Fire and Ice

Letters

Dear Greninja, 

It's been almost three months since you left the team to help Squishy and Z-2 take care of-well, I'm not entirely sure what. All I know is that Team Flare had something to do with it. I don't know much about the details, though. 

Anyway, I'm not sure when or if you'll receive this letter, but I'm going to send it anyway. I'm writing this because I need you to know, one last time, just how important you are to me. I know I've told you this before, but this is my chance to put it into a complete perspective. 

When I first met you, back when we had our battle before I joined the team, I could barely take my eyes off of you. It wasn't really that there was anything physically different about you-really, you didn't look any different than any Froakie I'd come across before. It was something in the air about you that drew me in. I think I knew even then that there was something special about you. 

We've both come a long way since the days when we could never seem to get along. For a long time, I thought you would never agree to be my friend. And I don't think it's an exaggeration at all to say that it was one of the best days of my life when you finally decided you liked me too. These past several months have meant everything to me because you were part of them. I watched you grow from an adorable, if quarrelsome, little Froakie into an almost terrifyingly strong Greninja. I'm proud to call you my rival, but I'm even more proud to call you my best friend. 

And no words that I could possibly come up with will ever be enough to let you know how much I love you. 

Stay safe and be strong. I miss you more than anything, but I know you have a job to do. All of us at the lab will take care of Ash for you, and one day I'm sure we'll see each other again. 

Love (and perhaps an oran berry too), 

Hawlucha

Dear Hawlucha, 

I must admit I was surprised to receive a letter from you, but it was nonetheless very much appreciated. I'm supposed to leave again to take care of the roots in Anistar City in about ten minutes, so this letter won't be as long as the one you sent me, but I'll try to get everything I need to say written down. 

I want to thank you for not giving up on me. I know I wasn't exactly pleasant to you at first, and I'm sorry for that. But no matter how much I hurt you, you never stopped trying to get through to me. I didn't hate you, but I didn't trust you either. Everyone else in my life had turned their backs on me, and I assumed that you would be the same. But you weren't. You were the first Pokemon who truly wanted to be my friend, and I don't think I've ever thanked you for that. 

And don't worry, of course we'll see each other again. Aside from the fact that I would love to see you (and the others too, I suppose), I've never been outside the Kalos region and I hear Professor Oak's reservation is supposed to be excellent. 

Love (and thanks for the oran berry),

Greninja