Opposites Attract-GardeniaxMarley
This is for darkmoonrise312 :3
I went with their Platinum parties (during the rematch, in Gardenia's case; it hardly matters for Marley because Arcanine OP) and added a bit of distance between the two. Gardenia is in her Eterna, of course, and Marley… some corner of the world where she can lurk in peace. Simple enough.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pogeymans. Glad I don't because the recent generations kill me. Let's rock.
-Opposites Attract-
The elegantly wrought cast-iron chandelier hanging overhead flickered, casting shadows over the contents of the room—a collection of Battleground items sorted by value, a desk that had been polished until the dark wood shone, several tall bookshelves filled with books on various topics—and the girl sitting at said desk cast a decidedly unimpressed glance in its direction.
It was quite late and everything was in order. Perhaps now was a good time to call it a night.
She was slim, lovely, her raven-colored hair kept short with a long bang that covered the left side of her face and a spiked back. She had dressed down for the night, the elegant black and white dress she normally wore replaced with a sheer dark green nightgown and the white bow that usual kept the rest of her hair out of her face was absent.
Marley, the mysterious young trainer whose Pokémon excelled in the Speed stat, stood and stretched, the motion disturbing the large lion-dog hybrid lying loyally by her feet.
"Arcanine!" the Pokémon barked, flames dancing between sharp canines.
"Keep it down," she warned, chuckling despite herself. Her partner could be rather excitable at times—quite unlike its mistress. "I'm aware of the hour—it's far past time for bed."
In fact, the sun would be rising soon.
Marley rubbed dark blue eyes, stifling a yawn behind a raised hand. "Come," she commanded, and headed down the hallway, towards her room. "I'll continue my research in the morning."
It had been a very fruitful night.
-o-
The sunflower-shaped lamp hanging overhead flickered, casting shadows over the contents of the room—an abundance of potted plants, a bed with rumpled sheets, a cluttered desk, an over-stuffed bookshelf— but the girl sitting at said desk didn't look up, too absorbed in her work to pay such a small detail any mind.
It was getting late, but there was still so much to do.
She was stocky, cute, and her hair was an unusual mix of black below a copper shell. Though it was an hour during which most were asleep in their beds, she still wore her usual garb: a black long-sleeved shirt that was cropped to reveal her pale midriff and light brown cargo pants, though she had forgone the emerald, poncho-like cloak she normally wore.
Gardenia, the Master of Vivid Plant Pokémon, muttered something under her breath and turned the page of a thick tome, taking a moment to peruse it before sighing and throwing up her hands. "I can't figure it out, Bell. What am I doing wrong?"
The tiny Pokémon resting against the Trainer's booted foot yawned, stirring at the sound of its nickname. "Bellossom?"
"Oh, sorry…" The brunette leaned back and picked the Grass-type up, cradling its diminutive form in her hands. "Go back to sleep, kiddo. We've got plenty of battles in the morning."
She pulled a red and white sphere from the belt around her waist and recalled the Pokémon with a beam of crimson energy before returning the object to its rightful place at her side.
The Eterna City Gym leader leaned back in her chair to stare contemplatively at the ceiling, her eyebrows knitting together.
'I haven't gotten anywhere. I wonder if she knows anything…'
"Winner: Gardenia!" the elderly woman who served as the Eterna Gym's battle referee called, waving a bright green flag in her direction.
She grinned and her Roserade, a bipedal, plant-like Pokémon that's leaves bore a resemblance to a cape and mask, snickered behind a rose-tipped hand. "Better luck next time, kid." As the despondent teenager slouched out of the room, the Gym Leader rotated her shoulders. "Is that the last one?"
"Yes, Miss Gardenia."
"Woo!" she cheered, doing a little twirl. "You know what that means!"
Everyone in town did. The lover of Grass-types roamed the Eterna Forest in her free time, walking amongst the wild Pokémon as though she was one of them.
"Please be careful…"
The brunette waved away her concern, donning her cloak and recalling her Pokémon. "I'll be back before dinner."
"Miso soup with tofu?"
She grinned. "You know me so well, Kanna."
"I've been working in this Gym since before you took over for your father, dear—back when you were in diapers. I should hope that I do."
xXEterna ForestXx
Gardenia charged fearlessly through the tall grass, seemingly unaware of the mud she was spattering all over her boots and cargo pants as she single-mindedly pursued the tiny ball of white-green light that managed to stay just out of arm's reach.
