Starry Sonata

   Cheren breathed a quiet sigh. His body leaned against a tree, wondering how he even got into this mess. His fingers tapped his forehead, agonizing the reality he was going. He was supposed to be in Victory Road, training with his Pokémon. His plans of a normal day was going so well until a certain brunette barged into the picture, inviting (or to be more accurate, forcing) him to go camping with her. Cheren had denied her offer many times but his best friend was persistent. Finally, they made a bet through a Pokémon battle.

   If he wins, she would stop bothering him and leave him in peace.

   If she wins, he would go camping with her.

   Much to his dismay, he was now out in the woods drooping at his fate. Cheren should know better. His friend was the Unova Champion and one of the legendary heroes. He was dense to even think in making a bet with her in a losing fight. The young man sighs again, louder this time.

   Touko jumped in joy as she fixed dinner. Her mushroom soup was almost ready. Salazar purred in glee above her head. His stomach was growling ever since. The petite trainer glanced above, looking at her whimpering Hydreigon. A small laugh flowed through her lips, scratching the brutal Pokémon's chin.

   "Dinner's almost ready, boy. Just a few more minutes. Why don't you go wait with Joy? I'm sure she wants you around."

   A faint blush tinted his blue cheeks at the name of his girlfriend. Salazar gave a single nod and flew towards Audino, who was playing tag with the other Pokémon. Touko grinned happily and continue to stir the stew. Her blue eyes soon caught the sight of her childhood friend. The boy was focusing his gaze at the river, his face crabby and annoyed.

   Touko sighed. It wasn't that she was forcing him to go alone. She had invited Bianca. But apparently the blond was busy, attending seminars with Professor Juniper, seeing that she was now her apprentice and a future professor. The brunette held her hips. She misses her childhood friends. But most importantly, she misses him. They haven't been spending much time together since they started their journeys. Now that Touko was the Champion, she was far busier than she thought.

   So to find some free time to go camping with her loved ones was the happiest thing in her life.

   Unfortunately, her friend wasn't making the moment any happier.

   "Cranky old nerd...It's like he doesn't even wanna spend time with me anymore…" she grumbled sourly. Suddenly, an idea struck her. A devious smirk painted her lips. She blew out a whistle, calling out her Swanna. In seconds, Cordelia appeared in front of her trainer, curious.

   "Cordelia darling, do me favour and carry me to that huge tree, will you?" Touko pointed out to the huge tree where Cheren was leaning against. The white bird Pokémon seems to know what her trainer was plotting as she began to grin herself. She spread her elegant wings wide, her claw gripping her trainer's left wrist. With one single flap, they were up in the skies.

   Quietly, Cordelia flew towards the tree. Once on top, she released her grip, careful so that her beloved trainer safely landed. With one silent leapt, her feet touched a tree branch without a sound. She scoffed smugly, proud with her elegant grace. She crouched her body, silently sneaking down from branch to branch until she stopped at a single bark, just right above his head.

   Cheren was till distracted with his thoughts, much to her joy. His blue eyes focused on the flowing river. The clear stream glistened under the starry sky. A few Jellicents were seen below. He saw his Simipour, splashing about with his Unfezant and Xander, Touko's trusty Serperior. His mind was at ease. The calm, soothing atmosphere was making his heart beat at a serene rhythm. Cheren inhaled slowly. Maybe a little camping trip wasn't so bad after all. All was well.

   Until a huge weight plummeted down to him.

   "Gotcha!" Touko yelled, dropping her body onto the poor boy.

   "What the…!" His body slammed to the ground, his face kissing the grass. Luckily, his specs were thrown off him, landing on the soft ground next to them. Touko sat on his back, her legs locking his waist. The devious brunette hugged his neck. A loud laugh filled the quiet field, echoing through the skies.

   Touko tapped the back of his head playfully. Her smirk never showing signs of leaving her face any sooner. "Sooooo," she cooed. "How's life?"

   Cheren was getting agitated. "Tou…komhm, get…offmmmee…!"

