Striation City's Killer

Chapter 3

Ash's point of view!

Oshawott stands up proudly as Cilan just stares at me in shock. He must have zoned out. How you can zone out during a battle, I'm not sure. But I was gonna win from the very start.

"Huh- How did you?!" Cilan glances around in confusion. Doesn't even know how strong I am. His eyes are confused, multiple different emotions passing through them.

"Well! Congratulations, Ash!" He says, suddenly and seemingly deciding that he's happy. His brothers group up, Chili holding a small familiar box, presumably holding the gym badge.

"Here. You've won this." Chili says, holding it out and opening it. I take the box, and the badge out before spinning in joy and leaping up into the air from an uncontrollable, uncontainable feeling of accomplishment and euphoria.

"I got the Trio Badge!"

Pure excitement.

Adrenaline.

Joy.

Oshawott and Pikachu both make small noises in victory, looking joyful before their expressions returning to sheer exhaustion. I'd better go to the Pokemon centre... Wait, Iris.

"Iris! Did you see that?!" I call up to Iris who is watching, looking unamused and bored.

"Do you have any idea how bad it would have looked if you made it harder for yourself and then failed?" Iris retorts snappily.

I like doing that to show that I'm a good trainer... Anyway, there was no way I was gonna lose!

"Such a kid..." Iris mutters.

I notice that although Chili and Cress have gone back into the restaurant, Cilan is just... staring at me. Where is he loo-

"Aren't you two travelling together?" Cilan asks, suddenly looking a bit... shy. Now that I think about it, this seems a bit more... real than what he's done before...

"WE'RE NOT TRAVELLING TOGETHER!" Iris yells down at me, before marching out of my sight.

"Iris, please..." I call back. Cilan is still staring at me in silence and standing behind me. Still don't know what he's looking at.

Pikachu tugs at my ankles.

"Piiikaaaa..."

He looks tired... Oshawott is curled up and asleep, making cute little noises.

"We should probably head to the Pokemon centre..." I kneel down to pick up Pikachu and return Oshawott to her Pokeball, before I see from the corner of my eye that Cilan is smiling. The second I make eye contact, the smile vanishes.

"That was a great battle. You're a very skilled trainer." He says with a straight face.

How odd...

I head out the restaurant and into the Pokemon centre, Pikachu in tow. It's a few minutes away.

Once I get there, I hand my Pokemon to the local Nurse Joy.

"Can you heal my Pokemon, please?"

"Sure! That is what my job is, after all."

She places the two Pokeballs on a tray, which Pikachu hops on as well. He curls up and shuts his eyes, pretty much knowing the routine. I turn around to walk out-

Cilan?

"Hey, Ash." He says. He appears to be smiling again.

"Hey, Cilan. What's up?" I reply.

"I'd like to have a chat with you, if you don't mind..." He says, without any hesitance whatsoever.

"Sure, why not."

Cilan suddenly decides to take my hand and lead me to some stairs I didn't see earlier. Up the stairs appears to be a resting area, where there are trainers feeding and petting their Pokemon. There are also a few groups of friends, of course. Cilan proceeds to sit me down at a table.

"This is a pretty cool place." I comment on the surroundings.

"Yeah. It's a serene and calming flavour, isn't it?" Cilan replies. "I'd like to ask you a few questions..."

"Sure, fire away, Cilan!"

Suddenly, notepad.

I'm hit with a flurry of questions almost immediately. Cilan is gripping the notepad and talking too quickly for me to understand, and he's gradually leaning over the table and getting closer... Uh, Cilan? Please stop.

"Please, Ash!"

Our faces are almost touching now – get away please please please please-

"I'm DYING TO KNOW!"

Cilan's pretty much laying on the table now – I swear if he got any closer we'd have our noses touching – okay fine. I'll say it. We'd be kissing.... I lean back a bit...

"Well, I never thought of it." I quickly think up a response. I don't understand a single word of what he said. Cilan doesn't seem aware that we're uncomfortably close. If he is, he seems pretty happy about it.

There's a loud beep from the intercom.

"Ash Ketchum. Your Pokemon are fully restored and ready for pickup." Nurse Joy's voice echoes over the speaker.

"Oh! That's me..." I say, sliding out of the booth and powerwalking downstairs. Cilan struggles after me.

"Hey, Ash! Wait for me!"

Cilan must really want to be my friend.

Really.