Being Friends With The Girl From Those Dreams

June 18/2012 — Dream World

“Hey, Hiyura—you didn’t talk to Kamizo even though you’re in the same class, did you?” Papa asked.

I replied with my signature double nod.

He signed.
“I guess pushing you any further would just be meaningless.”

His expression lit up almost instantly, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
“Wait a minute..”
“But then why are you coming to the Kamizos’ place, huh?”

I paused for a few seconds, keeping my face nonchalant.

Yep, you guessed it right. Papa and I on the ‘not-so-heart-warming’ classic ride.

His expressions started to melt into that nasty smile again.
Sadly, this man didn’t say anything, but I could already understand the meaning behind that face.

Before he could say something, I cut in.
“Will you buy me an Arcanine?”

“You idiot! Both of us would become food for that Arcanine if we brought one into the house. Your mother absolutely hates pets.”

“Right, that’s why,” I said with lightless eyes.

“U-Ugh.” Papa pretended to tear up. “Lately, you’re being so cold to Papa.”

Papa? I don’t really remember you being my Papa… but I clearly remember you being the Team Rocket leader.
And conveniently enough, I’ve already set my journey to hunt down Team Rocket in my fantasy world.

Reaching their place.

I was eagerly sitting in the living room, waiting to meet Arcanine again.
My chin rested on my hands laced together—elbows on my knees.

But I couldn’t just barge into her room. So, I guess the only option for me was to wait for permission.

While these friends are chatting, happily vanishing into their own world, Kamizo Mumma entered the room.

She might have understood my restless posture, because she gave a soft smile and said,
“Hiyura-kun, you can go to Kamizo’s room and play together.”

I take my words back—she is definitely the moon princess.

As she chucked lightly, and the other two were busy in their own world, I slipped out.
I believe she was smiling because I couldn’t hide the happiness on my face.

standing in front of her room.
I placed my hand on the door to knock, but I paused.

Am I getting nervous?
My heart started pounding, maybe because this is the first time I’m doing something like this—visiting a friend’s house.

Bark! Bark!

Hearing the voice of Arcanine, it lit up the fire inside me again.
I came this far, I’m not backing off now.

I knocked on the door.
“I’m Hiyura. Can I come in?”

A suspicious number of seconds passed by before I heard the door open.
There was Kamizo, her face a little red as she looked down. “Come in,” she said softly.

The instant I entered, my eyes locked onto Arcanine—and his onto mine.
Next was just like a movie scene, as if two best friends of life were reuniting after years apart, we ran toward each other in dramatic slow motion.

“Arcanine!!”
“I missed you, Arcanine. Is your current trainer feeding you well?”
“Bark! Bark!”

In the corner near the door, Kamizo puffed her cheeks like a balloon, sulking.
“He’s Yukki, not Arcanine.”

But the resistance she showed only made me want to tease her even more.

Arcanine and I sat on the floor, me seriously attempting to “train” him in “flamethrower” and “extreme speed” combos.

She asked me, “D-Do y-you like to play with Yukki?” her hands behind her back.

What’s in her hands behind her?

I paused for a second and answered. “Ahh. I really wanted to play with him.”

Her cheeks show a hint of red. Without making eye contact, she pulled out a volume of ‘Helly and Mutt’ from behind her. Without any explanation, she handed me the book.

A question mark floating over my head, I take it and randomly flip it open. I started to read a random paragraph.

Then Arcanine, with his paw, flipped the pages and took out the part she wanted me to read.

I scanned the lines.
A new character introduction.

I see this is the new volume of ‘Helly and Mutt’.
It’s not like I actually read this story; it’s just that Kamizo was so passionate about it, I ended up reading a few chapters, okay?

I looked towards her, and she was watching me with ‘The Puppy Eyes’.

Ehh… but what exactly is she trying to tell me here?

Is she telling me to see and get excited that there is a new character?
Am I supposed to ask when the new volume came out?

CRISIS!!

Damaging ‘The Puppy Eyes’ with the wrong answer feels disgraceful to my status
I’m the Pokémon Master — I can’t afford to lose in a moment like this.

But that being said, I cannot understand what this is about.
At that time, when a man can no longer afford to lose, if he has true willpower, he will be struck by some divine lightning of enlightenment.

A memory struck me.

Flashback
*****
My final gym battle. My opponent still had three Pokémon left, while my Arcanine was standing alone.
At the end, I got that gym badge — all because of my Arcanine, who clutched it for me.

*****

Remembering that, I realised Arcanine is the one who helps me in clutch situations.
I instinctively looked toward Arcanine for help.

Arcanine and I started having a conversation with telepathy.
Don’t worry—when you walk on the path of becoming a Pokémon Master long enough, you will know what I mean.

“Hey, Arcanine, she’s your trainer, right? You should know what she means. Help me.”
“Bark! Bark! … You’re the Pokémon Master, aren’t you?”
“Bark! Bark! … You should have trained more than anyone to know a Pokémon’s feelings, even if they can’t speak.”
“Or are you telling me this is the extent of your ability, Champion Hiyura?”

Arcanine opened my eyes.

I see, now I understand what my Papa meant when he said, ‘In bad times, you should remember the most obvious things, people tend to forget them.’

Steeling my resolve, I looked towards Kamizo again.

Think! Think! Think!...

Think! Think! Think!...

I used every cell of my brain and could come up with one spark, which my instinct tells me to lean on, but if this answer were to be wrong, not only she but I would be taking damage from that.

But a good Pokémon trainer is not afraid of taking risks.

Being a little nervous, I asked,
“D-do y-you want to play this scene with the new character with me?”

I looked at her eyes, glowing—she nodded happily.
Arcanine signed in relief.

“Why?!”
Her face, which barely showed any expression, got all excited.
“Why?! Why? How did you get it? How did you—?”

For some reason, I got flustered by her excited reaction.
“ J-just l-luc-ck.”

That actually startled me. Anyway, how on the damn earth I guessed it, I don’t know myself.

“Do you know? I love to imitate the adventures Haily has with Mutt. It’s my and Yukki’s favourite game.”

“Ohh…” Nod nod.

Still recovering from the event happening right now, I found myself going into the silent version of me again as she continued speaking.

“In those adventures, the one in the 3rd volume is my favourite……”
“There was one where Yukki and I got scolded by Mumma…….”
“Nom-nom-nom-nom-nom….…………………..”

“But with a new boy character in this volume, I couldn’t imitate the adventures faithfully.”

Her adrenaline—and the excitement it caused—started wearing off as she realised the question she was going to ask.

Her expressions went back to the ice princess.

She turned around and started walking away… or I should say, retreating back.

“Stop!!”
I held her hand.

“Do you want to play the adventure with me?”

Her head remained turned away, but she nodded in response.

On the way back home with Papa

“You little devil. You snuck out to Kamizo’s room under my blind eye to play with her.”

I believe I don’t need to tell you what expressions he said that with.

Me, keeping a nonchalant face:
“I was playing with Arcanine… okay.”

The scenery started to blur out…