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Having a champion for a son is definitely kind of strange. It’s been a while since Victor’s mother has seen her own son, at least, for anything more than a quick visit or check in. She knew this sort of thing would happen someday, and had plenty of chances to share in this with Hop’s mother, comparing notes in a way. Of course, she’s been in the same boat. Even now, Leon hardly makes it back home and though Hop works right there in Wedgehurst, she complains about having to walk there to see him.
Kids grow up, of course, but it always seems to happen so early. Victor does check in with her frequently enough, sending her texts or video calling her to let her know how his journey is going. He’s been enjoying himself on the Isle of Armor, and now the Crown Tundra, and she is happy for him.
She just can’t help wishing he would stop by more often, it’s hard not to feel a bit lonely. Though, with the holidays right around the corner, she might just be getting her wish. Victor will be coming by for a lengthier visit, he promises, and she can’t help being excited. She’s already working hard, preparing what she can and planning what she can’t start yet. She wants this holiday get together to be perfect, especially once Victor mentions he’ll be bringing a guest with him.
~X~
“Really?” Klara asks, looking a bit surprised. “You want me to come with you? And meet your mother?”
“Yeah, of course!” Victor says, “It’s not like she’s going to go to the media or anything, word’s not gonna get out.”
“I’m flattered,” Klara says, winking. “Must be pretty serious about me, huh?”
“Well, yeah, I am,” Victor says, grinning at her. “I tell you that all the time.”
“And I love to hear it, so don’t go stoppin’ anytime soon, ‘kay?” Klara says, patting him on the head. “Though, I have to admit, I’m not too sure about all this. Are you sure you want her to meet me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Victor says, earnest as ever. Klara is always stunned by how much he just doesn’t seem to care, not thinking one bit about how much older she is than him. Truth be told, it’s kind of endearing. He doesn’t care at all, and wants to be with her and show her off anyway. She would never admit how happy that makes her, but it is flattering as all hell. To Victor, she is simply his gorgeous girlfriend, and he wants to show Klara off every chance he gets.
“Oh, I dunno, it’s just… she’s your mother, and all,” Klara says, pressing her finger to her lips. “I’m just not sure I’ll get the warmest welcome, y’know?”
She can’t think of any nicer way to put it. Deep down, she’s nervous. If his mother doesn’t approve, what’s going to happen? Won’t it kind of put Victor in a bad spot? What would he do if he had to choose between family and her? She knows he’s got a hefty dose of her toxin, and is completely addicted to her, but would that be enough?
“Awh, come on! She’s excited, I already told her you’re coming!” Victor says, beaming.
“You told her, what, ‘I met Klara on the Isle of Armor, aspiring gym leader Klara, who you have seen on the news and she is my girlfriend?’” Klara asks, a bit suspicious.
“Well, no, I wanted it to be a surprise,” Victor says, shaking his head. “I did tell her I met you while training, and that you’re working hard at being a gym leader!”
Klara runs through her head, thinking of the countless other people that might fit that bill. She can’t help but sigh, knowing this will probably be a disaster. This damn kid is always dragging her into trouble, and she lets him. Why does she keep letting him, even when she knows this will most likely go horribly?
Well, she’s come way too far to be backing out of things now. At the end of the day, she’s pretty wrapped up in Victor. If this is a dealbreaker, why have they come so far? If she has to meet his mom, she’ll meet his mom. If she puts on her best act, maybe she won’t even be mad about how much older she is than her son, how much she’s swooped in and stolen his innocence.
Not that she’s going to let any of that sort of thing slip. His mother can at least believe her son is still chaste and honorable, despite how pathetic Klara has seen him, how much she’s done with him. She wouldn’t want to shatter all those illusions, at least, not yet.
“‘Kay, I’ll go with you. I do kind of want to meet her, anyway,” Klara says. It’s not a complete lie, part of her is curious about how Victor grew up. Perhaps, when they’re done, they can go see her folks as well. Though that would be an entirely different ordeal, and mostly just be Klara bringing him around to gloat and brag about bagging a champion.
