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As she sat by the campfire in this forest somewhere in a corner of a region far from her own, Chloe Cerise found herself with one question overriding everything else she was thinking at the moment.
Why? Why was she out here?
Of course, her sharp mind knew the answer to that question. He was sitting across from her, polishing off his portion of the soup she had made for their shared dinner in relative silence. Their sleeping bags were already set up and they were ready to settle in for another night of camping under the stars. All in all, it looked like it was going to be the end of another idyllic day of adventure and discovery and catching Pokémon.
But the day that had led to this point was hardly that day of idyllic adventure.
The day had started well enough. Chloe made an oat porridge with freshly picked berries added in, and though she was more than happy to have something hot to eat this far into the wilderness, Goh groused about how he hated porridge and would rather start the morning with something like pancakes. But minor squabbles like this between the two of them were nothing the other wasn’t familiar with.
No, the major fight came that afternoon.
After spending most of the day updating the notes they were sending back to her father on the migratory patterns of the Pokémon in this particular corner of the world, Chloe and Goh came across a rare sight. From the top of the cliff they stood on making their observations, Goh caught sight of a Chansey that, rather than appearing as the bright pink that they were familiar with, was blended in with the greenery she walked about in with her own pale green hues.
“A Chansey!” Goh said, looking through his binoculars while reaching over and shaking Chloe, ruining a page in her notebook as she continued to jot down their observations in her practiced hand.
She looked down at the page, now with a long, sharp ink mark across it, frowning. “Yeah, so? We’ve seen plenty of Chansey while we’re out here, haven’t we?”
“This isn’t just any Chansey!” Goh replied. “This one is green! A rare, green Chansey!”
Chloe shrugged. “So what, it’s a different color?”
“I’m gonna go catch it.”
Chloe balked at Goh’s declaration as he shoved the binoculars back at her. “You’re what? Look how far away it is! Are you going to climb down the cliff and head out there?”
Goh looked at her like she had asked the simplest question in the world. “Well, yeah, right? We can’t let such a rare Pokémon slip away!”
“We certainly can,” Chloe snapped back. “Climbing down a sheer cliff is dangerous , Goh! You can’t just rush off alone!”
His blue eyes almost sparkled as he looked at her. “Well, I’m not alone, right? You can help me get down there!”
As captivating as the look in his eyes was, she had to resist. “No, you’re not putting yourself in danger just to catch a Pokémon. You’ll just have to appreciate taking a picture or something because I won’t let you get hurt trying to catch a Pokémon at the bottom of a cliff.”
“Aww, c’mon, Chloe!” Goh whined. “It’ll be real quick! Just down and back up! You’ll see!”
“Goh, the fastest way down that cliff is at 9.8 meters per second squared and after a fall that far, you won’t be coming back up. Just let it go, alright?”
Goh frowned, disheartened, and he looked down the cliff again. “Well.. maybe…”
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Goh took a Poké Ball from his pocket. “Well, maybe I can catch it from up here?”
“Are you out of your mind?!” she shouted. “We’re supposed to be observing things, not throwing Poké Balls off of cliffs. Are you sure you won’t end up hurting the poor thing with this?”
“Only one way to find out.”
“Goh!?”
Goh wound his arm back and gave the ball a toss off the cliff, aiming for the pale green Chansey minding her own business at the bottom. Chloe watched as the ball veered far off-course and disappeared into the trees.
“Ah… oh well…”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Oh well?! What if we needed that later?”
“Relax, Chloe,” he said. “We have plenty of Poké Balls. Losing one isn’t a big deal.”
Chloe pouted, puffing out her cheeks. “You’re always acting like this! Just thoughtless and irresponsible! We’re out here for a reason, not just for you to have fun!”
“I know that,” he said, frowning. “But you can’t just spend all your time being serious and stressed out! Even if it’s work, it’s supposed to be fun, too. It’s an adventure!”
Chloe wanted to snap back at him, to tell him that no this wasn’t any fun for her , but before she could voice the words, her mind pressed a question to her, one that would render her silent:
Why was she out here, anyway?
So Chloe just shut her mouth and returned to her notes page, pulling the page out and beginning to copy the notes that were on the now-removed page back in, focusing on something else rather than Goh for at least a few moments.
