Mega Love

Chapter Three

      Luckily for us, Shauna had eventually stopped to let us catch up. Serena and I rejoin her and catch our breath for a second or two.
      "Take forever!" says Shauna before laughing. We stand in front of a big blue gate on the northern wall of the town.
      "Not even! You got a head start!" I reply hastily.
      "Hahaha. Either way, this opens up to Route 1, which will take us to Aquacorde Town where the others are waiting for us," says Serena.
      "Yay! I'm so excited!" says Shauna.
      "Let's go then! But maybe a little slower this time," I say as I give Shauna a glare.
      "Okay! Okay! I won't run off," she replies, causing us all to laugh.
      I push open the gates wide enough for all of us to go through and close it behind us once we pass. We then set off down the path.
      "Hey Serena. Any specific reason this gates always closed?" I ask.
      "I'm pretty sure it's mainly for aesthetic purposes, but it does help in keeping out any unwanted wild Pokémon too," responds Serena as we continue down the paved path. Beautiful trees and bushes line the edges of the path, and we can't help but just soak in it's elegance.
      "This place is so pretty!" says Shauna.
      "It sure is," adds Serena as she brushes a few hairs behind her ear and stares into the deep forest. I can't help but stare at Serena, who completes the beautiful setting. I get a nudge from Shauna who noticed me staring, and I signal at her to keep her mouth shut. She just laughs, breaking the short silence.
       "What?" asks Serena, turning her head back towards us.
      "Nothing," replies Shauna with a chuckle and sly smile.
      "What happened? Calem?" continues Serena.
      "Don't ask me!" I reply.
      "You guys were making fun of me for zoning out, huh?" claims Serena. As she says this, we reach the end of the path and are standing in front of the entrance to Aquacorde Town.
      "No! No! It was really nothing. I actually think it's kind of cute that you got caught up in the beauty." I reply. Serena blushes a little in response to this.
      Shauna laughs at us both and adds, "Well since we're here, shouldn't we try to find Tierno and Trevor?"
      "Right! Trevor said we would be meeting up at some tables just to the left of the town entrance," says Serena.
      We enter town and turn to left to see a large seating area. As we get closer, we can see two people sitting at one of the tables. The one closest to us is a short white guy with an orange bowl cut and a bright green backpack. The other was a bigger guy with short black hair and a black t-shirt with a blue Vanillite on it.
      "Tierno! Trevor!" yells Shauna as she waves to get their attention.
      "Hey!" yells the bigger fellow. We walk up and join them around the tables, Shauna on the end and Serena and I across from the guys.
      "Here, let me introduce you. Everyone, this is Calem," says Serena.
      "Hello!" I add.
      "Wow... Shauna's description was spot on!" says the bigger guy.
      "So, Calem, this is Tierno. He's got some serious dance moves, and this is Trevor. He never misses a single question on his tests, but he's a little shy..." finishes Serena.
      "All right! Nice to meetcha!" exclaims Tierno.
      "Wait, hold up. When did you get a chance to tell them about me Shauna?" I ask.
      "I messaged them while I was waiting for you two to catch up. I also wanted to make sure they knew we were on our way," replies Shauna.
      "She just can't wait sometimes," adds Serena with a chuckle. "It was good that you gave them a heads up though."
      "You know, it'd feel like we're a closer crew if we call each other by nicknames. Hey Calem, can I call you C-Meister?" asks Tierno.
      "What? No way! He's a Li'l C, for sure!" exclaims Shauna, rising out of her chair and slamming her hands on the table. "What do you think, Trevor?"
      "What?! You want me to nickname someone I just met?!" cries Trevor. "Shauna, you shouldn't put people on the spot like this." Trevor takes a second to think and then continues, "Well... how about something low key? Maybe... something like Big C..."
      "Why don't we let Calem decide what we should call him?" asks Serena.
      "Thanks," I reply with a laugh. "Since I've heard from everyone else though, what do you think my nickname should be Serena?"
      "Hm... I think C-Meister suits you pretty well," she responds.
      "C-Meister... I like that!" I reply.
      "You want us to call you C-Meister?" asks Shauna.
      "For sure!" I respond.
      "Ok!" exclaims Shauna in a cheerful tone. "C-Meister fits you perfectly! I'm sure we're gonna be great friends, so I'll call you that too!" She turns toward Tierno and asks, "Hey! Can we see the Pokémon now? I want to meet my new partner soon!"
      "Oh yeah! I can't believe we are actually getting our first Pokémon!" I add.
      "It is pretty exciting," says Serena.
      "I know, right?" replies Tierno. "It was such a cool feeling when Trevs and I met our Pokémon! Hope you feel the same way we did!" Tierno reaches down picks up something from the ground. He places the cylinder shaped luggage container on the table and faces it towards us.