Through the Mirror

“My eyes are shallow waters in the deep ocean of your heart.”

It happened about one year ago. Right after hearing about the “Johto Secret Pokémon League” tournaments, Gramps called us over to join it. I was pretty proud that I was picked to represent my town in Johto, ‘cause only the best trainers were allowed into this brand-new contest. I must admit I got very surprised to see Ash joining the group…But that definitely would not be my biggest shock at all.

Since we could not join the League unless we were a group, we still were down to one trainer. And it had to be a very good one. But except for Ash and myself, Pallet didn’t have any other skilled enough trainers to join us…or so I thought. Just when I was going to ask Gramps about this, she came in.

“Hi, everyone! Sorry I’m late, but it has been quite a time since I last saw Pallet and…Well, I kinda got lost!”

I almost couldn’t believe it. She was the third Pallet trainer. She was the missing trainer in our group. I wasn’t absolutely sure if that was really she until Gramps decided to introduce her.

“Everyone, this is Catherine Reynolds, and she will be joining the team in this new journey of yours.”

There. I had no doubts anymore. She really was Catherine. The same Cathy I knew when I was four…the same one I had abandoned nine years ago…

Ash got pretty amazed, too, but only because he didn’t know there was a female Pallet trainer.

“ You’re a Pokémon trainer? From Pallet?”

“Yeah, I guess. Although I had to leave it when I was six, Pallet’s still my hometown. So here I am!”

“How come we never heard about you?”

Never heard about her? Okay, perhaps he hasn’t, but…Won’t he ever learn how to talk only for himself?

“You probably haven’t, Ash, but my grandson Gary should remember Cathy, right, Gary?”

I know Gramps can’t sense this kind of thing so easily, but couldn’t he have noticed that I was speechless? Cathy’s unexpected appearance had gotten me completely off guard! I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think I blushed when she approached me and said:

“You’re Gary? Gary Oak?”

“The one and only.”- I had finally managed to get my words together.

If I had remembered how spontaneous she used to be when she was a child, I would probably have guessed what she would do next: throwing herself on me and wrapping her arms around my neck.

“It’s so good to see you again, Gary!”

I can’t describe the strange sensation I was feeling while she was hugging me. My heartbeats were faster than normal and I could feel my face getting hotter. That feeling wasn’t bad, though. It wasn’t bad at all. Actually, I kind of liked having her so close to me.

“Good to see you, too, Cathy.”

Ash, Cathy and the others listened carefully to every word Gramps pronounced. He explained about the nine badges we would have to get, the type of Gym leaders we should expect to battle, how we should always help one another…Thank God I already knew about all that, or else I would have been troubled. I just couldn’t concentrate properly. At least, not on Gramps’ lecture.

I was too busy admiring Catherine. She definitely didn’t look anything alike the little girl I had met some years ago. No wonder, she was no longer a little girl! Physical changes were pretty obvious… She was much taller, but still shorter than me, and her body curves were exactly where and how they should be. She couldn’t look better…Everything about her was simply perfect: her delicate hands cherishing Ash’s Pikachu, her silk-like hair framing her angel face, her deep eyes glancing my Gramps’ lab…

Her eyes… Why do I feel strange by even thinking of them? My spine gets cold and I sweat drop. Perhaps it’s their deepness that amazes and scares me at the same time. Right. They scare me. They’re so intense they could penetrate my mind and read my thoughts… Some I don’t want her to know.

“Gary, are you okay?”

“…Huh?” –I had gotten so lost on thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed that Cathy had been staring at me for the last seconds.

“You look so distracted… Are you thinking about something?”

“No! Why…why are you asking me this?”

“Because I’m worried about you, that’s all.”

Worried. She was worried about me. The guy who didn’t even show up to say goodbye to her the day she had to leave, the guy who never demonstrated the same kind of affection that she did for him… Could this mean she had forgiven me? That’s something I still didn’t have the chance to talk to her about.

“Well, thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

And then she gave me that sweet and kind smile that melts every part of my being. Her pretty smile and eyes… Those are my weaknesses. I’m weaker to them than a Rock-Ground type Pokémon is to water… And that alone means a lot.

