Well hey guys! Miss me? I iz back and isn't going away. To make up for my absence I will put out my next update in 4 days. For more information on why I was gone, check my profile if it is under the (4/8/12) update.
Other than that, I WAS SO TICKED when I found out Elesa reappearing was a false alarm. Sorry for providing the information. It just ended up being Cilan dressing up as her. I hope she reappears at some point.
SO without further ado, Ch. 4 of my RaiMei fic.
"WAITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A voice echoed off walls in the station.
Ash was running across the polished tile floor, trying to catch his subway in time.
Why didn't I bring Cilan along with me today…
It was the same morning that he had seen Elesa and her…new?...hairstyle. He had rushed ahead of Cilan and Iris, dashing out the door before they were even awake. He wanted some quality alone time today, a day just to him and Pikachu. Not that he disliked being with friends…he just wanted to seclude himself today to allot time to his own thoughts. Pikachu? Well Pikachu was the type of friend that you could voice all your thoughts to without fear. Kinda like their minds were one in the other.
But Ash made sure to strategically place a full-body mirror right in front of Iris so she could wake up and see how much of a "child" she looked like. A little mini-payback.
Ash wasn't all too encouraged, as words gingerly slipped past his teeth.
"Ah, well, she'll get me back anyway, in some way or another. I just can't win against that girl."
The trainer knew himself well enough to know if he brought his Pokemon along, he would attempt, and probably succeed, to engage in some type of Pokemon competition. Whether it was a pick-up street battle or some large-scale tournament, anything Pokemon was like a high-voltage magnet for him. So he left every Pokemon he had on him at the Center, given Pikachu of course. Pikachu he saw more like a very close friend than a Pokemon. 'Course, that's how he saw all his Pokemon. That's just how Ash was. Pikachu was just so close to him they may very well have been the closest of brothers. And that's basically how they treated each other. Brothers.
Just Pikachu seemed to act like the sarcastic older brother a bit too much for the taste of the expert traveler.
But today was a day of relaxation. He thoroughly enjoyed battling, yes, but today was a day where he HAD to avoid touching a Pokeball.
Pikachu was happy for him making the mature decision, because this equaled to getting some quality time with Ash, time to be buddies.
Their first stop for the day was Nimbasa National Park. It wasn't like a National Forest Park like Viridian Forest, or some exotic natural area like Dewford Coral Reef Reserve. It was just a super huge, man-made forest branching off of the amusement park. All the same though, it was renowned for its biodiversity in flora.
So Pikachu and Ash came prepared.
"Alright Pikachu, let's see if we have everything," Ash said as he started rustling through his pack, poking his head around it while they sat down in the subway car.
"Pi-Pikachu." Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder to oversee his investigation of the disjumbled void known as his backpack.
"Alright let's first find the sunscreen…hmmmm where did I put it again?"
Ash furrowed his eyebrows and squinted while feeling around with his hand, as if to show the search for the smooth and squishy plastic bottle was excruciatingly painful.
And clearly he was having some difficulty.
"Ahh c'mon where'd ya go? That feels like my jacket…that feels like some chips…that feels like the chip bag…that feels like a spoon…what do I have a spoon in here for?…AHA!"
Ash triumphantly pulled out his bottle of…
"…Piiiika?"
The famous mouse sighed and gave Ash a rhetorical look like "really?"
What the raven-haired boy just pulled out was a bottle of Repel.
"PIKA!" The Mouse Pokemon folded its arms and faced away from its trainer, disgusted and disappointed.
Ash sweatdropped and put on a nervous laugh while flushing. "Well, we need this anyway so I guess it works."
He squirted some out in his hand and rubbed it around. He started spreading it around his body. He was about to take his shirt off and layer his skin there but…he suddenly remembered they were in a public car. So he tried to finagle his hand around his tight collar jacket and undershirt. This came out to look like a man who has an unidentifiable itch right on that one spot on your chest and back that you can't possibly reach. And it was the kind of itch that drives you insane until attention is brought to it.
