AN: Soooo, here is the next chapter. Lighter than the last, I hope you enjoy:)
Jessie, James, Meowth, and Lucy bought everyone ice cream. The children, teens, and Pokémon all got their cones and then wandered to different areas of the park. They were under strict orders to regroup within an hour so that could go back to the Vermillion Gym.
After a while, June and Takeshi accidentally found one another behind a stand of trees. They sat together with their Pokémon and half-eaten ice-creams.
"I'm still getting used to hearing 'Ivysaur' instead of 'Bulbasaur'," June said as her Pokémon conversed with Takeshi's.
"Yeah, they grow up fast," Takeshi sighed. "You should be really proud. You've been doing so amazing. Everyone expected you to be amazing at taking care of Pokémon, but not at battling too."
"Oh—hey, you didn't expect me to be good at both?"
"I-I mean it's…it's…not that I—we—expected you to fail… you're so quiet and nice we thought you wouldn't be tough. I wish I was as good as you were."
June smiled. "I figured that's what you meant. I think you're good too. I bet Cyndaquil will evolve any day now."
"I hope so."
They focused on feeding and grooming their Pokémon for a while, then Takeshi said:
"I have something I want to give you."
"Huh?" she replied.
"A present."
"Oh…Why? I mean, I'm glad you got me something, but I didn't get you anything and it's not my birthday."
"It's just something I had that I thought you'd be interested in having."
Takeshi handed her the gift. The red and blue plastic case was about the size and shape of a shoebox and had a Pokeball sticker on the front.
"Do you want me to open it now?" she asked.
"Um yeah," he murmured.
"You can't be serious!" she gasped. "Why—where did you even get this?!"
Inside there were dozens of rare cards, many of them decades old, all organized and preserved in neat plastic sheets.
"My dad gave this to me a few years ago," said Takeshi. "He said I could do whatever I wanted with them."
"But you shouldn't just give these away—they're valuable to your family," June replied.
"I know they're valuable, but…it's like I said, my dad said I could do whatever I wanted with them and…you're valuable too, plus I sort of consider you family. I mean, I hope that I know you forever."
June kissed Takeshi on the cheek. Takeshi flinched and accidentally knocked both of their ice creams onto the pavement.
"I-I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.
"No, that's okay!" June responded, still in awe over her new gift. "It was wrong to surprise you like that. Sorry."
"Ah, well, you don't have to be sorry…"
Takeshi picked up the cones and tossed them in a nearby trashcan.
"This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," June said when he returned.
"Really?" he replied.
"Of course! Back in school none of the boys ever talked to me, let alone got me presents. Instead, they all teased me and said I was 'too girly' or 'too nerdy' or 'too nice'. I never had a best friend before either…for the last few weeks, you've made me feel so special."
" I-I don't know what to say; I never got this far with a girl before." June giggled at his words and expression. "Ahh, I mean, not that I've tried…"
"I know what you mean. I don't really know how this works either."
"But I know that I like you."
"I like you too."
"Like, like-like me?"
"Yeah, like like-like."
"Like, me too."
Their Pokémon ran off, leaving the two of them alone. June and Takeshi continued talking.
"The truth is that I have liked you for as long as I can remember," June confessed.
"Really?" he asked.
"Uh-huh. Even when we were little kids. But you never liked me. You always liked Annastasia, Rita, or other the older girls that you would see when there were holiday parties and our families got together. I never thought you would like me because I'm younger than you and afraid of a lot of things and have a lot of weaknesses. Every other girl you liked was stronger, braver, and older."
"I've always liked you. I just didn't realize how much I liked you until we went on this journey together. And you are braver and stronger than me—just not older."
"That's really nice of you to say…. Does this mean that we are boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
"Um, I think so. I don't know how to make it official."
"Either do I."
"Ivy saur Ivysaur," Ivysaur said as he rejoined them.
"What is it?" June asked.
Ivysaur looked back and forth between the two trainers. "Ivysaurrrrrr."
