Chapter 2: A Show of the Heart
Andrew arrived at the Poke Center right as they were finishing up. The nurse behind the counter handed him back a tray with his Pokeballs and Ginger walked around the desk, scratching her ear. "Thank you," the nurse said, waving to them as they left. "We hope to see you again."
He shook his head, mumbling, "What a terrible thing to say in a Poke Center."
As soon as they were outside, he looked at Ginger, studying her. She didn't seem nervous or in a terrible mood at the moment, but he needed to resolve this quickly. The sooner, the better. Walking out and about through the city wasn't the place for it though. An afternoon rush had picked up and people jostled and hurried to and fro along the sidewalks and streets.
Across from the Poke Center, he spotted a small park where people were playing with their Pokémon or letting them run wild. Pointing it out to Ginger, they crossed over and entered the park.
Andrew released the other Pokémon from his belt and encouraged them to go play and stretch their legs. Zizagoon and Pidgeot immediately ran off to join some kids and their Pokémon in a game, whereas Sandshrew found a shady bush and curled up. Before he fell asleep, he stared at Ginger, then Andrew, his glassy eyes contemplating something, then buried his head under his tail.
After watching them all for a moment to ensure they were fine, he turned to Ginger and gave her a large smile. Too large. Tone it down, he told himself. "Want to walk for a bit?"
She chirped and strode ahead him as they headed down the thin gravel path. There weren't many people in the park and most of them were busy in the large central field. The path wound around the outside, twisting and turning around clumps of thin trees. At least they were shaded from the heat of the sun.
He wasn't quite sure how to broach the topic tactfully, so he quickly caught up with her and started with, "Feel more refreshed?"
She gruffed some response that sounded like a yes.
"I was thinking we could spend the night here, sleep in an actual bed for a change. What do you think?"
Again, she made a short sound and moved ahead a little.
He quickened his pace, easily matching his stride with his longer legs. "While we're here, was there anything you saw that you wanted to do?"
Her short legs moved faster, but he kept pace. "Or if you want to hang around here all day, we can do that." She didn't answer and instead started jogging. He reached out to her, grabbing her shoulder before she sprinted away. "Wait! Wait, hold on, Ginger! Wait, I know what this is about."
She stopped dead in her tracks and her scarlet eyes widened. He gestured to a nearby bench and they sat down, both of them catching their breath for a few moments.
So much for tactful. He took off his cap, running a hand through his hair as if to push the right words to the top of his mind. Nothing came and he decided to dive right in. "I'm not blind," he said, dangling his cap between his legs. "I know this all started after I told you guys about what I planned to do."
He looked over at her. Her head was down, but she did appear to be listening to him. "None of the others seem put off by it, do they?" She shook her head. "No, it's only you. And I think I know why."
She looked up at him. Was that fear in her eyes? Did she think he was upset with her? I really have let this go on for too long.
"Ginger, I didn't come to this decision lightly. I've spent months thinking about this and I believe it's the right choice." She tilted her head. "I don't plan to have a whole farm of Pokémon like some breeders do. But however many I have, I certainly won't ever lose sight of you." He waited for her answer. She didn't say anything, only stared at him. There didn't seem to be any fear left, but he could swear that he saw disappointment.
"You believe me, right? Because I'll do whatever I can to prove it to you." He placed his cap on her head, flattening her large ears. "You're my girl and my best friend after all."
She reached for the cap, pulling it further down over her face. That didn't seem like a good sign and he bent lower. "Hey, I'll always make time for you. You're my number one."
A few tense seconds passed, then she raised her head, all smiles and tapping her paws on her legs. Any other time, he would take that as the matter resolved. Yet there was still a nagging in his heart. She was putting on a show for him. He knew she was. Why though? Did he fail to convince her? Or did he miss the real meat of the issue?
"Is there something else?" He tipped the flap of the cap upwards. "If there is, you can tell me. I don't want there to be any secrets between us. If there's something wrong now or in the future, please tell me, okay?"
A shadow flitted across her expression. A brief internal debate and then she was back to normal, chirping and hopping off the bench.
With a heavy sigh, he followed her down the trail. He wanted to confront whatever the obstacle was between them. However, if he pushed too hard, she might withdraw further into her shell. He'd left the door open for her. Now she needed to enter it on her own.
