I just want the day to be over already.
Today has been so slow, and I've been fighting the urge to doze off despite being well-rested.
I'm not even paying attention to the lecture anymore. The last thing I remember hearing was something about EVs and IVs and training and blah, blah, blah…
My gaze drifts from the blackboard to the windowsill, and a certain trainer catches my eye in the Pokémon training arena.
The trainer is giving commands to a Meowstic, strategically defending against a mega-evolved Beedril, and every move he makes is a majestic display.
Granted, he is quite the battle prodigy, since he comes from a long line of Ace Trainers, but the way he battles is very reminiscent of an intense dance.
I'm not the only one impressed by him. Everyone knows who he is.
Calem Courageux.
I hold back a wide smile. It would be a dead giveaway to the professor that I'm not paying attention. Instead, I simply grin ever so slightly.
I've been in love with Calem ever since I started attending the Ace Trainer Academy of Kalos.
But he must never know.
I don't deserve to be with such an extraordinary battler. Not unless I became the Kalos Champion overnight.
Even then, I probably wouldn't be his type. He'd probably find me incredibly annoying and uninteresting.
Besides, he doesn't really seem like the type to think about dating or things of that nature. It seems like all he ever thinks about is his career. Anything outside of that would be a distraction to him.
Still, a girl can dream…
"Serena, could you explain to the class how Pokérus can be beneficial in EV training your Pokémon?" The professor asked.
I stood up from my seat and answered, "Pokérus doubles the amount of EVs that your Pokémon recieve after battle, and even after they overcome the virus, this effect remains in their system."
The professor nodded. "Correct. You may be seated."
It was a good thing that I studied the entire chapter last night.
After several hours of lectures, the day was finally over. I stood up from the bench, stretching my limbs and yawning softly.
All students in the academy are required to return to their dorms by curfew, which wasn't for another 4 hours. This gave enough time for the student clubs to practice their craft and clean up after themselves, but those who weren't a part of a club were free to spend their time as they wished.
I'm not a member of any clubs, so I decided to stop by my favorite café in Coumarine City, The Spheal Appeal.
I ordered a chocolate mousse, a slice of Oran Berry pie, and a glass of milk tea. It was my favorite combination of comfort foods, and it often improved my mood whenever I had a long day like today.
"How are classes coming along?" The server asked.
"All my classes are pretty boring right now. I got called on by the professor today in Stat Training. I think he noticed that I wasn't paying attention." I replied while sipping my milk tea.
He chuckled, "Aren't your finals coming up? Right now would be the most important time to study and pay attention."
"Ugh, you always seem to know when they come around, Anton…" I pouted. "You don't even go there!"
Anton smiled, "You know I merely jest. I have no doubt that you'll do fine. I know that you only get bored in class because you study so much the night before."
I sighed, drumming my fingers on the countertop. "I just want my classes to be over already. Next semester, we'll have a graduation exam, and passing that would officially make me an Ace Trainer."
"And once you reach that point in your life, you'll be looking back at these moments with fondness, believe it or not." He punched numbers into the cash register.
"Or maybe I'll forget about them completely. Who knows…" I answered.
Anton handed me my bill, which I tipped him handsomely on, and I walked back to my dorm thinking about these past three years at the Academy.
It wasn't a terrible experience, but it didn't feel much different from attending Trainer School. Sure, I studied more challenging topics, but it felt like a continuation of Trainer School rather than its own institution.
Maybe these feelings are a sign that I've just gotten really bored?
I stop to stare at the sky, as if looking for an answer in the stars. They twinkle at me, as constant as ever.
Suddenly, an image of Calem flashes through my mind. He was making an expression I had never seen before. Like he was gazing lovingly at someone…
He would never look at me in that way.
Wait… why was I even thinking about him just now?
I shrug off the strange feeling, and continue to observe the stars. One of them seemed to outshine the rest, and I put my hands together to make a wish.
It's a rather childish thing, since I'm not wishing on a shooting star, but it inspires me to believe that I can shine as bright as that star someday.
Strangely, the star vanishes, and I continue walking back to my dorm.
