Chapter XXV: Two Words of a Thousand Feelings: Aishiteru Kamo!
"Kamo!" ("The Haruka Show") Final Episode
Several miles later, they could see the Touka City gym with several minutes to spare. They all let out a sigh of relief after knowing the fact that they actually made it despite the odds fate placed on them from the very beginning.
"I can see my house from here. We're almost there!" The brunette girl cried happily.
Then, just as they thought that they were going to celebrate Christmas with the rest of their friends and family, they suddenly stopped in their tracks as something black impeded their way.
"RRRRAAWRRRR…!" That something black was a wild Graena with a scar in its right eye.
"A…A Graena (Mightyena)…!" Hikari said. "What does it want from us?"
"Haruka, you told me before that the Graena who ruined your scarf had a scar in its right eye right?" Kanata said. "Is this the one?"
However, the brunette girl couldn't speak thanks to the wild Graena's Intimidate ability. She was shaking from head to toe and couldn't even move away. She focused mainly on keeping a firm grip on her box of cookies. She didn't want the past to come back and haunt her but from the intimidating looks of the wild Pokemon, it seemed like it was bound to happen again.
"Haruka, what's wrong?" Kanata cried. "Haruka…! Darn it, she's too scared to move."
"Pochama (Piplup), help me out!" Hikari sent out her beginner Pokemon to battle the fierce Graena.
"Hikari, what are you doing? That's no ordinary wild Pokemon we're up against!"
"Do we even have a choice? It won't get out of the way until we force it to! Pochama, attack with Bubble Beam!"
A stream of bubbles came out of Pochama's beak. However, the attack was useless as Graena jumped out of its way and countered the first strike with its powerful Shadow Ball attack. A single direct hit was all it needed to knock Pochama down for the count.
"What intense power!" Hikari ordered her Pokemon back in the monster ball. "Pochama, return…!"
Then, Kanata makes a bold and dangerous move.
"Haruka, listen to me." Kanata said. "We'll cover your escape. You get out of here and call for help!"
That idea seemed to snap the brunette girl out of intimidation. "What? Kanata, I can't do that!"
"Unless you have any Pokemon with you, my Yarukimono (Vigoroth) is the only battle-ready Pokemon we have."
"It's not that! I can't leave you two in grave danger."
"I've already made up my mind." Kanata sent out her only battle-ready Pokemon. "Yarukimono, let's go!"
"Kanata, stop this! I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
Seeing the two girls fight, Hikari stepped in and intervened in the argument. For some reason, she became a different kind of person right now than a few hours ago back at the bakery. The blue-haired girl put up a grin on her face.
"Haruka, if you don't want then I'll go." Hikari put up a very serious face. "I'll tell your beloved Satoshi that I love him and give him my cookies."
"Hikari…!" Kanata yelled. "What are you saying?!"
"Hikari-chan…w-what's the matter, kamo?" Haruka said; worrying a lot.
"I'll tell Satoshi that you didn't make it in time and got killed by a wild Graena. Then…"
"Hikari…s-stop it…"
"Satoshi will be mine for the taking."
Hikari's words became a grave shock to the brunette girl. Haruka saw an evil Hikari right in front of her. She couldn't help but do the last thing she want to do to anyone particularly her close friends—taking off her right glove and slapping her with the full might of her right hand.
"You two are idiots, you know that?!" Haruka cried before running past the Graena and hurrying to her house.
---0---0---0---0---0---
As expected, the Christmas party started with three people short. It was customary for them to prepare a program or a number for the event before the dinner—normally in the form of a song. Halfway into the program, Haruka came barging in the gym door; exhausted. After all, who wouldn't be exhausted after running so many miles without stopping to catch one's breath?
"Hey Haruka, you're late." Kasumi said. "What took you? We were starting to worry."
The brunette girl couldn't get her words straight due to exhaustion. "Kanata…Hikari…need help…"
"Haruka, what happened to Kanata and Hikari?" Satoshi asked out of concern. "Take a deep breath and tell us what happened."
As instructed, she took a deep breath, which calmed her nerves down, and spilled everything.
"Everyone, please continue with the party. We'll be back shortly." Satoshi said; then turned his attention to the brunette girl. "Haruka, let's go."
The two hurried back to the damsels in distress somewhere along the forest trail. Although it was already ten past midnight when this happened, failing to meet the deadline, Haruka's only concern now was the safety of her friends who had to turn their backs on her just to force her to keep pushing forward.
"Satoshi…" The brunette girl said; trying to keep up with her beloved.
"What is it?" Satoshi replied.
"When this is all over…will you…go…"
"Go where?"
"Satoshi, will you go out with me sometime?!"
Despite her shyness always impeding on her attempts to get the prize, she managed to overcome it.
"Sure, why not?" The trainer smiled.
Haruka also replied with a smile. "Thank you, Satoshi!"
"But before that, I want to ask you one thing."
"Huh?"
Satoshi took a deep gulp down his throat before blurting out his question. "Do you…uh…by any chance…have feelings for me?"