Pikachu ruffled his nose. He was a Pokemon, so the repel really aggravated him. All Pokemon were keen to the horrid stench of the gunk humans call so lightly as "repel." That stuff didn't just repel Pokemon. It made them choke and gag and forget how to breathe.
But Pikachu was used to it by now. He guessed it was because he was occasionally exposed to it. A hobo living in a trashyard would start forgetting what its like to stink, to make a comparison.
Ash noticed his partner's discomfort. "Well Pikachu, thanks for bearing with me here. I know you hate this stuff."
His mouse responded annoyed, "PIKA! CHU!"
Ash was taken aback. "You…what?"
Pikachu instantly regretted uttering his rude remark. It wasn't fair to poke at Ash like that. But…Let's have some fun before I apologize hehe."
"Pipika, chupi. PikapikachuPi," he humphed.
Ash's face paled rapidly before starting to steam with anger. "HEY! DON'T MAKE FUN OF ELESA LIKE THAT!"
Pikachu laughed loudly and rolled over on the cushioned bench seat in the car.
Ash got up and grabbed Pikachu with both of his hands and held him up. "If you make fun of Elesa's beautiful aroma ONE MORE TIME, I'm SENDING YOU TO YOUR POKEBALL MISTER!"
Well…that just about shut up Pikachu. His mouse started sweating nervously and gulped a large gunk of nothing.
"…pi…."
Ash was about to continue to furiously scold his brother-like Pokemon, but a random an unexpected chill went down his spine. His face flushed for absolutely no reason. All of a sudden, the car temperature had raised a few hundred degrees…
The boy's face turned to a dumb and soft expression as he slowly turned his head around to look around the small traveling car they were in. What he saw just about froze his liver.
Unfortunately for the duo, Ash didn't just shut up Pikachu. He attracted the attention of just about every other person in the car.
Some men in suits that appeared to be going to work waited for Ash to contact their expressions, and then rolled their eyes, as if they couldn't do this without Ash seeing their disgruntlement.
Some women giggled, thinking it was cute to see a young man act so rashly and loudly.
A few girls whispered to each other about how cute and handsome the loud raven-haired boy was.
But one lone young businessman stepped forward and put his hand on Ash's shoulder. Smiling calmly, he remarked, "So…you like Elesa, don't you."
Ash panicked hearing this. CRAP! He already put the pieces together! PIKACHU I'M GONNA KILL YOU AFTER THIS! He shot Pikachu a look saying exactly that. His partner laughed nervously and rubbed his hand behind his head.
If everyone in the subway hadn't heard exactly what Ash said the first time, they easily picked up on what the man said. In unison, one long, loud gasp swept across the train car.
The girls started to gossip faster than a speeding Rapidash. The ladies started to talk to each other about the possibilities of Elesa finally finding her elusive first boyfriend. The men all whistled and winked at Ash, signaling their totally clearly and completely obviously necessary approval.
The businessman got up and offered his hand for a friendly handshake to Ash. Confused, Ash accepted the offer. The man looked Ash in the eye, his eyes gleaming. He looked the boy up and down to try and get a good figure of who he was. He smiled and stepped back, his eyes glistening.
What is going on here? Ash said as he flushed a hard, brick red.
The man in front of him threw his head back and bellowed a loud roar of laughter. He snapped his head back down and showed Ash the pristine white canines out of the corner of his mouth, which shined in the light. He gave Ash a thumbs up and winked at him. He got up and departed without a word, making way for another car.
Pretty soon after the man left, the crowd dispersed. The women wanted to go on about their business, along with the men. The girls probably still wanted to talk about Ash, but just went somewhere else to act like they were doing something else.
