if you'll allow it
summary: "This is a cool place you have here." A series of character interactions centered around the protagonist's villa in platinum.
verse: game
notes: This is something a little experimental, and something I've wanted to start for a while: a series about character interactions in the protagonist's villa in platinum. The Sinnoh gym leader/npc characters and relationships have always intrigued me, so I'll be exploring them a little here as I get back in the funk of writing. The title is a reference to something a lot of the leaders say before entering, usually along the lines of "I'd like to have a rest, if you'll allow it" or "Let me come in, if you'll allow it."
The night was still, silent. Nothing broke the inky blackness save a single pokemon and trainer, floating leisurely over the Battle Zone after a particularly rough day of training in the caves of Mt. Iron. The young champion had managed to end the day with only a few scrapes and bruises, but a general soreness in her joints and muscles had set in far too deeply and she knew it was time for a rest.
As the floating pair approached the Resort Area, Hikari gingerly sat up from her laying position on top of drifblim, grimacing as she felt every bruise as deeply as if the impact was happening all over again. The blimp pokemon began to deflate, and Hikari gradually slid off of his vinyl-like form and onto the soft grass beside the clean, white villa. Her clean, white villa. It hadn't began to feel like home yet. She decided it was partly due to a lack of furniture and partly due to the overwhelming aura of 'cleanliness' it exuded. The brunette shook her head to clear it and went inside.
Flipping the light on, she scrutinized the large space, empty save a luxurious bed, one large table and one dozing infernape in the corner of the room. She smiled warmly as he cracked one eye open and went back to sleep. The floor was spotless, glossy and unscuffed. The warm, golden hue of the walls was admittedly attractive, but a little lonely with no paintings or photos hanging. She sighed deeply, feeling a familiar pang of homesickness as her drifblim floated aimlessly inside, mimicking her sigh and nuzzling up to his master's cheek, now a manageable size.
"Ah!" Hikari started, as she felt the static building between the two of them. She giggled and ran an affectionate hand over the tufts of white puff on his head before returning him to his ball. He was a fantastic flier and partner, and had proved himself invaluable in her fight against the Elite Four and ultimately Cynthia. And now he played a crucial role in both the commute to the Pokemon League and for taking down the brave and skilled trainers who made it to her door. He was one of her champions.
Ah well, even champions deserved a good night's rest.
She had just turned to lock the door when suddenly it flew back open, knocking her back and onto the carpet behind her. She yelped in pain as one gloved hand flew to her forehead, knocking off her hat in the process.
"Chaaa~!" Her infernape was definitely asleep no longer, launching himself fully at the intruder and knocking him on his back. Hikari leaped to her feet.
"Wahhhh! Chaka!"
Her eyes widened and her face flushed at the same time Chaka recognized the boy, the one who'd been with her through it all (or, one step ahead of her, rather).
"Sorry," Jun sheepishly muttered, looking a little foolish with the fire monkey pinning him down. "I should have knocked."
Chaka hopped off with a indignant cry and hoisted Jun to his feet unceremoniously. The two watched as he stalked back to his corner and slumped down, clearly aggravated to have woken up for nothing.
Jun chuckled."I saw Boo and I couldn't resist coming to see your new place," he explained, eyes moving behind her to get a good look inside the villa. He whistled low and appreciatively. "So this is what becoming Champion gets you..."
Hikari pulled at the hem of her dress coat self-consciously, glancing around the empty space. "It's okay," she mumbled. To say she was surprised to see him was an understatement, especially so late at night. Was he waiting for her?
No, she must be imagining things.
He whirled around, surprise etching onto his handsome features. "It's okay?! It's huge! Just wait till you get some furniture in here, it'll be fantastic! Look, you could set up a tv and stereo system over here, and get yourself some nice couches around the table-nobody uses chairs anymore, right?-and hey, might as well throw up some paintings or a bookshelf for that nerd Kouki, not that he'll ever be allowed over..."
Hikari smiled softly listening to his banter. Jun had a knack for pulling her out of her own head, and truthfully the villa was a wonderful surprise. His furniture talk gradually trailed off, and he turned to look at her thoughtfully, with a smile on his face.
"This is a cool place you have here. I've kind of got to like it, so I'll drop in for no reason at all from now on!" He placed a hand on his hip and grinned expectantly at her.
"Sure," she agreed, "you can help me place the furniture."
Yes, that felt safe. Official furniture placer Jun. He chuckled and flushed, as if suddenly realizing it was extremely late and they were alone in an under-developed villa together. She wondered if he'd been training, taking in his broadening shoulders and athletic build. She was still a slip of a thing, petite to a fault.
"I can't believe you managed a place like this while I'm stuck with my dad over at the Battle Tower." He mused, eyes closing and brows knitting together.
"I didn't ask for it," she smiled softly.
He cracked one eye open to look at her lazily. "Hikari, you just don't get it. You just have to smile and you can get whatever you want."
She shrugged, a little helplessly.
"Sometimes I wonder, if we'd never met the Professor, where we'd be now."
Chaka stirred in the corner and Hikari eyed him thoughtfully. He was her most faithful companion, the one who truly had been with her since the beginning. Her journey to the top wouldn't have been the same, and she knew there was no way she could have defeated Cyrus without him. Her gray eyes silently shifted to Jun, who was staring back at her equally hard.
"Together," she decided. At least they'd be together.
His eyebrows shot up and a lazy grin settled on his face. She realized that even with Chaka, the true partner beside her had been Jun all this time. Always pushing her to her limits and pulling her behind him, shouting to keep up. She remembered the moment when they both realized she had surpassed him, quietly, and reached the pinnacle of both of their goals. Even as he watched her walk ahead of him, he never stopped pushing her forward. She didn't think he ever would. Above all the glitz and glamor of being crowned Champion, she still sought him out. This might be what lov-
"Well, anyway," he started, clearing his throat and interrupting her thoughts (as well as her reddening face), but couldn't seem to think of anything else to add. His shoulders slumped casually as he said, "I'll see you Saturday."
He started heading towards the door before stopping. He looked at her, amber eyes boring into gray, and she felt her heartbeat quicken with anticipation. She wondered if he could hear it, but whatever the case he contended himself with placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair affectionately.
She was six all over again.
"Take care of yourself," he murmured, so uncharacteristically soft it made her want to lean into him, take in his long and broadening frame and for once keep him in one place for a while.
She smiled wryly and pushed his hand away instead.
There would be other times.
please review and feel free to request characters or pairings!