SCARY , HUH ?

raihan’s voice is comforting in your time of need. he’s always been nice, and perhaps that’s why your first instinct was to call him. and it isn’t like he’s never been concerned about you before. you remember multiple instances, actually, but that isn’t really important right now. what’s important right now is the fact that raihan picked up, and that he promised. he promised, and you trust him. raihan wouldn’t back out of a promise, right? right. ah, you’ll spiral if you stay silent. you’ll probably worry him if you do. you need to say something, anything, and yet you can’t. you feel like there’s a froakie in your throat. if you speak, you fear you might start crying. the words are on the tip of your tongue, and yet, whenever you try to spit it out, you can’t. it’s agonizing. you try and try and try and try, but all that comes out are noises. and then you realize: you’re scared. you’re scared someone, somehow, will overhear and that you’ll get in trouble. you feel sick. your skin is crawling and you have to stop yourself from scratching all over. that’s no good, and especially not now. this isn’t good. you can’t stay quiet, though. something, anything will work.

oh? oh!!! it’s shuichi. what’s he doing back in galar? this isn’t his home region, and besides, isn’t he busy? you think he is. still, you’re excited to see him. he’s nice, and the two of you are.. similar enough. he’s a little more outgoing, but all in all, you both are relatively timid. you wonder if you’ll ever be able to be more outgoing. you don’t need a bunch of friends, but it would be nice to talk to other gym leaders without feeling a deep sense of dread that comes out of nowhere. but this isn’t about that. your fellow gym leaders aren’t here, and if they are, you certainly don’t see them. this is about shuichi, and how he’s in galar for some reason. 

your feet move before you can think, and suddenly you’re right in front of the older boy. not that it’s a bad thing. you wanted to talk to him anyways, because it’s been forever since the two of you have last spoke face to face. he also made a promise to you, and even if it’s not a particularly serious one, a promise is still a promise. you hope he remembers. 

ah. now that’s unexpected. completely and utterly unexpected. it catches you by surprise. things like this always catch you off guard, though. doesn’t matter who says it or when they say it, somehow, it always throws you off. it’s not like you don’t feel as if it’s deserved ( because you try your best, you really do, and that alone is enough to deserve being cared for, isn’t it? you’re still a child, and that alone should be enough, right? it’s well-deserved, you think. you’re 12, and yet you’re a gym leader. a child, a powerful pokemon trainer... isn’t that enough? it must be. it has to be, ) but somehow, it still feels strange. it’s nice, though. it makes you feel all warm on the inside. it’s a nice, happy feeling. nicole can’t see it, but you’re smiling.

you find yourself squirming, with your arms crossed as you rub at your elbows. you lean to the left, then to right, and so on and so forth. you’re not really sure what to say in response. is there even an appropriate response to say in the first place? really, you’re not used to this sort of thing. some form of praise, sure, but this isn’t praise. this is someone saying they care for you, and that’s something you’ve only heard from a handful of people before. granted, you don’t really have relationships with anyone who isn’t a gym leader, but still. maybe this is why people like to be with each other. really, it’s a nice feeling. genuinely, you don’t know what to say, but you can’t just stand there. standing there and staring wordlessly is impolite, right? it isn’t like your smile is visible ( this is one of the few times you regret wearing your mask, ) so you must look pretty rude right now.