Primary: Red & Blue.
Valentine's Date:
Red & Blue…
February 14, Pallet Town, Kanto, 11 am…
Blue let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back against her seat. She looked at the empty plate in front of her, where there had been a slice of a delicious chocolate cake just moments ago. Red was seated next to her by the dinner table, finishing a second slice of cake.
"That was a really tasty Valentine's Day cake, Red," Blue said, smiling brightly. "Thank you so much."
"No problem. It was for both of us, and we both enjoyed it, so that's great, isn't it?" Red said as he leaned back against his seat as well.
Blue looked at the remaining cake. "I guess we'll save the rest for another day. I don't think we should finish a whole chocolate cake in one day, you know?"
"Eh, sure."
Blue took the remaining cake and headed towards the kitchen so that she could move it into a large bowl for refrigeration. Red moved the empty dishes towards the sink so that Blue could wash them in time, and went upstairs to brush his teeth.
By the time he came back, Blue was almost done with cleaning the dishes. Perfect! He slowly walked up behind her, timing his movements. Blue let out a short whistle as she finished, and took a moment to wipe away the water splashed around. She observed the results of her efforts and with a satisfied smile, took off the rubber gloves.
Just then, she felt a pair of warm arms wrapping around her waist from behind, causing her to jump in surprise. She turned a little and looked up just in time to see Red as he kissed her on the cheek while hugging her close.
"O – Oh, Red…" Blue mumbled timidly, suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed and ticklish as she felt his breath on her ear.
"I have a surprise for you," he whispered into her ear. He pulled her away from the kitchen sink and let her go from his embrace so that she could face him.
Blue took a couple of breaths to recover from the sudden embrace and looked at him expectantly. "Really? … What is it?"
"It's…" He reached into his pocket and stalled for a bit so that he could see her getting excited and impatient. "… Hang on, where did I put that…" He searched his other pockets and rummaged around until he finally found what he was looking for. "Ah ha, there we go." He took out the small paper and presented it to her.
Blue took it and noticed that it was a ticket, and it was for a 3-day long cruise around the Sevii Islands. A faint smile formed on her lips as she found the notion of going on a cruise with Red to be quite nice and romantic. But her smile was soon replaced with a frown as bad memories began to pop up. She didn't have the greatest experience on a ship, after all. … And something else, something more… fundamental was beginning to creep up in her mind.
"A cruise, huh?" she muttered, forcing out a smile.
"I think that'll be our first official date," Red said with a chuckle. He held her arms by the elbows so that she'd look at him in the eyes. "And I know what happened to you that one time on the ship. But this time, nothing bad would happen. I'll make sure of it. And maybe after the cruise, you'll have a lot of good memories to overcome the bad ones. And maybe you'll even get to enjoy yourself in these kinds of trips instead of being so nervous all the time!"
Blue smiled timidly and nodded. "Yeah… I'm sure I will. Thank you." She looked at the ticket again. "But… the ticket says that the ship leaves Vermilion City… today?" She glanced at the clock. "… In a few hours?!"
"Yeah! I mean, it's a Valentine's Day gift, and that's today!"
"But… you didn't really give me enough time to prepare! I have to pack up and get ready and…" Blue groaned and stomped on the floor a bit. "Ohh… I want to scold you so much for this lack of planning, but… I don't have the time and I can't because this was a sweet and thoughtful gift, so…" She put the ticket in his hand and quickly ran upstairs. "Red! You start packing too!"
Red chuckled and looked around, wondering what exactly he had to pack for this trip. He didn't really need anything… did he?
…
Couple of hours later, Vermilion City…
…
Red and Blue approached the boarding dock in the harbor and presented their tickets. The harbor worker took the tickets and checked over the information.
"You're cutting it a little close," he said as he returned the tickets after validating the information. "The ship is set to depart very soon."
Blue cast a slight glare at Red, who simply chuckled. "… Things happened," she said eventually.
"I'm sure. Okay. Head up the ramp and an attendant will show your cabin."
Blue headed up the ramp while Red followed behind her while dragging the heavy luggage case as punishment. The attendant at the top of the ramp took their tickets and led them towards their reserved cabin. The cabin was pretty big with lots of room for movement, and the only "downside" being that there was only one bed. Good thing Red and Blue slept on the same bed at home anyways.
"I'll leave the activities pamphlet over here," the attendant said as he placed a few copies on the desk near the bed. "Please enjoy your cruise!"
"Thank you," Blue said as the attendant left. Once he was gone, she sat on the bed and let out a long sigh. And just as she was about to lie down for a bit, she could feel the ship starting to move. An announcement was made over the PA system, declaring that the ship was departing. Blue shook her head and glared at Red again. "… You hear that? We were this close to missing the ship entirely."
