CHAPTER 6: Afraid of rejection
Oshawott didn't go very well trying to win Pidove's heart, but he didn't give up. He continued with his search for the perfect mate for him. Since there was only two female Pokémon in the team, one was remained, which was Snivy. The otter remembered how he met her. Ash was in his attempt to catch the grass snake without giving up in any moment. His Pikachu failed to try to attack her and the grass type escaped up to a mountain. The trainer didn't want to stop and continued to catch Snivy. Oshawott was inside of his Poké ball. After noticing the situation that they were, he came out of his stay and said to them that he would manage to defeat Snivy. The young man with hat agreed with that and along with Pikachu and Oshawott went to climb the mountain.
The cliff was steep, but at least it could climb on foot. Little by little they were going up until they heard a sound from above. They observed afterwards that there was a rock avalanche with direction to them. The three of them hid quickly behind a big rock and they emerged unharmed from the rock slide. They continued climbing the mountain. They were close until they reach the top. They saw Snivy a certain distance of them. It was Oshawott's moment to shine. He got into combat position waiting the orders of his trainer.
Snivy wanted to attack him with Vine Whip, but Oshawott ingeniously blocked the attacks with his scalchop. The Pokémon thought that she didn't see it incoming. It was time to counterattack. He used Water Gun and aimed to the grass snake. She jumped several times to dodge the shots, and Oshawott tried to hit her going after her. He saw how a splash of water reached her face and she brushed away with one hand. It was his opportunity to attack again. Ash ordered that Oshawott uses Razor Shell. He followed the order and prepared that attack.
Unfortunately, the otter didn't have the opportunity to attack, because Snivy used Attract before. A horde of floating hearts went towards the water type, disconcerting him for a moment. The hearts spun around him until all of them hit against the Sea Otter Pokémon. He was artificially in love with Snivy. During that trance, he saw her like a cute and beautiful Pokémon, with that curved green body with pointed endings, that cute face, those beautiful eyes. She was pretty in a few words.
Being like that didn't long so much, because he saw the cute Snivy attack with her vines. Afterwards, Oshawott felt a hard and painful whiplash in the face. It was super effective and seemed that left a mark. It was so strong that the otter was pushed back and stayed on the ground without moving, sore. Later, Ash returned the water type Pokémon to his Poké ball to follow Snivy, who was escaping.
After an arduous fight to try to catch the grass snake, in the end, the young man with hat finally caught her, she was part of Ash's team. With the passing of time all Ash, Iris, Cilan's Pokémon were knowing her well. Oshawott still remembered how Snivy gave a hard whiplash in the face when he was vulnerable, due the falling in love by Snivy's Attract. It was very painful and abrupt having to get out of being under Attract's effect, to receive a fully attack in the face that woke him up of that trance. Everything happened so fast.
Since Pidove rejected Oshawott's proposal of being his girlfriend, the only option that remained at the moment was Snivy. He would do everything possible to win her heart, he hoped. One day where all of the Pokémon were outdoor doing their stuff as the lunch is being prepared. The otter saw Snivy up a rock, sunbathing. She looked a little far from the others. He supposed that she felt calm when she was alone. Taking to his advantage that no one was watching them, Oshawott started his plan of Snivy falls in love with Oshawott.
Before that, Pidove came closer to him to ask a question: "What are you doing, Oshawott?" and he answered: "Well, as you don't wanna be my girlfriend, I'm gonna win Snivy's heart who is over there." "Win Snivy's heart, you say?" "Yeah, I'm gonna ask her first if I can accompany her so that she isn't so lonely, and little by little it'd start a love relationship, I hope that works."
Pidove got very uncomfortable by what her teammate said. Trying that Snivy falls in love with Oshawott? That discomfort was seen by Oshawott and he asked to her: "Is something wrong, Pidove?" and she answered: "Well, at the beginning I said that I'd support you in everything so you can look for a mate for you, but something tells me that it's not going to end well." "That something is not going end well, you say?" "Yeah, I have like a feeling that flirt with Snivy won't turn out as you expect." "Why do you say so? It shouldn't be so difficult to talk with her, right?" "Oshawott, well… you should know that Snivy prefers being alone that being accompanied, that's why she uses to be far from the others." "Yeah, that makes sense." "I have the opportunity to talk with her, because she considers me like a good friend, we're the only female Pokémon of the group, you know? She could tell me some things. For example, she had a trainer previously, which Snivy abandoned it for not being worthy to her."
Oshawott was surprised by what the dove said. That she had abandoned her trainer must have been something difficult for her, he thought. Pidove continued speaking: "At least Ash caught her so that she isn't in the wild life, and to have a home traveling with us." "Wow, so she should have been passing for several difficult stages." "I could be, I'm not sure yet because she hasn't told me yet. Because of how she is, I have the idea of she doesn't want to socialize so much, so she prefers to be alone, do you understand?" "Yeah, I understand, Pidove; even so, if I want to find a mate, I have to interact with her, she is my last option that I have." "Even with all what I said, you still think on winning her heart? Well, I'm not going to stop you. Go for her, I wish you the best of luck." "Thanks, Pidove."