The Pokémon was playing with her—a suspicion made fact by the high-pitched giggle that left the pixie-like creature.
This was Celebi, the guardian of the forest.
"Ah—!" 'Thud' "Oww…" The brunette rubbed her head—or, more accurately, the welt that was forming there—gingerly, muttering obscenities under her breath as she did so. It seemed she had been outmaneuvered once again. Bright amber eyes peered curiously around her: she had slid down a steep incline for some distance and she didn't recognize this part of the forest.
This was odd because she had spent a lot of time combing every bit of this place. Perhaps she had missed something?
The Eterna Forest was naturally dim, but this spot seemed even more somber than usual and the total lack of cries from the Bug and Grass-types that inhabited it was more than a little unnerving.
'It's worse than I thought…'
"Come on out, Puff," Gardenia murmured, releasing the Pokémon from its red and white container. A beam of crimson deposited a spherical blue Pokémon with fluffy white dandelion heads at the ends of its stubby arms and atop its head.
"Jumpluff!" the Pokémon chirped, bouncing lightheartedly.
"Sunny Day."
The clearing lit up, if only for a moment, and Gardenia could make out a thicket of vines coiled around what appeared to be a small lake at its opposite end. Naturally she headed in its direction, her Pokémon floating close behind her.
The water was crystal clear and she could make out the Magikarp floating about near the bottom, their orange bodies glinting in the residual light from the Jumpluff's move. It was only when she was close to the shore that she noticed the little island at the center of the body of water; upon it was what appeared to be a little shrine, complete with an offering box.
Which was strange considering it was out in the middle of a place uninhabited by human beings, let alone the fact that one would need to swim across to reach it.
Gardenia frowned thoughtfully, unsure if she should throw caution to the wind and just go for it. She yelped and ducked as a large, fast-moving object soared over her head and, a moment later, she released a wrathful growl when she saw the young woman astride an Arcanine in the center of the island, a smug smile on her face.
"Marley."
"Hello, Gardenia," the somber trainer greeted, dismounting and brushing off the hem of her dress. "I'm afraid "you snooze, you lose," as the saying goes. It seems I was too quick for you."
Her Pokémon bayed—as if in agreement—and the Gym Leader bristled. "What the heck are you talking about? I was here first!"
"Not quite." From a bag strapped to her Arcanine's side, Marley withdrew a leather-bound journal. As she calmly leafed through the pages, she continued, "It never ceases to amaze me how far your dumb luck takes you. I was watching—you had no idea this place even existed and yet you somehow managed to stumble upon it quite handily."
Her cheeks heated. "How did you know about this place?"
The raven-haired beauty shook her head. "I'm afraid that I have no more time to spare. Farewell." With that, she turned her back on the other girl and began to fiddle with the offering box. After a moment, she released a triumphant exclamation and leaped onto her Pokémon's back. "Come, Leonard—"
"Not so fast!" Just as the orange-furred canine leaped into the air, Gardenia flung a Poké Ball across the water, commanding, "Aegis, use Vine Whip!"
She was up against a Fire-type and she knew the attack wouldn't have much effect, but—
Marley squeaked as her Pokémon was jerked to a halt by the thick creeper that lashed around its hind paw and she landed in the water with a splash.
'Got'cha!'
Quickly recalling her Torterra before its opponent decided to burn through the vines that held it, Gardenia hurried over to the water's edge. She couldn't help the smug smirk that curved her lips when her nemesis surfaced, her poise utterly shattered by incredulous rage as she attempted to get air into her lungs.
"What in the world is your problem?" the shorter girl spluttered, standing in what was apparently only waist deep water. Oh. "You could have injured me!"
Actually, she hadn't even thought about that… Whoops.
It was clear by the murderous expression on Marley's face that she realized that little fact, but whatever angry thing she was about to say was interrupted by a bright flash of light: a glowing vortex of energy hovered burst forth from whatever the raven-haired Trainer had retrieved from the prayer box, enveloping both young women in radiance.
"Mm…" Gardenia stirred, opening her eyes slowly, wincing as the sudden influx of light caused her temples to throb. She took a deep, steadying breath and made a second attempt a moment later, losing hold of that breath almost instantly when she registered that Marley's face was very, very close to hers.
She was still unconscious, it appeared.
