After arriving in Lilycove City, Summer learned of what could be the last chance to see her old friend, Clara, before they prepare for traveling to the Gyms away from the mainland. With unexpected help from Tawny, Summer was able to see the budding artist. But it wasn't the happy reunion she wanted. Clara unleashed her true feelings towards her supposed friend, and Summer refused to listen anymore. In a fit of rage, the Hoennese stormed off into a memory that wasn't as happy as she thought. Will Summer finally be able to find the truth behind Clara's actions?
Chapter 45- The Hidden Art of Memories
I walked into the gymnasium at my Trainer School, where a graduation party was taking place. Everything about it felt familiar: the decorations, the food, even the people enjoying it.
Hey…this was my graduation party before I left Hoenn. How did I get here?
I then noticed a girl whom I knew very well: myself at age nine. She was with Clara and Tawny at a table near the refreshments. It was a happy and memorable scene, but with everything I knew now, the joy was replaced with pain. My younger self then left the table and headed to the restroom. I thought the memory would end there, but it strangely continued.
A dark aura surrounded Clara as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally she's gone! I can't stand to hear Summer talk any more about convincing her dad to travel to Kanto."
"H-Hey, give Summer a break, Clara," Tawny advised as she stirred the straw in her drink. "I'm sure her dad is still worried about Summer traveling so far away, especially with-"
"Oh, please, Tawny! I don't wanna hear that sob story again. I bet that story's not even true. I mean, how can a baby be kidnapped by a large flying Pokémon and never be found?"
I flinched at Clara's laughing. I told her those things because I thought I could trust her. But now I'm listening to her making fun of me… But what she said next shook me to my core.
"I need to find a way to cut Summer loose. A person like her won't be able to help me succeed in the art world." Clara checked her watch then smirked. "It's almost time for the party to end. Looks like I can use that to my advantage."
"What are you planning, Clara?"
The young artist addressed the students in the room, "Hey, everyone! Let's continue the graduation party at my place!"
After everyone cheered, Clara grabbed her things. "Come on, Tawny. We can't let Summer know we left. I can use this as the reason why I can't be friends with her anymore."
"But, Clara-"
Her words were ignored as her friend gathered the rest of the class. As the crowd and a reluctant Tawny trickled out, only two girls stayed behind with the party host.
Suzy, Tomoko…
Clara smiled. "Don't you two want to come?"
Tomoko adjusted her hair. "Well, I'd like to tell Summer about it before we go, since she's not here."
"Why would you need to tell her? I already did before she went to the restroom."
Suzy crossed her arms. "Really? You could have waited for her to come back to announce that. Isn't that what friends do?"
Clara sneered. "Friends, huh? Well, you can be my friends if you come with me."
The pair were dumbfounded. "What are you talking about, Clara?" Suzy questioned. "You and Summer have been so close since we've been in school and now you don't want her around?"
"Hey, I don't question why you two became friends with that…person. Besides, with the way you two are going on your career paths, you're more compatible with her than me and Tawny."
"Tawny and I are on the same path, Clara!" Suzy protested. "You're just making excuses to avoid Summer."
"Hmph. Take that as you will. Now, if you two will excuse me, I have to get to my party. And, you two are no longer invited."
"Fine with us," Tomoko scoffed. "Go have fun, Clara."
"Thanks, I will. Good luck with your pathetic futures. I can't wait to see you fail while I succeed as the greatest artist in the world."
She laughed as she exited the room, making Suzy and Tomoko frustrated. I felt the same emotion as Clara's laugh echoed in my head and the memory faded to black.
I…I can't believe I spent most of my childhood with that two-timing Meowth! And everybody knew she was pretending to be friends with me. Why didn't anyone tell me?! Do I have any real friends at all?!
I was about to continue walking when something held me back.
"Stop, Summer!"
I fell onto something solid, and, after I blinked, realized what it was. Weldon was holding me in his arms, the full moon shining on his concerned face. He helped me back up, and I noticed we were on the cliffside park by the Lilycove City Lighthouse.
"Th-Thanks, Weldon. How did you find me here?"
"I…I had a feeling you would come here. I don't know if it's because I'm a Guardian now or what, but…I'm glad I was able to find you before you fell off the cliff."
I shivered from the cold night air. Weldon draped his jacket over me, and we sat on a nearby bench.
