Archive of Our Own ^omega

Wally wandered towards a specialty restaurant in Mauville City. He was told by his long-time friend and rival, May, to meet her here. However, he found that girl waiting for him outside the restaurant. “Oh! H-Hey May!” Wally said with a small wave.

“Hey Wally! Good timing!” May waved back. She was the one who set Wally up on a little blind meet up. “The person I wanted you to meet is waiting for you inside. You really can’t miss them, to be honest.”

Before stepping in, Wally peeked through the window to scan the people inside. Among the customers seated at the tables, he noticed a turquoise haired girl in one of those contest idol costumes seated at a booth. She seemed to be giving a quick autograph for a fan. Wally knew who it was immediately. He turned to May. “Y-You…!”

“What?” May seemed confused.

“Y-You didn’t tell me you knew Lisia!” Wally replied. She set him up with Lisia! THE Lisia! Is she fuckin insane?!

“Well, I do take part in a lot of contests.” May said. Well, she’s right there. She does perform in contests pretty often. So I guess the acquaintance makes sense. However, Wally was still hung up about it.

“Y-You’re hooking me up with a mini celebrity…” Wally sighed. “D-Don’t ya think things are gonna result in a… uh… news explosion?” He asked.

“Wally, c’mon. Where’s that determination of yours? You’ve got more guts than that!” May knew that Wally was braver than this. He’s gotta channel that courage here. She knew he could do it. “Don’t worry. I talked to her about this. She knows you’re coming.” She patted her friend’s shoulder.

Wally hasn’t felt this nervous in a long time. “I know I shouldn’t stand her up but I’m not sure if I can do-” Suddenly, one of his Pokéballs opened on its own and his Altaria went right into the restaurant. “Gah! Altaria! W-Wait!” Wally ran right after the dragon. Oh this’ll be an embarrassing first impression.

Lisia was checking her PokéNav Plus, looking through any recent texts she had received. However, her attention darted to her own Altaria, who had perked up and noticed one of his own kin coming in fast. “What’s up, Ali?” Lisia asked before she noticed the incoming cloudy cockatiel. “Whoa!”

“I gotcha!” Wally caught up with his Altaria and grabbed it. “What’s gotten into you? Were you just really excited to meet another Altaria?” He asked as he recalled his Pokémon back into its Pokéball.

Lisia examined Wally, her eyes lowering and rising to take in his form. “Hey, are you the guy that May told me about?” She asked. “I was told he’d have green hair, blue, almost grey, eyes, and have a pendant.”

Wally’s cheeks heated up. “Um… yeah! That's me! W-Wally’s my name.” He said as he sat down on the other side of the booth.

“Wally.... Hah! That name reminds me of uncle Wallace!” Lisia smiled a little bit. “I’m Lisia. Nice to meet you.”

Wally smiled a little, trying to hide his nervousness. He’s had battles with well known figures, his handful of bouts against the likes of Red, Blue, and even Cynthia were evidence of that, but dinner with a Hoenn idol? That’s a different story. “I-I’ve heard of you. Cute, charming, beautiful, cool… you’re kind of a big name and-” Then his eyes widened. “Wait, you’re Wallace’s niece?! Like, the gym leader?!”

“Mhm! He used to be a contest star, but I kinda surpassed him really fast.” Lisia said. “Oh! And this is my partner, Ali!” She patted the head of her Altaria partner.

“Hello!” Ali chirped.

“It’s nice to meet you! Um, again, my name is Wally. I um… I’m kind of a traveling trainer.” Wally replied. “Also, shouldn’t Pokémon be in their Pokéballs at the dinner table?” He asked.

“Oh right! Sorry!” Lisia pulled out Ali’s Pokéball. “Sorry Ali, but manners are manners.” She said as she recalled the dragon. “I think I’ve heard some things about you on the news before. You really like Pokémon battles, do you?”

Wally nodded as he toyed with his fringe. “Y-Yeah. I put a lot of time into studying strategies. Some would say too much time.” His nervousness was apparent, but somewhat charming. “It’s sort of been a lifelong dream of mine. To catch, train, and battle Pokémon.”

“Well, whatcha think about taking part in-” Lisia was about to ask another question when she realized that she hasn’t even ordered yet. “Wait, have you figured out whatcha wanna eat yet?”

