecting her to be so skilled in battling. Rina's Flareon and Sky's Leafon had just finished tearing holes in each other and Rikki had been shifting around distractedly in her chair way before their fight to the death had even started.

I turned my head and studied Rikki carefully. She couldn't stop fidgeting, her hair was frizzy and her eyes were frantically glancing around the arena – anywhere but in Rina's direction. She swallowed hard and looked at Andy, who was sitting on my other side. I think it was the first time I'd seen Rikki with actual tears in her blue eyes and I knew something was terribly wrong. Scared of the impending bad news, I gripped Tubby's Pokéball for comfort, wishing I could have my best friend give me a hug. He was too big to fit in the stands as there were so many people crammed in to watch the battle, it being one of the last ones. I could have grabbed a hug from Andy but somehow I didn't think that would be appropriate given the situation.

"Listen guys, I'm telling you this because I consider you..." Rikki hesitated, "my best friends." Now I knew for sure this was not good news. Rikki never let her guard down enough to show sensitivity. I looked at Andy quickly and saw he was just as freaked out as I was.

"What is it?" I asked in a tiny voice, biting my bottom lip.

"Professor Rowan called me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to do some research for him – I'd get paid and everything," Rikki began.

"Well that's a good thing isn't it?" questioned Andy. Rikki's eyes cast downwards.

"...In Hoenn."

"Oh!" Andy and I cried at the same time. Rikki nodded her head sadly.

"I accepted the offer. I want to go – it's a really good opportunity. But..."

"Have you told Rina?" Andy wanted to know. Rikki's 'no' was flat and whispered.

"I...I can't do it. Andy, Tizzy...you must know by now..." Rikki's eyes pleaded with us to become mind readers so we would know what she was trying to tell us without using her words. Andy took a sharp intake of breath.

"You're in love with her!" he squealed excitedly. Rikki's eyes hardened dangerously.

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed roughly. Then she softened once more. "You...You won't tell her, will you? I don't think I can face the rejection." I noticed she was looking at me more so than Andy and felt the need to defend myself.

"Of course I won't tell her, Rikki!" I said indignantly. She smiled weakly when Andy also promised not to spill her biggest secret.

"So when are you leaving?" Rikki cleared her throat tensely.

"In about five minutes." My heart dropped when she said that. To think that Rikki was leaving us with such short notice was astounding.

"I know Rina is going to Hoenn after the League but I couldn't bear to make the journey with her. I have to go now before I become too attached to her but I don't think I'd be able to say goodbye to her. It would hurt too much. Could you..?"

"We'll tell Rina you left but we won't say anything about your feelings for her, Rikki," Andy consoled. Rikki breathed a visible sigh of relief.

"When you leave us," I said, "how are you getting to Hoenn?" Rikki told us that Professor Rowan had organised for a car to take her to Snowpoint City, from where she would take a ship directly there. I nodded and felt my heart breaking. I didn't want to see Rikki go! I threw myself at her and tightened my arms around her in a forceful hug. For once, Rikki didn't push me off or squirm. She hugged me back, almost as tightly and I felt tears spring to my eyes. This was a real goodbye.

Andy also hugged Rikki and as he did so, a low murmur rumbled through the stands. The three of us looked out at Rina's battle and saw that her Breloom had fainted. Sadness was evident on Rikki's face as she struggled to say she had better be off. Andy asked her if she was sure she didn't want to wait for Rina to be finished with the Sinnoh League so we could all go to Hoenn together. I felt a glimmer of hope at this suggestion but was quickly shot down by Rikki's next words.

"I'm sorry but I kinda want to go alone." Andy assured her we understood and together, he and I watched as Rikki shoved her way through various audience members, walking out of the stadium and out of our lives. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"RIKKI!" I called after her. She turned around and I saw that she was already crying, the tears running freely down her pink cheeks. "PROMISE YOU'LL STAY IN TOUCH!" Rikki nodded and smiled affectionately.

"Tizzy you idiot, of course I will!" she yelled back. I beamed despite the insult and Rikki turned for the final time before disappearing behind a large group of people. Andy and I sat back down and he kindly slipped his hand in mine. I gratefully squeezed it, glad for him and his thoughtful comforting. I could tell he was going to miss Rikki and her sarcasm just as much as I would. I leaned my head on Andy's shoulder to wait for the stands to empty. Rina had lost her battle and Sky's name was on everyone's lips.

"Bagsie I'm not telling Rina about Rikki," I said quickly.

Rina was heartbroken about Rikki's abrupt departure - she revealed to me and Andy that she too had feelings for Rikki! It was just like a tragic love story. I was frustrated that Andy wouldn't let me tell Rina that Rikki felt the same. He said it wasn't our place to interfere with their relationship, as I could end up doing more harm than good. He was probably right.

Rina was even more depressed when Andy broke the news to her that he and I weren't going with her to Hoenn. We had been talking and had agreed to return to Kanto: we both missed our families and had a great entrepreneurial plan for our future that would play to both our best qualities. It was hard to leave Rina but it had to be done. Her dream no longer matched ours. Andy and I wished her good luck and went our separate ways, promising to stay in touch though.