Special Chapter 1: How I met you

Sylvia's POV:

This is so great! I get my best pals as roommates and neighbors! Oh, I couldn't be happier. Now I won't have to worry about getting a naughty one. We were like, practically celebrating in my dorm. My room number is 0665, so is Kinzy's, while Lily and Isha lived to our right. Rook is in the room to our left. I don't know who's his roommate though.

My friends and I were just loathing around on the two beds and the couch. The dorm is kinda arranged like my den, but the space was bigger. I think it's still a little too small for two 'mons to be in at the same time though. It'll take awhile to get used to.

"Hey, don't you know where your boyfriend lives?" Isha asked.

Ignored her tease. "I dunno." I shrugged. "He shouldn't be too far off though."

"Does it hurt to still be separated?"

"Stop it." I gave her an unamused look. "At least stuff is finally happening between us. Right Lily?"

"Mm hmm." She nodded. "Took you long enough. Lord knows why you still got feelings even after so many years."

"Hey, I'm just different. That's all."

"Why do you even like him?" The Clefairy asked.

"Don't you guys know?"

"Uh… kinda?"

"Well, let me remind you."

…

~5 years ago

I was late to class. Again. Though it's not my fault for having to run across the school twice in under three minutes. I had to first get to my locker after gym period and get my stuff, and run through the halls since my next class, foreign language, was on the other side of school. Geez, what was the school thinking to make me have to do this every other day? Luckily, my teacher was pretty laid back and sympathetic for me, especially after I told her why I was so late.

Today, I had spent too long talking to Kinzy in the locker rooms. So I really had to get moving to my foreign language class (which is honestly pretty boring). I think today we're going to the computer lab as well, and my teacher usually locks the door after the bell rings. I quickly dismissed myself from the locker rooms and went as fast as I could through the halls as much as my chocolate brown little paws could carry me.

I fumbled with the lock and ripped open my locker, shoved in my gym bag, grabbed my binders, and dashed back across the school. Even though I'm on a pretty short time table right now, I had to admit that it was kind of satisfying to feel a breeze on my face , especially after gym. There weren't any teachers roaming the corridors as I ran, so I was running at top speed, no, I was pretty much flying.

When I had covered about two thirds of my way to the computer lab, I took a turn which I had always believed was a shortcut to get there. Though today it was the complete opposite.

Just seconds after I had turned the corner. I crashed right into some 'mon before I could even register what was in front of me. I like to think that I took most of the impact because I recoiled backwards and fell on my butt, but I was sprinting and my poor victim likely wasn't. I rubbed my the point of contact, my head, quite a bit because it honestly did hurt, but I held back the urge to let even a single tear drip from my eyes.

I heard a low groan shortly after the incident, which reminded me that I wasn't the only one here. I opened my eyes to see a Glaceon on his butt as well, but he got up quicker than I did. I recognized him as the quiet kid in my history and math class.

"Oh uhh… real sorry about that. I-I didn't mean to do that." He stammered. He picked up all the stuff I dropped and then dropped them into my arms just I sat back up. "Umm, see ya." He said before he walked away with his things in a brisk pace. I had to admit that I kinda think that that was the first time I've ever heard him speak... well, aside from when the teachers call on him. I'm sure everybody hates it when they do that, especially when you're trying to learn the latest gossip from the Pokemon sitting near you.

The fact that he reacted so quickly, likely out of shock, and kinda left me flabbergasted enough to even speak. I wish I did though, I hope I didn't come across as a mean 'mon. I stared at the corner he turned for a while, repeating and thinking of what just happened in my mind. I only realized what I was doing in the first place once the bell rang.

Aww man…

Then I started sprinting again.

"That's a myth!" Kinzy scoffed, "Love at first sight isn't real!"

"Hey shush! I'm not finished yet!" I retorted.

I told my friends about what happened during lunch, because, of course I would. I've told them things much more miniscule than that.

"Keep talking girl, who was he? If he as much as lay a paw on you, I swear I'll mess him up real good!" Lily banged on the table.

"No, it wasn't like that." I chuckled. I told them what really happened. I may have told how he scrambled to pick up my stuff way too comically though.

"Sounds like some geek swooned by your cuteness. Am I right?" Isha patted my chocolate brown fur.

I shrugged, "Maybe."

"So, who is he?" Kinzy pried.

I scanned the cafeteria to see if I could find him. I easily spotted him sitting next to a Chikorita that was wolfing down food. He really stood out to me, for some reason. I pointed a paw at him.