Wally took a quick glance at the menu before making his decision. “General Scovillian Combo. It’s got red and green peppers, perfectly cooked rice, and sweet and spicy chicken.” Well that was fast. He actually heard from a Unovan waiter that the dish was pretty good. He grabbed the little notepad and pen on the side of the table and was about to write down his order. However, before he did, he looked up at Lisia. “Um, what were you gonna order?” He asked.

“The Boneless Emboar Spare Rib Tips. Never tried pork before.” Lisia replied. “To be honest, I… don’t eat a lot. Mainly because I don’t wanna gain… weight.” She blushed a bit. “Sorry, was that TMI?”

“Um… kinda? But I can live with it, I think…” Wally wrote down Lisia’s order and then his own. He put the pen and notepad back down and then rang the bell on the end of the table to alert the waiter that their selection had been made. Said waiter came and picked up the notepad quickly. Such speedy service.

“Anyway, where was I? Oh right! Whatcha think of taking part in contests?” Lisia asked, bringing up the question she was going to ask earlier.

“Um… I tried them once in Sinnoh.” The green haired trainer replied with a nervous chuckle. “I used my Gardevoir for it. It went… um…” He looked down and away from the contest star, embarrassed to tell the truth.

“Did you win?” Lisia guessed.

“I got last… Lost to 3 gym leaders. 2 from Johto, 1 from Sinnoh.” Wally admitted, not really proud. “But I got back at them in a battle though. It wasn’t easy, however.”

Lisia nodded. “Hey, at least you had fun, right? That’s the best way to enjoy contests!” She’s been to Sinnoh a couple times before and had seen their contests as well. “Miss Fantina is simply dazzling, ain’t she?”

Wally nodded. “Yeah. I had fun. But I think her talents in battle were even more surprising. I’ve never seen ghost Pokémon move the same way hers do!” He could still recall the floaty and evasive movement. He really wanted to incorporate movement like that into his own battle style. “And that countershield strategy… I haven’t seen anything like it! And the other two gym leaders were no slouch either! Bugsy’s research definitely showed in battle! And Jasmine’s steel-types were stronger than I thought!” He almost gained goosebumps as he said that. The techniques and abilities of those Pokémon really wowed him.

This guy really likes to battle. Sadly, Lisia couldn’t necessarily relate to such a passion. Still, she listened in on what he had to say. Then, her PokéNav Plus began to buzz. “Ack. Hang on one sec.” She excused herself as she checked her texts. “Oh c’mon Chaz, how many times do I gotta tell you? There’s no such thing as rivals in Contests! That’s a battler thing!” She said as she typed on the device.

No rivals? That’s… odd. “Um… Lisia? What do you mean you don’t have rivals?” Wally asked, a little confused.

Realizing that she was caught thinking out loud, Lisia’s eyes shifted back to Wally. She quickly sent the text and put her electronic away. “My friend and fellow contest star, Chaz, has been calling me and Ali a rival to him and Macherie. That’s his Machoke, by the way.” She quickly added that last bit in case Wally didn’t know. “I don’t like the term ‘rival’ because it means that I’ve got competition. Contests aren’t about competition and rivalry and stuff. It’s about having fun and shining brightly alongside other people and Pokémon! There’s more to Pokémon than just battling and having grudges and all that, and I took part in contests to prove that!” She explained.

Wally got a bit lost in Lisia’s rant but could understand her way of thinking. Contests are definitely different from battles, that’s for sure. But no rivals? That’s the part that got him concerned. “But having a good rival means you have someone that motivates you. Someone that makes you wanna keep pushing yourself. Makes you wanna innovate and think of ways you can outdo them.” He explained.

“Yeaaaaaah, but outdoing people isn’t what I wanna do.” Lisia replied. “I wanna shine alongside other people and their Pokémon!” Honestly, since she was a contest star and general idol, she felt like she’d outshine other people too easily.

“Well, maybe this Chaz guy views you as a rival because he wants to outdo you. What’s he been doing lately?” Wally asked.

Lisia paused and thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, he’s been training with that Brawly gym leader and taking part in fewer contests than usual…” She said as she tapped a finger on her cheek.

“Maybe he’s challenging gyms and battling so he can shine in his own way. A way that you haven’t been shining.” Wally said. Honestly, he could relate to this Chaz fella in a little. “I felt the same way when I first met Brendan…” He blushed and rubbed his upper arm.

Oh? Backstory time? Lisia leaned in, definitely wanting to hear about this. “How so?” She asked.

