Tokigou and times passed

Everything has changed...

Gou's POV.

I stood at the end of the dock, waving until the boat my friend, my best friend, my crush, the one I'd never gotten to confess to was but a mere dot in the far distance. Cinderace stood beside me kicking a rock pretending not to care although I know deep down it really did. Sobble on the other hand was sitting on my shoulder it'd turned invisible a long time ago but I could feel it still sitting there staring out into the distance with me. Professor Sakuragi, Renji and Kikuna had headed back to the labotory ages ago, meaning the only humans on the dock were me and Koharu who I could tell even without looking at her that she was giving me a pitiful look. She'd known just how much Ash meant to me, she'd known just how much I'd liked him. She was the only one who knew. However that meant nothing now, Ash had left, he was returning to Alola to be a "proper" champion of Alola. He promised he'd return one day, empty promise I've spoken to his old friends in the group chat he'd made. He's never visited any one of them even after saying they'll meet again so I see no reason as to why he'd make an exception for me of all people. His first ever travelling compainon Misty, they only met up when she'd shown up out of nowhere! Although at least he'd bothered to spend time with her when she'd shown up, some of his companions such as his friends from Unova: Iris and Cilan and his Kalosian friends Clemont, Bonnie and the girl who kissed him Serena he hasn't even seen since they parted ways. Ugh, I'm making this sound worse than it really is, the group chat is always active and Ash is always texting his friends from his travels asking how they are and what they've been doing, he even calls them every Saturday and I saw him agree to battle Gladion and Hau the second he sets foot in Alola. I guess I'm just bitter because he left me... Is this how all his other friends felt when he left them..?

A hand on my Sobble free shoulder snapped me back out of my thoughts. "Gou." Koharu's voice said my name. "Oh! Uh yeah?" I spun around taking my eyes off the miniscule dot in the distance for the first time in what felt like an hour. Koharu simply sighed, "I know you're missing him Gou and I know you're going to continue to miss him, however maybe this is for the better? This way you can get over your feelings for him without him around." It was phrased like a question but the way the girl said it made it sound like it was a statment of the plain to see truth. Which it wasn't. I glared at her yanking my shoulder out of her grasp, "I don't need your input Koharu." and began to run Sobble still on my shoulder clinging on tighter now so it wouldn't fall off and Cinderace not far behind me. I didn't know where I was headed but when I finally got to the place my subconsious had decided on it felt like I was being taunted. I was standing right in the very middle of a flower field. The very same flower field Lugia had dropped me and Ash in the day we'd first met. Memories of that day came flodding back to me like a slap in the face, tears began to make their way down my cheeks. It wasn't fair! All these good times, gone! No more waking up in the morning, Ash in the bunk below me. No more adventures throughout the regions with a friend by my side. It was just me, only me, and me alone. A sudden gust of wind whipped me sideways across the face carring away a couple of my tears away into the cloudy skies. I sat down, tucking my knees up to my chin, hugging them to my chest and burrying my head in them tears pouring out of my eyes like mini waterfalls now. Sobble rubbed its head against my cheek in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but somehow making the number of tears I was crying multiply. Cinderace just stood back, it could tell I was upset but it could also tell that there was nothing it could do to help and had come to the conclusion that it should let me just cry it out.

So the tears continued to fall, Sobble continued to try to comfort me and Cinderace continued to do nothing but watch, hoping things would sort themselves out. If only it were that easy. if only crying could fix all my problems. If only crying could- My thoughts got cut off as a Bayleef ran up to me, letting out loud excited noises and jumping up and down infront of me causing Sobble to get frightened and to turn invisible. I couldn't help but feel there was something awfully familiar about the Bayleef but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. So I just watched, I watched the Bayleef jump up and down, up and down, up and down until- "Gou? Is that you?" Immediately I realised where I recognised the Bayleef from, although the last time I'd seen it it'd been a Chikorita. I quickly wiped my eyes with my arm, looking up without moving my head from my knees "T-Tokio?" I asked unable to keep the stammer out of my voice. The older trainer gave me a small smile and sat down next to me "What's wrong Gou?" he asked me softly in a caring tone. I sniffed "It's stupid... You'll think it's stupid." Tokio shook his head "If it matters to you then I could never think it's stupid. Now tell me what happened." Sobble came back into visibility looking curiously at Tokio before leaping off my shoulder to play with Bayleef, I lifted my head a bit more to look at him and quietly replied "Okay..." Before beginning to tell him everything. At somepoint throughout my explanation I'd began sobbing again and Tokio had warpped his arm around me in a gentle, comforting gesture. When I'd finally finished all his only response was a whispered "Oh Gou..." making me cry even harder. Tokio wrapped his other arm around me and I leaned into his embrace burrying my face in his chest he held me close and rubbed my back as I tearfully asked "Why do I always mess everything up Tokio... I've ruined every friendship I've ever had, what's wrong with me..? I'm suck a failure, no wonder Ash wanted to go back to Alola, it's probably just to get away from me." Tokio moved his hands back to my shoulders and held me out at arms length so he could look me in the eyes I let out a suprised "Huh?" as I stared right into his golden orbs. "Gou, listen to me." he started "You do not mess everything up, I'm sure your friend Ash didn't go back to Alola to get away from you and I'm also sure Koharu knows you're going through a rough time and won't be mad at you for what you said to her. And you haven't ruined every friendship you've ever had! I mean, I'm still your friend arent I? And I'm fairly sure I was the one who ruined it for all those years." I giggled "See you're smiling~ You know i'm right." Tokio playfully teased, my cheeks went pink "You didn't mess anything up Tokio, you've made everything better." I pulled the older boy into a hug. "Thank you." My voice crackled with emotion as I whispered my gratitude, Tokio hugged back, my right cheek which was still damp from all the crying was squished up against his dry but warm one "Anytime Gou." he whispered back "Anytime..."