Old Friends: Chapter 1

Stepping off the boat, you let the cool breeze fill your lungs. You were back in Konikoni City, the city of merchants and the place you had once called home. It had been years since you left for Kalos following your graduation from school, but the city didn’t look a day older. You moved slowly along the dock, waiting for your legs to adjust after several hours of remaining seated in a cramped ferry, before entering the actual city. Immediately upon reaching the stone road, you saw her coming towards you.

It was Olivia, now looking much more mature than when you last saw her. She had been in your class at school, and you always secretly had a massive crush on her, but you never could summon the courage to confess. She was looking more beautiful than ever, which only amplified your nervousness.

When she finally came into eyesight, she gave you a warm smile and said, “Hey, I almost didn’t recognize you. How are you doing?”

“Oh I’m doing fine.” That was a lie, the truth was that you’d completely failed to achieve anything in Kalos and now you were totally lost and unsure of what to do next.

“Well that’s great. Well I’m really glad to see you, how about getting dinner later, I’d really like to catch up with you.”

This proposition only boosted your nervousness, but you quickly replied, “Sure, where and when do you want me?”

“Come to the Old Restaurant, be there at five, I’ll be waiting for you. I’m really sorry but I have to go now, but I’ll see you then, bye!”

And with that she was off, you could barely let out your own “bye” before she had disappeared into a crowd of people. Now your nerves were shot. You had only been back in the city for a few minutes and already your old school crush had invited you to dinner. At first you were overjoyed before you realized the situation you were in. Almost immediately after graduation, you’d set off for Kalos, hopping to achieve your dream of becoming champion in an official Pokémon League (something which Alola obviously lacked), but you were a fairly lack luster trainer, and never really got very far. You’d kept up with Olivia and several other people through letters, but you were always purposely vague when it came to your activities, typically only talking about the landscapes and cities in Kalos. Now you were going to have to talk about your failure, and you’d have to tell the woman you were very much attracted to. That detail made this all the more painful.

You drifted around the town killing time and unsuccessfully trying to keep your mind off of what was about to happen before the hour of reckoning came. As you entered the Restaurant, you saw Olivia sitting alone at a table and sat down on the other end facing her. As you waited for the food, the two of you reminisced on old times, and you remembered just why you liked her so much. She was a kind, warm person who always liked to help others. Once the food arrived, the two of you began talking about what had happened since your departure. Olivia now ran a Gem shop and had even become an Island Kahuna. Truly she was just as talented as you remembered.

By the time you had finished your meal, Olivia’s story was done and she asked about what you had been doing. Well that was great while it had lasted, but now it was time to disappoint your old friend.

You braced yourself before saying, “Well honestly, I didn’t really do much. I wasn’t able to get very far in the league or the battle chateau. Most of the time I just worked at a Pokémon Center to get by. I know I’m a big disappointment, I…”

You stopped mid-sentence when Olivia touched your hand, gave you a warm, comforting look, and spoke “I don’t think you’re a failure, maybe you didn’t become league champion, but that doesn’t mean the trip was worthless. Think about everything you saw and learned, I’m sure you have some good stories to tell even if they aren’t about battling.”

You struggled to hold back tears as Olivia’s reassurance filled you with hope. After a short pause you responded, “Thank you so much, you don’t know how much that helped me.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s what friends do. Say you mentioned working at Pokémon Centers in Kalos right? The Center here is always understaffed, they could use your help.”

“I didn’t know that. Now that you mention it, I do need work. Thank you so much for all this.”

“Again, no problem, I mean I really li… I mean, it’s what friends are for.”

That was odd. Stumbling on words like that was very uncharacteristic of Olivia, and she was suddenly blushing heavily. At that thought, you noticed that it was getting late, so you assumed it must have simply been exhaustion. She is an Island Kahuna and a shopkeeper after all. The two of you left the restaurant and headed back to Olivia’s shop/house. It was pretty late, so all of the shop employees had gone home by this point.

Upon reaching the door to the shop, you turned to Olivia and said, “Thank you so much for tonight, I don’t know what I can do to without you. Well goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As you turned away to go look for a place to spend the night, you heard Olivia say, “Wait, I have to tell you something.” You turned back around and saw her blushing like she had at the restaurant. After a short pause, she spoke, “Ever since you left all that time ago, I’ve had something I wanted to tell you. I realized that… I love you, and I wanted to tell you after graduation, but then you said you were leaving for Kalos and I didn’t want to hold you back. But now that you’re back, will you… well will you go out with me?”

Your heart skipped a beat at that, this felt like a dream. Once you actually processed exactly what was happening, you replied, “Of course, I was in love with you for as long as I can remember!”

At that your eyes met, and you both leaned forward and kissed. Her lips were as warm as her personality and you felt as though time had stopped. When the two of you broke for air, you were both blushing intensely.

After a few awkward chuckles, you broke the silence, “Wow that was great! Well I hope I can get another kiss when I see again tomorrow. Sorry, but I’ve gotta go find somewhere to stay the night.”

“Don’t bother waiting for tomorrow, I’d be happy to let you stay the night here… lover!” She winked as she said that last part and unlocked the door. Your blush had turned searing red as you took a deep breath and entered into the shop. Upon closing the door, Olivia hugged you tight and the two of you kissed again, deeper than before. It seems as though good things came to those who waited after all.