The following day, I left Pallet once again to go on a Pokémon journey. But, this time, I wasn’t on my own. This time, I was traveling with my rival-turned-partner (Ash), his friends (Brock and Misty), Cathy and my sis, Daisy, who came along just to “spend some time with her best friend (Cathy) and her dear brother”.

At first, I thought this journey wouldn’t be easy. Traveling with Ketchum wouldn’t be easy. My only comfort was to know that Cathy would also be there, that I would spend some time with her… I was looking forward for this opportunity. But then, it turned out to be a great journey! I never thought traveling with those guys could be so fun. It surely was much better than having a bunch of cheerleaders that could only say: “Gary Oak, Gary Oak, he comes through when others choke!” (Daisy was pretty happy to know that those girls weren’t around anymore, but Brock looked really upset...)

Actually, I wasn’t the only one who looked happier by traveling with a group. Cathy had a major time with everyone in the team. No wonder, she became friends with them all right on the first day. And as for me... Well, they all thought of me as “Gary Oak, the detestable”. I don’t blame them. That was really the kind of image I had been transmitting to people. But since we would need a lot of teamwork to succeed on this journey, I decided to leave this fake Gary behind and get back to whom I truly am. That made things much easier for everyone.

I guess the old Gary would never be a real part of the team. I mean, he would be there to battle the Gym leaders and get his badges, but he wouldn’t be invited to those warm talks around the fire, nor to the small exploration expeditions Ash and his friends used to do... Okay, maybe he would be, but only because, with Ash on command, they would certainly get lost. I don’t want to brag about it (that’s something the old Gary would do), but I was the only one there with a good direction sense.

By being again the real Gary, I got to be friends with the rest of the group and retake my former friendship with Ash, one of the many I had to break when I became a Pokémon trainer, in order to keep the rivalry. Yeah, I learned I could be a rival and still be a friend...Cathy could do this, why couldn’t I? She was my rival and Ash’s, but never stopped being friendly to any of us. Friendly and kind and sweet...

Stop it, Gary! You’re gonna drive yourself crazy this way!

I wish I could avoid it. I wish I didn’t keep having this feeling every time I think about her...Why, Gary? Why does she drive you crazy? Has she put some kind of charm on you? Probably. Her own charm. The one that has enticed most guys we’ve run into during our journey. That made me really angry. Actually, I got angry with every guy who tried to approach her… Why? I don’t know. Maybe I was jealous. No, that’s not possible. People only get jealous when they…when they love…or when they’re in love! Oh, God! What if I am…

What if I’m in love with Cathy?

Could it be true? Could it be the reason of all these new feelings I’ve been having for her? Is that why I keep thinking about her? Is that why I feel this great inner peace when she’s around? Is that why I can’t afford to get her out of my mind?

God! I am in love with her!

The fast heartbeats, the sweat dropping, the blushing… It all makes sense now! How could I be so stupid? How come I didn’t realize it before? We have spent so much time together and only now I came to understand it? Gosh, how long have I been in love with her? Since we started on this journey? Before? When we were kids? That long? I have no idea…

Well, one thing is for sure; I already was in love with her that night we spent together.

I remember it clearly. We all had run into a bunch of mating Ursarings and split up. Everyone had gone to different directions in order to mislead them and Cathy ended up coming with me, ‘cause she was afraid of being alone in the dark with a herd of furious Pokémon around, just waiting to crush her.

After getting away from the Ursarings, we found a safe place to spend the night, a cave hidden at the bottom of the forest. I started unpacking my stuff while Cathy tried to light up a fire with the first Pokémon she got when she began her journey: a Charizard, which had evolved from Charmander a long time ago. She was too nervous to do that, so I did it myself.

“I’m sorry. I’m so scared that I can’t even light up the fire!”-She said, with an uncommon sad face. “I’m useless.”

“Of course not! You’re just a little scared, but don’t worry. The Ursarings can’t find us here, we’re safe.”

“That’s not my fear. I’m afraid for the others… What if they haven’t found a safe place to stay? What if the Ursarings are still chasing after them? I feel bad by staying here while they may be in danger…”

As always, she was caring first about the others than herself. She was more worried about their safety than ours. Oh, Cathy… Sometimes you look just like an angel… My angel.

“I’m sure they’re fine.”- I tried to give her some comfort. ”They can take care of themselves.”

