Chapter 1: Arrival
Chapter Text
The boat docked at the port of Coumarine City early in the morning. As the passengers disembarked from the boat that had been home for the last week, you waited patiently at the bow of the boat, watching the chaos. Passengers were moving quickly down the ramp to the dock below. Not quite shoving one another out of the way but asserting their presence and encouraging those in front of them to move faster.
Land was a welcome site for you, but the idea of trying to navigate the crowd of people vying to get on with their journeys wasn't worth getting your feet on solid ground earlier than anybody else. Mightyena whined as he sat next to you, impatiently waiting for your turn to leave. You put a hand on his head reassuringly and shushed him.
Older passengers marched towards loved ones with purpose and were met with hugs and excited cries. The younger passengers were all determinedly trying to link their PokéNavs to the satellite network in place for the Kalos region as they shoved towards the signage at the end of the dock. You pulled out your own PokéNav and were disappointed to find an ERROR: NO COMPATIBLE NETWORK FOUND message blinking on your screen in large letters. With a sigh, you pocketed the device as the last of the passengers passed you on their way down the dock.
"Okay, we can go now," you told your pokémon, hefting your large backpack over one shoulder and following the ecstatic creature as he pranced down the plank and along the dock in his excitement to put his feet on land again.
At the end of the dock where the wood planks met up with a sidewalk, there was a large sign with a map of the city and a large YOU ARE HERE pointing at a red dot by the coast. You scanned the map quickly and located the Pokémon Center, which appeared to require a trolley ride to reach.
One of the youngsters gathered around the map noticed you pointing at it while you traced the route with your finger to the trolley in the air.
"Excuse me, ma'am..." the girl started shyly.
"What's up?" you replied, looking over to her and her group of friends.
"Do you know how to read this map?" The girl’s cheeks turned red as she asked the question. "Our PokéNavs aren't working and we've never seen one on paper before..." she continued.
You nodded.
"What are you trying to find?" you asked, trying to brush off the reminder that you looked old enough to know how to read a map. It felt like yesterday that you had been navigating Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto with a mix of the PokéNav and paper maps. Damn, that made you feel old.
"The Pokémon Gym, please!" a boy behind the original speaker squeaked.
"Let's see..."’
You helped them locate the gym on the map, which was also up the cliff side by trolley. Just as the group was about to leave, Mightyena bounded up to you barking excitedly.
At the sight of a very, very sandy Mightyena, the younger trainers started laughing. Mightyena wagged his tail in response and sniffed out each of their pockets in turn, demanding treats from the trainers that had them. They all patted his head and made remarks about how sweet he was. Based on their appearances, you guessed this was their first journey outside of the Hoenn region, the origin of the ship you had all disembarked.
"Stop by the Pokémon Center first," you told them, pointing to the map. "They should be able to sell you a nav system that works here. When I was in Unova, my PokéNav didn't work and I had to buy C-Gear."
"Thanks for the advice!" one of the girls said with a smile.
The group headed off in the direction of the trolley while you stood looking after them. With a chuckle, you turned back to the sand-covered treat fiend. He was sitting very tall and wagging his tail happily as you put your hands on your hips and shook your head at him. "Now you need a bath and a good brushing!"'
Mightyena's ears drooped slightly and his tail stopped wagging. He hated getting brushed.
"I know, I know. But we're here to make a good impression on the gym leader. If he sees you covered in sand, he's going to think that I don't take care of you! Come on, let's go find this Pokémon Center."
Mightyena let out a defeated groan before standing up and following you in the direction the other trainers had headed. White beach sand rained from the pokémon as he walked down the sidewalk behind you, leaving sandy footprints and drag marks from his sad and droopy tail in his wake.
Unsurprisingly, the trolley operator was not keen on a sandy Mightyena riding in his tram. After some grumbles and whines, the pokémon retreated into his pokéball and you boarded. You sat down next to an elderly couple. The woman had a little yellow fox pokémon on her lap with lots of red fluff coming out of its ears.
The new pokémon were one of your favorite parts about visiting a new region. It had been years since the thrill of an unknown pokémon had tickled your brain. You covertly pulled your PokéDex from your pocket and scanned the little fluffy creature. It was not in your database. Not a total shocker, but it added another item to your to-do list. You put the PokéDex back in your pocket and sighed.
"She's a fennekin," the old woman leaned over and whispered to you with a smile.
"She's adorable," you replied.
"Thank you," the woman said. She put a hand on the little pokémon's head affectionately. "What brings you to the Kalos Region?" she asked, continuing the conversation.
"A friend told me about an opportunity that I couldn't refuse," you replied. You didn't know how the small town gossip worked here quite yet, and you didn't need anybody to gossip about why you were there. Trainers your age weren't rare, per se, but they were less common than the teenagers that roamed the regions.
The old woman nodded.
"I wondered if Ramos would reach out to gym leaders in other regions for viable candidates."
"How did you know?" you asked, slightly taken aback.
"Oh, cherí," the woman said, patting your hand gently. "Coumarine City may be large, but we gossip like the best small towns."
She grinned at you wickedly.
"Has he had many applicants?" you asked apprehensively.
Were you too late? Did he have a successor already?
The old woman shrugged and said, "His last candidate didn't make it past the mock gym. But it's been mostly youngsters inspired by Clemont. Not everybody can be a child prodigy."
"Has he been looking for a while?" you asked.
Brawly had been sparing with the details, even when you pressed him. Any information you could get out of this sweet old woman would give you a better idea of what you were walking into.
"His whole career, cherí. None of his protégés have returned, even with the letters he's been sending out over the last few years. Being a gym leader isn't for everybody."
You wanted to ask her more, but the trolley had landed at the station on the uphill side of the town. The little fennekin hopped down from her lap and the woman stood.
"Good luck, dear," she said with a smile before following her husband out of the car.
You followed behind, trying to keep your spirits up. Brawly and Flannery had prepared you for this. You had a full portfolio in your bag, complete with letters from your time under all of the different gym leaders.
After a deep breath to center yourself, you took off for the Pokémon Center. On the far side of the double glass doors, the typical sight of a pink-haired Nurse Joy stood smiling behind a counter.
"Welcome! How may I help you?" she asked as you approached.
"Do you have rooms for trainers?"
"We do! Would you like a private room, or is the bunk room enough space for you?" she asked as she began typing away on her computer.
"A private room, if you have any available."
Nurse Joy nodded and smiled. She set a card key on the desk for you. "Anything else?"
You pulled your PokéDex out of your pocket and set it on the counter next to the card key.
"Any chance you can upload the Kalos information on to this?"
Nurse Joy picked up the PokéDex carefully, noting the heavy tape holding the battery flap to the back of the case. She turned it over in her hands a couple times before plugging it into her machine.
"Have you considered replacing this?" she asked conversationally as she typed a few things on the computer.
"It hasn't been an issue up to this point," you replied.
The light in the top left corner of the device blinked red and Nurse Joy hmm'ed.
"Your PokéDex hasn't had a software update within the last five or so years."
It was a statement, not a question. You bristled in embarrassment. Taking time away from traveling had caused you to neglect all your devices…
"It doesn't appear that my system has an old enough software to put our data on your device. I’m sorry."
She unplugged the little red computer and set it on the counter. She stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "Let me check the back for a spare one. I'll be right back."
You stood at the counter while she went into the back room. She emerged empty-handed with an apologetic look on her face.
"It looks like we don't have any spare PokéDexes right now. You could try the Pokémon Centers in Lumiose if you're headed that direction," she offered helpfully.
"Thank you," you replied.
You picked up your PokéDex and room key and headed to the back of the center where you saw a sign indicating room numbers.
Inside your room, you set down your backpack and collapsed on the bed. The little room was very standard for a Pokémon Center. There was a small bathroom on one end with a sliding door, a wall of cubbies, a small desk just large enough for a computer, and a large, sturdy bench that always ended up with your stuff piled on top of it. The twin bed smelled like fresh linens and was definitely not a new mattress.
It was barely noon, but you were exhausted. You didn't sleep much on the boat in anticipation for making it to your destination. It was no time to take a mid-day nap, though. You had lots to do to prepare for your meeting with Ramos the next afternoon.
You unzipped a compartment on your backpack and pulled all of your gear out to allow it to air out after the week packed away. You set the leather zippered folder on the desk and rooted to the bottom of the backpack for a bottle of pokémon shampoo. First things first: Mightyena needed a bath.
After a very eventful bath time, you took a shower yourself, seeing as your clothes were already soaked. When you emerged from the shower, Mightyena was curled up at the foot of the bed and had managed to bunch up all of the covers into a little nest. After a long and drawn out fight with the pokémon over a bath and a good brushing, it felt only fair to let him sleep on the foot of your bed while you cleaned up.
He didn't move as you flicked on the light and got ready to head out for the afternoon. As you slid your belt of pokéballs back through the loops on your pants, Mightyena opened one eye.
"I'm going to run some errands. Want to come?" you asked the sleepy pokémon. He grunted and snuggled tighter into the blankets.
"Suit yourself," you said as you walked out into the hallway and closed the door behind you.
You had quite a few things that needed to happen before you called it a day. First and most important was a check-in with your pokémon. Many of them hated the open ocean and had spent the last week in their pokéballs without a chance to stretch. Nurse Joy pointed you to the nearest park and you took off in that direction immediately. A quick stop into a café for a snack and coffee was the only detour.
The park was quiet and relatively empty despite the warm weather and early afternoon hour. You found a bench off to the side of the park near some trees and set down the things you were carrying.
The first flash of red light revealed a massive pokémon with his back to you. Buddy let out a huge roar as he stretched and looked around. He turned slowly, surveying the trees and sky and grass beneath his feet, the twig in his mouth bobbing up and down as he chewed on it. When his eyes found you, he gave another roar of delight. Large, black, fuzzy paws picked you up by the waist and spun you in a circle before setting you down. You laughed at the pokémon's antics.
"It's good to see you, too!" you told the pangoro. "Are you happy that we're back on land?"