She turned around, bouncing cutely on the balls of her feet and beckoning him onwards. He hoped she confided in him soon. He didn't want to let this fester and lose her.
When they checked into a hotel later that evening, Andrew let Ginger and the others stay in the room while he headed out to grab food for all of them. Once he left, Ginger flopped on the stiff bed, rubbing her eyes and staring at the cheap plaster ceiling above them.
She wanted to scream and set the entire room on fire. She almost exploded in the park when he sat down to talk with her. For one brief, fleeting moment, she thought her dreams were going to come true. Or be dashed cruelly on the rocks.
Instead, he completely missed the mark and she was back to the same hopeless position as before. Grabbing her ears, she yanked them down and over her face, vainly trying to tie them in knots.
She wanted to throw herself off the bed for how she'd passed up the perfect chance to tell him earlier. They had been all alone, him opening up completely to her and asking her to do the same. Why had she been so stupid about it? She might've failed in her attempt, but it would've been an attempt all the same.
She shook her tiny paws in impotent rage and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. Why couldn't she fall in love with a Pokémon like every other member of her species?
Because Andrew was special to her, she told herself. More special than any other Pokémon she ever met. Even if she tried to forget about her love for him, it wouldn't go away. That much was evident from the few nights where she caught an ounce of sleep that wound up with dreams of Andrew. Usually in some lewd display for her that set her heart racing and an intense heat between her legs as though she caught fire.
Pidgeot and Zigzagoon nested in the window while Sandshrew crawled up on the bed, plopping down on the second pillow beside her. 'He talked to you, didn't he?' She didn't respond. 'He misunderstood you.'
'Don't,' she warned him.
'I'm not criticizing you.' He laid back against the headboard and looked over at her. 'Trainers aren't as insightful as they like to think. They can read basic emotions from us, but something more complicated like love is beyond them.'
Ginger lifted her head. 'So what do you suggest?'
'I don't know. Too complicated for me.' With that, he burrowed under the pillow and within a minute, was fast asleep.
Some help he turned out to be. Ginger considered kicking him off the bed, but stared at the headboard instead, mulling her options round and round in her mind. Part of what he said stuck with her. Complicated emotions were beyond trainers. She couldn't simply convey it in small gestures and noises like most things. She had to do something more.
The question was what? Humans themselves didn't always know how to explain they were in love, so how in Arceus' name was she supposed to?
Andrew browsed the menu of the nearby restaurant, picking out specific dishes for each of his Pokémons' varying palettes and himself. As he waited for the food, he replayed the conversation from the park over and over, searching for any clue that would help him pinpoint Ginger's issues.
She hadn't been worried about him forgetting about her. That was clear to him and it was only after he assured her of that that she put on a false smile. But the issue was centered about him becoming a breeder.
Maybe I should ask one of the others if they know what's going on? Although, he didn't want to spread any of Ginger's problems if he could help it. No, he needed to figure this out without involving the others.
Starting back with the facts, he walked through things step by step. I tell them I'm becoming a breeder. She has a problem with that. Not because I'll forget her, but some other aspect about being a breeder. So, what would that be?
No more adventuring? No, like he told the volunteer librarian, that wasn't Ginger's passion.
Fewer battles? Ginger never was one for or against battling. Same with the rest of his Pokémon. Besides, some breeders battled as much as any league challenger, so that was out too.
More Pokémon, making for a crowded place? That fell in line with the whole forgetting about her, which was already out. About the only thing he could attribute to Ginger is she would be upset that he couldn't devote as much time to her if he had more Pokémon to attend to.
The training and breeding itself? Training, like battling, didn't bother Ginger or the others. Sure, it was hard-going at times running laps around fields or climbing trees and rocks. He made sure not to push them too hard, training alongside them to better gauge their stamina and the intensity of their sessions.
Breeding though. He lingered on that thought. Was that the source? Nothing else fit so far, so what would be her problem with that?
I suppose some breeders rush their Pokémon to make offspring. Or could it be the type of Pokémon? Perhaps she's choosy about which one she wants? It was possible. They never really talked about this subject before, as it never came up. If that was the case, it also explained why she was reluctant to discuss it with him.
