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You have no idea how your Wooper manages to run so fast without any arms. Really, you don’t, but you suppose you’ll have to figure it out quickly so he’ll stop sprinting away from you at any opportunity he gets.
You’d decided to take a day trip to Hulbury with your little Wooper to check out the markets and treat yourself to the calming sea air and a nice walk along the promenade. You’d also made the mistake of mentioning to Wooper that maybe, maybe , you could take some time to check out the Stadium and do some training along Route 5, so you suppose that’s where your ultimate mistake lies. Wooper, usually fairly mellow, had been suspiciously excitable since, and - through especially wishful thinking, you suppose - you’d somehow convinced yourself that it was just his excitement at some nice salty air and perhaps a little vial of nice-smelling incense to carry.
Obviously, you were wrong. You should’ve remembered that your Wooper, as sweet as he may be, has a tendency every now and then to become inexplicably hyper about random things he’s never particularly cared about before. Either way, now you’re chasing him around Hulbury as he aimlessly zooms around town, trying your best to apologise for the havoc caused in his wake. To be fair, nobody seems particularly bothered by the sight of you jogging around cluelessly, but still.
You stop for a breather for a moment, leaning against the metal railings that overlook the ocean and boats surrounding the little port town. You have no idea where he is, and though you know there’s no real reason to panic - realistically, someone will see the little tag around his neck with your name and address and send him home - you’re starting to feel the anxiety well up inside of you.
A pleasant voice coming from behind you interrupts your thoughts. “Excuse me, love?” they say, and you turn to see a fisherwoman smiling at you, her rod hanging over her shoulder. “Sorry, but are you the one looking for the little Wooper?”
Oh, Arceus. Is this what infamy feels like?
“I am!” you say, smiling ruefully. The cool breeze from the ocean blows the wind in your direction, and you feel yourself relaxing a little as it soothes your frazzled nerves. “Do you know where he is? He’s very excitable - I shouldn’t have let him out of his Ball, I think.”
The lady chuckles, patting your arm. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ve all been there.” She turns around to face the direction of the promenade you were so excited to walk down before Wooper went all Free Wailmer. “I’ve heard he’s currently running around near that lighthouse over there - do you see it?” You nod along, and she smiles brightly. “Head towards the Stadium and keep walking right until you get to the stairs. If you get a bit lost, just follow the road.”
“Thank you so much!” you tell her, a little overcome with emotion, but she waves a hand at you, still smiling.
“I’ll hear nothing of it, love,” she tells you. “And you don’t need to worry yourself, alright? I’m sure Nessa will have it under control.”
Nessa? You don’t know much about her, to be fair; what you do know she’s the Gym Leader of Hulbury - but also an especially famous, busy model. You wouldn’t be surprised if some of the staff from the Stadium had come out to get your Wooper under wraps, but Nessa ? Hm.
You smile at the fisherwoman regardless. “Thank you again, really,” you tell her, hoisting your bag up your shoulder a little. “You’re so kind. I appreciate it!”
She shakes her head, giving you a little wave as she takes this as her cue to get back to - well, fishing, you’d assume. “My pleasure, hon!”
With that, you head in the opposite direction of her, following the road like she suggested. It’s really not a long trip, but you make it in quiet trepidation. You know the Wooper line can be a bit dangerous - they’re covered in a slimy, sticky protective layer you can’t see until you touch them and realise oh, actually, that really hurts - but that’s not really common knowledge. And though this is home of the Water Gym, it’s also surrounded by saltwater - and the Wooper line aren’t freshwater Pokémon. With your nerves forming a knot in your stomach, you pick up the pace a little. Regardless of what happens, Wooper certainly isn’t getting any incense now.
To your surprise, the calm atmosphere doesn’t change into absolute chaos as you walk past the Stadium and make your way down the stairs to the promenade; it’s still quiet and serene, with distant waves crashing along the shoreline as the only thing working to disturb the peace. You peer around as you reach the bottom of the stairs, but you don’t see anything until a tall, slender figure stands from a bench near the lighthouse.
You take a few nervous steps closer before you realise who it is, and you almost stop dead in your tracks when you realise it’s Nessa herself. Nessa isn’t dressed in the Gym outfit you’ve seen her in before; instead, she’s in a pretty white shirred top and a pair of blue skinny jeans, the black bucket hat on her head doing nothing to stop her long hair from blowing in the wind. With one hand, she holds the bucket hat to her head against the wind, and with the other, she raises a hand to greet you. The gold bracelets on her wrists glint in the light.
You’re so mesmerised by her, it takes a second longer than it maybe should have to notice Wooper leaping off the bench and running over to you so quickly he almost tilts over.
“Oh!” you exclaim as he stands on the tips of his little feet, his tail thwacking the floor excitedly. “Wooper, I can’t believe you would run away like that!”
“I’ve found Water-types always get more excited than they think they will whenever they visit Hulbury,” a smooth voice says, and you look back up to see Nessa strolling towards you. She’s prettier up close. Oh, no.
