She liked riding in his car.
Well it wasn't a car exactly. More like a…post-apocalyptic death machine. A motorcycle, if you will.
She was apprehensive about it at first. Riding across the bleak, sun-dried desert at 100mph in an uncovered death trap didn't exactly appeal to her. It was also really noisy.
But she got used to it. And she had come to enjoy the long, fast rides through the desert during the course of their journey. They gave her a sense of belonging. It was during those moments that she reflected on how her life had spun out of control in the past few weeks.
Moreover, how she had come to like the boy who was driving the scary vehicle. Her gallant prince.
Everything had started when he'd saved her from the stark uncomfortableness of being stuffed into a sack amidst 100 degree weather. He had fought her kidnappers and freed her from her burlap prison. She was forever grateful to him for that.
He was indifferent to her.
At first.
"Sure," was his curt reply to her after she had kindly asked him to escort her to the major's office. She was surprised he'd agreed. Her first impression of him was that of a brash, uncaring boy by the looks of him. But after he'd agreed to her request, she began to think of him as more of a grumpy softie.
He seemed lost when she first met him. He kept his distance and didn't speak much. And then she found out he was apart of Team Snagem. She figured he was the one that blew up their hideout, though he never said so. However, she did catch him smirking when those two thugs mentioned he was a traitor.
She didn't mind that he was an ex-Snagem. She knew he was good the moment he decided to help her.
After finding out what they had to do, she noticed he seemed to lighten up a little. Almost like he too had a shadow aura around him and it was loosening its hold on his heart bit by bit. He seemed like he needed purpose. And boy did he get it.
Things worked out for them. They made a great team. It just so happened that he had the one and only machine used to snag Pokémon, and he was the best snagger of all. And she was the one and only person who could identify the shadow Pokémon.
It was fate. They were stuck together throughout the course of this unprecedented journey. Two unlikely peas in an unlikely pod. Or motorcycle.
She was the one following him throughout their journey but it was really he who had been following her. And she kind of liked that. He always seemed to agree with her, and never really complained about being dragged around Orre. Even though he was the one doing the driving.
She cherished these little things about him. He spoke very little, but he didn't really need to. He spoke through his actions; in the way he followed her willingly, listened to her suggestions, and even put himself in front of the elevator when it opened, just in case there was an enemy waiting on the other side. More things to add to his princely character, in her opinion.
But what she liked most about him was how much he cared for Pokémon. Not just his Pokémon, either. She knew he wouldn't be on this crazy journey in the first place he didn't love Pokémon. But boy did he care about his Pokémon. And they loved him just the same.
She would look fondly on him as he would tend to his Umbreon and Espeon after a battle. He would speak softly to them and care for their wounds and praise them for a job well done. He'd be patient with the shadow Pokémon he'd caught and take his time with them when they'd get out of control. If they made a mistake, or didn't follow orders, he wouldn't get upset. He'd just call their name and try again. He was determined like that.
And it showed. His Pokémon loved him unconditionally. They'd do anything for him. When he was injured by that first shadow Pokémon, his Umbreon and Espeon rushed to his side to protect him, even though they were already tired from their previous battle. He seemed to have that effect on Pokémon. But not even that, he had that effect on people, too. He wasn't the nicest person, but he cared a lot more than he let on.
People were drawn to him, she had noticed. They met many people during their travels, and they all seemed to see something in him, just as she had. They didn't know what it was, and sometimes it made people apprehensive, but then they'd be proven wrong when he would help them out of a sticky situation no questions asked with no intent of being rewarded.
It just so happened that most "sticky situations" involved Pokémon battles. This was a given of course, being that their goal was to capture all shadow Pokémon. But battling was something he was incredible at. She thinks he didn't care about the rewards simply because he just loved to battle. He'd light up when they'd get to a new town and hear that they had a colosseum. He'd usually go straight to it once he heard there was one in town, only to usually be disappointed that the battles had already started and that he'd have to wait.
This made it convenient since they needed to enter the colosseum battles anyways to capture the prized shadow Pokémon. He was always determined to win. Whether that be because he wanted to rescue the shadow Pokémon, or just battle for the sake of it, she'd never know.
She loved watching him battle. He was amazing. And that's when he shined brightest. She'd whoop and holler in the stands when he was battling in the colosseum. And when he'd win, she'd meet him back in the lobby, envelop him in a big hug and congratulate him. At first he'd been taken aback by her sudden affection. But after awhile he got used to it, and would sometimes even welcome her with open arms as she'd run right into him, with his Umbreon and Espeon dancing at their feet.
She knew she had developed a little crush on her prince, but she pushed it to the back of her mind because they had work to do.
Unfortunately for her, these feelings became extremely hard to ignore.
Throughout the course of their journey, people had often teased them about being an "item". She had been fine with it at first, seeing as she'd even brag to people about how this "gallant prince" saved her life. But she never really thought anything of it since they were just beginning their journey and it wasn't serious. It was all just playful banter to her.
So she thought.
