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“That’s alright, Luxio. We just need to try again,” Dimitri called out to his partner Pokémon when it tumbled back into the dirt. The two have been in the training grounds for a while now, perfecting their new move. Ever since Lucio showed signs of developing a new move, Dimitri had done nothing but encourage his Pokémon’s growth, even when, at times, it seemed to struggle to understand its new powers.
Heeding its trainer’s instructions, Lucio picked itself up, shaking the dust from its mane and standing ready again. “Now, try using Spark again.” Dimitri directed. Luxio crouched down, wiggling it’s haunches before racing towards the green substitute doll, revving up its attack before lunging, only to lose the charge at the last minute, rendering the attack useless. Luxio screeched to a halt again before looking back guiltily.
Dimitri sighed and shook his head. “Well…at least you tried,” he encouraged, walking over to his Pokémon to give it a pat on the head. “Perhaps we need to find a way to hone your energy?”
“Or perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be,” Suddenly, a new voice joined them. Dimitri turned around with a raised brow, before relaxing when he saw who it was.
“You’re one to talk, Edelgard. Your Pokémon only just evolved. Luxio here did so about a year ago now.” Dimitri countered with a small smile.
Edelgard rolled her eyes. “Which is completely normal, might I remind you. Rookidee takes longer to evolve. Mine evolved right on time, in accordance with our training. You could learn a thing or two from us.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“I suppose it could be. It’s been a while since Corvisquire and I had a worthy opponent.”
Dimitri grinned. “Hubert’s Murkrow is no longer a challenge?”
“It never was. I worry he’s been taking it easy on me this whole time.”
“That doesn’t sound like Hubert,” Dimitri joked, “Perhaps you should -“
“Would you like to battle or not?” Edelgard interrupted him impatiently, already reaching for her belt, which held her pokeballs. Seeing the glimmer of a challenge in her eyes, Dimitri relented
“Very well, though I should remind you of our advantage. Luxio may not have Spark down, but he still has the electric typing.” Dimitri mentioned, motioning for his Pokémon to step forward as he retreated to the other side of the training grounds.
“Oh please, Dimitri,” Edelgard sighed with a small smirk, “You know that’s never been an issue. Come on out, Corvisquire!” Tossing her pokeball up in the air, a beam of light escaped from it, forming into her Pokémon as it hovered in the air. As soon as the raven Pokémon reformed, it made a dart towards Luxio, but instead of attacking… “Oh, not again…”
The two Pokémon began playing with one another. Corvisquire flapped just above Luxio’s head, letting out cheerful trills as the cat Pokémon playfully batted at it with outstretched paws. Dimitri let out a chuckle at the sight. “Oh come on, you knew this was inevitable. The two haven’t played together in some time.” He told Edelgard. The two were essentially best friends. Every time they interacted, they played together like old friends. And maybe they were; the two were caught at the same time by Dimitri and Edelgard. They may have known each other for longer than they knew. For a while, it seemed like good fortune to find two Pokémon who got together so well, but now, they could hardly battle one another.
“Well now is not the time to play,” Edelgard responded with a huff. “Corvisquire, focus. This is not the time to play.” But the Pokémon didn’t listen. In fact, in their frolic, they actually managed to squeeze past the crack in the training ground doors. “No!” She called.
“Luxio!” Dimitri shouted and the two raced after their Pokémon. Within seconds, the two Pokémon disappeared from view. Looked like it was up to them to find them. “Well…there goes our day. Where do you think they went?” He asked his sister.
“Hmm…” Edelgard paused for a moment, thinking. “Let’s go down towards the docks. Both of them do enjoy watching the water Pokémon swim.”
Dimitri nodded approvingly. It was true, but Luxio did like chasing pretty much everything. At least it was good exercise. “Very well. And we can keep an eye on the dorms too. The Academy is rather large, so we might as well get two Spearow with one stone.”
As they walked, Dimitri kept a close eye on the dorm side of the walk way. He doubted the two Pokémon would hide in the shadows, especially with all their energy, but he couldn’t be too careful. Eying Edelgard, he noticed she seemed more fixated on the path ahead. As they neared the docks and greenhouse, it was certainly evident that something was happening.
A Pokémon battle between Felix and Claude was taking place and they had a hefty amount of supporters watching. Raising a brow, Dimitri was surprised to see what was happening. “Claude! You decided to…battle at the docks?”
