I wake up early the next morning and find myself rummaging through my suitcase. Today is the day Ash and I will be going to Johto, and I'm not sure what I really want to find in my luggage until I'm holding an old tattered black journal. I open it up and find old notes, poems, and stories I've written throughout the years.

I suppose part of me is wondering why I let the opportunity to be in a relationship with someone as sweet as Rudy, not to mention I'd live on Trovita Island which is gorgeous; I've always loved the water, so living on an island would be a perfect fit for me.

I flip through my journal, and on the very last page, I see note saying: "Dear Future Self."

I begin to read:

Dear Future Self,

By now you are probably a famous author, and you've probably outshined your three older sisters…Good job!

As for love, I'm not sure if you'll find the right person.

I don't mean that in a pessimistic way, of course, after Dad and Mom's divorce, I am a little wary of marriage.

But, the point is, not everyone finds love, maybe you're just one of those people.

I know it probably hurts to hear read this; after all, you were raised with fairy tales and romantic comedies, so of course you feel as if you need someone to share your life with.

But I guess my point in all of this is, if you're as successful as I know you are, you don't need a boyfriend.

I don't think any of us really do.

We just need ourselves to be as strong as we can be.

Isn't that enough?

Sincerely,

Your Past Self

I find myself rubbing my forehead with my thumb and index finger. My past self is right; I don't need a guy in my life to make me complete.

I begin getting ready for the next plane ride to the Johto region: Olivine City, in particular.

The plane ride actually goes pretty smoothly, I read my book and Ash watches his movie, as we've decided we're not friends, but we're going to be civil to each other.

Once we arrive, I'm speechless.

Honestly, the sea is beautiful, not to mention the lighthouse. I go to turn to Ash, and the child in me just finds herself saying "Isn't it romantic?"

Ash turns and looks at me as if I have two heads.

I suppose it is odd for me to say something like that, given we're not friends, and from what I know about him, he isn't exactly the biggest romantic in the world.

So I decide to explain myself.

"I mean, the lighthouse, can't you imagine going up there and being with the person you love?"

"Like my mom?"

Is he serious? Oh my God, he is!

"No, no not like your mom. I mean, someone you love romantically."

"Oh, well I never really thought of that."

"Romance?"

"Yeah, I suppose. I've been too busy working on becoming a professional photographer, I haven't really thought about romance."

"Hmm."

I suppose he's got it right, like my past self said, it's more important to become who you want to be than finding someone who you want to be with.

I just suppose I'm still that little girl who begged her dad to read her fairytales before she went to sleep.

We don't speak to each other until we find our first couple, a couple our age. They introduce themselves as Marina Davis and Jimmy Schemmel.

We find a nice spot by the water to discuss how we're asking couples from each region to answer a few questions.

They both agree to do it, they seem like energetic people, passionate in a way. I can't help but smile.

"Okay, so when and how did you two meet?"

"Oh, we've been friends since we were little. Our parents were friends so we pretty much grew up together."

"That's sweet. Well, then let's see, how long have you been together romantically?"

They look at each other, and Marina finally says, "Three years now, I think."

"Wow, three years? That's amazing."

"Yeah, we've actually talked about getting engaged, but things have been pretty hectic."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you see, I'm an actress, and I've been really busy with all that, an we decided we wanted to be settled when we get engaged."

"That makes sense, well, I'm happy for you guys, anyways."

"Thanks, oh were there more questions?"

"Oh, yeah, how does your region celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, well Johto celebrates both Valentine's Day and White Day. Valentine's Day is for the girls to give the guys chocolate while White Day is meant for the guys to give chocolate to the girls."

"Yeah? That's just like Kanto." Ash says.

I look at him, wondering what caused his interest in the interview.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense, I think Hoenn and Sinnoh are the same way." Marina adds.

"Really?" I ask.

"Oh yes, I think it's Unova and Kalos that are the most different."

"Huh…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, um, so how do you two personally celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, that's actually why we're here. We decided to celebrate today since Marina will be busy on Valentine's Day.

"Yeah? What do you two do?"

"We go up into the lighthouse."

"Really?" Ash and I both ask.

"Yes, it's really beautiful."

"Oh, I've always wanted to go into a lighthouse! They just seem so romantic. Not to mention they protect the sailors."

"Protect the sailors?"

I look at Ash, it may not seem like much to him, but someone showing interest in something I'm passionate about, well, it makes me happy.

"Yeah, you see, the lighthouse is meant to let ships know where the land is, that way they won't crash into the rocks or anything."