The pokémon nodded vigorously and grunted an affirmative as the twig in his mouth continued to bounce up and down. He began stretching again, but winced in pain when he tried to use his left paw to pull his right arm across his chest.
"Let me see, Buddy," you said, holding out your hands for his left paw.
You felt the familiar flash of anger, old and smoldering, as Buddy set his large paw in your hands. The two inch band of naked scar tissue at the base of his palm was as pink and swollen now as it had been the first day you rescued him. You massaged the scar tissue gently and received a contented grunt. The pangoro sat down on the ground while you continued to knead the tissue, working through the exercises that Professor Elm had taught you.
While the pokémon's right paw was easily the size of your head, his left paw was malformed, almost like somebody had squeezed the bottom half down to the size of a human hand. The anger flared hotter as you moved away from the naked scar tissue and up to his fingers that refused to uncurl completely. Even after years of work with the pokémon, he could barely uncurl them enough to pick something up off the ground. You gently uncurled each finger as far as it would go and held it there, stretching it for a few seconds before slowly releasing it and moving on to the next finger.
"I'm glad we did this on the boat every night. You haven't lost much range of motion," you told him conversationally as you worked.
Buddy made a noise that told you that he hadn't particularly enjoyed the nightly therapy. The poor thing hated water with a passion hotter than his hatred for his former trainer. You ignored the noise and continued working.
"How's that?" you asked, releasing his paw.
Buddy flexed it a couple of times as best he could. He pointed at the small purse slung over your shoulder and held out his paw again.
"You have another couple of days before you get another shot, you little drug addict!"
Buddy whined and gave you the best pathetic look he could muster considering he was an almost seven-foot-tall bear pokémon with a permanent scowl. You laughed.
"I have something better."
You pulled one of his favorite cookies out of the purse instead and held it out for him. He took it with his good paw and downed the whole thing in one swallow.
"Should we run through a couple of stances?"
Buddy stood up and moved into the neutral fighting position, ready to run through some drills.
After some time running through a few drills with Buddy, you checked on your other pokémon one-by-one. Each had their own needs and you tried to spend time with each of them every day. Most hated water and had skipped any quality time they felt they needed in favor of staying in their pokéballs until you were squarely back on dry land.
Umbreon was the last one to come out of his pokéball for some one-on-one time. After a couple of laps around the playground to acquire pets from any and all humans, he was ready to walk with you to get dinner and back to the room.
Upon entering your room at the Pokémon Center, Mightyena leapt off the bed, tail wagging to greet Umbreon. The pair were practically inseparable from the time they were an eevee and poochyena. Boat rides, city travel, and tournaments were about the only times the pair spent apart because one or both was in a pokéball.
While the two were in the midst of tail wagging and sniffing, you scooted your way past and set your food on the table. You rummaged through your backpack for a bag of pokémon kibble and two collapsible bowls.
Meals ready for the pokémon when they were done greeting each other, you plopped down at the desk and pulled your own dinner out of the bag. You unzipped the leather bound folder you had set on the desk earlier that afternoon and checked again that all of your paperwork was in order for the next day while you ate. Your meeting with Ramos needed to go perfectly.
Chapter 2: Interview
Notes:
Thank you for joining me on this journey! It's so much fun to write!
Thank you MidyCute for the review!
Bear with me... I promise Professor Sycamore makes an appearance soon, but I have to set up the story first! ;)
Chapter Text
The gym was unlike anything that you had ever seen before. Instead of a traditional building, the gym appeared to be integrated into a giant tree. You looked down at Mightyena at your side before looking back up at the tree. He would not be able to accompany you to the top without hands to grip the vines that dangled down from the canopy. After recalling him to his pokéball, you took a deep breath. You could feel your heart beating in your throat and your hands shook as you reached out to grab the vines. You could do this.
As you reached the first level of branches where a platform had been constructed, one of Ramos’ students rushed over to greet you. She was young, maybe not even ten, with her blonde hair up in pig tails.
“Are you here to challenge the gym leader?” she asked.
“I actually have a meeting with him,” you replied, looking around at the marvel that was the gym.
More vines hung down from higher platforms, and you assumed that Ramos was probably at the top.
"Could you let him know I'm here?"
“Absolutely!” the girl chirped in response before walking away.
The girl pulled something out of her bag and pressed a button. A hologram of a hunched, wrinkled old man appeared a few feet in front of her.
“Is she here?” the hologram asked.
The young trainer nodded.
"Fantastic! Send her up!" the hologram said before disappearing.
The girl put the device back in her pocket and turned back to you.
"This way! I'll take you to the top."
You followed her along the platform to a hidden door in the tree trunk. She pushed on the bark and a door sized section slid away. Inside was a small, two-person elevator with a single row of buttons. Once you were both inside, she hit a button to close the door and you started moving upwards.
"What was that thing you used to called Ramos?" you asked the girl.
"This?" she asked, pulling the device from her pocket. When you nodded, she continued, "It's a Holo Caster! Don't you have something like this where you're from?"
"We do," you started.
Before you could elaborate, the elevator dinged and the door opened to reveal a huge library full of books at the heart of the tree. The thick canopy of leaves above let in filtered sunlight above the glass ceiling that kept out the elements. The branches had been woven together in some areas over years so that the braided growth provided shelves. In other places, the shelves had been hollowed out of a single branch. Not a single shelf had space from what you could tell as you left the elevator, trailing behind the girl as you took in the sight before you.
Sitting at a large table at the center of the room was the old man from the hologram. At his feet, sleeping peacefully under the table was a large, shaggy, goat pokémon with a mane of leafy green foliage and large, curving, black horns. It looked up at you as you approached. Ramos looked up from his book when he sensed the pokémon move and smiled at the pair of you.
He said your name in greeting, and you nodded in acknowledgment. It took him a few moments to stand and walk around the table.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, taking your hand in both of his and shaking it vigorously. "Brawly and I talked about you at length while he was visiting."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, too," you replied, giving him your best I'm-only-excited-not-nervous smile.
"Sit. Please sit. Would you like some tea?" he asked.
Ramos released your hand and shuffled over to the corner of the room where a small kitchenette was carved into the tree branches. The goat pokémon stood and followed him, walking past you without a second glance or sniff.
"Yes please," you replied. "Would you like some help?"
You watched the old man totter back with a tray in his hands.
"No, no. Please sit!" he said again as he set the tray on the table.
A small white teapot sat at the center of the tray flanked on either side by a sugar bowl and a small porcelain container of cream. Two teacups with saucers and spoons were on each end. You were about to ask if he had a third setting when you realized that the young trainer had vanished back through the elevator.
Ramos sat back down in his seat and motioned to the chair next to his. He picked up the teapot and began pouring a steaming brown liquid in to each tea cup. You took the seat that he indicated, studying the old man while he poured you both tea.
The man had a slight hunch to his shoulders and smile lines around his mouth and eyes, but he didn't look ancient. You couldn't tell, but suspected that he was bald beneath the green hat he was wearing. His white beard was styled into two sets of points on either side of his jaw line. Blaine, one of your mentors and the Cinnabar Island Gym leader, was much older than this man and nowhere near ready to retire. You wondered why Ramos was trying to pass on his gym already.
"Brawly tells me that you're ready to take over my gym," Ramos said, looking up at you.
He passed you a teacup and saucer. You thanked Ramos for the tea. He offered you milk and sugar and you doctored the drink to your liking, trying to put off the conversation that you were so ready for and also so very much dreading.
"Have you wanted to be a gym leader for long?" Ramos asked as you mixed the tea with your spoon.
"I've been working towards it for years," you replied.
He picked up his cup and sipped from it, waiting for you to continue.
"I rescued a pangoro from a curiosities shop in Lilycove City in the Hoenn region when I was a young trainer. I didn't know what type of pokémon he was at the time, but I had to save him. But… after I saved him, we struggled. A lot. We didn't know how to meet in the middle.
“Brawly tried to help, but he didn’t know much more about abused pokémon than I did. So I just kept trying to break through to pangoro. Brawly encouraged me to go to the Johto region and compete in the league there and seek out one of his mentors: Chuck, the Cianwood City gym leader. When I met him, he said he could help me.
"Chuck spent months teaching me the best ways to bond with an abused pokémon. He taught me how to train fighting-type pokémon, how to work around a weakness, and he even called Professor Elm and requested he come help figure out something for Buddy's pain. He did all of that to help one young trainer, while also doing that four or five more times simultaneously for other young trainers in need. That was when I knew I wanted to become a gym leader."
Ramos nodded and said, "That's admirable! Brawly told me a little about your pangoro's plight. Some people can be real monsters."
You nodded in response and looked down at your hands around the teacup.
"We're in a good place now, but it took years."
"Did you train with Brawly prior to finding your pangoro?"
"No, but he was my first mentor," you replied.
You flushed inwardly. A schoolgirl crush had more than a little to do with why you asked to train with him.
"When I first figured out what type of pokémon Buddy was, I went right to Brawly. He was still a relatively new gym leader, only a couple of years older than me, but his pokémon trusted him so much when I battled him that I thought he could help. We spent months working on Buddy's trust towards humans and general willingness to participate in training."
"Buddy being your pangoro?" Ramos clarified.
You nodded.
"Well, I'm sold so far!" Ramos said with a laugh. "Let's see this incredible portfolio that I was told to expect."
Your heart fluttered a little in excitement at Ramos' words. You quickly unzipped your bag and pulled the leather folder out. You opened it on the table and slid it over to him.
"Second place in the Johto and Unova Leagues. First place in the Indigo League. Impressive."
You sat quietly while he flipped through the felt pages with badges and ribbons pinned to them and provided verbal commentary. He paused on the page of Hoenn Region badges and looked up at you.
"Did you compete in the Hoenn League?"
Your cheeks began to heat up and you could feel your ears getting warm. The Hoenn League had been a disaster...
"Yes sir. It was my first league tournament. I placed sixth. They stop giving ribbons after third place."
With a nod, he flipped the page. The next couple of pages were clear plastic sleeves that held letters addressed to Ramos from all of your mentors.
