Lessons in Love

A/N: Please bear in mind that this is my first attempt at doing both a shipping fic of any sort, and a purely romance fic, so don’t be real harsh with comments/criticisms. Also, I know the chap is kinda long, but all I can really say is deal with it; it could have been a lot longer. Anywho, enjoy the story and lemme know what you think.

Chapter 1

They had been traveling together for a good expanse of time now, but it felt like it hadn’t been long enough for either one of them. They explored the land, made all sorts of new friends, had new experiences… but none of it seemed to matter besides the two of them. Unfortunately, neither knew of the feelings the other had for them.

“Would you like to have a practise match before you go to the next gym, Satoshi??” Takeshi asked.

The trio of Pokémon trainers—Satoshi, Takeshi and Hikari—had been traveling thru-out the Shinou region for several weeks. Satoshi had already earned his first gym badge, and Hikari had won her first Pokémon contest ribbon. Takeshi’s baby Pokémon, Bonsly, had evolved into a Sudowoodo, and he had captured his first Shinou Pokémon, Croagunk. Satoshi was the only true Pokémon trainer of the three, since he was the only one who participated in gym battles in the corresponding cities. Hikari was more of a Pokémon coordinator, entering her Pokémon in the various contests in each city. Takeshi was not necessarily a Pokémon trainer so much as he was a Pokémon breeder, so while Satoshi won gym badges and Hikari won contest ribbons, Takeshi observed their battles while taking care of his own Pokémon and supplying the others with hot, fresh meals and plenty of helpful advice.

Satoshi nodded in response to Takeshi’s question. “You bet, Takeshi… I’m always ready for a Pokémon battle.”

Hikari smiled. “You’re always ready to eat, too,” she teased.

Satoshi frowned. “Not always,” he grumbled. “So, ya ready, Takeshi??”

Takeshi nodded. “Yeah, but I thought it would be better if you and Hikari battled each other.”

“Why??” Satoshi asked. “I thought you wanted to battle me.”

“Well, I thought you could do a three-on-three battle,” Takeshi explained, “and I only have two Pokémon in my party at the moment. Hikari has four, so she’ll make for a much better opponent. Besides, I’ll be cooking up a nice meal for the two of you for when you finish. I will keep an eye on the battle and make judgment calls, though.”

Satoshi nodded. “I understand, I guess… so would you like to have a practise battle with me, Hikari??”

Hikari nodded. “You bet. I’m ready to try out some new combination moves for the next contest.”

“Good.” Satoshi grinned and held up a Pokéball. “Let’s go, Turtwig!!”

Hikari nodded as the small grass Pokémon appeared from its Pokéball. “Turtwig, huh?? Then I’ll go with Buneary!!”

The two Pokémon faced off against each other, waiting for their trainer to give the instruction to make a move. However, before Satoshi had his Pokémon attack, he gazed across the expanse between himself and Hikari. She stood with a determined look on her face, ready to begin the battle. Satoshi sighed inwardly, wishing he could say something to her, anything… just to get the feelings off his chest and out in the open. But for some reason, his fears got the better of him and he was forced to keep quiet. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his mind of distracting thoughts. He needed to be focused on the practise battle.

Hikari watched Satoshi for a moment as she thought about what kind of attacks her Buneary should use against his Turtwig. She saw Satoshi close his eyes after a short time, and she wondered what he could be thinking. A slight thought passed thru her mind that maybe, just maybe, he was thinking about her and her feelings for him. She wished there was some easy way to say something to him about it, but of course love was never easy. She shook her head, trying to return her attention back to the battle.

“Ready, Turtwig??” Satoshi asked.

“Tur,” his Pokémon replied.

“Okay then, let’s start off with a Tackle attack on Buneary!!”

Hikari smiled. “Starting with a Tackle, eh?? Buneary, dodge and use Ice Beam!!”

As Turtwig advanced on Buneary, the rabbit Pokémon leapt high into the air and fired a beam of ice from its mouth at Turtwig. “Turtwig, dodge!!” Satoshi commanded.

“Turtwig??” The green Pokémon looked up as the beam of ice descended on it. “Turtwig!!” It ran away from the attack, but not before a part of the Ice Beam hit one of its back legs. The grass Pokémon tripped and fell, but stood back up.

“Buneary, use Dizzy Punch!!” Hikari said.

“Neary.” Buneary jabbed forward with an ear.

“Dodge, Turtwig!!” Satoshi yelled.

