Runaway

"Belle!" Came the booming scream. White let out a shriek and fell back on her brother, Black, who had been pushing her on the small swing set. Belle would have fallen over in laughter if that wasn't her dad's scream. And he sounded pretty angry too. Cheren let out a small sigh from where he was sitting reading his book. Not this again. Cheren was always the calm one of the group, but he was getting so fed up with Belle's dad.

"He just won't get over it," he mumbled flipping a page. Belle got up from the swing waving goodbye to her friends. Her dad hated her friends. The four of them had all dreamed of being Pokemon trainers, and that meant leaving home. But her dad wasn't supportive of her. He didn't want his sixteen year old daughter to leave home so soon. It had gotten to the point where he had forbidden her to leave.

If her dad could pick anyone to keep away from his daughter, it would be Cheren. Cheren encouraged Belle to breakaway from her family, he wasn't as innocent and nice as his quiet persona showed him to be. He encouraged her to follow her dreams of traveling and being a trainer. Her father hated him for that reason. In his eyes, Cheren was taking away his little girl. But in a small town like Kanoko Town, it was hard to keep anyone away from another.

"Just think, in a few days, we'll be real trainers and you won't have to hear this anymore," Cheren said in his normally calm voice. Belle glanced over at him, sadness coating her expression. If only he knew.

"I don't think I'll go," she said softly. A round of gasps from her three friends could be heard. Belle had always been the good girl of the group, but none of them imagined she'd give up her dreams like this.

"What do you mean?!" White shrieked finally getting off her brother, who didn't have the strength to push her off himself. White stormed over to Belle grabbing the blonde's hands in her own. "You have to go with us!"

"But my father..."

"But nothing!" White interrupted squeezing Belle's hands. Belle winced but chose to listen. Then again, Belle didn't have any other choice but to listen, what with White's abnormal strength and all. "It is your dream, not his. It's your life. Now is your chance to follow your dreams. Don't give up!"

"I just don't know White..." Belle said trailing off her sentence. Black's Tepig came bolting from his house interrupting White's next speech.

"That's our cue to leave for dinner," Black said picking up Tepig, scratching the fire-pig's small head. Black was a year older than the rest, but decided to stay behind and wait for the others to get their first pokemon too. He always claimed to be okay with being alone, but deep down he wanted his friends to come with him.

"Belle, you can't be serious about staying here," Cheren said getting up from the ground. Belle let out a heavy sigh. She wished he'd just drop it. Telling him was the hardest of all. She wanted to leave and be able to be with him freely. But now she was reconsidering. Could she ever leave? And if she did, would she feel guilty about it? Belle couldn't decide who and what was more important to her. Cheren and a possible future as his girlfriend, if Belle could ever tell him, or her father and keeping her family together.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Belle said rushing off to her house. Cheren let out an aggravated sigh. He would convince her otherwise, no matter how long he had to spend trying.
***

"Hey Belle!" White shouted waving frantically. Her father huffed, going back to his newspaper. The whole reason this troublesome girl was here was because his wife insisting on letting Belle's 'cute little friend' stay over. Cute? More like annoying in her father's opinion. White slung her duffle bag over her shoulder, following her friend up to her room.

White dropped the bag next to the door, launching herself onto Belle's bed. Belle laughed softly crawling up next to White. She knew the brunette wanted to say something, but what was holding her back? White always expressed her opinions, whether they were welcomed or not.

"Next week... Are you coming to Araragi's lab to get a pokemon or not?" White asked, jumping right into the main subject. Belle totally saw this coming from a mile away. White always sticks her nose where it doesn't belong. But White wouldn't be herself if she kept to herself. Being White's friend meant you had to get used to the nosy part of her personality.

"I told you, I'm not sure."

"You must! You don't want to be stuck here all your life, do you?"

"Well when you put it that way...."

"And you can travel with Cheren," White added in a sing-song voice, smirking at the blonde. Belle shot up, slapping the back of White's head, who in turn let out a yell.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Belle asked defensively. White knew she had hit a nerve. Belle liked Cheren, why else would she be so defensive?

"Oh, nothing," White replied, rolling away from her friend. Belle opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by a series of small 'tinks' coming from the window. White's head snapped over to the window waiting for a voice.

"Would you please just open up already?" White couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face. Speak of the nerd boy. Belle had the look of terror on her face. What on earth was he doing here? And at this time of night too.

"I'll hide and you talk to him. Sound good? Okay!" White said, deciding on a plan giving Belle no chance to agree or disagree. White dived into the closet leaving Belle confused. She let out a sigh before swinging open her window only to see Cheren standing on Black's shoulders. What other choice did she have but to let him in?

"Would you just let him in already?!" Black hissed. Belle grabbed both of Cheren's hands and pulled him in after a few tries. She head Black sigh with relief before shutting her window. White cracked the closet door, eavesdropping on her friends.

"What do you want?" Belle almost snapped. It came out harsher than intended. She didn't want to stay here, she wanted to go with him and her other friends. Cheren was making this harder than it had to be. Why couldn't he just accept it and leave the subject alone.

"Don't let him stop you. If anything, be a pokemon trainer to prove to him you're not giving up. This is your dream, isn't? Dreams aren't meant to be given up one. It's your life Belle. And I..." Cheren's sentence trailed off as he looked away from Belle. What was he thinking? He couldn't tell her this.

"You what?" Belle asked suspiciously. This was so unlike Cheren. Usually, she could read him so well despite others mocking him for being so calm.

"I want you to come with... To be with me," Cheren said in an almost inaudible voice. Belle almost didn't want to believe... She didn't want to believe Cheren was telling the truth.

"Belle, I don't want to regret not telling you. I like you, I have for a while. I couldn't miss my chance to tell you... Just like you can't miss your chance to journey with Pokemon. Come on, Belle, don't give up so easily. You don't want to end up regretting this decision later, do you?" Belle couldn't believe what she was hearing. Where was this all coming from? Why was Cheren telling her this now?

"Cheren... I don't know what to say. I... I just... I'm so confused!" Belle whined dropping down on her bed. In the closet, White began chanting 'tell him, tell him'. White was enjoying the 'show' being played out before her. She was such a burden on her friends, and she loved it.

"Belle, please," Cheren said sitting next to her. "Come with us. We'll help you runaway. Your dad will see someday that this is what you were meant to do. Runaway with us, come be a trainer with us." Cheren wasn't giving up, he'd never give up on Belle.

"Alright Cheren, you're right. I can't give up. Thank you. Thank you so much," Belle said giving into Cheren, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She knew she would regret missing this chance, she couldn't let that happen. Belle leaned up, pecking his cheek.

"And maybe feelings will develop in time," Belle said softly. She didn't want to tell him, not yet.

"You ruin everything, Blondie," White murmured. White then burst from the closest, dashing to her friends, wrapping them in a hug. "We become trainers in a week! To freedom!"

"How long were you in there?!" Cheren yelled, trying to pull away but with no success. White just grinned hugging her friends tighter. Belle was back to normal and their lives were back on track... Things were turning out great, and Belle knew the four teens could make their dreams come true. She had her optimistic attitude back.