"Who have you studied with?" Ramos asked as he pulled the first letter, from Brawly, out of the sleeve and set it on the table.
"I have spent most of my time working with Brawly and Flannery, the Lavaridge City gym leader. We are all about the same age. I started my pokémon journey later than they did and was able to learn quite a bit about general training techniques and things to consider when focusing on a single pokémon type as a trainer. They have also been my biggest advocates for finding a place to run my own gym."
Ramos pulled Flannery's letter out of its pocket and set it next to Brawly's.
"I also spent quite a bit of time with Chuck, the Cianwood City Gym Leader, as we discussed earlier."
Chuck's letter came out of its pocket.
"My boat back to Hoenn was stuck on Cinnabar Island for repairs. I ended up spending time training with Blaine instead of getting back on the boat when it was ready."
Blaine's slightly blackened letter came out.
"And over the years of trying to convince Grimsely of the Unova Elite Four to take an apprentice, I ended up spending quite a bit of time training with Burgh, Castelia City's gym leader."
The last letter came out of the pocket. The next page began profiles on all of your pokémon. You fidgeted with the teacup in your hands as you let him read through each of their bios.
"I wasn't sure if you knew that I specialize in dark-type pokémon..." you began as he flipped on to your ideas for a gym layout and training regimens that you had developed over the years.
"At this point, young lady, I'm looking for somebody talented and passionate to present to the Pokémon League Board as a candidate for my replacement. A grass-type specialization would be icing on the cake, but I can't retire until there is somebody lined up to take my place."
"That reminds me, why are you retiring so early?" you asked.
Ramos patted the head of the goat pokémon and smiled.
"Gogoat and I have some more exploring to do while we're still limber enough to sleep on the ground!" he said with a laugh and the pokémon baa'ed in agreement.
"Fair enough," you replied.
Ramos passed your portfolio back to you minus the unopened letters.
"Well, you seem like an incredibly promising candidate. Can I call you tomorrow with my decision after I have had a chance to read this stack of letters?"
You had to take a breath to keep yourself from jumping up from the table and screaming in delight. After a minute to collect your enthusiasm, you nodded.
"Please do!"
"Let me see your Holo Caster. I'll add my information," Ramos said holding out his hand.
"I don't have one yet," you replied.
He smiled, wrote down his information, told you where to buy a device, and to call him the next day for his decision. His happy demeanor and crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiled made you feel like you had most definitely gotten the gym! You thanked Ramos profusely before heading off to find a Holo Caster so that you could hear the phenomenal news the next day.
Chapter 3: Lumiose City
Notes:
Thanks so much for stopping by! Enjoy!
And thank you MidyCute for the review!
MC finally has a reason to find Professor Sycamore! ;)
Chapter Text
The news that Ramos had shared with you was exciting and daunting. He thought that you were an excellent candidate to take over his spot on the league roster, and he had submitted your name to the Pokémon League! But... the hoops to jump through to get final approval, become a fully fledged gym leader, and allow Ramos to retire were just getting started.
Next on your mission was to make it to Lumiose City for an in-person meeting with a Pokémon League Representative to go over the proper protocols and paperwork for your dream to come true.
When you finally entered Lumiose City through the Route 13 gate, your jaw dropped almost immediately. Suddenly, the deceptively long trek between the cities made more sense. Towering above the rest of the buildings in the sprawling metropolis was a brilliantly lit tower at least twice the height of any of the surrounding skyscrapers. Standing on the outskirts of the city, it looked like it was a half hour walk from where you stood, but you could see the city stretching well past the tower. This city was humongous.
While you had been in fairly large cities in the past, you had been able to walk from one edge to the other within a couple of hours... and you had the distinct impression that Lumiose City would take a day.
People bustled by, paying you no mind at all on their commutes. It was the end of the work day and it showed with the amount of people on the sidewalks. Umbreon and Mightyena huddled in close to you, trying to avoid getting stepped on by commuters rushing by in a hurry.
Pulling out the paper atlas of the region that you had managed to snag, you found not one, but three Pokémon Centers scattered throughout the city. In the Hoenn Region, there were towns so small they didn’t have a single Pokémon Center, and you’d never encountered any city that had multiple in all of your travels. After a couple of minutes scanning the map, you figured out how to get to the closest Pokemon Center.
“I think the closest Pokémon Center is that way,” you told the pair, pointing across the six-lane main road towards the giant tower. Their eyes grew huge looking up at you after surveying the busy street.
“Maybe best you two tag along in your pokéballs,” you said before recalling the pair of overwhelmed pokémon to their spots on your belt. And suddenly you were standing alone in a very large city.
You found a place to cross the street and began walking towards the center of the city, hoping that the Pokémon Center would be obvious when you saw it. You were ready to rent a room for the night and take a long, hot shower to wash all of the sweat and dirt from the Badlands off of your body.
Unfortunately, upon finding the Pokémon Center (which was tucked into the bottom floor of a skyscraper and NOT easy to spot), you were informed that none of the centers in the city had lodging for trainers. Nurse Joy gave you a list of hotels and restaurants that trainers frequented. She also felt the need to give you her personal recommendation.
“If you continue into Centrico Plaza and then take Bleu Avenue through Bleu Plaza, there’s a small hotel across from Coiffure Clips at the intersection with South Boulevard. There’s also a small 24-hour supermarket between the hotel and the southern Pokémon Center. Would you like me to call and reserve you a room?” she asked as she traced her fingers along the roads on the paper map of Lumiose City.
“That would be wonderful. I’d hate to walk all the way down there just to have them full for the night.”
“It should be fine since it’s a ways from the gym, but it’ll take you an hour to get there on foot. Do any of your pokémon need attention while I’m calling?” she asked.
“We’re fine. Just the room confirmation should be enough.”
Nurse Joy called the hotel and reserved a room for you. She waved as you left. You hoped that you could find the hotel before morning. You entered Centrico Plaza at dusk as the night lights came to life around the tower. It was so beautiful, you stopped to admire the lights for a few minutes. Other visitors to the city were also stopped in the plaza, watching the lights. Your stomach growled hungrily so you continued moving. You needed a home base before you figured out food.
Bleu Avenue wasn’t well marked, but a sign indicating how to get to Bleu Plaza lead you down a road that opened to a small plaza illuminated with blue lights. Signs pointed to Bleu Avenue in both directions and you continued your journey away from the brilliant tower at the center of the city.
When you entered the lobby of the hotel an hour and a half later, a bellboy came to greet you and take any luggage that you didn’t want to carry. He walked you to the check-in desk and then escorted you to your room. You were staying on the top floor in a trainer suite which included 6 average sized pokémon beds and a pokémon bathtub along with the typical hotel amenities. It was more than you were wanting to spend, but a splurge for the week wasn't going to break the bank.
After releasing your team from their pokeballs, you sat down hard on the edge of the bed and watched them say hello to one another. When beds had been picked and they had all settled down, you slunk off to the bathroom to take a nice, long, hot shower to wash the grime of the past week away.
By the time you were ready to head out in search of food, most restaurants were not accepting new customers. Mightyena decided to accompany you to the supermarket while the rest of your pokémon stayed in the room, reveling in their plush beds.
Even at 11p.m. on a weeknight, the streets were still bustling with activity. Most of it seemed to be trainers scrambling to find open restaurants and hotel rooms for the night. While you were out, you decided to stop into the southern Pokémon Center to get some supplies before going to the supermarket for yourself. You had been so focused on a place to sleep while you were at the central location, that you forgot to ask about a PokéDex update.
“I’m sorry, we don't carry PokéDexes at any of our locations in Lumiose City."
You took a deep breath to keep from groaning in frustration.
“Is there any way to go about getting a new one?”
Nurse Joy nodded and said, “Professor Sycamore distributes them to new trainers in the city. You should be able to get one from him.”
You added 'Find the Kalos Pokémon Professor' to your ever growing to-do list.
“Thank you," you replied with a sigh. "Could you tell me where the nearest PokéMart is?”
Nurse Joy pointed to a set of sliding glass doors.
“It’s right through there.”
You were able to pick up several potions and sprays that could come in handy along with a collection of berries with medicinal properties.
“The pokémon and people may be a little strange here, but at least I recognize all of the supplies,” you whispered to Mightyena as you walked to the supermarket to get food.
You weren’t paying much attention to where you were going as you looked down at your pokémon. It was just enough time to collide with a man exiting the store with bags of groceries.
You fell backwards onto the sidewalk and he fell backwards into the sliding doors, which kept most of his bags from spilling on the ground. The one that did fall made a sickening splat and began leaking red juice on to the sidewalk. An apple slowly rolled from the bag, leaving gooey tomato guts in its wake.
"My apologies! Are you OK?" the man asked, crouching down with his hands still full of groceries to look at you.
"I should be apologizing to you," you replied, brushing off your hands.
Mightyena, ever oblivious to anything when in the presence of food, had lunged forward and was licking the tomato off of the sidewalk, tail wagging happily in the air.
"It is quite all right! Your mightyena appears to be enjoying my dinner for me," the man said with a chuckle.
His light gray eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked over at Mightyena, who now had his snout in the bag of ruined produce.
"Hey! That's not yours!" you scolded the pokémon.
Mightyena looked up from the food for a moment and whined. His tail and ears drooped and he slunk over to you and sat down.
"He was more than welcome to it," the man said and he stood from the crouched position.
The man set his bags on the ground, brushed his long black bangs out of his face, and extended a hand to you.
"I certainly won't be eating it," he said.
You took the man's hand, noting the rough calluses and firm grip as he pulled you up to standing.
"I appreciate it, but he should know better," you replied, shooting the pokémon a quick scolding glare.
The man chuckled again. His gray eyes caught the light from one of the overhead streetlights, causing them to sparkle good-naturedly. There were the beginnings of bags under his eyes and more than a hint of five o'clock shadow that told you that he probably worked too much. Judging by the blue button down shirt and black pants, it was probably an office job of some sort. He seemed to be in a good mood considering you had just bumped into him, were staring at him, still holding his hand, and had ruined his dinner...
