Chapter Text
Fidough fainted!
Kou was frozen in his stance, jaw hung slightly low and eyes stretched broadly. A large plume of dust had just blown away, revealing his companion who now lay motionless in front of him.
The battling grounds themselves were pretty rundown, it was a simple large patch of dirt encompassed by trees on every side. A few old bricks were scattered into a half-hazzardly done wall on the edges of the arena, but many had eroded or simply cracked in half. Nonetheless it still clearly was good enough to battle for these two young trainees.
Directly across from a stunned Kou, stood Amane, who adorned a driven stare. His Staryu stayed planted on the ground as it too watched its still opponent.
For Nene, she had been watching the battle partake with a heavy feeling of powerlessness by every minute. The escalation that occurred she knew hadn't been from her, but the sight before her was still just as hard to watch. How had things even turned to this?
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“Anndd we're here!” Cheerfully announced Amane, turning to face the blonde and ginger.
Both trainers smiled at the joyful news, eyes looking all around in wonderment. Though Amane kept his own focus elsewhere from the hotel they just arrived at.
A large sunroof let an abundance of sunlight shine through beautifully throughout the lobby, allowing for even the furthest of corners to be illuminated. What complimented on top of the rays, was the dazzling light brown titled flooring, bringing even more brightness to the place. The walls were an eggshell with wooden accents throughout. All around was plants and other kinds of flora decorating the place, basking in the lovely morning light.
Amane went to quickly fetch the keys as Nene pulled her phone out, getting Kou's attention with a brush of the shoulder.
“I think you should get this call..” Nene held the phone to his face, eyes widening in fear of just who she was calling.
Now Calling..
Sousuke-☆
“Right now..?” Kou's mouth was half-opened by now, taking in the few seconds before hell would break loose.
“Of course! Mitsuba was worried about you!” She'd huff, dropping the phone into his hands.
Nene couldn't quite understand the words over the phones, but even with it being held right to Kou's face, she could hear the rambling of an enraged guy on the other side. Not even to mention the countless pleadings from Kou, it was definitely disturbing other guests at that point.
“Okay okay!-- yes I promise I'll let you know! Thank you! Goodbye!!” Kou smashed the end call button before hurriedly giving the phone back, his face sweating.
“There! Saved the relationship!” Nene boasted.
“We aren't together!”
“Whatever you wanna call it..” Her eyes squint.
Before either could continue their bickering, a cheerful voice came from behind, along with the rattling of metal.
“Got the keys!” Amane excitedly exclaimed, bringing the two back to awareness.
“Thank you!” Nene essentially expressed. Looking over to examine the keys, which shined gorgeously. Kou himself had gotten to ogling exactly like Nene.
“Bit of a pain..” Amane griped, “The desk person kept trying to discount me for being champion n’ all.”
“Why didn't you take the offer up?” Kou's eyes left the dazzling keys to the annoyed boy.
“Why would I?” He shrugged, “I don't plan on being one for long, so can't get used to the treatment.”
“Oh well, how about we check out the room?” The ginger's cheerful smile returned, standing tall and excited.
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The moment of determination broke shortly thereafter the realization they had been in the way of a few other guests, apologizing as they hurried down to their room. Even the hallways from what everyone had noticed, were decorated just like the lobby, but they were covered with painting galore. Hurrying by didn't stop any acknowledgement of just how many and how high-quality each painting felt, blurs of colors mixed with every fast step the three took.
Overpowering neon hues covered the entire room as they walked in, painting each spot as if entire paint cans had been thrown at random around. Only items not thrown into this whirlwind of intensity were the beds and nightstand in between, contrasting the room with a full deep navy. A small bathroom remains between the front door and the main room, itself too covered in nauseating brightness.
Taking a minute to adjust, the party had finally shut the door behind them, Nene went immediately to take the bed closest to the door by heaving her stuff on top of the sheets. Black Canyon drove to the bed, landing just nearby Nene's baggage.
However, Kou and Amane stayed silent on the side closer to the window, eyeing the other awkwardly. Kou had enough, finally breaking it.
“..You can have the bed, since you bought the rooms and all.”
Amane shook his head at the offer.
“Nah it's fine, have it.” Amane shrugged, slightly aback from Kou.
“I insist.” Kou pushed.
“You can have the bed.”
“No. You paid.”
Both guys stared at one another, their Pokémon stood awkwardly across.
“Have the damn bed dude!” Amane shouted.