"Andrew?" the cashier called, holding up a large paper bag.
He grabbed the bag, thanked the cashier, and left the restaurant. He would have to feel Ginger out, determine if that was truly her problem with his chosen path. For now, he hurried back to the hotel before the food got cold.
A knock at the door signaled Andrew's return. Lifting up a paper bag, he doled out berries and other food for them, then sat on the bed beside Ginger. He unwrapped his sandwich and flipped on the television.
As a report droned on about an upcoming tournament, Ginger watched him eat. More specifically, she noticed his lips. How soft they looked, how tantalizingly inviting they appeared.
Within seconds, the outline of a plan appeared before her, with one end goal: kissing him, fully and completely as one would a lover. The only problem now was to fill in the steps leading up to it.
She could simply do it here and now. But she didn't exactly feel like having all the other Pokémons' prying eyes on her. Guiding him somewhere else private and secluded might work. Yet to spring it on him so suddenly didn't seem any better. Like Sandshrew said, trainers weren't always insightful. He may fail to connect the dots.
All she could do was bide her time and watch for the perfect opportunity. Which arrived sooner than she expected. Although considering it was all she could think about, time passed excruciatingly slow.
Long after the sun set and the other Pokémon opted to sleep in their balls for the evening, Andrew rolled off the bed and stretched. "I'm going to grab a quick shower," he said. He gathered up a towel, entered the bathroom, and pushed the door almost closed.
Ginger waited. And waited. And waited. The bathroom was completely silent. What was he doing in there?
Eventually, the shower turned on and heavy footsteps thumped across the tile, followed by a curtain drawing closed. That's when Ginger sprang into action.
She stealthily slunk to the bathroom door and eased it open, peeking in. Through the curtain, she saw a faint silhouette moving and lathering his body. Her throat tightened and her breathing grew heavier. Either from the steam or the situation, she wasn't sure.
To her, this was her best shot. If she tried when he was already dressed, he'd misunderstand again and take it as a friendly show of affection. No, she had to make sure that she conveyed it as clearly as possible to him. No more mistakes.
Worry gripped her heart as she hid in the shadow of the door. What if he rejected her? What if he sent her away from him?
He wouldn't do that. Not Andrew. Surely not him. She was "his girl," his "number one" after all. But that didn't assuage the fear, as it conjured up other scenarios. He may not send her away, true. However, their relationship would forever be altered. What if they were no longer close? What if he kept her always at a distance to prevent anything further happening?
It wouldn't be much different from what she did now. All the same, she had to try. She couldn't live the rest of her life this way. Their relationship would deteriorate if something didn't change and soon. She curled her paws, pumping them and encouraging herself. Kiss him and be done with it.
The curtain suddenly flung backwards, exposing Andrew in the buff. The water from the showerhead spattered off his taut form, leaving a soft sheen. Ginger's breathing worsened as she took him all in and she felt lightheaded. Especially as her gaze fell on the length between his legs and like with her dreams, her body heated up instantly, her thighs quivering. Her heart was bouncing between her stomach and her throat and her fur bristled with sensuous desire, tingling her arms and legs.
She closed her eyes, reminding herself of her mission. Kiss him and be done with it. Kiss him and leave. Kiss him and leave.
Unfortunately, she didn't realize that as he stepped out and turned off the shower, he turned around and grabbed a towel. She burst through the door, her eyes shut tight lest she lose her nerve, and hopped up onto his back, expecting his chest and face. As her muzzle buried in his hair, both of them yelped in surprise and went tumbling across the bathroom floor.
Ginger slid into the wall, knocking her head against the wood, and curled into her chest. Sharp pain shot through her skull and she rubbed the spot reflexively, exacerbating the sting. Across from her, Andrew shook his head and propped himself up on his elbow, muttering, "What on earth?"
She was losing her chance! Staggering to her feet, she stumbled over to Andrew, pushing him down on his back, and straddled herself across his chest. When he raised his head, his cheeks were flushed red and his hair clung to different areas. Those lovely emerald eyes met hers and rather than destroying her will, they emboldened and strengthened her.
Taking a deep breath, Ginger leaned over and pressed her muzzle firmly to his.