I don't have any roommates, so I came home to a cold, dark, empty room. I consider myself lucky to not have any roommates, but sometimes I imagine that it would be nice to have someone to talk to as soon as I come home.
I spend the next hour or so studying before I finally get to bed. I probably studied a little more than I should have, but this upcoming unit on partner Pokémon had me really intrigued. I found it especially fascinating how Pokémon develop deeper bonds with trainers if they had been raised since they were eggs.
I didn't have a partner Pokémon, since I borrowed all of my Pokémon from my mother, but I wondered what it would be like to catch a Pokémon and become best friends with it.
As I thought about that, I turned off the lamp on my nightstand and laid down on my bed. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep before I knew it.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off, and my first instinct was to smash the snooze button. Without looking, I knew it was 7:30 in the morning, but I decided to be a bit selfish and snooze for ten minutes before I have to get ready for school.
It rings again exactly ten minutes later, and I begrudgingly roll out of bed. Ugh, I am so not ready for the day to start…
I take a brisk shower and get changed into my school uniform, but not before I use a lint roller to collect the stray hairs and dust off of it. I stop in front of the dresser and spot my flip phone sitting on top of it, so I decide to take it to school with me today.
Before I locked the door behind me, I put my flip phone in my pocket and hurried on my way to school.
I finally arrive at my desk, and I take a peek at my phone to check for any emails before the professor arrives.
There was nothing in my inbox, as usual.
The professor came in as soon as I got comfortable in my seat. On schedule, I had stopped paying attention a little over a half hour into the lecture, so I was trying to brainstorm ways to hide my phone during class.
Passively, my eyes wandered around the room, trying to spot anyone who might be watching me. I hadn't caught anyone, so I decided that I would try sorting my photo gallery to delete any old, unwanted pictures.
I propped my textbook on my desk, and carefully opened my phone so as to not make any sound.
My heart pounded in my ears, and my breathing slowed as I scrolled through my apps.
Suddenly, a notification on the screen startled me when I opened the photo gallery. I flinched a bit, but made no sound as I regained my composure.
I read the notification:
Welcome, Serena!
You have used 4.3 GB out of 5 GB of storage.
Would you like to make space?
[YES] [NO]
I clicked "YES" and got directed to a small menu with all the different thumbnail previews for the various photos I had. They were all sorted from largest to smallest file size, so I decided to click the first one and review each picture one-by-one.
The first picture is of my mother and I in front of our house in Vaniville Town, when we first moved in from Unova. I remember how my father was the one taking the picture, commenting on how pretty my mother and I were.
Thinking about that day made my eyes water a bit. No way I'm going to delete this picture!
The next photo was of the Battle Castle that I visited when I was vacationing in Sinnoh with my parents. I could almost hear my parents laughing in the background, reminiscing about the good ol' days when my mother fell asleep while my father was reading her a book, back when they were courting.
I loved hearing stories of them falling in love, and I could never get bored of them, no matter how many times I'd hear the same story over and over again. I'm definitely not deleting that memory!
I reviewed and trashed more photos as I scrolled through my gallery until I heard the lunch bell ring.
As I walked to the cafeteria, I witnessed a bunch of people crowded around the information board, which made it a bit difficult to get through, but I somehow managed to find an opening in between two flocks.
In passing, I overheard that there was going to be a Winter Formal for the senior students that was scheduled for the last day of classes after finals, but I didn't pay much attention to the exact date of the event, since I would have no one to go with.
Unless… No, Calem wouldn't even dream of asking me out to the Formal! I think it would be a million times more likely for me to walk on the surface of the Moon than go out with him! And if I were to ask him instead, I would be faced with rejection.
I got my usual potato croquette from the lunch menu and leaned up against a window to watch the world outside.
The trees were wearing their fiery colors at this time of year. It was a vibrant foreground to the calming backdrop of the clear blue sky up above.
The lunch bell rang in the midst of my daydream, and in what seemed to be another blink of an eye, the school day ended uneventfully, and I packed up my stuff.
I opened up my flip phone to check for emails, and to my surprise, I received one from my mother.