“Turtwig??” Turtwig turned, but slipped on its frozen foot, allowing Buneary the chance to hit it with Dizzy Punch. The grass Pokémon fell to the ground, completely still.

Takeshi, who had been observing the match, held up his hand in Hikari’s direction. “Satoshi’s Turtwig is unable to battle.”

Satoshi held out his Pokéball. “Nice try, Turtwig,” he said, recalling the Pokémon to its ball. “You did great.” He looked up at Hikari. “You, too, Hikari; your Buneary is getting a lot stronger.”

Hikari’s faced flushed a bright red. “You think so??” She gazed down at her rabbit Pokémon. “Thank you, Satoshi, and thank you, Buneary.”

The normal-type Pokémon smiled. “Buneary.”

“Okay, my next Pokémon will be Staraiva.” Satoshi tossed his Pokéball.

“Staraiva!!” The bird Pokémon flew around for a little while before landing on the ground.

“Ready??” Satoshi asked.

Hikari nodded. “Yep, ready whenever you are.”

“Staraiva, use Quick Attack!!”

Hikari gasped, knowing how fast of an attack Quick Attack was. “Buneary, dodge!!”

“Buneary.” The rabbit Pokémon tried its best to move out of the way, but the Quick Attack was too fast.

“Awright!!” Satoshi cheered as the attack hit Buneary dead-on.

“Buneary, can you get up??” Hikari asked.

“Bun… eary…” Buneary struggled to its feet.

“Good… thank you.” Hikari smiled and focused on Satoshi’s Staraiva. “Now, if I recall correctly, Flying-type Pokémon are weak against Ice-Type moves…”

“Staraiva, Aerial Ace!!”

Hikari looked up. “Huh?? B-but I—“

She watched in horror as Staraiva used its attack to hit Buneary again, this time sending it flying back. “You’ve gotta pay attention to the battle, Hikari,” Satoshi said. “If you get distracted in the least, it will cost you dearly in the end.”

Hikari lowered her head, both out of shame and to hide her blushing face. “Sorry… I was just trying to remember what kinds of moves were strong against Flying-types.”

“You need to be a bit faster in your thinking, then,” Satoshi replied. “If this were a real battle, would you have done the same??”

“I… w-well, I…”

“Satoshi, that’s enough.”

Satoshi looked over at his friend. “But Takeshi, I—“

“It’s only a practise battle,” Takeshi interrupted. “You don’t need to be so harsh on Hikari, anyways; she’s a beginner at a lot of this. Now, will you two continue your battle??”

Hikari nodded and recalled her Buneary to its Pokéball. “I guess it’s 1-1 now.” She tossed a second Pokéball. “Go, Pachirisu!!”

After about ten minutes, Satoshi and Hikari were enjoying their lunch that Takeshi had made. Satoshi had won the practise battle, but fortunately Hikari took it in stride and promised to remember the things she had learned. Now the three were enjoying their meal. Satoshi, while eating, reflected on what he had said earlier to Hikari about her slow reflexes. He felt badly about it, but for some reason, the words had just come right out of his mouth without him realising it until it was too late and he saw the heartbroken look on her face. He had wanted to rush over and tell her it was okay, that he hadn’t meant to be so harsh, but he had remained frozen to the spot, as if Hikari’s Buneary had used an Ice Beam on his feet. He gazed at the bowl in front of him, which was half-empty. He sighed and resumed eating.

Hikari, meanwhile, was also thinking about the practise battle. She had thought Satoshi had the same feelings for her, but when he started lecturing her about her reflexes in battle, she knew her hopes had been dashed. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and she knew there was a huge chance Satoshi wouldn’t return her feelings, but she still clung to the fragile little line of hope.

Takeshi notised the depressed looks on his friends’ faces and decided to try to lighten the mood. “So, Satoshi,” he began, startling the two out of their reveries, “are you ready for your next gym battle??”

“You bet,” Satoshi said, although his voice didn’t sound as confident as it normally did.

“And are you ready for your next contest??” Takeshi asked Hikari.

Hikari nodded. “Absolutely.” Her voice was also absent of its usual determination.

“Well, when you’re done eating, Hikari, why don’t you check the Pokétch and see how close we are to the nearest city with a Pokémon Center,” Takeshi suggested.

“Okay.”

“And Satoshi and I will clean up the dishes and get everything together.”

“Sounds good to me,” Satoshi said.

