A/N :
Yes, good day to you good sir/ma'm. This oneshot was written for the Summer Oneshot Contest over at the Pokemon Special/Adventures Fan Club in PC. So if you aren't a manga reader, you probably may not get the characters in the story :3
I enjoyed writing the story (which focuses on Gold/Silver/Crystal) which consists of major Mangaquest at one point, and possibly bits of Preciousmetal and Specialjewel, if you wish to squint. The story I was going for was actually a more Mangaquest/GoldXSilverXCrystal friendship sort of fic, so I hope you'll be able to see it too.
Much love goes to Snoaz for agreeing and subsequently helping me to look over this fanfic in a very pwnsome manner <3
You can also find this on fanfiction.net, under the same username :3 Do enjoy the fanfic and leave if review if you deem fit. Comments and whatnot are all accepted, ya?
Rating? PG/K+
“Are you really going to do that?”
“Of course!”
“You know she won’t like it.”
The raven-haired boy ignored the redhead’s last comment as he stepped toward the door of the white building. The fifteen-year old smirked as he neared the entrance of the lab, shifting the signature pair of goggles atop is head as he prepared to enter. His accompanying friend shook his head disapprovingly and let out a heavy sigh. He quickly proceeded to turn around and walk away from Professor Elm’s lab, not wanting to involve himself with Gold’s childishness.
“Keh! What a spoilsport.” The well-known breeder was not surprised, far too used to Silver’s cold personality. The boy quickly returned his attention to the main agenda of the morning. Without further hesitation, Gold gripped tightly onto the floatation device he had around his shoulder and burst through the entrance and into the lab.
“YO, CRYS! Let’s go to the beach!” The young male yelled out, failing to give the lab assistant in the room any sort of previous warning.
“AH!” The brunette jolted in her seat and sent stacks of papers scattering everywhere around the room. The lab’s fluorescent lighting was dim, and proved to provide just the weakest of light into the dingy interior of the building. It was giving off such a gloomy and mundane atmosphere, something that befitted the serious Crystal far too well for Gold’s liking.
The female groaned as the documents descended to the ground, painting a flustered look upon her face as she brought a hand to her forehead. She wasn’t required to look over her shoulder to find out who had disturbed her work; she knew him and his antics all too well. The girl pushed her chair back and got onto her knees, starting to pick up the papers on the tiled floor of the lab.
“Crys! What’re you doing? Its summer! We should be going out a having fun at the beach!” Gold pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of his swimming trunks and placed them on the bridge of his nose. A gallant smile plastered itself upon his face, despite Crystal’s clear irritation of the current situation. The girl frowned and turned away from the oblivious boy, busying herself with the pile of documents in her arms.
“I can’t! I’ve still got a lot of paperwork to do while the Professor is away.” Crystal explained stiffly, gathering up the remaining papers in her hands before standing up and settling them on the mahogany desk.
“C’mon! You and Silver are always so boring!” Gold flailed his arms around as he closed the distance between him and the girl. The boy placed one hand on the table while the other on his hip to keep the aquamarine buoy from slipping off his shoulder. The girl retreated from him, blushing ever so slightly as her eyes caught sight of his bare chest. The boy’s figure was annoyingly good-looking, but she refused to admit that so easily.
“Plus, I bet you’d look great in a swimsuit.” Gold added on absent-mindedly with a dreamy look on his face, sending Crystal’s face from mild pink to tomato red in seconds flat.
“W-Wear a shirt! If not you-you’ll catch a cold!” She brushed his words off and stuttered, trying her best to maintain her composure. Gold was Gold through and through; the only topic that stayed on his mind for more than five seconds at a time was girls.
As she returned to her swivel chair and turned her attention to the glowing screen of the computer. The male easily disregarded her order, just like he had done with Silver. He seemed to be adept in something other than breeding, and that was being an ignorant boy who relied on selective hearing most of the time.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! I’ll put on a shirt when we get out of this dull place!” Gold grabbed a hold of the girl’s arm and started to tug her away from the grey keyboard. Crystal struggled against his grip and snatched her limb back from his hands after much painstaking effort on her part. The female assistant quickly drew out a red-and-white sphere from the pocket of her creamy white lab coat. The star-shaped sticker pasted upon the Pokéball could only mean one thing..
“Arckee!” Crystal threw the round device over Gold’s head. A flash of scarlet erupted from the mechanical device as it burst open, blinding the young male for a just a moment, his eyes had grown accustomed to the poor lighting. As the red glow faded away to reveal a large canine with orange and white fur, Gold drew a skeptical look upon his face, failing to understand Crystal’s intention. The Arcanine raised its nose and howled, showing off the shining star collar clipped around his bushy neck.
“Hey, is this big guy gonna’ give us a ride? That’d be great!” Gold chirped and affectionately stroked the Fire-type’s side. The canine cooed in response, rubbing his snout against Gold in return.
“Arckee! Be serious!” Crystal scolded her Pokémon in a stern tone.
The Arcanine instantly switched the expression he had on his features, turning from friendly to ferocious in seconds flat. The slideshow on his face caused Gold to retreat a few paces from Crystal, his hands raised up in defense. The Fire-type proceeded to growl and ram his cloud white forehead against Gold’s exposed back.
“H-HEY! Whatcha’ doin’, buddy? Stop that!”
The canine ignored Gold’s incessant shouts as he began to push the boy towards the doorway of the building. Crystal folded her arms wordlessly across her chest as her old friend was forced out the entrance and into the daylight. Once her Arcanine had slammed the door shut with his deft tail, the girl could confidently resume her place at the desk, glad that she would not have to deal with any more disruptions for the rest of the day.
-
“Let me in!” The determined boy grunted, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. However, the sizable Fire-type guarding the door just would not budge. The Arcanine seemed resentful at the very least, but he could never go so far as to disobey his trainer.
