No More Worries - Aureliashipping

3

"No, it's way worse than that." Lana says calmly, looking to the side. I slump down as I brace myself.

"How much worse?" I say as Kiawe looks at me with a look that alone makes me mortified.

"I'll tell you." He says sitting up firmly, clearly passionate about the topic. I wasn't expecting to see him react this way so I was taken aback. "Ash are you afraid of anything?"

"I'm afraid of being a failure." I answer honestly, now showing serious care for what he had to say.

"Well imagine if everyday, 98% of the people you see call you a failure and push you to giving up your dreams." He says, making my eyes widen.

"So she has a fear I take it? And people exploited it?" I assume, now starting to piece things together.

"You catch on quick." Sophocles says, fiddling with his thumbs.

"She has Hypnaphobia. The fear of Pokémon. Every time she gets close to one them she gets scared." Mallow tells me. I had heard Hypnaphobia before but I never met someone who suffers from it.

"That's sad." I say as Kiawe looks straight at me.

"It doesn't end there. It all started two years ago. We were playing outside and a Rockruff approached her. She freaked out and ran away and things only went down from there." He says as Lana puts her head in her hands. "Remember that kid wearing the fedora who was making fun of you for getting a question wrong in class today?" He says as I nod in response.

"His name is Scott Carter and he's the school bully basically. He found out that Lillie was afraid of Pokémon, so he told all of his jerk friends to make their Pokémon chase Lillie. Day after day, she would get scared and they would just laugh at her. We're the only friends she has now and she's too scared to come to break and be with the other students." Mallow says as I sit there astonished.

Well that's one way to kill a mood. But what kind of person would I be to sit here and sulk. I should go see if I can talk to her.

"You know where she is?" I ask as I consider seeing her.

"She doesn't like company, she might not want you to go." Mallow tries to reason with me.

"And I don't like losing. I've lost more times on nationally televised battles than I can count yet I never shed a single tear. I didn't like it. I HATED IT! And behind closed doors I was a total mess. But as time went on I realized that it's not beneficial to be that way and I changed. Lillie can't go her whole life avoiding people. She's going to have to be comfortable around company eventually. It's now or never." I say standing up, seeing there faces stunned by my display of care.

"He's right you know." Sophocles says.

"I think he deserves to try. He clearly has good intentions." Lana reasons as Kiawe gives me a serious look.

"Ash, I've known you for merely five minutes but I think I can trust you with seeing her. But you make any wrong moves and you'll never hear the end of it." Kiawe says in a serious tone. Though he was threatening me, I could understand the sincerity behind it.

"I would never do anything to hurt her." I say confidently.

"She sits down the beach by those palm trees. Please for the love of Mew don't do anything stupid." Mallow says.

"You can count on it!" I say as I stand up. "Pleasure meeting you guys!"

And with that I was off.