Work Text:
You woke up to the sound of your blaring alarm, the sun just barely peeking over the clouds.
6:00 AM - Walk Sylveon
That’s right — it was time to walk your Sylveon. Out of your team, Sylveon was surprisingly the most energetic, frequently running around your apartment and sniffing the door as an indication she wanted to go outside. Sylveon loved being outdoors, regardless of whether it was for battles or casual outings. Once you’d learned that, you’d begun to incorporate walks as part of your daily routine.
Lumiose City often felt hectic and crowded once the sun had fully risen, so you preferred to go out during the earlier hours of the morning. This allowed you to take in the city’s beauty yourself and grab a cup of coffee on the way back home before the lines got too long.
You rolled out of bed, rubbing your eyes before looking down and seeing Sylveon next to you, bouncing and chittering in excitement. You couldn’t help but giggle at her antics.
“Alright, alright. We’re going, I just need a minute to get dressed!” You bent down to pet her, and she happily nuzzled into your touch. “You can give me time to get dressed, can’t you?” Sylveon let out a noise of agreement before walking out of your bedroom.
You threw on pastel sweatpants and a matching zip-up hoodie before walking towards the living room door. You looked down at Sylveon. “Come on, let’s go!”
You were greeted by a cloudy sky and your usual view of Lumiose City. You stretched your arms as you began your walk.
You and Sylveon liked to take longer-than-average walks in the morning, getting to see most of Lumiose’s iconic sites. As you passed one of your usual stops, Bleu Plaza, you noticed your Sylveon seemed a bit hesitant, her feelers almost straight out. This was something she usually did when another Pokémon or person was nearby, and you only realized why she was doing so once you were face-to-face with a giant Scolipede.
It had quickly bounded up to you, first acknowledging Sylveon, who chirped in response while nuzzling against it. Then the Scolipede lowered its head in front of you, asking to be pet. You happily obliged, and it trilled while rubbing against your hand, causing you to laugh.
You hardly noticed the man approaching you in all-black jogging gear, having a bit too much fun playing with the Scolipede. “Scolipede! What on earth…” The man spoke.
Your eyes trailed up from the Scolipede, taking in the handsome man’s features. Besides his lean yet muscular frame, he had sharp, golden eyes hidden behind round glasses, and deep purple hair. You’d know him anywhere — you gasped, clasping a hand over your mouth.
He exhaled. He was used to this — running into people only to meet reactions of fear or disdain as the ‘feared leader’ of the Rust Syndicate. That was the reason he jogged so early in the morning, but now it was clear he’d need to start jogging even earlier.
“Oh my gosh!!” You exclaimed. “You’re Corbeau! From the Rust Syndicate!” Here we go again. He thought. You leaned forward to take his hand in yours, shaking it in excitement. His eyebrows rose in shock. “It’s such an honor to meet you!” Corbeau’s eyebrows furrowed as he held back a smile. That was a new reaction. “I never thought I’d meet you like this, wow!”
“You’ve thought about meeting me before?” His face relaxed and fell into a smirk. You looked away, a bit embarrassed. “Well… yeah. I’m a huge fan.” He blushed and cleared his throat. “Well, I suppose it’s nice to meet you too…” “Y/N!” “Y/N.”
He looked to your side and noticed your Sylveon jumping around his Scolipede. Scolipede, who was usually rather antisocial, seemed to enjoy Sylveon’s company, happily watching her and talking to her. “Huh.” He chuckled. You looked to your side to see what he made him do so, and saw the two Pokémon playing. Sylveon seemed extra excited to have a new playmate, as her overexcitement sometimes seemed to scare other Pokémon away.
“I’ve never seen Scolipede like this before; it doesn’t usually get along with others.”
You were surprised. “Really? Scolipede is such a sweetheart, though.” He gave you a genuine smile. “Well, it’s rather nice to see Scolipede like this.” He paused for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “I’m going to stop by Noveau Cafe — I don’t suppose you’d let them hang out a bit longer?”
You smiled back, “I haven’t seen Sylveon this happy in a while. Plus, I was just about to stop by and get some coffee myself.” You began to walk in the Cafe’s direction, beckoning Sylveon before looking back at Corbeau. “Shall we go?”