Realizing all of the above at once, you dropped his hand and gasped.
"I am so sorry! Please let me replace everything that was ruined," you said.
"Very kind of you!" he exclaimed with a smile from ear to ear.
"It's the least I can do," you replied, fishing a piece of paper and a pen out of your purse. "Write down what I ruined. I'll go in and grab it before I do my shopping."
"I have a better idea. Why don't I keep you company while you shop?" he asked, his smile growing broader.
"Um… Thanks but, I'm not sure what all I need. It could take a while."
He nodded his head as if to say 'fair enough', before taking the piece of paper and scribbling down a couple of items.
As he handed the list back, he asked, "Do you know La Lumiere?"
"La what?"
"La Lumiere. It's that café."
The man pointed in the direction of your hotel to a little café on the corner of the next intersection. You had missed the OPEN sign in the window on your way past, probably due to the low light coming through drawn curtains.
"Oh... kay..." You were a little fuzzy on how this related to replacing groceries.
"I always stop and drink a tea there on my way home. I'll be there when you are done with your shopping."
"You're sure?" you asked, glancing down at a list of three things.
"Positive!" he replied with a warm smile that made you believe him.
It seemed a little odd that this man wasn't in a huge hurry to return home, but you didn't know this city very well. Maybe this was normal for some big city people?
The man gave Mightyena a quick head scratch before picking up his groceries and departing for the cafe.
You spent your entire grocery run contemplating the bizarre interaction. You really weren't sure what to make of it, but you mulled over possibilities in your mind for the entire time it took to snake your way through every aisle and collect supplies for the next few days with Mightyena trailing behind you.
Chapter 4: Adulting
Notes:
Thanks so much for joining!! Enter August for realsies! ;D
Chapter Text
When you entered La Lumiere and looked around, you noted just how many people were squeezed into the little space. Pokémon trainers of all ages occupied every table in the café except for the one where the man sat reading a book.
Pokémon of all shapes and types were laying under tables, perched on trainers' shoulders, and floating above tables. The hum of conversations was a welcome and comfortable feeling that you usually got when you spent time hanging out in the common area of Pokémon Center lodging. You would have to remember this place for later.
You approached the man's table with a paper bag full of his replacement groceries and set them gingerly on the table. He looked up from his book and grinned widely in welcome.
"I wasn't sure you were actually going to replace everything. I came on a little strong in front of the market," he said by way of greeting.
"I wasn't sure I was going to bring them to you," you admitted with a nervous chuckle. "Strange man, shady looking café at midnight..."
This caused the man to laugh. He gestured to the seat across from him.
"Please, have a seat! Let me buy you some tea."
"Thank you, but I should be getting back to my other pokémon," you replied.
"Oh? Are you a trainer?" he asked.
The man brushed his dark bangs out of his eyes and set the book down on the table. His gray eyes twinkled with interest. You nodded in answer to his question.
"I just got into town this evening."
"Then you must sit!"
Mightyena took this opportunity to sniff out the man's pocket full of treats. He licked at the man's hand and wagged his tail. Without missing a beat, treats were pulled from the man’s pocket and fed to Mightyena before ear scratches began.
With a sigh, you sat down. Mightyena wasn't going to go anywhere while the man had treats in his pocket and skills with ear skritches. What was one cup of tea?
"One drink," you replied.
"Excellent!" the man said.
He used his free hand to waive over a waitress who took your order and hurried off.
"Forgive my manners. My name is August."
August extended his hand to shake.
You replied with your name before taking his hand to shake.
"What brings you to Lumiose?" August asked.
His attention kept darting back and forth between you and your puddle of a pokémon melting under his touch.
"The Pokémon League office," you replied.
"Are you one of Ramos' candidates?" he asked.
"How do you know about that?"
He seemed to focus very hard on Mightyena as he responded, "His retirement has come up a few times in my line of work." He looked up at you and smiled again. "Dark types?"
You nodded, looking at your pokémon. Mightyena had worked his front legs into August's lap so that the man would scratch his chin and chest.
"What a rare gym type," he commented. "Have you trained with Piers?"
"I never made it as far as the Galar region. This is as far away from home as I have ever been," you admitted.
He nodded in understanding as the waitress set down your drink order.
"So tell me, cherí, where are you from?"
What you had intended to be a fairly short, polite conversation turned to a passionate explanation of your dark-type specific training techniques and how you had come up with the techniques based on the gym leaders you had trained under.
"Burgh?" August asked with a laugh when you mentioned your brief stint of training with the bug-type gym leader in Unova.
"Dark-types are weak against bug-type attacks. And bug-types are weak against, well, a lot of things. Learning ways to counteract bug-type attacks as well as seeing how Burgh dealt with type disadvantage was surprisingly helpful," you replied.
"Why not train under Grimsley?" August asked.
His knowledge of the pokemon leagues outside of Kalos was surprisingly extensive. You wondered absently what his line of work might be for him to know this much.
"I placed 2nd in the league tournament. That wasn't good enough for him and he refused to take me on as an apprentice."
August grimaced and nodded, still scratching Mightyena’s chest.
"Some of the Elite Four members take the 'Elite' a little too seriously."
"You aren't kidding!"
You picked your mug up to take another sip and discovered that it was empty. Looking around the café, it was still busy, but there were empty tables. Mightyena had fully migrated into August's lap. It was not quite big enough for the pokémon, though August didn't seem to mind. Out of habit, you pulled your PokéNav from your pocket to check the time and were met with the ERROR: NO COMPATIBLE NETWORK FOUND rather than a time.
You sighed and put it back in your pocket.
"Do you have a Holo Caster?" August asked.
"Yeah, just bought one a few days ago."
"One of my assistants is good with technology. He has figured out how to run the PokéNav off of the Holo Caster network. It won't give you all the functionality you see in the Hoenn region, but it gives you a map, calling capabilities, and the time."
"Really? Could I pay him to fix mine?"
August pulled out his own Holo Caster and handed it to you.
"Put your information in mine. I can take your PokéNav and call you when it's ready."
You weighed your options... This man was proving to be fairly normal, if a little mysterious, but he was still a stranger. Albeit, a stranger interesting enough that you wanted to get to know him better. He hadn't left you much room to ask him questions, but he had pulled basically your entire life's story out of you.
If you gave him your PokéNav, it would be a reason to see him again. And if this was a scam and you never saw it or him again... well, you could buy a new one if you went back to Hoenn. It wasn't really serving much of a purpose in your pocket in Kalos.
August showed you how to put your info into his Holo Caster and then you handed over the little yellow device that had been your life-line for pretty much your entire journey. You felt naked as you left the café without it, bid August a good night/morning, and wandered back to your hotel room where you promptly passed out in bed.
After spending an hour training with Absol first thing in the morning, you set out with Mightyena and Umbreon flanking you to find the Pokémon League Corporate Headquarters Building. Ramos had set up an appointment for you to meet with his League Representative to discuss the process of getting your gym approved and Ramos' license transferred to you.
"Please take a seat," the receptionist said as she ushered you into an office. "Jeremy will be in shortly."
You took a seat in one of the chairs next to the desk. Mightyena and Umbreon laid down at your feet and next to your chair. You looked around at the shelves and file cabinets in the room as you waited for Jeremy to appear.
The door burst open and a young man about your age rushed in.
"I apologize for being late! It’s wonderful to meet you!"
The man extended a hand to you as you stood up. You shook it and told him you hadn't been waiting long. His brown suit jacket and cream button-down shirt were rumpled and creased. He smoothed back his unruly hair as he sat down in the chair across from you and motioned for you to sit back down.
"Ramos tells me that you're his current candidate to take over his gym," Jeremy said.
"Well... I want to take his spot on the roster," you replied.
"Right, right," Jeremy said, pulling a folder out of a drawer by his desk. "Dark types, correct?"
You nodded.
"All right. So Ramos has initiated the process. He wanted me to go over what you can expect moving forward."
Jeremy pulled a couple of papers out of the folder and set them in front of you. The first was a form with your trainer information and Ramos' signature on it. The others were the opened letters from Brawly, Flannery, Chuck, Blaine, and Burgh that Ramos had kept.
"You have glowing recommendations from the gym leaders that you trained under," Jeremy said before putting the papers back into the folder and taking out another form. "I just need you to fill out this form with the dates you spent under each of them."
The form had been partially filled out with the gym leaders' names and your trainer information. He handed you a pen. As you filled out the form, he continued to explain the process:
"Normally, you would fill out this form and we would contact the gym leaders for recommendation letters. Ramos had these sent over with a carrier pidgey, which saves us time in contacting them. I will also need you to fill out this pokémon roster and experience form."
Jeremy put a second form in front of you.
"Once we have this information, we will have the Pokémon League review the application for approval and comments. We will also have you fill out a budget, design, and training plans for review. If you receive approval to begin the process, the first step will be to have Professor Sycamore perform physicals on all of your pokémon."
Jeremy sat back and let you finish filling out the forms. He turned to his computer and typed a couple of things on his keyboard. When you had finished filling out the forms and slid them back across the desk, he looked them over and nodded.
The monitor was pushed on a swivel arm around so that you could see the screen. Your original trainer profile picture, a fifteen-year-old version of you with a shit-eating grin stared back at you, next to your name, trainer ID number, and permanent address in Verdanturf Town. Lower down the screen was a record of all earned gym badges and entered league tournaments.
"Is this your information?" Jeremy asked.
You nodded.
"Great. We will need an updated photo and your permanent address is Kalos."
"I don't have one yet," you replied.
Jeremy played with the corner of your folder as he looked you over.
"How long are you expecting this process to take?"
You shrugged. Brawly had said it can take a few months to get everything settled once you had been approved. But he also cautioned that it could take a long time to get approval. Each step required a consensus from the League, and they only met every couple of months....
"A couple months?" you replied.
Jeremy sighed and shook his head.
"It typically takes about six months to get through the portion of the process that I explained. After that, you will be on a six month trial in an old gym here in Lumiose. Expect to be here in this city for at least a year if you continue to perform well. If you are selected as Ramos' replacement after you finish the trial period, then we discuss where you would like to establish your gym.
