Note: Here we are, another early update. Consider this an "intermission" from all the drama of last time. We'll be back to Soul and Silver's problems next time, but for now, enjoy this lovely little jump back in time to check up on another couple we know...

Follow Me

A Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver Story

Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chatter

Crystal lied on the bed of her rented room in the Pokémon Center and sighed heavily, staring at the piece of paper in her hand. It had been given to her by her new friend Soul, who had just left with Silver a few minutes ago. Crystal figured that by this point, they were headed toward the exit of Olivine City. The two seemed to have a lot of issues to work out, but Crystal was confident that Soul was a strong enough person to make it work out. A little unsure of herself, maybe, but she definitely seemed like the kind of person who could put up with Silver's nonsense. Silver seemed more willing to listen to her, too. Yeah, they'd be fine. It was her own love life Crystal wasn't so sure about.

It was no secret that she'd cared about Gold very deeply when she'd lived in New Bark Town. She would even go so far as to say that he was probably her first love. It'd been so long since she'd seen him, though...Maybe he was a completely different person after all the years that had passed. Maybe he'd forgotten about her. Yes, she was sure he'd forgotten her, otherwise he would have tried to contact her before. But she never received a single letter. Not that she sent any to him, she admitted. She got so caught up in her moving, and she was so unsure about what to write him, anyway...Still...She continued to stare at the slip of paper, upon which Soul had neatly printed Gold's PokéGear number. Should she call it...?

"Of course not," she said, answering her own thoughts as she rolled over on her stomach. She buried her face in the comforter, trying to think. This was the last thing she needed distracting her before the big Pokéathalon event. She should really get out and get some training done today...But for some reason, she just couldn't find the motivation. Maybe it was the chilly weather the previous day's storm had brought in, or maybe it was the poor sleep she'd had the night before, but she just didn't have the energy to get outside and exercise with her Pokémon, something she usually loved to do. She sat up and stared at the slip again and sighed. It was going to bother her until she got it done. Leaning over one side of the bed, she dug her PokéGear out of her bag.

Fingers poised above the numberpad, she glanced at the page and dialed. Slowly, she pulled the phone to her ear and listened as it rang. After a few seconds, the person on the other end answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"...Crystal? Is that you?"

"...Yeah."

"What the hell is she calling you for? You just saw her ten minutes ago," Silver's voice echoed faintly in the background.

Crystal sighed at herself as Soul scolded Silver on her end. "Yeah, sorry, I just figured I'd give you my number while I was thinking about it. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sorry if I interrupted anything. I'll talk to you later. Yeah. Mm-hmm, you too. Bye." Hanging up the phone, she flopped back on the bed. Even at the last second, she'd chickened out and dialed Soul's number instead. Rolling on her side, she glanced across the room, where her Raichu, Rai-Rai, lay snoozing in a patch of sunlight pouring in from the small window. She smiled a bit as his feet twitched, and she wondered for a moment what he must be dreaming about. Shaking her head briskly, she focused on the task at hand. Should she call him, or not?

Sitting up on the bed again, she sighed. "Ah, what the hell," she muttered, dialing the number. As she brought it to her ear, she added, "At most, if he doesn't recognize me, I'll just say I have the wrong number..."

She waited. And waited. And waited. No one on the other side answered. After about four or five rings, the automated voice mail kicked in, and she hung up the phone. "Well, that's that," she said to no one in particular. "Can't say that I didn't try, right? I mean, it's not my fault that he didn't pick up. I bet he just didn't recognize the number, so he didn't answer. Yeah..." A loud chiming sound emanated from her lap, and she fumbled her PokéGear to answer the call. A glance at the caller ID made her freeze: it was Gold's number, returning her call. After a mini-debate as to whether or not she should answer, she clicked the green button and put the device to her ear. "Hello?"

"Yeah, I had a missed call from this number?" a voice much deeper than she remembered said on the other end.

"Oh, er...Sorry, I think I called your number by mistake," Crystal said without even thinking, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Ah, no worries; it happens. Although...you know, your voice sounds kind of familiar, now that I think about it. I don't mean to sound creepy or anything, but could you say something real quick?"

"Something," Crystal repeated, resisting a grin.

The young man on the other end laughed. "You know, that reminds me of this girl I used to know...She was always teasing me about stuff like that. You...You wouldn't happen to be her, would you?"

"Depends," Crystal said, palms starting to sweat. "What was her name?"

The low drone of a boat horn in the harbor masked his reply. It wasn't until she thought about it for a moment that she realized she'd not only heard it in the distance outside, but through the phone line as well.

"Ah, sorry about that," the boy apologized. "I'm getting off the boat in Olivine, so it's a little noisy."

"O...Oh, is that so?" Crystal said, already gathering her things. "Are you from Olivine?" Scooping her sleeping Raichu off the ground, she sprinted out the door.