Upon arriving in Agate Village, people instantly got the impression that they were a PAIR. A romantic item. Almost everyone they encountered assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend. And for some reason, it really got to her this time. Maybe it was the fact that these were people she'd known her whole life. Or, if she were honest, maybe it was the fact that she really wished it were true.
An elder made the assumption right as they arrived in Agate and she got flustered instantly and went red as a tomato, rendering her speechless. This was unheard of as she usually casually denied it with a wave and a silly laugh, but this time was different and her companion noticed. So he took it upon himself to reply politely with a nice wave and an, "It's not like that." The elder apologized, made another comment on what a nice couple they would have made, and went on his way. Her companion never said anything about it afterwards, but he watched her carefully after that.
This occurred a few times after the first incident, that by the time the pair reached her grandparent's house, she had had quite enough, and upon arrival, introduced her new friend as just that, a FRIEND.
Their journey then resumed as normal; her prince battled some more Cipher cronies, and they figured out how to purify the shadow Pokémon. They had a nice break in Agate with her grandparents after purifying the shadow Pokémon they had collected so far, but trouble was not far behind, and they were back at it, again. They said their goodbye's and were off into the vast desert sea once more.
The battles seemed to rage on forever on Mt. Battle. But her prince pulled through each one with grace and poise. He watched her carefully as they scaled up the mountain, fighting trainers at each level. She could take care of herself and he knew that, but she was valuable to him in more ways than one, and he didn't want to lose her to the bottomless pit, below.
She stuck closely by him as they travelled through the Under. For some reason, he was more protective of her down there than usual, and she noticed. Good thing though, considering an explosion nearly missed them. There, they uncovered Cipher's shadow Pokémon lab and their evil plot, defeating numerous cronies in the process.
Sometime along the way, they ran into his old boss, and he instantly shielded her from him. She had never seen him so visibly upset before, and when he defeated him, he seemed cold and distant again, like his heart had closed off a bit, just like he was when they first met.
He stopped her before they reached the top floor of the Realgam Colosseum.
"What is it?" She asked.
Looking hard into her eyes he said, "Thank you," as he squeezed her arm reassuringly.
Surprised, she replied, "For what?"
"Everything."
She watched his back as he walked out of the elevator and into the spotlight of the final battle.
In the end, it turns out the mayor of Phenac City was the head of Cipher all along. They're surprised at this revelation, but it doesn't change the face that he needs to be stopped. So they do just that—defeat him fair and square, and by sheer luck, Ho-Oh saves the day as he's making his escape and he's put into custody hopefully never to be seen or heard from, again.
They celebrate. Everyone congratulates them on their victory, and praises them for everything they've done up to this point. She's happy they've thwarted the bad guys, and even got the blessing of a legendary Pokémon. Her grandfather praises them for a job well done and thanks her prince for protecting his granddaughter. Her prince, however, seems far away.
She thinks it's over, then. They've defeated Cipher and have captured all of their shadow Pokémon. There's really no reason for them to stick together anymore. As they're riding through the desert expanse for what feels like the millionth time, going over their whole journey, wind whipping at her hair, she realizes that she doesn't want it to end.
They stop in Phenac. The place where they first met. How ironic, she thinks.
He gets off the bike and looks at her, uncertainty in his eyes. He looks like he wants to say a thousand things, but doesn't know how. He's never been good with words. She's still sitting in the sidecar, silently refusing to get out. After a long silence, he starts to say something, but she interrupts him.
"Wes…I…" She trails off and looks down fiddling with her jacket. There are so many things she wants to say to him, but she doesn't know where to begin.
"I know," He says sadly.
Her head shoots up as she looks at him with sorrow in her eyes.
He walks over to her and offers his hand.
"Come here."
Eyes filling with tears, she takes his hand and steps out, leaping into his arms. He's always been bad at physical affection, but he tries his best to comfort her.
They both jump when his PDA pings.
She parts from his touch, embarrassed, while he reads the message.
His eyes widen and a smile slowly forms on his face. It's probably the biggest one she's ever seen from him.
He looks up at her, beaming.
"Our work isn't over."
He wipes a tear from her cheek as she looks at him, a confused expression on her face.
Grinning like a madman, filled with new purpose, he pulls his visor back down onto his face and hops back onto the motorcycle.
He looks back at her playfully and she's still standing there.
"Well? You comin'?
Still in shock, she rubs her eyes furiously, ridding herself of her tears and jumps back into the sidecar looking up at him, expectantly.
"Where to?" She asks, a goofy smile plastered on her face.
"To where it all started." He replies as he revs the engine and they're off, yet again, blazing through the desert, onto the next part of their crazy adventure.
She loved riding in his car.
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A/N: I've always loved this pairing since i was a kid, and just recently was watching a playthrough of this game and my love was reignited! So I wrote this up super fast-like and I hope anyone who reads it finds it ok! Review if u can pls! :~)
Oh! this fic was primarily inspired by "fast car" by tracy chapman and this amazing fanart by melsnoodles on tumblr! /yxjrcfxw