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When Acerola realised her feelings, her next reaction was to… ghost.
Escape. Flee. Get the heck out of dodge. All those sorts of things. The idea of sticking it out and figuring it out terrified her. She wasn’t proud of it. It wasn’t exactly the kind of behaviour befitting the noble blood in her veins but after so long, it was so watered down that it was probably fine for her to be a coward.
She didn’t mean to but it was Acerola’s first time feeling this way towards someone. Attracted, she supposed.
Hard not to… It seemed like Selene had a whole host of potential suitors, plenty of people sweet on her. Or at least that’s how it looked to Acerola from the outside looking in.
Honestly, Acerola didn’t even realise it was a crush at first. She had never had one before and dear goodness, she never wanted another one afterwards. This whole sort of thing was not her style.
Acerola had her appearances, sure. People only had good things to say about her as Trial Captain and even an Elite Four. Acerola enjoyed that, she also really enjoyed battles and meeting new people and having fun. That was her prerogative. She was friendly, she enjoyed community and connection. She had done the near impossible of befriending the Totem Pokemon who lurked in the Thrifty Megamart, after all.
But even at her young age, Acerola knew she wasn’t the type to tie herself down. She didn’t want to obligate people. She thought it would be awkward, especially if they were ever to come to know her kind of transparent secret regarding her royal heritage. It was already awkward when people found out that she was an orphan. They always gave her this funny look which Acerola knew meant that she was being pitied.
Selene wasn’t like that. She definitely knew and Acerola didn’t mind that. She could relate, in some ways, since she missed her dad, too, and had such sharp insights for being a little over eleven. Her nonchalance with all these open secrets of Acerola’s were somewhat of a balm to her. Selene was someone that she didn’t need to be on hackles around. Acerola appreciated that but maybe that acceptance should have been her first warning sign that Selene was slipping past her defences…
Gosh, Selene…
What didn’t Acerola like about Selene?
She was a calm yet cheery young Trainer who took on every challenge ahead of her with a smile. She was eager to be tested and tested again. She loved to learn and immerse herself in the culture of Alola despite being newly immigrated. She had open arms for people from all backgrounds and stories, and could spin a yarn or two of her own, as though she were a heroine of a video game.
And her thirst for battle? It couldn’t be quenched. Selene was a magnificent battler, an excellent strategist, and a best friend to every Pokemon she was proud to call her partner.
That’s what Acerola liked the best. Though, Selene had many charm points. Her moonlike face, her inky black hair, and her stunning grey eyes. She exuded joy and friendship and that intrigued Acerola.
Acerola found herself looking forward to every rematch that Selene initiated.
Since the concept of the Pokemon League and its Elite Four was somewhat new to the folks of Alola, Acerola hadn’t encountered very many challengers of that calibre. It was more or less just Selene and her close rival Hau, and to certain extents, Lillie and Gladion. So, Acerola got to know her better than most that Acerola met here or there.
The kids of southern Ula’Ula and a few of those Team Aether grunts and Team Skull punks… Acerola was friends with them. The kids called her Big Sis, the adults respected her prowess as a Trainer and that was good enough for Acerola. It didn’t have to be personal. It could just be a bit of fun kicking a ball around with the tots or it could be sitting around, doing some study.
Acerola didn’t have to talk about herself. She didn’t want to, either.
Yet she wanted to mention specific things about herself to Selene.
She didn’t know why but she wanted Selene to know inconsequential things about her. Her favourite food, her favourite colour. And then some less than inconsequential things. Like the feelings that she had for her.
They were so stupid. Acerola didn’t even recognise them as a crush at first. The fleeting rush she got around Selene, the sweaty palms and knocking knees. She thought she might have been sick but a fever never eventuated. Then she thought it was leftover adrenaline, a spoiling for a good fight and recollection of the last thrills they had had together at the highest echelon of Pokemon battling.