"What should we do now?" Takeshi asked.
"Saur!"
Ivysaur's vines extended so that one was behind June and one was behind Takeshi. Ivysaur gave them each a gentle push, and they knocked into each other headfirst.
There was a pause in their conversation and they both looked at each other, trying to decide what to do next.
"Um…Are we supposed to kiss or something?" June asked after a few moments.
"I mean, maybe…" Takeshi replied. "Um, if you want…"
June nodded. "Do you?"
"Sorta…I don't know how."
"Neither do I."
"Oh yeah."
"Ivy, saurrrr," the Pokémon continued as he pushed them together. "Saurrrrrr."
"I think Ivysaur's telling us to try it," said June.
"Mmmhhhmm," Takeshi mumbled.
Takeshi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'I put myself in this situation…am I really just going to chicken out?'
He felt June take both of his hands in hers, and before he had a chance to open his eyes, he felt her lips touch his. Five seconds later, she pulled away and let go of his hands.
"Let's go meet up with everyone else," June abruptly suggested. "You have a badge to win."
"Oh yeah," Takeshi responded. "Um…thanks."
"For what? You are the one who gave me the amazing present."
"Oh…um…I mean thanks for doing what I was too nervous to do."
"We don't have to tell anyone about it. I don't think my parents would mind…but they might just ask us a lot of questions."
"Yeah." Takeshi agreed though he wanted to at least tell his dad. "Our friends would ask a lotta questions too. So maybe we shouldn't tell them either."
"Good idea."
"There you are," Annastasia said as she and the rest of the group came into view. "I was looking for you. We need to go back to the gym now."
"Right," the pair responded, joining the rest of the group.
"Is Amb going next?" Takeshi asked as they approached the Vermillion Gym.
"I don't care either way," Amber responded.
"Soledad?"
"I want to go last," she replied.
They arrived at the Vermillion City gym at around 4:00 pm. Surge was waiting for them just as he said he would be.
"Who's challenging me next?" he asked.
"I am," said Takeshi.
"Let's get started."
"He's also very good," Jocelyn told her parents, Lucy, and Meowth.
"Yous say dat about all of dem," Meowth noted.
"Because it's true."
"Flaafy fla."
"I'll judge," said Tamaki.
"Do you remember the rules?" Nolan asked.
"Yep. This will be a three on three battle with no time limit. Only the Challenger can make substitutions," Tamaki announced.
"Good."
"Then, Begin!"
"Raichu, come on out!" Surge announced, releasing his first Pokémon.
"I pick Vileplume," said Takeshi. "Use Leech Seed!"
"Quick Attack!"
Their audience burst into cheers.
"Go Takeshi!"
"You can do it!"
"Show them all your new moves, Vileplume!"
"Flaaaaafy!"
"Pika Pika!
All of Takeshi's friends continued to cheer as Vileplume's Leech Seed trapped Raichu. Raichu tried using Fury Swipes to escape, but it was no use, so it used Dig instead.
"As soon as Raichu emerges, use Giga Drain," Takeshi suggested.
Raichu collided with Vileplume in a Volt Tackle. Giga Drain allowed Vileplume to recover while Raichu was left with just a quarter of its base HP. Vileplume then used Poison Powder, but Raichu went back underground to escape it.
"Go Takeshi! Believe in yourself!" June called out to him.
"Yay, Oniisan!" Jocelyn cheered.
"Flaaaaa!"
"Okay, Buddy, try combination 1 the moment Raichu emerges," Takeshi instructed.
"Even Takeshi's trying Michio's battle technique," said Lexi observed. "It's turning out to be a better idea than I originally realized."
"I do it for a reason," said Michio.
"Pikachupi," said Scarlett.
Raichu's Dig didn't do much damage, but the moment after it emerged from the ground, it used Thunderbolt. By then its HP was too low. It collapsed from its own recoil.
"Raichu is out of the match!" Tamaki announced.