Goh stopped talking as well and just stuffed his hands into his pockets. Chloe thought he must have realized she wasn’t in the mood to continue talking.
The fight they had, one Chloe could easily write off as her overreacting now, still left her with that strange question in her mind.
When she had set out with Goh, it was because there was no one else. When her father opened up his new laboratory, he needed research fellows to go out into the world and document aspects of the world and the Pokémon who lived in it. And while he could have simply hired someone else or put out a call to any potential recruits, he already had one lined up: Goh.
Goh was an awkward kid who found it hard to talk to people. Chloe knew this because she had spent time watching him at school. Their teacher would ask why he didn’t want to play with other students, but he wouldn’t be able to answer. But Chloe saw in his eyes that he wanted a friend, that he wanted to reach out to someone, but he couldn’t or he didn’t know how.
And so Chloe stepped up herself and made a concentrated effort to befriend the awkward boy. Things didn’t seem to go well until the topic drifted to Pokémon. Like many of her other classmates, Goh loved Pokémon. But unlike them, he could recite fact after fact after fact about them from memory. Chloe could still close her eyes and see that bright, excited smile on his young face as he talked about Pokémon with her. It was such an earnest, genuine smile that she couldn’t help but feel happy at the sight of it.
As the years passed, Goh and Chloe had their troubles. Goh returned from a trip with his parents upset, telling Chloe how he was betrayed by someone he trusted. He made Chloe promise that she wouldn’t betray him, too, which was something she hastily agreed to, but even as the two continued to stick it out together, Chloe’s troubles continued to mount. Being the daughter of the genius Professor Raymond Cerise only brought the attention of others to her, and all of them wondered if she would follow in his footsteps.
Chloe remembered lashing out at the other kids, saying that she doesn’t know what it is that she wants, but she also recalled Goh standing up for her, telling the other kids to back off and leave her alone. For the quiet Goh, who didn’t normally speak up to others, to react so explosively, caught even the teacher off guard and everyone quieted down.
Chloe knew this was a show of Goh’s loyalty, the same that he had been denied in the past, and Chloe wanted to repay it.
When her father’s laboratory opened, Goh was eager to sign up as one of his research fellows, but while Professor Cerise was excited to have Goh jump at the opportunity, he warned him that he would need to find a second researcher to help him work as a team. And Chloe, who was watching, saw Goh’s excitement flag. This was something he wanted to do, but at the same time, working with other people was something he struggled with unless he already knew them.
And so Chloe volunteered, much to her father’s surprise. It wasn’t like she hated Pokémon. She just didn’t like people’s expectations that she would be a carbon copy of her father. And this way, she could tell herself she wasn’t becoming a research fellow for anyone but Goh, a friend who just needed a friend to help him out.
And so while they traveled, making notes and sending back observations to the laboratory in Vermilion City, Goh had taken the lead, with Chloe as his beleaguered assistant.
And that’s what had carried her so far away from home, to this distant land she’d only ever read the name of in books. She followed his lead and made sure he didn’t overdo things. She was the one who warned him when it was time to rest, or alerted him of nearby trouble. But while Chloe could point to these and say these actions were helpful, watching Goh excitedly explore the world and meet Pokémon showed her something else, as well.
Goh was having fun .
For Goh, this seemed to be everything he had ever wanted out of life; traveling, studying Pokémon, and meeting and catching new ones constantly. Even when he couldn’t catch the green Chansey earlier that day, Goh was never discouraged or upset, at least on his own. This was in sharp contrast, she knew, to how things were when they both went to school back in Vermilion City. Goh was the quiet boy who was bullied and pushed around, who Chloe had to stand up for and protect just as much as he protected her. He even started skipping class to study Pokémon, but every time she saw him at school in his uniform, he looked miserable. Like he wanted nothing more than to just leave school and never come back.
This isn’t to say that Chloe was having fun at school herself; it was still something she did out of obligation. But that’s all she ever seemed to do. She helped Goh because he looked like he needed a friend, and so she felt obligated to be that friend. She helped stand up for Goh at school because no one else would, so she felt the need to step forward. Even her journeying with Goh through the world and studying Pokémon was something she did out of obligation, because otherwise there wouldn’t be two research fellows, and her father would have refused Goh the opportunity to work alone under him.
