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The cloudy morning sky brought promise of much needed rain upon the suburb. The grass and trees were desperate for the nutrition that came with spring, and the expected shower would undoubtedly quench their thirst. Even though the day was gloomy, the results would be worth putting up with the weather for a while.
As always, the sound of pokemon cries could be heard in the distance. Pidove, most likely. From time to time the bark of a Lillipup could be heard, but these sounds were all normal. It was the noise of sneakers hitting pavement coupled with haggard breath that stood out. If it wasn’t so early in the morning, the residents might have noticed this disturbance. However, most were still curled up in their beds and would remain so for the next couple of hours.
The culprit of the noise panted, his face red and soaked in sweat. His black hair clung to his scalp and skin, plastered down by the moisture. The track suit he wore was similarly damp. Though his sore muscles screamed for relief, he continued his jog with determination.
His two companions were in better condition.
His Liepard, who had joined him out of curiosity, trotted beside him at a leisurely pace. It nudged its trainer from time to time, encouraging him to continue. Though, anyone who knew anything about pokemon could tell it was bored out of its skull.
The woman jogging in front was similarly relaxed. She kept a slow pace to allow the man to keep up with her, her ponytail bobbing up and down only ever so often. If only she was running, her brown hair would have been flowing like a river. She glanced behind her, finding that the man was in pretty bad condition. The brunette slowed down to a walk as she spoke. “Hey, Cheren, don’t you think you should take a break?”
Cheren shook his head, too tired to speak at the moment. He glanced at a nearby bench, wondering if refusing her offer was really the right move when there was a rest stop so close by.
She had noticed it as well and began to walk over. “Well, if you’re not going to take a break then I am.”
She sat down and leaned back to emphasize how relaxed she was. “But if you really want to go ahead, I’m not going to stop you. You’ll miss out on this awesome bench, though.”
Cheren slowed down to a walk and wearily made his way to the bench. He took a quick swig out of the water bottle he had held, relief flooding his dry throat.
“You don’t have to keep doing this, you know,” Touko said, watching his Liepard take the opportunity to stop and do important things like smell the grass and stalk unsuspecting Pidove.
“It’s fine… Touko…” Cheren wheezed. “I… just need to keep at it. I’ll get better.”
“I’m glad you’re so interested in exercise but you can’t just run like that after being so… what’s the word… Not running…” Touko searched for the right word, but vocabulary was never her forte.
“Idle,” Luckily for her, Cheren picked up the slack.
“Yeah, idle. You’ve been idle for too long. Your muscles are all weak like pudding,” Touko poked Cheren playfully in the gut.
Cheren swiped her hand away. “I’ll be fine. I was able to run before. When we were traveling with our pokemon. I was fine then.”
“That was different. Maybe you don’t remember, but I’m pretty sure you worked out a bit before the journey just to make sure you could handle the rough roads. Because, like the huge nerd you are, you had to study for everything.”
“Your point?”
“You’re still a huge nerd, but…”
Cheren frowned. “But?”
“But working out isn’t like riding a bike. That big brain of yours should remember that. You gotta start slow. And I’m pretty sure running so hard that you can barely breathe doesn’t make for a good workout.”
“Sounds like you’re the nerd here.”
“See, that’s how I can tell you’re tired. Your jokes are weak. How am I a nerd?”
“Because you know so much about athletic stuff and… oh, never mind.”
“Weak!” Touko taunted him with a smile.
“Can a single day pass by without you mocking me in some way?” Cheren raised his hand to adjust his glasses, only to remember that he was wearing contacts.
“That’s kinda hard when you make it so easy,” Touko teased, lightly jabbing him in the gut once more. They both knew she meant no harm. If anything, her remarks were flirtatious. “Why are you so focused on exercise these days, anyways? Did you read some book and get excited?”
“It’s just not good for a gym leader to be out of shape. And, please, I’m begging you. Refrain from saying that round is a shape. That joke has been worn to the ground,” Cheren was tired, but not too tired for a snide comment.
“So, less of an inspiration and more of a desperation?”
“Very funny.”
“It’s not like you need to be super healthy or anything. I mean, I’ve heard of some gym leaders who probably couldn’t handle a treadmill. Doesn’t make them bad or weak or anything.”
“But how are they viewed by their peers? How do challengers see them?”
“As gym leaders to be respected? What, are they all supposed to look like Marlon or something? Don’t tell me that’s what you’re going for.”
“Whatever would make you think that?” Cheren said as he leaned back, his voice hinting at spite.
“Seriously? Dude, don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous, I just wish I could look a little more like that is all.”
“Why would you want to? You’re fine as you are.”
“You don’t need to flatter me.”
“I’m serious! You may not have washboard abs, but you have a cute face and a great ass. I’m not the only one who’s noticed that, either. You should see the way some people look at you when you wear those jeans of yours.”
“Now who’s the jealous one? Not content with other people being attracted to me?” Cheren smirked.
“Yeah! In fact, no one else is ever allowed to look at you ever again,” Touko pulled him in for a hug, planting playful kisses on his face. The somewhat gloomy atmosphere from before dissolved as she giggled.
Cheren, in a defiant gesture that they both knew was just him being difficult, pretended to try to fight back and squirm away as a child might when their guardian began to dote on them for too long. It elicited the response he was expecting, as his girlfriend hugged him tighter.
Touko spoke in between her kisses.
“You’re,” One kiss on the forehead.
“All,” Another on his cheek.
“Mine,” The last kiss was supposed to be on the lips, but Cheren’s grinning had skin colliding with teeth.
The laughter was enough to wake up Cheren’s Liepard, who blinked lazily before resting his head on the grass once more.
“And for the record, nerdy is the new hot,” Touko winked as the two parted from their embrace.
“How kind of you to let me know after I exhausted myself running,” Cheren replied.
“No problem. Just doing my duty. But hey, if you really do wanna exercise more I can help out. What do you say? Workout buddies?” The brunette put her hand in the air, eagerly awaiting a high five.
Cheren humored her by returning the gesture. “Workout buddies.”