"Oh, no," the boy said. "I'm from a little place called New Bark Town. I'm sure you've never heard of it."

"No, I've heard of it," Crystal said, hastily slipping on her shoes with one hand as she hobbled across the PokéCenter's main lobby.

"Oh yeah? Guess Professor Elm's Pokémon Lab has helped put New Bark Town on the map."

"That Lab's still pretty new, isn't it? It's only been there a couple years," she said, stalling for time as she exited the Center.

"Nn, it's been there maybe about eight years, tops. I was pretty young when they built it."

"So, this girl you were talking about...Was she a friend of yours in New Bark Town?" Crystal asked, trying to hide her labored breathing as she jogged toward the harbor.

"Yeah, but it's been so long since I've seen her that she's probably forgotten about me," the boy said with a sigh.

"How can you be sure?" Crystal asked, reaching the dock and scanning the crowd of disembarking people for the boy. "I mean, have you ever tried to contact her?"

"Well, no...But—" Crystal heard the last bit echo as feedback as the boy on the phone walked past her, hidden amongst the crowd, "she never tried to contact me, so I guess she just forgot."

"You never know, maybe she was just too scared to call you," Crystal said, following behind him at a short distance. He was taller than she remembered, although this was natural, of course. Her heart pounded in her ears as she took in the sight of him, walking so close to her yet completely unaware of her presence.

"Nah, not this girl. She was always gung-ho and confident," Gold said to the mystery girl on the other end of his phone call, strolling along with one hand in his jacket pocket. "I sure do miss her, though...Do you know she was my first real crush?"

Crystal's heart leapt, and she swallowed to wet her dry throat. "Really? Well, then you should definitely get in contact with her somehow."

"Yeahhhh, but how am I supposed to do that?" Gold sighed.

"You could start by turning around." Crystal hung up the phone and held her breath as the boy stopped, looked at his PokéGear in puzzlement, and then turned slowly. She was standing only a few feet from him, so he spotted her instantly.

Gold grinned. "Oh, thank God," he said, holding his chest and exhaling. "I was beginning to worry I was pouring my heart out to a complete stranger."

Crystal laughed. "Nope, it was just me." She eyed the ground and added, "Although I haven't seen you in so long, I might as well be a stranger."

"Mmm, maybe," Gold said, taking a few steps forward, "but it's never too late to make up for that." He stood before her, a good head taller than her; a stark difference to when they were children. "You know," he said, closing his eyes and grinning, "I just came back from your house in Kanto, actually."

"R...Really?" Crystal asked, surprised.

"Mm-hmm," Gold said with a nod. "Got a tip that your folks were living in Pewter, so I took off for there a few days ago. Your mom said I'd just missed you by a day. Said you'd come back here to Johto for the Pokéathalon, and," he laughed and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, "she gave me your PokéGear number. I was thinking about calling it soon, but you beat me to the punch. But, how...?"

Digging in her pocket, Crystal removed the slip of paper with Gold's number on it. "I ran into your friend Soul yesterday, and she gave me your number."

Gold grinned fondly. "Ah, good ol' Soul. I'll have to thank her...So," he said, squatting a bit to examine the groggy, confused Raichu in Crystal's arms, "who's this little guy? One your Pokémon, right?"

"O-Oh, yes, this is Rai-Rai," she said, allowing the Pokémon to drop from her arms and stretch. Crystal glanced at Gold's feet and spotted an Azumarill peering around her master's leg. "And this is your Azumarill, right?"

Gold beamed. "Technically, she's yours."

"Wh...What?"

"I mean, you were the one who found her Egg the day we saved that Gyarados," Gold said, kneeling beside his beloved Pokémon. He petted her head, and she happily purred in response. "So technically, she belonged to you first."

Crystal gasped, covering her mouth. "You mean...this Azumarill was in that Egg?"

"Well, she started out as an Azurill," Gold said as Crystal knelt beside his Pokémon as well, "but she eventually got to this point with some training. She was my first official Pokémon, and..." He blushed, fidgeting his shoe on the boardwalk. "She was a constant reminder of you. After all, you said so long as I had her, we'd always be friends."

Crystal met eyes with him briefly and then looked away, embarrassed. "So...I was your first crush, eh?" she teased, glancing side-long at him with a mischievous grin.

"Pfft," Gold snorted, "like I wasn't yours."

"Wha...I have no idea what you're talking about," Crystal said, standing and turning her back to him.

"Yeah right! The only reason you called me after all this time was because you still have feelings for me, right? Riiiiight?"

"Honestly, you're delusional," Crystal said as she walked away, a smile cracking across her features. "Why would anyone like a silly boy like you?"

"Oh, I dunno," Gold said, strolling along beside her, "maybe it's my dashing good looks and unshakable charisma?"

Crystal laughed as her hand brushed his, and they wove their fingers together. "Maybe so.

Selected quote from the next chapter:
"Oh...it's you, Soul."