If there were another person who could have dropped out of the sky and instantly became Goh’s trusted friend, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but Goh was so anti-social and distrusting of people he didn’t know that any such person existing felt like a fantasy itself.
Which left Chloe going down the path she was now, asking the question she had been carrying since their fight this morning.
“Why am I out here…?”
Hearing her speak for the first time since telling him that dinner was ready, Goh looked up at her. “What do you mean?” he asked, his blue eyes watching her curiously.
Chloe felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. She didn’t intend to have let the words slip out, but know that Goh had heard something, she knew better than to deny it.
So she brushed her hand through her hair and looked away from him. “I was… just thinking about our fight earlier today.”
Goh blinked in her direction, looking to all the world like he had forgotten that they did have a fight earlier. But after frowning for a moment, he nodded. “Oh, right. You mean about when I threw the ball off that cliff.”
She kept her gaze off of him. “I was just thinking about how much fun you’re having. And about… well, how I’m not having that much fun.”
“Wait… you’re not?”
Goh sat down his bowl and stepped around the campfire, sitting next to her. Chloe sighed and shook her head.
“No… I’m not.”
Goh’s eyes looked her over, and the way he twisted his mouth told her that he was trying to think of something to say to her. The conflict in his eyes, though, told her that he was feeling regret and remorse.
It was time to backpedal.
“Not that I’m hating it out here!” she said, attempting to soften the blow on him. “It’s still way better than school! It’s just…”
She would have to admit her true feelings eventually.
“I just feel like all I’m doing is work, work, work. Working to keep you going, working to get stuff to my Dad. It’s all stuff that other people want to do.”
Goh looked at her, curiosity flickering in his blue eyes, much like campfire itself did. “Then… what do you want to do Chloe?”
She felt her breath catch in her chest as she looked at him.
No one had ever asked her that before. She wasn’t quite sure what to even say in that moment.
But Goh, the energetic guy that he was, put one of his hands on hers. “Whatever it is, we’ll go do it tomorrow! I promise!”
Chloe stared back at him as he leaned in close, feeling his warm hand against her before he glanced down to see what he had done. He leaned back and stopped touching her, averting his eyes like he was embarrassed. It was a charming, boyish thing to be embarrassed about, but Chloe frocused her mind on answering his question.
“Actually… she said, looking up into the night sky. “Actually, I don’t know what it is I want to do. I don’t have any idea.”
“You don’t?”
She shook her head. “You’re always rushing ahead and chasing down your own dream, Goh, but I don’t know what my dreams for the future are yet. I’ve just always let myself get pushed along by what other people need, so I haven’t really thought that much about what I want for myself.”
Now Goh was looking shamefaced, like he had been doing something wrong. “And here I am, pushing you along my way without letting you make any choices or deciding on what you want to do.” He looked down at his feet and sighed. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I should have made sure you wanted to be out here before pushing you into it.”
“I didn’t say that I didn’t want to be,” she replied. “But what I mean is… you’re out here, having a good time and being so much… happier than I’ve ever seen you. And I feel like I’m ruining it.”
Goh looked up at her and blinked. “I’m happier?”
“Totally!” she said, waving her arms. “Back at school, you hardly said anything and you skipped out on it whenever you could! You were always working on some computer project or researching Pokémon because that was what you wanted to do and now that you can do it all the time, it’s like you never stop smiling…!’ She giggled, feeling her cheeks burn a little. “It’s… really great to see you really come out of your shell like that.”
“Chloe…”
“Meanwhile, I’m just a wet blanket. I tell you to slow down, or to focus on the minutia or anything like that. I feel like I’m out here, just ruining your good time.”
“But, Chloe…” Goh said, rubbing the back of his head, “...you know that the only reason I can even be out here is because of you, right?”
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging sadly, “because my Dad needed another research fellow.”
Goh shook his head. “No, that’s not it at all. I mean, sure, you volunteered, but that’s not what I’m saying. I mean… I wouldn’t be doing this if you weren’t with me.”
Now Chloe felt her breath catch in her chest.
“Back when we were at school, no one else ever approached me. They just… figured that I’d figure things out on my own, I guess, or I’d jump in to be friends with other people, but you reached out and actually cared enough to ask if I wanted to hang out. It’s because of you that I even met your dad and got this opportunity.”