Haruka couldn't believe her ears: those were the same words in her dream expressed at the same sentimental tone. It was something she always wanted to hear from the love of her life—and also something that she feared above all else.
"Ah…um…that's a bit…sudden." Haruka replied nervously. "C-Can we talk about s-something else?"
The same words came out of the trainer's mouth. "I can't. I need your answer right away…before I leave."
The brunette girl suddenly slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop; feeling as if something really fragile broke her heart. A few meters later, Satoshi also did the same and turned around. By the time they stopped, Satoshi saw a depressed Haruka standing far away from him. He wasn't too dense to not know the reason why. He never explained to her why he needed to leave.
"Satoshi…" The brunette girl said. "Are you…really…going to…leave?"
"Haruka…" The trainer replied worryingly. "I didn't mean to surprise you—"
"Don't screw around!"
"Haruka…"
Tears flooded her eyes as they poured out and rolled down the side of her face. She tightly clenched both of her gloved hands into two fists.
"All this time…since middle school…" Haruka said; crying. "Satoshi…all this time…I ALREADY HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU!"
Satoshi couldn't speak. In fact, he didn't want to speak. He looked helplessly at his crying friend who was currently pouring out all of her hidden emotions she kept at bay for the past four years.
"Then…you're just going to say…that you're leaving?" Haruka continued; still crying a river. "That's unforgivable!"
"Haruka…"
At that exact moment, snow began to fall. They may be not much at first but they will blanket the entire city soon with their numbers. For some reason, Satoshi felt the same as Haruka; the only difference is he was able to hold his tears. Haruka, on the other hand, never thought about holding her tears back as she cried and cried for being such a failure. The only thing Satoshi could do to be of any help to ease Haruka's pain…
…was a romantic hug.
"Haruka, I'm sorry. I never realized." Satoshi whispered into Haruka's ear. "I'm really sorry. I guess I'm nothing more but a dense goofball."
"S-Satoshi…" The brunette girl looked dumbfounded at Satoshi.
"I never realized that you would be upset about me being gone for a week."
"You have no idea—" Suddenly, Haruka stopped crying upon hearing something awkward. "Wait a minute, for a week you say?"
If this chapter had background music in it, think of the sound of a zipping zipper cutting the romantic ambiance short.
Satoshi let go of Haruka. "Well yeah. I'm going to spend the New Year back at Masara Town. I'll be back before the start of classes."
"Wait; s-so…well I thought…uh…"
"Did you think that I was going to leave for good?"
"Um no; of course not, kamo…! You see…uh…oh, I'll just shut myself up now."
"But I'm very happy."
"Happy? For what…?"
"Now I know that you really like me a lot. No wonder I keep on getting cute impressions about you."
"Satoshi, that's so sweet kamo."
They were so caught up with making their romantic scene under the fall of snow; they never realized until somebody called their attention that they were standing right next to Kanata and Hikari who were keeping the wild Graena's fangs occupied with a thick tree branch.
"Hey you two, are we interrupting something?!" Kanata yelled; holding the branch against the Pokemon's vicious fangs. "We could sure use a hand right now!"
"Waaaaaah…! That stupid Graena ripped a hole at the back of my skirt!" Hikari sobbed.
---0---0---0---0---0---
The next day, Haruka went alone to see Satoshi and his mother leave for Masara Town. They met up at the port in Mishiro Town where Haruka gave her box of cookies to Satoshi as travel snacks. The trainer picked one out of the box for a taste test (not that he didn't trust Haruka's cooking or anything).
"Wow, they're delicious." He smiled. "Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite. How did you know?"
"Well, let's just say it's a lucky guess kamo." Haruka replied.
"You know, you're really something."
"Well, I AM somebody. Ha, ha, ha, ha…"
Attention all passengers: the ferry bound for Twin Islands (Seafoam Island) is about to leave in five minutes. Please make last-minute checks on your belongings and your tickets.
"Well, it looks like our ride's leaving." Satoshi sighed. "I wish I could stay here a bit longer."
"Nah, you should go back to your hometown. I know there are a lot of people that miss you back home." Haruka replied.
"You're right. Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Take care, Haruka."
"You too, Satoshi; take care."
Five minutes later, the ferry bound for the Twin Islands shoved off from the port and into the open sea. Haruka watched the ferry disappear in the wild blue yonder. She wanted to say something else before Satoshi left but she figured that Satoshi would eventually return to Touka City.
"Satoshi…" Haruka said; facing the ocean. "Aishiteru kamo…"
"Hmm…aishiteru kamo, eh…?" Kanata crept up on the brunette girl's shoulder. "Nice words, Haruka."
"EEEEEEEEEK…! Kanata, I told you I get shocked easily!"
"Those are sweet words coming out of your mouth. I have it all on tape."
"AAAAAH…! No, don't play it in front of everyone!"
The purple-haired girl refused and already made tracks. "Catch me if you can, Haruka!"
"Kanata, that's not funny kamo! Come back with that recorder!" Haruka followed.
THE END
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