"Not yet," Surge told Tamaki. He pointed to Raichu. "Look."
Raichu had gotten up and was glaring at Vileplume, ready to strike again.
"I don't understand," said Takeshi.
"You have to give a Pokémon a full five seconds before you call it out for good," Surge explained.
"Uh-oh."
"That was close. I feel bad for him," said Soledad.
"I bet he'll make it," June replied.
"Bet as in bet cash?" Amber inquired.
"I said no betting cash," Annastasia asserted.
"C'mon, A, lighten up."
"You can bet money on me," Jay offered. "A, is that okay?"
"Fine," Annastasia sighed. "Betting with consent is permitted."
"Yessss!" said Amber.
"Look!" June gasped. "Raichu fainted!"
"Challenger Takeshi and Vileplume take the first round!" Tamaki declared.
"Congrats, Takeshi! One down, two to go!" Jay cheered. "That Raichu was a hard one!"
"Yeah! I bet I'll even bet on you next time!" said Amber.
Surge called out Magnezone. Everyone watched intently as Vileplume and the electric/steel type battled it out, and no one noticed the Maya come out from behind the bleachers. After grabbing Lily's attention, they convened in the woods outside the gym.
"Ny nya ny nya nyasu, ny nya nyasu?" said Maya. "I am sorry to bother you, but you were busy with your family before. Can we talk now?"
"For you, I can talk anytime," Lily replied. "What's up?"
"Ny Nyyyyy Nya nya?" 'Can I come with you to the funeral, without the Pokéball?'
"Of course! But why would you wanna do that?"
"Nyasu Nyaaaaa ny ny. Nya ny nya nyasu ny Naya. 'I want to meet your family and friends. I shouldn't be afraid of humans anymore.'
"Are you sure about this?"
"Ny a." 'Please?'
"Then let's do it."
Maya purred and rubbed her face against Lily's. Lily did the same to her, and they helped to groom each other for a while until the heard Squirt Gun coming down the hill. He told them that Takeshi lost to Surge and was asking about her.
"Do you want to introduce yourself now?" Lily whispered.
"Nn. Nya nya ny a," said Maya, shaking her head. 'Not now. Before we leave though.'
"Squirt, Squirt Squirrrrr?" Squirt Gun asked. 'Are you one of Lily's friends?"
"She is my girlfriend," Lily replied. "I love her and we are very close but she is shy around humans so no one except Annastasia and Michio and me knows she exists. But she wants to meet everyone later today."
"Squirtle Squirtle Squirt Squir?" 'You told Michio before you told me and Logan?'
"He found out by accident when he was hanging out with Annastasia. Just don't tell anyone else."
Squirt Gun and Maya exchanged greetings. Lily and Squirt Gun headed back into the arena and jumped onto the bleachers next to Lucy and Meowth while Maya crawled underneath the stands. Now it was Amber and Pip against Surge and Magneton, and by the looks of it, they were doing a good job.
"Now Pip, Quick Attack then Iron Tail!" Amber commanded.
Pip showed no hesitation as he slammed against Magneton. Magneton dodged the first attempt of Iron Tail, but the Pichu got it the second try.
"Magneton is unable to battle!" Tamaki announced. "Round two goes to Pip and Amber!"
"She won the first round with Pip too?" Lily asked.
"Yep. They were up against a Voltorb," Lucy replied. "Pip wore it out with Quick Attack."
"Nice work Amber. You kids are all giving my Pokémon a tough workout today," Surge told the group.
"What did you expect?" said Amber.
"Pi Pichu?"
"This is getting ridiculous. First that Pikachu, now this Pichu. The Oaks are doing something to those electric rats," Jessie complained. "They shouldn't be that strong."
"Weeze shoulda just gone to dat lab and stolen all of dere electric types insteada chasin' de twerp's all dose years," Meowth sulked.
"I agree, but if you think about it, if we had done that we wouldn't be where we are right now," James said in an attempt to cheer up his sulking teammates. It didn't work; they just glared.
