Archive of Our Own

Flannery had never been so terrified of seeing an Altaria soar over the skies of Lavaridge Town.

The Swablu family wasn’t known for flying around the foot of Mt. Chimney. Their thick, fluffy plumage made the extreme heat of the volcano even more uncomfortable than it already was, making Altaria an especially rare sight to see above Lavaridge. So when Flannery stepped outside her gym and gazed at the sky to see what had caught the eye of the citizens of Lavaridge Town, she knew it only meant one thing.

She knew that it was only a matter of time before this would happen. Still, Flannery felt her breath hitch when she saw the Altaria begin its descent into the town below. This may have been a worse outcome than she had anticipated, if she was being honest. Unlike the many challenges she had faced upon recently inheriting the title of Lavaridge Gym Leader from her grandfather, Flannery refused to confront these feelings head on. Instead, she barricaded herself in Lavaridge for the past two weeks and trained in her gym all day to keep her troubles off her mind. Despite all this, Flannery came home everyday to her pent-up emotions yearning more and more to rush to Fortree City and see the person that had caused all these confusing feelings in her.

Now, the battle had moved to Flannery's home turf. In most situations, such a Pokémon battle, this would be a good thing for her, but as Flannery caught a glimpse of the sky-blue clad figure that swooped down atop of the Altaria, she knew this was a notable exception.

I really should have answered her phone calls… 

The Altaria finally touched down onto the dry, dusty ground of Lavaridge Town, letting out a warm chirp as its passenger dismounted. A crowd gathered to take in the elegance of the Humming Pokémon and stare in awe at the amazing creature before them. Winona stroked Altaria’s cloudy wings and whispered some calming words to it before returning it to its Pokéball, shifting the crowd’s attention to the Fortree Gym Leader. 

Though she wasn’t the most outgoing person that Flannery knew, especially compared to her colleagues in the Hoenn League, Winona happily interacted with the residents of Lavaridge Town. Flannery greatly admired Winona’s ability to step outside her comfort zone with the same grace she was known for on the battlefield, something she struggled with as a new Gym Leader. Seeing the Flying-type master smile warmly as she shook hands and signed the odd autograph made Flannery’s stomach feel funny. It was amazing how quickly simple admiration could blossom into something more. 

Flannery felt a sudden heat overtake her that only intensified with every step that Winona took towards the Lavaridge Gym. Sure, Lavaridge was known for its heat, but she was sure that it had never been this hot before. She definitely felt the air jump a few more degrees when Winona removed her helmet and her long lavender hair cascaded down in all of its glory.

Waving her last goodbyes before breaking away from the crowd, Winona walked up to Flannery and stared at her for a moment, waiting for her to say something. After a few seconds, Winona broke the awkward silence with a teasing smile. “Well, hello to you too, Flannery.”

Flannery sputtered out an unintelligible response when she realized that had been caught slack-jawed staring at her friend. Winona let out a short giggle before inviting herself into the Lavaridge Gym, while Flannery took a few seconds to pull herself together and followed her inside. 

Winona eyes wandered around the interior of the gym, taking in every detail of the bathhouse-themed structure. The walls of the building were made of dark basalt, lined with torches and windows to illuminate the gym, while stone pillars rose from the ground to support a mahogany ceiling. The centerpiece of the gym was the battlefield made of the same dull dirt that covered the rest of the town, contrasted by spotless white perimeters that indicated the arena complied with League regulations. Flanking the battlefield on both sides were two decorational pools of steaming water that made the gym very humid.

Winona wiped a gloved hand over her brow. The warm and damp air of the building was a stark contrast from the biting cool winds that battered the treetops of Fortree City. Flannery couldn’t help but sneak a few peeks at her friend in the meantime, admiring her signature flight suit and the way it hugged her soft curves, but she couldn’t help but wonder how Winona was able to stand the gym’s boiling heat. Come to think of it, she had never seen Winona sport anything other than the suit in all the time she had known her.  

“The gym looks even better than the last time I’ve been here, Flan. I can tell you’ve really settled into your role as Gym Leader”, Winona commented, still diligently studying the building.

Flannery stumbled a bit at Winona’s casual use of her personal nickname. “T-thanks! Taking over from Gramps has been really tough, but all that advice you’ve given me has really helped!”

