Heroes

I

"Blaziken, flamethrower!" May shouted at her loyal Blaziken, who obeyed almost at the same time she finished the order.

Archie seemed amazed at the beginning, but after a short second he began to clap at her, amused.

"Well done my little scamp! You did it again!" He walked towards her, at the same time he returned his Mightyena to its pokeball. When he was almost at her side he stared at her with lovingly eyes; his little scamp, how much has she grown over the months.

"You're gettin' old Archie" She teased. "Should I start worrying?"

She killed the space that existed between them, hugging him, smelling his sweet and salted scent. She grew very fond of this man during the past months. After beating him when he almost destroyed the whole Hoenn region by summoning Kyogre she told herself to give him a second chance. Probably her compassionate nature helped her in making the decision, but the truth is that she didn't regret it.

He, on the other hand, had developed feelings for the young trainer. Though he wasn't sure of these feelings, he knew he was starting to feel something weird and powerful for the girl, but he wouldn't admit it, he had a super-high pride and ego.

"Hey hey scamp! Don't go any further! I'm not that old ya' know" He said while continuing the hug, getting it tighter. She smelled like soap, but not that common and boring soap, like fresh and fruited one. He didn't want to let her go.

"Really?" She asked in an ironically tone and breaking the embrace. "How old are you if I may ask? It's crazy how little we know about each other".

"Ya' know, that's not what ya' ask to an older person!" He said faking a disappointed grin.

"Oh, really?" She said chuckling. "Then I won't tell you how old I am. And I suppose that you're dying to know it".

"Yeah please, do tell me scamp! I won't survive much longer if I don't get to know your age!" Archie then fell to his knees in a pray-like pose, dying of laughter in his inner self.

"Oh come on Archie! You're a grown up man, you can't go around there falling to your knees! For Arceus sake" She said, laughing as hard as ever.

"I could be younger than you think" He said getting up again. "Just try and guess it".

"You first" She said with a grin.

"What do I get if I guess it right?" He said with a mischievous grin.

"Something" She said staring at him, with love in her eyes.

He gasped. Somehow, he was nervous. He didn't know why, but he was scared to death. She was there, looking so fragile and petite yet he knew she was anything but fragile. She stared at him, with something sneaking through her eyes, something he could feel warm, something that he liked.

"Can I ask you something little scamp?" He said, feeling his heart trying to scape his chest.

"Sure. Anything Archie"

She then glared at his lips. Thin and somehow tanned, like all his skin, she thought.

"Am I somebody to you? Somebody meaningful?" He somehow managed to say it all. He was feeling near to faint right in front of her. He normally seemed like a big guy, a tough, grown up man. Putting aside his jokes and his always cheerful expression, he looked like a mature man, someone who knows what he wants.

She thought to herself the positive and the negative things of telling him the truth. He, somehow, became someone important to her. One of the many persons she truly cared for. However, she couldn't let him know that. What would he think? Would it be right? Sure he was older, much older than her, but she was old enough to decide what was good and bad for her, she was 17 after all.

"Archie" She said glaring at him and then looking at the ground. The green grass touched her skin softly, it felt like little pecks on her legs.

He didn't feel his heart anymore. "It's okay if ya' don't wanna answer scamp, that was a bit rude from me".

She quickly looked back up at him. He was staring deep in the ocean from the cliff they were on. In a spontaneous move she lifted her hand and caressed his right cheek. He looked back at her, with so much love and new feelings in his sight.

"I'm moving to the Kalos region" She dropped like nothing.

That felt like frozen water against him. "What?" He somehow managed to say. He didn't want this to be true, just a bad dream, a really bad nightmare.

She had tears in her eyes. She wasn't able of looking at him, she just broke the space between them and hug him as it'd be the last time, which, surely, it was. He said nothing, just embraced her tightly around his arms, feeling as weak as ever.

"When?" He asked, not wanting to know the answer at all.

"In two days" She said with pain. "I didn't want to. I tried to convince my dad for not leaving so soon, but he just didn't listen to me, he said there's nothing that attach us to the Hoenn region now that he left the Gym. I even tried to convince him telling him that if I become the League Champion I wouldn't be able to leave" She was now sobbing furiously against him.

"What did he say about the Champion thing?"

"He teased me saying that I wouldn't get further than the Victory Road" She was still sobbing against his tanned chest.

"Ya' know, if he weren't your dad I would kill him for what he's said" Archie said angrily.

"Please, make me a promise Archie" She said breaking the hug. "Promise me you'll never forget me. Promise me."

"I wouldn't be able to forget you. I'd rather die to forget us" He said with teary and truthful eyes, looking at her little girl. "Can I ask you something more, May?"

She knew he was being serious, he called her by her name. "S-Sure, what's it?"

"Can I kiss you?" He got to collect all of the bravery that was left in him to ask the question.

She glared at him, with meaningful eyes. She felt safe around him. She felt complete. "Only if it won't be the last time".

He softly looked down at her. The tears were running down her cheeks like if they were small and thin rivers. He put both of his hands on her cheeks, holding her face and wiping away her tears. He slowly went down at her level, staring at her teary eyes and looking down at her lips at some points. She finally broke the space and kissed him. She needed it so bad. It was a soft, caring kiss, with so many feelings in it. Clearly, he was somebody to her.