Work Text:
The night over Aspertia City was beautiful, and even with the excitement of getting his first Pokemon, Nate couldn't help but stop to admire what little view there was from the lower level of the outlook. Hugh stopped beside him, and - Nate swore he looked even more excited and impatient for the Pokemon than him, the guy receiving it! Shifting from foot to foot anxiously and all.
"A person I can trust," he'd told Nate when the young trainer to be announced he was getting a Pokemon. "I'm talking about you! You seem like you've got good instincts."
It had worked like a water type versus a fire type - super effective! Nate nearly fainted then and there, but somehow he held on, despite the fluttering feeling in his heart. The fluttering continued, even now, and as he traced his index finger along the balcony surrounding the outlook, and he cast a glance at Hugh, ready to speak, ready to ask him something. But then, Hugh must have seen something, because he interrupted that line of thought with-
"See? I told you Bianca was here! Now, go on and get your Pokemon!"
Whatever he was going to say was lost in the overwhelming excitement of his first Pokemon, his first battle, and his first venture outside Aspertia - and it was only long after Hugh had already pushed onward that Nate remembered wanting to ask if he wanted to stay at the outlook another hour.
“Do you want to go and see your movie at the theater?" the man asked, and boy did Nate ever - but the moment he arrived, before going in, he paused - thanked the heavens Hugh had given him his Xtranceiver number - and called.
"So, remember the boat captain who took us to Castelia City?" he asked, pressing on before Hugh could answer. "The movie studios he wanted to work for - the person running it, Mr. Stu Deeoh, he said I looked like I had talent, and it was kinda hard to say no to his offer, so I may or may not have made my debut on the silver screen..."
Hugh's face lit up with an excitement that matched Nate's own, and that started up that weird, warm and fuzzy feeling he got whenever Hugh was excited like that. "That's great!" he exclaimed, and it was so genuine - the tiniest fear he'd had that Hugh would think making movies a waste of time and effort on their Pokémon journey melted away. Confidence fully restored, he beamed back, before asking the question: "The premiere's gonna happen soon - you wanna come and see it with me?"
And here was where Hugh's face fell, and Nate got a sinking feeling. "I don't think I could make it in time, and - I'm kind of busy," he admitted, and there was genuine pain in his voice that prevented Nate from being even the tiniest bit upset at him for it. "But - I'll come and see it as soon as I possibly can! Really, thought, congratulations - who'd have thought? Nate, silver screen superstar in the making!"
"You flatter me," Nate laughed. "I don't even know if it's gonna be a huge success or if it's just gonna flop."
It is a huge success, and Hugh tells him next time they call that he loved it - and that's more than enough for Nate.
It's not really a lie when he answered yes to Hugh's question - he'd searched the entire city, and he knew Team Plasma had got to be in the sewers - but Hugh saw through it anyway, and the anger and determination on his face softened just a little.
"Uh, thanks... But you don't need to lie just so I won't be disappointed!"
Nate opened his mouth to speak, to tell Hugh what he'd discovered - but Hugh had already come to the same conclusion, and he raced onward into the sewers. Nate followed after, just a bit slower - but Hugh hadn't gone far, and in fact seemed to be waiting on his arrival. "Nate! I need you to get tougher - even I'm going to have trouble taking them on all by myself..." he admitted, and Nate felt his heart skip a beat. Hugh counted on him, really counted on him!
"...What if we get lost in here though, or go in too deep, and our Pokémon get hurt and we can't get to a Pokecenter, though?" he asked, just to be cautious - Hugh seemed to have all the answers, though.
"It's okay! I'll take care of healing our Pokémon! I'm counting on you, Nate!"
And there it was again, that fluttering in his heart. "Are you ready to go?"
Nate is paralyzed! He may be unable to speak, or form coherent sentences! Instead, he grabbed Hugh's hand, squeezed gently, and grinned. Hugh froze at the touch, and for an instant Nate wondered if he should pull back - but then, Hugh squeezed back, and they started off towards the sewers.
They walked in silence for a while, taking two lefts as they headed in deeper, and Nate learned that throwing pokeballs with his non-dominant hand was no easy task - but there was something comforting in holding Hugh's hand, something that made him feel like he could take on three Team Plasmas at once, and he almost didn't want to let go. He hoped Hugh felt the same, or something similar, at least, but just as he opened his mouth to ask, Hugh cut him off.
"I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this," he said, not meeting Nate's eyes. "But - I can't forgive Team Plasma!"
"Aww, it's okay," Nate said, gently, giving Hugh the smallest and most reassuring smile he could. "I wouldn't be fighting alongside you if I didn't want to."
There is another long, silent pause; a couple of rattatas cross their path and are quickly eliminated, and Hugh doesn't meet Nate's eyes once. "The sewer's not as stinky as expected," he said, next time he spoke; an entirely different subject from the conversation minutes before. "Still... Pokémon live everywhere, don't they?"