It was other things, too, to pique Selene's interest as well. Like rhe fact that Acerola wanted to look cute around her, wearing nicer than usual clothes, wanting to surprise her with gifts. Even if they were just Super Potions and Lemonades. That was the final nail in the coffin for Acerola as she accepted that Selene had some kind of spell on her.
A crush that spurred Acerola forward despite the cowardice it incited in her. Wanting to be genuinely close with someone was new to Acerola.
And that terrified her.
It made her want to disappear. The feelings in her chest were so overwhelming that vanishing into thin air and never seeing Selene ever again was preferable to seeing her everyday and being content with that. Even though the thought of seeing Selene every day made Acerola giddy for reasons beyond her comprehension.
It was a terrible place to be caught between.
Craving attention and yet rejecting it at the same time: that was the rift that opened inside of Acerola every time she saw Selene. Whether it was in passing or on purpose. She felt guilty for wanting to run away and say nothing ever about these feelings whenever Selene gave her the time of day with that stellar smile that she had.
In fairy tales, being in love was everything. It was a happily ever after and it was what compelled the most gruesome of tortures. Acerola’s experience of her crush matched that pretty well since Selene had such an enchantment over her.
So, Acerola decided she needed to do something about how pathetic she was being.
She needed these feelings gone. She needed them purged. She needed them spoken aloud.
In the movies, the supernatural big bad could be sealed with just the right magical words. That was the best that Acerola had to go off of because memories of what her parents had been like, when they had been alive and wildly in love were foggy at best for her. Bittersweet at worst.
With this conclusion drawn, Acerola sent a writ of challenge to Selene’s house. A little old fashioned but that was just the kind of girl that Acerola was. Beautiful, gilded stationary, fancy cursive writing, Acerola wanted to set the scene that this was not going to be an ordinary Pokemon battle between them. Her taking the initiative was just the beginning for Selene as she summoned her once more to the top of Mount Hokulani.
Selene happily made the trek with a smile, holding down her hat in the frigid winds of the mountainscape. She wasn’t bothered at all but the coldness where Acerola held onto herself and shivered. She pouted.
“What’s up, Acerola?” Selene asked. “Ready for another round?”
“I like you.” Acerola growled.
Selene blinked.
She thought for a second, maybe, she had misheard Acerola. That her words had gotten lost in the wind as they stood a few feet apart. The snow glistened between them, shards of hard rock shone through.
“Don’t make me say it again.” Acerola scolded Selene. “I said: I like you.”
“Ah. I see.” Selene squeaked.
Acerola’s expression fouled. She couldn’t believe it. Her feelings laid bare with immaculate eloquence and Selene hardly reacted. What a horrid girl to fall in love with. With her blank expression, her silky hair and her great taste in hats. Acerola was astounded by the rudeness.
“I like you!” Acerola now all but screamed as she snapped at Selene. Her face darkened with embarrassment.
Here she was, her very soul exposed, how could Selene not see the candle that Acerola held for her and how it burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. Acerola was quaking in her sandals, her shoulders twitched and trembled. She wanted to cry.
No, she was crying. Hot tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and the only thing which stopped Acerola from collapsing in frustration was the cold of the weather. She had chosen a terrible day for their anointed meeting in which she would confess her feelings. Acerola couldn’t believe that either.
Until, finally, Selene thawed. Her expression softened and she drew in closer to Acerola. With one hand, she gently took Acerola’s own and held it firmly, their fingers interlacing with delicacy. With her other, she caressed her thumb across Acerola’s face and rubbed away those tears that Acerola was crying.
“I had no idea you felt this way about me…” Selene murmured, her voice low and caring. “Thank you for telling me. I always have so much fun around you, Acerola, I always want to battle you or read more books with you. I am honoured you would tell me that you like me like that.”
Acerola’s ghost all but left her body as Selene’s kind words warmed her. Her reward for the daring it took to confess despite every instinct within her screaming that she ignored these feelings and all but disappeared from Selene’s life.
“I like you, too, Acerola.” Selene replied.
Upon hearing such acceptance, Acerola’s next reaction was… to be happier than she had ever been happy before.