Ash and Pikachu blinked a couple times, frozen. Their car was now deserted, dusky, and quiet. What started as a simple lighthearted scavenger hunt for their supplies turned into Pikachu calling Ash's taste of smell bad, which turned into Elesa smelled like a Garbador, which turned into Ash getting infuriated at Pikachu, and finally turned into a strange man in a tie and sports blazer call out Ash on a crush he didn't have. They slowly broke their heads free of the chill spread across the two of them, halting once they made eye contact. They both had the same thought. Ash just spoke it.
"Well…that was odd."
Warning! The subway car connecting from Central Plaza to Nimbasa Park is arriving to its destination blahblahblah! Please keep your hands on the safety rails, or stay seated until the car has come to a complete stop blahblahblah. For your safety,
"PI-I-I-I-I-IKACHUUU!"
Ash's partner was rolling on the floor laughing. Literally.
The raven-haired boy himself had just mocked the entire recorded intercom voice by squinching his eyes together, furrowing his eyebrows, sticking his tongue out, clamping his hands like claws, and making constant "bleh" sounds. It looked like he was an evil joker.
Things had calmed down since the scene made 30 minutes prior. With the exception of the group of girls…
Who were, when I think about it, extraordinarily attractive.
…who walked by Ash and Pikachu's car, pointing and giggling at Ash in either mockery or admiration. Everyone else seemed to forget the fact Ash existed.
After what seemed like forever, Ash and Pikachu successfully grabbed all their supplies for the morning walk.
As they moved out through the automatic doors and into the station, the duo was greeted by the loud hustle and bustle of Nimbasa City. Hundreds of voices reverberated throughout the area, and the echoes of the occasional loud booming noises from falling luggage (and that one guy who always feels the need to shout for no reason at all) rang through Ash's ears.
He scooped up his partner and gently moved the Electric Mouse's feet up to his shoulder, letting Pikachu do the rest. When they were all situated, he moved out into the sea of people.
When they finally stepped out into the sunlight, warmth from the sun flushed across their faces. A light, cool breeze picked up Ash's sweater and sent an icy breath up his chest.
Pikachu meanwhile was reveling in the pleasure of being outside. He rubbed up against Ash chortling a "Chaaaaa!" in pleasure.
Ash chuckled and scratched the underside of Pikachu's chin.
He readjusted his cap slightly, slamming it down on his head to emphasize the fact he was preparing for some real business to go down…Which basically meant he was going to walk through a city full of tourist shops.
If there's but one memory that doesn't sit well with the amber-eyed boy, it was the excruciatingly painful trips of window-shopping that Dawn and May adored. It's not that he's against other people enjoying themselves, or even so much as that he hates shopping. He actually loves going shopping. Just girls always seem to take it too far. Ash always supposed he just would never understand the need for the perfect outfit, being a boy and all.
Ash thought out loud, "I guess if there's one thing good about Iris, she's not shop-obsessed. She prefers to be more of a survivor than a shopper."
He turned to his buddy to continue to poke fun at his ex-traveling companion's habits when he noticed Pikachu was distracted. He was currently staring intently and enviously at something. His mouse's usual bashful and happy expression was replaced by total bliss, characterized by twinkling eyes and a grin that could only have been granted by Arceus himself.
Ash looked quizzically at his friend and followed his line of sight. He saw that his buddy was staring intently at…
A restaurant?
Ash thought this was odd for his buddy to be so entranced by…food.
HEY! That's my job bro!
Ash went back to his partner's face to see if his eyes played tricks on him. But low and behold, Pikachu's gaze was static. Ash looked back one more time before he would call Pikachu crazy. Then he saw what Pikachu was mesmerized by.
And he couldn't help but buck over laughing.
This sudden jerk threw Pikachu forward and almost off his shoulder. Luckily for both of them Pikachu had tremendous arm strength for a mouse, and also had a great sense of balance. It did, however, force him to re-stabilize his footing and focus on himself, obliging him off his trance.
The mouse's face filled up with lava. He was about to get extremely mad when Ash picked him up off his shoulder and set him down.
Pikachu thought, AFTER ALL THAT WORK I DID TO STAY ON, you go and take me off your shoulder?
