This will be one of the best chapters in the story. There. Now that I've said that, I have to make it awesome. This is going to be like a huge, revealing lots of stuff chapter. You'll all love it I'm sure. Wow. I sound arrogant today.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the song lyrics in this chapter.
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Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Leeeeaaaaf!
Happy birthday to you!
Leaf blew out the candles on the store-bought Oreo cake that she and Gary had picked up yesterday. Everyone sat around in the girls' hotel room in the Castelia Hotel.
"Let's slice that baby up!" Ash cheered, grabbing a knife and some plates and the cake right out of Gary's hands. The auburn-haired boy had been holding the cake while Leaf blew out the candles. No one protested Ash's enthusiasm to dig into the cake.
"And now, it's present time!" Dawn cheered, pulling a box wrapped in green paper and a dark green bow from behind her back. The others pulled out gifts as well.
"Aw! You guys didn't have to!" Leaf cooed, eyeing all of the gifts.
"As if we wouldn't get you any presents for your eighteenth birthday!" Misty said.
"Here!" Dawn said, shoving her present into Leaf's hands. It's from Paul and I! We picked it up yesterday!"
"It's really just from Dawn," Paul explained.
"No it isn't! You were with me and you helped me choose which one to get and everything!"
"More like I stood there while you went totally nuts over everything. And what do you mean I helped you choose which one to get? You asked for my opinion and then went with the opposite of what I said!"
"Would you two shut up? Leaf's trying to open your gift," Gary said.
"Right! Rip that thing open, Leaf!" Dawn said. Leaf smiled and tore the paper off of the present and opened the box. She gasped and pulled out a dark green sweater and a bottle of Enchanted Woods perfume.
"Thank you so much Dawn!... and Paul! I love the sweater and that's my favorite scent of perfume!"
"I noticed your bottle was close to empty," Dawn said. "And that sweater is so you! You can wear it when autumn comes."
"Open ours next!" May begged, thrusting a small green box into her hands. "It's from Drew and I!" Leaf opened the box and pulled out an item wrapped in green tissue paper whish she pulled off.
"I love it!" she exclaimed. It was a coffee mug with a piano key design running all the way around it.
"Look inside!" May urged. Leaf tipped the cup towards her and reached into the mug. She pulled out a pair of music note earrings.
"They're beautiful! Thanks you guys!"
"Glad you like them! Happy birthday, Leaf!" May shouted.
"Here," Misty said, shoving her gift into Leaf's hands. "Ash and I got you something you really need!" Leaf opened the green gift bag and laughed. Inside was a bag of glazed mini donuts, five chocolate bars, and a two-liter of soda.
"I was wondering why it was so heavy!" Leaf said. "Now I have a good supply of junk food for when I'm upset!"
"And now it's time for my gift," Gary said, placing a small box in Leaf's hand. She opened it and pulled out a pokeball.
"You got me a pokeball..." she stated.
"Press the button," Gary said. Leaf pressed the button on the pokeball and it opened. There was a glowing red beam, and a small green pokemon appeared before them.
"Snivy!" the pokemon said.
"Aw! It's so cute!" said Dawn.
"Is it an Unova pokemon?" Ash asked.
"Yep! I have connections with Professor Juniper, who's the professor who gives out starter pokemon in this region," said Gary. "This is the region's grass type starter, Snivy!"
Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and greeted the new Pokemon. The two began to run around the room and play.
"Oh thank you, Gary!" Leaf said. I love my new pokemon!"
"I'm glad," said Gary with a smile.
Snivy was chasing Pikachu around the room. Pikachu suddenly stopped and Snivy bumped into him. He turned around to apologize to the other pokemon, but it had already released its vines and ensnared him in a vine whip.
"Ah! Snivy, what are you doing?" Leaf cried. "Let Pikachu go!" The grass type pokemon grumbled and released its captive. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and glared at Snivy, sparks flashing on his cheeks. Ash stroked him to calm him down.
"That pokemon is almost just like Leaf," Drew said. It's like the time that she made Gary into a living fountain ornament!"
Everyone laughed. Leaf was sure that this was her best birthday ever because all of her friends, old and new, were there to share it with her.
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The end of the day was nearing. Leaf and Gary had taken off for the middle of the city, where they'd seen a bar the previous day that they wanted to go to tonight. Dawn still couldn't believe that Gary had talked Leaf into it. The brunette usually wasn't so reckless.
The rest of them were out walking the streets of the city, engaging in whatever activities came their way, most of which had been food related so far.
"Ash! No. We are not stopping for ice cream again," said Misty.
"But I want to try every place in the city!"Ash whined.
"No."
Dawn's mind briefly wandered to Kenny. He still hadn't responded to her email about Paul. Well, maybe he had. She'd left her laptop back at Undella. She didn't want to deal with Kenny while she was here in Castelia.
"Oh my god. Ash, look." said Drew.
"Is that what I think it is?" May asked.
"It's a giant arcade!" Ash cheered, and he took off running across the street. Drew was close behind him.
"Boys," May sighed.
"Well, we might as well follow them," Misty said.
