Cameron's Gift

A Pokemon Ranger short story by Father Hulk

Disclaimer: I own not Pokemon or anything related to it. The plot is mine and mine alone.

Elita, Ranger Leader of Wintown, exited her home at six-thirty on Friday evening. Today had been a good day: nothing had happened. Although she enjoyed her job, slow days come to be good days when you're a ranger.

Elita zippered up her winter coat and was planning to stroll towards the diner when she felt a vibration at her waist: her styler was receiving a text message.

'Who could that be?' she wondered as she flipped the device open.

Message

From: Cameron, Summerland Leader

To: Elita, Wintown Leader

Re: A gift

Dear Elita,

Please come to Summerland as soon as you can. I have a gift for you! Believe me, I know you'll like this one! No fooling!

Elita slowly shut her styler and shook her head. As enthusiastic as Cameron was about his gift giving, his presents were rarely something anybody would want, let alone were they useful. However, Elita had a great deal of respect for Cameron. She worked her way up through the Union with him, and they had developed a great friendship over the years. They didn't see each other much nowadays, since Cameron was content to dwell in balmy Summerland and never rush headlong into danger; this bothered Elita occasionally, but it wasn't like she got to see Spenser or Joel for any greater amount of time either.

Deciding that her hunger could be endured a bit longer, Elita returned to the ranger base and utilized the Dragonite Bus to quickly spirit herself to the tropical locale of Summerland, where beaches were everywhere and relaxation was the name of the game.

As if sensing her arrival, the door to the ranger base immediately opened and Cameron emerged, looking the same as he always did: dark, loose clothing, short red hair, and a towel slung around his shoulders. He beamed when he saw Elita.

"I'm so glad you're here!" He said, smiling nervously. "I really wanted to give you your gift."

"Uh-huh," Elita said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Well, I'd… love to see what it is."

Cameron's expression suddenly turned anxious. "Well… see… the thing is, I had it here at the ranger base, but then this Treecko we were examining grabbed it and ran into the jungle."

"Oh dear," Elita said, uninterested. "Listen, Camreon…"

But Cameron was quick to continue. "I'd love to rush and get it back right this instant, but my styler's being repaired… and it would mean so much to me if… well…"

"You want me to go get the gift back from the Treecko, don't you?" Elita said, sighing. "Fine. Let's go."

Shortly, Cameron and Elita entered the Olive Jungle, and were startled to see that the few Treecko that usually hang out near the entrance were all crowded around another Treecko, who was holding a small, wrapped box above its head.

"There! There it is!" Cameron exclaimed.

"Right. Stay there," Elita said, quietly taking out her capture styler. She approached cautiously, expecting to have to take on the entire group. But the larger group scattered immediately, leaving only the one with the box. It eyed her up and down, its expression calm and collected.

In a flash, Elita raised her styler and extended the antenna. "Capture on!" She declared, releasing the capture disc. The Treecko jumped slightly, its eyes rapidly darting around, following the top-like contraption as Elita remotely guided it, searching for a decent starting point.

"Hyaa! Stay there!" Elita shouted, and she activated the disc and began swirling her arm in circles. The Treecko never looked to its side or behind it, but its eyes always followed the disc each time it came back around. The capture disc looped around the Treecko time after time, and a faint glow began to surround the creature. Finally, Elita whipped the styler hard and pulled it back, and the glow became brighter, and then faded. The Treecko had been captured.

Elita stood, catching her breath for a moment, and she happened to glance down at the display on her styler. Slowly, she turned around and said, "Cameron… my styler says this Treecko had already been captured… by you."

Cameron blushed furiously and looked off to the side, wiping the back of his neck with his towel. "I… uh… I don't know anything about that… heh, heh, heh…"

Bewildered, Elita bent down and retrieved the box, removed the wrapping, and opened it.

There were several minutes of silence as Elita gazed at the object; she at first tried to comprehend that this was really happening, before looking up at Cameron, who was so nervous he was shivering, and then back down at his gift. Finally, something that resembled a veil in her mind dissipated, and she realized something very special. She walked back over to Cameron.

"S-so… Elita…" he stammered, "Will you…?"

"Yes," she said, and she kissed him.