"My advice? Sign a lease. It's much cheaper than living out of a hotel for a year."
"Thank you," you replied.
"No problem. Here is my information. When you have an address in Kalos, send it to me. Our receptionist will help you update your trainer photo."
You left the League office feeling like you had gotten whiplash. You had a folder of forms you were supposed to fill out and return within 5 business days so they could finalize your application.
You added ‘gym plan and budget’, 'find a job', and 'find an apartment' to your ever growing to-do list as you stood in the central plaza and stared up at the tower in the center of the city. You had been told it was the pokémon gym. One day, hopefully very soon, you would get to create your own gym.
Mightyena bumped your hand in an attempt to get you to pet him. Umbreon leaned against your other side.
“We’re actually doing this,” you said aloud.
Your pokémon both grunted in anticipation. The three of you had started this journey together and it was all starting to come together. You let yourself bask in that feeling for a few moments before your stomach growled and reality came crashing back down around you. You weren’t there quite yet. There was more work to do.
You found a nearby bench and set your backpack down. You tucked the forms to fill out into the pouch with your computer. Old, tired, scartched, but still running, it served the purpose you needed.
Not wanting to be cooped up in your hotel room all day while you tried to hunt down a job and/or apartment, you wandered back to the little café where you had met August the previous night. The internet in the café was on the spotty side, but at least it was free.
After a couple of hours, you shut your computer in frustration. Apartment leases required jobs. Jobs required permanent addresses. How did people live in one spot for so long?
Traveling around and picking up odd jobs for cash when necessary felt way easier. The thought of putting down roots somewhere that wasn’t Verdanturf just felt… wrong. But, you wouldn’t be able to afford a hotel and meals out for a whole year. You needed a home base. Who knew there were so many hoops to renting a place though?
You decided to take a break from the hard stuff and pulled the folder of forms out of your bag, You also pulled your portfolio out and opened to your gym plans section. You silently thanked Brawly and Flannery for all of their help critiquing your plans. Gym layout, schedule, budget, and training offerings were already things you had planned out. It was just a matter of transferring the information to the application.
The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. Only Mightyena’s head on your lap and soft whine signaled that it was dinner time. You packed up and left the café with two hungry pokémon in tow.
Chapter 5: PokéNav
Notes:
Thank you MidyCute for the review! <3
Enjoy!!
Chapter Text
It had been a few days since your search for a job and apartment started and you were feeling defeated. Why was it so dang difficult?
Your Holo Caster was ringing when you got out of the shower. You dressed quickly and caught the caller before they hung up.
August appeared in the light and smiled. He was wearing a similar outfit of dark button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark pants. He was clean shaven. His dark hair was arranged much more neatly than the night you met.
“Ah! Cherí! Good evening!”
“Hello August!”
You couldn’t help but smile in response to such a warm and happy tone.
“I have wonderful news! My assistant had time today and your PokéNav is configured for our networks.”
“That’s wonderful! When can I get it from you?”
“I could meet you at La Lumiere in an hour?” he offered.
“That sounds great!”
Mightyena had a full belly and opted to sleep while you went to retrieve your PokéNav. You decided to head over early and see if you could make any more headway on jobs or apartments. You were coming up on a week in the hotel and the bill you were expecting made you shudder.
Umbreon, still attention starved from the boat ride to Kalos, accompanied you. When you entered the café, Umbreon made a beeline for the counter with pokémon treats and nuzzled his head under the barista’s hand.
“Get back here,” you chided as you walked over to the counter.
The barista laughed and gave Umbreon a quick pat on the head.
“It’s all good. What can I get you?”
You ordered a drink, paid, and looked around to make sure August wasn’t also early. There were pokémon and trainers of all different shapes, sizes, and ages, but you didn’t see the man you were looking for.
You picked a booth near the door and slid in. Umbreon hopped up next to you and laid down with his head in your lap. You opened your computer and resumed the job hunt while you waited, one hand typing on the computer and the other hand stroking Umbreon’s silky fur. He purred contentedly as you browsed the job listings.
“Good evening!” August said as he slid into the booth across from you.
You jumped and looked over at him with wide eyes. You had been so focused on your hunt that you hadn’t noticed him come in. When you jumped, Umbreon sat bolt upright and growled in his grogginess.
August held up his hands and chuckled.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Apologies to you both!”
As your heart rate settled, you smiled at him.
“My fault for being so focused,” you replied.
Umbreon shook the sleep from his fur and made a slightly embarrassed squeak before he slid under the table and popped up on the booth next to August. He sniffed August curiously.
The man’s attention was diverted to your pokémon.
“Well hello there!” August exclaimed.
August held his hand out for Umbreon to sniff. You watched the man interact with your pokémon like nothing else in the world existed. His entire attention shifted to Umbreon. His face and shoulders were relaxed and he had a smile on his face like he interacted with new pokémon all the time. His black bangs hid his eyes, but you were sure they were laser focused on Umbreon. You wondered again what his line of work was and resolved to ask when you got a chance.
For his part, Umbreon sniffed August’s hand briefly before he shoved his entire head under the man’s hand. August chuckled and scratched behind Umbreon’s ears.
“Your pokémon are remarkably friendly,” August said, returning his gaze to you.
His gray eyes caught the light, sparkling with happiness and maybe… admiration? His easy smile was still plastered on his face under the five o’clock shadow. You watched Umbreon move closer to August and lean heavily into the man’s chest and release a low, contented purr.
“Sometimes, they’re a little too friendly,” you replied with a smile and an eye roll as Umbreon began licking the man’s face.
August chuckled but didn’t discourage Umbreon’s affection.
“That’s the sign of a good trainer. Umbreon has no reason to fear people.”
You thought back to finding the starving, injured, skittish eevee in the woods outside Petalburg and just ‘hmm’ed’. It had been years, and you hoped Umbreon didn’t remember the time before you nursed him back to health. You had no way of knowing for sure that a trainer had abandoned him, but eevee weren’t native to that area.
“I sure hope so,” you replied as Umbreon’s purrs grew louder.
“You told me yesterday all of your grand plans, but never how you ended up specializing in dark types,” August said, turning his intense gray stare back to you.
“Accident?” you said.
August chuckled. “Accident? There must be more to it than that?”
“Well… I caught Mightyena when he was a poochyena. He was my first pokémon. Umbreon, as an eevee, was my second. He evolved into an Umbreon and it kind of felt like dark types were just meant to be.”
“Huh.”
August crossed his arms (much to Umbreon’s dismay) and leaned back against the booth.
“I have always thought type-specialized trainers had more reasoning behind it.”
You shrugged and said, “Maybe some do.”
Truth be told, it wasn’t until you had five dark-type or part dark-type pokémon that consisted of your full roster that you really thought hard about the typing.
“For me, it wasn’t. It just happened the pokémon I encountered and pursued were all dark types.”
“Fascinating.”
Umbreon stuck his nose under August’s elbow and forced his way into the man’s arms. August chuckled and rearranged to allow Umbreon onto his lap. You did your best to ignore his antics as you continued talking to August.
“Are your pokémon all different types, then?” you asked.
August grinned mischievously at you before saying, “What makes you think I have pokémon?”
You raised an eyebrow and pointed at Umbreon with your chin.
“Fair enough, cherí.”
He resumed stroking Umbreon’s back while the pokémon lay across his lap.
“Garchomp is my closest companion, but the rest of my pokémon are quite diverse.”
“That must be why you’re so good with pokémon,” you blurted out without really thinking. The back of your neck started to heat up as soon as the words left your mouth.
“That’s just years of practice,” August replied. “I’m sure you’re better with pokémon than you think.”
“It’s been years since I’ve added any to my team, I don’t know about that.”
“Pokémon can tell when you have good intentions.”
You didn’t reply. You weren’t quite sure what to say in response.
“Before I forget, I believe this belongs to you.”
August pulled your PokéNav from his pocket and slid it across the table.
You opened the device to find a map and the time on the front screen. Notifications in the bottom corner told you there were missed calls. You would look at those later. They were probably Flannery or Brawly wanting a status update on your journey. The familiar interface filled you with warmth.
“Thank you so much! How much do I owe him?” you asked.
You pulled out your wallet.
“No need. He enjoys it.”
“Well, please pass along my gratitude,” you said, tucking your PokéNav and wallet back into your bag.
“Of course.”
You wondered again what August did for a living. Especially since he had an assistant. Maybe he worked at a tech firm? That would explain the tech savvy assistant.
“Hey August?” you asked.
He looked up from petting Umbreon and hummed in acknowledgement.
“Are you a trainer? Good with pokémon, a roster, and you seem to know a lot about the leagues…”
“I used to be,” he replied. He smiled wistfully. “Garchomp and I spent years traveling together.”
“What made you stop traveling?”
“I found something I was more passionate about. And it’s easier to do living in one spot.”
Before you could ask him what that passion was, his Holo Caster began ringing.
“I’m sorry cherí, I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to take this. I will be right back.”
Umbreon reluctantly allowed August to leave and moved back into your lap.
“You little attention hog,” you whispered to the pokémon as you scratched his favorite spot behind the ear.
For some reason, the realization that being a gym leader meant being stationary hit you all at once. You hadn’t had a true permanent address for your teenage years or your adult life up to that point.
You thought about Ramos wanting to travel again before he got too old. You had never really thought about the implications of not being a trainer anymore before this moment. You had been so singularly focused on wracking up experience to become a gym leader, the thought of not traveling anymore hadn’t really occurred to you.
The sound of your name snapped you back to reality. August stood at the edge of the table with a slight frown on his face.
“There’s been an emergency at work and I need to go. But I would very much like to continue our conversation. Can I see you again?”
You felt your cheeks heat up at the words and smiled. You hoped you didn’t look like a maniac or that you answered “Absolutely!” too aggressively.
“Fantastic! Until next time!” August grabbed your hand, kissed it, and gave you a kiss on each cheek. He patted Umbreon on the head before rushing out of the door.
You touched your cheek where his lips had touched in a daze. Had he really just done that and run off?