“I will not be! If you can't accept that then..” Kou quieted himself, reaching into his pocket and instantly pulled a Pokéball, pointing it right at Amane.
“I challenge you to a battle then Amane Yuji! The loser gets the bed!”
Amane sighed, no way around this.
“Just let me get in something more fresh at least.” Amane waved his hands.
“Fine!”
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⋆ ˖ ⏱︎.ᐟ
Back to the current moment, Kou's first Pokémon had fainted. Things were in a tense standby as Fidough was quickly returned to his ball, in place came Luxio, fiercely roaring in dismay of her team members fate. Around Luxio's neck was a red pouch, holding something firmly around her.
“Alright Raiteijou, let's avenge Fidough!” in response, she'd let another cry out, still not quite in battle position.
Taking advantage of the time it took for Raiteijou to adjust, Amane shouted for Statyu to attack with anything. Staryu followed through with a Power gem, the sparkles of light attacking the unaware Luxio.
Light dust blew away with the wind, giving way to a scratched Luxio, slightly huffing for air. Kou's face was one of worry, fearing the fate may be just as in vain as Figsough was, he quickly yelled for the next move.
“Raiteijou, Spark!”
Getting up to her feet fully, Raiteijou sprinted up to Staryu, bolts of electricity surged around her until finally making contact with Staryu in a large leap. Amane hadn't seen it now, but as Raiteijou jumped, he could make out what item she had been holding, a zap plate.
Staryu Fainted!
No dramatic dust was there to fluff the loss for Amane. All that was ahead of him was his unconscious Pokémon and who defeated it, small voltages spark around the two until Amane retracted Stary to its ball. Faintly whispering a job well done before hollering for his ace to come out.
Behind Amane, float over Lunatone, yet it let out not a single call, creepily staring down the trainer and Pokémon across.
Quickling brushing the uneasy thoughts off, Kou shouted once more for Raiteijou to attack with Spark.
Rushing up once more, a part in the back of Kou's mind had told him something was off ever since seeing how Lunatone behaved. Things only made sense as Lunatone's slow and aloof demeanor wear off for a fast paced dodge.
Raiteijou hit the ground with a thud at the failed move, turning to the side before quickly seeing how she had missed.
Kou and Nene's facial expressions widen to shock as Lunatone uncannily morphed, long strands of wispy red reveal themselves. Finally, the lengthy silhouette was unmistakable for Amane's ace Pokémon, Hakujoudai.
Raiteijou could only make a small surprised call before attacking with Extrasensory.
Luxio Fainted!
Kou grimaced at the sight, defeatly walking up to his ace Pokémon and taking her back into a great ball. Clutching it as his eyes closed for a second, as if he were asking for forgiveness. Hakujoudai had already reappeared behind Amane, enjoying the pets they'd received.
Nene had gotten herself down to the arena, going to meet the two boys. Before Kou could say a word, he saw the familiar choppy hair and smile greet him.
“You did good kid.” Amane's hands were clasped behind his face, eyes shining in the bright mid-day sun.
“Aren't we the same age?” Kou's eyebrow raised.
“Well, I am a champion so I'm basically your superior.” The genuine smile on Amane was replaced by a cheeky grin, following with a giggle.
“Also, you're getting the bed.” Amane quipped quickly.
All Kou could do was sigh softly, nodding in acceptance at the loss of his own challenge.
There was a sort of worry across her face as Nene made her way down to the two. Her own Pokémon ran with her in toe.
“Are you two alright?”
Both nodded, Amane had a patch of dust caked onto his hair, and Kou had small pieces of rock stuck near the collar of his shirt. Nene sighed in relief at the assurance.
“We should probably still get your Pokémon to a center though.” She'd note, looking to both their hands, which held their fainted Pokémon.
“Let's head out then.” Kou asserted, his face carried a wide smile.
“Agreed, how about food after too?”
“Yeah!”
The three would move off to the inner town, feeling the warm sun on all of their heads.
Amane neared closer to Nene as he walked, getting in whisper-distance.
“Could we split a sandwich?”
Nene's eyes turn to Amane, giving a soft smile in response.
Amane smiled a bit too as he looked back ahead.
_________________________________________
A refreshingly cold sensation hit their mouths as everyone chowed down on a sandwich. Kou had gotten himself an ultra smoky sandwich. Nene and Amane had split a much lighter great refreshing sandwich. All of them, Pokémon included, sat near a simple park area they'd found. In the water were Staryu and Feebas, eating themselves. While all the other Pokémon were eating their own food on the grassy shore. Sitting under the tree were the three trainers, talking about mundane things of their day.