Gold finally abandoned all hope of pushing Arckee aside, slowly turning around to fold his arms angrily over his chest. The fifteen-year old began to sulk as he tried to brew an alternative plan in his mind, far too stubborn to admit defeat so easily. He was going to get Crystal out of that lab and into the summer fun by the end of that very day!
… even if it meant going to Silver for help.
Tong!
Crystal looked up from the monitor, her dainty fingers tapping the keyboard balanced on her lap at an inhumane speed as she allowed her mind to shift from her assignment for a brief moment. Had she heard something?
Tong!
There it went again, and this time, her typing slowed as she strained her ears to find the cause of the unfamiliar sound.
Tong!
The girl placed the grey keyboard back on the desk and got onto her feet. She pushed her chair backwards and ambled towards the front door of the lab. A worried look crossed her features as she tried to identify what the cause of the noise was, a certain name flashed through her mind as she brought her hand around the cold doorknob.
As she opened the door and let the sunlight flood the room, her question had finally been answered. As she settled her gaze on the sight before her, she quickly wished that she had let that sound be. The girl tried to escape back into the safety of her lab, but it was too late. He had seen her.
“Hey! Crys! Glad to see you’re out of that boring place!” Gold, fully dressed in his signature yellow shorts and scarlet jacket, waved his free hand at her. The other was rather occupied with a large mallet.
The girl returned the gesture with a weak and feeble wave; a confused look plastered itself upon her face as she glimpsed the fiery red hair of another friend behind the structure Gold was attempting to set up. Silver stood onto his feet, clad in his favorite black jacket lined with red. The trainer gave Crystal a curt nod, his gaze lowering as a perplexed, if not embarrassed, look flickered on his face for a second or two. He couldn’t believe he was going to such lengths just to help his female friend.
“Look here!” Gold pointed excitedly at the green mass that lay at his feet. Silver rolled his eyes at the other male’s eccentricity and returned to his duty of hammering the pegs into the soft grassy ground. The girl opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but words failed to form, she was far too stumped.
“We’re pitching a tent!” Gold explained without being told, a bright grin spread from ear to ear on his face.
“W-Wa-?! Why here?” The female managed to grasp onto a few choice words and sounded out her query in a clearly distressed tone.
“Camping! We’ll camp together!” The boy stated bluntly.
Crystal crumbled onto her knees at the doorstep, her mouth agape. For a split second, her mind wandered and she imagined the fun the three of them could have. Frolicking together and having a ball, it did sound… rather tempting. However, it was short-lived as her thoughts snapped back into reality and the severity of the workload she had to accomplish by the end of the day.
“N-No! I’m sorry but I can’t! I have work!” The girl rejected the offer with a flustered voice, quick to turn away before the boys could try anything else.
“I hate to admit it but Gold’s right,” Silver suddenly spoke up in a composed and mature voice, causing the girl to halt in her advance back into the confines of the Pokémon Lab. Silver rarely agreed with Gold, in fact; he never agreed with him at all. The aforementioned youth stood next to the redhead with the metallic-silver eyes, nodding his head vigorously before catching on to the young boy’s words.
“HEY! Whaddya’ mean you hate to admit?” Gold burst out, sounding very much offended.
“You’ve spending way too much time inside, that’s not good for your health.”Silver ignored his rival and continued to direct all attention to the Capture Pro. A hint of concern was in his voice, as the features upon his sharp face remained characteristically placid. Crystal couldn’t help but feel taken aback at the simple, but rather meaningful gesture (coming from Silver, after all).
Still, her duties far outweighed her friend’s worries.
“Sorry guys, maybe in two weeks.” She raised her hands in front of her chest, as if to make it more obvious that she was apologizing to them.
As the door closed with a gentle click and the Arcanine which had been obediently sitting at the side of the porch regained his rightful place on the doorstep, the two boys frowned. Disappointment played upon their faces as they placed the mallets and guy lines of the tent onto the soil. The one thing that the two males would ever admit to having in common was their obstinate attitude (something that always ticked the other off regardless). It was something that would always find a way to help them out of any tight fixes (usually the case because Gold would run off and do something foolhardy, of course. It was hardly ever Silver’s fault).
“Two weeks..?” Gold echoed with a pained groan, leaning back and landing flat on his back on the emerald field.
“No way am I going to wait for her that long.” Silver mumbled in a grumpy tone as he sat himself down on the grass.
“WHAT?! Are you just going to leave her to rot away in that hell hole?!” The raven-haired boy pointed frantically at Professor Elm’s lab, his voice accusing.
“No, I mean we’d better get her out of there by the end of today.” The male retorted sharply, one gloved hand on his knee. His eyes darted to the lab before returning to the sight of the misshapen tent that lay in front of him. The boy sighed heavily, causing Gold to turn his head.
“… Here.” With much difficulty on his part, Silver reached into the pocket of his grey pants and pulled out three thin strips of red-coloured paper. The other boy got onto his feet and scurried over to the trader’s side, a curious look drawn on his face. Upon closer inspection, they revealed themselves to be tickets. Tickets to the carnival in Cherrygrove, to be precise.
“I just happened to be passing through the town the other day!” Silver explained rather quickly with a defensive tone in his quivering voice, feeling embarrassed that he had to admit to Gold about this rather awkward act of kindness. He had planned to inconspicuously hand the tickets to Crystal, but her work had barricaded any form of communication the two of them could have for the last few days.
“There’s supposed to be games and fireworks there… And I thought that two of you would like it. So… I got them.” The redhead’s volume softened noticeably as he thrusted the tickets into Gold’s chest, deliberately avoiding the other boy’s gaze.
The breeder was completely oblivious to his friend’s discomfort as he accepted the three tickets and hooked his arm around Silver’s neck in a warm gesture of appreciation. A gleaming smile appeared on Gold’s face as he rammed the tickets into the pocket of his lightning yellow shorts while Silver overcame any lingering emotions to shrug the young male roughly off his shoulders.
“Get your dirty hands off me!”
“WHAT?!”