"Is the jacket okay, Summer?" he asked. "I can get you a hot drink if you're still cold."
I was surprised to hear the warmth in his voice. "I-I don't need the drink; the jacket's enough. Thanks for lending it to me."
"Of course." Then, he placed his hands on his lap. "I thought of every possible situation that could've happened when you saw Clara, but I didn't expect this to happen."
My heart dropped as my suspicions were realized. "You…knew about the meetup too, didn't you, Weldon?"
He sighed. "Yeah, because I was the one who set it up."
"Why? You didn't know Clara until today."
"But you do." He looked at me, his eyes reflecting the pale grey moonlight. "I had my hesitations about Clara ever since your failed meetup in Rustboro City. But because you had wonderful memories with her, I knew I had to be of some help. It…It was one way to thank you for helping me during my hiatus."
I wiped my eyes. "Thank me? I didn't do much."
He held my hand. "Summer. To tell you the truth, I was in a really dark place after the Silver League. I was ready to call it quits to everything, traveling, battling, Pokémon, until you asked me to train you for your Hoenn League journey. Not only did you show me the joys of those things again, you also helped me learn more about myself, what I'm truly capable of. Clara may think you're only good to achieve what she needs, but you're more than that. You're smart, and you always want to learn more. You're kind, always willing to help others no matter the circumstances. And you bring so much happiness to others, including…me. Summer, you're…you're my f-friend…"
My heart stopped. That's…the first time he's ever called me that. "You-You really mean that, Weldon?"
He nodded. "Yes, Summer. I do."
I clenched my fist. "I…I would like to call you a friend too. If that's okay with you."
Chuckling, he replied, "That's fine with me. I know we started out as rivals, but I'm happy we're more than that." He quickly blushed, releasing my hand. "F-Friends, I mean."
I smiled. "I know, Weldon. I'm happy we're more than rivals too."
Weldon grinned then turned towards the moon. "Mom was right after all."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Mom told me this park tends to bring out people's deepest feelings. She and Dad used to come here all the time growing up."
"Wow, that's really cool."
"They spent so much time in Lilycove City, they got married here. Even though…"
Sensing his hesitation, I said, "You don't have to tell me until you're ready, Weldon."
"Thanks for understanding, Summer."
An elderly couple walked by us and the woman whispered, "Oh my, what a lovely young couple!"
Her husband chuckled. "We should leave them alone, my dear. After all, this park is truly the best date spot in all of Hoenn."
They continued to laugh and joke as they went back into the downtown area.
My cheeks turned hot just as Weldon looked away. "I-It's getting late. Should we get going?"
"Y-Yeah. Let's hurry back to the Pokémon Center."
The next day…
Lightning and I headed down to the lobby for the start of breakfast.
The Raichu yawned. "How come we're up so early, Summer?"
"Weldon wanted to get some training in today."
"Of course it's because of Weldon. And I had been enjoying sleeping in lately… Though…" She gave me a side smirk. "You two are officially friends now, huh?"
"Y-Yeah," I replied, moving a strand of hair behind my right ear. "I thought it'd be weird, but it's kind of nice."
She giggled. "That's the first step, you know."
"First step? Wh-What are you talking about?"
She bounded down the stairs and laughed without giving a response.
"H-Hey, Lightning!"
I ran after her and when we entered the cafeteria, I was surprised to see Suzy and Tomoko with Weldon. When the girls saw me, they approached me, their faces filled with worry.
"Summer, are you all right?" Suzy asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm…sorry you had to see me like that yesterday."
Tomoko shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, Summer. We…expected you to respond that way."
I rubbed my left arm. Right…that memory from graduation… "You two knew about Clara's true thoughts about me all this time?" My face fell seeing their hesitation. "How come you didn't tell me?"
This time, Tomoko answered first. "You were happy having Clara as a friend. If we told you the truth back then, we were afraid you would accuse us of being jealous and not be our friends anymore."
I weakly smiled. "I…guess I would have reacted like that. Is that why you helped Weldon?"
He nodded. "We shared the same goal and decided to work together to not only help you see Clara, but to also support you when you do find out about her true nature."
"Everyone…" I held back tears. "Th-Thanks for doing all this just for me."
The girls gave me a hug. "Anything for you, Summer."
After we separated, Suzy said, "We should get going."
"Yeah," Tomoko added. "We do have jobs we got to get back to."
