Fire and Ice

Final Effort

Hawlucha swore to himself that this would be the last attempt he ever made at getting Greninja to go out with him. He had been pursuing him for over six months now, and his efforts had been met with little to no success. There had been times when it almost seemed as if Greninja was going to say yes, but the frog Pokemon always seemed to catch himself at the last second. Other times, Hawlucha didn't even get to finish asking before he was rejected. Despite all this, however, he had sworn to himself that he would do whatever it took to get Greninja to like him. 

Now, however, he had to admit that the chase was wearing him out. Even after all this time, Greninja still hadn't shown any sign of warming up to him. Hawlucha had never thought that he would be one to give up, but there wasn't any choice anymore. He was sick of getting his hopes up every single day, only to have them crushed. He was sick of trying to put on a strong front for his friends, only to break down and cry when everyone else was asleep at night. 

He was sick of hurting all the time, and the best way to end it would be to end his pursuit of the frog-ninja Pokemon. Regardless of whether or not he chose to accept this time, he would be sure never to ask him again. 

Hawlucha found Greninja relaxing under an oak tree, enjoying the cool autumn breeze. Taking a deep breath, he tapped him on the shoulder, feeling his heartbeat pick up when Greninja's ruby-colored eyes met his. 

"Hawlucha? What is it?" he asked, though it wasn't with his usual sneer. 

"Greninja," Hawlucha began, hesitating for a moment as he tried to find the right words. "I was wondering if you...if you wanted to go out with me." 

"You want me to go out with you?" Greninja repeated, blinking. "Really?" 

It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't an outright no either. Hawlucha felt his hopes rise, but quickly forced them back down. He had learned from experience that getting his hopes up too soon never ended well. 

"I do," he confirmed, staring intently at the Pokemon he'd loved for so long. "I want to go out with you, Greninja, because I love you. Believe me, I know you think I'm lying, but I'm not. I really do love you. But..." 

He took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in his throat. The fateful moment had finally arrived. It was time for him to confess his plans to give up the chase to Greninja now. If, after hearing his confession, the frog Pokemon still wasn't interested, then he would have to accept that things weren't meant to be. 

"I've been asking you for six months, and you've said no every single time," Hawlucha continued quietly. At that statement, something flashed in Greninja's eyes, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. "So now....this is it. This is my final attempt. If you still don't want to go out with me, just say so and I promise I won't ever ask again. But no matter what, I'll always keep hoping that someday, maybe..." 

He broke off and shook his head, willing himself not to lose it. The last thing he needed was to have an emotional breakdown in front of Greninja. Deciding to take a risk, Hawlucha reached out and grasped Greninja's hand with his talon. To his delight, he made no movement to get away. 

"Greninja?" he whispered. "What will it be, then?" 

Greninja hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Yes, I'll go out with you." 

Hawlucha's head snapped up, hardly daring to believe what he'd heard. "R-really? You do?" 

"Well, you did make a pretty convincing argument," Greninja replied, giving him a lopsided grin. "How could I say no after a speech like that?" 

Hawlucha hugged Greninja tightly, burying his face into his chest. He was almost afraid to let go, for fear that he would wake up and discover that this was all a dream. After all, it wasn't every day that the person you loved finally came round after six months' worth of rejections. 

"I love you, Greninja." 

"I...I love you too."