After a week of absolute silence following your meeting with the Pokémon League, you were getting antsy. You knew it would take time, but you hadn’t anticipated how excruciating the wait would be. The hotel was a nice home base, but you had spent the last few days going to La Lumiere in hopes of finding a job listing or apartment listing with no luck. It felt silly to keep burning money on the hotel, so you packed up, checked out, and headed towards the nearest gate. If you had to wait for a call, you at least wanted to be exploring and training. Plus, camping was free.
While Mightyena and Umbreon had gotten comfortable wandering around Lumiose City with you, none of your other pokémon had wanted to spend time in the city. Another excellent reason to get out of the city for a few days and give the rest of your roster the one-on-one time they needed and hasn’t received with all of your focus on the goals on job and apartment. Your pangoro in particular needed more attention than most of your pokémon. His past made him skittish when he went too long without interacting with strangers.
Once the walls of Lumiose were no longer visible through the trees, you found a clearing and let the bear pokémon out of his pokéball. With a yawn that sounded more like a roar, Buddy emerged from his pokéball and stretched. When he saw you, he rushed forward and pulled you into a bear hug before setting you back down.
You laughed happily and smiled at him.
“A little better than the city, huh?” you asked him.
The twig in his mouth twitched as he surveyed the area. He turned back to you with a grunt and a nod. His ears moved back and forth on his head as he listened to the sounds of the forest
“Are you up for some exploring?” you asked.
With another excited grunt, Buddy took off in a direction away from Lumiose. You followed. You needed to stay close-ish to the city, but a couple days of exploring in the forest would do you both some good. With no agenda, you were perfectly content to let the pokémon lead.
Buddy stopped at a fruit tree and proceeded to pick the berries off the bottom branches and eat them. When you got close, he handed one to you before resuming his mission. You set you pack on the ground and sat down at the base of the tree.
The sun was coming through the trees, making it the perfect temperature. There was a slight breeze. You were outside. You closed your eyes, intending to enjoy the sun on your face through the leaves and fell asleep.
“Holy shit! It’s a pangoro!”
Buddy growled.
“I didn’t know they came this close to the city!’
“I’ve always wanted one.”
“Well, see if you can catch it!”
The commotion slowly brought you out of your dreams as Buddy made a distressed whine followed by an angry growl. You opened your eyes to Buddy’s back and two young trainers across the field with pokémon out in front of them. They must not have been able to see you.
The little frog pokémon across the clearing launched an attack. Normally, Buddy would have dodged it, but the water gun would have hit you if he moved. Ever the protector, he didn’t move. He took the stream of water to the face and growled even more angrily before starting a charge towards the two pokémon.
“Buddy!” you called, scrambling to get up and get visible to the trainers.
Buddy faltered at your voice, allowing the other pokémon, an ivysaur, to wrap its vines around his middle.
“Hey, there’s a person over there,” one of the trainers said, pointing over to you.
“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to take a nap by a berry tree?” the other one called. “This pangoro could have murdered you!”
Buddy thrashed around enough to break the ivysaur’s hold on him and moved between you and the trainers.
“Except he’s my pokémon,” you replied, stepping forward and putting a hand on Buddy’s arm.
Buddy looked down at you and grunted. You looked up at Buddy. His fists were balled and his jaw was set. Water from the watergun attack dripped from his fur, but he seemed otherwise unphased by the attacking pokémon.
“Seriously?” the trainer with the frog pokémon groaned. “Aw man. I wanted him.”
Buddy’s muscles tensed under your hand and you cooed at him.
“Don’t worry, you’re not going anywhere,” you whispered under your breath.
“Well he’s not for trade,” you said more loudly.
“We meant no offense!” one of the boys said, waving his hands back and forth in a placating gesture.
The ivysaur and the frog pokémon (you really needed to get your PokéDex updated) had relaxed from battle positions and had wandered back to their trainers.
“Yeah! He just looks so strong!”
The pair started walking across the clearing to meet you and you moved in front of Buddy to intercept them.
“We’ve been training together for a long time,” you told the pair of trainers.
“Sorry for assuming your pangoro was wild,” the trainer with the ivysaur said.
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to. Buddy, come here a minute.”
The pangoro groaned, but lumbered over to where the three of you were standing. The trainers looked confused, but eventually apologized and went on their way.
Buddy watched suspiciously as they walked away, chattering amongst themselves again as they continued on their way.
“They’re young,” you told Buddy.
He growled in response.
“That’s fair. Attacking is attacking. But they weren’t going to chain you up.”
Buddy growled again.
“Their pokémon didn’t look abused. There are other trainers aside from me who are good.”
This was a conversation you had with the pokémon after every encounter with other pokémon trainers. He just didn’t trust them. Getting him to trust Professor Elm and Professor Birch well enough for either to touch him had been a painful process. Hell, getting him to trust you enough to let you touch him had been no small feat.
“Now that you’ve had some time to move around and work your muscles, let’s take a look at that paw.”
Buddy plopped down in the shade of the berry tree and offered you the malformed paw. It didn’t matter how many times you massaged it, the pit of disgust in your stomach for the monster who had owned Buddy before still festered.
You kneaded the scar tissue on the palm for a few minutes. Buddy grunted in pain once but was otherwise still. You worked his fingers, gently opening them as far as they would extend and holding there to stretch them.
When you were done massaging the paw, he opened and closed the fingers a few times. He took the twig from his mouth with the damaged paw and shoved another berry in his mouth with the healthy one. You smiled. In the years you had been together, his paw had gone from absolutely useless to mildly usable. When you first started working with him, even taking the twig from his mouth would have been impossible.
You checked you PokéNav for his medicine schedule and noticed the missed calls you still hadn’t returned. You made a mental note to check those that evening before pulling the medicine case from your bag. Buddy made a high pitched squeak of excitement that should not belong to a pokémon as large or intimidating as he was. He made that noise every time the case came out.
“Okay, okay, you little drug addict. Give me a chance to get it set up.”
You opened the case and took out a clean syringe. You filled the syringe and then held your hand out for his paw. Pangoro let out a long, contented sigh of relief as the medicine began to work its magic.
After administering the medicine, you inspected your supplies to make sure everything was still sealed. You had refilled the prescription right before leaving so you wouldn't need to hit the pokémon center for a refill when you got to Kalos. Buddy got a shot once a week, so that gave you plenty of time to hide from your adulting problems and the looming decision from the Pokémon League before you had to return to Lumiose.
You went back to enjoying the summer afternoon and your pangoro went back to foraging. This time, you made sure not to fall asleep. Without a set agenda or destination, you decided to just pitch a tent in the clearing you had been hanging out in all morning. You needed to stick relatively close to the city, just in case the league called with their decision.
Chapter 6: Hiking
Notes:
Thank you MidyCute and HannahDaniel1 for your reviews! Much appreciated!
Hope you all enjoy some flirty antics. ;)
Chapter Text
As you had suspected, most of the missed calls on the PokéNav were Flannery. There was also one from your mom, from Professor Birch, and from Brawly. Knowing that Flannery would be the longest of the calls, you started with your mom. She was happy to hear you had made it safe and sound. A bit annoyed that you hadn’t found a way to call her immediately, but supportive as always. Your dad took the phone for just a minute to say hello, wish you good luck, and remind you to check in more so your mother doesn’t worry.
Next, you called Professor Birch.
“Ah! Good to hear from you,” he said when he picked up.
“How are you, Professor?” you asked.
“Good, good. I heard a little rumor that you ran off to Kalos?” he replied.
You flinched. Your parents only knew because you were home in Verdanturf when Brawly called you. So… they had been there while you were packing. You had been putting the thought that you just up and disappeared on a few people out of your mind while you sorted out the options…
“Um… yeah,” you replied.
“And? Did you get your gym?” he pressed.
“Not exactly… There’s an application process.”
“Leave it to Kalos to make things complicated,” the Professor said with a chuckle.
"Yeah. So, did you have a specific reason you tried to call me earlier, Professor?"
"Oh yes, I wanted to check in on Buddy's treatment..."
You and the professor talked specifics on the physical therapy and medicine. He was a little concerned about how dependent and/or eager Buddy seemed to be for another dose, but you ultimately decided to maintain the current regimen. Eventually, he bid you adieu, and you moved to the next person on your list: Brawly.
"Hey babe. I wondered when you'd call!"
Brawly's surfer drawl simultaneously warmed your heart for the familiarity and made it break a little at the thought you wouldn't be seeing him as often.
"Hey Brawly," you replied.
"So? Good news? We celebrating?"
"Kind of? What do you know about Kalos' gym leader application process?" you asked.
"Just that it's gnarly, babe."
You explained what you had been told about the process, and then you thanked Brawly profusely for helping you put together your portfolio a year before when it looked like Pryce might be retiring.
"You'll crush it! Flan and I are rooting for you, babe."
"How mad is she...?"
Brawly sighed and paused. Even though you were on the phone, you could imagine him scratching the back of his head with a screwed up look of concentration as he tried to figure out how to lie before finally giving up...
"I didn't think when I told you about Ramos that you would just up and leave. Not a word to either of us. Not cool."
"I... you know how long I've been waiting for this."
"And we're behind you 100%. It's just, a heads up and a goodbye would've been nice."
You could hear a bit of hurt in Brawly's voice. He was sucking on his cheek as he spoke, giving it a bit of a childish quality.
The lead had been such a singular focus. You could taste your gym. It was going to happen. But, you'd neglected your two closest friends.
"I didn't think I could go through with it if you or Flan asked me to stay. I couldn't risk it."
"I get it babe. I'd never ask you to give it up. But we love you and radio silence hurts."
Even though Brawly meant love like a friend, the years long crush still went zing to the heart. That was why you couldn't tell Brawly before you left. If he had said love when you went to say goodbye, you would have stayed and waited and hoped his affections changed from friend to lover. Your traitorous heart was just as interested in a human partner as a gym.
"I know. I'm really sorry. I'll come back to Hoenn to visit when I can."
"Righteous! And keep me in the loop on your application!"
