#Gallade tries to be all cool and just nod

[softquietsteadylove]

Hello. I would kindly request something for the Pokémon AU please. Gil still recovering from the whole poison thing and everyone there is helping him whenever they can, even Thenas most stubborn Pokémon. Thank you!

"Shit!"

Gil stumbled, nearly toppling all the way over before a psychic aura caught his fall. He blinked as he floated upright again. He would have expected Ninetales or even Froslass to be responsible for it, but it was neither. "Uh, th-thanks."

Gallade just glared at him, picking up one of the bags and walking out of the room.

It had been a harrowing week, Gil had learned. He was only leaving their room in the pokemon centre because they needed it for more critical patients. He wouldn't be cleared to work again for a while. He wanted to insist that he was fine, but he felt weak. And he had put Thena and Teddiursa - and poor Dragonite - through enough.

Thena looked like she hadn't slept all week. And she and their little cub wouldn't let go of each other for anything--it was like when he was a baby all over again. He kept catching them staring at him, like they were expecting him to get worse again.

The Audino and Chansey had looked him over and given him a full pass if he rested. Even the human doctors and nurses agreed he could be released.

"Hey, move slowly," Thena whispered as she came over to him. She tucked herself under his arm as if he had been limping and needed a crutch. "You're coming straight home, anyway."

Gil eyed the doorway where Gallade had all but stomped away with his stuff. "He doesn't seem too happy with me."

Thena's eyes drifted away. "It's been a tough week--on all of us."

That implied that Gallade had been worried for him too. But Gil thought it was much more likely that the Blade Pokemon was frustrated with him purely for the stress he had caused Thena.

Gil paused, making Thena halt with him. He raised his hand to her cheek. He knew it was impossible, but he could swear she had lost weight in the week he'd spent in bed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She smiled for him, at least. But it really only served to emphasize that she had dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks felt sunken and she was lacking the usual sparkle she had. Naturally, her eyes were as vibrant as a dawn stone, but now they just seemed...sad. "I'm happy you're on your feet."

He sighed as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I really put you through hell and Hoenn water, huh?"

She didn't disagree with him, but she patted his chest. "You're coming home, that's all that matters."

"Has Dragonite been staying with you?"

"Yes, although I fear we'll need more room," she lamented in good humour as she helped him drag himself out of the room and from the poison ward all together. She gave him a poke, "no more big pokemon."

"So I shouldn't come home with a Tyrannitar or a Snorlax, you mean?"

She laughed, and he felt better as soon as he heard it. "Absolutely not--keep it small. No bigger than a Munchlax."

Even young Munchlax could be hundreds of kilos in weight, so that really wasn't an option for their little house on the hill either.

"Froslass?"

"Hey, I'm okay," he smiled at the ice/ghost type hovering close. He must have really scared them all if she was floating around completely visible. "I'll get some rest and be good as new."

Dragonite gave him the biggest, saddest eyes a dragon could muster.

"Oh, come on buddy," Gil chided lightly. Dragonite leaned down to let his snout be petted gently. "Don't look at me like that. You can come and see me as soon as you're done work."

"Teddi?"

Ah, their sweet little bear cub, growing up so fast. Gil patted between his ears, finally in good proportion with his head. "You too, buddy. You can't skip work to stay home with me."

Teddiursa pouted a little, but Thena nuzzled the crescent moon in his fur and pressed a kiss there. "You are a junior ranger, my Luvdisc, you have responsibilities."

The pressure from his Mama made him pout even more, even cross his little arms. But he agreed, "Ted-Teddi."

"You sit," Thena helped him into one of the seats in the main waiting area. She set Teddiursa in his arms as well, "I'll get your ride ready."

He figured it would be Dragonite, like always. But Dragonite's harness did require some holding, even with the safety buckle. Maybe she'd called a pokemon taxi. He sighed.

"Gal-Gallade."

Gil blinked as Gallade set his bag down at his feet and sat next to him. He leaned forward, resting his weight on his knees(?) in a way that would have Thena scolding him to sit up straight. "Thanks."

"Gal."

Gil idly rubbed Teddiursa's back, seated on his knee. He looked at Gallade. "Sorry, for all this, I mean. I'm sure it hasn't been easy on you."

Gallade looked towards the front doors of the pokemon centre. His concern wasn't really for himself, but for his trainer. "Gallade."

Gil winced. Thena had been through too much because of this. Gallade was right to be angry with him. "I'll make it up to her."

"Lade," he scoffed. Gallade was a pokemon of few words, especially when he had to listen to them.

Gil ruffled his hair, a subconscious move in substitute of reaching for his ranger hat. "I didn't mean to get poisoned, y'know."

Oh, now it was the silent treatment.

Gil rolled his eyes. Gallade had been increasingly hostile since the beginnings of his and Thena's relationship turning romantic. He sighed, "look, I'll take care of her. These things...just happen."

"Gallade!"

Gil startled, as did a few other patrons. He hadn't expected such a strong rebuttal about taking care of himself. "Uh, I usually take care of himself-"

"Gal-Gallade, Gal," the pokemon rolled its eyes. He even crossed his arms and rested one of his feet(?) on his knee(???).

"I do," Gil scowled at the childish feeling argument--and with his girlfriend's pokemon, no less. But he watched Gallade's annoyed eyes and shifty body language. He sat back again. "These are the risks of the job, bud. I know that, and Thena does too."

Gallade said nothing.

Gil moved a little in his seat. Gallade was far past the age when it wanted to be petted like a Skitty. But he tried to catch its eye, "I am sorry, though. I know I worried you all."

Gallade had been worried about him. And now that he was better, he could experience the fighting/psychic's full annoyance as a result. "Gallade."

"I know." Gil had heard all about the pokemon's care of him. Gallade had used hypnosis to put him in a state even the pain killers and sedatives couldn't achieve.

Gallade eyed the door again before looking at him, and then swatting at him. "Gallade-Gal!"

"Okay, geez," Gil held up his hands before Gallade stood and walked outside, presumably sensing the return of its trainer. Gil looked around sheepishly at the guests. He cleared his throat, "sorry."

An older woman smiled in her seat, her Pansage on her lap. "Teenagers--he'll grow out of it."

"Hope so," Gil sighed. He looked down at Teddiursa, who hadn't spoken a word in his defense. "You were no help."

"Ted," the little bear turned his head. He was a little upset too, it seemed. Although Gil got the feeling he was mostly copying his big brother, more than anything.

"Okay, come on," Thena came back in, holding out her hand. Gallade left her side to - still scowling at him! - offer his support.

"Thanks," he sighed, standing with a heavy groan. He looked at Gallade, offering its blade like it was assisting an old man. "I can walk, y'know."

"Gal." It wasn't the first time Gallade had told him to shut up, and it probably wouldn't be the last either.

"Excuse me?" The stern words from his trainer did make the Blade Pokemon stand up a little straighter and lower his tone. She put her hands on her hips, "that's what I thought."

"Gallade."

Gil just chuckled. He was plenty used to it, and he had somewhat missed the chaos of his usual life in the silence of his private room. "None taken, buddy."

"Okay, let's go."

"Whoa," Gil blinked and smiled, dragging his feet over to his chauffeur. "It's been a while--how are you?"

"Altar," the Humming Pokemon cooed, letting Gil bend its long neck around to receive some head scratches. It no longer possessed the little antennae on top of its head but now had long, flowing ones. "Altaria!"

"Thanks, I guess I've been better, but it's good to see you," Gil grinned. It had been a long time since he had last seen the Swablu-turned-Altaria of Thena's. "You're my ride home?"

"I called," Thena confessed, also receiving some affection as Altaria leaned its head down to nuzzle her. "I know Dragonite can carry you, but the news of your condition brought him home anyway."

It was very sweet of the retired and technically freed pokemon to return to check on him. The dragon type passed through regularly of course, always checking up on Thena.

It nodded to Gallade, who nodded back. The two original party members of her team in this region conveyed an understanding that even the rest of her team lacked. Gallade offered a wave, which Altaria met with a slap of one of its antennae.

"Come on, then," Thena said gently, helping Gil ease onto Altaria's back.

"Thena, really, I'm-" his mouth shut as he sank into the sheer plushness of Altaria's downy feathers. It really was like sleeping on a cloud. "Wow."

Thena had on a smirk. She knew that he wouldn't be able to resist the offer of an Altaria, no matter how much he insisted he was well. "We'll meet you at home."

She gave him a last kiss on the cheek before asking Altaria ever so gently to fly him home slowly and smoothly. She gave her old pokemon a kiss on the tip of his beak, their foreheads pressed together before the flying pokemon took off lightly and smoothly.

He had never flown on an Altaria before, but wow it was luxurious. It would probably be more common if they weren't so tough to actually train, let alone evolve. Only the most ambitious trainers would go through the work of evolving a Swablu that wasn't purebred.

That was his Thena, though.

[rotomgender-moved]

Runs in Our Family, Part two

Warnings: Ask To Tag, Injuries

Word Count: 2.3K

Part Two

The first thing N noticed was the sheer noise that we're coming from this group of children. Second, was the child on child violence going on-

Where are their parents? It made them confused and concerned for a moment, did they not have a chaperone? Who would trust children with pokemon on their own?

It was when he saw someone cowering in the corner that he realized, yes, they did have a chaperone. They've just dethroned the poor guy.

"Pl-ease calm yourselves!" The man squawked, "We can't have anyone getting hurt! Especially Wally, the poor boy is sickly enough!" As soon as the man's gaze met N's, he got up and quickly struttsd over with the grace of a swana. "Oh thank Arceus- can you please help out? Entertain them for a bit so I can set up lunch? The triplets and Mallow asked me to distract them, but they're treating me as a joke-"

"I'll help. My name is N."

"Thank you, oh thank you so much! My name is Wallace, I was a gym leader back in Hoenn." Wallace greeted with a relieved sigh. "Just give me a moment, I'm sure you can handle it for a few minutes. I just need to grab a change of clothes so these ones dont get dirtied, they're a bitch to handwash." He chuckled a little, patting N's shoulder and slipping by.

"... language." N muttered quietly. 

He felt eyes bearing into him as the room suddenly fell silent, Ruby spoke up.

"This is the guy with the white dragon Nate was talking about! All the cool pokemon that he can talk to!" The boy grinned, throwing his hands up.

"Uhm… Hello-?"

"He looks like a twig." A voice spoke up, one with that accent he couldn't place who paralyzed him. The little brats.

"Yeah… He- He looked like a mess-"

"Okay! Okay that's enough!" As Rosa and Nate approached, tugging Hugh behind them like a ragdoll, N snapped his head to them.

"Why did you tell them about the white dragon?" N hissed, giving the twins and their friend a glare. "You aren't meant to just-"

"Shut up, N, anyways!" Rosa continued. "He's sensitive, so don't touch him or be too loud. Or pull his hair, I got bit for that once."

"He bit you?" A gasp came from a blond girl playing with her tall, blue frog pokemon. 

"No, Ex, his Unphezant did. Wh- Why would he bite me?"

"Isn't he that guy that Bede nearly killed in the woods?" Ex said, and a gasp came from one of those kids, as though he had been personally offended. From how he looked, N assumed Bede was one of the kids on the boat in a fight.

"It was not me! It was Gloria and you all know it!" He spat. 

"It wasn't me, it was Victor!" Gloria hissed back. 

"It was me- stop fighting you aggressive dunces." Victor smacked the back of Gloria's head. "Sorry about that again, Mint-Boy."

N starred in awe at how fast all these kids started antagonizing each other. It was almost impressive how tense the energy in the room is. He looked down to Hugh.

"Is this how it always is?" 

"Yeeeaaaah, just about."

"Oh my…" N took in a sharp intake of breath as Wallace returned, immediately sighing in defeat. Wallce had this elegant energy tacked on him that was absolutely torn due to the rowdiness of all the kids. 

"Did they give you too much trouble?"

"No, they were distracted tearing each other apart."

"I see, well. How about you show off your pokemon, or battle one of them? I'm sure they'd appreciate the form of stimulation that isn't… Whatever Silver, Gold and Crystal do." He motioned his hand to a group of three. That foulmouthed redhead getting put in a headlock by a brunette boy. Who seemed to be playfully insulting him while a young girl kept score on a piece of paper.

