A/N: Things may be heating up soon, for now I'm really trying to cement the importance of Wendy and Kellyn forming a real friendship, rather than the two just jumping into a relationship. Also, I don't own Pokemon!

Chapter 6: Sad Memories

'Luana's always going off somewhere…still, it was a pleasure talking with her, I'm glad I was able to meet so many friendly people here. Speaking of which, I didn't see Keith…maybe he decided not to do the activity today. Hm, well that's no problem, I wonder if Wendy's class is done with.' Kellyn thought as he walked down the hallway.

Much further down the hallway and around the corner was none other than Luana, who was having a nice conversation with Wendy as the former drank a little water.

"So, how are things going with you and Kellyn?" Luana asked.

"Well…it's going a slow. I mean we're getting to be friendly with each other, but I'd love to know him a bit more personally…I'm not sure what to do." Wendy said.

"Hmm, how about you just ask him questions about anything and everything to know about him? Basic things like what food he likes, what his hobbies are…maybe what sort of women are his type…" Luana said as Wendy turned bright red.

"I…I don't know…do you think that'll work?" Wendy asked as Luana grinned.

"Definitely! After all, if you get to know him a bit more personally, then everything will fall into place! However, after knowing you for so long, there's something I always noticed…when it comes to striking up a conversation with a shy guy…you tend to get rather shy yourself. Do you think that'll come into play when you get closer to Kellyn?" Luana asked as Wendy sighed.

"Kellyn is extremely shy, but…he's surprisingly open with me. I like it, but what I really enjoy is spending time with him. One thing that I was worried about is that he may feel like I'm being too attached to him, you know, like a young Growlithe. It would've bothered me even more if Kellyn would be too afraid to tell me." Wendy said.

"So you did the smart thing and asked him if he feels like he has no space, right?" Luana asked.

"I did, and surprisingly, Kellyn told me that he didn't feel that way at all! I just felt bad about the whole thing because our dorms are right next to each other…so imagine seeing someone the first thing in the morning and then they're also the last person you see at night. It'd drive some people insane!" Wendy said.

"I mean, I could see how that'd be a possibility if we were talking about someone else. But since we're referring to Kellyn, then if it really was a problem, he would've told you. It's a good thing he's not bothered about that sort of thing, that means you don't need to worry about getting close to him!" Luana said as Wendy sighed.

"I know but…wouldn't you be at least a little weirded out by a person around your age, especially one of the opposite gender, hanging out with you every day?" Wendy asked.

"Hrmm, well, if it was me, I would think the guy or girl would want something from me, but once I get to actually know them and realize they simply want another friend, then I wouldn't think it's strange. Personally, I'd say you're worrying too much, and if Kellyn's okay with you hanging around him, then it's really nothing to fret over." Luana said.

"I-if you say so…" Wendy said.

"But listen, I know you're slow and steady, but considering Kellyn's the shy one…that means you're going to be the one to pursue him…since this'll be different from how most relationships start, take it slow, otherwise you'll may end up pushing Kellyn away." Luana said as Wendy's eyes widened.

"Push Kellyn away…I'd feel horrible if that happened. He's the first person to really see me as a friend aside from you…" Wendy said as she began to mope, which made Luana worry.

"Oh Wendy, I didn't mean anything by what I said; that wouldn't happen, you guys are becoming close friends really quickly! Sorry about making you freak out like that…honestly though, I feel like you two have a lot in common!" Luana said as Wendy turned bright red.

"S-so…based on what you just said…did you end up speaking with Kellyn?" Wendy asked as Luana's eyes widened.

"Huh? I didn't speak with him!" Luana said as Wendy's eyes narrowed.

"Oh really? That's interesting…because the only extracurricular activity that makes you sweat that much is the rock-climbing course. I had to show Kellyn where it was, and of course, I want to do my Poké Assist training so I'll be more well-rounded…but you only go to the library once our classes for the day are done with…" Wendy said as she continued to inch forward to Luana, who was backing away.

"W-well…um, maybe I joined Kellyn for today so that I could…keep him company…" Luana said as Wendy grinned.

"I know you too well, so, what did you two talk about?" Wendy asked.

"It's funny you say that…I actually did most of the talking. But I get the feeling that Kellyn likes you!" Luana said as Wendy groaned.