“Okay, so we’ve got the plan set?” Gold inquired one last time just to make sure. He clutched a Pokéball in his hand while a purple monkey perched himself diligently onto his shoulder. Ataro hadn’t the slightest clue what Gold had called him out during his midday nap, but he was, as always, more than willing to help his close compatriot.
“Right, but I doubt it’ll work.” Silver answered in a discouraging tone.
“Well this is the only plan! So let’s just do it!” Gold’s reply with fueled with drive and determination.
“Fine,” The trader sighed, understanding that it was futile to try and snap him out of it now.
-Just be careful with him.” He added, turning to face the Ursaring, Feraligator and Sneasal who had gripped the pegs and guy lines of the half-pitched tent carefully in their sharp claws.
“I will, I will!” Gold waved a lazy hand in Silver’s direction as he swiveled round and jogged past the baffled Arcanine situated at the door of the lab. The young boy knew better than to try to get Arckee to move. That was why he was breaking in through the back, using a similar and unforgettable method he had executed all those years ago.
After all, it was how he had met Silver.
A small smile crossed Gold’s face for a slight moment as he neared the balcony that had been built behind the building, facing the lush forest that encircled New Bark Town so serenely. The Aipom that rested on his shoulder perked his large furry ears inquisitively as he instantly recognized the surroundings. He tossed his trainer a questioning look.
“We’re gonna break in again today!” Gold grinned, totally unaffected by the fact that he was about to do something that was considered criminal in most parts.
Ataro nodded dutifully, a mischievous look on his round face as he jumped up with a mighty leap to clutch onto the ledge of the balcony with his two minute paws. The monkey’s tail, which had always proved useful in hopeless situations, stretched out to lend Gold a helping hand; as it always did. The fifteen-year old grasped both hands tightly onto the appendage; a trusting look carved itself on his handsome features. Despite the fact that he had grown much larger over the last few years, the faith he had in his Aipom’s tail had never once wavered.
Brimming with confidence, Ataro gripped tightly onto the balcony and hoisted his trainer up with his tail. Once within close proximity, Gold reached out a hand and pulled himself up and into the second floor of the building. He felt strange as he performed the action, and a rush of memories surged through his mind. The boy walked over to the glass door and cautiously slid it aside to open an entrance to the building.
He almost expected to see Silver standing there, feet rooted firmly to the ground. With that cold expression and those focused eyes. Gold could remember him clasping protectively onto that stolen Pokéball in his gloved hand, along with that faithful of his Sneasel in tow.
Suddenly, the young youth felt an even more urgent want to get Crystal out of the lab, so that the three of them could spend an enjoyable summer together.
Before he could forget, the boy tossed the Pokéball Silver had given him outside in the balcony, to avoid Crystal’s notice when the red light spurted with the spherical device.
“Stay here first.” He ordered the aquatic creature, who rolled her eyes and gave a small nod to show her understanding. Odd, how Pokémon tended to be like their trainers.
Gold and Ataro sneaked into the lab, their footsteps light. The boy peeked over the banister
… to see a young girl who had been consumed by her work.
The breeder could distinctly hear the furious tapping of fingers against plastic as Crystal continued on unrelentingly, failing to show any signs of weakness or boredom. He stood transfixed for that split second in time, observing how the glow of the monitor enveloped her porcelain face. It almost seemed to bring out how captivating her eyes were in comparison to the darkness that enshrouded the room.
The boy smacked himself with the palm of his hand in an attempt to bring himself back to reality, receiving the raise of an eyebrow from the Pokémon next to him. This was no time to be ogling a girl! No matter how pretty she tended to be.
“Hey..” He whispered outside, one hand cupping his mouth.
The Kingdra poked her snout into the dim room. Interest gleamed in her eyes as she responded to the boy his trainer had told her to assist. With some arduous squirming on her part, she managed to fit through the crack of the door and entered the building as silently as she had seen the boy and his Aipom do it. Her translucent fins flapped with excitement behind her large body.
“You know the plan. Flood the room with water. Crystal should be forced to go out to get our help. Then we’ll make a deal with her! Don’t stop flooding till I tell you to, okay?” Gold reminded the anxious seahorse, who was more than ready to help with the fun-sounding plan.
Ataro tilted his head to the side, as if to ask ‘What deal?’
“That we’ll only help her clean up the mess if she promises to come out with us!” The boy explained, nearly giving himself away to Crystal as he raised his voice, an air of arrogance surrounding him.
“Be sure to do it only when Crystal isn’t looking though, if she finds you, I’m not taking any of the blame.” Gold told the Kingdra, who shot him an outraged glare in return. Before the boy could say add on any more rude comments, the Water-type sprayed a jet of water into his face. The breeder clenched his teeth as the stream buffeted him and sent him tumbling down the stairs that led to the first floor and into a whole shelf stacked full of Pokéballs.
The resounding crash caused numerous things to happen at once;
Crystal sprang from her seat, posed to battle; Ataro and the Kingdra ducked out of sight so that they wouldn’t get into trouble; the four-hundred and sixty one red-white spheres fell off their respective places and landed like ping-pong balls onto the floor of the lab, bouncing this way and that; and Gold sat there in the heart of it all, clutching his throbbing head.
“G-GOLD! Look what you’ve done!” The girl shouted with agitation as the round devices rolled past her feet and littered the floor of the lab. A look of pure irritation etched itself onto her face as she marched over to the groaning boy on the floor, bent down onto her knees, and placed her hands on his broad shoulders.
She wondered why they were wet.
The girl dismissed the water on his clothes as she began shaking him like a demon possessed, her brow furrowed as a look of distinct hurt spread itself upon her features.
“Why do you keep on bothering me?! Its bad enough that I have so much work to complete! Now I have to rearrange all the Pokémon I caught!” Crystal bellowed, her voice cracked as a confused look replaced her hurt expression. Was Gold born to cause trouble only?
“B-Because I w-want t-to spend t-time with y-you!” The breeder tried to reply coherently, his voice unstable as Crystal had yet to let go of his shoulders. The female stopped shaking upon hearing his words, her face wiping into a blank stare.
“Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with the people I like the most?” Gold spoke as soon as he regained his breath, a serious edge in his voice. He wasn’t flirting.
Crystal felt her heart rise in her chest, did Gold actually mean…
“Like you and Silver!” The boy added on strongly, causing Crystal’s heart to plummet down her throat and land in her gut. She swept her eyes away from the male trainer for a moment or so, muttering something along the lines "I knew it, a romantic Gold means Armageddon” in a feeble attempt to comfort her injured pride.
Very much disappointed, she began to take her hands off Gold, but the boy grabbed onto her wrists with his warm fingers. The Capture Pro snapped her gaze back to him, her eyes blinking as his action came as a shock.
There was that devastatingly handsome face again, with those mesmerizing golden eyes. Always determined to latch onto her weak heart and toss it around like a plaything. Crystal closed her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Gold anymore, she was too afraid of falling even harder for the idiotic boy.
The Breeder reached out for the sides of the girl’s face, his hands still clenching tightly onto her frail fingers. Crystal flinched at his soft touch, too afraid to move. As he leaned his face closer to hers, she felt all her bodily functions stop. What was Gold doing? It was like he was going to try to k-ki-
“You don’t like it?” He asked in such an innocent fashion that Crystal instantly knew that they were on different channels. Her face grew red hot as she realized how far her wild mind had wandered.
“No, I’d like to spend summer with you and Silver. But…” The female replied, her voice barely a whisper.
“Don’t go and use work as an excuse again, Super Serious Gal!” Gold slapped Crystal’s cheeks playfully with his hands in her own. The girl’s blush reddened as she heard the nickname Gold had given her when they were eleven. How long had it been since she’d heard that?
“But the Professor gave me-” She started to say.
“Professor this, professor that! Can’t that guy give you a break?” Gold whined here and there as he released Crystal’s hands to scratch his dark hair and adjust his misaligned goggles.
Crystal’s mouth gaped open for the second time that day.
“… I never thought of that...” She admitted sheepishly, receiving a light knock on the head from the amused Gold. The two young teenagers smiled brightly at each other, before they two broke down chuckling, their laughter escalated, intertwined and echoed through the walls of the lab, which seemed to be considerably brighter now even though the lighting was still as negligent as before.
Silver stroked his Sneasal’s head and thanked his Feraligator and Ursasing for the additional help they had lent him. The two large Pokémon grinned side by side, glad that their little project was successful. Without exchanging further pleasantries, the Exchanger withdrew all three companions into their respective Pokéballs and proceeded to lie down in the open tent. The fifteen-year old tucked his arms behind his head as he lay on the mat in the tent, his eyes observing the setting Sun twisting the orange afternoon sky into a dark blue night as the seconds ticked away.
“So much for a fun day,” Silver commented to no one in particular as the first few stars of the night made their appearance.
“What’re you talking about Silver!” Gold’s head poked out from the side of the opening of the green tent, his face a picture of happiness.
The redhead sat up abruptly, hitting his head against the roof of the tent.
“Oh! Silver, are you alright?” Crystal appeared next to the Breeder, her face, in contrast, was framed with worry.
“I’m fine.” The boy answered curtly, rubbing the bump on his head with one hand.
“Sorry we took so long, I had to help Crystal rearrange the Pokéballs.” Gold coughed, his voice slightly fatigued.
“But now that we’ve done that, we can go and have fun!” The raven-haired male reached his hand into the pocket of his shorts to pull out the tickets. However, as he felt for the tickets a surprised look crawled onto his face. Both Crystal and Silver turned their full attention to Gold, wondering what had caused the sudden change in behavior. As the boy drew out his hand from the pocket, an apologetic smile spread across his face.
“S-Sorry about that.”
Gold opened his palm to reveal the three tickets, all torn and soggy.
Silver’s brow furrowed as a disgruntled look settled on Crystal’s face. Though neither of them wanted to admit it so openly, they had been looking forward to going to the carnival. The raven-haired boy couldn’t help but notice his friends’ unhappy expressions, they were practically radiating with disenchantment.
“Hey, cheer up!” Gold tried to bring the mood up again, swinging his arms over both his friends as he brought Crystal down with him to sit with Silver in the tent. The redhead tried to elbow Gold away from him, but the Breeder refused to give in so easily. He clinged onto the Exchanger with a forced smile.
“I’m trying to be nice here!”
“You don’t need to get so close to me!”
Crystal on the other hand, looked slightly disturbed as the two boys brawled in the tent, but in the end, she smiled to herself as she felt Gold’s unoccupied hand on her shoulder and saw a glimmer of joy in Silver’s eyes.
Then, without any prior warning, the night sky exploded into dazzling lights in a multitude of colours. The two boys stopped fighting to look up with Crystal, entranced by the numerous patterns and sparkles that painted the sky. In unison, the three of them grinned in delight. At least they managed to do one thing with each other.
Crystal’s eyes shimmered under the kaleidoscopic lights, and as Gold reached over and pulled her closer to him; she blushed faintly; unable to say any words that could describe her current emotions.
“Hey.. where’s Kingdra?” Silver suddenly remembered.
“Kingdra?” Crystal broke away from Gold’s touch and glanced at her other friend, confusion scrawled on her features.
As if they had said a magic word, the door of the lab burst open and water began to flood out in large waves. The tide carried with it books, Pokéballs, chairs and finally, a dazed Kingdra and Aipom.
“GOLD!” Silver and Crystal raised their voices all too harmoniously, traces of mild shock in their eyes. After all, they were somewhat expecting that Gold would screw up along the way; hardly anything he did was perfect.
Yes, good day to you good sir/ma'm. This oneshot was written for the Summer Oneshot Contest over at the Pokemon Special/Adventures Fan Club in PC. So if you aren't a manga reader, you probably may not get the characters in the story :3
I enjoyed writing the story (which focuses on Gold/Silver/Crystal) which consists of major Mangaquest at one point, and possibly bits of Preciousmetal and Specialjewel, if you wish to squint. The story I was going for was actually a more Mangaquest/GoldXSilverXCrystal friendship sort of fic, so I hope you'll be able to see it too.