That mess would probably overwhelm the poor boy, so maybe they should hold off on that for now. Maybe next year would be better, if this thing is still going. Surprisingly, she doesn’t really see it coming to an end anytime soon. She’s far too caught up in him for that, against her better judgement. She never was the type to be brought home to mother, and now here she is… already running through her wardrobe mentally, planning what to wear.
~X~
Victor’s mother is so excited, and can’t help wondering who his special guest will be. He’s mentioned his girlfriend before, but is always so vague about her, incredibly tight lipped. She has her guesses, of course! She knows it’s someone he met on his journey, and someone who works hard at being a gym leader. That does narrow things down quite a bit, but she’s still not entirely sure what he meant by that last bit.
Are they already a gym leader who works hard, or just aspiring to be one? She isn’t sure, and didn’t ask, as Victor almost always changes the subject when she pushes. She’ll know soon enough, but she can’t help speculating. Her money is on Marnie, that girl from Spikemuth that nearly made it all the way. She is a bit rough around the edges for her taste, with that punk rock star brother of hers, but she could understand the appeal.
She seems nice enough, beneath all of that, kind of quiet and shy. If that’s who Victor brings home, she’s excited to meet her and really get to know her. If not Marnie, it might be Bea. She seems so cool, always calm and collected in battle, and from watching the way she and Victor fought during the finals, she could see something sprouting between them. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, as Bea would be a really good fit for her son.
Someone calm, collected, who seems to really have her head on straight and work hard? She could keep Victor in line, easily. After that, it gets a bit harder to guess. There’s Nessa, of course, who might be a bit too old for Victor, but that’s not much of an issue. She is beautiful, for sure, and her modeling career is really taking off lately. She never would have expected her son to be dating a model, but if he is, more power to him. She knows it would never be just that with him, he would have genuine feelings beneath it all.
After that, there’s less to go off of. There’s some minor trainers he might have met that she’s heard of, and countless others that she’s sure she doesn’t even know. There’s always a chance it could be someone so up and coming no one really knows them yet! She’s excited, no matter who it is. She wants to welcome them, greet them, and get to know them!
Whoever Victor is dating, she’s sure she’ll turn out to be delightful. And, if things go well, she might just be calling her her daughter, someday! All the more reason to meet her and get to know her, of course.
~X~
What, you don’t think this is too much?” Klara says, posing in the mirror, and looking back at Victor. He has told her time and time again that this will be a casual affair, and she doesn’t need to work too hard on her appearance, but she insists on modeling for him, trying to get the perfect look down. Right now, she has on a dress. It’s perhaps cut a bit too tight for this kind of occasion, but Victor can’t really complain.
She looks stunning in it, even if it is a far cry from the uniform he is used to by now. Klara looks stunning in everything, but he can tell she picked this dress out on perfect. The way it hugs her curves, accentuating all of her best features, he knows she’s trying to show off. He can’t help but wonder if she’s feeling a bit insecure, worried about meeting his mom despite saying that she isn’t. No matter how many times he asks, her answer is the same.
She tells him over and over that she doesn’t have any reason to be nervous, and Victor would agree with that, but she certainly seems to be nervous anyway. By now, he can tell. It’s just like when she goes to try out for the minor leagues. No matter how much training she does, how much he works to help her get ready, she never really feels prepared. And right now, she seems exactly the same way.
“It’s not too much,” Victor says, even though it might be. Truth be told, he just can’t take his eyes off of her, and would love to see her in this dress more.
“Aw, you’re not just sayin’ that cause it’s getting you all riled up, right?” Klara asks, a quick glance proving her point. She never fails to be flattered by how easy it is to get Victor going. He may be champion, and may be a force to be reckoned with in battle, but when it comes to her he is just a hopeless kid, in way over his head.
“Maybe,” Victor admits, and she crosses the room, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead.
“Well, I wanna leave a good first impression on your mom,” Klara says, placing a hand on each of his shoulders. “Can’t have her trying to break us up, can we?”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Victor assures her, but Klara shakes her head.
“We’ll see! I’d hate to have that as some nasty surprise,” Klara says. Usually, she’s the one full of nasty surprises, and she hates having those turned on her instead. No, she has to put her best into this, and make sure his mother doesn’t have a single bad thing to say about her. She can do it, she can fake it until she makes it. She wants to be in music, after all, that’s basically a prerequisite.