"Yeah… I'll do that." N nodded, stepping towards the group while Wallace went to break up the rough housing between the three mineral-named children. He immediately was met by a small, frail green haired boy, who had a nervous smile and a cheerful wave.

"Hello, sir! I was told you could speak with pokemon. I wanted to ask if you could hear what my pokemon can say?"

"Oh, uh." N wasn't sure what to do, ever since he had left Team Plasma he had never been around so many people. He thought back on Zoroark's words. That talking to people would do him some good. "Yes, I can do that for you and… Whoever else wants me to." He promised, sitting down.

"I'm Wally, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Call me N."

He met many faces so quickly! Barry, the energetic boy with a Staraptor who seemed to have nearly the exact same spunk. Wally and his elegantly worded Gallade, who worked tirelessly to defend the boy. The endlessly smiling Hop and his gruff, aloof Dubwool, as well as learning that the four accented children are from a place called Galar. Ex and Wy, two twins with teams that seemed to completely mirror one another. The hot headed Silver and his Magnasium, who N believes that Zororak would get along wonderfully with. 

Seeing all these trainers and pokemon with such diverse personalities couldn't help but make him smile. Especially the grins that they got being able to know exactly what they're pokemon thought of them. Silver's reaction made him the most joyful, seeing the boy try to hide that toothy little grin and begin to ride on his grass types back, whispering to her and thanking her. It made N's heart swell, so much so that he had to return the favor and do as he promised Ruby.

He released nearly all of his team except one; Zoroark, Vanilluxe, Archen, Unphezant and Klinklang. Leaving the white dragon out of this. Some seemed unimpressed, having seen all of these pokemon before. But quick as a bolt of multicolored lightning, some of them rushed over to examine them.

"What is it?" chimed Crystal, running her fingers through Archens feathers.

"Oh you're really tough-looking!" Barry grinned, Klinklang allowing the blond to feel its many gears. 

"This is that Zoroak you were talking about, right?" Sapphire questioned, examining the illusionist's paws. 

Question after question was thrown his way, as N chuckled and tried to keep up. 

"This is Klinklang, he's an electric-steel type pokemon. This is Archen, a flying-rock type. Be careful, it's shy! Zoroark is a dark type, Vanilluxe is an Ice type, and Unphezant. A flying-normal type." N explained, smiling a little as Zoroark nodded in approval. He began to ramble on about the pokemon, answering any questions and quieting down to listen to any of the kids' connections, stories and such. It seemed to calm down… Almost all of them. Except for one, who he had found left the room at some point… Wallace was gone as well. Maybe he had gone off with one of them for one reason or another? It caused confusion and worry to boil deep down inside his belly as he quickly realized which of the kids was missing.

Where had Sapphire slipped off all the sudden?

/// Sapphire ///

"Wallace, come on!" Sapphire called over her shoulder, dashing through the forest. In front of her ran her Blaziken, slapping away vines and thick brush so that the others behind it wouldn't trip and fall. Above them, the call of a Skarmory alerted them that Steven Stone was keeping up well and various other cries of pokemon meant that the entire group was keeping up.

Sapphire was in the lead as Wallace, Steven, Red, Iris and Cheren kept up. There was a disturbance, they knew that was true. It was something that they could just tell deep inside them, something Sapphire knew all too well. A tight ball in her guts that her pokemon seemed to feel as well.

"Over here!" Cheren called out over his shoulder, the cry of his serperior confirming his claim. "I saw the flash of a pokemon being returned! Tuxedo, short hair from the silhouette I saw!"

"Got it, Skarmory that way!" Steven called from above, leading the group away. 

"I'll check over there in case they run!" Sapphire yelled to the group, hearing a grunt of approval from Blue as she ran off with Sceptile. Her running steps crunched the leaves as the leaves thickened above. Blotting out the sky and leaving the light being emitted from glowing flowers, vines and mushrooms. 

The deeper she ran, the more the air thickened with the smell of heavy, damp leaf mold and sickly sweet tree sap. The deeper she ran… The more she realized how lost she got herself in the heat of the moment. 

Sapphire was lost in an unrecognizable part of the forest, lit merely by glowing plants and fungus and silence broken by the movement of distant pokemon and whistling wind. As she walked, she felt the ground disappear from her feet. Before she knew it, she was tumbling down into a small ditch. Sapphire yelped as she fell, feeling a pain in her arm as she hit the ground.

"Ow- ow." She groaned, slowly getting up as Sceptile slid down to follow its owner. When she got up, her Sceptile put a claw on her shoulder, grunting and looking around in preparation to attack at any moment. That moment came soon then she thought, two pairs of eyes suddenly lighting up the darkness, the movement of something stalking and something else dragging itself. 

She backed into the Sceptile out of fear, looking up at the narrow-eyed pokemons threatening glare. As the pokemon revealed themselves, Sceptile growled. A large, fiery maned pokemon with a dark brown pelt beside a tall, haunting pokemon made of wood and leaves. A lion and a tree, slowly stalking towards her. As she shut her eyes and slowly pointed, ready to command an attack, a voice spoke from behind the two pokemon. 

"Are you lost, little one?" A smooth and low voice with a kalosant accent, worry panging their voice. As she cracked open her eyes, she was met by a tall and regal man with long, red hair. His face was aged, but only ever so slightly. Maybe in his thirties or forties. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… I ran off trying to find someone that did some bad stuff." Sapphire explained. "Got seperated from my friends."

"Oh my," The man began, approaching a bit and opening a pocket. "You're hurt, let me help you. Show me your arm." The brunette looked, noticing her arm had a bleeding cut. She hadn't even noticed the cut itself when she initially fell, too struck with shock and fear to notice anything but momentary pain. She held out her arm, which the man carefully took in dark-gloved hands. As though he would shatter her in a moment. 

"Thank you." She quietly nodded as he began to clean the wound with some disinfectant pads he had in his pocket. Soon following it uo with two or three bandaids. 

"No need, petit ami. Is your Sceptile alright? I'm sorry if Treevanant and Pyroar caused you any trouble."

"No! No- they just scared us. Sceptile's okay."

"That's good to hear, a relief." He nodded. "My name is Lysander, I was invited here from Kalos. I missed the main boat so I came on a different one." Lysander explained, taking his hands away. 

"Sapphire, Grass Type gym leader in Hoenn." She introduced herself, sticking her injury-free hand out. Which he took and gave a gentle shake."

"Pleasure to male your acquaintance." Lysander nodded. "Allow me to take you to the home of some friends and I, you can rest up for the night and be on your way. It's quite late."

"Is it?" She asked.

"Yes, nearing the faery's hour." He explained, patting Pyroar's back. "Come and sit on him, I'll guide you back. I promise he doesn't bite." Lysander offered, slowly backing away.

Sapphire thought for a moment, this wasn't the first time in her journeys she's accepted such offers, as well as Sceptile being right beside her, she decided her best interest would be to accept. 

"Alright! Thank you again."

"No need." He smiled warmly, directing his pokemon to bend at the knees and allow her to climb on. As they began on the path, he clicked the button of a PokeBall to the Treevanant, returning it. "I'd hate to see someone with an injury rot away into something hideous."

Sapphire nodded, stroking Pyroar's mane with a hum. The pokemon was quite warm and each swish of its tail caused embers to float in the air for a moment. Leaving small wisps of light only to die out, the silence broke as Lysander joined in the humming with a tune. His warm smile has turned softer, more relaxed. 

"What are you humming?" Sapphire tilted her head.

"Oh? An old song from Kalos." He shrugged, only making her curiosity rise.

"Can you sing it? I wanna hear it." She grinned as he knitted his brows in thought. 

"If you wish," He chuckled a little as he cleared his throat. "Forgive if I'm rusty."

"Comme les ténèbres obscurcissent la lumière,

L'or du soleil étouffé par la nuit d'argent

Oh, petit, ne te laisse pas faire confiance

Les sauvages qui font des bonbons avec de la rouille

Ils arpentent les chemins, les forêts de fae,

Et avec la lune ils font ce qu'ils peuvent

La nuit hantée par les fantômes et les Gengar

Ils portent des malédictions de près et de loin

Toutes les personnes de Kanto à Galar

Sachez que les pierres pointues et les roses

Cachez-vous parmi les étoiles."

[misskikuwrites]

Into the Wild (2/8)

Bede/Gloria (dressedinpinkshipping)

-

The train clattered to a stop at the Meet-up Spot, idling at the southern boundary of the Wild Area for trainers to depart. Gloria stumbled out of the station and into the sun, stretching her arms high above her head with a satisfied sigh. Bede followed after her with a beguiled smile that she couldn't see. He forced his expression back to neutral before she turned to face him with a spirited smile, a spring in her step.

"Here we are!" she chimed, motioning to the small wooden fence ahead of them and the land beyond. "The Southern Wild Area!"

"I've been here before, Gloria."

Bede strode past her, ignoring the tingling in his chest, the hum of his blood that ignited around her in a strange song. A damp fog had settled over the land, cutting visibility down to metres in a layer of grey. The air was thick and cool, a chorus of Pokemon cries sounding from beyond.

"Oh, wow!" Gloria gasped as she came up beside Bede at the entrance gate. "I've never seen the fog this thick before."

"It shouldn't pose a problem for us at all, and should disperse when the wind picks up before noon." He glanced at her. "Unless a little bit of fog is enough to put you off?"

"As if!" she scoffed and stalked through the gate.

Bede held down the bark of laughter that filled his chest and followed with the twitch of a smile tugging at his lips.

Gloria studied her hovering Rotom phone for a moment, a map of the Wild Area on the screen. A small marker blinked rhythmically, denoting their GPS position by the gate.

"Lost already?" Bede quipped.

She rolled her eyes, pocketing her phone. "I was thinking we should head west, then loop around to Motostoke. That should take us a few days. That way, we can rest in Motostoke before planning where to go next."

"Sounds fine to me."

She nodded and snatched a Pokeball from her bag, tossing it out in front of her. Cinderace cheered happily, greeting Gloria with a trill, before studying their foggy surroundings inquisitively.

"Fyrian loves the Wild Area," she said, smiling affectionately at Cinderace as he sniffed the air eagerly.

Bede raised an eyebrow as Cinderace dashed from flower to flower, jogging around the dirt track at every new sound, new scent he found, scattering a flock of Rookidee from the grass.

"I can see that," Bede said. "I don't mind you having him out, as long as he doesn't set the whole place on fire."

Gloria snorted. "He wouldn't do that - he just wants to run around and stretch his legs. It's good exercise!" She shook her head at Bede and started down the track, taking a winding path that deviated to the west. Cinderace stayed close, always in sight in the low visibility of the fog, never wandering far from Gloria.

Bede entertained the idea of sending his Hatterene out as well before deciding against it. Hatterene wasn't one for hiking. And, if anything happened up ahead, they'd need a fully rested Pokemon to help.

As they walked through the fog, scores of wild Pokemon studied them from the long grass. Skwovet squeaked and scurried across the path and up trees when Cinderace approached. Gloria giggled as Cinderace cooed sadly to the skittish Pokemon as they fled out of sight.

"It's pretty calm around here," Gloria noted. "It's more of the outskirts, the places people usually don't go, that I need to check. Any problems around here would be obvious and dealt with immediately, so we can move on-" she gasped. "Is that a Ralts?!"

Gloria pointed to a shuffling figure in the grass, barely standing taller than the greenery. A sliver of pink poking up from a green head that timidly shrunk into the grass…

Gloria sucked in an excited breath, ushering Cinderace over with frantic gestures.

"You're not seriously going to send your Cinderace against it, are you?" Bede asked incredulously. "That is, if you want there to be a Ralts left for you to catch."

Gloria pouted. "I know that!" she hissed. "I'm just going to scare it closer. I don't want it to faint on me!"

Bede wasn't so sure but didn't say anything more. He stepped back to give her and Cinderace more room, interested to see how this would unfold. It took a moment, a few seconds of scanning the grass, for him to spot Ralts again. The thick grass rustled and shifted as the small Pokemon walked, blissfully unaware of the trainer whispering to her Cinderace and pointing straight at it.