"Hey now, it's not my fault," Red said as he raised his arms. "… Not entirely, anyways. You didn't have to pack all this stuff and then put on makeup."
Blue scowled at him and crossed her arms and legs. "This stuff is our clothes that we'll be wearing, snacks that we'll be eating, water we'll be drinking, skin care products that I use every morning, and extra clothes and plastic bags we might need in case something happens." She let out a huff and flicked her hair. "And surely you don't expect me to not look my best when we're going on this cruise, with other people also on the ship?"
"You're always beautiful though. You didn't need all that makeup," Red said with a grin.
As he expected, she almost choked and her cheeks flushed red at the sudden compliment, and immediately stopped scolding him. "… Thanks…" she managed to squeak out. She shook her head to get herself to focus again. "A – Anyways. This is our first official date. It's… special. I wanted to take the extra effort to make sure I looked the part…" The ship was now noticeably moving, and beginning to pick up speed. And as the realization sunk in, she began to feel more and more nervous and anxious. "… This is really happening, huh?" she muttered, pressing a hand over her heart.
Red took the cruise pamphlet and moved to sit next to her. "Yep, it sure is. Now come on, let's see what this cruise has to offer, and what we'll be doing first." He put an arm around her and gave her a reassuring pat. "And enjoy yourself! There's nothing to be worried about."
Blue managed a genuine smile. "Yeah… I'll try."
…
The two Dex Holders chose to tour around the ship for today. The ship was big enough that by the time they finished the tour, the sun would be setting, so they could watch the sunset from the outside. And by the time the sun fully set, they could have dinner and then just relax in their cabin to end the first day.
And sure enough, when they finished the tour that ended with the huge aquarium in the center of the ship, the sun was beginning to set. Blue took her claim of one of the comfortable leaning chairs on the outside while Red went inside to get something they could drink.
Now… there was a bar on the ship, with a huge variety of alcoholic drinks on offer. But… maybe that was for like the second day of the cruise, and not the first. … Although… Blue also liked to drink every now and then, so… maybe?
Red stared at the bar counter from the distance for a long time trying to decide, before deciding to hold off on the alcohol (for now) and get a soda instead. He got two cups of iced soda and went back to Blue.
He found her lying down on the comfortable seat while watching the sunset in the distance. But despite looking very relaxed from afar, as he came closer with drinks in hand, he could see that she was actually squirming quite a bit and looked greatly bothered.
"Something wrong?" Red asked as he sat next to her.
Blue raised her sunglasses and forced a smile. "Well… no. But… I guess it's just that… at times like this, I'd usually get a cigarette…" She took the cup of soda Red was offering and took a deep sip through the straw, as if she was taking a drag. She let out a long sigh. "… Quitting is very hard…"
"I'm sure. I'm very proud of you, though. You said you were going to quit, and you're keeping your word."
Blue took another drag with the straw, finishing her soda. The straw reminded her a lot of cigarettes, making it even harder for her to get her mind off of smoking. She set the cup down and looked at Red. "Red… I'm going to need help. I need to focus on something else. Do you have any ideas?"
Red chugged his soda and set the cup down as well. "I think I know just the thing." He grabbed her hand and began to pull her away somewhere.
"Whoa, where are we going?" Blue asked. On the way, she saw the bar that Red had contemplated about, and narrowed her eyes. "… Surely you're trying to get us both intoxicated, are you? Because now is not the time to get hammered with drinks."
Red rubbed the back of his neck with his spare hand, suddenly feeling glad that he opted for the soda instead. "Nah. It's not that."
The two reached a staircase and went upstairs. And as she ascended the stairs, Blue was beginning to hear some loud music from ahead that got louder and louder. … Was that where Red was taking her?
Sure enough, they soon reached a set of double doors and the loud music was coming from the other side. Red smiled at her before pushing the doors open, revealing a large dance hall that already had tons of people in it dancing and having fun.
"This is your plan?" Blue asked, suddenly feeling greatly embarrassed. Making an ass of herself with her total lack of dancing skills around so many people was not what she had in mind for a Valentine's Day cruise…
"It'll be fun! Come on," Red said as he pulled her into the dance hall.
"But… Do you even know how to dance?"
Red scratched his cheek. "… Do you?"
"… No, not at all!"
Red grinned again. "Well then, it'll be fun trying to figure it out!"
…
"Ah… this is so nice…" Blue said from the side, sounding very relaxed.
Red snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her to his left. After the dance and the spectacular dinner, the two Dex Holders were seated outside the ship again in the front, their chairs pressed against each other for maximum proximity. From there, they could see the stars clearly in the dark skies above, and feel the cool, refreshing night wind caused by the ship's forward movement. And now, they were simply relaxing before they'd return to their cabin to sleep. Though from the looks of it, Blue was about to fall asleep already. She had her eyes closed while leaning against his shoulder, her right hand holding his left, with her fingers interlocked with his.
