Chapter 4: A New Friend
Philip and Amelia were drinking their hot chamomile tea over some casual conversation. Over the past hour they have gotten to know each other better, quickly becoming good acquaintances and having a good time without any interruptions. However, Philip was curious in why Amelia was being chased by that pirate-looking Unfezant. He thought about asking earlier, but stopped himself, knowing it was a bit too soon to ask. But now that they have gained each other's trust, maybe it was worth a shot.
"So, Amelia," Philip began, carefully choosing his words. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but why was that guy looking for you anyway?" Amelia felt a little uncomfortable and embarrassed at the same time when she remembered about the incident that happened earlier. She totally forgot about it until he mentioned it, because she was having a great time with Philip. She doesn't remember when the last time she felt happy was and not being worried all the time for possible danger waiting for its chance to strike. She sipped a bit of her tea before setting it down on the table and took a deep breath. After thinking where should she start, she proceeded with her explanation.
"The Unfezant's name is Pete. He is the leader of an infamous gang that likes to hang out on the roughest part of town, always looking for trouble. He kind of picks on me a lot, because our families had this big feud many years ago – something about social status, I don't quite remember - and apparently he wants to continue it. And, since I'm an only child, and my parents really can't do anything about it, I let him have his little victories.
"But today was different. This time, he just took it too far. I was walking down town, minding my own business, and then he comes out of nowhere trying to stuff me in a bag – trying to kidnap me. Luckily I freed myself from his clutches and started running for my life throughout town and ended up here, since it was the only place I saw open at this time of day."
Amelia paused to drink more of her tea, this time a gloomy mood clouding her face. Philip looked at her, noting the expression, now with more understanding of her situation. He felt sorry for her and he wished he knew how to help her.
After a moment of silence, Amelia sighed before getting up. "Thanks a lot, Philip," she said. "I had a good time, but it's getting late and I should be going home now." Philip suddenly felt a little uneasy; he didn't want her to go home alone. And more importantly, he just didn't want her to go. He got up quickly, pushing his chair back a little too hard, making it screech against the tile floor. "Already? Can't you stay just a little longer?" He was almost taken aback to what escaped from his mouth, but at the moment, somehow, it felt like the right words to say.
Amelia smiled. "I'd like to, but, really, I can't. My parents must be worried sick by now, knowing that I'm not home by now." She truly wished she could stay some more, too, but she didn't want her parents to think the worst thoughts about her well-being. She loved them very much, and she doesn't want to hurt their feelings or anything of he sort; she loved them both to death.
Philip nodded with understanding, but couldn't help but feel sad. He just couldn't get these weird feelings to go away! "Okay," he said. "…b-but let me take you home." A mix of excitement and hope could be picked up in his voice, his eyes almost twinkling from the same thing. He cared about her, a little too much than he thought.
Amelia thought about it. She doesn't want to be exposed to danger, and certainly not at this hour. "Okay," she finally said with a warm smile. Philip felt his heart thumping loudly as he smiled back widely; he felt like the happiest Pokemon in the whole world.
Philip locked up his store with a gold key as Amelia patiently waited for him. She rubbed her arms from the cold air blowing gently across the now sleeping town. Philip safely put away his key and began walking Amelia home.
It was a cold dark night. There were a few lamp posts on, one of them flickering dimly. There were some puddles scattered about the street, because it rained earlier. Amelia hoped that it wouldn't rain while she was out now, worried that her candlelight might go out.
Everything around them was very quiet and still, with the exception of the sound of their small footsteps. The tall dark buildings seemed to surround them, setting a sort of scary scene for them.
After walking a few steps, Philip realized he didn't know where they were going. Deciding to break the silence a bit, he asked Amelia. "So where do you live?" Amelia looked at him, a little embarrassed at the realization of not telling him where they were going. She giggled. "Oh, my bad," she said. "I live about two blocks from your store, in an apartment complex on the third floor." Philip then felt a sort of excitement build up inside him as he learned this new information. Maybe it was because she lived near his store? He thought about possibly stopping by and visiting her at her place… as a friend. Right. Philip didn't know why he twitched a bit when he thought word "friend". Ugh! What am I thinking!? He thought. He felt like slapping himself. Get it together. Stop feeling so… weird. Why are you feeling weird? As he was deep in thought, he made an angry face from all of his mixed up feelings, and unfortunately for him Amelia saw it just in time before he could revert back to normal. Philip then realized she was looking at him and blushed a bit as he walked a bit faster to avoid her gaze.