With so high expectations, he went walking calmly towards the grass snake, who was resting tranquilly. What he would do was start a conversation like: "I wanna accompany you so that you aren't so lonely," and he hoped that she says yes, starting like that the possibility of a love relationship between them. It sounds like a good plan. He continued walking convinced that his plan to win Snivy's heart was going to work, but suddenly, something came to mind that stopped him completely in midway. What if she said no?
He thought about it for a moment, what if he was rejected again? It would be no good for Oshawott. After Pidove, she was the only girl that remained in the group. She was his last option that he had. If that happened, he wouldn't have someone to love. The otter was going to be alone, without anyone. No, he's not going to give up so easily. The Sea Otter Pokémon wasn't going to waste his last chance for the moment to get a mate. He had to have courage so they had a relationship, but first he had to talk with her. That was he would do.
The water type continued walking towards her with courage, or what was left, because the closer he got, the more nervous he got. It was as if something bad was going to happen, especially to Oshawott. He had the feeling that nothing was going to end well. He remembered that the first time they met he received a hard and painful whiplash in the face. He feared that, if she rejected him, it would happen the same as an answer. Because of how she was, who was tough, cutting and asocial with others, it could happen.
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to try to flirt with Snivy. Oshawott thought on returning back where Pidove was, but he was so much time in his thoughts that didn't notice that he was in front of the grass snake. He got paralyzed when he saw her waking up after sleep a little under de sun. She said after watching him: "Oh. Hello, Oshawott. What are you doing next to me?" Oshawott, very nervous, was sweating a lot and looked everywhere to invent an answer. "Ah… Ah… Oh! H-hi, S-snivy. Ho-how's it going…?"
The grass snake noticed that he was very nervous for some reason. "Is something wrong, Oshawott? I see you very nervous now. Are you all right?" He continued talking nervously. "Y-y-yeah… I'm… alright… don't you worry…" Snivy wanted to believe him, she wasn't sure what was happening to him to make him so nervous. "Okay… I see you are in front me and you woke me up while I was asleep, what do you want?" Oshawott was too nervous to answer normally, but if he wanted to win her heart, he had to be brave. She was his last option, he had to do it the best way possible.
Now he had to tell her if she wanted that Oshawott accompany her for a while, if she didn't bother it. "We-well… I-I-I came to… to… i-i-if you let me… let me to… to… to…" Oshawott felt very uncomfortable, there were high probabilities that she rejects him and she gives a whiplash as an answer, he wanted to run from there so that he wasn't affected by that; despite that, he continued. What he wanted to said was on the tip of his tongue, but the situation took a twist when he heard Cilan's voice saying: "Everyone come to eat!"
Everyone, including Oshawott and Snivy turn their heads to where the sound came from. It was Cilan calling everyone that lunch is ready. It was his opportunity to escape from danger. The otter said quickly and desperately: "Oh, lunch is ready! Last one there's a rotten egg!" And he speedily ran where Cilan was. Snivy got very confused about what happened, while Pidove was disappointed and sad. Oshawott was still a coward to tell romantic stuff to Snivy. She had to talk with him after eating about what happened.
Pidove had the opportunity to talk with Oshawott while Snivy wasn't present. "Oshawott, what happened to you? Why did you escape suddenly?" The otter answered: "The thing is… is… I was afraid, very afraid." "Afraid of what?" "Afraid of being rejected by Snivy. If I said something nice to her, it may she'll give me a beating with her vines." "But, Oshawott… Oshawott, why do you think that she is going to attack you by saying something romantic?" "Because she is very cold with others, I'm afraid of her." "Oshawott, don't think that. She is your teammate; she doesn't have to attack you for a sign of affection." "Don't matter, it's better I don't risk again."
Oshawott was sad from time to time. He said: "Wow, what am I gonna do now?" Pidove asked to him. "Is something wrong with you?" "Snivy was my last chance to get a mate." he gave a loud sigh. "I think I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life." The Tiny Pigeon Pokémon tried to cheer him up as she could. "Oshawott, it's not that bad. We're starting our journey through the region. I assure you that you're going to find the perfect girl for you, you just have to wait until the destiny says something. Don't you think?" The water type wanted to cry, but his mood improved by Pidove's words. "Thank you, Pidove. You're a great partner." "You're welcome."
After that day, Oshawott continued traveling with Ash and his partners through the Unova region. Ash looked for reach the Unova league winning eight gym badges, while the otter waited "patiently" to find a female Pokémon on the way. He wanted to change a bit his flirt tactics that he did. He would try the next time to be more expressive and less coward, that he showed on an open way his love for other female. He just had to wait the right moment to fall in love "formally and tranquilly."