“Yeah. Unlike me.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, either. I can take care of both, you and myself, okay?”

“I know. You’ve been doing this since we were children.”

“What?”

“That’s right. I’ve noticed it since I met you. It’s your way to show people that you like and care about them.”

Is that true? Is this the way I show people I like them? Yeah, perhaps it is… But how could she have noticed that before even I could do it? I guess she knows me better than I do…and it scares me. It scares me a lot.

“But you know?”-She kept speaking-“That’s good. At least it’s a way to know when you like someone or not.”

“Why? Is it that difficult to figure out when I like or don’t like someone?”

“Well…yeah. It’s just that… Well, sometimes it’s as if you locked yourself up in own inner world where no one can go in and…we can’t know what’s in your mind.”

She was right about that. I really don’t let people become very close to me, ‘cause I end up hurting them some way. So, why should I have any close friends if they will eventually get upset with me? And, unless they have such a good heart like Cathy’s, they’ll never forgive me, anyway. That’s why I “lock myself up in my own inner world”.

“Why do you do this, anyway, Gary?”

“For no special reason. I was born this way.”

She kept staring at me, making some sort of disbelief face; she obviously hadn’t believed it. She knew I was lying. What should I have told her? That I had became this way after hurting a lot of people’s feelings, like when I gave my back on her when she really needed me around? Or like when I stopped being friends with those who would become my Pokémon rivals? No, that was out of cogitation.

“Okay, since you don’t wanna talk about it…but, just for you to know, I’m always gonna be your friend, even though I know you won’t ever tell me about certain things.”

“What kind of things do you think I will never tell you about?”

“I don’t know, whatever it is that passes by your mind! You know, like when you get all quiet, staring at nothing and I ask you what’s wrong with you and you say there isn’t anything wrong with you although I know there is and you just don’t wanna tell me?”

I know she didn’t like it, but I was no longer used to telling people how I feel and it wouldn’t be so easy to start doing this again all of a sudden.

“I’m sorry, Cathy, but I…”

“No need to be. After spending some time with you, I kinda got used to it. Besides, you’re not just strange. You do have qualities, you know?”

“Like what?” –that was a great way to know what she liked about me.

“Well, I like the way you’re always so brave and self-confident. Those are two things I just can’t be!”

Self-confident maybe, but brave? I don’t think I’m that brave. If I were, I would already have been able to face this newly discovered feeling… I wouldn’t have been in denial for so much time…

“I also like the way you know so much about Pokémon!”

She just had to mention that. It was no surprise at all. But the next thing she said was.

“And, ummm…Well, you know how other people make fun about me being afraid of…hummm… oh, you know…” –she started sweat dropping and shaking.

“Ghosts?”

“DON’T SAY THEIR NAME, YOU KNOW EVEN THEIR NAME SCARE THE HELL OUTTA ME!!!!!”- She was almost crying at that point.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just…”

“I know. This is just what was I going to say.” – and then she smiled.

“Huh?”

“While everyone else makes fun of me because I’m afraid of…them, you’re there to support me. You don’t try to joke about it or to play tricks on me… In fact, you protect and make me feel safe. You truly care about me.”

How could I make fun of her ghost-fright when I was the one she used to run to when we were children? How could I play tricks on her when it was my hug and words what made her stay calm after she thought she had seen a spirit?

I guess she must have remembered those times, too, because she cuddled into my arms and then said:

“Do you remember how I used to run to you in tears because I had seen a… you-know-what and you tried to keep me calm? You used to hold me just like you’re doing now and say that you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.”

“I remember.”

“You were like a hero to me back then. It was pretty tough for me when we had to get apart…Believe me, I looked really hard for one, but in nine years, I haven’t found another guy like you.”

“Is this a compliment or an offense?” –I ask, joking.

“Check it out for yourself. What I mean is… I have never found a friend who meant so much to me like you did and still do.”

Those words made me very happy. So I really was someone important on her life! I had been a hero to her! After hearing all that, I was absolutely sure she hadn’t kept any resentments for what I had done in the past. I know I’m not the kind of guy who always tells what he feels, but, at that moment, I couldn’t help myself and said:

“And you have no idea of how much you mean to me, Cathy.”