Much love goes to Snoaz for agreeing and subsequently helping me to look over this fanfic in a very pwnsome manner <3
You can also find this on fanfiction.net, under the same username :3 Do enjoy the fanfic and leave if review if you deem fit. Comments and whatnot are all accepted, ya?
Rating? PG/K+
Persuasion
“Are you really going to do that?”
“Of course!”
“You know she won’t like it.”
The raven-haired boy ignored the redhead’s last comment as he stepped toward the door of the white building. The fifteen-year old smirked as he neared the entrance of the lab, shifting the signature pair of goggles atop is head as he prepared to enter. His accompanying friend shook his head disapprovingly and let out a heavy sigh. He quickly proceeded to turn around and walk away from Professor Elm’s lab, not wanting to involve himself with Gold’s childishness.
“Keh! What a spoilsport.” The well-known breeder was not surprised, far too used to Silver’s cold personality. The boy quickly returned his attention to the main agenda of the morning. Without further hesitation, Gold gripped tightly onto the floatation device he had around his shoulder and burst through the entrance and into the lab.
“YO, CRYS! Let’s go to the beach!” The young male yelled out, failing to give the lab assistant in the room any sort of previous warning.
“AH!” The brunette jolted in her seat and sent stacks of papers scattering everywhere around the room. The lab’s fluorescent lighting was dim, and proved to provide just the weakest of light into the dingy interior of the building. It was giving off such a gloomy and mundane atmosphere, something that befitted the serious Crystal far too well for Gold’s liking.
The female groaned as the documents descended to the ground, painting a flustered look upon her face as she brought a hand to her forehead. She wasn’t required to look over her shoulder to find out who had disturbed her work; she knew him and his antics all too well. The girl pushed her chair back and got onto her knees, starting to pick up the papers on the tiled floor of the lab.
“Crys! What’re you doing? Its summer! We should be going out a having fun at the beach!” Gold pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of his swimming trunks and placed them on the bridge of his nose. A gallant smile plastered itself upon his face, despite Crystal’s clear irritation of the current situation. The girl frowned and turned away from the oblivious boy, busying herself with the pile of documents in her arms.
“I can’t! I’ve still got a lot of paperwork to do while the Professor is away.” Crystal explained stiffly, gathering up the remaining papers in her hands before standing up and settling them on the mahogany desk.
“C’mon! You and Silver are always so boring!” Gold flailed his arms around as he closed the distance between him and the girl. The boy placed one hand on the table while the other on his hip to keep the aquamarine buoy from slipping off his shoulder. The girl retreated from him, blushing ever so slightly as her eyes caught sight of his bare chest. The boy’s figure was annoyingly good-looking, but she refused to admit that so easily.
“Plus, I bet you’d look great in a swimsuit.” Gold added on absent-mindedly with a dreamy look on his face, sending Crystal’s face from mild pink to tomato red in seconds flat.
“W-Wear a shirt! If not you-you’ll catch a cold!” She brushed his words off and stuttered, trying her best to maintain her composure. Gold was Gold through and through; the only topic that stayed on his mind for more than five seconds at a time was girls.
As she returned to her swivel chair and turned her attention to the glowing screen of the computer. The male easily disregarded her order, just like he had done with Silver. He seemed to be adept in something other than breeding, and that was being an ignorant boy who relied on selective hearing most of the time.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! I’ll put on a shirt when we get out of this dull place!” Gold grabbed a hold of the girl’s arm and started to tug her away from the grey keyboard. Crystal struggled against his grip and snatched her limb back from his hands after much painstaking effort on her part. The female assistant quickly drew out a red-and-white sphere from the pocket of her creamy white lab coat. The star-shaped sticker pasted upon the Pokéball could only mean one thing..
“Arckee!” Crystal threw the round device over Gold’s head. A flash of scarlet erupted from the mechanical device as it burst open, blinding the young male for a just a moment, his eyes had grown accustomed to the poor lighting. As the red glow faded away to reveal a large canine with orange and white fur, Gold drew a skeptical look upon his face, failing to understand Crystal’s intention. The Arcanine raised its nose and howled, showing off the shining star collar clipped around his bushy neck.
“Hey, is this big guy gonna’ give us a ride? That’d be great!” Gold chirped and affectionately stroked the Fire-type’s side. The canine cooed in response, rubbing his snout against Gold in return.
“Arckee! Be serious!” Crystal scolded her Pokémon in a stern tone.
The Arcanine instantly switched the expression he had on his features, turning from friendly to ferocious in seconds flat. The slideshow on his face caused Gold to retreat a few paces from Crystal, his hands raised up in defense. The Fire-type proceeded to growl and ram his cloud white forehead against Gold’s exposed back.
“H-HEY! Whatcha’ doin’, buddy? Stop that!”
The canine ignored Gold’s incessant shouts as he began to push the boy towards the doorway of the building. Crystal folded her arms wordlessly across her chest as her old friend was forced out the entrance and into the daylight. Once her Arcanine had slammed the door shut with his deft tail, the girl could confidently resume her place at the desk, glad that she would not have to deal with any more disruptions for the rest of the day.
-
“Let me in!” The determined boy grunted, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. However, the sizable Fire-type guarding the door just would not budge. The Arcanine seemed resentful at the very least, but he could never go so far as to disobey his trainer.
Gold finally abandoned all hope of pushing Arckee aside, slowly turning around to fold his arms angrily over his chest. The fifteen-year old began to sulk as he tried to brew an alternative plan in his mind, far too stubborn to admit defeat so easily. He was going to get Crystal out of that lab and into the summer fun by the end of that very day!
… even if it meant going to Silver for help.
-
Tong!