“Yeah, but you’re worrying way too much,” Victor says, placing his hands on her hips. He’s been watching her model for a while now, and it’s starting to be too much. “She’s going to love you, promise.”
“LIke mother like son, is that what you’re thinkin’?” Klara asks, smirking. “Alright, alright, that’s enough modeling for now. I can tell you’re gettin’ needy over here, aren’t you?”
“Can you blame me? You keep changing right in front of me,” Victor says, shrugging.
“Heehee, maybe it was all intentional!” Klara says, as she unzips the dress. Seems like, for now, she’s done modeling, and ready to move on to something a lot more personal. Victor has been ready for some time now, and now that she’s finally closing in on him, his heart begins to race.
~X~
As the day finally arrives, Victor’s mom puts on the finishing touches. Dinner is done, and everything else is ready. All that’s left is the wait for Victor to arrive. She’s excited, glad to have some taste of normalcy after the whirlwind that her life has been since her son claimed the championship title. It’s been a lot to take in, a lot to get used to, but this will be a nice return to simpler times. At least, partially. She will have a new face at the table, of course, but she’s excited for that!
When the knock finally comes, she rushes to the door, throwing it open to greet her son. He’s dressed up a bit, which is something of a shock, but what is an even greater shock is who he brought with him. None of her guesses would have led her to suspect this woman, an aspiring gym leader currently working hard to get into the minor leagues. Of course, she does know Klara, she’s been in the news a bit lately. Something about her pop career, and how she wants to be a gym leader and a pop star, stood out to her.
But… is she really Victor’s girlfriend? Even now, she’s dressed in bright, almost gaudy colors, and she towers over Victor in her heels. For a moment, she is stunned, looking the woman up and down. But Victor simply pushes in, with Klara following after him.
“Hey, mum!” he greets her, smiling warmly. “This is Klara! Klara, this is my mum!”
“Heeeey, pleasure to meet ya’!” Klara says, putting out her hand. Quickly, Victor’s mother recovers, smiling as she reaches out to take Klara’s hand. She may be stunned, but she’s not going to be rude, not to her son’s girlfriend.
“Klara, is it? I’ve heard so much about you!” she says, and that’s the truth. Maybe it was vague, without much to give away who she was, but Victor has gushed about her on multiple occasions. She just never expected… her? She always assumed it would have been one of the other girls, nearer to her son’s age. Of course, if he’s capable of being champion and going on journeys on his own, she supposes it’s not too out there for him to have a girlfriend like her. Surprised as she might be, she’s not going to judge Klara too harshly right off the bat.
“Thanks for having me over,” Klara says, smiling at her. There’s something off about that smile, like it doesn’t quite make it all the way to her eyes, but Victor’s mother does her best to push that thought away.
“Oh, don’t mention it!” she says, smiling back at Klara. “I’m just glad to finally have a face to put with the stories, Victor has been so secretive about you!”
She knows why, of course. She’s not the only one who might question things, especially with his current status, but she’s going to keep an open mind and talk to Klara before she makes any sort of judgement.
“I just wanted to surprise you!” Victor says, chiming in, he chuckles, reaching over to squeeze Klara’s hand. Seeing how happy he is, how bright he smiles as he takes hold of her hand, his mother can’t think anything but warm thoughts. If Klara makes him happy, what does anything else matter, really?
“Well, I’ve got dinner waiting. No sense standing around here, right?” she says, leading the two of them into the kitchen. The table is already set, and Klara looks over it all, shocked at the spread. Her family isn’t really the big get together type, and while this might be a small affair, it’s quite the feast.
“Wow, this is impressive,” Klara comments, smiling at Victor’s mother. “You got all this ready on your own?”
“Of course! Victor’s been too busy to stop by, so I wanted to get a lot of his favorites for this,” she comments, feeling proud of herself. Victor seems excited already, eager to dig in, and Klara is feeling the same. “You know, I wouldn’t mind if you told me some of your favorites, too. A bit late for this year, but maybe next year?”