I don’t care if people say that men who show their feelings are not real men. I don’t believe that telling Cathy how important she is to me makes me a “queer”. Besides, I rather think that I’m in control of my life, not a bunch of society rules. Gary Oak is not a man who takes regrets to his grave and I know, deep inside, that if I hadn’t told her that, I would’ve regret it for the rest of my existence.

Some minutes later, I noticed Cathy had fallen asleep inside her sleeping bag. It was a very cold night and she was shivering, so I covered her with my own blanket and then I looked down at her. The fire light on her face made her look even prettier than usual. Her features were like a sleeping little angel’s; they reflected all her innocence and kindness. It was a big temptation having her so very near to me that I couldn’t resist it… I pressed my lips softly against hers and then I placed her head on my lap.

I could have stayed the whole night that way if she hadn’t waken up and asked:

“Gary, what are you…ummm… Is this your blanket?”

“Well…yeah.”

“Why do I have your blanket over me and you don’t?”

“Well, you were shaking while you were sleeping and that was everything I had to keep you warm, so I…”

“Shhhh…” –she pressed one finger against my lips. ”You’re very sweet, Gary, but you’re gonna freeze to death if you stay the whole night uncovered… Come here.”-And she opened up some space so that I could sleep next to her.

“Are…are you sure, Cathy?”

“Yeah. The blanket is not very big, so we need to stay close if we both want it to keep us warm. Besides, it’s your blanket; it wouldn’t be fair if I spent the night all warm and comfortable just to wake up in the morning to find you frozen solid, right?”

“Yeah, Right.”

I can’t remember another night in my life that has been half as pleasant as the one I spent on that cave.

Eventually, we found the rest of the group right after the forest’s exit. They were all fine and had spent a safe night as well. Then, we continued on our journey, and I couldn’t have happier memories of the past night.

But that’s it. That’s all they are: just memories. Memories that are never going to take place again, because today’s the day.

The day Cathy’s leaving Pallet again.

After winning the Johto Secret Pokémon League, we all got back to my hometown, where we were received with great festivity and joy. Everyone looked pretty happy about the fact we had defeated the Johto Elite Four, filling our town with pride and joy. I really couldn’t have expected less from my town.

The party they gave us was…well, intense. First, we had to deal with another one of Team Rocket’s stupid plans, trying to steal Pokémon, the ones Gramps keeps stored in his lab and our own monsters. Of course they failed on their task and ended up “blasting off again”, but then it was time for a “little” fire to take place. Yeah, Cathy’s Pokémon got so excited that they started flame-throwing the whole thing, but she took charge of them just in time to avoid more serious damage to people around.

After that, things got back to normal; Ash was shouting to the four corners of the world “YEAH, WE DID IT! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!”, Brock was having his left ear pulled by Misty, ‘cause he was trying to hit on my ex- cheerleaders (yeah, even they showed up!), Daisy was giving everyone’s Pokémon some food and Cathy was trying every kind of meal displayed on the tables like there was no tomorrow. (I wonder if she learned it from Ash?). As for me, I was sitting away (as usual), just watching everyone have a good time.

That happened exactly one week ago, and it’s probably never going to happen again, ‘cause once more, everyone is going in different directions: Ash, Misty and Brock have already set foot on a new journey- they’re headed to The Rainbow League; Daisy is staying home, she was never much into Pokémon battles and winning badges. My sis prefers taking care and having fun with them to training her little monsters seriously; I’m thinking about testing myself against the four Gymleaders from the Orange Islands and Cathy will be battling the leaders from the South League…

Right now she must be saying goodbye to those she loves…and if I know her as much as I think I do, she’s probably waving farewell to the whole town. Yeah, that’s Cathy; she’s always got some space inside her heart for those people who want to go in.

I hope she’s got some space for me.

Well, whether she loves me or not, this time I’m gonna be there when she leaves, although I know that won’t make up to when I didn’t show up that day she left Pallet for the first time. But it’s enough of complaining about the past, I’m not going to let some stupid things I did back then affect the future I can have with Cathy, and I’m sure she’s not going to let it happen either.

I finally manage to get to Cathy’s house after some minutes (which, by the way, seemed to me like eternity.). I hope she’s awake by now, she uses to be so lazy…

“Gary! What a surprise to see you here!”- Mrs. Reynolds is always as gentle as her daughter. “How can I help you, dear?”