"Is it that Glaceon?" Lily stared.

"Yeah."

"Damn girl. That weird guy?"

"Isn't he the quiet guy that was absent for a like whole month in the beginning of the year?" Kinzy stared, we all were pretty much. He shouldn't notice us anytime soon since he has his back turned to us.

"He's the new guy in our grade, Kinz'." Lily reminded, the Minccino nodded.

We pretty much talked behind his back for the rest of lunch. I admit that it was pretty rude to do that, but that's just us pre-teens from doing usual pre-teen stuff, right?

About a week or so after those events. My algebra teacher assigned the class a project where a partner was mandatory, which usually means that this is a pretty big project. Chaos ensued after he let us loose to pick our own group buddy instead of assigning us one.

I noticed that the Glaceon hadn't even gotten off his desk, like he didn't even hear the babbling Jellicent at all. So I, like the kind soul I am, went up to him (while declining a Houndour's offer to work with him… which is sort of hypocritical), and asked to be his partner. He gave me a blank look for a moment before accepting. The blue Jellicent passed out papers with numbers we need to cut out with scissors, as well as the other standard project stuff.

I tried to make some small talk as we worked on the project for the rest of the class, but there was something about him that kinda made it hard to do so.

"Kori, right? How's it going?"

"Fine." He replied while doodling numbers on some paper. He didn't seem as nervous as he was a few weeks ago, he looked rather bored out of his mind. I wonder if he even recognizes me.

"Oh, don't act like such a bum. How's school? Sucks that we've still got high school ahead of us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

I didn't know what else to say after that. I didn't realize I was staring at him for a while, he never even picked his head up to look at me. So I had time to observe his appearance.

He's somewhat scrawny like me and the rest of the 'mons in our evolutionary tree, and looked the same as any other Glaceon. Despite that, there was something mysterious about him, like his quietness was just a facade and he was just daring Pokemon to try to get to know him. Everyone has a story to tell, and I'm pretty intrigued to hear Kori's. Maybe, if we become partners more and more later on, and I talk to him enough, then he'll gradually open up. He was easy on the eyes and acts passively even though he sorta looks like he has a short fuse, likely showing that he doesn't like attention. It was kinda cute, to be honest.

I forced myself to get back on track after I realized I was staring too long. He probably didn't notice though, hopefully.

We distributed our homework evenly on the project, after I insisted I have something to do when he offered to do the rest of the work himself. I couldn't tell if he was just being humble or was just mocking me. And we ended up getting a good grade in the end, so that was nice.

"Ooh nice! We should work together more often! We make a great team, don't we?" I smiled,

"Sure."

For the rest of the school year as well as the years after, we didn't have the chance to be partners again. I just saw him in class, in the halls (where he still stood out like a sore thumb with flashy lights on it), in the cafeteria, and pretty everywhere on school property.

Even in my head.

"Ahhhh… it's all coming back to me now." Isha said,

"Pfft, yeah sure." I laughed.

"So… I guess this would be love at like, multiple sights then?" Kinzy asked,

I put on a thoughtful expression, "If you wanna be technical, yeah."

"Yeesh, admiring from afar is weird. You creep me out sometimes Sylvy."

I gave her a playful look, "Oh yeah? Well I bet you'll be all googly eyed over the guy you fall for."

"Hey, weren't you like that for some other boy you had a crush on during elementary?"

I recalled it faintly, "Yeah, well… maybe. I think he moved out of the country or something after fifth grade."

"I seriously bet you would still be crushing all over him if he didn't move away though. You would be head over heels for him for like a decade." Kinzy giggled. "Do you still remember his name?"

"No, I don't think I even got his name. If I did, then I don't remember at all."

"Oh c'mon girl. How far do you have to be to admire someone and not even know their name? You probably just liked him for his looks." Lily crossed her paws..

"Not just that, he was just… energetic, like me. Look, I had my reasons. We were all pretty dumb when we were young."

"Fine fine." The Buneary gave me a funny look. "You like some other guy now, that's for sure. Just look at you, you embody your love for him!" She teased.

I mirrored the same look back at her and changed the subject before the situation got worse. "Well, I'm hungry now. So why don't we grab a bite to eat, or maybe one of you guys have more stories to tell." I reclined onto the couch and stretched.

Almost right on cue, we filed out of the dorm and left the building and walked around the city. Thanks to the story I told refreshing my memory, I had to admit that I kind of felt a little nostalgic every time we turned a corner.