"Why didn't you run off like they did?" Dawn asked Paul.
"Because I'm not a little kid." Dawn smiled at that.
"No. You're not."
The four of them entered the arcade together and saw that Ash and Drew had already become immersed in some racing game.
"Hey Misty! I challenge you to a game of Dance Dance Revolution!" May said.
"You're on!" Misty accepted. "Do you want to go against the winner, Dawn?"
Dawn felt Paul's hand brush hers a little bit. "No thanks," she said. Misty shrugged her shoulders and she and May began to set up their game.
"Come with me," Paul said. He lead them out of the arcade and back down the street the way they'd come.
"Won't they wonder where we went?" Dawn asked.
"They'll figure it out," Paul answered.
"You're leading us back to the hotel," Dawn said. Paul didn't answer. When they did get back to the hotel, he lead her to the boys' room. Dawn hesitated outside the door.
"You can come in, Troublesome. It's safe." Something felt off though. Dawn just didn't know what. She went ahead and entered the room, sitting on the bed next to Paul.
"I want to thank you. You've done a lot for me, you know? I actually really appreciate it, as odd as that sounds coming from me. You don't... You don't know what it means to me." Dawn watched in disbelief. Though there weren't any tears, it seemed like Paul wanted to cry. She grabbed his hand.
"It's okay. You're always welcome to my help," she said. "I'm just so glad that I've been able to help you with your drug problem. I know it's only been a little over a week, but you seem a lot better."
"Yeah. It isn't easy. It'll take time, and lots of it. But at least I'm taking one problem off of the long list that's accumulated over the years."
"What do you mean by that, Paul?" Dawn asked gently.
"My mother... she didn't just die. She was murdered. By my father. And he got away with it." Dawn took in a sharp breath. It felt like she had been punched with this information.
"Oh Paul. That's horrible."
"I saw it happen. I watched him do it. Made it look like a suicide. I'm the only one who knows what really happened. Not even Reggie knows."
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" Dawn asked.
"... He scared the h*ell out of me. Still does. And he knows that I know. He knew I was watching. So he threatened me. And he beat me. He beat me until I was fifteen years old. By then I was doing drugs with that friend of mine. I was so messed up."
Tears formed in her eyes. No wonder Paul was such a cold person. He clung to coldness because he had felt the heat of h*ell for far too long.
"Reggie doesn't know about the abuse either. He doesn't know about any of this. He always figured that I got so messed up because Mom died while I was still so young. So he tries to help. But he can't really, because he knows nothing about me."
"Am I the first person you've told?" Dawn asked.
"No. I told my friend. My drug friend. He's dead too though. He OD'd a few years back on something a lot heavier than I've ever used."
"I'm so sorry. For all of this," Dawn whispered. Paul didn't answer. She put an arm around him and leaned into him. He did the same.
"I don't want to go back."
"What?"
"I don't want to go back home," Paul said, shaking a little. "Because he's there and he scares me every day and I'm always wondering if he's just going to kill me."
Dawn was overcome by the fear in Paul's voice and the trembling of his body. She began to shake as well, and tears fell from her eyes.
"It'll be okay, Paul. It'll be okay." The lavender-haired boy finally broke down and began to cry as well. They stayed like that for a while, just leaning into each other. Dawn moved her other arm around Paul and hugged him. He didn't object.
"You can call me any time, Paul. When we go back home, you can call me every time you're scared, or upset, or angry. All of it. Any time."
"I love you, Troublesome."
"I think I love you too."
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"So, this is it," Leaf said. "My first bar experience."
"Mine too," said Gary. "Well, let's go inside." The two of them entered the bar, the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke hitting them in the face. "Charming, isn't it?" Gary asked sarcastically.
"Quite."
They showed their driver's licenses to the guy at the door, proving they were both eighteen.
"We're in," Leaf said. "Where should we sit?"
"There's an empty table over there," Gary pointed out. The two of them went to sit down, and a waitress soon came over to them. Gary ordered them both a drink - something he'd heard was good for beginners.
"It's your birthday, so my treat," Gary said to Leaf.
"Thank you." Soon enough their drinks had arrived. They barely even noticed though because they were watching a band play in the corner.
"They're pretty good," Leaf commented.
"We could do better," said Gary.
"Let's give this alcohol a try." They clinked their glasses together and then they each took a sip. "Eww. People actually like this?" Leaf asked, crinkling her nose.
"Apparently so," Gary said. "I don't care for it either. It's quite disappointing."
The band had finished playing now, and some background music came on in the bar. The live performance must've been over.
"I'll be right back," Gary said to Leaf.
"Okay."
A few minutes later, he had returned. "There must be something magic about eighteenth birthdays," he said.
"Gary, why do you have a guitar in your hands?" Leaf asked.
"I talked to the guys who were playing a few minutes ago. I told them it's your birthday and that you really wanted to perform this song that you'd written with me, and I asked if we could just borrow their acoustic guitar and their keyboard. They were most agreeable."
"Gary, you didn't!" Leaf said. She was both nervous and excited.