   The brunette guffawed again. "That's what you get for not helping me dinner!" Her ocean eyes saw his specs. Without getting off of him, Touko bent slightly to the left, taking the spectacles. She placed it on her face, blinking rapidly as the vision was blurry to her. "Whoah! Everything's so blurry."

   A deep growl vibrated in his chest. Cheren clenched his fist, grasping bits of grass. "I will say it again, off!"

   Finally, still in her giggling state, she stood up and walked away from him. With a very pissed off face, Cheren sat up. He was on his knees, clear blue eyes glaring deathly at the chuckling trainer. "You little…" he snarled. White bounced playfully, sticking her tongue out at him. Her childish attitude was intimidating him by the second. Cheren stood up, taking a few deep breaths to cool his temper. He was a gentleman. Hitting a lady was natural taboo.

   But since it was Touko, he wondered if his friend was even a lady to begin with.

   Cheren rubbed his forehead. He opened his left eye, peeking sourly at her. "Give me my glasses, Touko."

   But to his dismay, the girl shook her head. "No." She stuck out her tongue again. The dark brunette kept a stern face, trying to scare her.

   "Give." His voice hard and cold.

   Unfortunately, it was unaffected. "Come and get it, four eyes!" Touko laughed. With one loud whistle, Cordelia dived towards her trainer, picking Touko up. The brunette was up in the air, lips pouting in a playful tease. "Seriously Cheren, you know better that it won't be that easy." Before Cheren could reply, Cordelia zoomed into the skies, farther from his vision.

   Which was extremely frustrating seeing that he wasn't wearing his specs.

   The teenager gritted his teeth. The woman just loves to play games. He bought his left hand to his lips, blowing a loud whistle. His right was up in the air. Soon enough, Unfezant zoomed towards his trainer, gripping his right wrist. "Touko, come back here!" They gave chase to the female creatures.

-----

   Cheren sat in front of the fireplace, completely peeved. All the other Pokémon were around them, eating and laughing. His ears caught the sound of her laughter, pissing him off. The woman wasted two hours of his life trying to get back his glasses. Luckily, Unfezant was able to sneak from under them, letting him snatch back his specs.

   Cheren sighed. He gazed at the happy brunette in front of her. There was no sense of guilt in her, not once. She enjoys torturing him. Ever since they were little, Touko would enjoy spending her time bullying him. Well, sometimes he deserves it, seeing that he was bullying Bianca. Or more likely, give some common senses to the blond. But everytime he acted a bit harsh on the southern belle, Bianca would run to Touko and complain to her. As a result, he would pay the price by the fiesty brunette.

   He scoffed. Touko was headstrong, aggressive and a big bully. He doesn't even know why he was even friends with the girl. His blue eyes peeked at her. Suddenly, the sight of her soft, gentle smile began to melt his heart. Touko looks much more ladylike when she smiles. Her sweet, playful laugh always seems to make his heart beat at an uneven speed. The teenage woman may be pushy and brute, but every once in awhile, he could see the other side of her – a side that attracted him ever so badly.

   Now he remembered why he was able to tolerate with her.

   He loves her.

   Another sigh escaped his lips. He loves her and he was too afraid to confess. Cheren was never one with the ladies. He never had a girlfriend before in his life. It was quite ironic seeing that two of his childhood friends were women. The tapped his banging forehead. Just as he thought it couldn't get any more complicated, a weird, green-haired man just so happens to pop by and make his absent love life a living hell.

   He'd seen how she looked at the young king before. He wasn't an expert in love but it takes a fool to not realize what was going on. Touko liked N. Sure, the brunette doesn't speak about the man much, other than about he was a total wacko and a stalker (much to his heart's content), but Cheren still felt a stinging twinge in his heart. Eventhough the green-haired teenager was now long gone, he couldn't stop the unwanted jealous feeling everytime he thought of her with him.

   Cheren scoffed and looked at the ground, his foot kicking a few pebbles. I'm an idiot, his heart grumbled melancholy.

   "Cheren."

   Cheren glanced up, flinching in horror as he realized her face was inches from his. "Hyaa!" he yelled, jumping of his stool and scooted backwards. His mind has been wandering far enough that he didn't realize she was standing in front of him. "Don't scare me!"