“Hello, Mrs. Reynolds. Can I speak to Cathy, please?”

“I don’t think that will be possible, Gary.”

If I were a Pokémon in the middle of a battle, I’d say an attack that caused me some 30% damage has just hit me.

“Why? Is she still asleep?”

“No, she woke up by six o’clock in the morning today.”

Cathy woke up early? That’s news… 30% more damage to my vital stats!!

“Then why can’t I talk to her? Is she busy or something?”

“No…she woke up early, packed her stuff and left on her journey.”

That one hit me on a very painful area… I guess it means I just took the last 40% damage I could get and that means I have just fainted.

“What?”

“That’s right, dear. I don’t know why you’re so surprised… She told everyone she was going to do this just yesterday!”

I can’t believe this… She didn’t even let me say goodbye to her… Does this mean she never truly forgave me? No, it can’t be. I know she doesn’t keep any resentments about me, she said so herself! And she’s not a vengeful person, she wouldn’t do this on purpose… I don’t get it…

“Gary, dear, are you okay?”

“Yeah…yes, I’m fine. Thanks, anyway, Mrs. Reynolds.”

I never thought I could be such a good liar. Of course I wasn’t fine! In fact, I’m feeling quite miserable right now. Miserable, unhappy, depressed… The one I love the most has just ditched me, I really don’t think I could be doing okay after that! But then again, that’s exactly what I deserve. That’s right, Gary, she’s paying you back with the same quarter, you jerk! Now you two are even! You hurt her once, you got hurt once!

But still, I think this pain is much stronger than the one I caused.

God, I NEED TO FORGET ABOUT HER! I can’t keep having these feelings annihilated one by one, ‘cause it hurts a lot. I need to think about anything else but her, I have to get her out of my heart… The only problem is to figure out how!

I ought to find a way… a way to forget…

I wish at least my body could cooperate a little. While my mind works really hard to erase all the memories in which Cathy appears, my feet lead me to a place they used to go a lot in past times… The place that most reminds of her.

It’s been quite a time since I last came to Ice Lake… Some years, I guess, and it’s still the same calm and relaxing spot it was before. Its waters flow as coldly as usual, although I feel much colder than I used to feel… I know the Lake has nothing to do with it. This cold I feel is something else… It’s the chilly and empty feeling of loneliness.

Lonely… That’s the best word I could use to describe how I feel, although sad, gloomy and melancholic would really go with the situation. That’s it, Gary Oak. You have reached the pit bottom. What’s it left to you? Get drunk? Well, that’s an idea…

It’s so weird sitting here all by myself… Daisy and Catherine always used to come along, just to laugh at my face after throwing me on the lake… But, at least, I had company. Besides, Cathy never kept me in the water for a long time, once she quickly got scared by even thinking I could die if I stayed there for too long…

“You’re not thinking about jumping on the lake, are you?”

This voice… I know this voice! It’s… No, it can’t be! Are my ears deceiving me or I just heard…

“’Cause if you are, don’t come later ask me for help, Spikeyboy!”

Spikeyboy? The only person on Earth who calls me like this is…

“Cathy?”

“I knew you’d come here, Gary.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you had left already…”

“Did you really think I would’ve gone away without saying goodbye to you?”

I still can’t believe she’s here, smiling at me in that lovable way only she can do, looking kindly at me with those pretty brown eyes… It’s not an illusion, I’m not dreaming! My sweet Cathy is here!

“Well, I came to think.”- I’m still wordless.-“Your mother told me that you had woken up early and set out on your journey…”

“I know. And I really did all this stuff, but I couldn’t leave Pallet before talking to you, so I waited here, where I knew we could be alone.”

“You didn’t ask me to meet you here…”

“But, yet, you did come, right?”

“Yeah… I was wandering around and, suddenly, it was like some strange type of force led me to this place.”

“Maybe it was the force of my thoughts what brought you here. You know, I guess this kind of thing happens when two people share such a special bond like ours.”

“Do you… you think we share a special bond?”

“Well, yeah. Oh! I get it. I think you don’t feel the same way…”

Her eyes are suddenly covered with the dark forms of sadness, while she nervously pulls her hair off her lightly blushed face. She obviously got pretty embarrassed and, I even risk saying, disappointed. That’s, actually, the first time I see her this way.

