Accessory to Adventure
It was Elena's last day before she left for Japan.
For the last six weeks, the African princess couldn't stop thinking about the opportunity she got. From the day she heard about the competition, it was her dream to be part of that tournament and the moment she was invited to compete in it, she decided to train for the special event, eager to see what the other fighters had to offer and also hoping to see some of her friends there. During her time in Kenya, not only did the short-haired gal work on improving her technique and fight moves, but she also met a new friend, a psychic hedgehog that went by the name of Silver. Their first encounter came after she finished with her training, with Elena being happy to meet a new friend and the naive hedgehog glad to find someone that like the African princess, her cheerful attitude and the way she always helped him made Silver feel at ease with his situation.
He missed his home and wanted to go back where he belonged, but thanks to Elena, his time in Kenya was a good one. Apart from using her time to train for the tournament she was invited to, the African princess also helped her new friend. She let him stay with her and her family, who just like her, were happy to see him and welcomed Silver with open arms. Elena was also aware about how much the naive hedgehog missed his home and not only did she give him moral support and take him wherever she went, but the short-haired gal also assisted him in his attempts at using his Chaos Emerald to find a way back home. Even after his efforts were unsuccessful, Elena always found a way to make him feel better and as a way of thanking her for the help, he would assist the cheerful gal with her training.
The two also had a routine they followed almost daily, they would go early to the place Elena found the psychic hedgehog and the two would either train for the competition or make another attempt at using the Chaos Emerald, but with time, Silver decided to do less attempts. At first, the African princess was puzzled by what his friend told her, but after he explained that he was taking a pause to help her with her training, considering it the most important thing to do at the moment, she accepted with the sole condition of Silver telling him more about the place he was from and his friends as she was interested in knowing more about him.
The psychic hedgehog told her about the place he lived in, how it was his goal to turn the future into a better place for everyone and also talked about his friends and how he admired them. Sonic, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, Blaze and many more were allies that he always liked being with and was glad that each time he got to go to the past, he also enjoyed some good moments with his friends. Although Elena was interested in learning more about her new friend, she also got the chance to talk about herself as Silver usually asked about the same things and the African princess happily told the naive hedgehog about her past adventures and Sakura, Ibuki and Makoto, three girls that not only were fighters she admired but were also her best friends.
For their last day before Elena's trip, the cheerful gal and the psychic hedgehog decided to use their whole day to train. Elena practiced her special moves and Silver assisted her by using her powers on her or throwing stuff for her to break. Even something as arduous as training became an enjoyable thing thanks to the white-haired gal's attitude. She continued to smile and her jolly attitude was contagious. As they were having fun, the two didn't want the practice to stop, but as Elena had to prepare for her trip for tomorrow and had to check that she had everything, the two went back to her parent's house.
Upon arriving, the short-haired gal found out that her family prepared a surprise party for her. As they were busy during the last time she got an invitation, Elena's parents couldn't plan one, so when they got the news that their daughter was invited to compete in another tournament and that she was going to spend a few weeks with them, they took some time out of their schedule to prepare everything. This was their way of showing how happy they were with her invitation and that they were going to support her during her time in Japan. She was so happy about the gesture, that she didn't notice that Silver went out for a moment, only noticing right before they would enjoy their dinner. As she also considered the naive hedgehog important, and wanting him to join them in their celebration, she went out to look for him.
It wasn't much of a problem that the night came as the cuffs, gloves and boots of Silver normally glowed at night. Because of that, the African princess didn't have any problem finding his friend, quickly noticing that he was under a tree and looking at the stars. Not wanting to rush in and interrupt his moment of calmness, Elena carefully walked where he was and it didn't take much for the psychic hedgehog to notice the presence of his friend. "Hey! There you are, I was looking for you."
"Sorry about that, I just needed some time alone with my thoughts, that was all," Silver said in a calm yet shy tone. It wasn't necessary for him what happened, he had another moment on which he thought about when he would go back to his dimension. Although the two talked a lot about that, and the naive hedgehog didn't want to sound like he didn't appreciate what Elena and her family were doing for him, there were times on which Silver couldn't help but to let himself be taken by those conflicting thoughts. All he needed was one small moment to think about something else and the African princess came just in time as he was almost done with that. Looking at his friend again, this time smiling and not letting those ideas take over him, the psychic hedgehog noticed that she was wearing a black leather jacket. "That's a nice jacket."