"But Luana…if Kellyn doesn't do much talking then there's no way I'll know if he has some sort of feelings for me! Hrm…maybe I shouldn't be so worried, we've only known each other for a few days…" Wendy said.

"That's right! You and Kellyn can continue to know each other better instead of worrying about if he likes you now! But listen, I gotta go to the library with my boyfriend, see you around Wendy!" Luana said as she hurried off.

'Hmm…maybe, just maybe, I could see if Kellyn's done with his extracurricular activity and see if he'd like to have me help him out. Since he's new, there's still a backlog of classwork for him to catch up on so I know he'll be at the library for a while…' Wendy thought.

As the young woman turned the corner, she managed to bump right into Kellyn, tripping on her feet as the two came crashing down. Wendy landed on top of Kellyn, their faces dark red as their lips were mere inches from each other as she gasped in surprise and got to her feet as she helped Kellyn up.

"K-Kellyn! Just the guy I wanted to see…I wanted to know if you were free tonight!" Wendy said.

'Wendy wanted to see me? That sounds nice, I could use some company!' Kellyn thought.

"Hi Wendy, uh…yeah, I'm free, why?" Kellyn asked.

"Well I figured that the professors already sent you the backlog of classwork from the first few weeks you missed. I wanted to help you out with them so that you won't be at the library too long!" Wendy said as she checked her Styler, which showed that it was six forty P.M.

'She'd do that for me? She's such a sweetheart…' Kellyn thought as his heart raced.

"That'd be nice…but I already forgot where the library was. Mind showing me?" Kellyn asked as Wendy gave him a warm smile.

"Of course, they're open late, but we'd better hurry because of how dark that area is at nighttime!" Wendy said as the two headed to the library.

A few minutes later and the duo reached the building, which was a fancy, decked out three story library. The building itself was a little far off from the other buildings located on campus, leading to Kellyn's worry. The road leading to the library wasn't well-lit, and Kellyn huddled close to Wendy, much to the female Student Ranger's surprise.

"Kellyn? What's wrong?" Wendy asked as Kellyn's whole body stiffened up.

"This place freaks me out…is it okay if we walk a bit faster?" Kellyn asked as he held onto Wendy's arm, which served to make the two blush in response.

"Ah…s-sure, no problem…this little area never did feel safe to me either…at least after Kincaid took over…" Wendy said.

The rest of the way to the library had Kellyn and Wendy huddling close to each other, for good reason. The route was similar to most of the campus, being adorned with various greenery. However, the difference is that the bushes and trees on this route were on both sides, effectively making it hard to see at night, especially as the main light source was coming from the library. Kellyn looked upwards for a moment, only to see that even the night sky was covered up, and aside from the moonlight showing through the area was still dark.

'C-creepy…but…maybe if I talk to Wendy as we walk…then it wouldn't be so bad.' Kellyn thought.

'Hmm, this place is pretty quiet…I'm not liking it at all. Striking up a conversation with Kellyn would be good to keep both of us from not freaking out…plus we'll be able to know each other a little better aside from our general interests!' Wendy thought.

"Um…Kellyn, since it'll be good to pass the time, how about we keep a conversation going so the walk isn't so scary?" Wendy asked.

"Sure, talking would be a good idea. Maybe you could start off?" Kellyn asked as Wendy smiled.

"Heh, I'd love to…so, I have to ask, before you entered Ranger School, how was school like for you as a kid?" Wendy asked as Kellyn flinched.

'Should I tell Wendy…well…I don't think it'll be a problem, I really trust her. She may be my first friend but I'm good at reading people and their feelings.' Kellyn thought as he took a deep breath.

"In all honesty…school for me as a child was horrible…especially high school." Kellyn said.

"I'm sorry, would you feel better if you shared how you feel?" Wendy asked as Kellyn nodded.

"Sure, I think it'll help me a lot telling it to someone I respect. I'll just explain how the entire thing went down, and unfortunately, middle school and high school were both tough on me." Kellyn said.