“Um… back when I started out as a trainer, I was a little sick, but I still wanted to train. He helped me catch my first Pokémon and I had a battle with him too. I lost because he was… a lot stronger.” Wally looked down at his Mega Pendant. “However, that motivated me. I wanted to get stronger like him. And I did it in my own way before taking part in gym battles. I still lost to him in our next battle, but I felt happy. Happy I could have battled someone so strong. And later, I battled with May! I was surprised to see that we were nearly evenly matched!” He gave a small smile. “Those two aren’t just rivals to me, they’re also… friends. I hope they grow stronger, so I can get stronger too.” A small warmth flowed through his body.

That was a touching story. Lisia felt a bit moved by it too. “So they’re your ‘rivals’ but also your friends?” She asked.

“There’s more to rivalries than just being your opposition. Just like there’s more to Pokémon than just battling..” Wally turned his gaze back to the contest star. “Also, I'm pretty sure a rivalry would be exciting for a crowd to watch, right?” He shrugged with a smile.

Something inside Lisia made her hesitate to accepting the term of rival. “Hm… I see what you mean but I don’t like the word. Rivalries still sound like competition… Like, let’s take… you.” She pointed to Wally’s chest.

“Me?” The green haired young man tilted his head. “Okay, I can follow.

The turquoise haired girl nodded. “If you were my rival, I feel you’d be my opposition, my antagonist, my corrival.” She explained.

“Yeah, but it can also mean I’m your partner, your colleague, your companion, your equal.” Wally countered.

Equal? Lisia couldn’t help but gain a little blush on her face. “Your equal? Me?” She knew it was just hypothetical, but she still felt like they were anything but equals. “Um… Sorry, but you’re a battle pro and I… well…” She looked down and away.

Wally raised an eyebrow. “Have you… ever battled before?” He asked.

Lisia smiled awkwardly. “I battled my uncle Wallace a handful of times, even his mentor Juan. But um… not really?” She laughed nervously at her confession. “I haven’t challenged a single gym. I just don’t do a lot of battling. Contests are my passion, y’know!” She explained.

Wally was about to reply but their food arrived before he could. The smell of peppers, rice, and chicken flooded his nostrils. “Oh god…” He didn’t expect it to smell this good.

“Wow wow wow! Talk about a feast for the eyes!” Lisia was in awe of the spare rib tips. It all looked delicious, but will it taste delicious? She was eager to find out. She grabbed a fork, stabbed one of the ribs with it, and softly blew on it to cool it down. Once all that was done, down the hatch the food went. “Mmm… MMM!” Holy shit, this stuff was the Combee’s knees.

Wally began chowing down as well. His face quickly became relaxed. “Mmmm… Delicious…” He said softly. After some more bites of food, he finally remembered what he was going to say. “Um… what if you… did take part in some more battles?” He asked.

Lisia almost choked on her ribs when she heard Wally suggest that. “What? Me? Battle? Y-You gotta be kidding!” She always left the battling stuff to her uncle. “I might be a contest star, but I’m kind of a battle rookie. Those gym leaders would wreck me!” She admitted.

“Well um… I’m a bit of a battle legend. N-Not that I brag about it or anything! But I could uh… maybe sort of show you some things?” Wally didn’t even know what he was saying anymore because he was kinda fumbling under the pressure. Him? A mentor to a celebrity like her? That sounds crazy.

“A battle legend? Like one of those big name folks at Alola’s Battle Tree?” Lisia leaned in.

“Uh… did I overshare?” Wally asked as his cheeks grew bright red.

“No but I wanna know more.” Lisia said. Her attention had piqued.

“Well, I’m not one of the Battle Legends specifically, but I do visit the Battle Tree um… a little often.” Wally started toying with his hair again. God what has he gotten himself into?

“Are you stronger than uncle Wallace?” Lisia asked. He probably was but she still felt the need to ask that.

“Um… well, I can regularly keep up with him!” Wally really wasn’t sure if he was definitively stronger than the Gym Leader. He hasn’t fought him in a long time.

Lisia nodded as she took another bite of her food. After she swallowed, she answered. “What’s it like being a battler?” She asked. “Like, does it help understand your Pokémon any better?”

