"That's a picture of my father and I back when I was still just a kid..." Aurelie smiled, looking at the picture Cheren was holding.

"Oh, really?" Cheren mused out loud, staring at the picture. It had a little girl with pink hair and her father standing on a boat, and Castelia City was in the background.

Cheren and Aurelie were sitting together on a bench at one of Castelia City's boat docks, looking out at the ocean. They had been talking for maybe twenty minutes at this point.

"He died when I was sixteen." Aurelie grimly stared down at her lap. Cheren turned his head to look at her, about to ask, but Aurelie beat him to it and answered his question. "Cancer."

"I'm so sorry for your loss..." Cheren gave her his condolences, handing Aurelie back her picture.

"It's okay..." Aurelie stared down at the picture. "That's all anyone ever says. 'I'm sorry,' they say. I never understood that phrase. Why do people apologize for something when it's not their fault?" Aurelie crossed her arms, looking out at the ocean with a cynical look.

Cheren paused for a moment. She had asked a good question. "I... I suppose it's because it's such an awkward topic that most people just don't know what to say."

"Perhaps." Aurelie looked down at the picture again, changing the subject. "I had to sell the boat after he died so that I could take care of myself. Dean, my father's old boss, was nice enough to give me a job at the office as an intern."

"The job you just got fired from today?" Cheren inquired, looking over at Aurelie.

"Yeah... That's the one." She sighed, then put the picture back in the box with the rest of her stuff. "Today was my one chance to achieve my dream of honoring my father's legacy: continuing his column in the newspaper. And I... I blew it." Aurelie slumped her head in her hand.

"How so?" Cheren asked her, intrigued by this woman's story. He was in no rush, and certainly didn't have anything as interesting as this to do all day. Plus...she intrigued him. He didn't know why, but there was just something different about her. There was something about this woman that made her stand out from any other woman Cheren had ever met, and he had an idea of what that was... It was a crazy idea, however, considering they just met.

Aurelie slowly began sinking her head further and further into her hand. "My father used to write the Pokemon column for the newspaper, and Dean told me that's just not the kind of thing the paper writes about anymore..." Cheren noticed how heartbroken Aurelie looked, making him empathize with her.

"Wait... Your father used to write that column?" Cheren asked, a little bewildered. "I used to read that all the time as a kid... I found his information on Pokemon most helpful when I was still a traveling Pokemon Trainer."

"Exactly!" Aurelie agreed, sitting straight up. "That's what I loved about it too!" Aurelie smiled cheerfully, and Cheren found her grin absolutely infectious. It was pretty cute, too. "I wish everyone was like you, Cheren." Aurelie's eyes widened when she realized how awkward that sounded. Her face flushed a deep shade of red, and Cheren had a light blush creep up on his cheeks. "Oh, that's not what I meant..."

Cheren cut her off with an amused laugh, shaking his head. "I understood what you meant, don't worry." He covered his face with his hand so she wouldn't see the slight blush on his face.

Scratch that, it wasn't just a crazy idea. It was an absolutely insane idea. An absolutely insane idea that Cheren was strangely okay with.

"Oh, good." Aurelie turned her reddened face away from him. "I was just about to die of embarrassment...." Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she tugged at the strands of her pink hair.

The two adults shared yet another laugh, making the time fly quickly. They enjoyed each other's company, having an amusing conversation. And only one of the two noticed the sparks that began to fly, and it wasn't Aurelie. Aurelie thought Cheren's intelligent and witty remarks were entertaining, and Cheren found Aurelie's bubbly spirit underneath the broken heart most amusing. He also found her quite pretty, too, but he wasn't about to say anything about that. And oddly, he found her awkwardness to be...enchanting.

An awkward silence fell over the two, and they stared out at the ocean. They keep sneaking peeks at one another when the other wasn't looking, until Aurelie blurted out something that had been on her mind for the longest time. "What's the point in having a dream?"

"I beg your pardon?" Cheren looked over at her, intrigued by what she had said. Her choice of words were interesting to him.

"You know, what's the point in having a dream?" Aurelie crossed her legs and turned her head to look at Cheren. "Realistic or not, they don't seem to come true either way. So... What's the point in having a dream? A lifelong goal?" She stared into his blue eyes, looking for answers she hoped he could provide.