He stood on his knees to be over Chloe, who was seated on the ground, and he put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s because of you that I even met Mew, and that I got so inspired that I wanted to become a researcher. Chloe, it’s always been because of you.”
Seeing his face this close and hearing Goh’s earnest feelings made Chloe’s heart pound in her chest. There was a part of her that wanted to warn Goh not to say something he’d regret, but there was another part of her that wanted to see just how far he’d go with his declaration.
And because it thrilled her heart to think about it, that’s what she decided to do, and stayed silent.
Goh moved his face closer.
“Even now, you came out here to support me. You’re making sure we have enough food and water, and keeping track of things we have to send to your dad, and you’re watching my back and keeping me safe, too. Chloe, you’re amazing ! You do so much for me, and I’m so grateful that you’re here with me. I’ll never be able to thank you enough, not in a million years! I just wish I could give you something back for all the support you give me.”
Chloe timidly put her hands on Goh’s where he still held her shoulders. “I… didn’t know you felt that way, Goh…” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
It was now that she saw the embarrassment creep onto Goh’s face, and he frowned, but he didn’t look away. “Well… maybe I should make sure you know how much I appreciate you more from now on. More than anything else, I’m thankful for you, Chloe.”
“Even more than Pokémon?” she teased with a small smile.
“Be serious,” Goh said, frowning. “I am.”
She nodded. “I know. And… thank you, Goh. It’s really nice to know that you appreciate all the work that I put in.”
Her heart hadn’t slowed down even a little bit.
Goh stood up and took a step back. “You know what? I just had a great idea.”
Chloe tilted her head. “What?”
“Well, you said that you don’t know what it is you want to do, right?” Goh said. “Well, why don’t we just expand our research to include things other than wild Pokémon migrations? If there’s something you see that you want to do, we’ll go do it. I don’t care what it is. If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me, too.”
“But won’t it slow down your research to take time out for me?” Chloe asked with a sad smile.
“Doesn’t matter,” Goh said. “You’re part of this team, too, aren’t you? It’s got to be a partnership! 50/50! Give and take!”
Chloe looked away, feeling her face burning as Goh talked like he was trying to hype himself up into being a couple with her. From the corner of her eye, she saw that what Goh had said had dawned on him as well, and he looked embarrassed to be saying it.
“Well… you know what I mean,” he said with the same boyish charm that he had when he didn’t realize he was touching her hand. “I don’t want to make it weird .”
Chloe found herself giggling. “Well… why not? I’m not against it.”
Goh’s eyes went as wide as saucers and he looked back at her like she had just grown a second head. “W-what did you say?”
“I’m not against it,” she said, feeling her face burning red. “I mean, if you wanted to try this 50/50 give-and-take partnership thing.”
“Th-That’s not what I meant,” he said. “You were thinking- I mean, you heard what I said and you-”
His embarrassed stammering was cute to Chloe, who just giggled. “You don’t have to be shy about it. There’s no one out here for miles but you and me. No need to be shy.”
Goh began digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt near the campfire. “It’s not being shy, I just… y’know, if I said something weird you might freak out or something.”
At that, Chloe rolled her eyes. “Goh, we’ve been friends for years now, right? I think if I was going to freak out, I’d have done it by now.”
He frowned. “Well, maybe,” he said, shrugging. “But you know how weird people can act about this sort of stuff. You’ve seen TV shows.”
“And I also know that just because it’s on TV doesn’t make it real,” Chloe replied. “We don’t have to do anything differently, Goh. I like being with you well enough. I just don’t want to ruin the good time you’re having.”
“And you don’t,” he said. “And starting tomorrow, we’re 100% a partnership!”
He offered a hand to her, which she took and shook, but as she did, she saw his cheeks turn pink again and felt hers do the same.
She did enjoy the feeling of his hand in hers.
She felt better after their talk and after getting some sleep, she was awoken by the rising sun. She sat up in her sleeping bag, having slept under the stars without any concern for approaching wild Pokémon, she looked over to see Goh curled up in his sleeping bag like a cocoon Pokémon. Even though they were both kids born and raised in a big city, Chloe always felt like she was the one acclimating more to it than he was, but she knew that as soon as he woke up, he’d be filled with excited energy to go look for Pokémon again.
