Pairings: Team Flare Grunt x Serena
Timeline: Post-Endgame
Warnings: A total crack pairing (which thanks to tumblr I've begun to like) and some angst.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon
Authors Note: I gather this seems like a rather… strange ship but it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote something… Enjoy!
.X.
For as long as he could remember, his name has been 'Team Flare Grunt'. He has a name – doesn't everyone? – but it's been lost in a sea of years being referred to as a Grunt. If he thinks hard enough about it he could remember. He doesn't want to though. There isn't a reason.
It bothers him to know this isn't true anymore. He no longer belongs to Team Flare, an organization he dared to call home, as it simply ceased to exist. It's been more than fifteen years since his parents abandoned him to Team Flare while it had still been in its beginning stages.
They graciously took him in. Cared for him and provided a roof over his head. He'd fit right in with many of the other grunts, his hair colour naturally their shade of red. Team Flare loved him more than his parents had or so he thought.
After Team Flare disbanded, he fled for Laverre city. Grunt – a name he's kept to this day – couldn't shake Laverre from his memories. During the take-over of Laverre's Poké Ball factory he met her for the first time.
She single handily took down Team Flare members with her team of Pokémon. A first of many times she stopped their plots. The first time she spoke to him.
He's still baffled by; even now it's troubling him. This audacious fifteen year old girl, who destroyed him in battle, collected her winnings from him and hindered their mission stayed to talk to him.
She asked him why. Nothing else. He didn't answer her. He slid down against the wall, grasped his face between his hands and diverted his eyes. He's pathetic. Grunt couldn't stomach her pleading expression. He's but a mere four years older than her and he knows she's more mature than he ever would be.
When he looked up, she had left. It hadn't dawned on him why exactly it upset him to know she left. Only to feel remorse when he met her again, seeing her disdained grimace did he realise why. She knew the difference between each of the Grunts and clearly recalled him, since her lips curled into a frown.
Even he's not sure why he lingered in Laverre city. He stays with a family composed of ex-Team Flare members in a small house just bordering on the outskirts of Laverre. Every day, he waits near the Poké Ball factory, wondering if today would be one of the days she visited.
If she did drop in, she always came to chat, usually in a different outfit and a different rotation of Pokémon. He'd greet her the same, just in case she forgot it was him. I have great memories of being in Team Flare… It was hard to feel blue when I was in the red! She'd smile.
"Are you feeling okay? Normally, you jump up to greet me and you've just been sitting there for at least five minutes," she teases.
He jerks, lurching to his feet. Serena stands in front of him, her hands behind her back, smiling cutely at him.
"Fine," he responds, unnerved by her appearance. He's typically well aware when she gets to town as he can hear children race to ask her questions. She's champion.
Serena laughs, a tad bit breathless, and flops down. She folds her legs underneath her and pats the ground next to her. Timidly, the grunt sits.
"You look different," she says softly, "a good different."
Self-consciously, he runs his fingers though his messy hair. Since her last pop in, he stopped gelling his hair. It was time for him to stop living back in the past. He ditched the red leather suit for black jeans and a white button down. He's surprised she even knows who he is without the ridiculous getup.
"Team Flare is over," he replies flatly. He's out of place in her extravagant life. Stealing a glance at her pretty face forces him to reconsider why he waits for her instead of moving on.
Serena merely removes her hat, "Just because something has ended doesn't mean you have to change. Starting over doesn't necessarily mean you have to change everything that tied you to your past."
He snorts. He's been ridiculed by numerous people affected by Team Flare and blatantly shunned by most in society. Although, she seems to have forgiven him…
"Why do you talk to me each time you come to Laverre?" Grunt asks. His curiosity got the better of him.
She opens her mouth as if to counter what he said with a fancy retort he knows she's capable of, but rather, clams up and blushes. His eyes widen a fraction. He's partly terrified of her answer, but more so due to her reaction.
Serena meets his shocked gaze, her grey eyes meeting his. She reaches up and brushes away a fallen eyelash. His face goes hot.
"You're eyes are gold," she states, letting her hand drop. It's the first time since they've met that she's seen him without the red glasses. She clears her throat. "I talk to you because… because I want to know your name. You seemed so defeated when I beat you in the Poké Ball factory."
He chuckles uneasily, "I lost didn't I?"
She give him a look, though doesn't stand to leave. He takes it as a positive sign. Serena's waiting for an answer patiently.
"It's…" he mutters his own name so quietly even he's unsure if he said it. It's been so long since he's thought of it. Serena smiles at him encouragingly. He takes her hand, somewhat stunned when she squeezes him back reassuringly. "Nolan…"
Serena doesn't let go of his hand. "I'm glad I finally have a name to go along with your face. It's nice to meet you, Nolan."
And when she shakes their hands, he laughs, laughs until his stomach hurts. Meeting Serena is the best thing that's happened to him.
.Fin.
Oh my, I can't believe how much I actually love how this came out. I always feel so bad for the existence of grunts in these games. They never have names and kind of just hang around after you demolish their dreams… I don't know why I decided on this grunt instead of the other ones, but I liked how it came out! I hope you enjoyed reading!
~Emerald~