Ash looked down at Pikachu with a happy and playful twinkle in his eyes. "I'll be back," he said before jogging off in the direction of the restaurant, disappearing behind the entrance door.
Pikachu ruffled his nose and bobbed his head to the side. He slowly walked forward in Ash's trail to see what Ash was doing.
What is Ketchum doing? I was enjoying that moment when all of a sudden he laughed and put me down. Clearly he's not ditching me, but what is he doing?
Totally unaware of the trance he had been in, Pikachu ran about a thousand different thoughts through his brain about what Ash could possibly be doing and why he was doing it.
He decided to take a moment and look around the area. It was basically normal city pedestrian traffic. Young families were full of energy and running all over the place, older couples were relaxed and enjoying time on the rooftops of restaurants, a group of girls was strutting their way in and out of a shoe store…
Wait, a group of girls?...
Pikachu didn't have time to complete that thought because abruptly, Ash walked out of the restaurant laughing.
"…and thanks again mister!" he called back towards the building before the door closed. A man in a nice mustache winked at him and kissed his own fingers before waving goodbye through the glass door.
Pikachu dashed forward and confronted his master.
"PIKA!"
Ash ignored his blood brother's remark and just smiled, putting down the plastic bag in his hands. He untied to knot at the top, and backed off, resting his arm on his knee like an athlete, coercing his friend to do the honors. After Pikachu just stared in awe at him for a solid minute, Ash chuckled and gestured him forward while pointing to the bag.
Pikachu slowly crawled forward and stuck his head inside the bag.
What he saw made his day 1000 times greater.
What was once lava in Pikachu's face turned into diamond. He was frozen and entranced for a second, not believing it was real. He blinked a couple times to make sure it wasn't just a dream.
Nope it was real.
All of a sudden it was springtime in Nimbasa. Jumping around in joy, Pikachu sprinted circles around the area. He did a little jig and leaped in the air. He was so enthralled he even used Quick Attack to pick up speed and zip in and out of wherever he wanted. Then, out of nowhere, he leaped into an unsuspecting and chuckling Ash's arms and gave him a huge bear hug. Ash started laughing joyfully and squeezed Pikachu in tight. He let go to allow his friend to dig into his little surprise present. The smiling Pikachu backed off, looking ever-so-grateful for having such a reliable and close friend.
And so as the duo walked away from the scene, people could only smile and go "awww" at the bond the two had just displayed.
However their smiles turned into laughs when they saw the raven-haired boy's exquisite present, because the team was walking down the street with Pikachu on his shoulder, relishing in the taste of a hot-sauce infused ketchup.
His favorite kind.
Elesa stepped out into the bright yellow aura of the midmorning sun. She basked in the chilly warmth of the air with a light summer breeze. She adored this time of year. When most every other big town was struggling with heat because of pollution, her Nimbasa City was as pristine as can be. Even though she wasn't part of the city council, everyone attributed the town to her. The girl with lemon hair even did most of the town speeches. Everyone adored her.
And with someone as kind and energetic as her, she was easily adored.
The good thing about her house is that it was in a small, gated-off area. This wasn't for an overly superfluous display of wealth, or to try and acquire extra lawn space. She just had heard about the problems of celebrities elsewhere; the main of which is getting pummeled by fans and reporters straight out of the house.
But these days her gate wasn't even locked. Her fans respected her space and privacy, and never even dared nor thought to approach her or her abode while she was out of town.
Elesa decided to leave all her precious at home. The Nimbasa Leader wanted some precious alone time to let her raging thoughts settle. Thoughts about life, thoughts about battling, thoughts about happiness, thoughts about…
Thoughts about…
Elesa didn't dare let that thought finish. She can't be putting her foot in uncharted waters so soon and get her hopes up.
So Elesa closed the door to the house, letting the automatic electronic security system lock itself.
She turned her head around and blew a kiss to the upper rafters of the house.
