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Victor watches from the boards, the field has been coated in ice and in the middle of it Yuuri stands resolute. With all his energy he focuses on Yuuri as he has the entire battle. Every motion, every breath, every moment and Victor swallows it down and desires more. Watching Yuuri accept his element, thrive in it - it can be nothing but marvelled at. If he could do this every time he stepped into a stadium, shed his fears and doubts and be the man that Victor abandoned his entire life to train, he would be marvellous. The desire to see it - always – forever - knots up in Victor’s chest and nearly chokes him. His body knows it must be fight or flight but he’s always been a fighter.
Yuuri moves, his eevee Shori mirrors perfectly, in synch in their battle. Victor breathes with them, at his side Calina rests her front paws on the boards and watches as well her snowy nine tails brushing against his ankles. She is as invested as he is in Shori and Yuuri both. Victor has watched as the two broke through her standoffish nature but he hadn’t realised how much progress they’d made until he walked into the pile of them sleeping one night, Yuuri’s head pillowed on her chest, Shori’s on her paws, and her body curled around both of them body.
Yuuri avoids one of the mudsdale’s attacks, his eevee jumping over his shoulders to evade the Mega Kick. Calina makes a little whine, and Victor rests his hand on the downy fur of her shoulder blades but does not take his eyes away from the speck of Yuuri countering with his own attack. They’ve been fighting for too long, Yuuri and Shori by rights shouldn’t be able to contend with such a strong pokemon for so long, but that’s what they never expected, what Victor knew from the moment he watched Yuuri’s leaked training video. This pair - they were worth beating. One day he wants to fight them as well, to see how far Yuuri will push him to his limits. It’s been so long since he had a real challenge and he knows Yuuri will be it. It fuels him to get up in the morning.
Yuuri cries out for a Double-Edge attack though the dust that hasn’t settled, and Victor’s heart squeezes because Shori is already weak, worn down and if there is backlash -
Shori doesn’t hesitate, bounces between Yuuri and their opponent and throws everything into the attack.
The crowd holds its collective breath, the stadium ready for the final blow to recoil and end the battle but Victor knows Yuuri and Yuuri is not reckless even in the heat of battle.
The recoil hits Shori, but the attack knocks the mudsdale to the side. The horse type pokemon drops to a knee, needs to recover, and its trainer is retrieving a potion for it as Yuuri scoops up his eevee and gets some distance between them.
The cameras follow both competitors, and Victor glances up to get a closer look at Yuuri rubbing his eevee's face and giving it a potion as well. Yuuri is talking, quick encouraging words that the microphones can’t quite pick up but Shori responds, opens her determined eyes and wiggles out of his hands. Victor expects her to turn around ready for another round, but instead she begins to glow.
The crowd recognises the signs and roars. Victor’s fingers clench around the top of the board and he holds his breath. Yuuri had told him that he didn’t care if Shori ever evolved or not, that it didn't matter because Shori was still the best pokemon in the world, and Victor had only argued because Calina was also the best pokemon in the world, but Yuuri had also said he wouldn’t mind if she did evolve as long as she was happy. Victor had realised he was in love that day. He’d been in love all along, but being and knowing - they were different things and Victor knowing had opened a new world to him. Watching the inner light of evolution glow out of Shori Victor holds his breath in anticipation.
Shori does not disappoint because when the lights stop she’s bigger, slicker and a beautiful ice blue. Victor eats in the sight with eager eyes, watches as Yuuri’s expression goes from happy to sharp in the beat of a heart. Because Yuuri realises exactly what this means for his battle. Victor feels his soul elevate as the battle shifts from tactical caution to melee and Yuuri gives no quarter.
If he’d been a contender before, which he was, his newly evolved glaceon throws him into the top ranks. Especially because mudsdale is weak to ice.
It takes three moves to drive the mudsdale to faint, and the stadium that hasn’t stopped cheering since Shori’s evolution goes wild. Victor waits with bated breath as Yuuri realises it’s over, the slope of his shoulders relaxing, and his eyes wandering the crowd. They come to rest on him and Victor feels caught by the smile that blooms before him. And then Yuuri runs across the field, across broken ice and uneven ground, Shori jumping onto the back of his shoulders unwilling to be left behind.
Victor catches him when he throws himself half across the boards, his upper body balanced against Victor’s own, his feet raised off the field. Victor thinks they’re going to hug, is ready for that, instead a mouth presses against his own and he realises that Yuuri is kissing him. Yuuri is kissing him in front of a stadium of people. Yuuri has won his match and the first thing he thought to do was press his mouth against Victor’s and steal the breath from his lungs.
Victor holds tight, doesn’t let him take it back, doesn’t let himself lose this moment. It is ecstasy, blinding perfection, a prelude to the things he will build with Yuuri. More, further, greater.
When Yuuri pulls back to breath Victor still hasn’t let go. Shori has landed on the barrier and is butting its head against Calina’s chin affectionately. Victor wants to say something romantic, something perfect but there are a thousand eyes on him and just as many cameras. It’s been broadcast across the world. Besides, he can’t think of the right thing to say.
“Congratulations.” He says instead, and Yuuri beams like he’s been given the sun.
It’s a good start, there are more battles to fight still, more training to do, and hopefully more kisses to be had.