Nate shrugged, and pulled out his Pokedex. "There's still not that many," he said, pointing to the stamp signifying that area's completion. "Only zubats, grimers, and rattatas. The kinda Pokémon you'd expect from sewers, really."
"Yeah..."
They went back to silence and Pokémon battles, but something was obviously still brewing in Hugh's mind, and it came tumbling out soon enough - "If you don't get strong, you can't protect the things that are important to you!" he burst out, and his shoulders started getting shaky, and he looked to be on the verge of some very angry tears - so Nate squeezed his hand gently, reassuringly, running his thumb over the back of Hugh's hand.
"You okay?" he asked, and for a moment, Hugh still looked shaky - but then he sucked in a breath, and his face set into a look of determination.
"Don't worry about me! Let's hurry and find Team Plasma!"
He pulled his hand from Nate's grip, took a step forward, and looked around. "I don't think they came this way - we've been all over the place and haven't seen a trace of them! They must've been straight ahead at that one fork, instead of left - come on!"
And with that he started to race back, Nate sprinting after him, only missing the handholding a little bit.
Just a little.
Max repel? Check.
Dark Musicians of Village Bridge? Check.
Setting sun? Check.
Hard earned Lapras who'd just been taught surf? Check.
All the night needed was Hugh.
It was what some might call romantic, and Nate would proudly agree, because no one would ever have suspected such a well thought out romantic plan to have come from him! And yet it was, all of it was, and it was so perfect. The bridge had food, a beautiful view, and beautiful music, and Nate wanted desperately to share it.
The only thing the night needed was Hugh, and when he called him on the Xtranceiver, all he did was congratulate him on the Lapras, and tell him to defeat the gym in Opelucid city. And then he hung up.
...Well. Lapras still enjoyed carrying people on her back, and he might as well use at least one of the repels so it wouldn't be wasted, right? The sunset and the music were still lovely, even without Hugh.
They would have been so much better with him, though.
He should have torn through to Humilau City the moment he heard, but something kept Hugh waiting at the Undella end of the Marine Tunnel. Nate would be there any moment, and he needed Nate for backup, and surely waiting a little longer for Nate to catch up so they could go through the tunnel together wouldn't be that bad, would it?
He finally called on the Xtranceiver, too wracked with anxieties to wait a moment longer - surely Nate, fast as he was, would have been here by now?
"Nate! Where are you?"
He almost didn't need to ask - he could see the rocky cliffs in the background, and his heart sank. "Close to Seaside Cave - why?"
Hugh held back a groan. "You sure picked the long way around..." he murmured, brow creasing as he frowned at the screen. “Whatever. Your call, I guess. Anyway, make up for that time, and get here now! You know you can get to Humilau City from Undella's Marine Tube, too, right?"
Nate's usual blinding grin dropped in an instant. "They opened that!?" He exclaimed, eyes widening, before he started to pout. "Aw, man... well, I guess I'm already here, and going back would just take up more time - besides, you always say I need to get stronger, right? This'll give my Pokemon the experience they need to be stronger!"
By the time he finished speaking, he was beaming again, and Hugh can't argue with his logic - instead, he smiles, softly, fondly. "I suppose you're right - still, don't waste too much time training in there! We've still got Team Plasma to deal with!"
Nate nodded, said his goodbyes, and hung up; and Hugh raced through the tunnel to ensure he'd get to Humilau before Nate, just in case he'd taken the note to get through the Seaside Cave as quickly as possible to heart. Didn't want Nate arriving and wondering where he was, now did he?
Maybe next time he wanted to watch fish with Nate, it wouldn't be when Team Plasma was causing trouble.
There were cameras, and flashes of light, and people cheering for him as he was crowned Champion of Unova - but Nate was more concerned with the retreating back of his best friend, and he fled the moment he had an opportunity to do so without seeming rude. It was probably enough, anyway, he thought to himself; he was, after all, wonderfully charismatic on film. They’d probably think it was charming how quickly he sped through the initial interviews and congratulations.
Hugh’s pace wasn’t very fast, and Nate was able to catch up quickly, shouting for his friend to stop. Hugh hesitated as he turned to look at Nate, his expression unreadable. He smiled, a halfhearted effort, before it sank back into that muddle of emotions, and Nate suddenly grew worried that his suggestion will not be as well-received as he’d hoped.
“Wouldyoumaybewannagooutforavictorycasteliacone?”
Hugh blinked at the question, but slowly, he seemed to process it, and his eyes widened in shock before - “Yes. Absolutely.”
Nate grinned and pulled out the pokeball with his Braviary inside - and then, just before he could have the bird fly them off, he paused. “Would you wanna call it a date?”
It must have been a super effective move, because Hugh fainted on the spot, and it took a few minutes of very concerned attempts to rouse him before Nate finally got a “Yes. Please.”