When the threesome had finished eating, Hikari began to adjust her Pokétch to see where the nearest city was located, while Satoshi and Takeshi cleaned up. Satoshi’s Pikachu tried to help out, too. While they were cleaning, Takeshi leaned close to Satoshi and said, “Is everything alright??”

“Yeah,” Satoshi replied, “why do you ask??”

“I’ve notised lately you’ve been acting pretty depressed, and I was getting worried.”

Satoshi grinned. “Why would I be getting depressed??” he asked. “I’m too busy preparing for gym battles to get depressed.”

Takeshi shook his head. “I’ve known you for a long time, Satoshi… I can tell when you’re upset about something. You know you can talk to me about anything; I’m good at keeping secrets.”

Satoshi glanced at Hikari, who had finished adjusting the Pokétch and was muttering to herself about where they were located. “Well… can we talk about it in private??” he asked.

“Sure.” Takeshi nodded. “Just tell me when and where, and we can work it out.”

Satoshi smiled again; this time, it was genuine. “Thanks, Takeshi.”

“Anytime.”

“Is it alright if we talk before we continue on our journey??”

“Sure, sounds good to me.” Takeshi walked over to Hikari. “Have you found out where the nearest city is??”

Hikari nodded. “Yeah, it’s about five kilometers west of here.”

“I see, so we have a ways to go still.” Takeshi nodded thoughtfully. “Oh, could you do me a favour??”

“What is it??”

“Satoshi and I need to talk for a little while, so I was hoping you could take a walk around and scope out the area; you know, see if Team Rocket is around, or if any dangerous Pokémon are in the area.”

“Okay.” Hikari started to walk away from Takeshi. “Let me know when you are done talking, alright??”

“I will,” Takeshi called back. Once Hikari had walked a good distance away, Takeshi returned to Satoshi. “Well, I’ve got her going on a walk, so we’ve got some time.” He sat on a fallen log and indicated Satoshi should sit nearby.

Satoshi saw Takeshi’s gesture and sat. “Thanks again.”

“No problem. Now, what is the problem??”

Satoshi sighed. “It’s pretty hard to explain, really.”

Takeshi nodded. “I think I know what the problem is, now that I think about it.”

“What do you think it is??”

“You’re in love, aren’t you??” Takeshi grinned.

Satoshi looked shocked for a moment, but soon turned his gaze downward. “Yeah… you’re right,” he quietly admitted. “I guess it’s just hard for me to believe it… I’ve been focusing so hard on becoming a Pokémon master I think it caught me off-guard. I didn’t want to believe it when I first realised it.”

“Who’s the girl you have your eye on??”

Satoshi looked down again. “Please don’t laugh, but it’s Hikari.”

Takeshi was silent for a moment. “Hikari?? Wow, that is unexpected, but I can see why. She is pretty cute.”

Satoshi’s face reddened. “It’s not just that,” he protested.

Takeshi chuckled. “I know, I was just making a joke. I am curious as to why you feel this way about Hikari and not Kasumi or Haruka.”

“Well, with Kasumi… she was pretty bossy. I think after some time we had been traveling together, Kasumi started calming down a little and might have developed feelings for me, but…” He sighed. “I just think there was no way I could ever like her more than as a friend. For Haruka, she seemed too independent; if she was to ever get together with anyone, it would probably be with Shu. But with Hikari…”

“I understand,” Takeshi replied. “Seriously, I do. Both you and she have so much in common it’s astounding. I’m surprised she hasn’t started feeling the same way, actually. Believe me, I have no problems with this at all, and if you’d like me to help you with telling her how you feel—“

“I can’t do that!!” Satoshi interrupted.

“Why not??”

“Because…” Satoshi looked away. “Because she might laugh at me, or hate me for it, and I don’t want that.”

“Who’s to say she doesn’t feel the same??”

“Yeah, but who’s to say she does??” Satoshi countered. “I don’t want to hurt her this way, and I don’t want to end our friendship. I just wish I knew what to do.”

Takeshi grew thoughtful. “There’s really only one thing to do,” he finally said.

“What’s that??”

“If you really care about Hikari, and you want her to know your feelings for her, you must talk to her and tell her how you feel. It’s the only way to really know.”

“Yes, but—“

“Listen, Satoshi, I know I’ve gone ballistic over women so many times in the past, and I come right out and tell them how I feel, but that’s just the way I do it. I know there’s a huge risk for telling Hikari how you feel about her, but it’s just one obstacle you’ll have to overcome if you want your friendship with her to become more serious.”