Crystal looked up from the monitor, her dainty fingers tapping the keyboard balanced on her lap at an inhumane speed as she allowed her mind to shift from her assignment for a brief moment. Had she heard something?
Tong!
There it went again, and this time, her typing slowed as she strained her ears to find the cause of the unfamiliar sound.
Tong!
The girl placed the grey keyboard back on the desk and got onto her feet. She pushed her chair backwards and ambled towards the front door of the lab. A worried look crossed her features as she tried to identify what the cause of the noise was, a certain name flashed through her mind as she brought her hand around the cold doorknob.
As she opened the door and let the sunlight flood the room, her question had finally been answered. As she settled her gaze on the sight before her, she quickly wished that she had let that sound be. The girl tried to escape back into the safety of her lab, but it was too late. He had seen her.
“Hey! Crys! Glad to see you’re out of that boring place!” Gold, fully dressed in his signature yellow shorts and scarlet jacket, waved his free hand at her. The other was rather occupied with a large mallet.
The girl returned the gesture with a weak and feeble wave; a confused look plastered itself upon her face as she glimpsed the fiery red hair of another friend behind the structure Gold was attempting to set up. Silver stood onto his feet, clad in his favorite black jacket lined with red. The trainer gave Crystal a curt nod, his gaze lowering as a perplexed, if not embarrassed, look flickered on his face for a second or two. He couldn’t believe he was going to such lengths just to help his female friend.
“Look here!” Gold pointed excitedly at the green mass that lay at his feet. Silver rolled his eyes at the other male’s eccentricity and returned to his duty of hammering the pegs into the soft grassy ground. The girl opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but words failed to form, she was far too stumped.
“We’re pitching a tent!” Gold explained without being told, a bright grin spread from ear to ear on his face.
“W-Wa-?! Why here?” The female managed to grasp onto a few choice words and sounded out her query in a clearly distressed tone.
“Camping! We’ll camp together!” The boy stated bluntly.
Crystal crumbled onto her knees at the doorstep, her mouth agape. For a split second, her mind wandered and she imagined the fun the three of them could have. Frolicking together and having a ball, it did sound… rather tempting. However, it was short-lived as her thoughts snapped back into reality and the severity of the workload she had to accomplish by the end of the day.
“N-No! I’m sorry but I can’t! I have work!” The girl rejected the offer with a flustered voice, quick to turn away before the boys could try anything else.
“I hate to admit it but Gold’s right,” Silver suddenly spoke up in a composed and mature voice, causing the girl to halt in her advance back into the confines of the Pokémon Lab. Silver rarely agreed with Gold, in fact; he never agreed with him at all. The aforementioned youth stood next to the redhead with the metallic-silver eyes, nodding his head vigorously before catching on to the young boy’s words.
“HEY! Whaddya’ mean you hate to admit?” Gold burst out, sounding very much offended.
“You’ve spending way too much time inside, that’s not good for your health.”Silver ignored his rival and continued to direct all attention to the Capture Pro. A hint of concern was in his voice, as the features upon his sharp face remained characteristically placid. Crystal couldn’t help but feel taken aback at the simple, but rather meaningful gesture (coming from Silver, after all).
Still, her duties far outweighed her friend’s worries.
“Sorry guys, maybe in two weeks.” She raised her hands in front of her chest, as if to make it more obvious that she was apologizing to them.
As the door closed with a gentle click and the Arcanine which had been obediently sitting at the side of the porch regained his rightful place on the doorstep, the two boys frowned. Disappointment played upon their faces as they placed the mallets and guy lines of the tent onto the soil. The one thing that the two males would ever admit to having in common was their obstinate attitude (something that always ticked the other off regardless). It was something that would always find a way to help them out of any tight fixes (usually the case because Gold would run off and do something foolhardy, of course. It was hardly ever Silver’s fault).
“Two weeks..?” Gold echoed with a pained groan, leaning back and landing flat on his back on the emerald field.
“No way am I going to wait for her that long.” Silver mumbled in a grumpy tone as he sat himself down on the grass.
“WHAT?! Are you just going to leave her to rot away in that hell hole?!” The raven-haired boy pointed frantically at Professor Elm’s lab, his voice accusing.
“No, I mean we’d better get her out of there by the end of today.” The male retorted sharply, one gloved hand on his knee. His eyes darted to the lab before returning to the sight of the misshapen tent that lay in front of him. The boy sighed heavily, causing Gold to turn his head.
“… Here.” With much difficulty on his part, Silver reached into the pocket of his grey pants and pulled out three thin strips of red-coloured paper. The other boy got onto his feet and scurried over to the trader’s side, a curious look drawn on his face. Upon closer inspection, they revealed themselves to be tickets. Tickets to the carnival in Cherrygrove, to be precise.
“I just happened to be passing through the town the other day!” Silver explained rather quickly with a defensive tone in his quivering voice, feeling embarrassed that he had to admit to Gold about this rather awkward act of kindness. He had planned to inconspicuously hand the tickets to Crystal, but her work had barricaded any form of communication the two of them could have for the last few days.
“There’s supposed to be games and fireworks there… And I thought that two of you would like it. So… I got them.” The redhead’s volume softened noticeably as he thrusted the tickets into Gold’s chest, deliberately avoiding the other boy’s gaze.
The breeder was completely oblivious to his friend’s discomfort as he accepted the three tickets and hooked his arm around Silver’s neck in a warm gesture of appreciation. A gleaming smile appeared on Gold’s face as he rammed the tickets into the pocket of his lightning yellow shorts while Silver overcame any lingering emotions to shrug the young male roughly off his shoulders.
“Get your dirty hands off me!”
“WHAT?!”
-
“Okay, so we’ve got the plan set?” Gold inquired one last time just to make sure. He clutched a Pokéball in his hand while a purple monkey perched himself diligently onto his shoulder. Ataro hadn’t the slightest clue what Gold had called him out during his midday nap, but he was, as always, more than willing to help his close compatriot.
“Right, but I doubt it’ll work.” Silver answered in a discouraging tone.