She shouted out, "Stay safe my sweethearts! I love you all bunches, and you know it!"
And even though she technically wasn't supposed to hear through the soundproof walls, she could have sworn she heard her Pokemon call back to her. So with a newly painted smile on her face, she set out to conquer the city.
Elesa was wearing a cool blue athletic shirt with a green trim and a smooth blue lining. It had the words "STATE" pasted across the front in sharp red text, and the number "00" on the back in the same font. She was wearing short, pink running shorts with a light yellow stripe down the side. Her hair was brushed down to its original style, accompanied by the original headphones. She was wearing some tan flip-flops. She looked like the epitome of a surfer girl. It grossly contrasted her trademark supermodel outfit she wore on when at work. But she looked jaw-dropping all the same.
And the guys were certainly taking notice, much to the digression of the girl in question herself.
All the same, Elesa couldn't help but just giggle and move along.
Guys can be so weird.
She pulled out some real headphones and slipped them under her favorite accessory. She plugged in her PMP-5.5 (Portable Music Player ed. 5.5) Silver Edition and cranked up the tunes. She put on Days of Remark, an alternative rock band, and let the music flood her head. She smiled and sighed in pleasant joy as the remarkable quality of her PMP made her ears drool.
She started doing a mini-swag groove. She closed her eyes and pretended the enormous, monolithic skyscrapers around her and the wide open hustling streets and sidewalk in front of her didn't exist. She snapped her fingers and swayed her hips from side to side, bobbing her head to the beat of the music. Her arms bent like a V at her sides, they jerked from forward to back to the pleasant "bum da disss, ba-bum da disss. bum da disss, ba-bum da disss." the percussion section was making.
She continued this way, humming the lyrics she knew so well.
"Oh whyyy! OH why did you treat me so? Oh whyyy! OH why did you smitten me so? I'm sitting here like a duck-outta-water and I'm blushing like a sailor at the zoo! OHH I'm fighting here like a knight in large armor. Because you've captivated my hearrrrrt and there's nothing I can do!"
When the song stopped she opened her clean sky eyes and observed the world around her. It would be safe to say just about every young man in he city just stopped what they were doing to admire her.
She giggled and pulled out her headphones, and gracefully swept into the café she was stopping at. The extended wires of her accessory flowed beautifully behind her, slipping through the door suggestively to every guy in town. As soon as she disappeared behind the crystal wooden doors, every guy blinked, brushed their eyes awake, and returned to work.
Elesa was oblivious to how meaningful those lyrics she sung meant to her heart. And she was even more oblivious to how life-changing the café she just slipped into would become.
"Waiter! E'scuse me waiter!" Ash called out.
A young man, no older than 20, dressed in casual attire with a waiter's apron turned on his heels and approached Ash with a smile. "What can I do for you today, Sir….?"
"Ketchum, sir."
The man straightened out and smiled. "Yes, yes, Mr. Ketchum, what can I do for you today on this BEAUtiful morning? It sure is fantastic out isn't it!"
Ash and Pikachu laughed. "It certainly is! We even stopped by the park, and boy was it memorable!" Ash scratched the underside of Pikachu's chin.
Ash cleared his throat. "I would like a chilled Blue Passho Smoothie with today's special pastry on the side. My buddy…" he gestured to Pikachu, "would like a cup of Leppa, please."
The waiter scribbled it all down on a notepad. When he was done, he made an exaggerated jab of his pen to show it. "Excellent, excellent. Well, the order will be out in a sec, k? Just admire Nimbasa until we come back."
Ash smiled and nodded. "Alright man, I'll se ya then."
As the young server disappeared behind the "Employee's Only" door, Ash and Pikachu returned their gazes to each other.
Ash remarked, "Wow this is a brilliant little café isn't it buddy?"
Pikachu agreed, "Chaaaaa."
