Pokemon........ A Training Start (Pokemon Watty Awards 2013)

They are FULL of surprises, and secrets

Chapter 26

Cilan loved trains. How they worked, how they flowed. The mechanics for providing the best ride possible. He loved thinking how it could improve, how the engineers probably sweated over the design to get it perfect. And he loved to watch other’s enjoyment in something they took for granted.

Iris was not too fussy over the train but she still showed fascinated expressions whether they were underground or flying across tracks above it. Next to him, she was absorbed in looking outside with Axew with May on her other side.

Cilan knew without peering to look that May was most likely watching Drew who sullenly sat across the aisle. Drew from the moment they boarded the train had secluded himself in a seat by himself staring off into space.

Whether it was a plan, the co-ordinator was developing mentally for his next competition. Or a problem he was going over. Whatever it was the coordinator was exuding an aura that said leaving him alone was the only safe thing to do.

Dawn and Paul sat behind Drew and Cilan just knew that those two were sleeping. They sat side by side, no words or interaction. No hand holding or snuggling but they seemed to be in their own bubble. Letting the motion of the train rock their bodies to sleep.

Or in Paul’s case a necessary power nap. The trainer seemed to dislike sleeping. Or sleeping for long hours. One of them Paul seemed to hate. Whichever it was there no sense in trying to figure it out. Paul was a book in a language Cilan was now beginning to learn. One that made almost no sense.

Not too far away from Cilan was someone totally absorbed in the people he watching and not the train ride. Ash sat rigidly his gaze fixed on two people absorbed in their conversation with each other.

Pikachu snoozed contently on Ash’s lap oblivious to his trainers anguish or pain. Cilan personally could not figure out which dark emotion was throwing himself in but it was not any happy ones. Gary and Misty sat backing Ash their posture screaming that the conversation was personal and secretive.

The things that just might irritate the hot headed trainer that Ash was. Cilan was elated that Ash was slowly coming into the light. Getting possessive over Misty opening his eyes finally. But he was not fooled.

Ash still had not reached their level, but he might get nudged up a few levels as he adjusted to something he was surely feeling for the first time. Jealousy.  Over being rejected and ignored, from being excluded.

Ash’s gaze had not left the couple since they boarded the train. All had been fine in the morning. Gary had sat with Dawn and had a lovely conversation the whole ride while Paul had sat alone gazing out his window. Paul seemed content with that arrangement however so Cilan had not bothered to really note it.

But after they reached the train station. Misty and Gary had fallen into a deep conversation that followed onto the train leaving Ash very excluded. Ash had looked lost as he slowly followed the twosome onto the train.

After a few moments of heavy watching, during which Pikachu had fallen asleep. Ash’s expression began to darken considerably. Cilan was keeping in mind what Gary had hinted to before. Gary’s behaviour was not of an admirer but a friend.

Still Cilan knew in these cases for a guy now starting to face up to feelings, any sort of friend could be a rival. Especially if you were now emerging from the friendzone yourself.

What those two had to discuss Cilan really did not know, but for them to keep their voices so low and turned away from them all was sort of suspicious. He really thought that Misty was an open book. No secrets. It looked like she had more than a few tucked away. Poor Ash.