Surge released Magnezone.
"Again? That's three battles in one day," said Soledad.
"Scan it," said Jay. "Look, it's different. They're both level thirty but the last one was male; this one's female."
"I-I didn't even see that."
"You're not the only one who reads."
"Pip, I think you need a break," said Amber. "You just knocked out two monz in a row."
"Pichuu. Pi Pichu pi pi chu chu."
"Pip says he really wants to win for you," Logan explained.
"Thanks, but you're little," Amber replied. "Maybe one day if you decide to—"
Amber cut herself off. She and the others were speechless as Pip began to glow.
"Piiiiiiii Pikachuuu!"
"He did it! He's a Pikachu!" Amber exclaimed the moment the brightness dimmed. "Pip!"
"Pikaaaaachu!"
Scarlett ran up to Pip and they tapped tails. Surge laughed.
"Well, that's not something you see every day," he remarked.
"I thought Pichu use Thunder Stones to evolve," said Benny.
"A Thunder Stone will evolve Pikachu into Raichu, but Pichu only evolve into Pikachu once they gain a high enough friendship level. In other words, a Pichu is one of those Pokémon that can evolve out of will once it becomes good friends with its trainer," Soledad explained.
"What a load of nonsense," Jessie mumbled. "Friendship levels. That doesn't cause Pokémon to evolve."
"Jess, isn't that how our Koffing and Ekans evolved?" James asked.
"Oh yeah…"
"Dummies," Meowth muttered.
"Wow, you look amazing," Amber said as she petted his fur. "You look so different—it happened so fast!"
"Pikachu!" Pip continued. "Pikapi!"
"Piiiii!" Scarlett added as they danced around together.
"They are sooooooo cute!" Jocelyn squealed. "Lily, Logan: record this!"
"Flaafy Flaaaa!"
"Got it," Lily said as she pulled out her videophone. "Now this crew's got two Pikachu."
"Pikaaa!"
"Pikapi!"
"Good for you," Jay said as he patted Pip. "Different but still the same ol' Pip, right?"
"Pikachuuu!"
"Aweeee."
"So, Amber, do you still want to withdraw Pip from the match?" Surge inquired.
"Kaaaa," Pip asserted.
"If he's good to go, then so am I," Amber responded.
"Magnezone, Gravity Force," Surge instructed.
"Pip, Iron Tail!"
"Thunderbolt!"
"You use Thunderbolt too!"
"Pikachuuuuuu!"
Jessie was fuming, and as a consequence was unwittingly crushing the life out of James' hand, to the point where he was sure it was on the verge of breaking.
"Maybe we should step outside," said James. "Get some fresh air. All this electricity is making it hot in here."
"Afraid of a little Thunderbolt hitting you by accident?" Lily asked teasingly.
"These bleachers are made out of rubber, so it will absorb all the electricity," said Soledad. "No blasting off."
"I know. I'm just sick of Pikachu. I never want to see another as long as I live," Jessie ranted. "James, I could use a walk."
The kids shrugged; it's not like this was the first time they witnessed her being a drama queen.
When Jessie and James got outside, they noticed a Meowth standing on all fours by the doorway. Jessie watched on while James went up to see what it was up to.
"Look, Jess, she's so sweet and adorable," James said as he squatted beside her. "May I pet your head?"
"Nyyy," she said with a nod.
"How do you know she's sweet and adorable?" Jessie asked as she squatted beside him. "She could've just told you to 'fuck off' in Meowth language and it would have sounded the same to us."
James and the Meowth. He continued to pet her.
"And how do you know it's a girl?" Jessie asked.
"The ears," James replied. "When I was little Nanny and Pop-pop taught me how to tell the Pokémon sexes apart just by looking at them. If you look closely you can notice slight differences in the ears. Our Meowth's is different. It really isn't noticeable in Lily though, since she is a Shiny and has a different color scheme."
"Nya."
