The Bonds Between People and Pokémon

The canyon

I met Aspetto outside, holding a notebook with Vulpix at my heels. He was also waiting for me, holding his own notebook and staring out into the barely visible ocean. (Our lab is located in what's commonly referred to as Island 1, or Konnichiwa Island for now). The light breeze made his blonde hair sway slightly in the morning sun, somehow making him more attractive. With a start, he turned around, grinning. 

"So how long have you been staring?" he signed.

I could feel my face heating up. "S-stop it you're making me blush!" 

He tossed his rather long hair to the side, still maddeningly smirking. "If you say so..."

"I do say so. Now come on, we have to get to the boat. It leaves at noon, and judging from the sun that's in 2 hours." Without another word, I turned on my heel and started walking towards the direction of the boat docks. To tell the truth I'm not sure how I feel about Aspetto. 

We've been friends ever since the start of elementary school. (If you could call the 8 years of teachings on math, history, science, and of course Pokémon school.) He'd always get bullied for being mute, but he was just another person to me. I, ever the opportunist, immediately started talking to him, hoping to make an easy friend. It was hard at first, him being as introverted as he was, but eventually he became comfortable with me and I saw his other, sarcastic and sardonic side.  

After school sometimes we'd go get ice cream together, and he ended up becoming even closer to me. One day I saw him crying because he got bullied for not being able to talk. That was probably the angriest I ever gotten, so I marched straight up to the bully and had Vulpix use powder snow as I kicked him as hard as I could down there. So what if he keeled over in pain and started crying uncontrollably, it felt real good. As a bonus, neither Aspetto nor I ever had to deal with him again!

Once again Aspetto was the one to shake me out of my thoughts. 

"I swear, you spend more times randomly staring off into space nowadays and thinking about the past then you do acting in the present."

I gave him a dark look. "Just be quiet Aspetto. Look, the boat docks are right ahead of us." 

You could see the top of the charter boat from where Aspetto and I stood. Without another word, we entered the building to check in. 

Inside there was a guard half asleep and a clerk looking bored. She perked up as soon as she saw us. "Two tickets?"

"Yes please."

"Here you go," she said, handing us the tickets. "Have a wonderful trip!"

I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying "You too!" It's just such a natural reaction to me. I managed to get off with just a smile and dragged Aspetto by the arm along with me to our boat.

"Owww why are you pulling me?" he signed as soon as he got his hand free

"We gotta go! We have no idea how bad this outbreak is going to be."

"Keep pulling me and I'll sacrifice you to the Voltorbs." Aspetto signed, slightly smirking. 

I scowled at him as I tried not to grin back. Before I could come up with some cunning response, the ship gave a lurch beneath our feet and we were off. 

_______

It was a pretty comfortable boat ride all things considered. I observed the behavior of the sea Pokémon our boat passed and wrote it all in my notebook. Aspetto chose to draw the sea Pokémon we saw. The best part was when a group of Mantykes (roughly five in total) jumped out of the ocean behind a Mantine. I wrote seven paragraphs on the different reasons why they would jump out of the ocean (running from predators, playing, or trying to get a glimpse of the people on the boat) and what enables them to jump out of the ocean (the wing-like flippers they have). Aspetto, of course, had to outdo me with a breathtaking depiction of the sea Pokémon, complete with an artistic rendition of a Sharpedo chasing them. 

Of course who could forget the part where as we individually made those things we sat so close our legs were touching...

Enough about that though. Right now Aspetto and I are walking up the Pond Path, a sprawling and growing development of farms. 

"Hey, do you feel something?" I asked Aspetto?

"Nothing but the synergy between us." Aspetto signed back. 

"Haha, very funny. No I mean, like, in the air." 

Aspetto frowned slightly and lifted his hand in the air. "Well, now that you say that it is kind of tingly." 

Out of nowhere an explosion could be heard. "What was that?!" I shouted.

Aspetto merely shrugged. Now that I think about it it's weird how he always know's what I'm saying. He can't possibly be watching my lips all the time...right?

With a start I realized that Aspetto was running up the hill towards the canyon. I ran as fast as I could after him, once I saw the rising column of smoke in the air.