"Wait!" Amelia called to him. "We're already here!" Philip stopped to take this in, his back still turned to her from embarrassment. It did not feel like they walked two blocks, but merely a few steps. This only strengthened his embarrassment but decided it was time to face Amelia. He laughed at himself; he was really losing it.
"Oh. Whoops! Ha ha," he said awkwardly as he walked towards Amelia's side, and proceeded to walk towards the main entrance of the apartment complex.
Aside from his weird behavior, Amelia thought that his gesture of him walking her home was very sweet, even though she unintentionally brought him into the whole Unfezant situation that happened not so long ago. She then thought that it would be nice if he came in her place for a bit. She turned to Philip. "Would you like to come in?" Philip was sort of surprised yet happy at the same time. He accepted her invitation, taking advantage of the opportunity to be with her, because there was something that told him he wants to. "Okay!" he said with a big smile and a bit more enthusiasm than necessary. Amelia smiled back and led the way up to her apartment.
As they were walking up the flight of stairs, Amelia talked about her parents. Philip could tell she loved and cared for them a whole lot from the stories she was telling him. He couldn't help but smile at her, ignoring the fact that the climb up the stairs was actually longer than he thought. Soon enough, they were standing in front of the apartment door. Amelia took out a small silver key and unlocked the door. There, they found a Drifblim and a Chandelure sitting on a brown leather couch watching a late night game show from a small black TV with an antenna on top. The Chandelure turned around when he heard the gentle click of the door closing and sighed with relief.
"Amelia!" He acknowledged her presence with a warm smile and approached her. "Where were you? Your mother and I have been worried about you."
"Hi, dad," Amelia answered. "You don't have to worry anymore, now that I'm here." She then held Philip's hand. "This is my friend, Philip. He walked me home." Philip tried so hard not to blush at her sudden gesture. The softness of her hands was all he could think about at the moment. After what seemed a while had passed, he realized he needed to say something. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"N-nice to meet you, sir," he said with a nervous grin. The Chandelure's flames flared up with happiness as he smiled back at the little Karrablast. "Thank you for bringing my daughter back home, safe and sound," he said. "I hope it wasn't much trouble for you."
"Not at all, sir."
"Oh, please, call me Richard."
All his life, Philip thought that all Chandelure were intimidating and their only purpose was to lure prey. But now that he met Richard, he defied that theory. It just goes to show you that not everything is what it seems. Now he didn't feel so intimidated by him.
Amelia glanced at her mother who was still sitting on the couch. "That must be a good game show," she stated. Richard chuckled. "Your mother fell asleep while she waited for you." Amelia couldn't help but smile at her.
Richard then turned his attention back to Philip. "Would you like to stay a bit and have some bread?" he asked. "With some hot chocolate, perhaps?" Philip knew it was already too late to be out, but he made an exception this time. "Sure," he replied with a small smile. Richard smiled as he went to turn off the TV and take his wife to their bedroom. He then went to the kitchen to warm up the hot chocolate he made in the morning.
Philip and Amelia were left alone in the living room. There was an awkward silence between them. Philip and Amelia felt slightly uncomfortable being in this situation. Philip looked around at all the picture frames and such hanging on the walls and placed on some furniture. "This is a nice place you got here," he told her. Amelia blushed at the complement and smiled. "Thank you," she said. "Although it is a bit dark in our apartment, it has the same feeling as a cozy home." Her apartment was indeed dark, which was suitable for any Ghost Type Pokemon. Philip didn't feel intimidated by it either, unlikely of him to feel that way compared to other Pokemon.
Soon, the aroma of hot chocolate made its way throughout the apartment, indicating that it is ready to drink. Philip and Amelia both took this as an excuse to break the awkward tension between them. They met Richard in the rather small dull kitchen. There were pots and pans stacked on the stove, and the small kitchen table had a lot of papers scattered on top. "Amelia," Richard said as he was stirring the hot chocolate in a small black pot. "Please clear up the table a bit so we won't get those papers dirty." Amelia nodded and went over to stack the papers up in neat piles. Philip offered to help, stacking what seemed to be different people's taxes. He assumed one of Amelia's parents worked as a tax preparer.