Cinderace bolted at the grass. He leapt over Ralts, streaking through the air with a powerful jump, landing on the opposite side of the Psychic Pokemon. Ralts startled and bolted. The tiny figure burst from the thick grass and right into the waiting arms of Gloria. She tossed a Love Ball quickly, before Ralts could panic and flee again, and the ball absorbed Ralts in a flash of light. It fell to the ground and began to roll. Once, twice, the Love Ball wobbled on the ground, the clasp flashing red with every movement. It rolled a third time, then stilled. Finally, it clicked.

"Yes!" Gloria cheered. She rushed over and swept the Love Ball off the ground, holding it to her chest as she twirled giddily on her feet. "I caught it!"

Bede gave her a slow, superfluous clap. "Amazing. The Champion of Galar caught a Ralts. Who would have thought that was possible?"

"Oh, hush, Bede." She pouted at him, breathing out a sharp puff of air in his direction. "Just because you've got a Gardevoir already doesn't mean I can't be happy with my first Ralts."

Gloria brought out her Rotom phone, scanning the Love Ball and bringing up the details of her new Pokemon.

"Ooh, it's a male!" She looked at Bede with an elated gasp. "That means I can get a Gallade! We'll be like a pair then! Your Gardevoir and my Gallade will be a perfect match!"

Bede looked away from her dazzling smile, his heart fluttering up into his throat, and tried to act disinterested. Her innocent declaration meant nothing. Definitely not the way his heart, his mind, had interpreted it; wishful and lovesick thinking on his part clouded his judgement.

"That hardly makes us a pair," Bede said, brushing her off. As if his tongue didn't feel too large in his mouth. As if he didn't long to have her realise the effect her simple words had on him.

"We'd be an amazing battle duo!" she continued, completely unphased, and started down the track again. "We'll both have Rapidash soon, I'll have a Gallade - we can be a Psychic-Fairy team! The battle tower will be no match for us!"

"You seem to forget that would leave us open to massive type disadvantages."

"Pfft, who cares."

Bede rolled his eyes at her, still studying her new Pokemon's details on her Rotom Dex. A fresh sparkle lit up her eyes, a sparkle of wonder and delight. It drew Bede in, drew him closer, his head turning to capture that sight and etch it into his memories. He forgot to breathe for a moment as his heart squeezed.

"Oh, it knows Teleport! Glad it didn't use that earlier!" she laughed sheepishly. Her smile fell to the Love Ball cradled gently in her hands. "Guess I need to find you a Dawn Stone soon, huh?"

"Aren't you planning a bit ahead, there?" Bede noted. "Shouldn't you focus on the plan at hand?"

"I can do two things at once," she scoffed. "And, speaking of planning, I need to come up with a nickname for him! Something cool but also fitting… hmm…"

"Nicknaming again?"

"Yeah! That way, it feels like we're family, like they're a part of my team."

She tucked the Love Ball safely away as the path began to slope down a gentle hill. Cinderace leapt into the air and skidded down the hill like a hyperactive child on a skateboard, feet kicking up a cloud of dirt. Cinderace flew forward, curled into a roll and nailed the landing at the bottom, barely visible in the fog.

"Don't go too far!" Gloria called. Cinderace echoed a reply, bouncing on his toes as he waited eagerly for them to catch up.

Bede let himself smile faintly, to relax, as he got used to the quirks and oddities of hiking with Gloria. She was as excitable as her Cinderace, gasping and cooing at the different Pokemon that emerged from the fog, pointing out anything and everything that was remotely interesting. Her Cinderace ran around like a preschooler on sugar, which didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

They kept to the beaten track as the sun began to rise further in the sky, and worked their way around to the south-western edge of the Wild Area. As the mid-morning breeze finally picked up, the mellow fog lifted and the air began to warm. They shied away from the sun, driving deeper into the thickening trees. The dirt path faded the further they went, weeds and shrubs sprouting and obscuring the track until no sign of it remained. The scattered undergrowth and leaf litter made it impossible to tell whether there had been a path beneath their feet in the first place.

"I do hope you're not planning on getting us lost in here," Bede said pointedly. The tall trees and fallen logs scattered around them all looked the same. He sent a quick glance behind them to the narrowing sliver of sky fading in the distance. The dense forest seemed to encroach around them.

"Of course not. I've got my Rotom phone, remember? The map and GPS are still working."

Bede shoved his hands in his pockets and kept his gaze fixed forward. The towering trees and dense brush was nothing like the cool shade of the Glimwood Tangle. The light pouring through the canopy made Bede feel exposed. Too warm, despite the shade. It was too different to the cool embrace of darkness and earth he was used to.

Gloria scouted a few steps ahead, scanning the forest around them as if it were familiar to her and not an endless circle of repetitive trees. She stopped, pausing to crane her ear to the canopy for a moment. An array of different Pokemon calls, chirps and cries, filled the air. Gloria nodded, satisfied with whatever she heard.

"What, exactly, are we looking for here?" Bede asked as Gloria headed off again. Her Cinderace bounded by her side.

"Anything amiss, really." She shrugged. "It could be anything from overly aggressive Pokemon, to a partially collapsed cliff, a broken bridge or a new nesting site that needs to be protected."

"Which means, we are not looking for anything specific - we are merely wandering about until we stumbled across something wrong. Am I right?"

"Well… Leon didn't exactly word it like that, but…"

Bede sighed. "I cannot believe they force the Champion to do something so tedious. Surely there are other insipid fools they could trick into such a dismal task."

"Aw, come on. It's not so bad!" She gave him an encouraging smile. "It's so quiet and free of people here, it's like we've got the place to ourselves!" She motioned to the forest around them, devoid of people and alive with Pokemon. "It's like we've run away in secret or something, right? Like no one knows we're here?"

The glee in her voice, the cunning twinkle in her eyes, made the protest forming in Bede's throat disperse immediately with a silent, sharp intake of air. The idea that this was a secret between the two of them made his blood buzz in his veins. She had a way of setting his blood on fire, and he almost choked at the sneaky wink she gave him. It knocked the breath from his lungs as if her Cinderace had kicked him square in the chest.

Before Gloria could notice the look on Bede's face, a burst of noise rippled through the forest. Furious hollars and guttural cries sounded to their right. Gloria glanced at him in a look of momentary panic, before the fear in her eyes steeled itself and she nodded at him. Bede pushed away any doubts, anything holding him back, and returned her nod.

They rushed towards the noise, leaping over fallen logs and shrubs, ducking around trees and skeletal branches. Bede snatched Hatterene's Pokeball out and held it at the ready as the torrent of cries, the waves of noise, got louder and closer. Large figures leapt through the trees in the distance. A volley of rocks launched through the air, scattering the Pokemon as they shrieked.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Gloria cried as a group of trainer's came into view. A Gengar hovered in front of them, shooting rocks into the air at the panicked Passimian.

Bede did a quick head count of the four trainers as he came up beside Gloria. The group of young men turned.

"None of your business!" one of them cried. The others jeered.

"Can't you see I'm trying to catch a Passimian?" the trainer directing his Gengar scoffed. "Stupid things won't get out of the trees!"

Gengar lifted a circle of floating stones around it, each pulsing with psychic energy, and sent them flying into the trees again.

"I said, stop it!" Gloria snapped. "They don't want to be caught!"

"Piss off!" one of the trainers spat. "This doesn't concern you."

"Fyrian, Pryo ball!" Gloria cried, and a fireball streaked through the air and slammed straight into Gengar. The Passimian in the trees hollered and whooped.

Gengar spun in the air like a helium balloon in the wind before coming to a stop and grinning.

"Oh, that's it!" Gengar's trainer snarled. His mates sent out their Pokemon; Excadrill, Hakamo-o and Weavile.

Bede sent out Hatterene, his Pokemon settling beside Cinderace. He glanced at Gloria, saw the blazing steel in her eyes, and a smug rush of confidence coursed through him.

"No mercy." Her sharp whisper sent a tingle down his spine.

His lips curled into a smile.

"No mercy."

Cinderace was the first to move. Flames licked off his feet as he launched a burning kick at Weavile. Gengar spat a dark, swirling ball at Hatterene as Excadrill sliced at the soft dirt with it's solid steel claws, burrowing deep and out of sight. Hatterene slapped the Shadow Ball to the side with her tentacle, launching a blinding sphere of light at Hakamo-o. The dragon sliced at Cinderace as he drove Weavile back with precise, swift kicks. Cinderace launched into the air as Excadrill burst from the ground where the fire rabbit had been seconds ago. Hakamo-o and Weavile struck Excadrill instead before Hatterene's Moonblast landed and threw the three Pokemon back into the dirt.

Cinderace landed swiftly on Gengar's head, driving the Ghost Pokemon into the ground. With Hakamo-o fainted and returned, three opposing Pokemon remained. Bede swept his eyes between them. Cinderace cleanly dodged Excadrill's swiping claws, hopping backwards on quick feet. Weavile struggled to stand, Gengar lifting off the ground with barely a scratch.

At Bede's command, Hatterene conjured a wave of fire around Excadrill. Cinderace shot forward with a flurry of powerful kicks as Excadrill flailed in a panic. The steel mole fell back with a thud as the flames died.

Another one down. Two to go.

Hatterene dealt with Gengar in no time with Psychic, Cinderace knocking Weavile down with another Blaze Kick. The trainers returned their Pokemon, snatching more Pokeballs from their belts.

Passimian rained from the trees. They dropped down in front of Bede and Gloria, forming a barrier of fuming, hollering Pokemon. They growled and cried at the four trainers, thumping the ground with their feet and shaking the earth.

One of the trainers screamed and tried to run before a Passimian dropped right in front of him. The trainer stumbled back with a shriek and fell on his ass.

Bede's blood ran cold. The crowd of Passimian bared their teeth with deep growls.

"What the fuck!" one of the trainers cried. "Do something!"

Bede snapped his attention to Gloria as she drew her fingers to her lips and sounded an ear piercing whistle. The sharp sound cut through the forest, through the roaring Passimian, and they stilled. The group of Pokemon shuffled, a ripple washing over them as they chattered and faced Gloria.

"Enough," Gloria said. Her hand, teld tight behind her back, trembled. "Let them go. They won't bother you anymore. I think they've learnt their lesson. Am I right?"

"Y-Yes!" one of the trainers cried, the other's quickly echoing. "Please, let us go!"

The Passimian chattered to one another for a moment, a wave of sound and commotion flowing over the group before they shifted and formed an opening.

"You four, get out of here. You won't be so lucky next time," Gloria said, and the trainers didn't wait another second. They scrambled out of the circle of Passimian and fled through the trees.

The group of Passimian barely gave Gloria and Bede another glance before scattering and disappearing into the canopy again. Cinderace drew up to Gloria's side, sounding a concerned trill, as her shoulders slumped.

"Gloria?"

She jumped, turning to face him with wide eyes. The blood had drained from her face, leaving her skin pale and ghostly white. Her mouth opened with silent, unspoken words, lingering panic alive in her eyes. It pulled on his heart, and Bede took her hand, her skin cold as ice. She stared, agape, at their hands as he cupped her frosty fingers in both of his. Her shoulders trembled.

"I knew you weren't dressed for this weather," Bede chided, keeping his voice gentle.

A deep ache settled in his chest, tight and constricting. He pushed through it, dropped her hand and slipped his jacket off. He drew his large, magenta jacket over Gloria's shoulders, pulling it closed around her. She looked so small and fragile, almost completely enveloped in it. She peered up at him, a sliver of her fingers visible at the edges of his coat as she hugged it closer. Bede let his hands rest on her shoulders for a moment longer than he felt necessary, longer than he knew was proper. A brief moment that felt too long, his thumbs brushing over the fabric of his coat in a soft, barely-there caress he hoped she couldn't feel. He felt her eyes on him. On his face, his eyes, and he deliberately turned away to return his Hatterene.

His face burned at the knowing, cheeky smile Hatterene gave him before he returned her. He heard Gloria sigh faintly. Looked over his shoulder to see her eyes had fallen shut, her nose buried into the collar of his jacket. An arrow of heat shot down his spine, bursting into flames in his chest. Setting his blood on fire. He stiffened involuntarily, frozen and burning at the same time. A shiver washed over him, sending a trail of goosebumps down his arms. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't move an inch, a single muscle, as Gloria stood there with her eyes closed, wrapped warmly in his jacket.

The deep breath Gloria took shattered Bede's petrification and he managed to compose himself before she opened her eyes. A faint hint of colour had returned to her cheeks.

