Gwen had been in her usual mental funk. Her head remained in the clouds, lost in a sea of her own thoughts when somebody had called her. This specific name had made her troubled expression fade away. A curtain of ginger hair parted ways to reveal the girl with thick glasses looking to another girl her age. "Oh, Robin! I didn’t- Urk!" The other girl’s hands went around as she froze. Touching wasn’t one of her strong suits, so she improvised. Her arms wrapped around the aspiring psychic as orange locks weaved themselves into auburn. Gwen squeezed for a moment and looked at the bundle of energy that was the third child of the Coello clan.

"You’re still as hyper as ever." A smile came over Gwen’s face when seeing her close friend once more. But just as she was before, Robin was off to a mile a minute. SHe pulled out sparklers and wanted Gwen to race alongside her to the hilltop. While she had come to get away from her problems and mope, perhaps this was a better use of her time? "Race you up there!"

The so-called race was short-lived. Robin was just too fast for Gwen to catch up with. A nasty side effect of spending the day inside of a machine or playing too many video games in class. This loss didn’t bother her any. Not when they sat down on a hilltop overlooking the carnival. The fireworks were set to begin soon and they had some time to kill. "What have you been up to? It’s been forever since we’ve seen each other. Or maybe a little longer…"

Robin stretched her arms out behind herself and laid her whole back against the hill in light of her victory in their race. The hills were only slightly damp, a safety precaution taken by rangers earlier to prevent any fires from stray ashes or sparks from the fireworks. She hadn't been a part of that due to her lack of water types as well as her last three weeks of back-to-back missions; her ranger buddies had insisted she get two days to enjoy the festival.

"Way too long," she echoed. "I've been doing so many ranger tasks. I don't wanna be a rookie forever." She rubbed at her visible ranger band. It was a rookie color and always on display as rangers were expected to do. "I've been collecting berries in Oldale and fighting primate pokemon having territorial pursuits and... man, I missed ya." She turned her head to her best friend with a tender expression. "I'm glad you were available this last week of the festival. I want to know how things are going for you!"

Her gaze shifted back to the sky as twelve Fletchinders took to the sky alongside four talonflames. All of them alternated between flame charge, aerial ace, and will-o-wisp, lighting up the sky with creative aerial maneuvers as a preliminary show to the fireworks.

The grass was wet. No doubt to combat any potential for the fireworks to light a blaze somewhere. They were beautiful to see but she could only imagine their effect on a dry patch of grassland. She laid alongside Robin as the droplets touched the back of her knees. She had joined the Rangers since the last time they talked. It sounded like things were going well. More with her. It’s one thing she envied about her friend. She had a destination and a journey in progress. Gwen was still at port, waiting to figure out where to go.

"You’ve been busy then." She put it simply. Gwen’s eyes went to Robin’s head as her thick rimmed glasses were falling down her nose again. It didn’t bother her quite as much with her around. Robin then asked about how things were going with her. This threw the girl for a loop. How was she supposed to know if she was doing life correctly? All she did was sit inside and unscrew things all day! "I’m…doing fine. Heheh…" But there was one thing that she could update Robin about.

"I joined the Rangers recently. I’m still a trainee though." She didn’t say why. She couldn’t say why. What was the least pathetic sounding between “because I wanted to know you’re safe” and “because I don’t know where else to go”? A sigh escaped from her lips and paused to enjoy the fireworks with Robin. The preliminary show began while the two below watched in amazement. Gwen laughed as the widest grin was on her usually melancholic face. "I wish I could get a Talonflame. I'd love to just watch it fly like this all day."

Robin shot up like a rocket at Gwen's reveal. "You're a ranger now!? That's incredible!" She made a huge gesture with her hands, forgetting the sparkler that had been precariously resting in her pocket. It fell to the wet grass, but Robin just picked it up and wiped it on her sleeve as she spoke. "That's so awesome. You're gonna get to explore the region and help people and, hey, maybe you can even help some researchers. I know you like that computer-y science stuff." Being a ranger was a huge opportunity, even though it ate up a lot of time.

"It's gonna give you lots of opportunities to find a talonflame. Heck, we can even go look for one together. One of my ranger buddies recommended I get my hands on a fire type and a water type because it'll help me be prepared for more emergencies. We can fill out our types together." Gengar wasn't helpful on any emergency so far, but Munchlax had a good heart. Toxel was too new to her party for this kind of thing; she hadn't developed a rapport with him yet.

The fire birds above finished their show in a blaze of glory, departing from sight to return to their trainers. The fireworks would begin in just a minute. Robin inspected her sparkler, but it was still too damp to burn with the lighter she had.