Wally nodded. “Yeah. Through battle, you sort of get in sync with your Pokémon, although I bet you can get a similar feeling in contests. And you get to see all kinds of strategies and techniques too! I’ve studied this stuff for a really long time, and I gotta say, battles can sometimes be their own kind of spectacles.” He whipped out a small notebook and opened it. His fingers rapidly turned page after page. “Um, would you like to see my notes?” He asked.

“Yeah! Lemme see!” Lisia replied.

Wally turned the notebook around so the idol could observe his studies. “Sorry if they’re a little messy and complicated. I know you probably won’t fully understand it but-”

Lisia grabbed the book from the young man’s hands to have a closer look. “Hidden Abilities… Natures… Move Styles… Whoa…” She never knew Pokémon could get this deep! “Um… is this stuff one of those things that make more sense with experience?” She asked.

“I guess?” Wally shrugged.

Lisia went silent as she thought for a few moments. Battles were more complex than she thought. Maybe… “...Was Chaz onto something?” She asked herself, realizing that her fellow contest star might’ve beaten her to the punch on something big.

“Hey Lisia. Aside from Ali, what other Pokémon do you have?” Wally asked. “N-Not that Ali is a bad or weak Pokémon or anything, but I was just curious!”

Lisia blushed and laughed nervously. “Ali is…” She fiddled her thumbs. “He’s my best friend! Probably for life! I've known him since he was a little Swablu! But um… he’s kinda all I got.”

“Maybe if you caught other Pokémon… you can shine in a new way.” Wally suggested. “Having different Pokémon can help you add some variety to your performances.”

Variety to performances? Hm… Y’know, Lisia’s seen May use Pokémon other than her Blaziken in contests. Come to think of it, May’s also challenged those gym leaders before. “...Wouldn’t Ali get jealous?” She asked as she looked at her Altaria’s Pokéball. “Although, I guess having other Pokémon around would help him make friends.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand. Besides, having different Pokémon by your side helps them build camaraderie. My Pokémon understand that pretty well, especially Gallade and Gardevoir.” Wally chuckled a bit before getting a fork full of food into his mouth.

Lisia put Ali’s Pokéball away and thought for a few more moments. A lot of things raced through her mind. With a gulp and a deep breath, she mustered up the courage to ask a question. “...Wally, can you… teach me how to be a battler?”

Wally’s eyes widened and he almost choked on his peppers. Him?! Teach her?! “Y-You want me to teach you?!” He asked after he managed to pull himself together and swallowed his food.

“I know! I know! I know it’s probably a big deal with me being a whole celebrity but really, I feel I could learn a lot from you!” Lisia said with a nervous laugh.

“I-I… uh… Me? Being seen with you? I um…” His cheeks became extra red. If they were seen together, the public might have a real field day. “Lisia, you really want me to teach you about uh… battling and stuff?”

“As long as it ain’t too much for someone as smart and… kinda cute as you!” Lisia giggled.

Wait, did she just call him cute?! Wally’s redness increased even further. Still, he couldn’t just leave her question unanswered. “...Okay. I can… I can show you a few things.” He said with a nod.

“Thanks a lot!” If Lisia could hug him right now, she’d do it. But alas, they’re at a dinner table. So that’s a no go.

After Wally paid for dinner, he somehow had the courage to walk Lisia back home. Well, she had an apartment in Lilycove City. Hey, at least she’s not living with her parents like Wally still was. He’ll move out… eventually.

“So, I um… I had fun.” Wally said as he rubbed the back of his head.

“I did too! And those teachings of yours… think we can start sometime next week?” Lisia asked.

“Yeah! S-Sounds good!” Wally nodded.

“Awesome! So, I guess I’ll see you later!” Lisia turned around and unlocked her door. However, before she entered her abode, she looked back at the green haired trainer. “Oh! One more thing…”

“Hm? What is it?” Wally was about to leave when Lisia got his attention again.

Lisia brought him into a hug. “I’d… probably kiss you but we just kinda met…” She laughed a little.

The idea of a kiss from Lisia made Wally’s cheeks warm up. “I-I… um… I think this is good for now…” His smile was charmingly awkward. He countered with a hug of his own. “Good night, Lisia.” He said.

“Good night, Wally.” Lisia almost didn’t want to let go, but she knew she had to. When she did, she entered her apartment at last.

Wally honestly felt like the luckiest guy in the world after that. Maybe May was onto something when she set this up. He’ll have to thank her later. For now, it’s back to Verdanturf with him. Maybe he’ll tell his parents about the new connection he made.