The Date

I was standing in front of the mirror with a comb when Aya peeked her head around the door.

"Forget it, you're never going to be able to do anything with your hair," she said.

"You're probably right," I replied.

"Unless you get a crew cut..." she went on.

I glared at her and walked over to the closet. I looked inside and saw what I knew I would: a set of identical blue outfits, with an occasional black one for variety.

"I suppose it's too late to wonder why I don't have any other clothes," I said.

"I think our parents must have dressed you that way as a baby," Aya replied. "Where are you going anyway?"

I was very tempted not to tell her, but finally I muttered "Saffron City."

"Why?" she asked distractedly, and then remembered. "Oh, that gym leader... the one you wandered off with at the festival. Isn't she a little young for you?"

"She's older than she looks... anyway, you're the one who was practically pushing her at me."

"Don't get testy. Where are you taking her anyway?" asked Aya.

"Taking her? I don't know... we'll have a Pokemon battle I suppose."

"You really haven't had a date in a long time, have you?"

"No. Any more stupid questions?"

Aya just shrugged. "See if I ever date a gym leader..." she muttered.

"And just after I gave Blaine your phone number, too," I replied.

She threw something at me, fortunately not a weapon, and finally left me alone.

I finally settled for looking like my normal self and set out.

When I got to Sabrina's gym she seemed very nervous. I began to wish I hadn't called her up in the first place.

"My parents are here!" she said. "They want to meet you..."

"Would you rather I left?" I asked, half-serious.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, and pulled me away by the hand.

Her parents sat at a table wearing forced smiles.

Her father stared at me and asked "How old are you anyway?"

"We've discussed this already!" interrupted Sabrina. She had a bit of staring contest with her father at that point, until off in the distance something shattered.

"You two calm down before you break something else!" snapped her mother.

Then her mother attempted to look cheerful in a rather strained way.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked brightly.

"He's a gym leader!" hissed Sabrina. "In Fuschia City!"

"Oh, right, the Soul Badge," nodded Sabrina's mom. She didn't seem ditzy so much as just uncomfortable.

"Well, let's go have a battle..." muttered Sabrina.

"Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?" asked her mother.

"If he wins, does he get the Marsh badge?" asked her father.

I started laughing nervously at that point and Sabrina pulled me out.

"What's funny?"

"I won the Marsh badge from your father years ago. Somehow I didn't think mentioning that would be a good idea."

Sabrina giggled. "You're much too sensitive. You look to me like you'll age well."

She put her hand on my shoulder, I looked into her eyes... and suddenly the lights went out and a voice shouted,

"Prepare for trouble!"

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Not again!"

But Sabrina was smiling. "I think this is going to be a fun date after all."

Meanwhile the male voice was saying "And make it double... uh, there's two of them..."

"To protect the world from devastation... two of who?"

Sabrina nodded toward the light switch and the lights went back on.

Two figures in white uniforms who had clearly been hoping for a more dramatic entrance blinked at us.

The redheaded woman recovered first. "You can't leave this room! We have all the exits sealed off!"

Sabrina just laughed.

"They're sealed off to psychic powers too!" shouted a Meowth, coming out from around a corner.

Sabrina laughed again, then disappeared and came back in seconds holding a box.

"I didn't think you could do that," she said. "Anybody want a cupcake?"

The blue-haired man reached for the box but the woman yelled "James, don't even think it!"

"Jessie!" he whined. "Our plan has failed in record time and I'm hungry!"

"They're chocolate..." said Sabrina.

The Meowth knocked James over going for the box.

"I dunno what went wrong with 'dat machine..." he muttered, stuffing a cupcake into his mouth.

"Ah well, probably would have worked on a pokemon," said Sabrina cheerfully. "We can do a little experiment and see..."

"Nevermind...." said James miserably. Finally he sat down with a cupcake.

"Ooh, you use the little foil baking cups..." he said. "I always use the paper ones, but the bottoms burn."

"Aren't we supposed to be running for our lives?" interrupted Jessie.

"We can't, we sealed off the exits!" said the Meowth.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll be happy to throw you through a wall or something and continue with our date..." said Sabrina.

"Isn't he a little old for you?" asked James.

"I'm putting you through the wall face-first," I told him, reaching for a random weapon. "You two were a lot more entertaining when you were doing Kabuki theater."

"Are you just going to stand back and watch this, Jessie?" he asked, panicked.

"Sure, she's staring at your butt again," muttered the Meowth.

"Huh?" he said.

Jessie looked startled. "Well, I can't get a good view of Koga's butt like Sabrina can."

I turned around to face Sabrina, who suddenly looked very blank and innocent.

I sat down and covered my face with my hands.

"Make them go away before I hurt them," I said.

Sabrina nodded and they were gone.

I straightened up. "Did you send them to jail?" I asked.

"No, that was too boring. But I do hope they make it out of that bar all right, it's a rough place."

I reached for her hand. "Dinner and a movie sound good?" I asked.

She nodded, and we disappeared.

Author's note: It's SadMewTwo's fault, basically... I was almost finished when she dared me to add a "butt-staring" part. So that's why it turned out like this.