From: Mom
To: You
Subject: Can't Wait to See You!
Hello, my sweetheart!
How are you doing today? Are you performing well in school?
Your father and I miss you dearly, and we would like to come back to Kalos to see you! It's felt like ages since we last sat down together for dinner!
I'm planning on going to pick up your father in Sinnoh in a few weeks, so we should be able to get there sometime during your fall recess. When we meet again, please tell me all about how school is going! I want to hear all about it!
Take care, my little girl!
Love,
Mom
It filled me with such warmth to receive such a heartfelt message from my mother. Knowing that she and my father were thinking about me, even though they are both super busy in their respective regions, made me feel so loved.
Perhaps I should surprise them with a trip to The Spheal Appeal! I don't think I've ever taken them there.
As I was deep in thought, I accidentally ran into someone's duffel bag, and ended up falling over.
"Ah, dang it." I huffed as I looked up, ready to apologize.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" A familiar face asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I grinned slightly, hiding my excitement. "Thanks."
Calem held out his hand to help me up, and I took it.
"I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the hall like that. You have my sincerest apologies, Serena."
My heart stopped for a second. "Uh, I don't mean to dismiss your apology, but have we met before?"
There was a bit of confusion in his face, but he brushed it off, and his voice was on the edge of a chuckle, "Oh, right! This is our first time officially speaking to each other, isn't it? I recognized you in passing."
I shook my head. "Me? I'm not exactly popular around here."
"Ahaha, you're in for a surprise! Quite a few guys talk about you all the time, believe it or not."
"I see. I would have never imagined." I replied. "Everyone knows who you are, so there's no mystery there for me."
He nodded. "Yeah." He then adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "I apologize if you were in any hurry to tend to your matters. I need to get going, myself. Keep up the good work!"
I waved as he walked away, watching him get smaller in the distance.
I could feel my heart pounding even harder than it had been before.
I decided to make my way to The Spheal Appeal so I could think of a reply to my mother.
As soon as I arrived, I secured a table near the entrance, and ordered the usual from Anton.
"Not sitting at the counter tonight, hm?" He smirked. "Is this a special occasion?"
"I want to have enough space to think. I received an email from my mother, and I'd like to bring her here." I explained.
"Is that so? I imagine she would greatly enjoy spending time with you in the best café in the region." Anton said.
"Only the best for her, Anton!" I chuckled.
After a spur of inspiration, I typed out my response to her as I enjoyed my favorite after school treat.
…
The hours rolled by, and people came in and out the door.
Anton quietly set my check on the table, and tapped me on the shoulder to wake me up.
I realized that it was closing time, and that I must have fallen asleep after I wrote my email to my mother.
Satisfied, I pressed "SEND" on my phone and put it away in my school bag to pay for the check that Anton had left me.
I immediately laid down on my bed when I arrived at my dorm.
Calem…
My head began to fill with pleasant thoughts about him. I couldn't stop thinking about his kindness, or the way that he held my hand as he helped me get back on my feet.
I remember the warmth of his hand, followed by the firmness in his grip. It made me wonder what it would feel like to be held in his arms.
I fell asleep, dreaming of him. His eyes were illuminated by a bright light in the distance, as his hand grasped mine.
He said, "Whenever I look into your eyes, it reminds me of the ocean."
"And yours remind me of the sky." I responded. "I could never tire of gazing into them."
Sand shifted beneath my feet, and he held me close so that I wouldn't sink.
My dream was cut short by the sound of the alarm. I propped myself up, disappointed that my dream had to end so soon.
I followed my daily routine, and absentmindedly checked my phone for emails. There was a response from my mother in my inbox, which I made a mental note of checking later. With nothing else to respond to, I put my phone in my bag and continued on my way to school.
As soon as I got to my desk, I set up my textbook like I had the day before, and began to sort through my gallery on my phone.
After sending a few pictures to the trash, I came across one that had made me squint.
I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
On my phone, there's a picture of Calem and I sitting at The Spheal Appeal, holding hands. Smiling and laughing as if we didn't have a care in the world.
What is the meaning of this?