"Yes, you really are sweet. Do you have a trainer? A home?"
She shook her head 'no'.
"You can stay with my family," James suggested. "We have a nice home. And we are friends with a couple of Meowth. One is named Lily. She is a sweet little girl just like you. Do you know her? She was just out here a few minutes ago."
Maya nodded her head enthusiastically.
"Oh, so you do know her. You probably know that she can speak to humans. She can tell us what you want to say so that we can understand."
"Nyyyy."
James picked her up and continued to pet her forehead and chin. He and Jessie watched the battle from the window. Amber was just being declared the winner. Jessie pretended to gag. James and Maya laughed.
"That Pikachu came from Gary's lab too, and it too is just as strong if not stronger than the twerps," Jessie said to James. "We are definitely going to find out where he gets those Pikachu from! But for now, I need a walk."
"Do you want me to come with you? You shouldn't go alone," James replied.
"James, you are doing it again. That thing."
"What thing?"
"Nya ny?"
"That overprotective thing. I can take a fucking walk by myself. And it's for your own good because if you come, I'm just going to rant the whole time. And cry."
"Cry? Are you sad?"
"No."
"Um…okay…I will stay here with our new friend. Have fun…I guess."
"Nya Nya Ny."
James and Maya watched the next battle from the window. Soledad was preparing to face Surge.
Soledad started off with her Charizard. After a few short minutes, Chary managed to defeat Surge's Voltorb using combinations of Seismic Toss and Body Slam. During the next round, however, Surge's Ampharos swiftly defeated Chary. Ampharos used waves of electricity to drain the Charizard's power, and this forced the fire type to collapse after just thirty seconds of battling the second electric-type.
"Don't give up yet Soledad, you can still recover!" Nolan called to her.
"Yay, Onēsan!" Jocelyn cheered.
"Flaaaaaa feeeeee!"
"I hope Soledad wins this battle," Jay whispered to Amber. "She's been losing a lot of self-esteem. At school, she was number one, and she thought she'd win at every gym."
"Jay, that's so damned thoughtful of you," she replied.
"Thanks—but that's a curse."
"What is?"
"The D-A-M—"
"Go Onēsan!" Jocelyn shouted in their ears.
"FLAAAAA!"
Jay jumped. "Jocelyn, I said to keep supporting her; not to get louder."
"Sorry," she smiled.
"Flaafy."
"Go Soledad!" June, Takeshi, Ambe, and Jay shouted in unison. "Just do your best!"
All the cheering didn't help lead Soledad to victory. Surge soon knocked out Chary, Jigglypuff, and her Parasect.
"The final victory goes to gym leader Surge," Tamaki announced, his voice clearly saddened.
"She didn't make it," June sighed.
"Poor Sole-Sister," Jay murmured.
"Flaafy fla."
"I know," Jocelyn said as she rubbed Flaafy's head. "I'm sad she didn't win too."
"I'm so sorry," Soledad told her Pokémon before handing them off to Annastasia. "If I was a better trainer this wouldn't have happened."
"Soledad, you didn't do anything wrong," said Annastasia. "Every trainer loses at some point. I want you to do your best and be happy. Just those two things. So far, you've made me very proud."
"How can you be proud? I'm the biggest loser here."
"Don't say that about yourself. No one in our group is a loser."
"And if winning badges is what makes you a winner, then I guess I'm a loser too," said Rita. "I don't have any gym badges."
"Really? You don't?" Soledad sniffed.
"I tried a few gyms, lost, decided that it wasn't my thing. I'm not saying you should give up—what I mean is: it's normal to make a ton of mistakes and do poorly. These things are tough and a big part of winning is luck."
"Rita's absolutely right," said Nolan. "I say that as a League Champion; so much of it is being in the right place at the right time and doing lots of training."
"Zorua zo" Zorua agreed, nodding her head enthusiastically.
"I'm really sad because I thought I would have at least three badges by now if not four or five. I might not even make it close to qualifying for the Pokémon League."