Laughing, I replied, "Okay. Let's keep in touch. I can't wait to see you two again."
They nodded and left the cafeteria, waving us goodbye. Seeing Weldon got me and Lightning our breakfast, we sat down and enjoyed the hot meal.
"So, what is this special training for, Weldon?"
"It's…part of a promise I made to someone."
"Oh? Who is it?"
Before he could answer, Tawny entered the room, looking a little nervous.
I stood up. "Tawny. What are you doing here?"
The teacher took a deep breath. "I-I wanted to apologize for keeping those secrets from you, Summer. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't lose Clara… I was able to become a teacher because of her."
I bit my lip as her last words. Sighing, I answered, "I accept your apology, Tawny. But…I can't forgive you."
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
"You and Clara really hurt me, Tawny. I know she's not sorry, seeing that she's not even here to apologize. If you still want to be friends with Clara, then…I don't want to be friends with you any longer. I'll still treasure our memories together, even though you and Clara didn't share the same feelings."
I felt the pang of guilt in the teacher's heart, but she replied, "I…I understand, Summer. At least take these." She handed me three necklaces, each with a Ponyta charm.
I gasped. "My necklace and the ones I gave you and Clara. I thought…you'd gotten rid of them."
"Clara did, but I saved them both. I-I kept them as a sign of our friendship. But…in reality, they were reminders of my fear. The fear of losing you and Clara as friends." Tawny turned towards the entrance and gave me one last look. "Goodbye, Summer."
I didn't have the heart to return the gesture, so I stayed silent. After Tawny left, Lightning gave me a soft pat.
"You did the right thing," she said.
"I know… But it still hurts knowing that part of my childhood was a lie."
"It wasn't entirely fake," Weldon reassured. "You made those choices yourself, not because someone else made you. You're different from Tawny in that way."
The choices I made? Hmm…
We left the Pokémon Center and saw three young girls wearing red, blue, and green dresses, playing at a nearby park. I clutched the necklaces and walked over.
"Hi there. Sorry to interrupt you three."
The girl in the red dress gasped. "Oh my gosh, it's Summer Scorcher!"
"No way!" the girl in the green dress shouted. "Are you really…?"
I giggled. "Yup, that's me."
The last girl squealed. "I-It's such an honor to meet you, Ms. Summer!"
"Summer is just fine. Are you three good friends?"
"The bestest!" the blue-dressed girl replied with a grin. "We love to play, share stories, and eat yummy food!"
Laughing, I said, "Those are great things to do with each other. In fact, I'd like to give you something to celebrate that, if you want them."
I showed them the three necklaces.
"P-Ponyta necklaces?!" the girl in the green dress exclaimed. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. They're a little used but they're still good." Then, I took out a coupon from my bag. "Here's a coupon for the jewelry shop at the Lilycove City Department Store. It'll let you clean up to three jewelry pieces for free."
I handed the gifts to them, and they beamed.
"Thank you, Summer!" they chimed.
Chuckling, I responded, "You're welcome. Take good care of them, okay?"
They nodded and ran towards the department store. Seeing the three laughing and smiling reminded me of me, Clara and Tawny, but Suzy and Tomoko were slowly replacing them in my mind. I turned to Weldon and Lightning, who were waiting for me by the battlefield.
I really do have the best friends, don't I?
Summer's Pokémon:
Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut
Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Hypnosis, Air Slash, Heat Wave
Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam
Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot
Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail
Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Double Team, Mega Drain, Quick Attack
Weldon's Pokémon:
Venusaur (male): Serious Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Razor Leaf, Earthquake, Sludge Bomb, Vine Whip; in rotation- Solarbeam, Body Slam
Fearow (male): Adamant Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Heat Wave, Steel Wing, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace; in rotation- Drill Peck
Golem (male): Bold Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Rollout, Double Edge
Gyarados (male): Sassy Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Surf, Ice Fang, Payback, Waterfall
Arcanine (male): Naughty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Hyper Beam, Extremespeed, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast
Electabuzz (male): Rash Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunder, Ice Punch, Brick Break, Shock Wave; in rotation- Mega Kick, Thunder Punch
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Clara's reasons to no longer be friends with Summer?
What did you think of Summer and Weldon's conversation?
Did Summer make the right decision to let go of Clara and Tawny?
Who is the person Weldon is preparing to battle?