   Touko held her hips, amused. She breathed a small chuckle. "I didn't scare you on purpose. Heck, I called your name for like a thousand times already. You were daydreaming – again." Another small laugh escaped her lips. "I find it weird that boys daydream."

   Her words coloured a faint red on his cheeks. Cheren stood up, flustered and grunted, "It's theoretically normal for humans to wander their minds off. And technically, I was thinking. Not absentmindedly imagine useless stuff like you and Bianca."

   Touko made a face at his response and shook her head. "Say what you what. Although I have to say," she scooted a few feet forwards, closing their distance. "The way you just think, was cute." She batted her eyelashes deviously.

   That successfully turned his face into a complete red. Cheren coughed awkwardly and looked away. Never in his life would he consider himself 'cute' from other people – let alone from the woman in his dreams. "Stop being a childish idiot," he muttered, barely a sound.

   Touko snickered coyly. She enjoys seeing his bashful face. Her ocean eyes gaze to the night sky. The stars were shining, painting the elegant sky. She turned her back, facing the river. The clear water was glistening, sparkling like glitter. Her snicker evolved into a wide smile. Touko faced her best friend, whose eyebrow was raised in a sense of 'Why are you looking at me like that?'.

   "Why are you looking at me like that?"

   The brunette giggled. "Hey, let's go swimming!"

   That shut him dead flat.

   Cheren had to blink a few times to set his mind straight. "What?"

   Touko grabbed his hands, pulling him closer to the dark river. "Come on! It'll be fun! I haven't had a good swim with my friends since ever!" Cheren was being dragged by the petite trainer, his eyes almost bulging out. He was still braindead at the thought.

   But luckily, he recovered quickly enough before Touko literally pushes him into the river. "T-Touko! S-Stop stop!" he shouted, pulling his hand away. Touko gaze into his grimly blue eyes, showing a sad, disappointed face.

   A face that he was about to give in.

   The young man sighed heavily. "Touko…I…" He didn't know what to say. Sure he and the young Champion had a few swims before – but that was when they were kids. That was the time where Touko looked no less than a little girl. Now…she was more than that. Her attitude may not have changed since birth but her body…her age has done her so well.

   Cheren gulped. Oh dear Arceus, someone shoot me. "It's midnight already." Finally, he squeaked an excuse. The dark brunette pursed his lips, trying very hard to hide his true answer. He gazed into her beautiful cerulean eyes, only to feel his heart being twisted as her face showed chagrin.

   Touko crossed her arms, irritated. "Cheren, the reason I asked you out for camping isn't because we're gonna sleep so damn early. If I wanna do that, I can go home. No, we're gonna swim coz the night seems so calm and I miss spending some quality time with my friends."

   Correct that, now he felt his heart had been jabbed, stabbed and twisted. Friends. That's all you ever saw me – a friend. Cheren looked away, hands in his pockets. His sorrow expression away from sight. "I'm sorry Touko. I'm just not in the mood," he muttered. The dark brunette turned around, about to walk away, to stay away from her as soon as possible. The longer she appeared in front of him, the more painful his heart felt.

   But soon halted as his ears caught a splashing sound.

   And a girl's yelp.

   "Cheren! Help!"

   His body snapped around like a bullet, eyes wide in aghast to see his worst nightmare come to life – Touko had fallen into the river – almost drowning. He felt his oxygen level being cut and destroyed. He felt his heart tearing his ribs apart, making him breathless. Without another thought, he plunged into the cold water. "Touko!"

   The spectacled boy grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up to shore. Cheren placed the brunette on the green grass. His heart was accelerating like a maniac. Touko's eyes were closed. Her brown messy hair was wet, dripping on her face. He kneeled next to her, completely petrified. Cheren shook her body. He pressed his hands against her chest, trying to cough some water out. Live! He shoved her chest. Live live live!

   "Touko!" His voice began to crack. His spectacled eyes began to simmer. Horrifying thoughts began to accompany his mind, making his heart stop. Cheren shook his head frantically. "Touko! Oh dear Arceus, wake up!"