As far as she knew, Winona wasn’t the type of person to give people nicknames. Every time they had been together with their fellow League members, Winona was very formal and always addressed people by the name that they went by. “Flan” only came into existence the last few times Flannery had been in Fortree City and she assumed it was nothing more than a solidification of their friendship. It was a welcome gesture, but one that Flannery was definitely not used to yet. 

Winona finished her examination of the room and focused her attention on Flannery before asking, “Speaking of, you haven’t come by Fortree lately. Is there an issue that you don’t think I could help you with?”

Flannery internally cringed at her friend’s intuition. Winona was Flannery’s go-to when she needed help handling her gym. The veteran Gym Leader always seemed to have an answer for Flannery’s every worry, which was what started her frequent visits to Fortree City in the first place. As time went on, Flannery had grown so accustomed to her visits that she sometimes came to Winona with nonexistent problems just as an excuse to see her friend again. 

“Not at all! I’ve just been so busy with the gym lately that I haven’t found the time to visit. Don’t take it the wrong way, you’ve been great and really helpful and you’re really smart, it’s just been suc-”

“Flan, calm down”, Winona hushed in a tone not unlike the one she used when speaking to her Pokémon. Her sweet voice sent shivers down Flannery’s spine, especially when she whispered her nickname. Winona reassured her, “I’m not mad. I just want to know if anything is wrong. I know you would tell me if anything’s on your mind, so I won’t prod at you any further.”

“Right…”, Flannery let out a loud sigh and covered her face with her hands as she threw her head back. She was honestly glad that Winona interrupted her uncontrollable rambling.

Who knows what I would’ve said if she hadn’t stopped me… 

Flannery’s discomfort quickly returned when Winona closed in on the Fire-type Gym Leader and squeezed her shoulders, then started feeling around the rest of her arms with the same focus she had when inspecting the Lavaridge Gym. The contact unleashed a flood of intense emotions in Flannery’s head. How was it possible that she desperately wanted Winona to both unhand her and keep going at the same time?

Winona eventually let go of her friend, much to a confusing mix of relief and disappointment in Flannery, and frowned, “You’re quite tense. I know exactly what will loosen you up. How about a Pokémon battle?”

“A battle?! Right now?” Flannery blurted out.

“Why not? It’s been ages since we’ve last battled each other, and I would love to see the progress you’ve made as a Gym Leader. And I know a good battle is what you need to get fired up and ready to go.”

After an intense debate in her head, the tipping point being Winona’s irresistible smile that begged her to accept, Flannery finally gave in.

“Alright”, she groaned, “Let’s do this…”

The two Gym Leaders made their way to the arena and settled into their sides of the battlefield, Flannery taking her usual spot as Lavaridge Gym Leader and Winona positioning herself on the challenger’s side. 

“How does a one-on-one battle sound?” Flannery shouted from her side of the field.

“Sounds good! But don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re still new to this!”

Flannery scoffed and muttered under her breath at that comment. “You haven’t been making anything easy for me lately…”

With their selected Pokémon in hand, the Gym Leaders threw their Pokéballs into the air and unveiled their Pokémon. On Flannery’s side, her Pokéball burst into a bright blast of fire to reveal that she had, unsurprisingly, chosen her Torkoal. Winona’s Pokéball opened with a gust of wind and a splash of mist, revealing that she had chosen her Pelipper to challenge the Coal Pokémon. 

I had a feeling she would use Pelipper. It’ll be an uphill battle, but I know Torkoal can handle it if we play our cards right.

Flannery had faced plenty of trainers who relied on Water-type Pokémon to carry them through her gym battle. It was an inevitability she had to face as a Fire-type specialist and she trained especially hard to prepare for such a glaring weakness. Her Torkoal in particular was very experienced at battling Water-types as the ace of Lavaridge Gym, but overcoming its weakness wasn’t a guarantee when facing an especially strong opponent like Winona and her Pelipper.

Winona gave the first command of the match: a loud whistle that signaled Pelipper to quickly soar around the battlefield, both to intimidate its opponent and to familiarize itself with its surroundings. She was a woman of few words in a Pokémon battle and she always maintained a disciplined air of grace around her, even in the most heated moments of a battle. 

Torkoal stayed firm in its position, awaiting Flannery’s instructions.