You clear your throat, managing a smile you think looks normal enough. “I should’ve known better,” you admit. “Wooper can get excited. I mentioned training on Route 5, and he’s been hyper ever since.” It’s a second before realisation hits. “Oh - I hope you didn’t touch him! If you did, we’ll have to wash it off quickly, it-”
Nessa chuckles, crouching a little to look down at Wooper. “He’s got that sticky film on him, I know. Don’t worry.” You sigh in relief. Wooper is already peering up at her in excitement, and he makes a bubbly noise when she smiles at him. Looks like Nessa has the same effect on people and Pokémon. “I suppose you’re just as special as your trainer, hm?” she asks him, and glances up at you with a smile. Your face flushes so hot so quickly, you think you might pass out.
Straightening back up, she reaches out a hand. Reaching out to shake her hand, you notice that her nails are painted a pretty, shiny nude brown, and the jeweled rings on her fingers shine. “Today is my day off, actually,” she says, shaking your hand briskly. Thank Arceus your palms aren’t sweating. “I was gonna take a walk along the seafront to pass the time, but I heard about this mischievous little boy causing havoc around my hometown, hm?”
Wooper, completely unashamed, hops excitedly.
“I suppose it’s a good job that I did,” she continues, watching you with a smile playing at the corners of her lips. If you’re honest, you’re struggling to break eye contact with her; her blue eyes are so lovely, and she’s wearing shimmery eyeshadow that only serves to make her eyes sparkle even brighter. “Otherwise, he might’ve been halfway across to the Isle of Armor right now.”
You laugh, rubbing your arms a little sheepishly. “I’m so sorry for the trouble,” you tell her, finally breaking eye contact to watch Wooper carefully as he toddles off to peer around the pier. “Honestly, we only came to have a look at the markets and maybe have a nice dinner at, um, that really famous restaurant.”
Nessa’s smiling when you meet her eyes again. “Can I be honest with you?”
You nod, and hope she can’t see the red tips of your ears from beneath your hair. She’s so gorgeous.
“That restaurant isn’t very good,” she says quietly, leaning in close as though she’s sharing a secret. You feel like a weirdo for noticing how nice she smells - sweet yet musky and a little salty from the sea. “Just because the Chairman used to eat there and sometimes bring Leon doesn’t mean it’s good.”
You raise your eyebrows, and she gives you a wink. She has this way of looking at you that makes you feel like you’re in on something together, and - it feels dangerous, to be honest.
You’re just about to make up an excuse for why you have to catch your train right now immediately before you take the final step and fall in love with her forever when she turns to stand beside you in comfortable silence, joining you in watching Wooper crouching to peer at the ocean crashing into the pier.
“That being said,” she says after a long pause, and you turn to look at her. She’s still watching Wooper, but she still has a look . “I know better places to eat.”
“Oh,” you say, nerves bubbling up inside you. “I’d love a recommendation.”
“How about I show you?”
Your brain blips out of existence for a long second. You can’t even hear the noise of the waves or the cries of the Wingulls from where they’re perched upon the roof of the lighthouse. After a long, long second, it reboots, and you’re almost choking on air to respond.
“I- I- Of course!” you stutter, watching that smile grow on the corner of Nessa’s mouth again. “Only if you’re free, and I’m not interrupting, of course. I know you’re busy, and I’m sure you had plans-”
Nessa turns to you fluidly, giving you a broad smile for the first time. “I have new plans now,” she tells you, and you’re dazzled. Turning her head, she whistles to catch Wooper’s attention. He waddles around and peers at her - he looks just as shocked as you do, and you find yourself giggling at the expression on his face.
“Woopy,” you call, and he glances curiously between you and Nessa. “We’re going to eat. Come on!” He pauses for another moment before bumbling along towards you, the curious look still on his face.
“You suit one another,” Nessa tells you as you begin to walk together, meandering along the promenade. You almost choke on an inhale when you feel her sliding her arm around yours, linking them together loosely. She’s so friendly towards you already that if you weren’t barely managing to keep it together, it would probably go to your head. “I can understand why he’s your partner.”
You turn your head to peer at her quizzically, and she catches your eyes a moment later. “Is that because you’re a Water trainer?” you ask, and she shakes her head with a laugh.
“Not at all,” she tells you. “It’s because you’re both cute.”
You flush so hard from your neck to your scalp that even Nessa hides a giggle against the back of her hand. You don’t even know what to say - ‘So are you’? She obviously knows it, in the best way possible. ‘You’re too kind’? That goes without saying. “Maybe I should let Wooper wreak havoc around here more often,” you offer after a long stretch of silence, and Nessa giggles again.
“I’d like that.”
“You would?” you ask, and Nessa shrugs.
“I mean, let’s get this date out of the way first before we make any more plans,” she tells you, and - date ? You won’t question it - you need to start acting like you’re cool at some point, after all, but… a date. Wow. “But yeah. I think I’d like that very much.”
You look away before her smile makes you any dizzier than you already are, and settle your eyes on watching Wooper waddle ahead, enjoying the sea breeze. “I’d like that very much.”