Satoshi nodded. “Yeah, you’re right… but it’s going to be so hard to tell her, you know??”

“I know.” Takeshi smiled. “That’s why I’m here for you; to help you out when you do tell her.”

“When should I tell her??”

“Whenever you feel the time is right.”

Hikari, meanwhile, was strolling down a small path that wound around the base of the hill the group had been staying at. She was curious as to what Takeshi and Satoshi were talking about, since obviously they didn’t want to include her, but she had a feeling it was one of those “guy things” she didn’t need to hear, anyway. While she was walking, she had a growing suspicion someone was following her, so she quickly turned and saw Satoshi’s Pikachu walking behind her. She smiled. “So you were the one following me, eh??” She knelt, and Pikachu dashed to her side. “Did you want to keep me company??”

Pikachu smiled as Hikari scratched under its chin. “Pika…”

“I certainly wish I knew how Satoshi feels about me,” Hikari murmured. “I want him to know how I feel so badly, but it’s so hard to say anything to him like that. I wish there was some easier way to tell him.”

“Pika Pika.” Pikachu closed its eyes and continued to enjoy the attention it was receiving.

“Maybe I should tell him to-nite, before we go to sleep,” Hikari mused out loud. “That way, at least he knows, and I’ll feel better knowing that he knows, regardless of what he says.” She paused. “But if that’s the case, why do I still feel nervous about it??”

“Hikari!!”

Hikari stood and looked around for a moment before spotting Takeshi and Satoshi at the top of the hill. “I’m here!!” she called out, waving her hands. “Come on, Pikachu,” she said to the little mouse Pokémon, “let’s get back to Satoshi and Takeshi.”

“Pika Pikachu.” Pikachu smiled again and followed Hikari to her friends.

“So is there anything dangerous around??” Takeshi asked. “Or Team Rocket??”

Hikari shook her head. “Nope, just the three of us and the wilderness.”

“That’s good,” Satoshi replied. “We won’t have to worry about any unnecessary distractions on the way to the next city, then.”

Hikari nodded, but lowered her gaze. “Yeah… no unnecessary distractions.”

“Is something wrong, Hikari??” Takeshi asked.

“Oh, no, no.” Hikari shook her head. “I was just… thinking about something.”

Pikachu hopped onto Satoshi’s shoulder. “Are you ready to go, Pikachu??” he asked.

“Pika Pikachu!!”

“It looks like we’re ready to go, then,” Takeshi said, picking up his backpack and Pokémon egg. “Let’s head west until sundown, and we’ll make camp for the nite at a good spot in the area.”

That nite, the trio had managed to cover about half of their walk to the nearest city before the sun set, so they found a nice clearing in a wooded area and set up camp. They worked together to start a fire, pitch some tents and gather some materials to help Takeshi cook a dinner. He had made another stew, but this time he treated Satoshi and Hikari to some onigiri —rice crackers. The two enjoyed their treat, but ate their dinner in an awkward silence.

Takeshi, taking note of the silence, decided to speak up first. “So, do you two like the onigiri ??”

Both trainers nodded. “Yeah, it’s great,” Satoshi replied. “Thanks.”

Hikari nodded her agreement. “Yes, it’s delicious.”

“That’s good to hear.” Takeshi looked over in Satoshi’s direction, but Satoshi only lowered his gaze to his food. “Is Pikachu enjoying the food I made for it, too??” Takeshi asked.

Satoshi glanced at his first Pokémon, who was thoroughly enjoying its meal. “Looks like it likes your food a lot,” he answered.

“I added in some different flavours this time,” Takeshi said. “I made a few adjustments to the formula I normally use, too, so I’m glad it’s worked out fine.” Satoshi nodded, and Takeshi watched his best friend for a little while. You really need to tell her soon, he thought. This is really hurting you physically and mentally, and the strain can affect your judgment in Pokémon battles. Besides, it’s best if Hikari knows.

After eating, the threesome cleaned up the dishes and prepared to go to sleep. Hikari had watched Satoshi for a long time while he was getting ready, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to him until he was about to go into his tent. Satoshi looked at her and said in an unusually quiet tone, “G’nite, Hikari.”