“Well this is the only plan! So let’s just do it!” Gold’s reply with fueled with drive and determination.
“Fine,” The trader sighed, understanding that it was futile to try and snap him out of it now.
-Just be careful with him.” He added, turning to face the Ursaring, Feraligator and Sneasal who had gripped the pegs and guy lines of the half-pitched tent carefully in their sharp claws.
“I will, I will!” Gold waved a lazy hand in Silver’s direction as he swiveled round and jogged past the baffled Arcanine situated at the door of the lab. The young boy knew better than to try to get Arckee to move. That was why he was breaking in through the back, using a similar and unforgettable method he had executed all those years ago.
After all, it was how he had met Silver.
A small smile crossed Gold’s face for a slight moment as he neared the balcony that had been built behind the building, facing the lush forest that encircled New Bark Town so serenely. The Aipom that rested on his shoulder perked his large furry ears inquisitively as he instantly recognized the surroundings. He tossed his trainer a questioning look.
“We’re gonna break in again today!” Gold grinned, totally unaffected by the fact that he was about to do something that was considered criminal in most parts.
Ataro nodded dutifully, a mischievous look on his round face as he jumped up with a mighty leap to clutch onto the ledge of the balcony with his two minute paws. The monkey’s tail, which had always proved useful in hopeless situations, stretched out to lend Gold a helping hand; as it always did. The fifteen-year old grasped both hands tightly onto the appendage; a trusting look carved itself on his handsome features. Despite the fact that he had grown much larger over the last few years, the faith he had in his Aipom’s tail had never once wavered.
Brimming with confidence, Ataro gripped tightly onto the balcony and hoisted his trainer up with his tail. Once within close proximity, Gold reached out a hand and pulled himself up and into the second floor of the building. He felt strange as he performed the action, and a rush of memories surged through his mind. The boy walked over to the glass door and cautiously slid it aside to open an entrance to the building.
He almost expected to see Silver standing there, feet rooted firmly to the ground. With that cold expression and those focused eyes. Gold could remember him clasping protectively onto that stolen Pokéball in his gloved hand, along with that faithful of his Sneasel in tow.
Suddenly, the young youth felt an even more urgent want to get Crystal out of the lab, so that the three of them could spend an enjoyable summer together.
Before he could forget, the boy tossed the Pokéball Silver had given him outside in the balcony, to avoid Crystal’s notice when the red light spurted with the spherical device.
“Stay here first.” He ordered the aquatic creature, who rolled her eyes and gave a small nod to show her understanding. Odd, how Pokémon tended to be like their trainers.
Gold and Ataro sneaked into the lab, their footsteps light. The boy peeked over the banister
… to see a young girl who had been consumed by her work.
The breeder could distinctly hear the furious tapping of fingers against plastic as Crystal continued on unrelentingly, failing to show any signs of weakness or boredom. He stood transfixed for that split second in time, observing how the glow of the monitor enveloped her porcelain face. It almost seemed to bring out how captivating her eyes were in comparison to the darkness that enshrouded the room.
The boy smacked himself with the palm of his hand in an attempt to bring himself back to reality, receiving the raise of an eyebrow from the Pokémon next to him. This was no time to be ogling a girl! No matter how pretty she tended to be.
“Hey..” He whispered outside, one hand cupping his mouth.
The Kingdra poked her snout into the dim room. Interest gleamed in her eyes as she responded to the boy his trainer had told her to assist. With some arduous squirming on her part, she managed to fit through the crack of the door and entered the building as silently as she had seen the boy and his Aipom do it. Her translucent fins flapped with excitement behind her large body.
“You know the plan. Flood the room with water. Crystal should be forced to go out to get our help. Then we’ll make a deal with her! Don’t stop flooding till I tell you to, okay?” Gold reminded the anxious seahorse, who was more than ready to help with the fun-sounding plan.
Ataro tilted his head to the side, as if to ask ‘What deal?’
“That we’ll only help her clean up the mess if she promises to come out with us!” The boy explained, nearly giving himself away to Crystal as he raised his voice, an air of arrogance surrounding him.
“Be sure to do it only when Crystal isn’t looking though, if she finds you, I’m not taking any of the blame.” Gold told the Kingdra, who shot him an outraged glare in return. Before the boy could say add on any more rude comments, the Water-type sprayed a jet of water into his face. The breeder clenched his teeth as the stream buffeted him and sent him tumbling down the stairs that led to the first floor and into a whole shelf stacked full of Pokéballs.
The resounding crash caused numerous things to happen at once;
Crystal sprang from her seat, posed to battle; Ataro and the Kingdra ducked out of sight so that they wouldn’t get into trouble; the four-hundred and sixty one red-white spheres fell off their respective places and landed like ping-pong balls onto the floor of the lab, bouncing this way and that; and Gold sat there in the heart of it all, clutching his throbbing head.
“G-GOLD! Look what you’ve done!” The girl shouted with agitation as the round devices rolled past her feet and littered the floor of the lab. A look of pure irritation etched itself onto her face as she marched over to the groaning boy on the floor, bent down onto her knees, and placed her hands on his broad shoulders.
She wondered why they were wet.
The girl dismissed the water on his clothes as she began shaking him like a demon possessed, her brow furrowed as a look of distinct hurt spread itself upon her features.
“Why do you keep on bothering me?! Its bad enough that I have so much work to complete! Now I have to rearrange all the Pokémon I caught!” Crystal bellowed, her voice cracked as a confused look replaced her hurt expression. Was Gold born to cause trouble only?
“B-Because I w-want t-to spend t-time with y-you!” The breeder tried to reply coherently, his voice unstable as Crystal had yet to let go of his shoulders. The female stopped shaking upon hearing his words, her face wiping into a blank stare.
“Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with the people I like the most?” Gold spoke as soon as he regained his breath, a serious edge in his voice. He wasn’t flirting.