   Silence.

   Cheren could feel his world falling apart. "No…" he mouthed. His most beloved person was gone.

   He gritted his teeth, holding back a tear. No…

   Cheren almost shouted into the dark skies – until he heard a low snicker.

   He looked down. The woman's eyes were still shut, but her lips were pursed. Finally, Touko led out a huge laugh. Terror-stricken, Cheren jumped up and ran a few steps backwards away from her. He began to panic, thinking that the woman had turned into a zombie.

   Touko sat up, removing a small tear from her eye. Her mouth was still exploding balls of laughter. "Oh my Arceus! You should have seen your face! It. Was. Priceless!" She guffawed again, even louder. Touko held her stomach and lay down again, rolling onto the green grass.

   Cheren froze in wrath. He clenched his fists. Touko just gave me a mental and emotional heart attack – and she was just fooling around? His anger was building up inside him, threatening to explode any minute. Frustrated, Cheren moved towards the cackling girl. He took the girl's wrist. Touko glanced at her best friend, confused. But before she could ask why, he pinned her down. He pressed his knee on her legs. She cringed as she felt her hands being tightly pressed on both sides of her head.

   Her shaken cerulean stared into his raging blue.

   For the first time in her life, she was scared.

   "C-Cher-"

   "What…" he growled deeply, earning another scared flinch from her. "The hell were you thinking?!" Cheren yelled, his eyes pierced into her soul. Touko was feeling more petrified. Cheren has always been a cranky know-it-all and he had shared his fair share of pissed off moments, but this – he was more than just pissed off – he was enraged.

   Touko opened her mouth, contemplating on whether to explain her stupid joke of an act or to call out her Xander.

   "You scared the hell out of me!" Cheren cut her off, still yelling. "What? You think drowning yourself to death and make me worried sick is fun?" His grip was tighter, earning a scared, quiet yelp from her. "Seriously I don't know what goes into that stupid mind of yours! I care for you. I love you. And yet you still act like a child and almost made me think about committing suicide! You think my feelings are a joke to you?!"

   Touko froze. This was the first time Cheren had ever admitted anything to her. Her mouth was opened without a word. She wasn't deaf, his words were perfectly clear. He loves her. The man – her childhood friend actually holds a deep feeling for her. She felt hot on her cheeks. Fear no longer conquered her, but another emotion took place.

   Happy – she was actually happy.

   Unfortunately, Cheren was oblivious. Her grim silence was breaking his heart into pieces. A wicked chuckle puffed through his lips. He was right. There's no way in hell a beautiful, most powerful trainer in Unova would fall in love with a nerdy nobody like him. Eyes away, he released his grip and stood up, leaving a stunned Touko on the ground.

   Without even a single glance, he walked away. Cheren went to his Pokémon who were already sound asleep. He took out their Pokéballs, almost wanting to return them.

   Suddenly, he felt his wrist being tugged.

   Touko gripped his wrist. She froze behind him as he didn't turn his head. Her thoughts were still adjusting the fact that her childhood friend had just confessed his feelings. Her brain was either being too slow or the words were zooming too fast. Her reality was still a blur.

   But one thing is for sure, she didn't want to lose him.

   "Cheren…" A small murmur danced in her lips, sending a slight shiver down his spine. He placed his hand on his side, eyes still on the ground. Touko bit her lower lip, confuse as to what to say. Her fingers wrapped neatly on his wrist. Slowly, she moved forward, placing her other hand on his back. "Cheren…Please forgive me…"

   Her voice. Her touch. Her warmth.

   Everything was slowly sipping into his veins, weakening him.

   Cheren gritted his teeth, hidden inside his mouth. How can I ever be mad at her… He was losing it. It was game over.

   He lost before it even started.

   He jerked his hand off of her. His cold behaviour sent a painful stab in her heart. Cheren recalled his Pokémon back in the ball without waking them up. Hands in his pocket, the dark brunette walked away.

   "Cheren!" Touko shouted, calling for him. But the boy made no response and kept moving. The petite trainer gazed in aghast. His figure was slowly disappearing out of her eyesight. Her eyes felt wet, tears filling in her lids. Touko shook her head roughly.