"What do you say, Leafy? Wanna debut our new song on your eighteenth birthday?"
"Yes!"
"I thought you might say that. One of the guys from the band is talking to the manager. The music should turn off in a minute or two." Just as he finished his sentence, the music disappeared. He smiled. "Let's get up there, Leaf."
"You bet," she said.
"As they got on the stage, they set up for their song. Leaf stood behind the keyboard and adjusted her microphone, as did Gary. They both checked to see if they were on, and then they were ready. Leaf looked out at the crowd. Almost everyone was watching them.
"Hello everyone," Gary said into his microphone. "It's my friend's eighteenth birthday today, and we want to perform a little song we wrote. Hope you all like it." He looked over at Leaf, and they gave each other the ready signal.
I don't like walking around this old and empty house
So hold my hand, I'll walk with you, my dear
The stairs creak as I sleep, it's keeping me awake
It's the house telling you to close your eyes
And some days I can't even trust myself
It's killing me to see you this way
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
There's an old voice in my head that's holding me back
Well tell her that I miss our little talks
Soon it will be over and buried with our past
We used to play outside when we were young
And full of life and full of love.
Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right
Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear
'Cause though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Don't listen to a word I say
The screams all sound the same
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
You're gone, gone, gone away
I watched you disappear
All that's left is the ghost of you.
Now we're torn, torn, torn apart,
There's nothing we can do
Just let me go we'll meet again soon
Now wait, wait, wait for me
Please hang around
I'll see you when I fall asleep
Don't listen to a word I say
The screams all sound the same
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Don't listen to a word I say
The screams all sound the same
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore
Everyone in the club went wild. Leaf couldn't believe it. "Thank you!" she said into the microphone. "Thank you so much!" Gary took her hand and lead her off of the stage. Many people asked them who they were and how old they were and told them that their music was phenomenal.
It was almost midnight when they decided it was time to leave. It seemed that the birthday magic hadn't quite run out though.
"Excuse me," a woman said just as they were about to leave. They turned to see a woman with bright red hair wearing a trench coat and sunglasses behind them. "My name is Anita Bolster. I'm an agent with Pokemusic Record Company. I think you guys have what it takes to make it big. Real big."
"You can't be serious," Leaf said, her eyes growing wide at the idea.
"Oh but I am. Here, take my card. If you're interested in auditioning for the company, we could get you a position opening for a big-time band. Then you'll become more known and you could eventually become famous. I think it's a very real possibility. You can't pass this up."
Gary took the card from the woman. Leaf could see the stars in his eyes. She was tempted to fall into the fantasy as well, but she couldn't.
"Listen, we didn't come here looking for this," she started to explain.
"I understand. Take some time to think about it, and then call the number on that card." The woman took her sunglasses off and looked directly into Leaf's eyes. "I firmly believe this is your destiny." Without another word, she turned and walked away.
"Can you believe this, Leaf? This could be a big opportunity for us!" Gary said.
"No. We can't," Leaf said, holding her head in her hands.
"Why not?"
"We both have other lives ahead of us! You want to become a professor! I want to be a nurse! We can't just give up those careers for something like this that's unstable and could possibly be short-lived. What if we're just one-hit wonders?"
"Then we could go back to pursuing our careers after that," Gary said.
"No. My parents would never let me," Leaf said.
"Mine either. But this could be what we were made to do, Leaf!" Gary's eyes pleaded with hers.
"I can't." Leaf pushed past him and went out the door onto the sidewalk.
"Wait, Leaf. Come on. You need to think about this. We're talking about being famous, doing what we love for a career, getting to travel! Don't you think that would be amazing?"
"Of course I do!" she yelled, turning around to face him. "But I just can't! I can't because I'm engaged! I'm engaged to someone and that's why I can't start a band with you! That's why I can't fall in love with you! See this charm bracelet on my wrist! It's an engagement bracelet! I wear it instead of a ring so that no one will know! My parents have me in an arranged marriage with another rich kid! I don't have any choice!" Leaf began to sob. Gary watched her in shock for a few moments, but then he got his mind back.
"Leaf, you listen to me," he said, grabbing her shoulders. "What you're parents are doing to you is sick. It's wrong. You can love whoever you want to and you can be whoever you want to be. Come with me, Leaf. Come with me to pursue this career and I promise I will love you forever and always make sure you are happy."
She gazed into his eyes. He was offering her a life of freedom. A life where she wouldn't be bound by an arranged marriage and an arranged career. She could taste it. She could taste him. Her parents would disown her. She'd be cut away from the family tree forever. But she'd be able to love him. She'd be happy. So happy.
But she couldn't. She pushed him away from her and ran. She had to leave him behind. She had to get away from him, or she just might say yes.
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That got intense near the end there. I loved it. Typing like that is freedom to me. I hope you guys are all freaking out right now from those two moments. The Ikarishipping and then Leaf's confession. Please tell me what you're all thinking! I'd appreciate it a whole lot!
I'm glad I'm updating right away! It feels good to do this! There really is an acoustic version of that song by the way. I encourage you to check it out.