"Thanks, Bede," she said softly. A miniscule smile grew on her face, her eyes drifting over to meet his.

"Well, I wasn't about to stand back and let the Champion go into shock in front of me." He brushed her off as his cheeks warmed. He hated - and loved - the way she said his name. The way she drew out the syllables, making it sound tender and delicate on her tongue. Like a whisper of a song that calmed the tumultuous, raging seas of his heart.

Her soft laugh was a serene twinkle of noise, sweet like a wind chime in a gentle breeze. Her eyes crinkled at his comment, somehow finding amusement in his words.

"That was… terrifying," she said apologetically. "In many different ways. I'm so glad you're here with me, Bede. I don't think I could have sorted that out by myself."

"I suppose I don't mind taking a part of the credit for that. However, if it was up to me, we wouldn't have found ourselves in that mess to begin with."

"Oh? And what would the oh-so-mighty Bede have done instead?" She cocked an eyebrow at him in a challenge, thought it was hard to see her as anything but adorable in his oversized coat.

"I wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place if I were the Champion. Surely there are enough overly eager league staff to do this sort of thing."

"You agreed to come with me, though."

"That's because you asked, or rather, you pleaded with me to join you, if I recall correctly."

Gloria hummed absently. "I did. And I'm glad you agreed to help me."

"You said that already." A steady warmth coiled tightly on his cheeks.

Her giggle was like a spark of lightning in his chest. "I know, I know."

Bede swallowed before he combusted internally. "If we're done here, we should move on." He could hardly wait to escape the confines of the forest so he could breathe easily again.

"Alright," Gloria said, checking their position on her Rotom phone. "If we head north, we should reach the edge of the forest in no time." She pointed slightly to their right and led the way.

The rest of their trek through the forest was mostly uneventful, save for Gloria pointing out the different species of Pokemon she saw. Cinderace strode happily by her side, matching her boundless energy.

Soon enough, they exited the forest and stepped out into the warm embrace of the sun. A patchwork of grassy fields, crystal clear lakes, flowing rivers and sheer cliffs rolled out before them. Gloria hummed in delight as the sunlight kissed her face. She'd slipped her arms into the long sleeves of Bede's jacket a while ago, and raised her arms up with a sigh.

Bede bit back an amused smile at her antics. With the loss of his thick jacket, he was thankful for the heat of the midday sun. Gloria stepped over to the edge of the cliff dropping down before them, a rugged path winding to the ground. A cluster of trees nestled against the base of the cliff beside a flat, glassy lake.

"Ooh, that looks like a perfect spot to have lunch!" Gloria gasped, pointing at the lake. "We can get down there through here." She motioned to the narrow, rocky trail, and returned Cinderace into his Pokeball.

Bede took one look at the trail and recoiled. "No. I adamantly refuse. That does not look safe at all."

"Come on, live a little!" Gloria scoffed and shuffled down the path.

"Gloria…!" Bede protested but she was already stepping down the sharply angled track, kicking up a handful of stones. They clattered off the side of the path, disappearing into the trees below. She looked over her shoulder at him with a grin which did nothing to settle the nerves swarming in his lungs. His feet felt like lead. The cliff seemed to drop away endlessly into nothing, the height churning his stomach as his vision swam.

Gloria peered up at him for a moment before shrugging. She turned back around to continue when a loose stone shifted beneath her foot. Her leg slipped out from beneath her and she lost her balance with a sharp yelp.

"Gloria!"

She stuck her other foot out to catch her but the edge of the cliff crumbled beneath her weight. She slipped over the edge and screamed.

"Gloria-!"

She was gone. Her scream echoed into deafening silence. Fading into nothing. No thud, no cry. Nothing, no sound at all met Bede's ears as he scrambled to the edge of the cliff, seeing only trees and dirt below.

"Gloria!" His cry burned his throat. He sent out Hatterene as his blood ran cold, and froze his heart in icy panic. "Teleport me down there!" He barked, Hatterene flinching as she felt each and every one of his emotions crash through her. Light flashed around them. A blink and they were at the base of the cliff.

Bede whirled frantically, pushing conjured images of her broken body from his mind. Images of blood and matted hair, limbs twisted and-

Bright magenta caught his eyes. Gloria lay slumped on her back on top of a crushed bush, tangled in branches and leaves. Trails of blood ran down her legs from a mess of scrapes and cuts to her bare skin.

Bede rushed over as she shifted, wincing sharply and rubbing the back of her head. Her cap was nowhere to be seen.

"H-Hey, Bede…" Gloria puffed and sat up as best she could on the broken bush. "That's one way to get down here quickly, huh?"

"What is wrong with you?!"

Gloria flinched.

Bede's throat burned, raw and tight, a surge of heat rising up inside him that he couldn't fight, couldn't swallow. It erupted with venom, with pain and fear and fury.

"What on earth were you thinking?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! What kind of complete idiot are you?!"

A firm touch on Bede's shoulder silenced him. Hatterene nudged him with the tip of her tentacle, the disapproval in her eyes dousing the fire in his veins. He looked back at Gloria slowly. She drew smaller under his gaze, a glimmer of tears in her eyes when she blinked.

Bede's heart plummeted into his stomach. He dropped to his knees at Gloria's feet, a shameful chill cooling his blood.

"Sorry…" Bede said. "That… was not becoming of me. I should not have yelled at you." He sighed, raking a hand down his face in shame. "I thought you were…"

He couldn't finish that thought. He took a breath, closed his eyes and settled the rapid thundering of his heart. When he met her gaze again, fragments of clarity came together in his mind.

"Can you stand?" He held out a hand to her, and she took it after a moment, after she studied his expression and nodded. Bede pulled her to her feet slowly, catching her elbow to steady her. "Let's get you seated somewhere."

He directed her over to a fallen log a safe distance away from the cliff and she plonked herself down on it with a hiss of pain.

"How do you always manage to injure yourself like this?" Bede chided, though his voice was as soft as a sigh. "You must be the most accident prone Champion in history."

"I'm just unlucky." Gloria pouted, hefting her bag off her back with a grunt.

"I would consider yourself lucky to have fallen down a cliff and be able to walk away afterwards."

Bede ignored Gloria's huff and retrieved his first-aid kit from his bag.

"I'm getting a strange sense of deja vu here," Gloria noted with a slight smile.

"You're the reason I packed this in the first place. If it was anyone else, a simple kit could do. For you, I made sure to stock up."

Bede unzipped the kit, revealing an array of different bandages and gauzes, disposable gloves and wipes, along with a variety of creams and salves with a neat package of scissors, tweezers and painkillers.

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff." Gloria studied it intently as he looked through the contents.

"How do you feel? Anything possibly broken or sprained?" He looked up at her and froze. She was leaning over to study the contents of the first-aid kit, bringing her face dangerously close to his. She didn't notice their proximity, too focused on the kit.

"I don't think so," she said, leaning back and giving her shoulders an experimental roll. "I'm just… really sore. Kinda bumped every part of me on the way down." She rubbed the back of her head again before gasping, "My hat!"

"Priorities, Gloria. We'll deal with that later."

She grumbled and slumped with a pout. "But I liked that hat…"

If she was complaining about her hat, rather than the pain, then Bede took that as a positive sign. "Come on, take off my jacket. I need to see if you're hurt anywhere else."

Gloria sounded a noise of protest but relinquished Bede's jacket back to him. She unzipped her own jacket as well, shrugging it off her shoulders. Her arms were relatively unscathed, protected by two thick jackets. A few patches of red bloomed on her arms but that was it. Bede's jacket, on the other hand, was covered in dirt, as was Gloria's legs.

"Did you hit your head on the way down?" Bede asked.

He pulled a bottle of distilled water out of the kit and stood, walking around Gloria so he could study the back of her head. Her hair was a tangle of knots, twigs and leaves. He couldn't see anything through the disheveled mess, lightly gracing her hair with his fingers before sighing.

"Do you have a hair brush? I'll have to untangle your hair before I can see anything through all this."

"Yeah, it's in my bag." Gloria leant over and dug through her backpack, retrieving her brush and handing it to him. "Thanks," she said, not meeting his eyes as she turned away quickly.

A bubble of heat formed in his chest. Bede swallowed the strange, airy feeling in his throat and lungs and tried to focus on the task at hand. Gloria's hair. A mess of brown tangles, littered with detritus. Usually so soft and silky; the memory of how it felt to touch her hair sent a slow trickle of heat to the tips of his fingers and toes.

"Tell me if it hurts," Bede said quickly. He tightened his grip around the brush, deciding to remove leaves and twigs with his fingers before anything else.

"Okay."

She sounded so quiet, her voice so soft and faint, yet it seemed to echo in his ears. Bede steeled his attention on her hair and not the hum of heat filling his body.

An amused trill sounded in front of them. Bede looked up from the tangle of Gloria's hair to see Hatterene grinning at him, the tip of her tentacle held in front of her mouth cheekily. He fumbled for Hatterene's Pokeball, returning her quickly as he flushed.

Damn Hatterene reading his emotions. He scowled to try and fight the blush burning his cheeks as he continued to work on Gloria's hair. With the majority of detritus removed, he began to carefully run the brush through the top layer of her hair. Gloria hummed, making Bede pause.

"What is it?" he asked and swept a few strands of her hair aside.

"You're surprisingly gentle," she noted.

Bede raised an eyebrow that she couldn't see. "You expected something else?"

"No, it's just… guys aren't usually so careful with a brush. I've had Hop try to detangle my hair once and it was a nightmare."

"If you haven't noticed, I have experience with curly hair," he pointed out. "I know how to be gentle with tangles."

"Ah."

Bede breathed a faint laugh. "My hair does not sit like this naturally. If I left it to its own devices, it would look like a Rookidee nest in no time."

Gloria laughed. "I would pay to see that."

"Hopefully, you never will."

Bede worked bit by bit on her hair, finding her snapped hair tie buried deep in a thick knot. He held it out to her, placing it in her hand when she reached for it.

"Great," she huffed. "The one thing I forgot to pack a spare of."

Bede brushed out the remainder of tangles and knots, smoothing his fingers over the back of her scalp. She sucked in a sharp breath and Bede stole his fingers away.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly. "You have a small bump on the back of your head."

Gloria reached back and touched the spot tenderly. "Yeah, that sounds about right." She ran her fingers through her hair satisfactorily and gave him a smile. "Thanks. That would've taken me ages to do."

Her warm gratitude stuttered his heart for a moment. "How are your legs?"

He walked around her, kneeling in front of her legs and pulling out a clean cloth from the first-aid kit before retrieving the distilled water again.

"Covered in dirt," she said. "It might be easier for me to rinse off in the lake."

Bede blinked at her. "Sure. That would also work."

"Why don't you have lunch while I'm gone?" She undid the laces on her boots, kicking them off and removing her socks. "The sandwiches are in my bag."

Gloria stood and wiggled her toes, stretching out her aching legs. The trails of blood running down her bare legs had dried into the dirt caking her skin. Bede stole his eyes away from her long, bare legs mere inches from his face and nodded.

He retrieved a lunch box from her bag as she wandered over to the lake, sitting so that he wasn't staring straight at her but could still keep her in his peripheral vision. He wasn't completely ready to let her out of his sight just yet. He munched away at his sandwich, trying not to focus too much on Gloria as he ate.

Her gasp at the frigid water sent a jolt through Bede. He almost choked on bread when she bent over, her pert ass in the air, to wash her lower legs. He swallowed too quickly, a too large bit of bread sliding painfully down his throat. He stole his drink bottle from his bag and took a few deep gulps of water. His body was alight with searing heat. His chest burned like a furnace, spilling molten blood through his veins. He scowled, trying to force that image from his mind and took a few quick bites of his sandwich.

Arceus, he wanted to take another look.

"It's not that bad, is it?" Gloria said, suddenly beside him. Her legs, arms and neck dripped with water. Glistening beads slid beneath her collar as she peered at him, blissful unaware of how she looked.

Bede suddenly forgot how to breathe. A bit of sandwich went down the wrong way and he erupted into coughs.

"Bede! Are you okay?" Gloria was at his side, patting the square of his back firmly. Bede coughed into his hand, tears stinging in his eyes as his body protested. He frantically waved her off and drank greedily from his bottle.

