*Sleepily pulls up some sort of sign*
"Read, review enjoy"
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I hate to admit it…but Rhythmi's awesome. She knew where all the great hang-out spots in Pueltown were. The entire morning of my day off was spent with her, Keith, Sven and Wendy (and all the pokemon, of course) having a blast. There was the outdoor Go-Rock concert in Altru Park, a farmer's market and then we relaxed at a café for lunch. Simple but fun!
"So what do you want to do next?" I asked her as we walked through the streets.
"I was thinking we'd go to the harbor and walk around." Rhythmi pulled out a map. "Unless you guys have any other ideas."
Everyone started looking over the map.
"There's some really good pastries down at this area."
"Oh yeah, heard about it through Marcus."
"We could also stop by Vientown to say hi to the other rangers."
"Not a bad idea."
"Hey maybe we can catch an evening show someplace."
"Ok we have got to stop to stop at smoothie place. Really awesome."
They started debating but I was getting a little bored. I remembered seeing a fountain not too far back in the plaza. Why not toss in a coin? I was in the mood for a little luck boost. Carefully, Chia and I slipped away from the group. We retraced our path all the way back to the fountain. It was elegant; a twist of laurels forming some kind of unique shape. Maybe a symbol for peace? I wasn't too sure.
"Chia, you want to give it a shot?" I pulled out two quarters as we sat down on the edge.
"Chippa!" Chia took one of the coins. "Chi chi chippa!
"Now just wish for a little luck." I said.
After a little bit, we both tossed our coins into the fountain. Two tiny splashes followed by ripples. Maybe I was a bit superstitious but I liked the little 'good luck' rituals. Like tossing coins in a fountain or finding a four leaf clover.
"Think your wish will come true?"
I turned around, faced with three guys around my age. They had pokemon; a larvitar, poochyena and tyrogue. Not exactly common pokemon for the area. Same with the guys as well.
"You must be trainers!" I said.
"Yep! I'm Grady!" The dark haired boy introduced. "This is my poochyena, Gruffin!"
"Name's Dirk." A guy with bleach blond hair and his larvitar sat beside me on the fountain. "This is Ding."
"And I'm Mac." The last one flipped his dark golden hair around. "Tryogue's name is Indy."
"Ruff!"
"Lar! Lavitar!"
"Rooogue!"
"Chippa!" Chia greeted.
"I'm Kate. This is Chia." I introduced. "So where are you from?"
"Mac and I are from Johto." Dirk answered. "We ran into Grady during our Hoenn adventures and have traveled together since then. Decided to take a little vacation so we stopped by in Almia."
"So do you know any good spots to check out here in Pueltown?" Mac asked.
I went through a list of places at the top of my head. They seemed pretty interested. Thinking they could use adventure, I also suggested hiking around Boyleland Volcano or Chroma Ruins. In return I got some stories about their travels. Dangerous storms, mountain expeditions, going across foreign lands…sounded awesome! Nowhere as cool as being a ranger of course but still exciting to hear about nonetheless. Chia seemed happy to be talking to the other pokemon as well.
"You know Kate, you're not so bad." Grady said.
"Thanks. And you guys seem nice." I complimented.
"Hey we could use a tour." Dirk said. "Think a cute girl like yourself could do that for us?"
"CUTE?" I reddened. "Sorry guys but I'm not cute!"
"What? And who says that?" Grady questioned, surprised.
"Come on. We want to take in some scenic sights while walking alongside one." Mac said. "Can't you at least give us that, pretty girl?"
"Actually, I'm supposed to meet my fr…"
"KATE!"
All of a sudden, Keith ran right over. He looked ticked off. What was wrong with him?
"Hey Keith." I casually greeted. "I met up with some pokemon trainers and talked for a bit."
"Really?" He looked over at the guys. "And I suppose what happens in Pueltown stays in Pueltown for you guys."
"Hah?" Grady was taken aback.
"Dude, we don't do that." Dirk rolled his eyes. "We were just asking your friend to show us around."
"Is this guy your boyfriend?" Mac asked me.
"No he is not." I sighed. "He's just my idiot friend."