"Heh, yeah…" Gwen beamed as bright as Robin but her hesitation and uncertainty was still as clear as day. She wished to have a clear purpose just like Robin. A mind that knew what it wanted to do and to focus on it. But at least she could be in a place that wasn’t her parents’ bedroom. "I can’t wait to see Hoenn! I’m not really full up on Pokemon yet, but I bet if we fill out our teams more, we’ll be unstoppable."

"I do think that a fire and water-type will help a lot. Maybe even something to get us places fast, like a large flying type or a super fast land runner." She nodded in agreement, though looked shocked when Robin offered to go looking for one with her. Gwen smiled a little, taking the sparkler she had been handed and holding it up to the sky. Robin’s had been dampened by the fall before she handed hers over to Robin.

"We can hold it together, if you want."

Robin nodded emphatically as Gwen talked about her team and its potential. "Yes, totally! And we got to get our hands on some very cool ride pokemon." The possibilities were endless. The world was at their fingertips as rookie rangers. "If you ever want to go hunting for something to fill your team, just let me know! I'll be right there with you." She wondered if they'd even wander upon a legendary creature.

Gwen's offer made her heart skip a beat. "Really?" She scooted closer, forgetting her own on the wet grass as she brought a hand up alongside Gwen's on her sparkler. Her spare hand cupped the lighter. "We'll start when the first firework launches, yeah?" She looked to Gwen, intense and excited in equal measures, but she only had to wait a beat before the first firework crawled up to the sky and exploded in silver-and-gold glitter. She lit the sparkler immediately, which shot out pink sparkles in front of them.

"This is awesome. Thank you, Gwenny." Her gaze dipped between the gorgeous sparkler and the series of stunning fireworks above.

Their warm hands felt the touch of one another. Gwen’s entire vision had stuck to them as she’d have to keep herself from just kind of mentally overthinking things. It was what she did best, outside of working on tech. ”Y-Yeah. Just go when you’re ready.” She gave the green light as both girls waited for the show to begin. It wasn’t long afterwards that the first of many fireworks would lighten the sky with brilliant, flashing colors. The sparkler was lit and the two were treated to the wand shooting out pink sparkles all around them. They’d enjoy the fireworks some while Gwen slowly looked off to the side.

”Robin, I, uh. I’m sorry. I’m not really good at going outside and being awkward. I’m trying to be as social and energetic as you, but it’s hard.”

Gwen's candor caught her off-guard. "Gwenny, you don't have to change for me. I like you how you are, silly!" The sparkler they shared spat its final sparks, dying out as the finale launched above. Dozens of fireworks went off overhead and illuminated their faces to each other. "You don't need to be social or energetic. Just be helpful, like rangers are. Be kind. And be you. I hope I don't make you feel like you have to perform for me." Her heart ached at the idea.

She had spend her entire life trying to be something she clearly wasn't, a psychic, and it had gotten her nowhere. Now, she was trying to spread her wings doing something else: being a ghost-friendly ranger. She didn't want Gwen to feel that kind of pressure. "I want to meet you where you're at. You came out here for me. Maybe I can visit one of those computer cafes with you next time. Okay? That's what friends do."

”Y-You don’t?” Gwen asked, guffawed at Robin’s response to her apology. She did want to try and be somebody that Robin could be happy calling a friend. The sparkler died but the finale above them lit up both of their faces as they’d talk with one another. Robin’s advice didn’t fall to deaf ears. Gwen did seem to resist those ideas at first, but she came around to them. ”I know, I’m sorry. I just…I sometimes feel like I’m holding you back. You’re going to be a Ranger Captain and save people, and I’ll still be a Rookie. Just not sure of what they want to do.”

The offer to meet her again at a computer cafe was enticing. Gwen spent a lot of her time in those shops, usually browsing sales for computers or playing games. ”That would be nice. I could even show you some things I’ve been working on…” The ginger said, but then her smile turned into a frown. ”B-But I need to spend less time cooped up in a room all day. If I want to find out my purpose, I need to get out there and find it. And the only way to do that is if I see everything. E-Even if I’m scared.”

Robin nudged Gwen's shoulder. "When I'm Ranger Captain, you'll be my lieutenant!" They could succeed together. She liked hearing Gwen's ambition. It was a great sign that they could adventure together a lot in the future. "Yes. We can do it, even if we're scared. Nothing can stop up. I'll be there for you when things are scary; it's kind of my thing." She winked. She loved being scared. Everything that went bump in the night was a friend waiting for companionship.

The festival had given them a chance to catch up but, more importantly, it had reminded her of just how strong their friendship was. It would survive distance and tribulations. The two of them could weather any storm. "Thank you." She leaned on Gwen as the final firework faded from the sky. The end of a night. The beginning of an era.