Work Text:
(Roy POV)
The streets of Lumiose City were always bustling, but today felt different. As Uruto and I split up to tackle the restock list, I couldn't help but notice how... crowded everything was. Not just regular crowd, but pairs. Everywhere I looked, there was a guy and a girl sharing a single crepe or sipping from two straws in one cup.
"Is there a festival or something?" I muttered to myself, checking my list. Murdock and Liko had stayed behind on the Brave Olivine. Liko had mentioned she had "important work" to do with Murdock in the kitchen. My stomach did a little flip just thinking about it. Murdock is a master, sure, but Liko’s cooking has this heart to it that I’d never trade for anything. If she was baking, I definitely wanted to be back in time to try it.
Still, the atmosphere in the city was distracting. The bakeries had lines snaking around the corners, and the air smelled heavily of melting chocolate and sugar. Maybe it was some local Kalosian holiday I hadn't heard of? It didn't matter—I had a job to do. I tucked the list into my pocket and started toward the specialty ingredient shop, weaving through the groups of people who seemed perfectly content to just stand in the middle of the sidewalk looking at each other.
I was almost through the list when a massive roar of a crowd pulled my attention toward a central plaza. Being me, I couldn't just walk past. I squeezed through the gaps between tall adults until I reached the front of a makeshift stage.
"And for our grand prize today!" the announcer shouted, holding up a velvet box. Inside sat a stunning pendant. It was shaped like a stylized wing, crafted from a shimmering silver metal that caught the sunlight. "The 'Partner’s Grace' pendant! Legend says it brings unbreakable luck to the person you care about most! It’s the ultimate gift for your 'best friend'!"
The announcer followed that up with a weird gesture—covering the lower half of his face with his hand while smiling with his eyes. The crowd went wild, but I just blinked. Was that a secret signal?
My mind immediately jumped to Liko. Ever since Terapagos had fully awakened and her old pendant was gone, her neck had looked... well, empty. She used to fiddle with that pendant when she was thinking or nervous. I remembered how much it suited her, even if it had been a source of so much trouble back then. This new one was beautiful, and if it really brought luck to a partner, I wanted her to have it. She’d done so much for me over the years; it was the least I could do.
"A tournament, huh?" I grinned, rolling up my sleeves. If the prize was for a 'best friend,' then Liko was definitely getting a new accessory today. I pushed my way toward the sign-up table. "Hey! Put me down for the challenge! Roy, from the Rising Volt Tacklers!"
The sky was deepening into a bruised orange, the first few stars of the Lumiose evening beginning to peek through the haze. I was sprinting, my boots hitting the pavement with a rhythmic thud that echoed my heartbeat. I was late—really late. Uruto was probably already back and halfway through his training sets, and Captain Pikachu definitely wouldn't be happy about the delay in the restocking.
As the Brave Olivine came into view at the docking bay, I saw a familiar silhouette pacing back and forth near the gangplank. It was Liko. She looked up, her eyes widening as she spotted me, and she practically ran to meet me halfway.
"Roy! What happened? You took so long!" she cried, her voice a mix of relief and mild exasperation. "Uruto returned ages ago, and we were starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost in the Prism Tower or something!"
I skidded to a halt, leaning forward with my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I let out a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of my head. "Sorry, sorry! You see, I got a little busy with something else. It took way more rounds than I expected."
"Busy? With what?" she asked, tilting her head.
"With this," I said, my grin widening. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the silver wing pendant. The twilight caught the metal, making it shimmer with a soft, ethereal glow. Before she could ask what it was, I stepped closer. "Here, let me..."
I carefully looped the chain around her neck, my fingers fumbling slightly with the clasp—I was way better at throwing Poké Balls than handling jewelry. Finally, it clicked into place. I stepped back to admire it. The silver wing rested perfectly against her dark teal hair.
"There you go," I said softly. "I was looking at it earlier and I couldn't decide... I don't know whether you look better with it, or if the pendant is just looking better because it's with you."
Liko’s entire face went a shade of red that put the sunset to shame. "R-Roy! Don’t just say things like that out of the blue!" she stammered, her hands flying up to touch the cool metal at her throat. "This... this is definitely much more beautiful than me. It's too much."
I didn't like the way she said that—like she was somehow less than a piece of metal. I decided to spice things up a bit, leaning in with a playful, confident spark in my eyes.
"You know what? You've convinced me," I said, flashing her my brightest, most toothy smile. "The pendant is just an accessory to how good you look. It really can’t compare to the real thing."
"R-Roy!!" she squeaked, her voice hitting a pitch I’d never heard before. She looked like she wanted to hide inside her own hoodie, completely flustered by the sudden compliment.
The evening light was fading fast, but the glow from the Lumiose storefronts began to hum to life, casting a cinematic gold over the dock. I looked at Liko, who was still fiddling with the wing pendant, and a thought struck me.
"Oh, yeah! Liko, since we’re already here, how about we take a picture?" I asked, pulling my Rotom Phone from my belt. "It feels like it’s been ages since it was just the two of us. And hey, maybe the first one ever without our Pokémon crowding the frame, too!"
Before she could process the request, I reached out and hooked an arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close. I felt her startle, her frame tensing for a split second before she softened into the side of my jacket. Our cheeks brushed—hers was burning hot—as I held the Rotom Phone high above us.
I spent a few seconds squinting at the screen, carefully positioning us. I wanted Liko right in the middle, with me on one side and the glowing silhouette of the Prism Tower standing tall on her other side. Click! "Check it out!" I chirped, tapping away at the screen to add a quick caption before showing her.
Liko leaned in to look, and then she practically shrieked. "Roy!"