"Then you can just take that test those private school kids take to get in," Amber reasoned.
"Cheer up, Onēsan," said Jocelyn, patting her on the back. "You have more gym badges than me."
"Flaafy, flaaa."
"And you have more Pokémon than any of us," said Jay. "Except for the teenagers, but they don't count."
"Most of them just agreed to come along with me," Soledad replied. "I didn't even earn them! I should've stayed in Pallet, where I belong. Back there I wasn't a loser. I was the top of my class and everyone looked up to me and I wasn't a failure."
"You're not a failure. You—"
"Yes, I am. My dad caught over two hundred Pokémon in just a few months when he first left on his journey. That is more Pokémon than there are even types in Kanto!" In a few months, I've only captured about twenty different kinds."
"So what?" said Amber. "That is true for all of us. Besides, your dad already says that he doesn't care how many Pokémon you catch, and even if he did, who cares what he thinks?"
"I do."
"I'm with Amb," said Jay. "I don't you should let this make you upset. This isn't supposed to be a competition—it's supposed to be a journey."
"Your friends are absolutely right", said Surge. "I give out badges to people to remind them of how far they have come in their training, but that does not mean that a badge is the only indicator of success. You have happy, healthy, Pokémon and a collection of good friends. That's what I call success."
"That's so nice of you to say," Soledad replied, wiping away her last tear.
While that was happening, Lucy, Meowth, Lily, Logan, and Squirt Gun had gone outside to find Jessie and James. They were petting Maya, who was still completely relaxed in James' arms. Lily was surprised but overjoyed to see her there.
"Who's dat Meowth?" Meowth asked James.
"Nya ny," Maya answered, jumping down. 'Ask Lily.'
"Maya's my girlfriend," said Lily.
"Since when?" asked Logan.
"Huh?" said Lucy and Meowth.
"Like a girl-friend or a girlfriend?" Meowth asked.
"The second one, I think," Lily responded, blushing, though no one could tell because of the pink fur. "The romantic type. We met in Cerulean."
"Nya ny Nyasu nyyy,' said Maya. 'That's where I was living.'
"And she came all this way just to find you again?" asked Logan. "Wow. I wish someone would do that for me."
"Ny nya ny nya,' said Maya. 'Not exactly.'
"What do you mean?"
"Maya and I have been together since Cerulean City," Lily clarified. "She's been following us."
"No way! How come no one noticed?"
"Nya ny nya ny. Nya ny nya ny nya nyasu," said Maya.
"What's she saying?" James asked.
"Maya's ran away from her old master and took her empty Pokeball with her," said Lily. "She retreated to Cerulean City and spent a while there. Misty fed her and let her sleep at her house when the weather was bad. We met one night while everyone was battling and we became friends, and then we became more than friends. She wanted to come with me back she was so scared of being around all the humans and she suggested that I carry her in the Pokéball during the day so that at night she could come out and we could spend hours together. She said she would rather do that than spend all her time alone in Cerulean City. But now she is less shy and wants to meet everyone."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Logan asked the pair of Meowth. "You couldn't trust me?"
"Nya ny nya ny nyasu nya."
"Maya's saying that she thought it'd be easier for us to tell everyone at once," Lily explained to the humans.
"Squirtle squirt…squirr. Squirtle squirt!" said Squirt Gun. 'Finally. I thought you were going to make me keep that secret all day!'
"Ahem," Benny said as he entered their space.
"What's up?" James asked.
"A says we're almost ready to go."
James looked at his watch. "Just on time—the jet should be here any moment."
"Yous can introduce Maya ta all yer friends on de way ta Pallet," said Meowth.
"That's the plan," said Lily.
"Nyaaasu," Maya agreed.
XO
IN THE NEXT CHAPTER
· Late night rendezvous to Take-n (last time I'm going to use this pun)
· Jessie spills a secret and does it rather ungracefully so
· A pistachio-related breakdown