The place really was nice. The sanitation was remarkably high and the atmosphere felt light and clear. The windows looking outside were polished and shiny, and the wood encasing the whole place was a faded wormwood. The floor looked sandy and washed to the eye, but felt smooth to the touch. There were occasional, small, simple vases of cute flowers scattered everywhere. Combined with the seclusion of each booth one could sit in, the place emitted a perfect clean yet rustic atmosphere.
When Pikachu and Ash were done observing their surroundings, they returned their looks once again. Ash decided to talk about their walk earlier.
"Well after I found all the necessary supplies, it was a fabulous trip wasn't it?"
Pikachu snickered, "Pi-i-ika. Pika-pikachu."
Ash sweatdropped. "Yeah, yeah I know that took a while. Hey I got you your gift right?"
Pikachu's look became a dreamy and otherworldly one. Ash had to snap in his face to remind him they were in a personal conversation right now, and daydreaming about his previous excursion into the world of buffalo-flavored ketchup would have to wait. This time it was Pikachu's turn to sweatdrop.
So Ash and Pikachu carried on about how beautiful the park was. The forestry was brilliant. There were gorgeous evergreens and pretty deciduous trees. There were countless fields of flowers in full bloom, each thriving in its own power. The grass was a pristine green, and the water was completely pollution-less. It's not even like there was a random can floating in the water. Ash and Pikachu guessed it was probably just a citywide code of honor to keep if fresh and clean, seeing as how the whole town was essentially in a natural state of cleanliness.
Supposedly there was a rare Enigma Berry tree around the park somewhere. But people have searched for months and never found it. It had achieved myth status by the time Ash and Pikachu picked up on it. They even found a construction worker who said the sign advertising the legend would be taken down soon to avoid unnecessary lawsuits.
But nonetheless Pikachu and Ash searched for it in hopes of finding the coveted relic. They, of course, had no luck finding it, but all the same they loved the journey looking for it.
And the wild Pokemon there were superb as well. From Pidove to Sewaddle, and from Rufflet to Swanna the place was teeming with wildlife.
So Pikachu and Ash went on and on about their adventure. They were unaware of the group of 3 giggling girls just beside them in a separate booth.
They were scheming and gossiping about how to approach that handsome raven-haired boy over there who had beaten the Nimbasa Gym the day before.
Obsessed? Yes. Stalkers? Possibly. Shy? Absolutely not.
"Hehehe he is sooooo ca-YUTE!"
"What about his Pikachu? Isn't he just adorable!"
"I wonder if his hair smells as nice as his body looks…"
"Oh why aren't we the sluttly little whore over here?"
"Oh be quiet, bitch, you are just as seductive as me."
"Both of you! Shut it! Don't speak so loudly!"
"Girl we've talked louder this entire day and he hasn't even noticed us. Calm down."
"Let's get back on track now! What should we do?"
"Why don't we just do up to him and pop our chests at him? We've seen the boners guys get over these big, bad girls up here, why would he be any different?"
"That is so fucking whorish…it might actually work."
"Or how about we turn around and stick our ass at him? He'd love that!"
"Girls! We can't be that seductive! His Pikachu will do anything for him, and the minute we start doing that he wouldn't hesitate to zap us!"
"Hmmm you've got a point there. What should we do."
"Gotta think, gotta think…"
Suddenly a loud crash followed by metal clanging was heard in the background. It was fairly incomprehensible, and nothing could be made out of it.
"What was that?"
"No matter. It's probably just some kitchen accident. Stupid waiter probably saw my breasts here or something hehe."
"Shut it girl, you really shouldn't be talking like that. You're not even 16 yet, so don't start acting like a prostitute."
"Alright guys back on track now. Focus…"
"I've got it! Why don't we act seductive yet innocent? Like not be blatant about anything? If we do that his Pikachu will have too much of conscience to zap us! He'll be cornered! He'd have to go out with us!"
"UWWWWW I like the sound of this!"
"Alright then…no time like the present girls. Let's move."
