Chapter 28: Marriage Proposal

I bolted after Alisha, the crunch of fallen leaves under my feet the only sound echoing through Viridian Forest. The girl was a blur of teal and black, darting ahead with her Squirtle, Splash, loyally trotting by her side. My heart pounded in my chest, frustration curling through me. I didn't have time for this.

"Alisha!" I yelled, narrowing the distance between us. She didn't stop, but her teasing laughter rang through the trees, making my blood boil. That was it.

Without a second thought, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward me. The momentum tossed her gently against a nearby tree. She let out a small "Ouch," more startled than hurt, her wide black eyes glaring up at me. Splash stood by her feet, all innocent as if he hadn't been the one causing all this trouble in the first place.

I wasn't letting them get away with it. I scooped Splash up in one swift motion and tossed him toward Ivysaur, who had been trailing behind us. With a flick of its vine, Ivysaur caught the Squirtle effortlessly, holding him midair. "Make him regret messing with me," I commanded through gritted teeth. Ivysaur nodded, dragging Splash to the other side of the clearing like a sack of potatoes.

Alisha dusted herself off, shooting daggers at me with her eyes. "You think you can just do whatever you want?" Her voice was sharp, but there was something behind it—hurt, maybe. "First, you took advantage of me. You kidnapped me, touched my breast, and then—" her voice dipped lower, "you took my first kiss."

I scoffed. "Kidnapped you? I was searching for Pikachu when you started shouting my name." I leaned in, dropping my voice as I met her eyes. "And touching your breast? That was an accident. The kiss—well, that was because Splash knocked me over."

Her glare didn't waver. "Doesn't change anything."

I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation press down on me. "Fine. It was all a mistake. Let's just catch Pikachu. I found a whole bunch of them; you can have as many as you want." My tone was clipped, impatience leaking through.

But she wasn't letting it go. Her eyes softened, but her voice carried an undercurrent of something serious. "What about my first kiss?"

I froze. She wasn't teasing, wasn't playing around like usual. Her eyes bore into mine with a strange, quiet intensity.

I knelt down, matching her eye level. "I'm sorry. Tell me how to make it right."

Her lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smirk, but her voice stayed steady. "Marry me."

"What?" The word escaped before I could process it. I shot to my feet, grabbed my water bottle, and gulped it down like it could wash away the sheer absurdity of the situation. "Say that again?"

Alisha folded her arms across her chest, her chin jutting out defiantly. "I said, marry me."

My head spun. She was serious. Dead serious. I stared into her eyes, looking for any sign that she was joking, but all I found was that same resolve.

"Why?" I managed to ask, though my voice came out sharper than I intended.

Alisha sighed, exasperated. "Don't you know how things work around here?"

"I don't," I admitted.

She rolled her eyes like I was the slowest person she'd ever met. "Before my brother left on his Pokémon journey, he told me, 'If something happens to me, and you lose your first kiss, that person will be your future husband.'" She squared her shoulders. "He said, 'That person will take care of you.' So, that's why."

"How old were you when he told you that?" I asked, fighting back a laugh.

"Five," she replied proudly, as if that made all the sense in the world.

"Now you're ten, and you think—"

"That's the rule." Her voice was as firm as ever. She wasn't backing down.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Was this really happening? How did I end up in this situation just because I was chasing after a Pikachu?

"Why were you shouting my name earlier anyway?" I asked, desperate to steer the conversation away from the topic of marriage.

She shifted her weight, looking slightly sheepish. "I got lost in Viridian Forest."

Of course. Before I could respond, Ivysaur returned, tossing Splash gently onto the ground. The Squirtle gave a small, defiant snort before padding over to play with Ivysaur, completely unbothered by the tension between Alisha and me.

"Your Squirtle is manipulative," I muttered under my breath.

"I don't think so," Alisha responded, her voice light and teasing once again. But I could see the shift in her eyes. The playfulness was still there, but underneath, something more serious brewed.

I pulled out some Pokémon food from my sling bag and tossed portions to both Ivysaur and Pidgeotto, who had perched on a low branch nearby. Splash, ever the opportunist, waddled over and helped himself to Ivysaur's portion, earning an indulgent flick of the vine in return.

As I unwrapped sandwiches for Alisha and me, she eyed me with that same suspicious glint. "You're not going to pretend to force me to eat this and kiss me again, are you?"

I rolled my eyes, biting into my sandwich. "Just eat, Alisha. We've got Pikachu to catch."

Her expression shifted, growing darker as she lowered her voice. "My brother didn't come back, you know. He was killed... for his Pokémon." Her words hung in the air like a thick fog, heavy and suffocating.

I stared down at my sandwich, suddenly losing my appetite. Alisha's lightheartedness was gone, replaced with a weight I hadn't seen in her before.

"You didn't answer my question." She looked up, her eyes burning with quiet intensity. "Are you going to marry me or not?"

I froze, chewing slowly, trying to buy time. The truth was, I didn't know what to say. The whole situation felt ridiculous, like something out of a storybook. But Alisha—she wasn't playing games anymore.

I swallowed the last bite of my sandwich and looked up, meeting her gaze. "Why?"

Her eyes softened, and for the first time, I saw a vulnerability behind her playful exterior. "Because... I need someone who'll take care of me. Just like my brother said." Her voice cracked slightly on the last word.

I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure of how to respond. This wasn't about a silly childhood promise. This was about something deeper, something I wasn't sure I was ready to face.

Alisha shifted her gaze, looking down at her hands. "You don't have to answer now. Just... think about it." 

The silence that followed was thick, filled with the unsaid things hanging between us. I stood up, brushing crumbs off my jeans. "Let's go find that Pikachu."

Alisha nodded, standing as well. But her question lingered, floating in the air like a cloud over our heads.