Pallet Love In Sinnoh

Chapter 1: The Nightmare Starts Tonight

Kevin laid on his bed that night, listening to the peaceful snores of his Pichu sleeping in his arms. He had been asleep for a while too when he woke up from a dream. A dream about going on a journey through the entire world. With his best friend.

Leaf. Her eyes shone with determination every time she tried new things. The way her hair swayed from side to side when she would jump around full with excitement always seemed to have the same effect on Kevin. And she'd always smile and be positive about anything, no matter what.

But...why is she always in my dreams? What exactly did I do to deserve her company or friendship? And what have I been feeling for her recently? Kevin mused. Deciding that sleep was not going to come anytime soon, he sighed in frustration as he slowly got out of bed in his Pikachu pajamas and slippers while being extra careful not to wake Maria up. And it failed miserably.

"Pi?" Maria inquired groggily while she opened her eyes and turned to face Kevin's back.

"Sorry, Maria. Did I wake you up?" Kevin asked back apologetically. Maria shook her head and jumped onto her favorite spot: his right shoulder. Kevin chuckled lightly and rubbed her chin affectionately, earning a coo from her.

"That's good. Hey, you thirsty?" he questioned Maria.

"Chu." Maria replied, nodding. Kevin walked downstairs to the kitchen and poured them a glass of water. He gave Maria a sip before taking one himself.

Suddenly, they heard Cindy's voice call out, "Can't sleep, bro?" Kevin put the glass down on the countertop before turning and seeing her rub her eyes. Cindy was wearing her Eevee pajamas and slippers. Spark was nowhere to be seen, which meant she managed to slip out without him noticing. Kevin made himself a mental note to ask Cindy how she did that later.

"Yeah. Sorry. I had a lot on my mind. Mainly, getting excited about camp." he replied sincerely. Cindy perked up, and a teasing smile crossed her face.

"Are you sure that's what you're really getting excited about, Kev? Don't try to fool yourself." she stated. Kevin was totally caught off guard by that.

"...Huh?!" he hissed out as quietly as he could.

"And don't play dumb with me either. I know you're not just excited about camp. You're also excited about spending the whole week..." Cindy trailed off suspensefully. Kevin felt his face heat up, almost as if he somehow knew what was going to come out of her mouth next. Maria struggled to contain her laughter.

"...with Leafy. Though, it's not like you spend all the time with her anyway." Cindy finished with a shrug. Kevin's face turned as red as a Tamato berry while Maria giggled silently.

"I...uh...um..." He tried to deny it, but found that he couldn't.

"I'm right, am I? And then there's that pinky promise you two made about traveling through Kanto together when you turn ten. That is a very sacred vow you made. Are you sure you're going to remember that two years from now?" Cindy inquired seriously. Kevin flinched before gazing at her with a deadpanned expression.

"...OK, fess up. Whose idea was it to spy on us during our talk?" he drawled. Cindy froze up.

"Um..." she trailed off uncertainly with sweat falling down the back of her head. Kevin crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly.

"Cindy..." he uttered sternly.

"...Gary and I wanted to know what you two were talking about, and we both came up with the idea to spy on you." Cindy admitted as calmly as she possibly could.

Kevin snorted before saying unamusingly, "...Oh, you two are so busted once Leaf finds out about this."

"...Sorry?" Cindy responded in more of a questioning manner. Kevin let out an exasperated sigh.