âş âş notes: This is a Pokemon AU. I am bored. It is 11pm at night. I do not write. If you hate it, don't tell me I will cry.
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You made your way to the front door, bag in hand and your new belt on your waist. As you grabbed the front door you paused and turned to your mom. "I promise I'll be home soon, Mom! Professor said it would only take a few minutes..." you said.
"I know, sweetheart, but choosing your first Pokemon is so nerve-wracking, I just want you to go in with a level head. Don't rush to choose one just because some other kid got one you wanted," your mom sighed as she glanced over at your dad. Your dad must have known she was referring to him and his starter he chose. He just shrugged and grumbled a few words under his breath.
You gave your mom another look, reassuring her that you were fine. You had been waiting for this your whole life; it was finally time to pick your starter.
You left your house, almost galloping out your front door like a gazelle. The walk to the professor's lab wasn't that far, but you decided to stroll through the community gardens along the way. A rush of anxiety was coming over you, but you kept telling yourself it was just because you were finally getting a starter- nothing more.
You leisurely passed by your neighbors, watching them as they all talked amongst themselves and paraded through the streets with their own starters. Pikachus, Charmanders, Bulbasaurs, Squirtles- they all ran by your feet. You gave a small smile and giggled as you watched the pokemon play with each other.
You decided, hey why don't I take a quick break- to ease my mind a bit.
You sat on a bench outside of Ms. Ketchum's house. You were trying to catch your breath and "level your head" as your mom would say when you saw a familiar face as you looked around at your surroundings.
You'd known him his entire life. Growing up as next door neighbors, always being in the same classes at school, and now choosing your starter pokemon will become a shared memory between the two of you. Even though you grew up close, being friends was not the best way of describing your relationship. The two of you had a sense of competitiveness amongst you like no one before. Every available opportunity was turned into a contest of some sorts. You knew this day wasn't going to be any different. He was always meant to be your rival, the one who would make you a better trainer. Ruggie Bluecheese.
"Hey, nerd," he said, scoffing at you as he walked by. The words left his mouth almost as if he hated even saying them. You thought to yourself, why not just ignore me if we're not friends. Ignoring you would have made your day easier. Ruggie was doing nothing to keep your head leveled before your big decision.
You hated when he called you nerd. It drove you nuts. The competitiveness between you two started long ago, all from one singular incident. Your 4th grade final exam. The two of you had made bets as to who would be listed in the top of the class once the grades were released. You were adamant that it would be you- the one who studied for weeks and weeks, learning all the material, memorizing every word. Ruggie, on the other hand, was all too sure that it would be he- the one who slept through all the lectures, who threw paper wads at you to distract you while taking notes, who never once made top of the class in all the years prior. You couldnât figure out if this was some sick joke or if he actually believed he would beat you.
âHello⌠Rugbert âŚâ you said, squinting your eyes at him as he walked past. You assumed you got under his skin since he stopped right after hearing you say his name, the one no one ever dares to call him.
âI told you, donât call me Rugbert,â he said as he turned to you, making a disgusted face.
âAw, but thatâs what your grandmother calls you. So that is what I am going to call you, too. It is your name. I donât know why you keep telling people your name is Ruggie,â you said as you got up from the bench and crossed your arms at him.
âYeah, it is the one my grandmother calls me. You arenât allowed to, and neither is anyone else. To you and the rest of the world, I am Ruggie,â he huffed.
You walked towards him and lightly tapped his shoulder and said, âSure. Keep telling yourself that⌠Rugbert.â
You walked past him, noticing now how close to time you were to choose your starter. If you didnât leave now, you wouldnât make it in time. Who knew what would happen if you didnât get to choose a starter, what would your parents think?! You continued to walk as you felt Ruggieâs presence catching up to you.
Ruggie was now walking beside you at the same pace. You assumed he wanted to make sure he got there before you, why else would he be walking so close to you.
âDo you know what starter youâre going to choose?â he asked.