"Sure is," he replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"… I had so much fun today," Blue said quietly. "… I don't know what I was so worried about before… it all seems so… silly…"
"I understand, though. It might take you some time to learn to enjoy yourself without any lingering fears or doubts. And if trips like this will help you, then I'll take you to a lot more of these!"
Blue smiled faintly and squeezed his hand as well. "… Thank you, Red. … And thank you for this cruise. It's a perfect Valentine's Day gift…"
"Happy Valentine's Day, Blue."
Blue reached over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, Red…"
…
Black & White…
…
February 14, Floccesy Town, 1 pm…
…
White sat slumped over on her bed, staring at the calendar on her desk. … February 14… Valentine's Day.
She originally liked the day, but… recently, she was starting to detest it. Ever since Black was sealed in the Light Stone on that fateful day years ago, White had only felt pain on Valentine's Day. Waking up in the morning, only to remember that she would be spending the day alone… again and again, year after year…
She didn't know how much more her heart could take before permanently breaking. The stress and the loneliness all piling up in her heart day after day…
DING-DONG
But not anymore! White inhaled sharply and jumped up to her feet when she heard the doorbell. After two years that somehow felt like precisely 1763 long days, Black had been freed in the latter half of last year. And so finally, White was able to spend Valentine's Day with him. Hell, it was about f*cking time!
And now that he had finally arrived at her place, she could spend time with him as she had planned for the past 1763… er… two years! As long as the weather held up, she would have no issues in doing what she wanted to do. While it was cloudy, the temperature wasn't
White looked at the mirror to make sure her appearance was perfect one last time before running downstairs. She opened the front door and smiled happily at Black, who was patiently waiting.
"Hi, Black," White said cheerfully. "Welcome to Floccesy Town!"
"Hey Miss President," Black said with a wave. "So this is where you live, huh? It's a really nice town!"
"Yeah. It's really peaceful. I really like it, but I don't really get the chance to stay here often because of business." She walked out of her house and locked the door. "All right then, let's get going!"
"And where are we going?" Black asked as he followed her.
"First, a tour of my hometown, and then we'll get dinner from my favorite restaurant around here, and then… let's just relax by the ranch!"
…
Floccesy Ranch…
…
Black and White slowly strolled through the ranch, enjoying the peace and quiet. Since no one else was around, White didn't feel embarrassed about holding his hand either.
"Have you ever been on a ranch like this before?" she asked.
"Not that I can remember," Black replied. "So… what's over here?"
"This ranch has a lot of Mareep," White answered. "And they're so cute when they cuddle up to you, wanting to be pet."
"Huh. Must be quite fluffy," Black said. "… And static-y."
"There are some Flaaffy as well. And they do have the ability Static. So if you don't want to be zapped, you have to approach them properly. I can show you how, if you want."
"Sure, why not."
"Okay. Let me talk to the ranch owners. They know me pretty well so I'm sure they'll let me handle the Mareep today."
…
White approached the flock of Mareep and lowered herself a bit so that she didn't look intimidating. The Mareep backed away a bit initially, but soon gathered around her as their curiosity overtook their need for caution.
"See, Black? Let them come to you," White said as she lowered herself down to her knees while gently petting the closest Mareep. "This one doesn't look like it needs shearing necessarily, but I guess I can trim it a bit. So Black, get over here."
Black slowly and carefully stepped towards White, while holding the shears and the large straw bucket for the wool. White delicately but adeptly sheared the Mareep, and petted it one last time before letting it go to do whatever it wanted.
"Whoa," Black said as a big ball of wool waddled up towards him. "This one definitely needs shearing."
White looked over and gasped. "Oh my. It sure does. Here, Black. Try shearing it yourself!"
Black sat down on the grass and hefted the shears. "… Huh, why is its tail orb glowing?"
"Wait, it is? Then don't touch it!" White quickly warned, just as Black grabbed the ball of fluffy wool. She put a hand over her face as he was zapped by the built up static electricity.
"… Ouch…" Black mumbled as the Mareep's wool started to shrink as the static charge was depleted. "Thanks for the… heads up there… Miss President…" The Mareep happily cried out now that it could move easily again, and hopped away somewhere.
"Sorry. Um… okay. Mareep's wool swells if static electricity built up enough. And when that happens, their tail orb glows. So… if you see a Mareep that needs shearing but its tail is not glowing, then go for it. If the tail is glowing, don't touch it."