She settled on the log again, tilting her head in concern as he recovered from his coughing fit. She had no idea how she looked right now, those gloriously long legs stretched out before her, beads of water sliding across her smooth skin. Bede tasted the water on his tongue and a blinding image of him tracing his tongue across her bare legs flashed in his mind.

Fuck.

Bede cleared his throat and stared at the half eaten sandwich in his hands and not the distracting legs in the corner of his eyes.

This was bad. He hadn't even spent a full day with her and his mind was already running wildly. How was he still to last a whole week like this?

"You okay now?" Gloria asked innocently.

Bede nodded, taking another bite of the sandwich so he didn't have to answer her. He didn't trust himself to form a coherent sentence right now. Gloria accepted his nonverbal reply and retrieved the rest of the lunch boxes from her bag. She placed one on her lap, opening the rest, before sending out her Pokemon.

Bede found himself relaxing as the Pokemon surrounding them took his mind off thoughts he didn't want to entertain. His Hatterene, along with her Cinderace, Ponyta and newly acquired Ralts ate happily in the shade. It took a bit of coaxing from Gloria for Ralts to calm down enough to accept the sandwich, but soon settled at Gloria's feet, nibbling quietly. Ponyta came and nestled down beside Ralts, greeting the new Pokemon with a soft whinny.

Gloria smiled in adoration at her Pokemon, the love in her eyes flustering Bede's heart. He felt Hatterene's knowing stare on him once again and focused on eating.

The afternoon passed slowly. After the events of this morning, they'd decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. Bede patched up the raw skin on the back of Gloria's thighs, wincing at the large scrapes as he bandaged them. The rest of the cuts and scrapes to her legs were minor in comparison, and, other than bruises to the rest of her, she was lucky to come away with only those injuries.

Despite Bede's protests, Gloria took his jacket to the lake and washed it off, her Ponyta running laps of the shore and kicking up a spray of water. She hung his jacket to dry on a branch before settling in the shade on the grass beside him.

"Sorry about earlier," she said quietly. She watched their Pokemon run around on the grass, Ponyta galloping after Cinderace, Hatterene tracing something in the dirt with her tentacle as Ralts watched, captivated.

Bede glanced at her. "For what?"

Gloria went to curl her legs beneath her and winced, quickly deciding to stretch them out in front of her instead.

"For not listening to you and going down the cliff. I really thought it looked safe…" She tapped at her phone, marking the spot on her GPS map for later. "That was exactly why they needed someone to scout this place. The next person to tumble down there might not be so lucky."

"Every trainer who comes here knows the Wild Area isn't something they can take lightly. It's supposed to be the first major challenge they face," Bede reminded her. "If they're not prepared, that is their own fault."

"I know, but there are some dangers they shouldn't have to face. Falling down a cliff is certainly one of them." She sighed, putting away her phone. "Anyway, I should have listened to you. It was stupid of me not to."

"You're right, it was stupid." He looked out over the grass as she pouted sourly at him. "But… it did look safe. Even I couldn't have predicted that it would collapse like that."

"Then why'd you protest so much?"

Bede worried his brow slightly. "I… do not deal with heights very well."

She blinked at him for a few seconds. "You're scared of heights?"

"I-I'm not scared of heights, I merely do not like the risk of falling from them, that's all!" he barked in protest.

"Sounds like you're scared of heights to me," she teased. A cunning smile grew on her face in amusement.

Bede huffed. "If I were afraid of heights I would not have gone on the Ferris wheel with you."

She thought about that for a moment. "That's true. You seemed fine up there."

He raked a hand through his fringe with a sigh. "That's because there was no risk of me falling. Ferris wheels, sky taxis, they're fine. Climbing down a cliff like that with no railing is a completely different story."

"That… actually makes sense." Gloria nodded slowly.

"Of course it does."

"Guess I really scared you, huh?" She smiled at the grass between her feet sheepishly. "I've never seen you so upset before…"

Bede's heart fell into his gut, weighed heavily with regret. Nausea rose up his throat as his stomach churned. The biting words he'd spat at her crashed through his mind, his throat clamping like a vice as he winced at the memory.

"I regret that," he admitted quietly. "You didn't deserve any of it. I should have checked to see if you were fine and not…" He sighed, ashamed of the vile words he'd snapped at her without thinking. Ashamed that he'd let her witness that part of him, that he'd aimed that vitriol at her.

A gentle touch on his arms brought him out of his regret. Her hand rested just below his shoulder, and she smiled sweetly at him when he met her eyes.

"It's fine, Bede," she said, settling the abashed throbbing of his heart, the distressing ache in his chest. A wave of calm washed over him. "Really, it doesn't bother me. It actually made me realise that you care about me. A lot."

Oh, shit.

She slid her eyes away from him, her hand dropping from his shoulder, and Bede froze on the spot.

"I…" he couldn't speak. Nothing would form on his tongue, the words lost in the tightening of his throat. His mind swam in panic. He gaped as the walls of his heart closed in on him, shutting down any means of escape or denial. He was trapped.

Gloria curled a lock of her hair around a finger, a bashful smile playing on her lips. "I never really thought about it, but I guess it makes sense. After all this time… now that we're friends, of course you'd care about me."

Something shattered deep inside him. "What?"

"I mean, you wouldn't have agreed to come out here with me if you didn't care, duh." She breathed a short laugh.

Bede stared incredulously at her. "That's the conclusion you came to?"

She tilted her head at him. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it." Bede sighed heavily and decided to count his blessings. With her as oblivious as this, now was definitely not the time to tell her how he felt.

Gloria blinked at him but didn't press further. The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around with their Pokemon and setting up their tents by the lake. Gloria busied herself with their dinner after insisting that she cook by herself for the first night because she wanted to prove to Bede that she could make a decent curry. Soon enough, Gloria dished out her aromatic curry, handing out the plastic plates to her Pokemon and Bede before settling down with her own on the rug he'd laid out.

Their Pokemon tucked in eagerly, which meant that it had to be fairly edible, and so Bede took a tentative bite. He hummed as the rich spices and flavours mixed on his tongue. There was a faint kick to it, just enough to feel but not overwhelming. He nodded appreciatively as he didn't particularly enjoy spicy food, though he wasn't sure if Gloria knew that or not.

Gloria made a happy noise in her throat. "See? Told you I can cook!"

"It's decent, I'll give you that." He gave her a sliver of a smile. "But if you let the pecha berries cook a bit longer until they're soft, it'll taste better."

His comment didn't perturb her in the slightest, maintaining her grin she ate.

-

Night fell swiftly, the sun disappearing over the horizon as they finished washing the dishes in the lake. They kept a small fire going for a while, chatting to pass the time, before the exhaustive day caught up with them and neither could keep themselves from yawning.

With their Pokemon safely returned into their Pokeballs, Bede and Gloria crawled into their respective tents for the night.

Bede slid into his sleeping bag, a heavy weariness weighing on his eyes. He sighed in the darkness, struggling to believe that it had only been one day and he was already this exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally too. Dealing with Gloria's endless energy, her reckless impulsivity and blissful naivety was utterly exhausting. He didn't know whether or not to be glad she was oblivious to his feelings, but decided he could deal with that for now.

Anything was better than her finding out how much he longed for her when she only saw him as a friend.

He'd just have to keep his heart in check for the next six days, that's all.

Bede stifled a groan.

That was easier said than done.

[medievalmon]

Once again, Halloween is right around the corner! What sort of spooky festivities have you guys got planned?

“Oh, well, this year-” 

“This year, we’ll be preparing the Halloween Costume Contest Extravaganza!” 

“Good gods, you remembered that? How? You weren’t supposed to!” 

“Remember that little note that I left in front of the decorations that read, ‘Give to Nidoking urgently for a special surprise,’ and you did?” 

“…I…I was played like a fiddle…!” 

“And you did so marvelously! So! We’ll begin setting up for that, get ourselves some nice costumes rolling and all decked out, help you strip down and dress up over and over again, and finally watch everyone sink to their knees as you dominate every single category.” 

“But…Nidoking, you can’t just-” 

“Oh, but I can. And I will! Now come, we need to prepare you. You’ll win Best Dressed Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Soloist, and together, we’ll win Best Dressed Couple. Trust me, this will be glorious.” 

“But…but I shouldn’t even be eligible for two of those! Nidoking! I…oh dear…” 

…

“…Do we have anything actually spooky to plan out?” 

“Well, between Froslass and I, I’m sure we can come up with several scares for everyone. Wicked spells, ghastly potions, and probably treats with unexpected tastes. Like a jelly bean…but it tastes like toothpaste.” 

“You sick dastards!” 

“I feel like that’s already a thing out there…” 

“Too bad, we already got them ready. MWAHAHAHAHA!! Also, Mienshao, do you have your scary face ready?” 

“…You mean when I smile?” 

“That’s the very one! Utterly creepy! Ooh, this will be great!” 

…

“Nidoking really thinks he can just have Rhydon win every category of the costume contest this year. We’ll just have to see about that.” 

“Yeah, like, how can Rhydon even win ‘Best Dressed Girlfriend’ anyway?” 

“It’s a costume contest, Gallade. Gender is irrelevant.” 

“What? But then…why would…?” 

“Hush up and help me plot my victories, or at the very least, Rhydon and Nidoking’s utter defeats. They may be our majesties, but we will annihilate their odds of winning these costume contests!” 

“Oh gosh, you’re really pumped up for this. And that’s somehow making me pumped up too! Ok, tell me what’s first…” 

…

“I think I’m going to learn a new dance. We should come up with something festive and fun for this year’s party, right? It’ll be more enjoyable that way.” 

“So, what, you’re going to do some graveyard dancing?” 

“What? Ugh, no! How creepy.” 

“Hey, he was just taking a fair guess!” 

“But what dance are you going to perform? Is there one that’s spooky or at least festive for autumn?” 

“That…is a good question! I’ll have to look into it. And then you guys can watch later while I practice it, ok?” 

…

“Can you believe that they’re trying to ban me from the parties? Me, of all creatures to ban. I live for this kind of party.” 

“Well, we kind of did bring the Empire to ruins, so-” 

“Did I ask you for that opinion? No, no I didn’t. Wait and see. I’ll make them all rue the day they tried to stop me from-” 

“Um, couldn’t we just have our own party?” 

“…” 

“…” 

“…I mean, I guess…” 

… 

“I heard about that costume contest, and I totally want to win it all. I can literally morph my body! There’s no way I can lose something like that, right?” 

“Wait, are we still invited? I thought that-” 

“We’re inviting ourselves.” 

“Oh. But-” 

“Look, we’re not going to be welcome anywhere. Not even with the other rejects. We might as well just crash the party.” 

“Wait, you’re actually interested this year? Why?” 

“No reason.” 

…

“I am mostly looking forward to learning. I have not participated in a Halloween before, and I want to discover how best I may fit in.” 

“Stick with me, and I’ll…probably get Froslass to help make us look cool. And by cool, I mean scary, which is thematic for the party.” 

“Ah! Thank you!” 

…

“I just want to stuff my face with lots of candy, honestly.” 

“If you do that, I’m going to make sure you spend the rest of next month working it all off!” 

“You’re going to make me work out regardless, so I might as well enjoy myself by gorging before that happens.” 

“I…you…well…huh. Ok, you have me beat on that one. Candy and sweets win.” 

“Yes! Let’s go see what they’ll serve, and then we can stuff our faces!” 

“Wait, I don’t want to be roped into–hey! Don’t drag me–Typhlosion!” 

…

“Wait, but…a bunch of us were going to do a zombie theme!” 

“Would’ve been funny, all things considered…” 

“Humorous or tragic, it certainly would have been fitting. If we’re not able to do that, we’ll need to actually come up with a proper way to join in for, uh…I guess we’ll only have the day.” 

“No, the month. You lot can stop being dead for five minutes and help us decorate! Then join the costume contest! And then try the treats they serve! And after that, you’ll have to socialize and mingle! Oh, and you’d better not even think of getting out of cleaning up when all is done! But, after that–” 

“Sir, I don’t think we get a choice in how much we can join in with.” 

“You get to join in with whatever I tell you join in on! And…and no…no going away before we’re all done…do you understand that?!” 