"Well, thank you! It was a gift from my parents. I told them about it during my first week here and they bought it a few days ago. Isn't it great?!" Elena smiled, talking about how much she wanted that jacket and how happy she was that her parents bought it as a gift for her. The short-haired gal was so happy about it that she promised her family that she was going to use it in all of her matches, only taking it off during the times she used one of her special fight moves. She also talked about how she was looking forward to seeing what her friends might think about it and how her new item would make her stand out between the competitors.
One thing Silver always admired about Elena was how she always had that positive attitude. Even during times where she was tired or was having a difficult time practicing one of her techniques, the short-haired gal continued to smile and find something positive to say. Just the fact that she found a lot of positive things to say related to her jacket and the competition made him be impressed again. The jacket was nice, but Elena found a way to make it something special. She also made the naive hedgehog feel at ease, remembering that his time in Kenya was a good one and that while he had reasons to worry about, the African princess was always there with him. Noticing the way he was smiling, Elena knew that her words did the trick, but as she wanted to make him enjoy her special night, she revealed a surprise for him.
"I know you are also happy about this trip too. After all, you accepted the invitation to come with me and I really appreciate having support from a friend," Elena had the chance of inviting someone to go with her on her trip and even asked some of her family members the same day she received the invitation, but as all were busy and had to take care of some of their own compromises, they all had to turn down her offer. After passing some time with the naive hedgehog and becoming friends with him, the short-haired gal decided to ask him if he wanted to come with her to Japan and while he had his doubts, after Elena and her family assured him that it was going to be a good trip, he accepted the invitation, promising that he was going to give her a lot of support during the tournament. She was grateful for that and wanted to show him how much that meant and because of that, she had a surprise for Silver. "As this is a special night, you should be enjoying it and I have something that can make you feel better."
Taken by what her friend had for him, the psychic hedgehog followed his friend behind the tree and discovered that the surprise Elena had for him was the same black leather jacket she was wearing, with the difference being that the one she was holding was his side. Silver was aware about Elena wanting to get that jacket yet, he didn't expect to get one too. Taken by the gesture, the naive hedgehog let the cheerful gal put it on him before he looked at his new item. He was aware that she wanted that jacket, talking about it during their breaks from their training sessions and showing him where she saw it.
"My parents only ordered one, but they got two by mistake and as they remembered you were coming with me, my mother decided to use it to make you your own jacket," Elena said while smiling. He thought about the day when Elena's mother, Alina, asked for his assistance while the short-haired gal went to train by herself and remembered how in one moment she took some measurements yet, he never asked her why she did that. It was more than obvious that she did it to work on the jacket and wanted to thank her too for the gesture. As her friend continued to smile and admire his new jacket, Elena knew that her surprise did the trick and that Silver wasn't thinking about those conflicting thoughts anymore. As her friend was finally in a good state, it was time for them to continue enjoying their celebration. "Tomorrow we will have a busy day, but for now, why don't you come with us so we can enjoy a nice evening together?"
The psychic hedgehog smiled before following the African princess. Although he didn't say much during the celebration, mostly because he was more concentrated in admiring his jacket, Silver thanked Elena again for the support and also talked with Alina, expressing his gratitude for what she did. Their time of joy continued up until late hours of the night and even though they were tired, the naive hedgehog and the short-haired gal wanted to be sure that they had everything for their trip.
As the next day came, Elena and Silver left earlier, but not before having a moment with Elena's parents. The two wished their daughter the best of luck during the tournament, reminding her about how much she trained for that moment and that they were going to be cheering for her. They also thanked Silver for accepting the invitation and to give her all the support he could. As the two walked, taking one last look at savannah while talking about their time there. The naive hedgehog also mentioned that as a way to show his support for the African princess during the tournament, he was going to do the same thing as her, remaining with the jacket on during all of her matches so everyone could see that she was supporting her. Taken by his words, Elena hugged him tightly and unlike their first encounter, on which the psychic hedgehog wasn't sure how to react, his reaction at that moment was a positive one, with him smiling at the short-haired gal.
His time in Kenya was a good one and even though Silver still had his moments where his doubts and conflicting thoughts would take over him, Elena always found a way to make him feel better and remind him that everything was fine. The psychic hedgehog couldn't have asked for a better guide and was always grateful that the two became friends and as the African princess helped him with that and more, it was his turn to give her support during her time in the competition. He was confident that he would go back to his place and that he would share his time in Kenya with all of his friends, but until then.
He was looking forward to enjoying his trip with Elena.