…
The brunette hesitated, some innate curiosity holding her in place in able to examine the mysterious young woman who had been the bane of her existence for the past few months. Marley was quite pretty—especially considering she wasn't wearing the disapproving frown she always wore when she was looking at Gardenia.
In fact, the Trainer had always looked at her like that… Even from day one.
/ "Hey! Wait!" Gardenia yelled, running as quickly as her feet would allow. She still wasn't fast enough and the little green and white hedgehog creature was far outpacing her despite how short and stubby its own legs were.
Still, she wasn't about to give up.
The girl chased the tiny Pokémon for what felt like an eternity before the grassy knoll suddenly gave way to a steep cliff overlooking the ocean and she skidded to a halt—too late, apparently, because she stepped over the edge and was faced with the heart-dropping sight of jagged rocks jutting out of the frothing tide.
Before gravity could drag her down to her doom, something grabbed the back of her poncho and she was hauled sharply backwards and lifted into the air like a ragdoll by… An Arcanine?
The young woman sitting astride the majestic Pokémon shook her head, her eyebrows drawing together as her eyes narrowed in a decidedly annoyed expression. "Perhaps you should give it a rest. Watching you flail about like that was quite painful."
She felt her cheeks heat even as she bristled indignantly. "Excuse me? "
Gardenia was dropped unceremoniously to the ground and the newcomer rubbed her hands together, as though to cleanse them. "Forgive my bluntness—I have no desire to be rude. You saw it, right? The Legendary Pokémon, Shaymin?"
The Legendary Pokémon's existence wasn't exactly common knowledge—how did this girl know about it?
"That's none of your business."
"Tch. Rather rude considering I just saved your life." She… had a point there. Before Gardenia could open her mouth to respond, however, the young woman was urging her Pokémon forward and the pair disappeared as quickly as they had come./
"What in the world…?"
Gardenia started, realizing belatedly that she had been staring off into space during her little mental break. She was still quite close to the raven-haired beauty though, curiously enough, that disapproving frown hadn't made its return.
Marley just looked… Perplexed.
"Hey…" It was literally all she could think to say in this very moment.
"What happened? I remember light and then…" Her expression became abruptly serious. "Where are we?"
Oh, right. That was kind of important information.
Gardenia sat up and looked around, a puzzled laugh leaving her a moment later. "This is… My Gym." They were lying on the grassy floor of the faux forest within its walls, the sounds of the bug Pokémon that inhabited it filling the air around them. "Wow, how did we get all the way here?"
"I haven't the slightest idea." She struggled into a seated position, a frown furrowing her brow as she realized—"Where is Leonard?"
Come to think of it, where were the Poké Balls that were usually at her hip…?
…
Ten minutes of searching didn't glean any clue as to where the girls' Pokémon had disappeared to, but it did reveal one alarming fact: there were no exits. In fact, they couldn't venture beyond the tree line—there was some invisible barrier between the clearing and the verdant abundance on all sides.
The situation was getting weirder and weirder.
…
"LEONARD!"
Gardenia rested a hand on Marley's shoulder, effectively silencing the next call. "You need to calm down," she said gently. Through the contact, she could feel the raven-haired beauty's accelerated heartbeat.
This was the very first time she had seen the young woman lose her cool and that point was driven home by the panicked light she saw in deep blue eyes just before they snapped shut and Marley shook her head fiercely.
"This can't be happening…"
"Please, just listen to me—"
"We're trapped…"
"Marley."
The Trainer rounded on her. "This is your fault. If you hadn't been foolishly pursuing powers you did not comprehend—"
'Slap!'
For a horrified moment, the Gym Leader stared down at her hand, not quite believing what she had done despite the faint red outline of a hand print on the other girl's cheek. The silence that followed was deafening, tense. Finally, she said quietly, "I'm sorry. You were getting hysterical and I wasn't sure what else to do."
She nodded. "You're right… Thank you."
Wait, what? That quiet acceptance had been the last reaction Gardenia had been expecting.
The silence resumed, this time a bit less charged, and the Pokémon Trainers looked everywhere but each other, lost in their own private thoughts.
Then, "Gardenia?"
"Mm?"
"… Why are you trying to capture Shaymin?"
Despite the fact that their rivalry had been going on for three years now, this was the first time the mysterious young woman had bothered to ask. She seemed to realize that, because her expression became abruptly guilty.
"It's the forest…"
"What?"