“Y-yeah, good nite.” Hikari tried so hard to try to say more; she really wanted to say to him, please, Satoshi, listen to me. I need to tell you this, and you should know… However, she merely turned and mechanically entered her tent. Inside, she curled up in her sleeping bag and sighed. “Why can’t I tell him??” she asked herself, feeling a bit of moisture running down her face. She felt with a hand and realised she was crying. “I want to tell him…” She closed her eyes, but the instant she did, she heard the familiar sound of Pokéballs opening. Soon, three of her four Pokémon stood by her side—Piplup, Buneary and Pachirisu.

“Piplup pip,” her first Pokémon said.

“Buneary Buneary.” Buneary smiled and snuggled by Hikari’s side.

“Pachi Pachi.” Pachirisu curled up nearby her face.

“Thanks, guys,” Hikari said, smiling thru her tears. “I’m glad you’re here for me.” Piplup also laid by Hikari’s side, and the trainer and her Pokémon fell asleep together.

Satoshi, meanwhile, lay in his sleeping bag in his tent, but was unable to fall asleep. He gazed at the top of the tent’s interior, wishing sleep would come, but was having no luck. He sat up a little, checking to see if Takeshi and Pikachu were asleep. “Just my luck,” he muttered, lying back down. “Both are asleep.”

He had wanted to talk to his best friend or his Pokémon until he managed to fall asleep, but he was subjected to hearing the soft snores of the two instead. He desperately wished he knew why he couldn’t sleep so suddenly, but he didn’t have to think about it for long when he figured it out.

“Is this because of my feelings for Hikari??” he quietly asked himself. It can’t be, he continued silently. Why would these feelings keep me awake?? Unless… it’s because I can’t get the courage to tell her. He sat up. Maybe I could talk to her now, but she’s probably asleep, too. He sighed in frustration before lying down again.

Later the next day, while the trio was continuing their walk to the next town, Satoshi started feeling the effects of his insomnia from the previous nite. He constantly found himself drifting in and out of sleep while walking, and he also swayed across the path they were walking on. He tried to force himself to stay awake and continue walking, but it seemed as though his eyelids got heavier and heavier with each step he took.

“Are you okay, Satoshi??” Takeshi asked.

“Y… yeah, I’m fine,” Satoshi lied.

“Then why do you look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet??”

Satoshi shook his head furiously, temporarily clearing the drowsiness. “Don’t worry about me; I guess I just had a rough nite.” He blinked a few times, and the sleepiness settled in again. “I don’t care if there’s anything wrong with me; I won’t stop for anything until I get to the next gym.”

“You don’t want to stop to eat or heal your Pokémon??” Takeshi pointed out.

“Well… you know what I mean.” Satoshi frowned and kept walking.

“You really don’t look too well,” Hikari said, stopping Satoshi in his tracks. “Why don’t you lie down for a while?? We can stop early for lunch, right, Takeshi??”

Takeshi spotted Satoshi’s reaction and nodded. “Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”

Satoshi tried as hard as he could to protest, but Hikari’s concerned words melted his heart, so he merely nodded his agreement. After a spot was chosen to have their meal, Satoshi gratefully lay on the grass and almost instantly fell asleep.

“What’s wrong with Satoshi??” Hikari asked.

Takeshi hesitated before answering. He had a pretty good idea what was plaguing his friend, but until he could be certain of it—and until Satoshi finally confessed—he knew it was best to keep quiet about it. “I… think it’s possible he could be coming down with something,” he replied.

Hikari grew concerned again. “Should we get some medicine for him??” she asked.

Takeshi shook his head. “I think we should wait and see if he really is getting sick first before we jump to conclusions. It’s possible he could just be tired, too.”

“Why would he be tired?? Didn’t he go to sleep last nite??”

Takeshi shrugged. “I thought he did, but I can’t say for sure.”

“Is it alright if I stay here and keep an eye on him??” Hikari asked.

“Sure,” Takeshi answered. “I’ll get the preparations ready for lunch.” Maybe this is the perfect chance for Satoshi to confess his feelings when he wakes up, he thought.

While Takeshi was preparing lunch, Hikari gazed at Satoshi’s sleeping countenance for a while. He seemed so peaceful in this state, it seemed difficult to believe he was either extremely exhausted or coming down with some sort of illness. She smiled to herself, knowing that no matter what she said about how she truly felt to him, he would never return the feelings. After all, he was in practically in a different league than her altogether—he had been traveling as a Pokémon trainer for a much longer period of time than her, and he seemed too much of a loner who only seemed to love battling Pokémon and making friends with them—not that it was a problem, but it prohibited him from actually falling in love with a girl.

