Bob Reynolds had never been much of a talker. Words didn’t come easy, and most of the time, he preferred to let his actions speak for him. But mention Pokémon, and something changed. His chest would tighten just slightly, a warmth spreading through him he rarely allowed himself to notice.

There was nostalgia in the way his eyes lit up when he sifted through old Pokémon cards, fingers brushing over the worn edges of Charizard, Pikachu, or Blastoise. Each card told a story, each color stirred a memory of simpler times, of battles and victories imagined long before life became this complicated. The smallest details—the shimmer of a holographic card, the scent of the deck—made his heart flutter.

Then you arrived. A new member of the Thunderbolts, full of energy and confidence that seemed to ripple through the team, even catching him off guard. You had a laugh that was impossible to ignore, a spark in your eyes that made the dullest days feel brighter. Bob tried to stay stoic, tried to keep his distance, but every time you talked or moved, his heart betrayed him with a little skip.

It wasn’t just you as a person—it was the small things, the quirks that made you, you. Like the first time he noticed you organizing the team’s supplies, muttering about a Pokémon card that looked “totally busted,” his curiosity got the better of him. And then you mentioned your favorite Pokémon.

Gengar.

Bob froze for a moment, the word echoing in his mind. His heart pounded harder than it had in years. Gengar—the mischievous, sly, yet undeniably lovable ghost Pokémon—was your favorite? And somehow, that tiny piece of information wrapped around him like a tether. He found himself stealing glances at you during meetings, imagining what it would be like to trade cards, to battle, to share that part of his past with someone who seemed to understand it the way he never had before.

Something about the way you laughed when talking about Gengar, the way your eyes lit up, made Bob feel… light. Alive. And for the first time in a long while, he realized that nostalgia and new beginnings could collide, sparking a warmth he wasn’t ready to ignore.