"I do understand the power that Shaymin holds. I didn't want to catch it—I just wanted to ask it to cleanse the forest of the darkness that's been flooding it recently. There's some sort of sickness in the trees and Celebi can't take care of it on its own."
"I see."
"Yeah… What about you?"
"Perhaps we are not so different," Marley admitted, a wry smile curving her lips. "I have travelled to each corner of the region with Leonard and I have seen the way nature has been losing to "progress." I was hoping to save the Sinnoh I once knew."
That was actually quite noble of her and Gardenia smiled, a new respect for the taciturn Trainer warming her heart.
This time, the silence was thoughtful.
"Hey, Marley?"
"Mm?"
"It's strange, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"We could have been working together all this time… Instead of silly rivalry and all that."
She chuckled. "I don't think it's quite that easy."
"What do you mean?"
A shrug. "I rather liked arguing with you. It was… Fun."
"I think we need to have a talk about your idea of fun," Gardenia dead-panned.
Marley laughed and the Gym Leader was struck by just how pretty the other girl was when she smiled.
"Oh…" Blink. "Thank you."
Had she said that aloud?!
That faint red hue in pale cheeks was utterly enchanting. "In truth, half the fun of doing research was the knowledge that you'd show up—like clockwork." She smirked. "Even though your astounding luck basically allowed you to stumble into me at random."
"Hey!" It took her a moment to realize that the raven-haired beauty was teasing her… And she didn't mind that at all. It was rather nice, actually.
She gave her companion a playful shove. "You always know just what to say, smart one. Someday, I'll figure out a way to shut you up."
"Oh?" There was a challenging light in indigo orbs, but there was also something else entirely—something that made Gardenia flush and avert her gaze. "I'd like to see you try."
"…"
Just how far would her 'astounding luck' take her?
Throwing caution to the wind, Gardenia leaned in—somewhere along the way, the two had moved quite close to one another—, her heart beating fast as Marley's eyelids fluttered shut.
Could she really…?
Their lips met—gently, almost cautiously—and the brunette was surprised by how… right it felt to kiss her rival.
As if she had subconsciously want to do so for a long time.
Soft, pleased sounds filled the clearing, hands trembling slightly with nervousness exploring the familiar yet oh-so new form before them.
Marley mewled and Gardenia flinched, removing her hand from the soft warmth it had encountered, her cheeks ablaze. "S-sorry, I—"
She was literally dizzy from the amount of time they had spent kissing.
But the raven-haired Trainer grabbed her hand and returned it to the budding swell of her breast, pressing a kiss to the other girl's lips. "No… I like it."
In that case…
The zipper at the back of that chic black and white dress was tugged down with ease, baring porcelain beauty to dark eyes.
"Wow… Marley, you're…" Words didn't describe. Instead, she pressed a trail of reverent kisses over the other girl's torso, a pleasant shiver travelling along her spine at the throaty sound the action encouraged.
'Oh, sweet Shaymin…'
Slim fingers entwined in multi-toned hair, bringing her closer to soft, sweet-smelling flesh and she felt a rush of liquid heat pool between her thighs in response.
"I…" Her heart crashed into her rib cage, her mind searching futilely for adequate words as she traced nonsensical patterns over silken flesh with her fingertips.
Marley shivered. "You're very chatty…"
Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her breast rising and falling rapidly and the brunette found that she couldn't tear her gaze away from that all-too alluring sight.
"Mm…" She licked her lips. "Maybe you should shut me up?"
"It would be my pleasure."
As it turned out, pleasure was both of theirs to have.
-o-
"Now how to deal with these humans?" The giant, bug-like Pokémon shifted, red eyes glowing beneath a golden headdress. Its six clawed feet shuffled restlessly, the shadowy wings on its back fluttering in the light breeze that wafted over the mountain top. "It is your choice, Shaymin."
"Shaymin?" the little white and green Pokémon chirped, nosing the Trainer closest to it—a peacefully sleeping young woman with oddly colored hair. Her fingers were entwined with those of her black-haired companion even in their slumber. "Shay. Shaymin!"
Giratina blinked, tilting its domed head. "Are you certain?"
"Shay!"
A thunderous sound poured from the Legendary's long body, but it acquiesced, "Very well. Let them dream… If only for a little while longer."
It was clear that the two cared for another, no matter how frequently they foolishly butted heads during their pursuit of the same goal.
After all, opposites attract.
-Fin-