Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Piplup POV:

The rest of the boat ride was pleasant. Oshawott and I had talked most of the trip over, chatting about random things and sharing interesting stories about our life experiences.

I thought it was interesting that both of us had chosen our trainers instead of us choosing them. Granted I didn't choose Dawn by leaving Professor Rowan's lab and following her all over Sinnoh, but still, it was admirable.

I found myself taking a liking to the otter. He was much nicer than I would have guessed, and he was so easy to talk to. It felt like we were a natural fit. Maybe more natural than Meloetta would be.

'No, bad Piplup!' I scolded myself. I was NOT going down that road! SHE was my destiny, not him!

Regardless of my inner turmoil, we decided to spend the trip together. He seemed like he was genuinely a nice guy, and I did want to learn more about him. As did he apparently.

Finally, our boat pulled up to the shore of Onix Island. With a cheer of joy, I jumped off the boat. I heard Oshawott jump off behind me and we ran off to the far edge of the beach together, ready to spend time together.

We both entered the thick vegetation at the end of the beach, disappearing from the others sight. I turned towards him and was greeted with his happy smile; the same one he had on the boat.

"So, what should we do first?" he asked me. I pondered this, raising a flipper to my chin. It had to be fun and something we could to by ourselves. Then it hit me.

"How about we play hide and seek?" I suggested. It was fun, we could play it alone, and the foliage made hiding easier. Oshawott nodded, never losing that smile.

"Okay, you hide first. I'll give you twenty seconds" he said, immediately closing his eyes. I nodded to him, even though he couldn't see me, and took off into the overgrowth.

After ten seconds or so I stopped and looked around. To my left there was a big rock surrounded by some palm trees. Unfortunately, there were no caves or crevices for me to hide in. To my right there was a field of purple, pink and yellow flowers. I decided against hiding here, as my blue and white coloring wouldn't blend into them. Straight ahead of me was a big tree with a good-size cave in the trunk. It looked promising, and I headed towards it with haste, now feeling a sense of urgency. I decided to hide behind one of the giant roots at the entrance, completely out of sight now. It was one of the perks of my small size. He'd never find me here!

As I waited for him to yell out he gave up and I won, I found myself reflecting on my interactions with him. He was being so nice to me, and I really liked it. A lot. There were very few Pokémon who were ever as kind to me as he was.

Still, I wondered; why was he being so nice? What reason did he have?

Could he possibly have a crush on me? I scoffed at this thought. First off, there was just no way. Secondly, he also wanted Meloetta, as he had fought me for her every step of the way. But most importantly, he was a boy; and boys did not like other boys!

Right?

I remembered something Buneary once told me after she and Pikachu split ways. "Love doesn't have a rulebook on who or why. If it's meant to be, it will be." At the time I figured she was just trying to convince herself she was Pikachu's destined match as always. But now that I knew he also liked her I saw her words differently.

Oshawott was pretty cute, not to mention attractive. I imagined running my flippers through his thick fur, feeling the well-toned muscles underneath, his hot breath caressing the side of my head as he whispered sweet nothings to me...oh boy.

Could I possibly have a crush on him?

'No!' I screamed internally, forcibly dispelling the images in my mind. Meloetta was the Pokémon I had a crush on, not Oshawott! She was my future mate, not him! I knew it! It was my destiny!

So why was I questioning it?

"You do know that I've been standing behind you for a while now" I heard, jumping in surprise and letting out a shriek. I whirled around to see Oshawott, the very Pokémon I was thinking about, standing there with a cheeky smile.

"Wh-where did you come from? I didn't see or hear you!" I gasped, feeling my heart pounding in my ribcage. Talk about timing!

I took a few deep breaths, which helped calm myself down. "How did you find me so quickly?" I asked.

He pointed at my life ring. "I never would have found you so quickly without that; its colors stand out among these trees." Well that sucked. "You seemed deep in thought, so I decided to let you work through whatever's on your mind." He tilted his head slightly. "Can I help?"

'Oh no, nonononono!' I immediately thought, visibly flinching. I definitely did not want his help with my thoughts; especially because they revolved around him!

"No, I need to work this out on my own" I stated, impressing myself with how evenly I said that. Oshawott nodded, seemingly letting it go; I was very thankful for that.

I sighed, looking up at the tree. Even though I was not a grass type, I still enjoyed watching big, old trees, thinking about all the history they must have seen. I watched the leaves sway back and forth in the gentle breeze, parting to show thick, strong branches, draped in…

Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!

"MISTLETOE!?" I screamed. "SERIOUSLY?!" I knew I was screaming out loud, but I really didn't care who heard.

"It's not even winter yet! What kind of sick prank is this Arceus?! It has to be you, you sick god! Do you have nothing better to do than mess with me? To take my thoughts and emotions and twist them into some insane ball just for the fun of it? Well you can take that ball, and your mistletoe, and shove them where the sun don't shine!"

I turned back towards the beach and stormed off, fuming. Stupid prank, stupid mistletoe, stupid god, stupid otter…

Who I heard let out a sad-sounding sigh as I stomped away.

/

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