Chapter 53
We all crowded around in one big circle on the floor. Prof. Pine grabbed her bag, pulling various objects out of it. She handed out items to each of us, waiting until we had them all before she explained.
She held up one of the items. "This is an Xtransceiver. You can use it to make video chat calls with each other. I assume this will make your journey much easier."
We all nodded, strapping them onto our wrists. Mine was red and purple. I could definitely make us of it.
The Prof. then grabbed a bunch of different items. "This isn't much, but I've brought a few potions and full heals and such for you to use."
We all thanked her and sorted out the items, dividing them evenly between us. I stuffed the items in an open pocket of my bag then faced Prof. Pine again.
"I have one more thing to give you all," she said, handing use something.
It was some sort of little usb or something. "It's an addition to your pokedexes. Before, the pokedex could only identify about half of Petilla's Pokémon, now you can look them all up."
We need, each grabbing our pokedexes and inserting the little card. The pokedex beeped, its list of unknown Pokémon growing longer. Wouldn't this be fun to fill she asked sarcastically?
Suddenly, it looked like Kokoa had an epiphany. "You!" she yelled, pointing at Pine.
"Yes?" asked Pine confusedly.
"You used to know my dad back in Trainer school! I remember seeing your picture in one of his old yearbooks."
"Yes. I knew your father," Pine sighed. "Chiyo and I actually competed for his heart. It's obvious who won. I never expected that your father would ever...turn into...this monster."
"You actually know Akuma?!" Akako said, clearly confused. This hadn't been something we ever would've suspected. So Akuma and Prof. Pine had history. Weird.
"The past is the past," Pine then remarked. "And I'll do whatever it takes to take him and Millennium out."
We all nodded and Kokoa looked distant. "I'm curious about something...why are all those Team leaders on his side? I mean, they need Pokémon for their schemes, so why would they suddenly want to kill the Pokémon?"
"I was wondering that too," I said, thinking.
Everyone went silent, trying to think of why all these organizations would combine. Suddenly, I remembered something.
"Millennium is sending grunts across the regions to search for the legendaries, right?" I asked.
"Yes," Pine verified. "Millennium wants to kill them all at once in one act of dominance."
I nodded, then continued. "And if Akuma gets all the legendaries in one place, couldn't the leaders overthrow Akuma and use the legends for their own purposes?"
Everyone's faces went pale, shocked expressions etched into their faces. I suddenly realized the truth of my own words. Their was a high probability that I was correct. That might be exactly what they're planning.
"You might be right, Ichigo," growled Pine. "Listen, I'm going to report everything to the police. I want you kids to just continue your journey until I contact you again, Okay?"
"Okay," we all agreed, feeling a bit uncertain though.
Pine nodded and unlocked the door, leaving our room. Miku and Kohaku got up too.
"See you guys later!" called Miku.
"We'll be heading over to the gym and leaving soon," Kohaku noted. "Maybe we'll call you with the Xtranscievers sometime."
"Sure!" I called back.
"Bye!" we called at the same time.
The two of them smiled then left the room, closing the door behind them. I looked to my three trainer friends.
"Are you guys going to the gym today?" I asked.
"No," Kokoa sighed. "I think I need a breather."
"Same," noted Takuya.
"Well if no one's going to the gym," Akako began, speaking to me. "Do you want to go on a date?"
I blushed, feeling like I was going to faint. I realized that this would be our first real date. It almost seemed too good to be true.
"Sure," I said, blushing and looking like a flustered idiot. "Do I need to get dressed up or anything?"
"No," he replied. "You look beautiful the way you are."
I blushed even more. I swear, I don't think there's anyone in history that has blushed more than me. With Akako, it's so hard to think sometimes. That's one of the reasons I love him. He's the only one who makes me get all flustered or blush this much.
"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked out the door.
"Somewhere," he answered, trying to sound mysterious. "You'll have to see when we get there."
I sighed. In case I haven't said this before, I'm pretty impatient and suspense and surprises just kill me sometimes. I walked beside Akako, curiously looking around and guessing where he might lead me.
Then, Akako suddenly covered my eyes. "We're almost there. Don't peek."
"Just let me see!" I whined, not being able to stand the suspense.
"Be patient," he told me, leading me further.
"I'm incapable of that emotion," I shot back.
Then, he took his hands from my face, letting me see. I gasped. It was beautiful here! He'd led me into some sort of place that looked like a garden. There was lush green grass and many gorgeous flowers. There was also a sparkling pond and violinists were playing a sweet tune for many couples that were dancing.
I blushed and felt nervous, realizing Akako wanted me to dance with him. "No way! I can't dance. Every time I try, I look like an idiot."
"Then be an idiot with me," chuckled Akako, holding his hand out for me to take.
"Fine," I sighed, reluctantly giving in.
I took his hand, just waiting to step on his feet or do something wrong. He smiled at me warmly and I melted, blushing as usual.
"I seriously don't know how to dance," I mentioned again. "I've only seen it on tv. I've never even tried to slow dance."
"Just follow my lead," he instructed me.
I nodded, putting my hands on his shoulders like I'd seen in all the romance movies I'd watched. He then placed his hands on my waist. Then, he started swaying with me, stepping, and spinning around. I felt as if I was walking on air with him. I blushed, surprised at how well I was doing. He just smiled back at me.
"Where'd you learn to dance so well?" I asked him.
He shrugged. "My grandparents used to teach my brother and I how to be gentlemen and stuff like that. They taught us how to dance, speak, and even eat. I only played along so long though. As you could probably tell, I'm not much of a gentleman."
I laughed, trying to picture him acting all sophisticated. "I for one, think you're fine the way you are."
Suddenly, Akako's eyes grew very loving. He had that confident look on again. "You know I love you, right?"
I blushed surprised by the question. "Yes I do. And I love you too, Akako."
Akako smiled, then closed his eyes, leaning in. I blushed, closing my eyes as well and leaning in closer until our lips met up. I could feel my face heating up from my ever-present blush, but I ignored it, focusing only on this kiss. Focusing on Akako alone.
As we broke away, Akako chuckled at my tomato red face.
"Your face matches your hair," he laughed, pushing a red strand out of my face.
I gave him a look, but couldn't stay mad at him as I gazed into his green eyes. I just shrugged it off with a sigh.
"It's getting late," noted Akako. "How about we start walking back?"
"Sure," I agreed, immediately taking his hand.
He smiled at me with just a tinge of sadness. "You know, you're the only one that gets me. Thank you, Ichigo..."
I wasn't exactly sure what to say to that. "Um...your welcome. I'll always be here for you, ya know."
"I'm glad," he responded, staring at me intently. "Alright. Let's head back."
"Yeah."
I looked up at the stars as we passed by. I smiled although I'm not sure why. I was excited to see what tomorrow would bring me. I knew for sure that these trainer hooligans would be challenging the gym. They'd earn their sixth badge. Again, I felt sad that everything would end soon, but I was also excited to see how it would finish. Because I knew somewhere in my heart that even when our journey was over, another adventure would begin.