“Alright, Torkoal! Eruption!”

Torkoal unleashed a fountain of lava high into the air, sending massive globs of magma in every direction. Pelipper expertly dodged the attack, weaving between the projectiles as it closed in on its opponent. 

“Water Pulse!” 

Pelipper fired a volatile ball of water from its mouth, hitting Torkoal dead-on. Steam erupted where the attack landed and Flannery watched Pelipper soar through the cloud of vapor to resume gliding around the arena. As the steam cleared, Flannery found Torkoal had endured the hit by instinctually withdrawing into its shell, but she knew that the Coal Pokémon could only take so many super-effective hits before it would be overwhelmed.

“Torkoal! Smokescreen!” 

Torkoal let out a loud whistling sound as thick, black smoke poured from its shell and quickly flooded the battlefield. Pelipper hovered above the smoke, but Torkoal concealed itself in the cloud, hoping to throw Pelipper off.

“Air Cutter!” 

Pelliper whipped its wings furiously through the air, channeling its power until the air itself turned razor sharp. The result was a flurry of knife-like gusts of winds that flew across the battlefield and sliced through the smog. When Winona noticed one air projectile had struck something through the smoke, she pointed and commanded, “There! Aerial Ace!” 

Winona had fallen right into Flannery’s trap. She waited until Pelipper was inches away from striking her Torkoal with a powerful Aerial Ace when she shouted to her partner, “Now’s our chance! Overheat!” 

Flames erupted from every orifice on Torkoal’s body and enveloped Pelipper in a fiery inferno. Even though Fire-type moves were less effective on it, Pelipper’s close proximity guaranteed that it would take tremendous damage. Flannery held up her arms up to her face to shield herself from the intense heat wave that followed. The Water Bird Pokémon was launched into the air, its graceful flight pattern disturbed before it stabilized itself and once again hovered over the battlefield.

“Yes! We got a hit! Let’s turn up the heat, Torkoal! Use Smokescreen again!”

Torkoal released another large cloud of smoke that rose high into the air, one that was even darker and more sooty than the last.

Despite the major hit her Pelipper took, Winona retained her calm demeanor when issuing her next command.

“Come down to roost and heal your damage, Pelipper,” she instructed, in that sweet, soothing voice that made Flannery weak. But she wasn’t going to let her feelings distract her this time, not when she just got the upper hand. Pelipper obeyed and touched down in the middle of the smokescreen to rest away its injuries.

This is it! Now’s the perfect time to try out our new technique!

“Okay, Torkoal! Let's do this!”

Torkoal didn’t need a command to know which attack to use next. The duo had been practicing nearly every day of the past two weeks trying to master it and now was their chance to test it out in battle. It took a while to prepare, but once it was ready, no Water-type Pokémon would be able to endure such a devastating attack.

Torkoal’s shell glowed softly as it gathered light energy from every direction. The shell absorbed the light that leaked in from the building’s windows and torches for several seconds, but it still wasn’t enough. The black smoke obscured much of the light in the room and slowed the charging process considerably. Flannery grew worried that Winona would catch onto what she was planning before she could unveil it.

Just a few more seconds! That’s all I need!

The smoke was so thick on Winona’s side that she couldn’t even see Torkoal, let alone Flannery. She could only barely make out her Pelipper resting on the ground, awaiting its next order. 

“Hurricane!”

Still grounded, Pelipper rapidly flapped its wings, twisting the air around into a small tornado that gradually grew in size as it trapped more and more air into its grasp. The dirty soot of Torkoal’s Smokescreen and the damp air of the gym blended into a dark hurricane that slowly swept across the battlefield, clearing away the smoke and increasing the trainers’ field of vision as it threatened to collide with Torkoal. 

Pelipper’s Hurricane attack was exactly what Torkoal needed to gather enough light needed for its attack. Its shell was now radiating a bright yellow energy that looked like it was about to burst. With the smoke gone, Torkoal now had a direct shot of its target, still grounded and preoccupied with fueling the twister with its Flying-type energy. 

Flannery pumped her fist in the air, “Here goes nothing! Fire in the hole!” 

When Winona was finally able to see Torkoal and figured out what it was doing, it was already too late.