Eventually everyone had begun to finish their food, tussling could be seen between a few of the finished Pokémon. Although for Nene, something did feel too quiet, though it quickly became apparent what that was as she saw the paddling of Black Canyon in the pond.
Rushing up, she'd get about knee-deep in the pond before retrieving Black Canyon, his fluffy appearance became a small damp mess. Even his skull-patterned collar had become a darker shade at contact with the water.
“Black Canyon..” she sighed, noticing her soaked shoes and now the two very confused onlookers who stayed under the tree.
“All good Nene?” Kou shouted.
All she could do was continue back to the land holding the soggy grey mass. Water poured from the ends of them both, creating a trail of it as other Pokémon had started to stare themselves.
Getting back to her spot finally, she sat with a flop, Black Canyon grumbled as he forcefully sat. Amane had remained speechless at the event, Hakujoudai mirroring the amount of silence. But Kou remained much more vocal about his worries.
“Are you two alright?” Kou had gotten up halfway, leaning towards Nene.
“Mhm..” She murdered in assurance, simply resting under the tree with her Pokémon held firmly in her arms.
“Don't you have something to dry off with?” Amane finally spoke out, leaning forward.
“Nope! Didn't really plan on this..” She grumbled.
The three went quiet at the answer, not much they could do, and it probably wasn't the best to annoy an already annoyed person.
Looking for something to distract herself, Nene looked beyond to see the remaining Pokémon playing with one another, a pleasant sight. Bounsweet and Fidoigh were inspecting one another's scents with lots of sniffing, circling each other curiously. Hakujoudai had been resting under a nearby tree for a lot of the lunch, what was even cuter was how Raiteijou had curled up nearby them, both basking in the warm air.
Nene smiled at the peaceful view, the irritation from her Pokémon's recklessness wore off the more she relaxed again in the shade. Even Black Canyon had started to calm himself in her grass, lying forward to face the rest of the park.
“You think he was tryin’ to evolve back there?” Amane piped up, he wasn't leaned forward anymore but he still was turned to Nene.
“What do you mean?” Nene looked in interest, Kou doing the same.
“Well– swimming could show he wants to be a Vaporeon.” He'd shrug.
Nene thought for a good moment, I mean maybe? It'd never had been a thought of what he'd evolve into.
“I haven't really thought of it before actually,” Nene admitted, brushing the slightly-less wet fur of Black Canyon, “I've always just thought he'd evolve without a stone and become a Sylveon, Espeon, or maybe even a Umbreon.”
“You could try offering some stones to him, they're not hard to come by.” Kou commented.
Nene nodded, continuing to play with Black Canyon gently.
“Oh, I do know someone with a shiny Espeon!” Amane exclaimed.
“You do?” Kou was the first to ask, but Nene was close to responding similarly.
“Yup! She's pretty reserved but I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving you information.” Amame crossed his arms proudly.
Nene's eyes lit with intrigue, a small ‘awe’ is all she could muster at the moment.
“That's sick!” Kou cheered, his mouth agape in wonder.
“When could I meet her, you think?” Nene pressed further now, she couldn't let an opportunity like this pass.
“She's in my hometown with my brother and her roommate, so next time I go back I'll bring you!” Amane's tone had gotten much more cheerful.
“Wait! Could I maybe call her soon? I'd love to at least speak with her!” Nene was possessed with pure curiosity now.
“I'll ask.”
“Thank you!” Nene squealed, the excitement was something she simply couldn't hold back.
_______________
Walking back to the hotel room this early felt odd, the sun was still hanging high in the air. The town itself had mostly the same infrastructure throughout, the only difference from the early morning was the larger amount of people that walked by, as well as the occasional cars.
Building blended into one another like usual, until one building had caught all three members' eyes. It was a grand museum, made with large intricate chunks of concrete. Pillars held up the triangular arch, carvings of Arecus were woven into it, creating the illusion of holding together the museum itself. All three stood in awe, feeling minuscule to even the ginormous steps they lay at the bottom of. Most other thoughts subsided until Nene heard a faint whipping sound, turning to see a piece of stuck paper on one of the outer-stands.
‘ART DEMO!
JUNE 17TH’
Wait, that's tomorrow!
Nene excitedly turned, pointing at the flyer while gleefully announcing that they just had to go.
“C'mon! It'll be fun!”
Kou was slightly iffy on the idea, mostly since he had other things he wanted to do before he had to leave. However, Amane stayed examining the flyer.
