Pokemon: Thunder & Fire

Prelude: Thunder and Fire

"..."

"..ji"

"Enji"

"Enji!"

"Are you in here?" a young Eevee asked, peering into a barrel. Enji, perched on a tree branch above, struggled to contain his laughter, his giggles escaping in soft muffled bursts.

"...," the other Eevee paused, then abruptly turned his head upward toward the tree where Enji was perched. "There you are! Found you!" Enji, taken aback by the sudden discovery, let out a surprised "Huh... how did you find out where I was?!"

"I could hear you from miles away, doofus! While you may have all the strength, I excel in almost every other aspect!" the Eevee proudly declared.

"Tch... it's not fair..." Enji murmured a hint of envy in his voice. "I wish I was born with those skills." With a huff, Enji jumped off the tree, landing beside the other Eevee.

"I really envy your heightened senses, Akio," Enji remarked, stretching his legs. "Don't be," Akio responded, attempting to uplift Enji's spirits, "your natural strength is also worth envying."

"Heh..." Enji huffed, excitement evident in his voice. "I can't wait until we can finally enter HeroHaven Academy," he declared, his future dream dancing in his thoughts. Akio chimed in, sharing his own aspirations. "Yeah! I've always wanted to be someone who could bring light to this world."

"Although it's still a long way off," Enji said in a melancholic tone, aware that they still had to wait at least eight years. "That's true, but it won't hinder us from aiming for greater heights!" Akio exclaimed, attempting to uplift Enji's spirit and infuse optimism into their conversation.

"Hm... yeah, you're right," Enji agreed. Akio then stood with a hint of pride in his stance. "We'll make our way to Vreugdenburg and study at HeroHaven Academy!" Akio exclaimed, brimming with joy. "And when we do, we'll rise, rise so fast it... uh... it'll be like breaking a new record!" Akio stammered slightly, stumbling over the last few words.

Enji couldn't help but chuckle at Akio's manner of phrasing and posing. "Well... let's hope the wait will be worth it," Enji remarked, a glimmer of anticipation in his voice.

"Your guardians are here, kids!" the teacher announced to the children. "Aw..." Enji and Akio chorused simultaneously, a tinge of melancholy coloring their voices.

"Until tomorrow, I guess," Akio sighed. "Yeah... see you tomorrow," Enji responded, echoing the sentiment as they bid each other farewell.

***

"AKIOOOOO!!!!" Enji burst into the science room, his voice filled with urgency. "Huuuh???" Akio blurted out, perplexed by Enji's sudden entrance.

"We're going to graduate next year..." Enji began, before getting interrupted. "You couldn't have picked a better time to barge in, huh?" Akio chuckled, teasingly. "Yeah, yeah, whatever... but I think... it's time," Enji said nervously, his words laced with anticipation.

"Oh no..." Akio muttered in a hushed tone, making sure Enji couldn't hear him, already anticipating what was to come. "I'm going to ask Kirara out," Enji finally blurted out. "That's great, man! Good luck!" Akio exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up, while internally screaming, 'This is so going to go wrong!'

"Don't forget, we still have to work on our science project later today," Akio reminded Enji before he left. Enji quickly turned around to reassure Akio that he would remember. Akio let out a sigh, muttering to himself, "Eh... I hope nothing's going to go wrong," knowing deep down that something bad was about to happen.

After a while of working on the science project on his own, Enji suddenly burst through the lab door... again, his face beaming with pride. "How did it go?" Akio asked, giving him a sly smile, unsure of the outcome.