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that I thought I was the only one feeling this way about us.

“Really?”- Her eyes look slightly brighter.

“Of course. I never told you anything before, but I…”

The sudden impact of her body against mine stops me from talking. The warm feeling of her arms around my neck and the tender way she lays her head over my chest makes me place my own arms around her. She seems much more relaxed while I do this, and I really can’t say I don’t enjoy having her so close…

“I’m so relieved, Gary! I was afraid our friendship didn’t mean much to you…”

Didn’t mean much to me? Where did she take this from? I treasure our friendship like gold, mainly after we solved our little past problems. And since it seems to me that this the best I can get from her, I wouldn’t dare to lose it!

“Cathy, you’re one of the most important people on my life, I’ve told you that a thousand of times! But, if even so you don’t believe it, I’ll have to…”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it, Gary. I just…needed to hear you say that again. I need to know I have someone like you to count on…That’s where all my strength comes from…

Her deep eyes stare directly at mine and her hands softly cherish my hair and face while she says:

“… It comes from you.”

She lays her head over my chest once more and holds me even tighter than she did the last time. A warm and wet feeling on my T-shirt makes me realize she’s crying, so I put both hands on her face and dry out her tears.

“If your strength comes from me, you should not be crying, you should be strong!”

“I can’t be strong, Gary, ‘cause I know that soon we’ll be away from each other again, and you have no idea of how much this is painful to me!”

“This is as painful to me as it is to you, Cathy. I just deal with it in a different way.”

“Gary…”

“But whatever it is the way you choose, I want you to remember that I’ll always be with you, anytime, anywhere. Okay?”

A shy smile (probably the faintest one of all her smiles) shows that she’s still upset about the idea of us getting apart, but feeling a bit more confident and serene. The darkness in her eyes starts vanishing, little by little, revealing again their usual bright. The touch of my fingers against her delicate skin feels like a piece of heaven, and her angelical features attract me so much that I only get to realize my face is too close to hers when our lips have already met.

This new and unexpected sensation goes way beyond the shallow feeling of a kiss. It searches every corner of my being and spreads through my soul at the same speed my heartbeats let my blood run in a desperate rhythm through my veins… I gently pull her closer to me until I can feel the heat of her body against my chest and her smooth fingers on my face. Her tenderness is deeper than usual, which makes me desire that I would never have to let go of her.

She’s now staring at me like she waited for an answer; any clue that could clear things up and make the confused gaze on her face disappear. I really wish I could help her out, but my mind doesn’t seem to be working quite properly right now… The only thing I can think about at the moment is that this new situation is only gonna make things much more difficult, and a whole lot more painful, for us.

“Cathy, I…”

“Shhh…”-She puts her index finger on my lips and smiles.-“Don’t say anything, or you’ll make me regret my choice of setting out on my journey without you.”

“But you don’t have to! I… I could go with you and we wouldn’t have to be distant again!”

“We can’t, Gary. We have to succeed on our journeys by ourselves, we can’t use anyone else’s help!”

“Okay, then I won’t help you! I’ll… just… be the guy who likes to be with you and enjoy every second of your presence!”-I hold her hands and give them a brief kiss.

“Gary…”-She tenderly touches my cheek.-“Always so sweet.”

“And you still have no idea of how sweet I can be…”-I wrap my arms around her and make my lips meet hers once again.

This time, she’s the one to hold me tight, but in a sad kind of way. I can almost be sure about what it means; she knows it may be the last time we’re together, so she’s giving me a long and silent goodbye.

“Then I guess I’ll never know…”-She says, in a melancholic tone.

“There’s nothing I can do to change your mind, right?”

“I’m sorry, but I have already decided on that.”

I lower my head in disappointment. I tried, but I could not convince her to let me go along. Yet, I should not be surprised at all; when Cathy is determined to do something, no one can dissuade her.

“Don’t think it is gonna be easy for me, Gary, ‘cause it’s not. But this is how things have to be…”

“I understand.”-I almost lie.-“But there’s still something I need to know.”

“What?”

“What am I going to do when your absence starts hurting too much?”

My question really got her off guard; her stunned expression wouldn’t let it be denied. I suppose she never expected me to say something like this. After recovering from the surprise, she seems to think a little before answering:

“Hmmm… Look!”-She points at the sky direction. “Can you see the moon? Sometimes it can be seen even in daylight, just like today.”