You fell into a comfortable conversation about how things were going. How strange some of the Kalosian mannerisms were compared to Hoenn.
By the time you ended your call with Brawly, it was late. You would have to call Flannery the next day. She had already waited this long... and she was going to yell at you. It was not a conversation you were looking forward to. Impulsivity had won and now you were across the world, in a strange region, alone, hoping beyond a hope that maybe, just maybe, you could be a gym leader.
You spent a few days training in the woods and it felt good for your soul and your bond with your pokémon. After a particularly intense session, you let the pokémon take an afternoon nap while you started tidying camp. As you were gathering firewood, your PokéNav began chiming. Seconds later, your Holo Caster started ringing. You pulled both devices from your pockets, silenced the PokéNav (You still hadn't worked up the nerve to accept Flannery’s calls), and answered the Holo Caster.
August’s hologram said your name happily.
“Good afternoon!”
“August! Afternoon,” you replied. While you weren’t upset to see he was the one calling, you were a little disappointed that it wasn’t the Pokémon League. It had been a 50/50 shot, after all.
You must have been more transparent than you expected because August noticed.
“Is everything okay? Did I call at a bad time?”
“Oh no. Sorry! I was just hoping it was the league calling.”
He nodded in understanding and stroked his chin. His eyebrows knit together in a frown as his mouth twisted in a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, his expression changed to one of triumph. He snapped his fingers and his smile grew into a tooth-exposing grin.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“I’ll be out training,” you replied.
“Perfect! I’m headed down Route 16 tomorrow. It would be an excellent training hike, and I would love the company. It would take your mind off of the Pokémon League for a few hours. What do you say?” he asked, dazzling you with a huge smile.
His gray eyes sparkled even in the hologram and his grin spread from ear to ear. He watched you hopefully and you wondered if this was why he had called in the first place? It felt a little spur of the moment from his earlier expression.
Truth be told, you had been so singularly focused on training to avoid thinking about the decision looming over your head and out of your control that you could use some human interaction. You were embarrassed to say that you had almost completely forgotten about the man while you were off in the woods.
“Sure,” you said with a shrug. Worst case scenario, you burned an afternoon. “What time should I meet you?” you asked.
You and August coordinated for the following day and you spent the rest of the afternoon antsy for a whole different reason. What had August originally called for? You had been so focused on making plans that you had forgotten to ask him. Was this a date? The thought made your stomach turn flips for both good and bad reasons. If it was a date… well… you hadn’t had a proper shower in a week.
And did you want it to be a date? Your stomach warmed at the thought and then Brawly flashed into your mind and it felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped over your head. Yeah sure… Brawly had only ever been a friend. You still felt a weird loyalty to him. A hike with a man didn’t need to mean date, though, right? You were allowed to make friends!
And friends… didn’t like to smell a week’s worth of sweat and grime of their friends. So, even though it wasn’t a date, you still resolved to clean yourself up. After scouting a river to at least attempt to rinse the grime away, you ended up in a splash fight with Buddy. Soaked head to toe, your clothes also got an impromptu washing.
The next day, you put on your cleanest set of clothes and headed to the meeting spot. When you entered the gate between Lumiose City and Route 16, you caught your reflection in the mirror and had a moment of panic. You looked like you’d slept on the ground the night before. Okay, you had, but you wanted to be presentable for your new friend. You smelled OK after your river romp, but you quickly dove into a public restroom to see what you could salvage of your hair.
It turned out you probably hadn’t needed to worry about looking too presentable. August waved at you enthusiastically and called your name. You hadn’t recognized him in casual clothes. The man had on a t-shirt, vest, and cargo shorts, a far cry from the more professional outfits you had seen before. He wore a wide-brimmed, floppy hat and was grinning from ear to ear.v “So happy you could make it!” August said as you got closer.
“Thank you for the invitation!”
“Of course, cherí. No helpers today?” August pointed at your belt of pokéballs.
“Oh, no. Umbreon and Mightyena trained hard yesterday, so they’re resting.”
August nodded and smiled. He hefted the backpack on his back.
“Well then, are you ready?”
You nodded and the two of you headed off.
“So, what are we looking for?” you asked.
“Mega Stones and Key Stones. A trainer said they found a few on this route,” August replied.
“What are ‘Mega Stones’ and ‘Key Stones’?” you asked.
You weren’t familiar with the terms.
“Have you heard of Mega Evolution?” August asked.
You shook your head.
He chuckled.
“Oh, cherí, you really are a long way from home.”
Your face flushed. You had told August you dropped everything to come over when you found out about Ramos. Now you were embarrassed at how little you knew about this region. Truth be told, the other regions you had visited were all relatively close together and pretty similar in how things operated. Kalos had been very different thus far.
“I guess it was a little reckless to rush here without doing any research…” you replied.
You scratched the back of your head and looked anywhere but at August.
“I’m not chiding you,” he remarked with a chuckle. “Although you are quite cute when you are flustered.”
You flushed harder and continued to look anywhere but August. He couldn’t actually be flirting, could he? You didn’t say anything in response and just watched your feet as the two of you continued for a couple awkward beats of silence.
“In all seriousness, I admire your passion and focus on your goal. I’m trying to gauge your understanding so I know where to start.”
“Well… pretend you're explaining it to a kid for the first time?” you offered, grateful to latch on to a topic other than you.
August chuckled again before diving into an explanation of Mega Evolution and the strange stones that allowed it to happen. While the inner workings of pokémon evolution had never been particularly interesting to you, August was just so… passionate about it.
You found yourself wrapped up in his explanations and theories as you walked. His hands gestured excitedly and his eyes sparkled. He looked back at you often as you two walked single file down a trail that looked more like a pokémon trail than an official part of the route between cities.
“So is Mega Evolution that passion you were talking about?” you asked when he had wrapped up his explanation.
“One of them,” he replied with a nod.
You weren’t sure if August was trying to be mysterious or if he was just a private person, but you wanted to know what the other passions were.
“And do any of your pokémon have that ability?” you asked.
August sighed. He stopped and put one hand on his hip and scratched his head with the other.
“Not yet.”
“Oh…”
You felt a pang of sadness for August. The man was clearly obsessed with this phenomena and couldn’t demonstate it with his own pokémon. That situation would have frustrated you to no end.
“It’s quite all right! None of the pokémon I traveled with as a trainer have the ability to Mega Evolve. And it’s much more difficult to forge that kind of bond with a pokémon when you’re not traveling and battling together.”
You supposed that was a little better. The two of you walked on in silence for a few minutes before August stopped at the edge of a clearing. You came out into the clearing to stand next to him. In front of you was the mouth of a cave.
“Here we are! Ready for a little training with our adventure?” August asked as he pulled a pokéball from his belt and released the ampharos inside. It made a happy noise when it spotted August.
“You did promise there would be training,” you replied, selecting a pokéball from your belt. The flash of red revealed your zoroark. When she took form, she pumped the air with her claws and let out an excited howl. August’s ampharos looked less than pleased as it moved away from Zoroark and towards its trainer.
Ever the troublemaker, Zoroark dropped to all fours and wandered towards the ampharos. She was clearly trying to make the other pokémon uncomfortable
“I don’t think it wants to be friends,” you told the pokémon.
Zoroark looked over at you and her mouth turned to a pout. Her fur slowly turned yellow and her muzzle widened as her illusion took over and a second ampharos stood in the clearing.
“Incredible! I’ve never seen a zoroark in person before!” August said, moving toward Zoroark. She happily accepted the attention.
"Don't admire her too much, she'll get even more of an ego," you said with a chuckle as the zoroark did a twirl for August.
Zoroark glared at you briefly before turning her attention back to her admirer.
"Did you find her during your time in Unova?" August asked as he circled the pokémon, looking for a break in the illusion.
It took you a minute to remember that you had told him that level of detail about your travels. You flushed slightly at the fact he remembered after one conversation and a warm tingle spread across your body.
"Actually, my parents breed rare pokémon. I hatched her."
"Impressive! So you have experience breeding?"
Your face flushed immediately at his wording. You knew what he meant, but the way he phrased it brought a thought of August shirtless standing over you to mind. August's brows knit together and the corners of his mouth pulled down in confusion at your reaction.
"What…" he trailed off as his phrasing dawned on him and he began laughing.
This laughter was not the soft chuckles you had heard before, but full on laughing. It was deep and musical, and you couldn't resist joining in. As you two laughed at the double entendre, the heat receded from your face and ears.
"Oh man, I haven't laughed that hard in a while," you said as the laughter died naturally.
August nodded agreement.
Ampharos and Zoroark (still looking like an ampharos) were looking at you both like you'd grown a second head. You caught August's attention and pointed at the pokémon which sent you both into another fit of laughter.
Chapter 7: Pangoro
Notes:
Thank you MidyCute for reviewing!! Please enjoy some flirty moments! ;)
Chapter Text
"Thank you so much for the invitation," you said to August as you arrived back at the gate to Lumiose. You needed to find a spot to camp before it got dark.
"It was my pleasure," August replied with a smile. He didn't stop walking when you did. He looked over his shoulder when he noticed you weren't next to him anymore before turning around to face you.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing at all! I’ve just been camping out this week. I've had my fill of the city for a little bit."
August looked at you thoughtfully for a moment before his eyes darted off to your left and then back to you.
"Do you have a spot picked already?"
You shook your head. You usually let Buddy do the picking, but you weren't ready to introduce him to August. The pangoro was weird around men, and his deformity made the both of you self conscious about strangers' judgments.
"I was hoping to walk you back to your hotel..." August admitted.
He smiled at you and seemed to think for a moment. The minute a new idea dawned on his face, his smile went from pleasant to radiant.
"Would you like some help setting up camp? I know a good spot not far from here."
Truth be told, while conversation was awkward between the two of you at times, you hadn't quite been ready to say goodbye yet, either. It had been a very good, very fun day of exploring caves. August had even found what he thought was a key stone.
"That would be awesome!"
August led the way to a clearing with a stream not too far away. The ground was flat and not a rock in site - huge plus for a night in a tent.