"That's actually pretty cool."

I smile; I can actually see this trip going smoothly, if things go as well as this day has gone.

"Well, we shouldn't intrude on your Valentine's Day, so we'll be going…" I begin to say.

"Oh, don't be silly, you need more than one couple per region, right?"

"Yes, but I don't see how that—"

"You two should stay then! We've invited our friends, another couple, to meet us here."

"Really? What are their names?"

"Lyra and Silver."

We wait, and as it turns out, Ash has his own love of the water. Of course, he tells me he loves swimming and playing pool games, but he doesn't seem to understand my love for the sea, though.

It's just so deep, pure, strong. It's everything I wish I were.

I should've been a marine biologist.

Then we hear a voice calling out to Jimmy and Marina.

"Hi, Lyra! Hello, Silver!"

They look as if they're our age, as well, and I wonder what sort of couple they are.

"Oh, and who are you two?"

"Oh, um, I'm Misty, and this is Ash. We're working on a newspaper article about Valentine's Day, so we were hoping to interview you and, um, Silver was it?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Uh, well, would you two mind being interviewed?"

"We'd love to be interviewed!" Lyra says, linking arms with Silver.

After getting comfortable, I begin the interview process once more.

"Alright, so how and when did you two meet?"

"We were actually neighbors growing up, and we sort of drifted apart during high school and college, but then one Christmas Eve we were both home, and our relationship sort of just, rekindled."

"How sweet! Oh, um, so how long have you been together?"

"I think it was two years ago?"

"Alright, and we know how the region celebrates the holiday, but how do you two personally celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, well I'll usually go out and spend time with my girl friends, but Silver is really sweet and will get me chocolates."

I wonder why Silver hasn't answered any questions, and why he just seems closed off altogether, but I suppose if Lyra loves him, he must be a good person.

"Well, now that we've all been interviewed, let's all go see the amazing lighthouse I've heard so much about!" Lyra says, excitedly.

We all make our way to the lighthouse, but Marina tells us that only two people can fit at a time.

"Oh, well, that's fine, um, you and Jimmy can go, then Lyra and Silver, and I suppose Ash and I will go last."

"Oh, that reminds me, is Ash your boyfriend?" Lyra foolishly asks.

"What? No, of course not!"

"What do you mean, 'of course not?'"

"I mean exactly what I said! Of course you wouldn't be my boyfriend!"

"Oh, yeah? And why wouldn't I be your boyfriend?"

"Because! You're hardly my idea of a boyfriend!"

"Yeah? Well, you're hardly my idea of a girlfriend!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, you two, I'm sorry I said anything." Lyra finally says to us.

"No, no, I'm sorry, we're acting like children."

Jimmy and Marina go up to the lighthouse first, followed by Silver and Lyra, and then finally, it's Ash's turn and mine.

We make our way to the top, and the first moment I see the view, I lose my breath.

"Oh…Wow."

"Huh."

"What do you mean 'huh?'"

"I just mean, I guess I didn't expect it to look so…"

"Beautiful?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you see why I love the ocean now?"

"It's cool looking?"

"Are you sure you're twenty-seven and not ten years old?"

"Well, why do you love the ocean so much?"

I wonder if I should tell him the real reason why I love the sea so much.
But I decide to just say, "No, it's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not stupid. I mean, you love the ocean, right? When you love something, you just love it. It's the same thing for photography and me. I just love the thought of capturing moments, you know? Things you wouldn't normally be able to remember. I think it's just awesome how it all works, you know?"

I look at him, and I finally see what I've been missing. Someone who would do anything to make someone else feel better. Someone who is passionate about what he loves. Someone who, although pushes romance aside, is someone who would love with all his heart.

"Yeah…I know."

That night, I open my laptop to type my next paragraph of the article.

Johto is one of the few regions that celebrate both Valentine's Day and White Day. The first holiday is for the girls to give guys presents, such as chocolate, while the latter day is for the guys to give girls something in return. However, couples in this region have their own traditions. Silver and Lyra, who have been together for two years and were once neighbors, spend Valentine's Day separately until the end of the day, when Silver will give her chocolates. Jimmy and Marina, another couple from Johto, have been together for three years now after knowing each other for most of their lives. These two have a tradition to go visit the Olivine City lighthouse, although Marina has plans this Valentine's Day, she and Jimmy found time to do so beforehand. In a way, relationships are a bit like ships and lighthouses. We don't necessarily need the other to be complete, but a little light in a dark ocean surely couldn't hurt.