The Sea Guardian {A Pokémon Fanfiction}

Apologizing

Silver's POV~

We all stared at the door until Lyra and Gold turned to me. I looked down and rubbed the back of my neck and let out a nervous laugh.

"I'll go," Lyra said, reaching for the door.

"No," Gold stopped her, grabbing her hand. "I should."

"But I'm her friend!" Lyra objected.

"I am, too!"

"I'm sure she'd prefer me over you."

"What makes you say that?"

I used the opportunity to slip out of the door and down the hallway. I rolled my eyes at the two bickering.

"Lovebirds," I mumbled.

"Something I can help you with?" Nurse Joy asked me as I entered the main room.

"Yeah, did you see a blond girl with a Sneasel about yay high come out of here?" I said, bringing my hand to about the middle of my neck. She thought for a minute and nodded.

"Uh-huh. She went out back to the garden. Said she would be back by curfew."

I nodded and exited the back door that led to the garden. The night sky was so beautiful, stars lighting up the darkness. I'd never noticed it before.

Sitting on a bench near the fountain in the middle, Hazel sat, fiddling with Blizzard in her lap. She sighed and talked to her as if she were a human.

"I'm not mad, ya know," she told Blizzard. "Just, I thought I would be able to trust him. But it isn't fair to Gold and Lyra that I only told Silver. I never expected him not to tell anyone. I mean, he's probably known Gold and Lyra for years now. It's like me keeping a secret from you; I wouldn't. But..this is personal." she paused and took a deep breath.

"I lost so much that day..all that I ever loved or cared for. Except for you of course!"

She poked her Ice type in the belly as it giggled, pawing at her cheek. They both laughed, causing me to smile at the pair. Hazel sighed and set Blizzard next to her.

"Are you gonna continue to stand there or are you gonna apologize?" she asked, her back still to me.

"I, u-uhh..well, you see.." I stuttered. "I'm sorry." I said, sitting next to her.

"I am, too," She sighed. "For making a big deal about it. Gold and Lyra should've known."

"Nah..but, about my dad.." I started.

"I've gotta admit, it does bug me a little bit, but it's not like I'll treat you any differently."

"Gotcha," I nodded. "You're not mad?" She shook her head and I sighed.

Blizzard climbed onto my shoulder and pulled on my hair lightly. Hazel burst into giggles and lifted her from my head. Blizzard constantly reached for my hair and I shook my head at her. After minutes of struggling, Blizzard finally sat still in Hazel's arms unhappily.

"So, we're heading down Route 45 tomorrow, right?" I asked.

"Right," Hazel confirmed. "We might be able to make it to Cherrygrove around 4:00. I have a friend I want to visit there, too."

"A friend? What's her name?"

"Anna," she responded and Blizzard perked up at the name.

"Snea, snea?" It squeaked.

"Yes, Anna," Hazel giggled.

"Is she a trainer?" I asked.

"She used to be a gym trainer in Pewter City, but she claims the gym leader there only accepted her because she was pretty," she scoffed. "So she left on a journey around Johto, caught some new pokemon, and got stronger. She wants to go back, but she doesn't feel she's ready. So she's resting in Cherrygrove with her parents currently."

"She sounds strong, still," I said. "after traveling a whole region she must be."

"She is, trust me. She just doesn't have enough faith in herself."

I didn't know who this girl was, or how strong she was, but I couldn't wait to meet her. And possibly get some training done with a battle.

~~~~~~

We walked back to our room in silence. The moment we steppe in, Lyra embraced Hazel in a warm hug. Hazel smiled, returning the hug.

"I'm so sorry," Lyra pitied, rubbing her shoulders.

"It's okay, I'm fine. I swear," Hazel smiled at her, placing her hands on top of hers.

Gold grinned and nodded in Hazel's direction, seeing she was okay. She returned the grin and collapsed on her bunk.

"I'm exhausted," She grumbled.

"No wonder! It's almost 11:00," Gold mimicked her actions, lying down.

"We better get some rest; we're back on the road again tomorrow," Lyra added.

"Bright and early! 7:30, we'll be on Route 45!" Hazel informed, earning a groan from Gold.

I nodded in agreement with the others, lying down on my bunk as well.

Tomorrow, we were going to be one step closer to Victory Road. One step closer to the Pokemon League. One step closer to the title of Champion. One step closer to the end of our journey.