Claude tore his eyes away from his Trapinch to give Dimitri a quick wink, giving the blond a fuzzy feeling. “You know I like to keep things interesting but I can’t take the credit for this idea. It was all Felix’s plan. Because he didn’t give me a choice.”
“Pay attention, Claude! This is a serious battle. Honedge, Aerial Ace!” Felix called, his Pokémon following his order perfectly and swiping towards Trapinch.
“One moment, your Princeliness - Trapinch, blind it with Sand Attack,” Claude instructed. Immediately, Trapinch reared up and opened its mouth, blasting the attacking Pokémon with a stream of sand, throwing it off its game. It clamored to the floor as it lost sight of Trapinch. Claude smirked at the success. “Gotta know your opponent, Felix. You know attacking isn’t everything.”
“Tch,” Felix scoffed. “You just got lucky, Honedge, get up and use Metal Sound.” The Honedge hovered up slowly and fixed Trapinch with a glare, beginning to warble a horrible sound that made everyone close their hands over their ears.
“Trapinch, Bite!” Claude called, only for Trapinch not to hear over the terrible noise. It stumbled back and forth, trying to concentrate but to no avail.
“Now, finish it off with Aerial Ace!” The Honedge suddenly fell silent but it was too late for Trapinch to attack. Before it could realize what was happening, it was hit with a vicious Aerial Ace. Despite the move being physical, it was just enough to make Trapinch unable to battle. Felix crossed his arms proudly. “Hmph. Maybe you’re right. That Metal Sound certainly seemed to work.”
Claude sighed as he had Trapinch return. “Guess so. Not a bad battle, Felix. Though maybe we could battle in The training grounds next time?”
“Only if you take the next time more seriously. Get your act together.” He responded curtly before leaving, he didn’t seem satisfied with his victory, as he quickly picked Petra out from the crowd and challenged her and her Nuzleaf. With Felix gone, Claude finally turned to Dimitri and Edelgard. “See what I get for indulging him?” He asked jokingly.
“I think you and Trapinch worked together wonderfully,” Dimitri admitted. “Luxio and I might learn a thing or two from you.”
“That means a lot coming from you. I’ve always seen you as becoming the Fódlan region’s next Champion,” Claude responded with another wink. “Anyways, what can I do for you on this lovely afternoon?”
“We were wondering if you’ve seen our Pokémon pass through here,” Edelgard spoke, shooting Dimitri a careful look that told him she was done with distractions. He couldn’t help it if Claude distracted him though! “They slipped past us and now we can’t find them.”
Claude scratched his head in thought before nodding. “You know I think I caught a glimpse of them heading towards the dining hall. Wouldn’t be surprised if they smelled Dedue and Ashe’s cooking.”
“I see, thank you, Claude.” Edelgard thanked him before taking Dimitri’s hand and leading him away herself.
“I - hold on!” He stopped Edelgard and looked back at Claude with a kind grin. “Would you like to accompany us, Claude?”
Claude smiled slightly and shook his head, holding up his hands. “I would love to, really, but I’m already late to a meetup with Hilda and I would rather not have her sic her Stufful on me in revenge.” He admitted.
“I understand,” Dimitri responded, ignoring the way Edelgard tried to tug him away. “I would rather you not spend a night in the hospital wing either. Will we be able to spend time together later?”
“Of course, Dima, just name you time.”
“Maybe later, Claude. This is rather pressing.” Edelgard spoke, finally dragging Dimitri away, much to his disappointment. “Have you forgotten what we’re trying to do? Don’t let your boyfriend distract you when my Corvisquire and your Luxio are missing.” Dimitri’s face reddened.
“I wasn’t distracted, Edelgard. I was…simply engaging in friendly conversation.” Edelgard only rolled her eyes.
Finally at the dining hall, the two looked around, only to not see their Pokémon. Seems like they were still far behind them. Luckily, Dedue and Ashe were there with Raphael and Caspar, maybe they saw where the Pokémon went?
“Hello, all,” Edelgard said as they approached. “Have you seen Luxio and Corvisquire?”
Raphael nodded, swallowing his bite before handing the plate for his Makuhita to finish before speaking. “Yeah, we sure did! They were having so much fun together, Makuhita and Pancham wanted to join in for a little while.” He explained.