“Yeah. So?”-I still don’t get her point.

“It is shining right now because it’s receiving the sun’s rays of light.”

“And?”

“And… I’m just like the moon. I can only shine when the sun is around.”-She turns to me and looks right into my eyes. “You’re my sun, Gary.”

“What?”- This was her time to surprise me.

“You’ve always been my light, Gary. It’s just that now I need to learn how to bright for myself. But, even so, you can still remember about me when you look at the night sky and see the moon…and I’ll do the same every time I wake up in the morning and look at the sun…This way, I’ll never forget about you.”

I don’t remember another time I got more shocked than this one. So, I was her light! I never imagined I was such an important part of her life… Well, I guess she never expected me to praise her so much, so let’s call it even. But she’s wrong about one thing, though: she doesn’t need anyone in order to shine; she already shines by herself.

We look deeply at each other’s eyes, wishing that this moment never had to come. Unfortunately, will isn’t always enough to make your wishes come true, so we finally conform with the circumstances and bid farewell with one last and passionate kiss.

Even though I know keeping her wrapped under my arms is useless, I can’t manage to let go of her sweet and tender lips. I can’t…and I don’t want to. But, just as I said, it’s a waste of time trying to force her to stay with me; she’s already made up her mind. The only thing left to do is enjoying my very last seconds with her…

She affectionately touches my cheerless face and gazes my blue eyes, darkened with obvious pain and grief, begging anxiously for the sweet relief of her love… My anguished soul, turned mute through the years, is now yearning to scream, my puzzled mind works frenetically in search of words that could portray how I feel, but my logical sense can’t seem to manage putting them together, and as for my suffering heart… it’s dying, little by little, as if it had long been infected with a lethal toxin that gradually kills a small part of it. And it only worsens when she whispers:

“I’ll miss you, Spikeyboy.”

Making an extreme effort, my mind finally gets to turn some randomly picked words into a meaningful sentence:

“Not as much as I’ll miss you, Weepingirl.”

At last I let go of her hands, although I have resisted a lot, and watch as she walks away from this place that always meant so much for both of us, and now means a whole lot more to me. Tears, which had long gotten used to solidify inside my eyes, can now flow freely over my heartbreaking face as I collapse with the impact of an earthquake. That’s it. It’s all over…

Once more she’s gone. Once more she’s left me behind, leaving loneliness as my life-long partner. Loneliness, pain and suffering… This has been my legacy over the years and the only one who could actually change it is going out of my life just as easily as my recently unleashed tears.

My last hope now is fate. I’m counting on it to bring me Catherine one more time, just like it has done before, and I promise that, this time, I won’t give her up so easily. Oh, merciful fate, I’m asking you one more proof of your existence, a chance to meet Cathy again some day, and, if you concede me this golden opportunity, I make an oath not to waste it like I have just done.

I can still see her from where I am. She has just stopped walking and now she’s simply standing there, her silken hair being blown by a smoothing breeze… She’s slowly turning back with a wide smile on her angel-like face, framed by the sunlight and, with a joyful tone on her voice, she says:

“I guess I’ll be hearing about you, right, Mr. Pokémon Master?”

And there comes that smile. The same one that has always encouraged me to do anything. The same pretty and sweet smile that fills my heart with joy and happiness, whenever I feel depressed or gloomy. And that’s the optimistic Cathy I’m used to seeing. That’s all I need to turn my tears into a smile and reply:

“Right! After all, Masters always hear about other Masters, right, Miss Fire Pokémon Mistress?”

Her gorgeous smile gets even wider, and then she waves me goodbye before dashing into the road direction, until she gets completely out of sight. She’s filled with a brand new type of energy and, as long as it interacts with her determination and optimism, Cathy should have no problems fulfilling her dreams to become the world’s greatest Fire Pokémon Master.

That’s what I really wish her, from the bottom of my heart.

I know, deep inside, that this is what’s going to happen. Her destiny is to become a Fire Pokémon Mistress, because no one deserves this title better than Catherine. Yeah, I’m pretty sure about it; she’ll do fine, after all. And, as for me…

…I guess I’ll just have to learn how to keep up.

Gary Oak