"Kate, I think we should get back to the others." Keith grabbed my arm and yanked me up.
"Take it easy!" I pulled my hand away. "You don't have to be so uptight!"
"Oh so I should keep my guard down and let you get kidnapped by these strangers?" Keith questioned.
"Ahem!" Dirk coughed. "Still here!"
"We're not going to do anything to her." Grady assured.
"Kate, let's go." Keith grit his teeth, starting to walk off.
"No."
Redhead stopped.
"What did you say?" He turned around.
"I said NO." I told him, defiantly. "You're not the boss of me."
Keith glared at me. He snatched my arm and started dragging me away from the fountain.
"Keith! What the hell do you think you're doing? Stop it!" I protested.
His fingers were clenched painfully onto my arm, refusing to let go. My words fell on deaf ears. Keith was really upset. Why was he suddenly acting up? It didn't make sense. Only had one option to get him to listen. I slapped him straight across the face.
"Kate!" He faced me, but this time with shock and hurt. "What was that for?"
"That…" I freed my arm from his grip. "…was for being a jerk."
He stared at me for a moment but regained composure.
"First off, you separated from the group without telling any of us. Everyone was worried about you so I was sent to go look." Keith explained. "Next thing I see, you're laughing alongside a bunch of strangers. Clearly those boys were flirting with you."
"There's no harm in that." I told him. "All they wanted was a tour around Pueltown and I was about to tell them no when you showed up."
"And if they stole you away?" Keith raised an eyebrow.
"They're nice guys, Keith. Even if they were like that, what the heck would they do with me?" I asked.
"Oh acreus you're so clueless…" Keith groaned.
"Why are you so damn judgemental? Why'd you even explode like that?" I questioned. "I don't need you to make decisions for me or to point out who the bad guy is!"
"There's nothing in that thick shell you call a head, is there?" Keith fired back. "Why am I even friends with a dense ^&#$% like you?"
It felt like the world froze. I was shocked. What he said pierced me through the heart. Shattered my spirit into tiny glass fragments. From my pocket, I pulled out a picture. It was one Ms. April took of us two from ranger school. For sentimental and luck reasons, I carried it around a lot.
"If that's how you feel…" I ripped the picture straight in half. "Then maybe I shouldn't be friends with a jerk like you."
I tore off through the crowds, leaving him behind.
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(Keith)
Arcueus….oh arceus why did I say that? Clearly I am a jerk, taking things way too far. I can't believe I hurt Kate's feelings like that. She looked so broken up about it. I tried to run after Kate but I lost her through the crowds. The others would be furious at me. And by others, I mostly meant Rhythmi. Furious? Meant to say enraged beyond all words.
How could I let my emotions get the better of me again? It always happened. Ever since day 1, when I mixed up the feeling for like with competition. Yeah I admit it. I like Kate. A lot. She's sweet, smart, go-getter, imaginative and daring. There's a lot I admire in her. But I could never say that. At first it was because I couldn't express my feelings and used competition & arguments for my pent up energy. Now? Some of that….but also because something holds me back. Fear of rejection, worry about our friendship, thinking she'll leave me one day, typical stuff. And when I do fight with Kate, it brings me a little closer to her. Somehow hearing her call me an idiot tells me everythings alright, all is right with the world.
But she tore up that picture she carried around, one that meant a lot to the both of us. That stung. And before running off, she said we weren't friends anymore. I didn't mean to act like a jerk! I was just trying to protect her! Those guys still looked sketchy to me and I wasn't liking how comfortable Kate was around them. Am I overprotective? Maybe. But it's better than finding out she's kidnapped. And possibly I got….er….jealous.
Kate…I don't want to lose you…
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Authors note: Fun fact! The guy's and pokemon's names take after the movie's characters. Grady & Gruffin for MacGruffin, Mac & Indy for MacIntosh, and Dirk & Ding for Dingwall.
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*starts waking up*
Yawn…so I give you drama and another like confession. Basically we've got two thick-headed rangers in love and neither's going to admit it to the other so easily. Ah, love never did run a smooth course.
Keep an eye out for the next update! Itsa coming!