“Pelipper, get out of th-”

Before Winona could even finish her command, her Pelipper had already been struck by a lightning-fast beam of energy. Torkoal’s Solar Beam attack had been a direct hit, tearing a hole through the hurricane and hitting the Water Bird Pokémon for devastating super-effective damage. Both Winona and Flannery shielded their eyes from the blinding light that had struck Pelipper and the hurricane dissipated into a harmless gust before it could strike Torkoal.

Once the Solar Beam attack had finished, Winona’s eyes searched the battlefield to find her Pokémon, before discovering it to have been launched several meters outside of the arena, its motionless state indicating the Solar Beam had knocked it out. 

Winona ran to her defeated Pokémon, whispering praise for its excellent effort and returned it to her Pokéball. She turned to face Flannery and offered her a bright smile before shouting, “Pelipper is unable to battle! Congratulations!”

On the other side of the arena, Flannery exploded into celebration, finally letting loose the fiery spirit she was known for. “Yes! We did it, Torkoal! We won!”

Flannery showered her partner with praise, giving Torkoal tight hugs and peppering it with compliments for its victory. Torkoal responded by nuzzling its head against its trainer and firing a generous amount of smoke from its shell. Winona chuckled when she heard Flannery promise Torkoal that she would reward it with the biggest meal of coal it ever had, catching the Lavaridge Gym Leader’s attention.

Winona held out her hand and Flannery eagerly shook it with both of hers and the biggest grin on her face. “That was a fantastic battle, Flan. I expected nothing less from such a talented Gym Leader.”

A loud whistle sounded at that comment, turning Winona’s attention to a particularly proud-looking Torkoal. 

“That goes for you too, Torkoal. Flannery couldn’t have done it without you”, she laughed as she patted Torkoal’s shell.

Winona made a small hand gesture that told Flannery that she was leaving the gym, so she joined her, making conversation as they made their way to the other side of the building. Torkoal followed behind the two Gym Leaders, smoke still leaking out from its shell. 

“You and Pelipper were amazing! I thought Torkoal and I weren’t going to make it...”

“That was a very impressive Solar Beam attack. I take it that it’s a new move that you two have been working on?”

“Yeah! We’ve been working on it for a while now. I would’ve died of embarrassment if it didn’t work after all that time we’ve put into trying to perfect it.”

“Well, your hard work has definitely paid off. I’m very proud of you, Flan.” Winona took on an even more heartfelt tone in her next comment, “You’ve truly taken flight and have come into your own as a Gym Leader.”

Flannery tried to hide her blush by staring at the dirt floor of the arena and scratched the back of her neck. “T-thanks, but I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re always there to help me whenever I need it. I wouldn’t be even half as good a Gym Leader without your help.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that, Flan. You’re an amazing trainer with or without my help, and you just proved that to me right now on this battlefield”, Winona sternly stuck her finger at Flannery, almost scolding her for her modest words. 

Flannery felt herself shrink even more and she turned her head away from Winona in shame. “Man, now I feel bad for completely ghosting you for the last few weeks. I’m really sorry, Winona, I shouldn’t have done that to you. Not after everything you’ve done for me.”

Winona switched back to her caring side, delicately placing her hand on Flannery’s shoulder and gently turning Flannery’s face to hers. “That’s water under the bridge. Please don’t beat yourself up over this, Flan.”

With that, the two had finally reached the exit of the Lavaridge Gym. Winona let go of Flannery to push open the double doors and step out of the building, with Flannery and Torkoal following afterwards. Flannery was blasted by the intense heat of the sun beating down on the town, but this time, the heat didn’t make her uncomfortable. She felt oddly rejuvenated by it, like she was getting powered up for her next move. Her heart was racing, but she knew that this was her chance to finally come clean and confess her feelings for her friend. 

“Well, I at least owe you an explanation”, Flannery sighed. She took a deep breath and straightened her back to face Winona, her eyes burning with the same fiery energy she was known for in battle.

I’m really about to do this, huh? Well, here goes nothing! Fire in the hole!

“Winona, I’m in love with you!”, Flannery shouted, her face in her signature glare that she donned in the most intense moments of battle.

In contrast to Flannery’s intense look, Winona looked as calm as always. She didn’t seem the least bit surprised at Flannery’s confession. Instead, she clasped her hands together and smiled, “So that’s what’s been going on! It all makes sense now! I had a feeling you have a little crush on me!”