âIâve thought about it some. I love how Bulbasaurs look when they evolve with their beautiful flowers, and plus, I hear they are pretty easy to train. Even you couldnât mess up getting one,â you laughed as you kept walking.
Ruggie didnât seem too impressed by your joke, but continued to walk with you nonetheless. âI think I am actually going to get the fire one, the charmander. They look really cool. I bet they could be good use in the kitchen, helping with their fire powers and stuff.â
âI mean, sure they could, but donât you think thatâs a little too difficult to train for someone like you?â you teased.
Ruggie laughed this time, but you werenât sure if he actually thought your joking was funny. He looked at you and gave a mischievous grin. âYeah, they might be tough, but I enjoy a little challenge. Itâs always nice getting what you want in the end.â For some reason, you felt like he was talking about something other than choosing a starter. You didnât want to think anything more of it; how dare Ruggie invade your thoughts the way he always seems to do sometimes.
You two continued to walk a little bit longer, but the words he said were eating at your mind. âWhat did you mean by that, Ruggie?â you asked.
âOhh, so you only call me Rugbert to annoy me. Okay, I get it now,â he said laughing with his mischievous chin again.
You rolled your eyes at his response, avoiding your question. âCome on, answer me,â you said as you lightly punched his arm.
Ruggie stopped smiling as you two walked. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and stopped walking. Confused, you also stopped and looked back at him.
âWell⌠ya know? Itâs like, I-,â he trailed off as he scratched behind his ears, his eyes searching past you so he wasnât making direct eye contact.
âWEâRE LATE!â he shouted as he ran towards the lab entrance.
You two were within a few feet from the bridge in front of the building. The words leaving Ruggieâs mouth made you gasp. How could you let yourself be late- on a day like this of all days. You turned quickly and made your way over the bridge, looking up at the clock above the door entrance that told you you were already 15 minutes late. Your time with Ruggie felt a lot shorter than what it mustâve been.
You both made your way inside, Ruggie making it inside before you. You knew he would probably tease you for it tomorrow, another thing he beat you at. Ruggie was walking in front of you when you both entered the large room where you were supposed to have already been in.
Professor Oak locked eyes with you and gave a small sigh and frowned. He made his way over to you both, walking past the other students in your class who were already filling out their new trainer paperwork with their new starters by their side.
âI am not sure how to tell you both this, but-â he said looking back at both you and Ruggie, âAll of my available starters have been claimed for today⌠I donât have one for either of you. It seems like we just gave out our last one a few minutes before you two arrived.â
Your heart sank hearing his words. This was your day, and it was ruined by not having a starter. Professor Oak continued to explain to you both about the varying choices for starter pokemon and assured you that he would have more for you both soon. He had another trip he intended to make to Lavender Town and knew he would find you both a suitable companion along the way. You turned to Ruggie to see his expression when hearing the same news. He seemed nonchalant about the situation, as if getting his starter wasnât as big of a deal to him as it was to you. The more you thought about that, the more it made sense. Ruggie was used to doing things on his own, rarely asking for help from others. He didnât need a pokemon like you did. You couldnât do anything for yourself it seemed. You hoped by having a starter that it would help you with doing your chores since doing even a small task seemed like a huge endeavor on its own to you. You always needed help, Ruggie didnât. You hated that.
As you two left Professor Oakâs lab, you started to walk home together. It was fairly silent since both of you had just left the lab without a starter in hand.
You noticed as you came to the gardens that Ruggie picked up his pace and scurried to the flower beds. You figured he saw dandelions he wanted to eat, he was weird like that. He came back to you with an alstroemeria in hand and reached out to give it to you. You werenât sure what was happening, but you looked at him as he spoke.
âHere,... Bulbasaurs arenât the only ones who have beautiful flowers.â he said as you took the flower.
You stared at the flower and then back at Ruggie, he was giving you that stupid, mischievous grin again. You knew this was his way of trying to make you feel better. Your mind was racing thinking of when you ever mentioned alstroemerias were your favorite flowers to him.
You smiled at the flower and thought to yourself, maybe this day wasnât ruined at all.