"… Thanks…" Black shook away the effects of the static shock and looked at the next Mareep that needed shearing. But this time, he looked for the tail orb. This one wasn't glowing, so Black lifted it onto his lap and began to shear it.
"Aww, aren't you cute!" White squealed from the side. Black looked over and could see her hugging a small Mareep while another one licked her elbow and another one nibbled at her shirt.
Black smiled as he saw her enjoying herself there, and thanks to that distraction, accidentally poked the shears into the Mareep, earning a pained cry from the little Pokémon. … And as retaliation, the Mareep zapped him with a Thundershock.
It seemed that the little accident got the other Mareep mad at him, as the docile, sweet looking ones herded towards White and the hostile looking ones surrounded him.
"Uh… I'm beginning to think that this is a little unfair," Black said as the angry Mareep glared at him. "… How about we go and get dinner now?"
"Huh?" White looked over and immediately nodded. "Ah, I see. … Yeah, let's go get food." But another adorable little Mareep waddled up to her. "… Right after I take care of this little guy though."
Black narrowed his eyes as he watched White having fun with all the cute Mareep while he was left to deal with the Thundershock-happy angry ones. … But maybe he can do something about that.
With a silent snicker, he reached over and grabbed her bare shoulder. And just as she turned to look at him, he roughly grabbed the static-charged wool of the nearest angry Mareep, triggering its Thundershock…
…
White crossed her arms as she walked ahead of Black, still pouting from the nasty shock that he gave her. Black walked a few steps behind her, still snickering and proud of what he did.
"Jerk…" she grumbled as she felt her static-damaged hair. She could hear him snickering as he looked at her stiff hair and she turned around to yell at him some more. "Did you really have to do that?!"
"No," he admitted with his stupid grin. "But… it was funny."
"Not as funny as it's going to be when I-" White trailed off when something cold dripped onto her head. She looked up at the sky and another cold drop hit her face. "… Oh, come on… really?"
Black looked around and saw a storage shed of one of the farms in the vicinity. He grabbed White by her hand and ran towards the shed to use it as a shelter to avoid the rain. The two Unova Dex Holders reached the shed as the rain turned into a heavy downpour.
"You know, I could've sworn that the forecasts said that it wasn't going to rain today," Black said as he wiped away some of the water on his jacket.
"Stupid Valentine's Day and its stupid weather," White grumbled as she tried to wipe away the water on her shirt. She looked up at the dark clouds and the big rain drops pouring from the sky. "Ugh… it just had to rain…"
"Well… things happen," Black said. "Got anything planned for this occasion?"
White let out a long sigh. "No. … I guess we'll just go home and… watch a movie or something. And order some food delivery… so that this day can't get any more ruined… I just wanted one perfect Valentine's Day, but apparently that's too much to ask for…"
"Oh, where's the fun in that?" Black said. "We can still have a real good time, you know." He took out a small music player from his pocket and fiddled with it for a bit. And soon, a loud exciting music began to blare from its small speakers. He put the little device on a shelf near the door of the shed.
White tilted her head as she listened to the music. "… Is that a Pokémon Musical song?"
"Sure is!" Black gave her a wink before stepping out of cover and into the pounding rain. He clapped a few times to match the music for a bit before beginning to flail his limbs.
"Black! Wh – What are you doing?" White asked in surprise and amusement.
"Dancing in the rain, of course! Come on, join me!"
"What? No way!"
"Come on, no one is watching, so let's just have fun!" Without warning, Black ran towards her, grabbed her hands, and pulled her out into the rain.
"Ah!" White shrieked as the cold rain began to pound on top of her. She put up a futile attempt to avoid getting water on her hair for a bit before giving up. She cast an annoyed glare at Black, but smiled mischievously. "All right, Black. If you want to dance in the rain, we're going to do it properly!" She stepped up to him and grabbed both his hands. "Now then… I'll lead, you try to keep up!"
…
Black sneezed and sniffled as he held the cup of hot chocolate between his hands. Oh, the cup was so warm… He pulled the blanket around himself a bit better and began to chuckle.
"Oh, what are you laughing at?" White asked grumpily, her voice sounding hoarse as if she had a cold. She was sitting next to him, in the exact same predicament, as she cradled the cup of hot chocolate.
"So… it turns out, it gets pretty cold on a rainy night in February!" Black said, sounding as if he had a cold as well.
White rolled her eyes and let out a long groan as she held in her urge to berate him. "Ugh… I hate you…" she muttered out eventually.
Black drank some of the hot chocolate and chuckled again. "And this is our Valentine's Day chocolate, huh?"
White groaned again and shook her head. "Ugh… shut up…" She took a sip of Valentine's hot chocolate and winced at the pain in her throat. "… I hate Valentine's Day…"