Richard then came over with three brown mugs filled with hot chocolate slightly spilling over the brim and set them carefully on the table. He then opened a beige colored bread box which had just enough bread for the three of them. "Looks like we'll have to buy some more bread tomorrow," Richard thought out loud. He handed a piece to each of the members sitting around the table and began eating. It was a little quiet except for the munching coming from the three Pokemon. Philip never thought he would taste hot chocolate that is really good until he tasted this one. It was by far the best hot chocolate he ever had. "This is really good, Mr. Richard," Philip said. Richard smiled widely. "Thank you, son," he said. "I picked up my cooking skills when I was in the Big War."
"You were in the war?" Philip asked amazed. "That's right," Richard said. "But being a chef in that kind of environment wasn't easy. There were very few ingredients to work with, and it was pretty bad, especially because you had thousands of mouths to feed. We needed to ration the servings so that everyone got something to eat." Richard sighed. "Yep; it really was tough. But now I'm glad it's over."
Richard told them about the Big War, which was a war that took place about 25 years ago. It all started because of a big disagreement with a Slaking and a Slowking, who were both leaders of different countries. The Slowking was a righteous king, while the Slaking was a ferocious dictator. They both wanted to claim a certain region to trade with, but the Slaking wanted it all for himself, while the Slowking wanted to modernize it and be able to trade with the outside world. Because of this, the Slaking declared war on the Slowking and his country, and because of the war, many Pokemon were drafted into the PokeArmy, including a young Lampent Richard, who learned to be a chef by a Geodude, feeding all the Pokemon soldiers through tireless days and nights. The war was over four years later when the Slowking army finally defeated the Slaking army. But being the generous king he is, the Slowking proposed a treaty with the other king so that they are able to have a fair share of the trade, under certain circumstances, including the condition that there shall not be another disagreement over the same manner.
"So then," continued Richard, "I found out that I liked cooking so much that I decided to open up a small restaurant along with my friend Bobby, the Geodude I've mentioned earlier. We're still doing alright, even though we don't get a whole lot of customers in. But nevertheless, I am happy." Philip felt immediately that he could relate to him easily with business matters, but didn't say anything and simply nodded. Richard then turned to Amelia and smiled. "And on the first week of business, that's when I met your mother." Amelia nodded, remembering that story her father never got tired of telling.
"She was the most beautiful gal I've ever seen," he went on. "But Bobby always said she wasn't my type, because she was a Drifloon back then. I ignored him and told 'em, 'Oh yeah? Well she's a Ghost type for sure, and that's good enough for me!'" He laughed, remembering that day very well. "I went up to her and her group of friends, and, using my manly charm, asked her what would she like." Amelia rolled her eyes at her dad's silliness. "I was surprised when she ordered chicken noodle soup, so I told her, 'Oh, what a coincidence! I like chicken noodle soup, too!' She laughed, and boy I knew she was bound to be mine forever." Philip couldn't believe how thoughtful Richard was. He wished he had that same characteristic as him. He smiled, now completely sure that this Chandelure was different from the rest.
"So after I gave her soup, I stopped by literally every five minutes to ask, 'How you doin'?' or 'Is everything okay here?' Sure, I knew I was a little annoying at first, but I didn't care. I wanted her to notice me, and I knew she knew that." Richard paused to take a sip from his hot chocolate. "When she left, I couldn't help but ask her for her number, and she gladly accepted. I was too happy that day, that when she left, Bobby told me I needed to step outside for a minute." Richard laughed heartedly. "And when I did, I screamed so loud that I was sure that another planet could've heard me!" He laughed some more, shedding a tear. Philip couldn't help but to join in the laughter, noticing Amelia shaking her head slightly as she smiled at her dad.
"Yes," he said. "I immediately called her when I got out of work and asked her out to a movie, and at first she didn't recognize me, but after a little chit-chat, she finally agreed. So we went to watch a scary movie, so that she could intentionally hold on to me at the scary parts." He winked at Philip, letting him know of his little intention. "Oh, dad," Amelia said as she giggled. Richard smiled. "Aw, c'mon, honey!" he said. "Don't tell me it doesn't work. Right, Philip?"