   "Zekrom!" Her voice cracked into the dark moonlight.

   Cheren flinched at the sound of her voice. But just as he thought things couldn't get any surprising, a huge black dragon stomped in front of him, blocking his way.

   And just where do you think you're going? The deep black Pokémon growled, lowering his gaze to the human boy.

   Cheren almost lost his balance as he scooted a few steps backwards. It was bad enough the dragon was viciously black, but night time can really make Touko's Zekrom look a lot more frightening. Finally, he turned his head and glared at his childhood friend.

   "Don't block my way!"

   "Don't run away from me!"

   Her respond took him by surprise. Cheren blinked. Although it was dark, he can see faint simmers on her face. His heart clenched horridly. Oh Arceus, what have I done? "Touko, I –"

   "Just…don't run away from me! Don't ever!" she yelled, moving forward, closing their distance.  Touko looked up, glaring at the guilt-stricken teenager. "You just said that you love me, and you're just gonna walk away?! Seriously, are you kidding me?" She sobbed angrily, harshly wiping a tear off her face. "I know I might tease you now and then but that – what you did was a new low even for you!"

   Now Cheren was confused. Is she…Is she seriously thinking that I'm joking about my feelings? He cringed at his thoughts. Touko kept glaring, gritting her teeth, holding back her tears.
   
   "I love you too, but you can't just lie or say things like that on reflex!" Her hand raised, wanting to place a cold slap on the teenage boy.

   Luckily, Cheren was a lot faster than her. He quickly grasped her wrist, holding it in mid air. His ocean eyes stared in disbelief at her. His mind began to ponder whether he had gone deaf. "You love me." His words were more of a statement than a question.

   Touko scoffed grimly, her cheeks began to shade pinkly, cursing of her yapping mouth. "Of course I do, you stupid jerk! More than you ever know! But no, you just had to play coy and say things that doesn't even mean anything to y-"

   He pulled her towards him, locking his lips to hers.

   Her eyes were as round as they'll ever be. She clutched his inner shirt, unwarily bringing him closer. The liplock was nothing more than a short, content peck. But his insides were bursting inside him like fireworks. He felt like he had won and become the Champion, only better. Cheren hugged her waist, not letting her go. He broke their kiss, placing his forehead on hers.

   His eyes closed, afraid to see her reaction. Part of him was pleased, finally relieved to have release the urge to feel his skin against her even for a slight second. The other part, was mortified. Conscious struck his head, cringing him. One false move, and he will lose her forever.

   With one heavy gulp, he slowly opened his eyes. Her cerulean blue was frozen in his gaze. He saw no disgust in her for what he had done – just shock.

   That quickly sent a huge wave of relief in his body.

   "I'm not lying," he murmured, his breath touching her face. "I do love you. I really do. It's just…you see me as a friend. And you have no idea how frustrating that is," he growled acidly. His hands moved from her waist to the back of her head.

   "I'm not joking when I say I love you…"

   His voice sure and steady, making her shudder. Touko bit the insides of her cheeks. Slowly, a sweet, white smile flashed on her face. Butterfrees were flying in her stomach. No – they were jumping in joy in her stomach.

   She plunged towards the dark brunette, knocking them both on the ground. Swiftly, the female trainer took off his glasses, giving it to her Zekrom. Cheren was stunned. He pulled the girl away, wanting to scold at her.

   But her lips locked his words shut, dizzying him.

   The second kiss was longer, more tempting. She placed her body on top, lying comfily on him. It was Touko who broke their kiss, right after landing a playful nibble on his upper lip. Her kiss was a drug, sending him into a sinful bliss.

   It took him a few minutes to recover. Cheren glanced forward. They were still on the ground. The love of his life was lying on top, flashing a playful smirk.

   "You know Cheren," Touko purred deviously, giving small pecks on his nose. "I should fake drown a lot more often. Now how about we go for a real swim? Who knows? If I drown for real this time, you can give me CPR – or the other way around."

   Cheren chuckled under his breath.

   Now he remembered why he was able to tolerate with her.

END.