-Two years ago at Fiore High School-

In the last period, Kellyn sat down and began to follow the instructions on the board, which consisted of going to a particular chapter in the book and writing down key parts of it for an upcoming test. The classroom itself was rather empty, save for a few students and the teacher who was checking his planner, but soon the rest of the class came, and the students were either chatting with another, or looking at Kellyn with smirks on their faces. A group of three boys got near Kellyn's desk, two in the back and one in the front, and the first one shoved Kellyn's books to the floor as they snickered. Kellyn however, ignored them, as they've done the same thing to him everyday since he's been going to this school, on top of stealing his lunch.

"Hey wimp, don't be so clumsy. You don't want these books to get damaged…they're expensive." The leader said.

"I'm sick of bullies like you guys. Grow up…" Kellyn mumbled as the three went to their seats all the way at the back.

"Hey man, are you just going to let that string bean off the hook? You would normally give him a slap at the back of his neck for speaking to you like that!" One of the guys said.

"Don't worry…I got a plan for him later." The rambunctious student said as they all snickered.

Sometime later, class was over, and students were eager since it was time to head home. Kellyn had to use the restroom, so he hurried there and used one of the stalls. As Kellyn was finishing up, he heard the bathroom door open and as he exited the stall. Once the young man was finished washing his hands and was about to leave…he saw none other than the trio of bullies.

'Oh no…not these guys…' Kellyn thought as their leader approached him.

The leader gave Kellyn a look over, and he wasted no time in pushing the male into one of the stalls.

"H-hey, get off of me!" Kellyn said as his books fell to the floor.

"Listen Kellyn, you've been getting a little too mouthy for our liking. It's time to put you back into your spot…" The bully said.

The unrelenting bully went and dunked Kellyn's entire head into the toilet water for a few seconds. Once Kellyn came back up, the bullying repeated continuously for several minutes, and once it was over, Kellyn panted, his entire body shaking from the ordeal.

"W-what was that for…?" Kellyn asked.

"For talking too much, besides that, aside from being smart, you don't really have a personality. You should thank us for not being more rough on you today. Let's not talk to this loser anymore guys, he'll be a waste of our energy." The bully said as his two cohorts left the bathroom stall before he did the same thing.

However, Kellyn tried to shake off the initial shock and looked at his schoolbooks, which he picked up quickly. Frowning, Kellyn hurried out of the school and he began to cry, soon doing so all the way home.

-Present day Almia-

As Kellyn finished retelling his horrid tale from his childhood, Wendy looked at him, her expression looking heartbroken and full of emotion. A moment later, her expression softened as she hugged Kellyn.

"How horrible…I can only imagine what else you've been through in your younger days." Wendy said.

"It was…usually like that, several times a week…one time another set of bullies shoved me into a locker. The teachers and administration didn't care…and my mother would end up transferring me to another high school…where it'd happen again. Basically, whenever I was bullied and let her know, she would go straight to the school to talk with the administration. The bullying stopped for a few days but only amplified later on when the teachers weren't looking. This process would repeat until my mother switched schools, and then it still happened." Kellyn said.

"When it continued in high school…did you let your mother know?" Wendy asked as Kellyn shook his head.

"I…didn't want to. When I went over to the second high school and was bullied, I didn't let her know I was still being tormented. It cost her a lot of money to move to a different city every single time, as every city only had one or two high schools. I couldn't do that to her." Kellyn said.

'If only I had met you guys then…I would've tried my best to take care of you two…' Wendy thought with a heavy heart.

"It's a good thing you love your mother a lot. Even though you put yourself at risk by not letting her know how people were treating you at school…you still did it because your main concern was her…" Wendy said.

"I really appreciate her, and like I said, the important thing is she's not struggling now so it worked out great! What about your school life?" Kellyn asked as Wendy flinched.

"My…my school days weren't as rough as yours, but it was able to leave a mark on me. I'm glad that you and your mother were able to manage throughout those years. If you're interested…I'll tell you just one story of what happened to me in high school." Wendy said as Kellyn nodded while Wendy began her story.

-Two years ago at Altru Town High School-

Wendy, being a beautiful and studious individual, was at the library after school. Since it was around four thirty P.M., the young woman decided to get her homework finished, along with extra credit that the teachers offered her, even though she didn't need it.

As it was a Friday, it was expected that there wouldn't be anyone around, however, there were at least twenty students in the library, male and female, with some of them doing their schoolwork. Of course, a number of men and some females, were ogling Wendy, with everyone there being surprised that someone of her beauty wasn't out at a party around now, but rather, at school, still studying. Most of the other students there were simply chatting about party plans, instead of doing their schoolwork so Wendy paid them no mind as she continued to work through the heavy rain pouring outside.