Hikari drew her knees up to her chest and rested her arms and head on top of her knees. She longed to let him know how she felt, just so at least he knew, but every single time she tried to say something, it was as if someone filled her mouth with peanut butter, and she remained quiet. She knew she couldn’t continue hiding her feelings from him forever, since it could eventually affect herself, physically and mentally.

She straightened up. “Wait… “ she muttered to herself. “Satoshi seems both physically and emotionally drained lately… there’s no way it could be a sickness. What if he…??” She left her unfinished question hang in the air for a moment. “No, no… what am I thinking??” She shook her head. “He probably is coming down with something, since he looks so worn out.” She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I knew it was too good to be true… there’s no way—“

“What’s too good to be true??”

Hikari’s eyes flew open and she looked up at Takeshi. “H-how much of that did you hear??” she asked, her voice wavering.

“Only that last sentence,” Takeshi answered. “Is there something you need to talk about?? I’m here to listen.”

Hikari looked away. “Well… I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry; whatever you say I will not repeat to anyone.” Takeshi smiled. “I’m very good at keeping secrets.”

Hikari took a deep breath. “Okay, but please don’t laugh or make fun of me.”

Takeshi realised he felt a case of deja-vu. He wondered why he felt that way, but it quickly came to him:

“Who’s the girl you have your eye on??”

“Please don’t laugh, but it’s Hikari…”

Takeshi suppressed a surprised gasp. Could she be…?? “Don’t worry about that, either,” he said out loud. “I don’t laugh at anyone’s secrets.” He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as Hikari spoke the next sentence.

“Well, it’s hard to explain, but… I’m in love with Satoshi.”

Takeshi was silent for a long time. She is!! he thought in astonishment. She actually feels the same about Satoshi!! If only Satoshi was awake to hear this, I’m sure he’d feel much more relieved. “W-wow,” he finally said. “I… I must admit I wasn’t expecting that one. Why do you say that, anyway??”

Hikari looked down at her pink boots. “I don’t know, really. I’ve been trying to figure it out myself. I guess Satoshi is really kind to both people and Pokémon, and he treats me very nicely… not many people have done that for me. I know you do the same, Takeshi, but it’s kind of different, you know?? Sorry if that bothers you or offends you.”

“Hey, I understand.” Takeshi smiled. “I am kind to everyone just because I want to make them happy. Satoshi makes you and lots of other people happy, too, but in a different sense.” At this point, Takeshi really wanted to nudge Satoshi discreetly until he awoke, but unfortunately, Takeshi was sitting on the opposite side of Hikari, so he would be unable to reach him unless Hikari notised. “I was just asking about why you felt that way about Satoshi because I was curious… as far as I know, there’s been only one other person to have fallen for him.”

“Really?? Who??”

“Kasumi, the first person to travel with him.”

“Does he love her??” Hikari tried to keep her feelings out of her voice, but she didn’t think she was successful.

“No, he doesn’t. He only likes her as a friend, nothing more.”

“Do you think Satoshi would accept my feelings for him?? I know there’s no way he could ever love me, but at least I should let him know how I feel.”

“Er… “ Takeshi hesitated. He already knew that Satoshi would be ecstatic if he knew how Hikari felt, but he thought it would be better if the two of them confessed their feelings without him saying anything himself. “Well, I think it would be best if you told him after he wakes up.”

Hikari looked shocked. “But… but I can’t do that.”

“Why not??”

“It’s not that easy,” Hikari replied. “I can’t just tell him how I feel; he might laugh at me or want to not be my friend anymore. I can’t end our friendship like that.”

Takeshi realised he was having another case of deja-vu, since those were almost the exact same words Satoshi had said the previous day. He sighed, wishing this ordeal would end already; it was giving him a bit of a headache. “There’s only one way to find out what Satoshi would do,” he said. “You need to tell him how you feel, or else… or else you’ll find out that the hidden feelings will affect you greatly. You won’t be able to eat or sleep, and your judgment will be off when you enter a Pokémon contest and have to think fast. Tell you what—after Satoshi wakes up, I’ll have the two of you go someplace together where you’ll be alone, and you can talk to each other and when you feel the time is right, tell him how you feel. I guarantee you’ll feel much better afterwards.”

Hikari nodded slowly. “O-okay… but I’m kind of nervous about it.”