And so an unfortunate Ash and oblivious Pikachu were sitting in the booth like sitting ducks, as a group of 3 hormone-led girls approached them like predators.
And their only saving grace was a beautiful young miss with an athletic outfit in a separate table next to the window, currently observing the speeding traffic of Nimbasa while she was wrapped up in her own mind and her own thoughts.
Elesa pulled out the wooden bar chair and delicately took her seat at the table next to a window. It was an odd scenery of simple cars zooming back and forth across the open road, but Elesa loved it. It was a nice way to drown out extraneous noises when in the middle of her thoughts.
She flagged down a waitress and told her she wanted her signature yet simple Passhocino. Decaf, extra sugar, skim milk, with a slight touch of cinnamon. This café did it best, and she recommended it to everyone. This in its own way sparked the successful drive of this business who put all their marketing into claiming it was "Elesa's Favorite Place to Grab a Cup." And Elesa didn't mind it, because it was 100% the truth.
So she decided to crack down and get to her thoughts. She was absorbed in it all and her gaze looked swallowed up by it. Any witness would easily be able to claim spectating her was like spectating a masterpiece of a statue. Simple and unmoving, yet it has a gaze that would captivate someone for ages as you try and decipher what it was saying.
So Elesa…how's life? No, no that's not what I need to think about I have an awesome life. Let me start over—So Elesa…how's the gym? Still not quite right. How's your personal life? N…well actually…err…umm…
Elesa was struggling figuring out what was bugging her. She couldn't make two sense out of it. So after a few tenuous minutes of searching her brain for the answer, she gave up. Sighing, she leaned back and admired the beautiful café.
She mumbled, "Ya know, for a place that has gotten so popular, it hasn't lost any of its integrity I know it to have when I first came."
Right after she said that her waitress popped out of the door and slid through with a cup of hot Passhocino in her hands. The delicate white steam evaporating off of the surface was curious to look at. So as her waitress approached, the girl with lemon hair observed it dissolving into the atmosphere.
"Here you are Elesa. Anything else besides your regular?"
Elesa smiled and shook her head. "No thanks that will be all. Here, here's the money.." Elesa dug through her pocket and pulled out the sufficient Poké. "…and here is a little something for you." She winked at her waitress and returned to her thoughts.
Elesa didn't see the server's reaction, but she could feel the gratitude rushing off of her. So she smiled and closed her eyes, knowing she had made someone happy.
See? You are a likable and kind person. You're life is perfect! So what is bugging you? Maybe something isn't perfect?
She was back to this struggle.
Well since its clear trying to find out what's wrong will last me here all year, let me find the source. Killing a weed starts at its roots, after all.
So Elesa scanned her brain for when it all started. She was still having little success when suddenly…
~CRASHHHHH…CRASHH…CRASH. CRASH, CLANG, CLANGCLANGCLangclangclanggg…~
Distracted and probably curious, she pulled her head around to see what had happened. Low and behold, a young, probably new, waiter has just dropped a metal pan for where a customer's food is placed. There was nothing on it thankfully, but it was still obnoxiously loud.
Elesa felt bad for him. Being a new guy is always tough. She should know better than anyone else, especially with the journey she had to becoming gym leader…
Wait gym leader…that's it! It started after yesterday's gym battle with Ash!
…
…
…
Ash…
Elesa's mind drifted into thoughts of the courageous boy standing up for his friend Bianca, risking everything for her. Of the brilliant battler who couldn't be touched when combined with Pikachu. Of the compassionate friend who had a bond with his Pokemon greater than any other she had ever seen. She could just hear him calling out to her. Well, not to her. But calling out in general.
It was almost as if it was…real.
Then Elesa had a chill run down her spine and spread through her fingertips. She craned her neck to the right, slowly twisting it like a rusty gear. What she saw made her want to scream.
Ash was being cornered by 3 very attractive young teenagers, and his eyes were telling the whole story.
He needed help.
Yeah. Cliffhanger. FTW.
R&R