And so, she decided to at least make the day a bit more interesting if they were going to be doing this 50/50 partnership thing they discussed. Which meant that she was going to do what she had always done; make breakfast.
So she got out her camping mess kit, mixed her batter with some berries she had picked yesterday, and made pancakes for herself and Goh. The smell of the sweet batter and berries frying in the skillet reached Goh’s nose and caused him to sit up while still swaddled in his sleeping bag.
Chloe smiled, mostly to herself, at how cute he could be when he wanted.
“Breakfast is ready,” she said, gesturing to a plate on a nearby table she set up.
With that, he dropped the sleeping bag behind him and stood up.
Chloe laughed. “Wow, the Metapod evolved into a Butterfree!”
Goh looked down at his sleeping bag and snorted out a laugh before raising a finger to explain. “Actually, if you consider where we’re currently located, saying the Silcoon finally evolved into a Beautifly would be more appropriate.”
She stuck her tongue out. “Just eat your pancakes.”
He blinked. “Pancakes? Aren’t these your favorite? Is today a special occasion?”
“It is,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. “We’re celebrating our new equal partnership, remember?”
Realization flashed through Goh’s eyes. “Oh, right, I remember. Have you put any thought into what you wanted to do today, then?”
She sighed. “Not quite yet,” she said. “But maybe something’ll come to me while we eat, you know?”
To that, Goh shrugged and took his plate and began cutting into his pancakes. He took a wedge and popped it into his mouth before Chloe heard him talk again.
“Chloe, this is amazing! You’re already a good cook but these are even better than usual!”
“Do you think so?” she asked. “I used a few of the berries that I picked yesterday and I might have added a tiny bit more sugar than we needed to make sure they weren’t too tart, you know?”
“It’s perfect!” he said. “Just what I need to start the day! You should make these more often!”
She laughed, feeling her cheeks turn a bit red. “Well, if I make them every day, then it won’t be as special, will it?”
He laughed at himself, shrugging. “I guess not, huh?”
With that, the two of them fell into the simple rhythm of eating their breakfast, and Chloe took a few moments to reflect on the simple pleasure of having someone by your side at all times. It didn’t matter if they were bickering or joking or just walking together, just being by Goh’s side was fun for her. While she might not know exactly what it is she wanted to do, she knew she wanted to have Goh with her while she did it.
They had gone through so much together, after all. It’d be a shame for their partnership to end. Even their friendship had gone through multiple stages, and much like a Pokémon slowly evolving towards their final form, she wasn’t sure what the shape of their friendship would be in the end.
But with evolution in mind, she turned to him as he was stuffing his cheeks. “I know what it is I want to do!” she declared.
He swallowed before downing his glass of water. “Alright! What is it?”
“There’s a forest nearby, right?” she said. “One that might have a bunch of Bug-types in it?”
He nodded, the look on his face saying he wasn’t quite sure where this line of thought was going.
“Well, Bug-type Pokémon are really quick to evolve, right? I want to take some notes on a Pokémon’s evolution. Watch one and see how it acts differently before and after, that sort of thing.”
Goh chuckled. “Maybe I’ll just have to catch one and we can keep it here at camp, then!”
“If your aim is better than it was with that Chansey yesterday,” she teased.
He laughed. “Well, it’s fine. If this is what you want to do, then we’ll do it! I’m a man of my word!”
Chloe reached over and took his empty plate. “Well, maybe such a big strong man can help get our camp packed up while I wash the dishes and put out the fire?”
That just made him laugh. “Well, only because a woman as beautiful and lovely as you asked.”
She wasn’t sure if this counted as flirting, but she wasn’t going to press the issue with him.
But as they packed up the camp and Goh took Chloe’s hand in hers as they raced through the wilderness towards the forest Chloe wanted to see, Chloe was taken back to some of their earliest days where Goh would race ahead, pulling her by the hand to look at something he was excited about. But even this should be 50/50, right?
So Chloe began to run harder, matching Goh’s pace and running by his side as they moved forward together. She would gladly keep running with him across this expansive, near-limitless world, as long as he was running beside her.
After all, she would have to admit her true feelings eventually.