It’s a bit of an olive branch. She wants Klara to feel included, and to hint that she doesn’t see any problem with this. Part of her is worried she’ll have noticed how much she hesitated at first, and Klara might be angry about that. Really, it’s not her that’s the problem, she was just taken aback by all of this. She had no idea what to expect, and honestly, Klara is a bit to take in even when you are prepared for her.
“Oh, sure, sure. I’ll let you know!” Klara says, taking a seat beside Victor, as they settle in to eat. “Next year, huh?”
“Well, I hope so at least,” Victor’s mother says, “If I can get Victor to slow down long enough to drop by.”
“Mum, come on,” Victor says, “You know I’ve just been busy with the championship and all, and getting settled into this.”
“I know, I know. But it’s taken you way too long to bring Klara here by, and I’m just so happy to meet her.” she says, and Klara smiles at her again. The smile might be a bit less fake, but it’s hard to tell.
“Such a warm welcome!” Klara comments, cocking her head. “With this hospitality, I’ll make Victor bring me by all the time, how’s that?”
“That sounds lovely!” his mother says, pushing for any chance to see him more. Perhaps, this Klara isn’t so bad. She may dress bright, but so far, she seems nice enough.
“I’ll try and come by more, yeah. Should be easier now, anyway,” Victor says, and Klara nods.
“You won’t have to help me train as much, now, y’know,” Klara comments, and he nods.
“That’s true, yeah!” Victor answers, beaming. “I haven’t told you yet, but Klara did it! It’s still kind of new, so don’t tell anyone, but she made it into the minor leagues!”
“That’s right!” Klara adds, “The adorable poison type gym leader Klara, who drowns her opponents in poison, is going to debut soon!”
“Oh, you did make it, then? I’m glad to hear that!” Victor’s mom says. She can see why Klara has won her son over, she’s cute, but there’s a certain fierceness beneath it all. Slowly, she is starting to approve more and more of her.
“Yeah, lotta hard work, and some help from Viccy here, and it was a cinch!” Klara says, and at the use of this nickname, Victor blushes.
“Hey, don’t-” he starts, but Klara nudges him with her elbow.
“Come on, I’ve told you, it’s a cute nickname!” Klara says, and Victor grins.
“It is rather cute, dear,” his mother comments, joining in with Klara’s teasing.
“Both of you, now? Come on!” Victor says, blushing a bit. He’s glad his mom has already warmed up to Klara so much. He wasn’t worried, not really, but he knew that she was. He’s still worried she might turn this into some sort of contest, to see just how far she can push things before his mother says something, but for now, things are going well enough.
“I actually saw a news piece about you recently,” his mother says, changing the subject a bit. “They were talking about your auditions, and how you wanted to become a gym leader to further your music career, as well. Is that still part of your dream?”
“Oh, yeah, ‘course!” Klara says, “I want to be, like, a household name someday!”
“It’ll happen, you’ve just gotta get out there!” Victor comments, “Her music is great, mum! I am a huge fan already.”
“Oh, hush, my biggest fan over here,” Klara says, rolling her eyes.
“Well, when I endorse your next album, we’ll see who’s laughing!” Victor says, and Klara pretends to be panicked.
“Hey, now, don’t make it seem like I’m just datin’ ya to get famous!” Klara says. It’s funny how true that might have been months ago. How much that was once her goal. She’s in way too deep now, having dinner with him and his mom, no sign of this stopping any time soon. In a way, it’s hard to believe, but she feels happy and welcome here, so why does it matter?
“Now, now, I can tell you wouldn’t do a thing like that, Klara,” his mother says, and internally, she is laughing. She sure tried to, but caught feelings somewhere along the line, now here they are.
They keep talking, as dinner draws to a close. Even after the food is cleaned up, and the table is cleared, they keep talking, late into the night. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable visit, and everyone present is a bit shocked by how well it all went. Victor mentions something about needing to go, so she and Klara can exchange presents, and the visit finally comes to a close.
With all of her reservations shattered, his mother can rest easy. Klara was a bit of a shock, but it seems like, deep down, she’s good and has genuine feelings for Victor. His mother can’t wait to see how things play out, or to call Hop’s mom and let her know all about it.