“General, sir, don’t cry. You’re going to make us feel bad…” 

…

“Is this really the right thing to be doing at this time? We have so much other work that really must be done–” 

“Look, if Nidoking’s kingdom gets to have fun, then ours should too. Otherwise everyone will think that we’re the boring ones.” 

“That’s not so bad! Boring is safe!” 

“That was already disproven horrifically.” 

“…Yeah…” 

“Look, we have a lot of work to do to get things ready. Emperor, you better make sure the palace looks festive. Everyone will want to bob for apples again, because that was fun. And make sure that Froslass doesn’t blow up the courtyard again.” 

“Um, ok then…” 

“Carracosta, you get the advertising around the city, and send for some music to be added for this whole thing. We need it to be lively, ok?” 

“What?! That sounds like a lot! What are you going to be doing?” 

“Getting costumes and candy with Squirtle, of course! Now, my lords, let’s get to it, chop chop!” 

“But…but I wanted to…aw…” 

“Carracosta, one thing that I have learned from marriage is that your spouse always wins these kinds of things. Just nod and let your husband take over.” 

“He always does that already!” 

…

“Hmm…I want to set up some jump scares and traps.” 

“Darling, I know it’s meant to be a scary holiday, but I don’t know how much people actually want to be spooked or–” 

“This is non-negotiable.” 

“Yes dear.” 

“Good. …Do you think I’m pretty enough to win–?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“Be honest.” 

“I am! I married you, after all!” 

“Then your opinion doesn’t count.” 

“What?! But mine should count most–” 

“Golurk. You’ll give rides through farms for pumpkins and we’ll have surprises jump out of the haystacks. It’ll be perfect.” 

“Ok!” 

“Good. Let’s do this, then.” 

[themurphyzone]

Absolutely Disastrous Ch 10

Ch 10:  The Rustboro Pokémon School! The Friendly Unovan Rivalry Begins!

Rustboro City was the research and education hub of Hoenn. Its proximity to Petalburg Woods, Meteor Falls, and several aquatic habitats made it one of the most interesting places to live for the scientific community. It also happened to contain the university where the seasons of Professor Magezone and Adjunct Faculty Member Magnezone were filmed.

Milo made sure he appreciated the city of cobblestone while reassuring Zack that Magikarp weren’t out for blood and calming Melissa from Dakota’s earlier dine and dash stunt.

The Pokémon were meshing nicely with each other. Poochyena was hot-tempered but cooled down easily with a distraction. Mudkip only chewed on a thick rope Milo had given him. Diogee and Treecko liked to nap together. Torchic’s energy kept everyone on their toes.

“I can’t believe we get to see Mahlson Corp!” Milo exclaimed, admiring a tall brick building that towered above everything else in the city. “Even if it’s just the exterior! Melissa, make sure you’re getting all this!”

Melissa snapped a few photos on her phone. “Imagine the scoop journalists get with the Mahlson Corp,” she said. “Corporations of that size are always harboring secrets in their labs.”

“Like a lab-raised Pokémon that hates people,” Zack suggested.

“Technology that can open a portal to another dimension,” Milo added.

“Maybe some other time,” Melissa said. “We should get your Pokémon checked at the Center before your gym battle. That was always a pet peeve with Dad. Matches tend to go poorly for the challenger if they didn’t rest their Pokémon before the battle.”

There was a crowd outside of the Pokémon Center. People cheered at a fiery symbol emblazoned in the air above them.

“Excuse me!” Milo said as he pushed in front of a Gloom. The Gloom made an indignant noise at having its view blocked.

Zack followed Milo’s lead, but Melissa took no issue in jabbing people with her elbow.

“Thank you for all your attention!” a female voice exclaimed. “For my final act, I will now select a member of the audience to participate! Which one of you lucky trainers will share the spotlight?”

Milo and Zack stumbled to the front at the same time, where they had a clear view of the performers and their Pokémon. One girl wore orange and yellow, while the other was dressed almost entirely in magenta.

The girl in orange grinned at the newcomers. “Hey, I recognize you!” she exclaimed to Zack.

Zack frowned. “Have we met before?”

“Not in real life, but I’ve seen your music video! You obviously know how to captivate a crowd!” she yelled. Zack winced slightly. She didn’t seem to have much volume control. “Let’s give them a grand finale to remember! So, what Pokémon do you have?”

“What music video?” Milo asked.

“I’ll tell you later!” Zack yelled as the girl dragged him into position. “Anyways, I just have a Treecko, so-“

The girl blinked. “That’s perfect! A sensational Pokémon for sure! And adorable to boot! So, uh, Amanda! What’s a Treecko?”

Amanda groaned. “Lydia, I told you to read that book on native Hoenn Pokémon! We had eight hours on the plane!”

Lydia smiled guiltily. “They had Dusknoir of the Opera for in-flight entertainment! How could I resist? Dusknoir and Primarina are such a cute couple!”

“She’s better off with Gallade and you know it!” Amanda retorted.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “He’s nice and all, but Dusknoir has the more interesting dynamic.”

“Anyway, Treecko is the Grass-type starter of Hoenn. You would know that if you opened the book,” Amanda said.

“Perfect! Grass and Fire complement each other like PB&J, you know,” Lydia said. “Let’s get our flames on, Tepig!”

Tepig snorted several embers, stomping its hoof. Zack sent out Treecko, though at a distance so he didn’t receive a burn.

“And raise your Surskit better, would you?” Melissa shouted over her shoulder as she finally caught up to Milo and Zack. Her hair had puffed out so much that she resembled a Pyroar. “Sorry I’m late. Some guy’s Surskit used Bubble on me after I knocked him out of the way. Make any comments about my hair and I will end you.”

Treecko used his newly-learned Bullet Seed to create a pattern on the ground, while Tepig cloaked itself in flames and stomped on each seed, setting it ablaze. Under Lydia’s direction, Tepig added several twirls and zigzags to embellish its performance. Within minutes, the flames burned out, revealing an ash-covered smiley face to the audience.

“Thank you!” Lydia cheered with a bow. “Let’s give it up for Tepig, Treecko, and Zack! If you wanna see more of my lovely Tepig, please come to the Rustboro Contest in two days’ time!”

While the crowd dispersed, Amanda frantically flipped through a planner. “Lydia, I only set aside ten minutes for one of your street performances!” she yelled. “We only have twenty minutes to get Minccino into a check-up and be on time for class!”

“I thought you were trainers,” Zack said. “You still have school?”

“Is your class at the Rustboro Pokémon School?” Melissa asked.

Amanda nodded. “I wanted to learn more about Hoenn before setting off. Lydia only agreed because she heard they’d be holding a Contest in this city.”

“I’ve never been good at book learning,” Lydia admitted.

“The Rustboro Pokémon School is often a recommended stop for beginning trainers,” Melissa continued. “They usually teach about basic care, type effectiveness, and careers that center heavily on Pokémon. We’d have to stop there anyway, because the gym leader also serves as a principal. Dad says she hasn’t been the same since the teacher’s convention in Celadon City.”  

“Speaking of teachers, we only have sixteen minutes!” Amanda yelled. “Nice to meet everyone, but we need to get in line!”

“But-“ Lydia protested.

Amanda cut her off with a sharp yank, dragging her into the Pokémon Center. Moments later, an ear-splitting screech filled the air, forcing Milo to pull out an umbrella to protect everyone from a burst window.

“We’ll never make it back in time,” Amanda muttered as Milo walked in, avoiding the door’s splintered frame. A long line stretched all the way to the desk, made up of many annoyed people and Pokémon whose ears were still ringing from Amanda’s scream.

“Coach Mitchell won’t notice,” Lydia tried. “He’ll be too busy brainstorming ways to beat Principal Milder’s record in the Game Corner. Remember yesterday when he tried to borrow Ms. Camilichec’s Persian so he could use Pay Day to have an infinite supply of coins?”

Amanda stared at her planner, mumbling ways to salvage her schedule for the rest of the day.

“If you want, I can take Minccino for the next hour or two,” Milo offered. “My Pokémon need to be in tip-top shape for their gym battle anyway.”

“Good idea!” Lydia exclaimed. “You hear that, Amanda? You get to class on time, Minccino gets her check-up, everyone wins!”

Amanda clutched her Poké Ball, looking rather doubtful. “And you’ll give Minccino back?” she asked, a suspicious edge in her voice.

“Yup!” Milo said.

“I’ll vouch for Milo here,” Melissa said. “He doesn’t know how to lie well.”

Zack and Diogee also added their own testimonies to Milo’s character, though Diogee seemed to be begging for treats during his turn.

Still looking nervous, Amanda released Minccino from her Poké Ball. A small, fluffy Pokémon emerged, shaking out her tail as she yawned.

“Minccino, do you mind if I head back to class?” Amanda asked. “This boy and his friends offered to look after you for a bit. It’s just an hour or two, and I’ll hang onto your Poké Ball! I really don’t want to miss this lesson cause it has to do with preparing Pokémon food.”

“Hi there,” Milo said, kneeling next to Minccino when she just stared at him. He pulled out a Sitrus Berry and his Pokédex, then offered the berry to Minccino. She cautiously sniffed it, then took an experimental bite. Minccino squealed happily, scarfing down the rest of the berry.

“Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokémon. This Pokémon is highly recommended for parents who are sick of picking up after their messy teenagers who can’t be bothered to clean their room when they’re told.”

Lydia frowned. “Are all Hoenn Pokédexes weird like that?”

“Nah, just Milo’s,” Zack sighed. “It has a mind of its own.”

“So you’ll be okay with Milo?” Amanda asked.

Minccino nodded, patting her tail against Milo’s leg with a happy squeak.

“You don’t normally like new people off the bat,” Amanda said. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, quit worrying!” Lydia said, grabbing Amanda’s arm and hauling her outside. “Minccino likes him just fine! She’s in good hands!”

“Don’t eat too much! I’m trying out that new recipe, remember?” Amanda shouted as Lydia dragged her away. “And be nice to Milo and his friends! And-“

Her reminders faded away.

Minccino stuck close to Milo while they waited, resting on his shoulder with her tail curled around her body. Her paw flashed out every time Diogee reared up on his hind legs to get a closer look.

“What’s your plan for the gym leader?” Melissa asked. “I heard she uses Rock-types.”

“Well, I’ve got Mudkip, but she probably has a counterstrategy for him,” Milo said. “It’ll definitely be interesting though!”

“Trainers are always challenging the Lavaridge Gym with Water-types,” Melissa said. “They think they can just douse a Fire-type to win. But they’re always unprepared for Sunny Day, which reduces the power of Water attacks.”

“Johto Gym Leaders are notoriously easy to beat with a Fire-type,” Zack said. “Honestly, I’m surprised none of them thought of teaching Rain Dance to their Pokémon.”

Once they made it to the front desk, Milo released Mudkip from his Poké Ball. “I’m planning to challenge the gym, and I want to be sure Mudkip and Diogee are ready,” he said, removing Minccino from his shoulder and setting her next to Mudkip. “Oh, and this is my friend’s Minccino. Amanda just wants her to be healthy. I don’t think she’s taking part in any huge battle though.”

“No problem!” the nurse beamed, turning to her Pokémon partner. “Chansey, take these three Pokémon to Room D and do a basic examination on them.”

A smiling Chansey ushered them into the back, closing the door behind her.

“Please have a seat in the lobby while you wait,” the nurse said.

“Actually, there’s one more thing,” Zack said. “How do you take part in a Contest?”

Milo and Melissa glanced at him in surprise. “I thought you didn’t have a goal yet,” Melissa said.

“I still don’t,” Zack admitted. “But Treecko seemed to be having fun in front of a crowd. And Lydia mentioned she was taking part in a Contest.”

“Are you going to make another music video?” Milo asked.

Zack sputtered indignantly, muttering something unintelligible about how ‘those days are behind me’ and ‘I can’t deal with another prop ax’.

"If you plan on competing, you'll need to register for a regional Contest Pass. It'll be good for any Hoenn contest but won't work outside the region. I can handle the registration here if you have your Pokédex," Nurse Joy explained. 

Zack inserted his Pokédex into the slot she indicated. Nurse Joy typed several commands into her computer, and a plastic card popped out of a nearby printer. She took the card and laid it on top of a bright red case. Then she handed both to Zack. 