“They nearly made a mess of our meal though…”Ashe added, patting his Farfetch’d on the head. The Pokémon still looked rather irritated. “It was lucky that Grottle was here to break them up.”
“Yes. There could have been a mess on our hands.” Dedue agreed.
“Well, we apologize for the actions of our Pokémon. However we’re still looking for them, do you know where they went?”
Caspar nodded. “I saw them run out that door!” He told the two, pointing to the door he meant. “It seemed like they were headed for the stables. Wonder what could be there for them so excited though.”
Caspar was right, they had no need to be at the stables. Worse, if they were rowdy enough to upset Grotle and Farfetch’d, there was no telling what mischief they might be getting into right now. “Thank you very much for your help but we must be off now. The food looks wonderful.”
The two hurried on their mission, the both of them walking quickly in stride. “You know, this reminds me of what it was like when we were trying to catch these two.” Dimitri spoke.
Edelgard flashed a quick grin. “I also notice the similarities. They really did lead us on a wild chase, didn’t they?” Dimitri nodded in agreement. He remembered waking up to a thump in his window. Seeing the little Rookidee, he fretted that it had hurt itself, only for it to flutter away with a Shinx hot on its tail. Realizing his luck, he had loudly called for Edelgard to follow him outside, and the two spent all day and then some making the two Pokémon theirs. At the end of the day, the two trainers were considered worthy by the two Pokémon and they relented, allowing themselves to get caught. Now, they are fond memories of childhood. So much has changed and yet, nothing at all.
Suddenly a shout rang out, coming from the stables. Sharing a quick look, the two raced to the stables, rounding the corner to see a startled Leonie and Ferdinand. “What happened?” Dimitri asked.
“Is it them?” Edelgard asked at the same time, talking about Luxio and Corvisquire.
“It was!” Leonie admonished, holding her Mudbray back. “Keep a better hold of your Pokémon, they’re menaces!”
“I expected more from you, Edelgard,” Ferdinand reprimanded, earning an eye roll from her. “A good trainer always sticks by their Pokémon. Take me and Ponyta for example, we’re inseparable!”
Before Edelgard could respond, Dimitri interjected. “It’s my fault, really. I should have remembered how the two like to play.”
Ferdinand looked at him with a surprised expression. “Ah, I see. Well. Keep an eye on your Pokémon.”
Edelgard seemed surprised too. Dimitri tended to take the fall for his peers, but really, it was her fault they ran off. She had left the door open after all. “Well…did you see where they went?”
“Are you kidding? We couldn’t miss them if we wanted to! I think I can even hear their commotion!” Leonie spoke.
Actually, she might be right. Hearing the skittering of paws and the flapping of wings, Dimitri quickly turned the corner. “Aha! Found you two troublemakers!” He shouted, trying not to laugh at the scene. Upon seeing him, Luxio froze, one paw outstretched as Corvisquire stopped mid-squawk, landing in Luxio’s shoulders and pretending nothing was wrong.
“You two!” Edelgard spoke harshly as she rounded the corner, crossing her arms. “Are in a heap of trouble! What were you thinking running around the Academy the way you did? How do you think that makes us look?” She scolded. Sadly, Corvisquire cooed, hopping off Luxio and making little, pitiful movements towards Edelgard, trying to gain her favor. She only scowled. “Don’t act cute,” She mumbled, holding out her pokeball. “Return Corvisquire,” the Pokémon returned to its pokeball and was clipped back to her belt.
“You as well, Luxio, I’ll deal with you later.” Dimitri explained, fishing the ball from his pocket and holding it out for Luxio to disappear in.
“I suppose our battle will need to be postponed,” Edelgard sighed. “I’m finding myself to be a bit too tired at the moment.”
Dimitri nodded. “Understood. Though I must admit, it was fun chasing them around with you. Reminds me of old times.” He admitted.
Edelgard slowly smiled. “You are always so sentimental. You’re right though. That was…nostalgic.”
“What do you think you’ll do with your day now?”
“I’m not sure. Perhaps take a study day. And let me guess, you’re going to go seek out Claude?”
“…Perhaps.”
“I know you so well. Have fun, Dimitri.” Edelgard bid him farewell with a small wave, resting her hand on the pokeball, like she was afraid of it coming loose. After that fiasco, Dimitri didn’t blame her.