As Wendy was finishing up homework from one of her classes, a pair of girls came up to her, one blonde and the other brunette. The blonde was being very fidgety while the brunette appeared calm and relaxed.

"U-uhm…sorry to bother you…b-but—" The blonde began as the brunette put a hand on her shoulder.

"I got this Naomi. Sorry…she always gets so flustered talking to people she doesn't know. Do you mind if we ask you a couple of quick questions?" The brunette asked.

"Nothing wrong with being reserved or quiet, and sure, I can answer a few questions, I'm almost done anyhow!" Wendy said.

"Re-really?! Thank you! It's a little embarrassing but…we need some beauty tips…" The brunette said.

"Oh? Beauty advice from me? I mean…I'm not really all that spectacular…I'm just like everyone else!" Wendy said as the blonde student shook her head.

"Nonsense! Many guys and a few of the girls are absolutely in love with you! There's gotta be a secret to your charm!" The blonde girl said.

'They're a bit insistent on getting this advice from me…even though there isn't a method or trick I use. I'll have to tell them something though…otherwise they'll be here all day.' Wendy thought.

"Well…since you two really are so insistent in figuring out my wonderful allure, then I suppose you leave me with no choice!" Wendy said as she divulged her beauty tips to the two women.

"Wow, thank you so much, we'll try these right away! Thanks Wendy!" The brunette said as both hurried off.

'Phew…glad they're gone…now I can focus on my homework…' Wendy thought as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Turning around, Wendy saw that the person who put their hand on her shoulder was none other than the overly flirtatious and self-proclaimed class clown, Joe. The class clown was an average, brown haired, skinny male who always gave off a feeling of arrogance to not just Wendy, but the entire school. Considering that the man loved to show off and flirt any chance he'd get, it would have only been a matter of time before he hit on Wendy.

"Hiya Wendy, didn't expect you to be here, what's going on?" Joe asked as Wendy sighed.

"Hi Joe, I'm trying to finish up the rest of the homework I got. Did you need something?" Wendy asked.

"Of course I do! I was hoping you'd hang out with me at that new café that opened up!" Joe said.

"No, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested. I really have to get this work done!" Wendy said.

"Are you sure? Come on, it'll only be a few hours!" Joe said.

"Sorry Joe, this homework's something I have to do!" Wendy said as Joe sighed.

"Alright…I'll see you on Monday…" Joe said as he left.

Wendy began to feel a bit guilty about not accepting Joe's invitation, though she quickly began to hear a few annoyed people behind her as she tried her best to ignore them.

"Wow…I thought she was nice…" A female student mumbled.

"Tch, does she think just because she's pretty that she's all that?" A male student asked.

The small group of students began to get more rowdier, and Wendy decided to leave the library without hesitation. The woman soon started sprinting through the school, only to get caught by two female students who had taken a shortcut in front of her. Before she could even run, one of the girls yanked Wendy's hair while the other threw ice cold water onto her. With her uniform and homework drenched, the two girls gave each other a high five and ran off.

Huffing to herself, Wendy began walking through the hallways, only to hear more footsteps behind her. Looking back, she saw two guys and a girl hurrying after her, so Wendy ran, only to have the girl throw a bucket of water at her feet, making her fall face first. Before Wendy could even get up, both men dragged her to the nearby men's bathroom and opened a stall door, bringing her to a toilet. The female tried to force Wendy to kneel in front of the toilet…though Wendy was being very reluctant.

"…I'm not going to do that…" Wendy muttered as the girl punched her in the stomach.

"I know…so I'll just make you." The girl said as she had both men force Wendy to kneel on the ground.

A few seconds later, the girl stood on Wendy's calves as the latter tried to scream for help, only for one of the guy's to clamp his hand on her mouth. While Wendy was still trying to recover, the girl shoved her face into the toilet for several seconds, doing so for a while. Once some time had passed, the girl stepped off of Wendy's calves as the two guys released her. Panting from the torment, the three assailants watched their victim for a few seconds before the girl yanked Wendy's hair.