I’d cropped the photo just enough so the Prism Tower—the pride of Kalos—was relegated to the background, partially obscured by the text I’d slapped over the bottom: "Don't need this when I already have the best person in the world with me, by my side."
"It's true, isn't it?" I laughed, completely missing the way she seemed to be vibrating with pure, unadulterated shyness.
"Give me that!" she said, her voice a little strained as she snatched the phone from my hand. "I... I'll put it back in your pocket for you. You’re always so clumsy with your tech, you'll probably drop it over the railing."
She fumbled with the pocket of my jacket, her hands shaking slightly. I felt the weight of something slide into the fabric. As soon as I felt the familiar 'thump' of an object landing at the bottom of the pocket, I gave her a quick wave.
"Thanks, Liko! You're a lifesaver," I said, already turning toward the ship's hatch. "I gotta get to my room, though. This jacket is way too warm for the Kalos humidity. See ya at dinner!"
I jogged up the gangplank, leaving a very quiet, very red-faced Liko standing alone in the twilight.
The air inside the Brave Olivine felt cooler, a welcome relief from the humid Kalos evening. I kicked off my boots and tossed my jacket onto the bed, reaching into my pocket to grab my Rotom Phone. I wanted to look at that picture again—the one with the Prism Tower in the background. It was definitely one of my better shots.
But my fingers didn't meet the smooth, familiar casing of my phone. Instead, they brushed against something square, light, and wrapped in what felt like expensive paper.
"What the...?" I pulled it out. It was a small, neatly tied box. I turned it over in my hands, my brows furrowing. "Did I pick this up at the market? No, I don't remember buying any... wait, did the pendant come in this?" I shook my head immediately. The announcer had just handed me the silver wing; there hadn't been a box involved.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound was frantic, like someone was trying to beat a drum with their knuckles. I walked over and slid the door open.
Liko was standing there, her chest heaving as if she’d just sprinted a marathon up the ship’s stairs. Her face wasn't just pink anymore; it was a deep, alarming shade of crimson that made her look like she was about to overheat.
"R-Roy!" she gasped out, her hands trembling as she held something out to me. "Sorry! I... I forgot to give you your phone back! I accidentally... kept it!"
I looked down at my phone in her hand, then back at the mysterious box in mine. My brain finally made a connection, though probably not the one she wanted.
"Oh!" I said, lifting the box toward her. "So, this box... is this from you, Liko?"
For a second, I thought she might actually faint. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened and closed like a Magikarp out of water. She didn't say a word. Instead, in a literal blink of an eye, she was gone. There was a faint whoosh of air, a blur of teal hair, and suddenly my Rotom Phone was sitting on the floor where she had just been standing. She had moved so fast I didn't even see her drop it.
"Whoa," I muttered, picking up my phone. "She’s been training her speed stats."
I sat down on the edge of my bed and carefully untied the ribbon on the box. I lifted the lid, expecting maybe a cool evolutionary stone or a new battle item.
"Chocolates?" I blinked. There were four of them, shaped like little hearts and Poké Balls, smelling like the best bakery in Lumiose. "Wait, did she make these with Murdock? Is this the 'important work' she was doing?"
I was still staring at the heart-shaped chocolate, wondering if the pink filling was Pecha or Magost Berry, when a shadow fell across my doorway.
"You're glitching, Roy. Close your mouth before a Yanma flies in," a flat, monotone voice drifted into the room.
I looked up to see Dot leaning against the doorframe. She was staring at her tablet, the glow from the screen reflecting off her bangs, but her eyes flicked toward the open box on my lap. She let out a long, theatrical sigh that seemed to drain the energy out of the entire hallway.
"Oh, hey Dot! Look," I said, holding up a chocolate shaped like a Poké Ball. "Liko left these for me. She was acting really weird, though. She ran off so fast I think she might have used Agility. Is she okay?"
Dot finally looked up, her expression a mix of pity and pure exasperation. "She’s 'acting weird' because she just handed you a confession in edible form, you absolute Level 1 Shellder. Do you even know what today is?"
"Yeah, we just got back from Lumiose," I chirped, popping a chocolate into my mouth. Definitely Pecha. "It’s the day the city gets really crowded and everyone shares drinks. It must be some Kalosian tradition."
Dot closed her eyes, her hand tightening around her tablet. "It’s Valentine’s Day, Roy. The day people give chocolate to the person they... ugh, the person they like. As in, more than a teammate. As in, Liko likes you."
I paused, chewing slowly. I thought about the pendant, the photo we took, and the way Liko’s face had turned into a Flareon-level heatwave. "Valentine’s Day? Wait... then what's 'Chocolate Day'?"
Dot froze. "What?"
"Chocolate Day!" I insisted, waving a hand around. "The day where you give people chocolate to show you're friends. I heard about it back on the island. Why are there two different days for the exact same thing? It’s so confusing. Why would the calendar people make Valentine’s Day for 'liking' people and Chocolate Day for 'friendship' chocolate? Why not just have one big Snack Day?"
Dot stared at me for a solid ten seconds. I could almost hear her brain trying to process my logic. She looked like she wanted to explain that "Chocolate Day" wasn't a real separate holiday, or that she was tired of being the only person on this ship with a functioning social radar.
"I can't do this," Dot muttered, pulling her hood up until only her scowl was visible. "I am a programmer, not a translator for the romantically illiterate. Enjoy your 'Friendship' chocolate, Roy. I’m going back to my room to talk to people who actually make sense. Like Quaxly."
"Wait, Dot! Do you want one? They're really good!" I called out as she stomped away.
"No!" she yelled back from the hall.
I shrugged, looking back at the last heart-shaped piece. Liko really was the best. I’d have to find an even better "Friendship" gift for her at the next port. Maybe a giant pearl? Yeah, she’d definitely like a giant pearl for "Chocolate Day."