Second Signs

"Good morning, sunshine!" Chris said as I emerged from my room in the Pokemon Center. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah." I told him. "But, I kinda couldn't stop thinking about…"

"I know." He said, sparing me from saying it. "That was… really something." There was a moment of silence, and then he continued. "Anyway, I think today we should go after your second badge, and then I want to rent an instructional video on how the Indigo tournaments work, and we can both watch it."

"Sounds good to me."

"Well? Shall we have some breakfast?"

Breakfast was most enjoyable. We had bacon and eggs at the café in the department store.

"So you're really gonna go for it?" I asked him.

"Damn right! I told you, I owe it to my family."

"I believe in you." I said, putting my hand on top of his.

He smiled. "Thanks."

I caught myself staring into his eyes for a moment. I quickly cleared my throat and looked away.

After the Skiploom had taken our plates away, Chris stood up and said, "Let's go get that second badge!"

"Where exactly do we go for it?" I asked as we left the department store and returned to the shining golden light of Goldenrod City.

"It's in Azalea Town, south of here. But first maybe we can go through the National Park if you want. They've got some great scenery there."

"Sounds good." I said. "Let's go!"

We set off north from Goldenrod at 9:00, and after a quick run through some high grass and adding a few new Pokemon to my collection, we came to the National Park. (Speaking of my collection, besides Seltzer, Peeps, and Ringding, I also had a Magnemite and Weepinbell, which I named Hertz and Big Ben, respectively.)

"Wow, this park is really nice." I said as we hiked through a wooded area.

"Yeah, it's got its good parts." Chris agreed.

We came to a clearing where there were picnic tables and benches.

"Want to have a rest for a minute?" he asked me.

"Sure."

We sat down on one of the polished wood benches to catch our breath.

"You look really nice today, Kris." He said after a while.

I smiled. "Thanks."

"A beautiful day, and a beautiful girl," he sighed, leaning back and putting his arm around me, "What more could a guy want?"

I laughed and pushed him away. "You're too much! Stop it!"

"Sorr-ree!" he said sarcastically. "A guy can get a goodnight kiss but he can't put his arm around you… I see how it is."

"I'm just teasing you, silly."

"No, Kris, it's okay." He stood up. "See ya."

I laughed again and pulled him back to the bench. "You are just one big riot, you know that?"

He was staring into my eyes again. I was mesmerized. I moved closer, he moved closer. We closed our eyes…

"AHEM!" said a loud voice. We jumped, startled, and saw a park officer standing there. "Doing personal activities on public property is the same as loitering! Cease and desist immediately, or I shall fine you!"

Chris growled, but stood up anyway. "Come on, Kris. Let's go."

I followed him out of the clearing and out of the park.

The first few minutes of the rest of our journey south passed in awkward silence.

"Well that was… interesting." I said after a while.

"Yeah, really." He replied. "I just… I don't know…" We both broke into nervous laughter.

"Let's just forget about it." I said. I assumed he was glad to do so. And thus we plunged south towards Azalea.

The battle for the second badge was quite a bit tougher than the first trial. After a somewhat simple Metapod and Kakuna, there was a fierce Scyther, which had very sharp claws and didn't hesitate to use them. I had Hertz on the front line, as his steel qualities helped defend against the physical assault. After a terrible and electrifying bout, I emerged victorious!

"I got it! I got it!" I cried, waving my second badge in the air as I ran out of the gym.

"Hey, congrats!" said Chris, who was waiting outside. "I knew you could do it."

I hugged him. "I can't believe it! I won! I actually won!"

He held me for a moment, if not a bit tighter. "I always had faith in you." He whispered. The feel of his breath on my neck excited me, and gave me chills.

"Oooh…" I whispered.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm great!" I said, smiling.

As much as I wanted to deny it, and as much as I wanted to say it was too early, I truly thought I was falling for Chris. He filled me with a feeling that I'd never felt in my life. It was frightening, but it was exhilarating at the same time.

"…Kris? Hey, snap out of it!"

I shook my head. "What? What happened?"

"You were spacing out." He said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I said, looking away.

The sun was setting.

"Come on, let's stay at the Azalea Pokemon Center tonight." He said.

"Kay." I followed him inside, but I knew that sometime soon I had to let him know.