For some unknown reason, there is no Nate/Kyouhei and Iris (Royaleshipping) fanfiction on this site, or, from what I can find, anywhere else on the Internet. Because of this, I have made it my mission to create some for others with this problem, and myself. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
"Ugh…"
Iris sat in the Champions' Room, huddled in the corner. A blizzard had begun, sealing everyone in the Elite Four, including herself, inside. It kept any challengers from entering, leaving her by herself. Now Iris was situated in a far corner, trying to keep away from the windows and doors.
Iris shivered and shut her eyes, pulling up her knees and wrapping her arms around them. She really hated the cold. It gave her a bad feeling. If it could harm strong, powerful dragons, what would it be able to do to her? Iris cut off the thought as another cold blast of wind howled, making the doors shake. Lowering her head, she let out another groan. This was torture.
Click.
Iris' head shot up, her eyes darting around. The power had gone out thirty minutes ago, leaving her in the dark. The only light source was dim, coming from the widow as snow and ice pounded on the glass. She bit her lip and tightened the grip around her legs.
Creeaakk…
Was that the floor? But that was impossible; she was the only one in the room. Iris doubted anyone knew she was up here; the Elite Four knew she took frequent breaks during the periods when there were no challengers, and no one had come to battle her in four days. They had no reason to believe she would be in the Champions' Room. No one did. She tensed.
"Iris?"
"Ah!" Iris darted to her feet, her rush causing her to trip over her dress.
Rip.
Tumbling forward, she braced herself for impact when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, causing her fall to come to an abrupt halt. Relieved, Iris looked up.
"Iris," a familiar face with long, messy brown hair and a red visor peered down at her, concerned. "Are you okay?"
Iris' face turned red. "Oh, Arceus, Nate? I'm really sorry; I didn't think anyone was going to come here!" Hastily, she pulled back. Nate's arms dropped. The sudden absence of heat caused Iris to shiver. She resisted the urge to wrap them around her again. "Yes, I'm okay. Thank you for catching me..."
Nate gave a small smile that caused Iris' cheeks to darken further. "You're welcome. It's no problem, I wouldn't let you fall." He hesitated. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but you were in the corner-"
"Oh, yeah," she lied, "that was nothing. I was just anxious about the storm." Nate eyed her skeptically. Iris looked down and changed the topic. "I'm really glad to see you, but, what are you doing here? I didn't think anyone would come…"
To Iris' surprise, color tinged Nate's cheeks, and he glanced away. "Actually, I was already on my way here to challenge you. I had heard no one would come, and I thought you would like to battle. When the blizzard started, I still came so I could see if you were okay." Nate glanced at Iris, quickly looking away. Iris bit her lip to prevent herself from grinning. "I know you really hate ice and cold, and I wasn't sure if you would react badly…"
Biting the inside of her cheek, Iris allowed a small smile. "Oh. Thank you for coming, I've been by myself for two hours. I could really use your company…"
Nate, looking relieved, grinned. "That's great. Are you-?"
"I'm fine," Iris rushed to interrupt him. "The blizzard isn't that bad."
Nate raised an eyebrow. "Coming from the girl who is frightened by Vanillite, what you just said seems like an obvious lie. Iris-"
Nate's sentence was interrupted by the wind letting out a low howl. Iris jumped and instinctively stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around herself. Closing her eyes, Iris sighed. "Okay, I was sitting in the corner to get away from the blizzard. It's making me nervous." Hesitantly, she took a step closer to him. "Do you have a blanket? I'm really cold, and I'm really, really tired…" Looking up, Iris was tempted to step back; she was standing extremely close to him. Nate's face was red, but he didn't move. "Nate?"
"No, sorry, Iris, I-"
The wind let out another long wail, making the doors shake and windows vibrate. Letting out a small squeak, Iris grabbed the front of Nate's jacket and pulled herself closer, burying her face in his chest. "Nate…"
Cautiously, Nate wrapped his arms around her. After a pause, he tightened his grip. Iris leaned against him and closed her eyes. He was so warm, and she felt so cold… Iris smiled slightly. Maybe this blizzard wasn't so bad.
~D