Flannery did a double take at that last comment, her scowl turning into a worried expression that begged for an explanation.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me that you knew?!”, Flannery sputtered out in a panicked tone.

Winona laughed, “Let’s just say I wouldn’t have made such an unexpected visit if I didn’t have a hunch. And you definitely didn’t do yourself any favors by being such a nervous wreck.”

Flannery still hadn’t calmed down at the revelation that Winona somehow knew her deepest secret, wildly waving her arms over head. “So you only came here just to see if I like you or not?!”

Winona took this as a cue to calm Flannery, hushing her in that familiar soothing voice until Flannery stopped panicking. 

“Well, that wasn’t the only reason I came by. We did just have a great battle, after all”, flashing another smile, one that was more coy than usual. “And since you have proven yourself by defeating the Fortree City Gym Leader, I think that it’s only fair that I present you with your reward.”

It was only at that moment when Flannery became aware of the position that she was in. Winona had gently pulled Flannery’s arms down and locked their fingers together, bringing back that all too familiar nervousness she felt around her friend. She felt Winona’s light breath tickle her skin and she was sure that Winona could feel her own erratic pants against her. Flannery squirmed a bit when she saw Winona’s lavender eyes stare straight into hers and felt them pierce through her soul.

“Um, yeah? W-what’s that?”

Please tell me she's just giving me a Feather Badge for winning. 

“This.”

Winona leaned in and pressed her lips against Flannery’s. It was about as simple as a kiss could be, only a short peck on the lips that Flannery could barely react to before Winona pulled away. Despite the agonizing brevity of it all, it was everything Flannery could have ever wanted from this moment. Sometimes, it’s the simplest gestures that end up being the most elegant of them all.

Flannery was still processing what exactly just happened and stared blankly into space when Winona pulled away, their fingers still interlocked. Even though she lost the Pokémon battle, the veteran Gym Leader had once again bested her junior and rendered her speechless.

“W-wow. Soooo, uhhhh, that wa-was, um, that was, yeah”, Flannery stammered out, mentally kicking herself for not saying something more romantic or, at the very least, coherent.

They both jumped in surprise when Torkoal whistled and blasted its richest, darkest smoke into the air in celebration of their little moment.

Winona giggled and Flannery sarcastically rolled her eyes as she grabbed a Pokéball from her belt to recall Torkoal, muttering, “Oh, be quiet, you…”

“So, does this mean what I think it means?”

Winona laughed before giving perhaps the most radiant smile that Flannery had ever seen her give. “Yes, Flan, it means I like you too. I have to admit that I’ve had feelings for you for a while now myself. I don’t know exactly when I fell in love with you, but I do know that I’ve cared for you deeply since the day you became a Gym Leader, so I think it’s only natural that we take our relationship one step further.”

Flannery stood shocked, both from the fact that Winona had returned her feelings and from the sheer elegance of her confession. She only managed to mumble, “Geez, you worded that way better than I ever could…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Winona said with an earnest smile before shifting her face to a more devious grin. “What’s important now is that we have plenty of time to do something together now that we’re on the same page.”

“Are you asking me out on a date, Winona?”

“Yes, I am, and I have the perfect idea for our first date.”

" Oh really? And what would that be?” Flannery wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Much to Flannery’s confusion, Winona completely ignored her question. Instead, she pulled out a Pokéball and opened it to reveal the Altaria that had taken her to Lavaridge. Winona climbed onto Altaria’s back and started making preparations to take flight.

Flannery frowned, shouting, “Hey! Where are you going? I thought we were gonna go on a date!”

“You asked me what our first date should be”, Winona replied, equipping her helmet and finishing her preflight mental checklist before turning to Flannery. “I’ll tell you what we should do if you can find me.”

Punctuating her challenge with a wink and short wave goodbye, Winona whistled and Altaria effortlessly took flight. It wasn’t long before the Humming Pokémon and its trainer were speeding through the sky.

Flannery couldn’t help but smile to herself as she watched Altaria and Winona grow smaller and smaller until they disappeared off into the distance. Once Winona was completely out of sight, Flannery dashed inside her gym to make preparations to leave Lavaridge Town.

She knew exactly where Winona would be.