The sky was beautiful today, the spattering of white clouds on the blue canvas painted a wonderful image. Sully paused for a second to take a picture of the grassy plains to his left, a picturesque lake sat calmly in the middle. There were a few row boats sat floating in the waters, couples out enjoying the pleasant day. The sound of the camera shutter was followed by the young lad shielding the screen of his phone to hide the glare of the sun. The picture was as perfect as the view itself.
Sully continued along Vaniville Pathway, the excitement caused the faintest of smiles to appear on his face. With the weather as nice as it was there were plenty of people going along the route enjoying themselves. Usually the number of people would cause Sully a great deal of discomfort and anxiety, however today he would be receiving his first Pokemon. It elevated him high above the depths of his self doubt and worry that often caused him to hide within himself. The smile on his face was a sign to the world and more importantly himself, that he could get to a place where he'd feel normal. The years of neglect from his parents had left a lasting impact on him and it was only recently that he started to feel like there was hope. It was all thanks to one person...Alex.
Alex was a transfer student who had moved around quite a bit with her father. He was a well known Pokemon trainer, famed for his use of dog Pokemon. On her first day the teacher tasked Sully to show her around the school. He was distant through out the entire encounter but Alex was persistent. Sully spennt the majority of the time silent but she replied to his silence with more stories about herself and tales of her famous father. When the tour was eventually over, Alex had worn Sully down to the point he agreed to show her around town that evening.
Sully met her in the middle of town at the bus station, her bright blonde, almost white hair making her stand our firmly amongst the crowd. She ran up to him with a gleaming smile on her face, squealing out the words, "Hey Sully!". The gentle giant responded with a muted "Hey..." of his own. Alex laughed and took him by the arm, dragging him along. For a small girl she sure was strong.
The two had spent hours together, watching evening turn into night. Alex demanded Sully walk her home, wanting to get as much out of him as she could. He had already told her more about himself than he had told anyone before. It was nothing more than his hobbies, but even that was a very big deal for him. "Come on!" she insisted. She had pulled Sully around the entire time and had no intention of stopping now. She had been dragging him from shop to shop eyeing up every little fashion accessory she came across and now she was dragging him to take her home.
It didn't take long for them to reach her house, her hyperactivity still the same as when they first met. She finally let his arm go after hours of constant tugging before wrapping herself around him in a hug. She let out one final squeal, "I can't believe I made a friend already!" Sully felt his heart melt in his chest and his eyes immediately began to fill with tears. They streamed down his face into Alex's hair as she gripped him tight.
Alex looked up at the gentle giant crying, "There's no need to cry silly!" She poked out her tongue from behind her smile, causing Sully to let out a deep laugh. Her face turned more serious and the hyperactivity was replaced with sincerity. "I could see you didn't have anyone when I arrived, sat on your own waiting for school to start. You walked to class without looking up from the floor. Breaks my heart to see people like that. I decided that I would be your friend over everyone else." Her smile once again returned and she let Sully go from her vice like hug. He wiped at his face with his sleeve and when he looked up had a smile of his own to share.
From that point on, when he was alone with Alex he was confident and much more open than he had ever been in his life. What they had was not romantically fuelled but was something more akin to a brother sister relationship. Still, the time spent away from her was filled with the all to familiar anxiety and loneliness he had grown up with.
Sully's day dreaming had carried him to the very end of the Vaniville Pathway, he had arrived outside Aquacorde City. It was a small place surrounded by wondrous views, views he spent a few minutes capturing on his phones camera. He continued onward, although it wasn't long before he could feel his excitement start to fade away. His feet stopped working as the cafe came into view. His breaths became rapid and fear wracked his body. He closed his eyes and reached down into his pocket, pulling out a pink envelope. He removed the letter from inside it before opening his eyes and reading it. The words on the paper were not of importance, but the fact that Alex had taken the time to write it for him was everything. No gift he had ever received came close to something so heartfelt and meaningful.
Soon the anxiety waned, leaving a smile on Sully's face once more. He returned the letter and envelope to his pocket and made his way towards the cafe. He took his phone from his pocket, quickly typing a message to Alex...'I'm here'. Within moments of sending the text, his phone began to ping as a barrage of messages from his excited friend were delivered. He didn't have time to answer, he was already inside face with a lady who he presumed was Professor Apple. He tried to speak but could only mumble out the words, "Hello...I...I'm Sully..."
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