In the middle of the void of darkness, a lone figure stands under a single spotlight. Except that she's not alone. A hand reaches out and grabs her wrist, startling the girl from her lonely thoughts. The hand belonged to a boy, around her age. His uninhibited toothy grin and cheery golden eyes that he showed just for her, made her smile just as brightly back.
Warm.
Friend.
The darkness suddenly lit up with an ocean of stars, filling her heart with awe, wonder, and wishes that she hoped the stars could grant for her. The boy suddenly broke out into a run, tugging her wrist and bringing her along with him.
She stumbled a bit, but pulled herself back up to catch up to him. He let go of her wrist, seeing her keep up with him as they ran side by side.
They didn't know where they were running to, or where they were going, but the endless path of stars that lit up both of their worlds was the only guide they needed.
________________________________________________________________________________
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Warm. Her body felt...warm. Warmer than usual. Even through the blaring and deafening sound of her alarm, she wanted to sink further into the comfort of her duvet covers. That dream was...very different from the usual.
A pleasant difference.
She didn't feel confined or chained down by loneliness. The sea of stars of her dream opened up her world of possibilities, showering her heart with carefree wishes. The boy in her dreams...Did she see a similar sight with him before? Were their wishes and dreams the same, making the stars align so they could run together?
If only she could remember what his dreams were-
RING RING RING RING
Juliet, for once, wanted to dwell on her dreams longer, but it seemed like the world was pulling her back to reality. She blindly reached for her Rotom phone that she hid under her pillow and sleepily spoke in the receiver.
"Hello-"
"Jules!!! Where are you?! The train is going to leave in 15 minutes!!"
Train? 15 minutes?
Oh shit.
Juliet sprang up from her bed in a frenzy, darting to her bathroom to get ready as quickly as she could. She made a good call by packing up her things the night before, but even so, it wasn't like her to be late for anything. Once she was sufficiently ready, she scooped up Pistachio from his bed, grabbed her suitcase and ran out the door in five minutes flat.
Somehow, she made it to Wyndon Station with two minutes to spare, her heart pounding in her ears that she didn't notice her team calling out to her.
"Sorry, sorry! But, I'm here now, right?" Juliet huffed while taking generous gulps of air. Arceus, perhaps she should squeeze in a bit of cardio if a sprint took this much out of her.
"You've never been late to anything, though. You're usually the first one to arrive before the scheduled time. Are you feeling OK?" Mary asked, eyes filled with concern. Their leader waved her hand in defence.
"I'm feeling great, actually! Minus the running part."
"Still, don't push yourself. The Opening Ceremony for the Gym Challenge is today and it wouldn't do well if our leader wasn't feeling up to it."
YOU ARE READING
The Ties that Bind
AventurăA sport that exemplified teamwork to take down the Dynamax Pokemon lurking in the depths of Power Spots scattered throughout the Wild Area - these were Max Raid Battles. A team by the name of Raid Prism, one of the popular teams to kick off the boom...
