Could it really be that this many Pokemon existed in Central City all this time? Nearly every minute of the hour Olivie spent prowling the city found her asking herself that question again. Everywhere she looked, whether up or down, in an ally or on the street, she discovered all sorts of critters. Pidoves dominated the city's skyspace, but other birds sat on posts, signs, and sidewalk trees as well. When Olivie spotted a bizarre pink thing nestled in the crook of a streetside oak, she did a double take before pulling out her Pokedex. “Hoppip, the Cottonweed Pokemon,” it dutifully informed her, not at all alleviating the grimace on her face. “This Pokémon drifts and floats with the wind. If it senses the approach of strong winds, Hoppip links its leaves with other Hoppip to prepare against being blown away.” Not once did it mentioned why the thing looked so stupid. After glaring for a few more moments at the oblivious little beast to make sure it knew its place, Olivie continued on her way.
The end of this exploratory hour, however, brought with it a new problem. As it was wont to do, her back began to ache. It began as a totally forgettable sensation but progressed into the territory of irritation before too long. Reaching behind with her unsleeved right arm to try and rub between her shoulderblades, Olivie found herself looking at the sky. A hint of evening permeated the heavens. ”Have I really just been wandering around this whole time? I shoulda been out of town thirty minutes ago.” Her eyes fell on the river, along which she'd been more or less making her path, and they followed its course northward. With a little surprise she realized that the informal edge of Central City lay only a hundred meters or so ahead. ”Oh. Lucky break, I guess. This ache's a real pain in the ass, though...” She took a quick look around and saw nobody. Sighing, Olivie leaned forward onto the riverside railing to rest. Her bust lay atop the metal, relieving momentarily the weight always straining her back. As a breeze from the north rustled her hair, she stared at the light playing across the river water. Beneath the surface, one of the ugly squirts she'd found out were called Feebas stared back at her. Odd that this normally social fish would be alone when the river seemed chock-full of the miserable things. Perhaps it, too enjoyed a moment out of the public eye to rest. The thought brought a small, secret smile to Olivie's face. In that instant she did not at all suit the image of the no-nonsense, thickheaded thug she strove to cultivate.
“H-hello?”
Just like that, the private moment of tranquility shattered. The sudden voice scared Olivie badly, but when she whirled around, her face was a mask of rage. The very sight of it caused the voice's owner to flinch visibly. Plainly he'd been meaning to say something else, but for the moment he'd been stunned into silence. Feeling as though she recognized him, Olivie narrowed her eyes. As far as she could tell, he'd been a schoolmate of hers throughout highschool. He'd been in a disproportionate number of her classes, but he'd never spoken to her. This came as no surprise; he fit the bill of a nerdy introvert. Sporting large, rectangular glasses with black rims, a thin physique, wavy platinum blonde hair, a green button-up shirt, black track pants with a green stripes, a triangular backpack, and a wool beanie, he did not exactly stand out. ”Hell's your problem?” Olivie demanded, eyes aflame. ”Sneaking up on someone like that is just asking for a sock in the jaw!”
Clearly distressed, the boy took a step back, his hands held up placatingly. “I'm...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! It's just, I, I, thought I'd, um, tell you something. Just happened to, to see you, and something crossed my mind. I've actually, uh, known for a while, but I never got the...got the chance to let you know. You know?”
”Hmph.” Olivie wore a scowl, but on the inside, she was giggling. He's so awkward! Like a puppy caught tearing up toilet paper or something. Crossing her arms beneath her chest again as a shelf to ward away a resurgence of pain, she told him, ”Well, I'm waiting. Spit it out already!”
A glimmer of hope appeared behind those spectacles. Though still seeming a little shaken by Olivie's manner, the boy worked up the courage to say, ”Well, see...gosh, it's so hard to say. I'm sure you get this a lot, but you're like a celebrity. Or were, until a little while ago. People, um.” He withered slightly under Olivie's gaze, which told him to get to the point. ”People are drawn to you, you know? But I always felt bad for you. So many people wanted the glamour of being your friend that they pretty much just used you without caring about how you felt. At least, that's how I saw it. I never knew why you kept just letting them. The kids who didn't want to cozy up to you for some reason or another would always say mean things about you to make themselves look better, but you never stood up for yourself. Then, last year, you started acting different and everybody left you alone. I figured you were tired of people walking all over you. I totally respect you for that. Actually, I've always...um, respected you.” He took a deep breath. ”What I'm trying to say is...I have my own issues, but seeing you is like seeing sunshine after a rainy day. It inspired me to stand up for myself, too. I don't expect that you'd think twice about me, but all the same, if I never see you again, I thought...I thought I'd let you k-know. No matter what, I think you're a cool person, and I like you.”
A quiet moment passed. A pin dropping could be heard while the boy nervously withstood the girl's scowl. Finally, Olivie manifested a look equal parts derisive and incredulous. ”Hmmmm?” The word hung in the air. Olivie put a hand to her ear in grandiose fashion, as if to better hear him and decipher what he said. ”Like me? Respect me? Sunshine? What's with all that crap? You're dumber than the broad side of a barn if you think you're bein' cool. Listen, kid. I beat the snot out of people that annoy me. You lookin' for a quick trip to the hospital?” She cracked her knuckles, though unfortunately no sound came out. Lame...
”No! Uh, heheh.” Rubbing the back of his head, the boy gave a short, anxious laugh. At the same time, though he seemed oddly relieved. In his head, a dreaded question had, for better or worse, been answered. ”I thought as much, anyway. I'll leave you alone, I promise. Just thought I'd tell you how I felt.” He took another step back and started to turn around, pausing only for a second halfway. ”...See ya.”
Olivie watched him go, wearing an amusing expression. Before he disappeared behind a building, she cleared her throat and called, ”Hey, you! What's your name? I wanna think of something to call you.”
The boy froze, then looked over his shoulder with a barely-restrained look of hope, not daring to believe. ”Oh. Sure. My name's Bernard.”
His response earned a guffaw of laughter. Grinning viciously, Olivie said, ”Perfect! In that case, I'm callin' you 'Barnie'! I'm goin' to become a Pokemon trainer, you know. If you've got Pokemon, I wanna wipe the floor with your dumbass next time we meet, Barnie! Now, scram!” The next moment Bernard was gone, but unbeknownst to either of them, both nineteen-year-olds had small smiles on their faces. Looking over the riverside railing, Olivie found that the Feebas hadn't moved. ”That kid. What a dork,” she told it, and watched it burble in response. Then she continued on her way, and in only a few moments later stepped out of Central City onto fresh green grass.