“Noemally I wouldn't, but this seems like a good opportunity for battling.” He'd mumble.
“How come?” Kou walked up behind Amane, trying to take a peek at the flyer.
“It states Shijima Mei will be doing a live painting..” Amane kept his focus on the flyer.
“Oh! Isn't she the gym leader?” Nene noted.
“Yeah, and usually she's a pain to locate for battling so this may be my only shot at meeting her!” Amane whipped around to face Nene and Kou.
“So you're saying we go?” Nene eagerly questioned.
Amane nodded as they both now turned to Kou for his reply.
“I mean– sure! Shouldn't take the whole day!”
“Then tomorrow we go to the museum!”
“Yeah!”
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⋆ 𖤓 ⋆˚࿔
The remainder of the day had been mostly a refresher for Nene and Amane from the trip the night before, Kou stayed passed out with Raiteijou on his bed during it all. In fact, a lot of the Pokémon had begun sleeping around the room, some in piles and some in their own places. By now, a warm orange hue had been going throughout the room, illuminating it even when few lights were actually on.
Amane had already finished his shower, relaxing on the couch with Hakujoudai resting across from him. Although the sound of rushing bathwater had gotten him up and investigating, he knew Nene was done as well, on top of the open door he couldn't help but want to know what was happening.
Entering the bathroom, he could see Nene crouching over the tub, her hand placed under the faucet to check the temperature. She'd gotten on a baggy teal t-shirt and grey athletic shorts, her hair tied back into a simple ponytail with a black hair tie. A faint calm smile with her rested pink eyes made Amane feel a bit wrong for walking in so randomly, yet he persisted as he came to crouch beside her. There was a surprise at seeing Amane appear so suddenly, but at the realization it was only him, she took a quick breath and relaxed once more.
“Whada’ up to?” Amane's voice was hard to hear, suffocated by the loud rushing water.
Nene turned the tab down a bit to hear better, looking at him to repeat what he said as he did so.
“Ah, well I'm filling this up so Feebas can swim a bit more.” She smiled.
“You didn't do it with the last hotel we were at?” Amane tilted his head.
“That bathtub was far too small for Febass, so I'm making it up to her.”
Nene began to softly hum at the silence after her words, the room fell into a familiar calm for the two as they watched the water. Though, there was one more thing.
“Back in the dinner, what did you mean?” Her voice was faint, but Amane knew all well what she was asking.
He took a few long minutes to answer, his face tensed at the thinking he was doing.
“I'm not sure what else to say,” He leaned his elbow onto the edge of the tub, covering half his jaw with his hand, “I've never really had someone see me beyond my status.”
“Not like you even want to be a champion though.” Nene chuckled a bit, finally turning the knob for the faucet off as she pulled up a Dive Ball.
“Just, thank you Yashiro. Thank you a lot.” Even with the hand, his face was a light mixture of pink and red.
“No problem.” Nene turned to smile widely at Amane, releasing Febass into the bathtub as she swam around happily.
Amane finally stood up once more, making his way halfway through the doorway before he heard a faint voice behind him.
“By the way, you left my shoulder pretty cold on the train.” She turned back to play with Febass, giving Amane no time for words before he became a jumbled mess of words.
After some hopeless attempts of reasoning and apologies, he hazely excused himself away. Jumping back onto the couch, he grabbed a pillow to pull over his fully red head. If Hakujoudai could talk, they would've promised they heard a quiet sizzling sound from underneath that pillow.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Walking into the museum, the floors were a beautiful polished oak. Walls all around were covered in a blank beige, allowing for each piece of art to contrast drastically. In the middle of the lobby, there stood a larger-than-life carved statue of Gallade and Gardevoir. Every detail down to the physics of Gardevoir's dress were considered in the making of it. Both Pokémon stood facing one another, almost in an embrace, but just barely out of touch. Warm lighting engulfed the place, bringing a calm atmosphere with it.
Seeing the large sign that advertised the art demo, Amane hurried over to the room, leaving Nene and Kou to frantically search and catch up to the focused boy. Arriving, the interior was the same, aside from a stage of sorts, there in the middle sat a girl with neatly done golden twin braids. Her outfit was decently classy, a dark coat clung to her, a white undershirt was outshone by the pop of her teal bow tie. She was delicately painting on the canvas in front of her with one hand, the other held a palate full of mixtures of other colors.
So, there she was, Shijima Mei, the gym leader of Ambachtsman Town.