Cheren thought this over for a minute, and was surprised to find himself at a loss for words. "You know... I'm not even sure how to answer that." He shook his head and stared down at the ground, laughing a little. "You sound just like me when I was still a kid..."

"I do?" Aurelie inquired, raising an eyebrow. She scooted a little closer to Cheren to listen to his story, and he honestly didn't mind.

"Yes." Cheren smiled, still holding his gaze with the floor. "When I was still a young Pokemon Trainer, I dreamt of being the strongest there ever was one day. I was even going to try and become the Pokemon League Champion."

"So what happened?" Aurelie asked him, listening to what Cheren had to say.

"I used to pursue the ideal of strength, until one day...someone questioned it." Cheren let out a slight laugh. "I bumped into the Pokemon League Champion at the time: Alder. He questioned me on why I strived to become stronger, and I didn't know how to answer that...just like how I don't really know how to answer your question." Cheren sat up, looking out at the horizon. "I was unsure of my reasons at the time, and it got me thinking. He asked me what I planned on doing after I become strong, and once again, I was left speechless..." Cheren sighed, then continued. "I thought about it for the longest time, and my mind was just drawing blanks. I had no idea what I was going to do after becoming stronger, or why I even desired that goal in the first place..."

"So what did you do?" Aurelie asked, looking over at Cheren. She found this story most intriguing.

"I ended up doing something I never expected I'd do: becoming a Gym Leader." Cheren smiled at Aurelie, staring straight into her grey eyes that he found most alluring. "I guess the point in having a dream that doesn't come true is that it puts you on the right path for what you're supposed to be doing." Cheren shrugged. "If Alder hadn't ever questioned my reasoning, I don't think I would have ended up where I am today."

"...was it worth it?"

Aurelie's sudden qustion caught Cheren off guard, and he turned to look at her. They both stared deeply into each other's eyes, looking right into one another's soul.

Cheren stared at the beautiful Aurelie for the longest time, then smiled. "Yes, I believe it was. That dream, even though it failed, got me to where I am today. If that didn't happen, then perhaps I wouldn't have met you." Cheren let out an amused sigh, flashing her a half-smile.

Aurelie thought about what Cheren had said carefully. "Well... I see your point." Aurelie wore a sad smile. "But... That was my dream job. Now, there's no WAY I can afford my apartment. If this was meant to put me on the right path, then I have no idea what that 'right path' is..." She let out a sad sigh. "All I ever dreamed of when I was a kid was living in Castelia, the glorious city of lights, and now... I'm starting to notice that it's not as glorious as I once thought it was..." Aurelie looked over her shoulder at the big city behind her, and Cheren caught a glimpse at her heartbroken look. It pained him to see her feel so down.

"Well... Perhaps it's just time for you to turn over a new leaf." Cheren suggested, and Aurelie looked over at him. "Would you ever consider being a teacher?"

"A teacher?" Aurelie inquired, raising an eyebrow. She wondered where that had come from all of a sudden.

"Yes, a teacher." Cheren repeated himself. "With your extensive knowledge on Pokemon, I'm sure you'd make a wonderful teacher at the Trainer School in Aspertia City." Cheren smiled at her with a look of hope. "Plus, you wouldn't be alone there. It's filled with lots of nice people, and I just so happen to work there as both a teacher and the Gym Leader of Aspertia City."

Aurelie thought over it for a moment. "I...I don't know. I've lived in Castelia my whole life, you see." She looked back over at the ocean. "I don't think I could ever bring myself to leave this place..."

"I see..." Cheren sighed at little, more than just a little disappointed with her answer. He glanced down at his watch, then stood up from the bench. "Well, I should get going." Cheren looked back over his shoulder at Aurelie, secretly hoping to see her again one day. "It was nice meeting you, Aurelie Stone. Think about my offer, maybe?" He asked, starting to walk away.

"Maybe. And it was nice meeting you too, Cheren." Aurelie waved good-bye to Cheren and watched him walk away, and she didn't understand why she felt more sad than she did before he left.

With a heavy sigh, Aurelie stood up with her box and began trudging her way back home. She didn't know what she was going to do now.

Stay here in this depressing city of broken dreams, or move?