"Present the card to the attendant and they'll let you in. This ribbon case will hold the proof of your contest victories. You'll need to collect five ribbons to be allowed entry into the Grand Festival." 

Zack gulped, taking the card and case gingerly. He removed his Pokédex from the slot. "Five ribbons!" he laughed nervously. "No prob, totally not feeling pressured already!" 

"Just do your best and have fun!" Nurse Joy called with a smile as Milo hauled Zack over to a bench in the lobby. 

Zack's legs never seemed to work when he was nervous. His mouth had frozen into a rather creepy half-smile. 

Melissa stomped on his foot, causing Zack to yelp and recoil in pain. "You were creeping me out," Melissa retorted when Zack glared at her. 

"How come you didn't tell us you wanted to be a coordinator?" Milo asked. 

Zack sighed. "I don't know. Not even my parents know. They'll probably find out if the contest is televised, but I don't want to tell them yet. And I thought it would be nice to perform with a Pokémon, and not just use them as a prop to make special effects with." 

Before Milo and Melissa could ask more questions, the doors burst open. A Shroomish and Minun held themselves high as they marched into the lobby. They were a bit roughed-up, but they looked exceedingly proud of themselves. 

Bradley followed them inside, smirking as he sauntered over to the nearest group of trainers. 

"Shroomish and Minun have the right to be proud of themselves," Bradley boasted. "After all, we did get the Stone Badge." 

He proudly displayed a small piece of metal, holding it above his head for everyone to see. As the trainers around him began asking questions about his challenge, the back doors swung open and Mudkip, Diogee, and Minccino dashed out. A Chansey called out to them with a stern look on her face, and the trio slowed down, walking back to Milo with slightly guilty expressions. 

"Aw, it's alright," Milo said. "Mudkip and Diogee, have you been cleared for battle?" 

Mudkip and Diogee cheered. 

"Minccino, you're all healthy?" Milo asked. 

Minccino nuzzled his hand. 

Milo grinned. "Alright then, it's off to the Pokémon School! Who's ready to earn a badge?" 

In his excitement, Mudkip jumped and darted around the lobby, weaving between people's legs and barely avoiding the cables to a TV mounted to the wall. The moment came to a crashing halt when Mudkip didn't avoid Bradley in time, sending him sprawling to the floor with a surprised grunt. 

The badge slipped out of his hands, rolling away until it stopped near Milo's shoes. Milo picked it up and rushed over to Bradley, helping him up while Shroomish and Minun shot Mudkip some incredibly furious looks. 

"Mudkip, say you're sorry," Milo said sternly. "You have to be more careful in a Pokémon Center. Hurt Pokémon come in all the time and their trainers would be very upset with you if you crashed into them." 

Mudkip wilted, then squeaked an apology. 

"Fine, I accept. Don't make this more awkward," Bradley muttered, pulling away from Milo. He snatched the Stone Badge away once he realized it was in Milo's hand. "And that's my badge, thank you." 

"Looks like your challenge went well," Milo smiled, though Bradley scowled further. "What did the gym leader use?" 

Bradley crossed his arms. "That's classified information. Since you're challenging her, I think I might just stay in town and watch you lose." 

"Fair enough," Milo called as Bradley stomped out of the Pokémon Center in a huff. Shroomish and Minun followed behind him, just as irritated as their trainer. 

“Who spat in that guy's milk?”  Zack scoffed. 

“I don't care,” Melissa said as she scribbled several notes into her pad. “But a grumpy rival could definitely add a little pizazz to my little project.”

“Welcome to the Rustboro Pokémon School!” a secretary greeted. “How may I be of assistance today?”

“Is Amanda here? I’d like to return her Minccino,” Milo asked, gesturing to the fluffy Pokémon on his shoulders.

The secretary nodded, picking up a microphone on her desk. “Right, Amanda asked me to keep an eye out for you. I’ll call her to the front.”

She pushed a button, and the intercom emitted a horrible ringing noise that seemed to reverberate through the walls of the building. Diogee and Minccino screeched in pain, Zack writhing on the floor in agony. Milo and Melissa winced, covering their ears until the sound passed. While they’d dealt with plenty of malfunctioning electronics before, the ringing was something they’d never get used to.

“Sorry!” the secretary yelped. “I have no idea what happened! Sure, we haven’t had much money since the schoolboard bought that yacht, but our equipment is always somewhat functional!”

“It’s alright,” Melissa said, cutting in before the secretary could go into a full-blown panic mode. “Do you have any idea where Amanda is?”

The secretary’s nose scrunched up in thought. “She seems to have taken a shine to our cooking classrooms. Really likes that Basil Bravo guy. Never liked his show myself, always seemed a bit airheaded to me. But hey, to each their own. First floor, rooms 16-19 are all kitchen setups.”

Milo thanked her, and Minccino hopped off his shoulder and scurried ahead. It seemed Minccino had an innate sense for her trainer’s whereabouts, since she nosed her way into Room 17 and beelined straight for Amanda, clinging to her leg with a delightful squeak.

“Oof, I’m happy to see you, Minccino,” Amanda said, quickly setting down a bowl of flour so she could hug Minccino back.

“Told you!” Lydia proclaimed. “She’s happy and healthy! Nothing to worry about here!”

Tepig stomped his hoof, nosing Lydia’s hand back onto his head.

Lydia laughed. “Oh, you’re just a little attention seeker.”

“Yup, no issues at all,” Milo agreed. “You’ve got a great Pokémon there.”

Amanda’s attention returned to the bowl she’d been stirring. “Thanks. I’m glad she likes you. Normally it takes a while for her to warm up to new people.”

Lydia nodded. “Amanda and I are from Unova. Castelia City, to be exact. It’s ginormous. We spent a lot of time exploring the city before we became Pokémon trainers. Our journeys were delayed by a few years because of this Pokémon liberation group. Lots of people thought we shouldn’t train or work with Pokémon anymore. Said it was cruel to treat them as servants.”

“My family’s worked alongside Absol for generations,” Milo said. “We don’t treat them as servants.”

“Gym leaders, firefighters, doctors, and researchers all rely on the partnership of a loyal Pokémon,” Zack added.

Melissa crossed her arms. “Guys, it’s great that you have strong bonds with your Pokémon. But not everyone sees it that way. All the crime syndicates that were taken down over the years? Pokémon are just tools to them.”

“Anyway, the liberation group held a protest at the city plaza. They mass-released a ton of Pokémon and left. A lot of the Pokémon were super-confused and the police department had their hands full trying to rehabilitate them cause they weren’t used to living in a big city. Amanda and I found Minccino the day after the protest. She was scared and her fur was dirty. We brought her to Nurse Joy. She said Minccino had most likely been captured in a forest by the Pokémon liberation group, then released during their protest.”

Amanda forcefully cracked an egg against the rim of her bowl, setting aside the shells and taking up her spoon. “I was twelve. I could legally own a Pokémon. I figured taking responsibility for Minccino would prove that I could be a trainer. My parents thought that my…strict adherence to schedules would hinder me, and it took months for them to finally buy the plane tickets to Hoenn.”

Melissa patted Amanda’s shoulder in sympathy. “Parent problems. Gotta love ‘em, right?”

“Yeah,” Amanda sighed. She finished stirring her mixture, then poured it into a tin. “Basil Bravo said that cooking is bringing harmony to all ingredients. Serving is bringing harmony to everyone who eats the finished product. I decided Hoenn would be the best place to begin practicing those words.”

Zack coughed, and everyone’s eyes flicked over to him. He squirmed under the attention. “On a lighter note, I have my Contest Pass now.”

A scream pierced the room, and Lydia quickly enveloped Zack in a hug. She shrieked, jumping up and down in excitement while poor Zack could only wonder what he’d just unleashed. Tepig sniffed disdainfully and turned his back to them.

“Ohmygoshohmygosh!” Lydia screamed. “We can be coordinator buddies now and share appeal round tips and compete and…wait, are we buddies or rivals? Wait, I’ve got it! We’ll be budivals! Yeah, that totally works! I can’t believe this! I’m a budival with the Zack Underwood of the Lum-“

Zack clamped his hand over her mouth. “Hey, Milo, I bet you’re just dying to have your battle now! How ‘bout we go find the gym leader? That badge has your name on it! Not literally, but you know what I mean!”

He shoved Milo out the door, feet scuffing against the ground when Milo clung to the doorframe.

“Hey, do you know where we can find the gym leader?” Milo called to Lydia. He felt Zack shove his back several times, the last push dislodging him from the wood and sending him tumbling to the ground. A weight crashed onto his backpack, and Zack let out a wheeze as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

“What do you keep in here? Anchors?” Zack groaned, stumbling to his feet.

Milo dusted himself off. “Two actually. You never know when you need to secure yourself for freak windstorms.”

“I need to keep an eye on my Poképuffs,” Amanda said. “But Lydia can take you.”

Lydia nodded. “Principal Milder usually checks on the classes around this time. We’ll be able to catch her. C’mon, Tepig! Let’s put that sniffer to good use!”

She pried Tepig’s hooves away from the oven and carried him out of the room.

“It’s not gonna cook faster if you watch it,” Lydia said. “It’ll be ready soon though, don’t worry. In the meantime, can you sniff out Principal Milder for us? We all know she keeps that Sweet Scent perfume in her desk. Shouldn’t be too hard to find her.”

The group quickly found out that relying on a Pokémon with an acute sense of smell and an appetite to rival a hundred Munchlax led to Tepig picking up scents of food in people’s backpacks. After the tenth time, Melissa called upon Poochyena to help in the search, promising him a tasty reward if he could help them find Principal Milder.

After an hour of scouring all three floors, multiple dead ends, and a ten-minute break, they finally decided to check Principal Milder’s office. Milo and Lydia dragged Zack between them, who’d been hit with a Zubat’s Supersonic and was now muttering nonsense to himself.

Melissa held the door open while Milo and Lydia maneuvered Zack into the office, accidentally knocking Zack’s head on a nearby cabinet. Diogee, Tepig, and Poochyena steered clear of their trainers, heading straight for a comfortable couch they could all fit on.

Zack giggled. “I want the green one. It feels like asparagus.”

“Yeah, that knock won’t be doing wonders for his head,” Melissa muttered.

“We really should’ve just come to the office first,” Milo said sheepishly.

Principal Milder tapped her long nails against the desk impatiently, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she held a phone away from her ear. “Look, I just did my rounds of the school. My challenger today kept shoving his new badge in everyone’s face, and Mitchell is trying to use Pay Day to beat MY record at the Game Corner. So, no, I’m not in the mood to hear about how Lilycove Prep is way better than us hardworking Rustboro folk. If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do. Good day.”

“Um, hi,” Lydia said awkwardly. “We were just looking for you.”

Milder slowly scooted her chair away from Zack, who was now convinced that she was Fireflower from the My Lovely Ponyta series.

“Zack, she’s not Fireflower. Stop it,” Melissa said, dragging him off the desk before Milder’s self-preservation instincts led her to jump out the window.

“He was hit by Supersonic,” Milo offered as an explanation.

“He’s normally calmer than this,” Lydia agreed.

Milder settled back against her chair, some of the tension draining out of her shoulders. “Alright, now that we’ve established how I’m not a toy Ponyta with a brushable mane, may I ask what you’re doing here?”

“I wanted to ask for a gym battle. But if your Pokémon need rest, I don’t mind waiting,” Milo said.

Milder sighed. “Well, at least you’re considerate. I’m not taking any more matches this week though. I need to visit Mauville, and my reasons will not be disclosed to minors.”

“You’re going to the Game Corner,” Melissa guessed.

“No, I’m going to a family-friendly and not at all morally ambiguous establishment,” Milder said.

“You’re seriously refusing to battle Milo because you have a grudge against someone for beating your high score,” Melissa replied.

Milder’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I once knew a kid who kept asking all sorts of questions that weren’t any of his business. And you know what happened to him?”

“He either became a lawyer or investigative journalist,” Melissa guessed. 

“Actually, he did become a lawyer but that’s beside the point,” Milder said in irritation.

Silence reigned while Milder tried to follow up with another comeback, but she came up empty.

Finally, Milder gave in. “If I delegate my gym leader duties to someone else, will you battle them instead? Same rules apply. Only the challenger can switch Pokémon, no destroying the building, and you earn the badge when you win. Deal?”