He helped you pitch your tent, gather firewood, and started water on the fire for tea. You both sat cross-legged on the grass across the fire from each other. August had pulled out some snacks from his pack and seemed to be arranging them onto a plate he had also pulled from his pack.
"I had planned to asked you to dinner for a proper date this evening when we got to your hotel," August said casually while he was arranging the snacks. "But I suppose this will have to do."
Your neck and ears and cheeks had gone very hot at the word "date". You were a grown-ass woman, but men and dating... that wasn't something you were particularly experienced with if your years-long crush on Brawly without making a move was any indication. Sure, you'd been on the occasional casual date with another trainer. You'd even gone back to their hotel room on occasion after enough liquid courage.
You simultaneously wondered just how much older August was than you and chided yourself for not being more grown-up. Being a trainer and/or living at home your entire life had not set you up for the way this man said “date”. It felt like it was more serious, more adult. You gulped. Maybe… this had been a mistake.
August set the paper plate on the ground. The plate held some trail mix, grapes, a string cheese torn into pieces, and a crumbled granola bar. He brushed his black bangs out of his eyes with one hand and smiled at you.
Your musings stopped when your mind singularly focused on August’s face in the firelight. Whispers of stubble, defined jaw, piercing gray eyes… Fuck, he was hot.
"Are you okay?" August dropped the hand from his hair and leaned towards you.
You thanked the stars there was a camp fire between you. You also thanked the stars when your PokéNav started ringing out the alarm to massage Buddy's paw. You were not ready, willing, or able to sort through and articulate your racing thoughts.
It took you a few tries to get the thing to turn off. You dropped it once in your flustered attempts to turn it off.
"I-I'm fine," you managed.
You stood up and August followed suit.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," August said.
He bent and picked up his little paper plate of snacks.
"I apologize. I should go."
"No!" you said, a little louder than you had meant to. "I-I mean, please stay. 'Date' caught me by surprise. But in a good way. Please don't go. Oh man, I'm terrible at this. I haven't dated what with traveling all the time and-"
August said your name softly. His frown and furrowed brow relaxed into a small, soft smile. He put a hand on your shoulder reassuringly. You could feel the warmth through your shirt and it made it hard to focus on what he was saying as you stared at his lips. Did dates end in kisses? Could this date? Was... date?
You couldn’t even form complete sentences in your thoughts, you were so flustered. Did you want this to be a date? You suddenly weren’t sure.
"Relax," August said.
His voice was quiet, but the low rumble of it reverberated in your chest through his hand.
"Breathe."
You took a deep breath. August dropped his hand and gave you a lopsided grin.
"You're just fine at 'this'."
August emphasized the word with finger quotes.
"I would like to get to know you better," he said. "It can just be dinner if a date makes you uncomfortable."
Your stomach dropped a little in disappointment, but your heart slowed down a little more now that August wasn't touching you. The spot where his hand had been was still warm and tingly from the pressure. After a minute, you nodded.
"Not a date tonight," you said a little too quickly with a whoosh of air as you exhaled.
He nodded in acceptance.
"But not not a date always," you amended. "Maybe. I don’t know.”
“No strings, cherí. You’re quite interesting and make excellent company. A date is a bonus, but if it flusters you, it can wait.”
His smile returned. While you were both standing, August was at least a head taller than you. He crouched to eye level and smirked.
“Although you are incredibly cute when you are flustered.”
Your heart went back into overdrive and you cursed yourself. You were a grown ass woman. You needed to pull yourself together.
“Next time? Shower? When I know… date?” you choked out, trying to ignore the burning that had spread all the way to the tips of your ears.
“Shower together? That’s a little forward, cherí,” August said, raising an eyebrow to tease you.
You made a gurgling noise and turned away from him. This caused him to laugh more.
“Too much teasing,” he said with a chuckle. “Understood. Yes, next time we can both shower. I’m not the most presentable for a date at the moment either.”
You took a moment to gather your thoughts and take a couple deep breaths. August left you alone to your racing heart for the moment. And then your PokéNav alarm went off again. You must have hit snooze, not stop.
"Do you need to get that?" August asked.
"It's an alarm for physical therapy with one of my pokémon," you replied as you shut the device off this time.
The reminder that Buddy needed PT was helping you feel less flustered.
"Sounds important. Please. Don't let me stop you."
You thought about it for a moment. Buddy didn't do super well with strangers, but he'd have to get over that when you got your gym. August felt low stakes, and your other pokémon had loved him so far. You hadn't intended to introduce them, but you weren't ready for August to leave.
“He… is super skittish. And he doesn’t do well with adult men.”
August raised an eye as a question.
“Should I leave?” he asked.
“No! Would you actually… would you mind staying? He needs to get over this before we’re leading a gym.”
“Happy to help if it means I get a few more moments with you,” August said with a wink.
You ignored the burning in your cheeks as you instructed August to sit down on the far side of the fire and not to move.
The pangoro let out his usually roar when he left his pokéball. He grunted happily at you, scooped you up and twirled you once. The twig in his mouth bounced up and down as he surveyed the location.
"I had some different help picking a location today," you told the pokémon, gesturing over to August.
Buddy's shoulders stiffened and he let out a long, low growl of warning.
"Be nice," you told the pokémon. "This is August. He's a friend."
Buddy growled again.
To August's credit, the man just smiled and waved at the large bear pokémon from his seat across the fire.
"Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm August."
Buddy grunted.
"He's not going anywhere and it's time for your stretches. Now sit."
Buddy looked at you, snuck another glare and growl at August, and then thumped his butt to the ground. He held out his paw for you. It had been hidden by his body from August's view until that point. August frowned at the deformity and his mouth drew into a small thin line.
You braced yourself for questions, but none came as you massaged the paw the same as every night. You talked quietly to Buddy about the incremental progress each day. You had him try to hold different items from your pack with varying levels of success.
August sat quietly, unmoving, during the whole session. About halfway through, Buddy stopped growling at August and focused on you.
"Are you going to be nice or do I need to put you back in your pokéball?" you asked the pokémon after you had finished the exercises.
You handed Buddy a piece of bread to eat. In response to your question, the pangoro grunted. He tore off a piece of bread and handed it to you. He then tore another piece off and popped it in his mouth. He glowered at August but didn’t growl.
“Could I have a piece, Pangoro?” August asked.
Buddy growled and you corrected August.
“So incredibly sorry, Buddy. I did not mean to offend,” August said.
The bear pokémon continued to glare at August until you elbowed him. He tore off a chunk of bread and reluctantly handed it to August across the fire.
"Thank you," August said and gingerly took the bread from Buddy's paw.
"Good," you said, patting the pokémon on the arm.
"That's quite the involved therapy session," August commented before taking a bite from the bread.
"Professor Elm and Chuck, the Cianwood Gym Leader, helped me with it. When we started, Buddy couldn't even open his paw enough to grab anything."
"Impressive!" August looked at the pokémon. "You have come a long way!"
Buddy grunted agreement.
"Pangoro are native to Kalos, right?" you asked. It was one of the few things you had known about the region before setting sail.
August nodded.
"Did you trade for him? I'm not aware of other regions where they can be found wild," August commented.
You nodded your head side to side to indicate he was kind of right.
"Not so much traded as rescued. Although his former trainer would probably call it stealing."
"I'm guessing that's where that happened?" August motioned to Buddy's paw with his chin.
You put a hand on Buddy's arm and stroked his fur. You nodded and Buddy made a sad gurgling noise in his throat before flexing the small paw again.
"Not all of my pokémon have the happy-go-lucky attitude and love-everybody mentality that Mightyena and Umbreon have."
August shifted and reached for his backpack. Buddy stiffened and watched the man intently as August pulled something out of a pocket on the bag. A low growl was building in the back of the pokémon’s throat.
"Just more snacks," August said, pointing to the empty plate you and he had been snacking on.
"I can make a real dinner if you want," you said.
“That sounds delightful, but,” August looked at his watch “alas, I should probably be heading home soon.”
Your heart sank a little in disappointment, which just confused your already confused emotions more. This was not a date.
“But, these are snacks for Buddy if he can have them.”
August held the roll out and Buddy grabbed it before you could say anything. He sniffed it once and then ate the whole roll in one.
"Buddy!"
"It's all right. I have more."
Buddy grunted excitedly and held out his paws for another roll.
"Not with me," he said to the pokémon.
Buddy whined in disappointment, his ears and the twig in his mouth drooping.
August chuckled.
“It just means you’ll be excited to see me next time,” August told the pokémon.
The thought of a next time warmed your heart.
August stood up. You stood up too, wiping grass from your butt. In the time since you found the spot and now, it had gotten dark.
"Thank you for a lovely day and evening," August said as he gathered all his things back into the pack.
"Thank you for the invitation!" you replied. "Are you okay to walk back alone?"
"Of course. I have Ampharos!" August released the pokémon.
"Okay, well, safe travels home," you said.
You hugged yourself to try and stifle the awkwardness of the end to this not-date that could have been a date.
"May I?" August held his arms wide for a hug but didn't move toward you.
"Of course," you replied, feeling the heat creeping up your neck again.
You walked into his embrace.
"Until next time, cherí," he said.
It was a quick hug and a kiss on each cheek and he was gone. The kisses on the cheek left you reeling for a few moments as you tried to calm your beating heart. Maybe that was a Kalosian thing to kiss cheeks? You made a note to ask him about it and also what ‘cherí’ meant next time you saw him.
MidyCute on Chapter 1 Tue 19 Aug 2025 03:00PM UTC
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Zavoj on Chapter 1 Thu 21 Aug 2025 04:26AM UTC
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MidyCute on Chapter 2 Sat 23 Aug 2025 09:49PM UTC
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Zavoj on Chapter 2 Sat 30 Aug 2025 02:48PM UTC
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MidyCute on Chapter 3 Thu 11 Sep 2025 04:29PM UTC
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MidyCute on Chapter 5 Sat 13 Sep 2025 01:50AM UTC
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MidyCute on Chapter 6 Tue 23 Sep 2025 03:34PM UTC
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