Philip looked up at him and smiled shyly. "I honestly don't know," he said. "I've never done it before." Richard eyed him suspiciously. "Are you serious?" he asked. "You've never done it before?" Philip shook his head in reply. Richard couldn't believe it and laughed. "Oh, Philip! Didn't you ever date a girl before?" Philip shook his head some more. "No," he said, a little uncomfortable this time. Amelia had to agree with her father this time, because she didn't believe it either. She thought that Philip was cute, yet she couldn't believe that a girl has not gone out with him. She felt a sudden uneasy feeling inside, but shook it off once her dad resumed his story.
"Well, son, you have no idea what you're missing!" Richard said, understanding Philip's uneasiness. "You should catch on soon!" He winked at him again, assuring him of doing so. Philip could only smile as a reply, since he really didn't know what else to say.
"So anyway," Richard said, "When I walked her home the first night out, I asked her if she wanted to go out another time. Of course she said yes!" he chuckled. "So after a few more dates, I asked her if she wanted to go steady, but I was turned down. She said she didn't feel ready at the moment. Of course I understood that she felt uncertain about it, but that was the worst day of my life! I was so upset that I didn't eat for three days!" He took another sip from his not so hot chocolate before continuing. "I also didn't understand her rejection because we always had a good time when we went out. But then, she surprised me by calling me a few days later, asking me out! I happily accepted right away, and we went to a drive-in theater, watching the same exact movie we watched on our first date. I had a feeling she did this on purpose, and it turned out she did. She told me, 'I was confused about you, but now I know…', and she kissed me! ME! On the LIPS!" His yellow eyes glowed brighter at the forgotten adrenaline of his first kiss. Philip smiled at the excited Chandelure, wondering then how it felt like to be kissed. "From that day," he said, "We were inseparable, and we knew it. Time passed by, and we knew each other more and more every passing day. Then, on Sunday, October 31st, 1988, exactly 8 o'clock at night, I asked her to marry me." Richard sighed happily as he looked up at the ceiling. "I still remember her expression well. She smiled wide as she cried with joy. At 8:02, she said yes and kissed me again." Richard looked back down at her daughter and her friend. "Yes, sir. That is what happened to me as a Lampent." He looked at Philip. "I'm sorry I went completely off topic. I just got too excited and couldn't help but to tell this story I never get tired of telling." Philip smiled. "It's alright. I enjoyed listening to your story." Philip then scooted out of his chair. "Well, thank you again for the hot chocolate. It was the best I've ever had." Richard smiled. "Of course! And please stop by my restaurant anytime. It's called 'Chow Time'." He got up, and Amelia did afterwards. They followed Philip to the front door.
"Thanks again," Philip said. "No. Thank you, son!" Richard said. "Thank you for bringing my daughter home."
Amelia smiled at Philip. "We should hang out sometime. I work at my dad's restaurant, too," she said. Philip smiled shyly. "Yeah… sure," he said. "I'll keep in touch." Amelia then hugged Philip, taking him by complete surprise. "Thank you," she told him. Philip felt his face get hot, and he was sure that he was red as a tomato. He couldn't say anything but a slight "Uh huh", and his heart was thumping loudly against his chest.
After the hug, he looked at them quickly and then turned around quickly for them not to see him. "Goodbye," he said shakily. "Farewell!" Richard said. "Bye," Amelia said. Philip opened the door and stepped out of the apartment. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it as he let out a long sigh. The hallway was quiet and very dim, and rain could be heard outside. Philip, however, didn't pay any attention to that. He was still focused on Amelia's hug. He still felt her warmth on his chest, and her tiny arms wrapped around him. He knew his blush wouldn't leave from his face anytime soon, but it was okay at the moment, as long as no one was around to see him. He took a moment to reflect with himself. Amelia was all he could think about. He couldn't get her off of his head. Could it be… no, it can't be. But… he wasn't sure if he was still sane; this whole situation with her was driving him crazy. As the minutes passed, he was still leaning against Amelia's apartment door, but this time, he was finally convinced of something he had been denying all day: he is truly head over heels in love with her.