Figuring that Milder probably wasn’t willing to negotiate, Milo decided to just accept her terms. “Deal. So who am I battling?”

Before Milder could answer, the ground split open, revealing a man with a dirt-streaked face. He was dressed like a miner, though Milo was pretty sure miners didn’t smell like sewer water.

“Sassafras!” the stranger exclaimed, frowning when everyone stared at him. “Oh, that’s not right. What do Overlanders generally say when they accidentally drill a hole in someone’s office while trying to hunt for discarded fast food wrappers?”

“Sorry?” Milo suggested.

The man regarded Milo for a second, looking rather confused. “For what? Oh, no, you’re right! It’s sorbet!”

Milder buried her face in her hands, already regretting her decision. “Close enough. Kids, meet Scott the Undergrounder. He lives in the sewers under Rustboro.”

Scott waved at them. “Hey, you kids want some half-eaten burritos? I can heat them over the toilet if you’d like!”

Lydia looked visibly ill, so Milder quickly moved the conversation along, “Now, do you mind battling Milo in my place? I’m delegating you with my responsibilities as gym leader for his challenge. If he wins, you’ll give him the Stone Badge. Got it?”

“Sure, Mildred gets restless if she can’t exercise!” Scott exclaimed. “Lemme grab her and we’ll start this popsicle stand!”

He disappeared, singing a jaunty tune he’d made up.

“That Dunsparce looked like a weird man,” Zack observed helpfully.

“May Arceus help you all,” Milder said.

AN: Zack really gets put through the wringer in this one. 

Amanda and Lydia debut is here! Yes, the Pokemon liberation group they’re talking about is Team Plasma! The way I see it, Amanda and Lydia’s journeys were delayed because Team Plasma’s ideas became very prominent, which led to some parents not wanting their kids to train Pokemon. While Amanda and Lydia found Minccino together, Minccino bonded to Amanda because cleaning and organizing go hand in hand, and Amanda’s personality was just a better match overall. Lydia received her Tepig in Nuvema Town, then they headed off to Hoenn. 

[thevaloroushearts-archive-blog]

All of a sudden, the very part of the hall that the siblings occupied grew dim. As they looked on in confusion, they noticed two silhouettes in front of faded purple lights that seemed to appear out of nowhere... both with eyes gleaming, beaming at them from their shadows...

“‘Tis the white knight and mint mage, the ones who came out on top at the stage...” whispered the top-hatted one in a delicate coquette-ish rhyme.

“A truly remarkable sight tonight, I would say...”

“And you two are now in luck as of today! For before we stand before you, so without delay...~!”

“We present ourselves to you!”

“‘Tis I, the Nebulous Illusionist, a trickster by trade! The caster of enchantments that leave you swayed! Now open your eyes, who is that you see? Why, ‘tis no one other than I--~”

“A flash of fire to spark the night, blessing the stage with dancing lights! Who is the one who could muster such fiery power? It is none other than he, the Marigold Mage, the one and only--!”

Alyx and Oriel merely stood there, at a loss for words from the flashy introductions that came out of nowhere. The calling out from earlier had their attention alone, but now it seems though they can’t take their eyes off them even if they tried. Was it because they were surprised? Impressed? Or just confused? It might've been the latter, as their eyes shifted toward each other before fixing them back on the magicians.

"Ahh, oh joyous, wondrous, beautiful day! We finally bear the fortune to meet the twins after a glorious fray~," the Gothitelle squealed as she jumped in place, clasping her hands together out of eagerness."

"Indeed we do, and by Tornadus' beard, you bear the might to shake kings, yes you do!" added on the shiny Mismagius, who gave a wink to the twins. Both of them seem to be quite the fans of the two, especially since before the Gallade and Gardevoir could even respond, they were presented a few gifts.

"Oh, uh... wow, I uh..." Alyx was surprised, and not in the bad way either. A little confused, as it's not common for him to receive flowers of all things, to him that would be more of a date gift, but hey, a present is a present, right?

"These look lovely..." Oriel was more eager to accept them, albeit humbly, as she held the gifted bouquet into her arms before her brother did, letting herself bask in the scent of the flora before eying the two. "You have our gratitude, er, Miss Cassie, and Mr. Velius. You seem quite excited to meet us, are you, er...?"

"Fans?" Alyx chuckled as he held his own flower gift under one arm, giving a smirk.

"Ohoho, you catch on quite quickly indeed my shining blade~! You are right, we admire you both and your trade~!" Cassie's face stretched into an elated grin.

"Even 'admirers' would be putting it quite lightly, my good sir! You're both quite the inspiration to us, I'll have you know!" chimed in Velius with a bob of his head. "Ever since your first show on the glowing screens~"

"Haha, well that's cool, I'm flattered, always happy to hear we please the audience," responded Alyx with a pleased grin. Hearing that he puts on a good show, especially with one of his family members (namely Oriel), is what made part of the fighting worth it. Meanwhile Oriel felt the same, albeit with a sheepish flattered blush.

"A-ah, you're too kind, sir... though I agree with my brother, i-it's just the usual routine for us..." Oriel rubbed her arm.

"SHUSH!," exclaimed Cassie as she raised a halting finger."Balderdash, my beautiful seabreeze sage~! Your displays are among all the rage! Ah, it makes me wish we could do more than offer you gifts, yet when it comes to ideas, I'm at the cliffs..." Cassie tapped her chin before raising said finger up, a big smirk popping up as she reached into her coat to pull out a deck of cards.

"Ooh, how about this, if you have a minute! Something exciting for this honored visit!"

"... Card-based fortune-telling...?" Alyx didn't know what to think, scratching the back of his head with a hesitant glance of disbelief. "That's uh..."

"Well, i-it's a free performance, I fail to see why not... in the end, it's just a game, correct?" Oriel debated with a soft smile, in order to have her brother comply. The Gardevoir faced Cassie with a bow of her head in agreement. "We'd be happy to partake. It could be interesting, perhaps even fun..."

"If that's the case, then very well~! Relax as I flip the cards with a spell~!"

Cassie wasted little time showing her graceful talents, flipping the cards with stylish, shimmering cycling flair as a means of shuffling the deck before finally drawing three cards, presenting them out to face the twins. Upon seeing them, however, Cassie seemed a bit shocked.

"Ooh..."

"What're you going on about," remarked Alyx with a quirked brow. "All I see is a picture of a Cubone, a Darkrai, and a Zweilous... what's the big deal?" he interrogated as he overlapped his arms.

"I'm sure there's a meaning to it, brother... care to elaborate for us, Cassie? Velius?"

"Allow me the honors, milady~" bowed the Mismagius as he held up his wand, pointing to the cards one at a time.

"The Cubone is a symbol of loneliness as well as separation. With it being the first card, it seems to remark how you two must've had a past of isolation, whether from each other, or perhaps others...?"

" ... Er... that's..." Oriel looked at her brother, who returned the glance to her. That... was peculiar, but they couldn't help but falter in order to stop themselves from becoming perturbed.

"Uh, didn't you say you'd be looking into our future? Didn't say anything about the past," the Gallade called out with a flat look.

"Fortune-reading is more than just the future, my good sir! But if it upsets you so, I shall carry on!" Velius cleared his throat and pointd to the middle one, the Darkrai.

"The Abyss Pokemon, Darkrai, symbolizes omens, whether you're enduring them, or have yet to face them yourself, might be coming your way in the near future," the Mismagius clarified, noticing the siblings' reactions. "Er, you alright, milady...?"

Oriel tried to hold back a gulp. Omens... She knew Darkrai was commonly known as the envoy of nightmares, which is what she has been dealing with lately... this was hitting a little too close to home for her. To shake her from her stare, Alyx gently patted her back before glancing back at the magicians.

"Uhh... riiiight. Why don't we just get to whatever the two-headed lizard means?"

"As you wish~" The wand's fire stone gestured to the Zweilous. "The card for the future, it represents potential turmoil between those that are dear to you... friends, family, lovers... if the two of you are not careful, there might be a divide amongst you, or perhaps even yourselves. That's what it means."

"I..." Oriel was already a little put off by how spot-on the first two cards were... this really did feel like a prod into her head, and the meaning behind the dark dragon didn't feel particularly surreal. Meanwhile Alyx gave a hefty sigh, feeling how uncomfortable her sister was. Thusly, the Gallade gave Cassie and Velius a flat look.

"So you really think that's gonna happen, huh?"

"Well, it's a possibility, but then again it IS fortune-telling, so perhaps it has set its course, or it could be a mere possibility. Regardless, i--" Velius was cut off by Alyx before being sarcastically responded to.

"I beg your pardon, sir...?" Velius tipped his head in confusion. "I DID say it was fortune telling, after all. Moreover, t'was little more than a free-showing, it could be nothing more than possibilities rather than certainties, I assure you."

"Hrmph, I guess so, but still..." Alyx pouted as he noticed Oriel still looking a little unenrved. She seemed to be relaxing now, but his side-stare did not go unnoticed by the showy enchanters. Cassie was quick to prance up and make the apology first.

"Errr... uh, okay, sure, thanks for the apology I guess? I guess I shouldn't have been so snarky, it just seems to be bugging my sis, that's all."

"Oh it is quite alright, your reaction is fair! She is your sibling, why wouldn't you care~? 'Tis admirable for you to show worry for your sister, you're a very good brother to her, mister~" Cassie giggled; if her mask didn't hide it, she would've winked at him. Alyx could only quirk a brow, while Velius floated over to Oriel with a sheepish look of his own.

"Anyway, uh..." Alyx interjected while rubbing the back of his head. "Was that it? Uh, anything else you two needed?"

"Hrm..." Cassie tapped her chin as she looked off up in the corner while leaning next to Velius. "Not that I can think of..." A soft nudge was adminsitered to the ghost.

"Ah, o-of course, yes, one more thing!" The shiny mage whipped out a pad and pen, smiling as he presented himself to the siblings.

"Huh?"

"You... you desire our signatures? Truly...?"

"Absolutely, milady! I'd love them! If it's alright with the two of you of course~!"

This was a nice return to flattery for the two of them. Feeling a blush coming on, the brother and sister suppressed it before happily taking the notepad and writing utensil, marking their own names into the paper before handing it back to Velius proudly.

"There ya have it bud."

"OH RAPTURE~!" Velius spun in the air excitedly as a fire burned in his eyes.

"Hah, what a ham..." Alyx smirked, before hearing his stomach rumble. Oh yeah... lunch.

"Uh, look, as fun as it's been with uh, you two, we're supposed to meet up with the rest of our team to grab a bite to eat, so... why don't we meet up some other time, huh?"

"Oh absolutely, do not let us keep you!" Velius nodded sharply, clutching the notepad to himself.

"Yes yes, please, go and on and nourish~! For now we shall let this memory flourish~" Agreed Cassie, while waving them off. "Ta-ta~!"

"Uh, yeah, sure, ta-ta to you too, bye," Alyx waved half-way before making his way over to the foodcourt. "C'mon sis!"

"Ah, o-one moment brother!" Oriel approached Cassie with clasped hands, smiling up at the taller Gothitelle.

"He doesn't seem to understand how your kind works... how you read futures with the stars and all. So forgive him for being skeptical, but your fortune-telling, your future-reading overall... it was, ah, remarkably accurate. I would like to call on your assistance should I have any other questions... is that fair to you, madame?" The Gardevoir pleaded with clasped hands, while Cassie sported another cheerful smile.

"My newly-found friend Oriel, you have my word! Just call by name, and I'll flock to you like a bird! Now go on, meet with your brother! There shall always be another time to meet up together~!"

"Ahh, m-my gratitude! Farewell," and with that, Oriel hurried off after Alyx, leaving the two magicians to talk amongst themselves.

"You're most welcome my friend~ I'm always willing to help 'til the end!"

"And how!" chortled the ghost. "You've done excellently to assist me with the courage to see them, I believe we've left quite an impression, did we not?"

"Oh how I agree! Their smiles were fulfilling to see! But if I may say..." Cassie smirked, leaning over to her friend.

"Now come, now that it's said and done, why don't we walk around? Surely there's a soul or two that are willing to talk abound~"

"Cassie," Cooper whined in his nerdier, true voice, rolling his eyes with a strained laugh.

"So sorry, 'tis habit after all~"

---

(( asks are now opened back up, and the cast has expanded! ))