This was it. The only station that mattered: Viktor Street. 

I kept my eyes open, trying to spot her amongst the numerous boring people getting on the bus, well - at least some of them were trainers.
The same somewhat familiar faces as every day passed by, both students and regular passengers alike, filling up the seats.

An old man looking through thick, smeared glasses was looking for a seat, sending me a mixed glance, partially pleading, partially judging the oh-so-ruthless youth of this decade.
I pointed at one row ahead of me - the seat next to that guy, who had finished his pizza and had then shoved the fatty cardboard onto the aisle seat. The man wrinkled his nose, shook his head and kept on strolling towards the far side of the bus.

Keeping my fingers crossed, I hoped that my selfishness would pay off. The seat next to mine was meant for one person only - the problem was that she hadn't entered yet.
The engine of the bus came to life again. Norah was late.

I ignored all the incoming notifications from the trainers that had boarded, my heart pulsing rapidly inside my chest. There just had to be something I could do. I jumped up, hitting my head against the unused hand luggage compartment. Without even trying to be stealthy, I smashed against the red STOP-button and rushed towards the sliding doors.

The bus driver sighed, and mumbled something in broken german as the doors stopped in their tracks and opened up again. There she was, facing her smartphone, running towards me… only a few seconds away.

The driver switched on his microphone; the speakers emitted a deafening boom in response. He seemed angry, cursing the interruption. "Zurückbleiben! Nein!" the speakers blared, followed by the doors' piercing warning signal that preceded their final closing.

Now I had to choose. I could leave the bus now and be late for school, unable to loot the two PokéHalts in its vicinity without repercussions. Was it worth waiting for the next bus, which definitely would be full of students and void of any free double-seats? 

As Norah still didn't take her eyes off the smartphone, I finally resigned to the driver's orders and returned to my double seat that had my backpack placed where I left it. That girl just didn't want to be saved.

Rubbing my head, I tried to calm the dull pain, facing the floor. For some reason, the bus didn't depart. I lifted my pulsating head, squinting through my eyes - it seemed as if the driver had opened the front door again... with an innocently smiling Norah entering, showing her ticket!

For a short moment, I felt like a true hero. I guessed that now I could have it both. If I were to rush, I could make up for the 5 minute delay by running to the hot-spot and then back to school in time. I started to wonder if she'd have done the same thing for me.

I imagined her standing on the lowest step of the bus doors. No angry voices in earshot. I knew I was late, so I ran towards the bus wheezing, extending my hand, as if it would increase my chances of making it. 

Norah still stood in the doorframe, only stepping back to prevent being crushed by the uncompromising doors.

That pain... I ran full-speed against the closed doors, slamming both hand and head into them, but the security glass didn't break. Instead, the doors shook with a booming sound, similar to speakers flicking to life. Norah had tried to save me, but I just wasn't fast enough. I saw her return to her double-seat, looking at me with a sad face, as the bus left the station. I pulled in my legs and sat on the sidewalk, unable to stand anymore. It felt terrible, being me.

I rewound the scene back in my head again. In her perfect, athletic body I could run so fast. My steps were so delicate, yet dedicated. Secure enough so that I didn't even need to take my eyes off the random encounter. Exhaling, I blew some air against my hair, puffing a shoulder long strand out of my face.

Luckily, I was wearing a sports bra, which prevented my relatively large breasts from jiggling too much. Actually, I probably had to buy a new one in a few weeks, since they hadn't yet reached their final form. I shook my head, attempting to refocus my thoughts on the encounter - which I won, thanks to my skill. I could still collect the reward on the bus, so I pocketed the phone for once.

I didn't even have to look up to see him because I knew he'd be there for me, I knew he'd save me from being late, I knew he'd reserve a seat. Chuckling, I caught a glimpse of the closing doors and increased my speed to a sprint. I knew I'd make it now. He had saved me.

All it took was a gentle knock on the door. Hissssss… The stench of the bus was bearable, since I've used my favorite spring flowers perfume. It actually helped to apply even a tiny amount of that below my button nose to counter the smell.

I rewarded the friendly driver by bending forwards just a bit further than necessary while retrieving the ticket from my Vulpix-themed handbag, presenting him my cutest smile and the ticket's QR-code.

Well, I made his day without any effort, but now it was time to thank the guy, who saved my PokéHalt streak. After all, it was his sixteenth birthday, and I had the perfect idea how to make him happy! I'd sit down next to him, and we were going to have a lot of fun on the bus, and then some while running to the hot-spot together!

Today was my birthday, too, which meant I've just started yet another year of progress. One year closer to finishing highschool and finally joining the female athlete squad. Happy birthday to me. Sweet sixteenth!