"This is just us being nice as payback for being so harsh to Joe earlier. For now we'll let you go…" The girl said as the trio left, leaving Wendy alone as she began to cry.

-Present Day, Almia-

Kellyn stood there dumbfounded as Wendy finished explaining how school was like for her as a child. The young man felt horrible as his new friend finished telling him about how similar their school life was, and he was silent as she took a breath.

"As you can imagine…that day was the worst of it all. Funnily enough, when I brought up the incident to the principal, she claimed that nothing could be done, since there weren't any witnesses and no proof. In a way…maybe she was right, aside from my soaked homework, nothing else proved I was attacked – plus, since it was raining that day, it could be argued I wasn't more careful with my paper. What really got me furious was when I confronted Joe about what happened, of course he denied everything, even though that girl supposedly did that because of the way I treated Joe." Wendy said.

"Wow…and even through all of that, you didn't ask your parents to switch schools for you?" Kellyn asked.

The second Kellyn mentioned the word parents, Wendy couldn't help but jump a little and look away from him. Considering that even though the dazzling woman does have a crush on Kellyn, she certainly didn't want to tell him about how she didn't have any family members, as it was a touchy subject for her.

"N-no…I didn't…" Wendy said as Kellyn looked concerned.

Wendy looks so disheartened…I wonder if there's something I can do to cheer her up…' Kellyn thought.

"I'm…I'm sorry. But…I have to say that you're amazing, I mean, you were able to overcome being bullied despite you not even doing anything wrong!" Kellyn said as Wendy perked up a bit.

"Th-thanks, you're pretty amazing too. Say…when we're done at the library, do you want to head over to that bench I took you to the other day? It'll most likely be just you and me since everyone else would be back in their dorms or off campus…if that's okay with you." Wendy said as Kellyn blushed.

'Alone with Wendy…that sounds nice…' Kellyn thought.

"That'll be no problem at all, I'd love to do that!" Kellyn said as it was Wendy's turn to blush.

'Huh?! Did she just blush? Oh no…I must've said what I was thinking out loud!' Kellyn thought as he shyly looked away from Wendy.

The two continued their walk to the library and reached there a few minutes later. There were a couple of people inside the building as a librarian greeted them. Once they headed upstairs, Kellyn took out all of the homework that needed to be done from his classes.

"S-sorry…seeing all this homework made me realize that it really is a lot that the professors need me to finish…" Kellyn said.

"I'll help you out, don't worry! Actually…now that you mention it…I heard that the professors never gave a student backdated homework when that student would be new, or if there was a family emergency. It's weird how they're doing that now…" Wendy said.

"Yeah…I don't mind. It might take a few hours or so to finish it all, so you don't have to stay back if you don't want to." Kellyn said as Wendy jumped.

"O-oh, but I really want to! Wouldn't it be nice to have someone next to you while you work?" Wendy asked as Kellyn had a blush on his face, something which Wendy picked up on.

"W-well…it would be…nice to have you with me!" Kellyn said as his blush only deepened.

"Oh? You wouldn't mind?" Wendy asked as she inched closer to him.

Kellyn couldn't help but shake his head no without saying a word, and Wendy giggled from his reaction, as he was talking just fine beforehand.

"What's wrong? Glameow got your tongue?" Wendy asked as she smirked.

"U-uh…y-yeah…" Kellyn said.

'Hahah, he's too adorable, I've never seen such a lively reaction out of someone! I don't want him to be awkward or uncomfortable around me, so seeing him so flustered like this is really something else!' Wendy thought as Kellyn regained his composure.

"Heheh…well then, um…shall we get going?" Kellyn asked as Wendy nodded.

"Of course! Let's keep it moving!" Wendy said.

Some time later, the duo reached the library, which was a well-lit, two story, stone brick building. Heading inside, Kellyn noticed a wide-open space, containing several bookshelves and a seating area. To the left was a small café which had the usual fare of water, caffeinated beverages, salads and wraps. The first floor didn't have too many people, averaging about twenty students or so. Wendy went over to the area leading to the second floor, which had a wheelchair accessible elevator and a nearby staircase as well.

"We'll get more privacy up here, is that okay with you?" Wendy asked.

"Of course, I'd prefer to go upstairs!" Kellyn said as the two headed up to the second floor.