Crystal felt her heart rise in her chest, did Gold actually mean…
“Like you and Silver!” The boy added on strongly, causing Crystal’s heart to plummet down her throat and land in her gut. She swept her eyes away from the male trainer for a moment or so, muttering something along the lines "I knew it, a romantic Gold means Armageddon” in a feeble attempt to comfort her injured pride.
Very much disappointed, she began to take her hands off Gold, but the boy grabbed onto her wrists with his warm fingers. The Capture Pro snapped her gaze back to him, her eyes blinking as his action came as a shock.
There was that devastatingly handsome face again, with those mesmerizing golden eyes. Always determined to latch onto her weak heart and toss it around like a plaything. Crystal closed her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Gold anymore, she was too afraid of falling even harder for the idiotic boy.
The Breeder reached out for the sides of the girl’s face, his hands still clenching tightly onto her frail fingers. Crystal flinched at his soft touch, too afraid to move. As he leaned his face closer to hers, she felt all her bodily functions stop. What was Gold doing? It was like he was going to try to k-ki-
“You don’t like it?” He asked in such an innocent fashion that Crystal instantly knew that they were on different channels. Her face grew red hot as she realized how far her wild mind had wandered.
“No, I’d like to spend summer with you and Silver. But…” The female replied, her voice barely a whisper.
“Don’t go and use work as an excuse again, Super Serious Gal!” Gold slapped Crystal’s cheeks playfully with his hands in her own. The girl’s blush reddened as she heard the nickname Gold had given her when they were eleven. How long had it been since she’d heard that?
“But the Professor gave me-” She started to say.
“Professor this, professor that! Can’t that guy give you a break?” Gold whined here and there as he released Crystal’s hands to scratch his dark hair and adjust his misaligned goggles.
Crystal’s mouth gaped open for the second time that day.
“… I never thought of that...” She admitted sheepishly, receiving a light knock on the head from the amused Gold. The two young teenagers smiled brightly at each other, before they two broke down chuckling, their laughter escalated, intertwined and echoed through the walls of the lab, which seemed to be considerably brighter now even though the lighting was still as negligent as before.
-
Silver stroked his Sneasal’s head and thanked his Feraligator and Ursasing for the additional help they had lent him. The two large Pokémon grinned side by side, glad that their little project was successful. Without exchanging further pleasantries, the Exchanger withdrew all three companions into their respective Pokéballs and proceeded to lie down in the open tent. The fifteen-year old tucked his arms behind his head as he lay on the mat in the tent, his eyes observing the setting Sun twisting the orange afternoon sky into a dark blue night as the seconds ticked away.
“So much for a fun day,” Silver commented to no one in particular as the first few stars of the night made their appearance.
“What’re you talking about Silver!” Gold’s head poked out from the side of the opening of the green tent, his face a picture of happiness.
The redhead sat up abruptly, hitting his head against the roof of the tent.
“Oh! Silver, are you alright?” Crystal appeared next to the Breeder, her face, in contrast, was framed with worry.
“I’m fine.” The boy answered curtly, rubbing the bump on his head with one hand.
“Sorry we took so long, I had to help Crystal rearrange the Pokéballs.” Gold coughed, his voice slightly fatigued.
“But now that we’ve done that, we can go and have fun!” The raven-haired male reached his hand into the pocket of his shorts to pull out the tickets. However, as he felt for the tickets a surprised look crawled onto his face. Both Crystal and Silver turned their full attention to Gold, wondering what had caused the sudden change in behavior. As the boy drew out his hand from the pocket, an apologetic smile spread across his face.
“S-Sorry about that.”
Gold opened his palm to reveal the three tickets, all torn and soggy.
Silver’s brow furrowed as a disgruntled look settled on Crystal’s face. Though neither of them wanted to admit it so openly, they had been looking forward to going to the carnival. The raven-haired boy couldn’t help but notice his friends’ unhappy expressions, they were practically radiating with disenchantment.
“Hey, cheer up!” Gold tried to bring the mood up again, swinging his arms over both his friends as he brought Crystal down with him to sit with Silver in the tent. The redhead tried to elbow Gold away from him, but the Breeder refused to give in so easily. He clinged onto the Exchanger with a forced smile.
“I’m trying to be nice here!”
“You don’t need to get so close to me!”
Crystal on the other hand, looked slightly disturbed as the two boys brawled in the tent, but in the end, she smiled to herself as she felt Gold’s unoccupied hand on her shoulder and saw a glimmer of joy in Silver’s eyes.
Then, without any prior warning, the night sky exploded into dazzling lights in a multitude of colours. The two boys stopped fighting to look up with Crystal, entranced by the numerous patterns and sparkles that painted the sky. In unison, the three of them grinned in delight. At least they managed to do one thing with each other.
Watching fireworks was something that people did together in summer, right?
Crystal’s eyes shimmered under the kaleidoscopic lights, and as Gold reached over and pulled her closer to him; she blushed faintly; unable to say any words that could describe her current emotions.
“Hey.. where’s Kingdra?” Silver suddenly remembered.
“Kingdra?” Crystal broke away from Gold’s touch and glanced at her other friend, confusion scrawled on her features.
As if they had said a magic word, the door of the lab burst open and water began to flood out in large waves. The tide carried with it books, Pokéballs, chairs and finally, a dazed Kingdra and Aipom.
“GOLD!” Silver and Crystal raised their voices all too harmoniously, traces of mild shock in their eyes. After all, they were somewhat expecting that Gold would screw up along the way; hardly anything he did was perfect.
-
The three of them spent the next few weeks of summer together, just as Gold had wished for. In the comfort of Professor Elm’s lab, drying bookings, reprinting documents and rearranging Pokéballs.
This was something people did together in summer too, right?
The three of them spent the next few weeks of summer together, just as Gold had wished for. In the comfort of Professor Elm’s lab, drying bookings, reprinting documents and rearranging Pokéballs.
This was something people did together in summer too, right?
And the way your characters act and their dialouge are all so accurate! You must be good at writing at school, eh? =)