"Turtwig, use tackle!"
"Cranidos, dodge and use headbutt!"
Roark concentrated on the battle; eyes squinted intensely behind black-rimmed glasses. Even though this kid was new, he was skilled and had great strategy. Reminded of the time when he was young with his Cranidos, Roark was letting the kid win. Again.
Byron complained that he couldn't keep letting the new youngsters constantly win. However, Roark reminded him that it had only been two months since he had been appointed Oreburgh City gym leader, proudly a trainer to stand by his faithful rock pokemon, and that he needed some "time" to warm up to the position.
In summary, Byron thought his son was short of gym leader material. Typical daddy problems for the rock-type enthusiast once again.
"Turtwig absorb and quickly!" The frail little girl screamed at the top of her lungs after Cranidos easily headbutted the turtle pokemon out of the way. Roark thought of another way to allow the girl to win, but not too noticeably.
"Cranidos, try in again for one more headbutt!" He finally ordered.
As the tiny turtwig sapped out the remnants of Cranidos' HP, Roark reached into his pocket to select one of the many coal badges to give to the girl, Annie.
"Cranidos, I'm sorry, bro! Back into the pokeball you go!" He said, retrieving a worn-out dinosaur pokemon from the battlefield.
"Hey, good job, kid. You're worthy of receiving this little baby." Roark grinned, strolling over to Annie, and handed him a brand-spanking-new, shiny coal gym badge. Annie's eyes lightened, happiness obviously overwhelming her.
"Wow! Thanks, Mr. Roark! You were tough too!" Annie cheered, shuffling her feet into a thrilled happy dance, her fingers waggling in the air, "Who's the next gym leader my team and I are going to face?"
At the reference of Gardenia, Roark's good friend for many years, he chuckled.
"Gardenia, of Eterna City. She specializes in grass type pokemon, and just between you and me, bring out your Starly to battle her." Roark winked and dismissed the Annie.
"Cherubi! Use growth consecutively, and hit 'em with a razor leaf!" Gardenia shrieked as the kid's Chimchar scratched and mach punched her little cherry pokemon repeatedly.
It was another voice-wearing-out day at the Eterna City gym for Gardenia, as her voice began to crackle from barking out orders to her pokemon. Cherubi was her last resort as the boy, Andrew's, Chimchar was winning over her due to type advantage.
"Chimchar! One final ember and you're done!" Andrew shouted.
"Chim-Charrrr!" Little embers of flames showered cherubi, which soon fainted while putting up a good fight. Gardenia's face instantly changed from confident to terribly worried.
"Oh no, Cherubi!" Gardenia rushed over to the exhausted pokemon and quickly withdrew it back into a pokeball. She scurried over to a beaming Andrew.
"Wow. I did not expect that battle to be so… close. You were very strong and your pokemon were so loyal and obedient! Take this." Gardenia gladly handed out a shiny forest badge to Andrew, while grinning.
"Yes! I finally got my first gym badge! Thanks, Miss. Gardenia! Who am I going to cream next time?" Andrew asked triumphantly and punched the air.
"Roark, of Oreburgh city, but your Chimchar will have a tough time "creaming" him. But just between you and me… catch a Machop in Oreburgh Mine after he demonstrates that amazing rock smash with his bare hands, flexing his muscles as-" Gardenia realized she was rambling about Roark, her crush for many years, once again to an innocent little youngster with an innocent little mind.
"Okay… Well, thanks anyways Miss. Gardenia! See you 'round!" Andrew waved, looking at Gardenia like she sprouted a flower on top of her head, and bolted out of the gym in a flash.
"Roark! Get the hell off your couch and come greet your best girlfriend!" Gardenia yelled, pissed off about waiting for twenty minutes for him, while pounding his front door furiously.
No response.
"I flew with a freaking Staravia just so we can go to Veilstone with everyone!" Gardenia screamed angrily, giving the suffering wooden door another blow. Roark knew her hatred for flying pokemon, as it was her grass type pokemons' weakness.
Finally, she heard a string of frustrated curses and the door was swung open.
"The fuck was that all about? You were screeching like a dying Bidoof and murdering my door like a Machop!" Roark attempted to mumble through his toothpaste-full mouth.
"Shut up, rockhead. It's your own fault. Try being more considerate next time… Holy shit. You're not wearing glasses!" Gardenia's mouth formed a perfect 'o' at the sight of Roark's warm, chocolate-colored eyes without the frames around them.
"Eh, my eyes are that bad without them. My dad keeps complaining about how I don't have a girlfriend at age nineteen because he had me at that age so I thought I'd hook up with someone tonight." He smirked and Gardenia's heart sunk for a second, but she covered it up with a teasing smirk back.
"Aw! Roarky-poo! You're getting a girlfriend! Hope she's not a plastic whore." Gardenia said, "Because those are the types you're always going after." She finished with an eye-roll.
"Hey, you're a whore too, walking around with a crop top and shorts all year long, even though it's like December now. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to spit this toothpaste out." Roark then proceeded to dash back into the bathroom to spit out the minty froth.
As soon as Roark came out, Gardenia grabbed him by the wrist and marched him over to the Staravia she reluctantly used for transportation.
"You got a flyer? 'Cause if you don't, we better just ditch our partying tonight. Candice, Volkner, Flint, and Cynthia are probably already there." Gardenia sighed, knowing Roark too thought flying pokemon were stupid.
"Of course, I've got my Aaerodactyl!" Roark chuckled and sent out his majestic, prehistoric flyer out via pokeball.
"Sweet, but he looks like a carnivore." Gardenia snickered before hopping onto her Staravia.
"You think every non-grass type pokemon with sharp teeth is a carnivore, Gards."
The two took off from the city of energy and flew side by side. Gardenia's shoulder-length brown locks came to life in the wind. Roark's eyes momentarily locked onto the sight of his best friend's beauty, but he soon shook his head and laughed at whatever she was trying to tell him.
"Hello? Did you even hear what I was saying?" Gardenia demanded angrily, obviously frustrated with Roark's distracted response.
"Wha- What? Sorry, must have m-misheard you." He sputtered out quietly, "Say it again?"
"I said, did you remember to bring cash?"
"Of course I did! We're going to the casinos!" Roark responded matter-of-factly.
Gardenia felt a rush of lovey dovey goo erupt in her at the sight of Roark's handsome smirk. She had a massive crush on him for a very long time, but she knew he didn't return the feeling. No one would ever fall for earthy, tomboy, loud mouth, trash talker, immature Gardenia Rosewood. She was one of the guys. Not a miniskirt shopper, makeup lover, girly, romance know-it-all like Candice. Nor was she a dark, flirty, sexy type like Cynthia. She wasn't even a perky, foreigner with a cute accent like Fantina. Gardenia Rosewood was one of the guys. And she thought- knew -she would always be.
Eventually, the pair arrived at the bright city of Veilstone. Flashing lights accompanied towering skyscrapers. Vendors scoured the streets selling various accessories, treats, and of course, drugs. Clusters of partying girls stood in short dresses. Guys flocked towards those clusters firing out cheesy pick-up lines. Even in winter, the streets were crowded. Yes, this was Veilstone.
This was where the party was at.
"Yup, I can smell the alcohol and desperate high schoolers trying to get laid." Gardenia joked, nudging Roark.
"Yup, and I can see all these possible dates I could go on to get my father to shut up about my obsession with the underground." He replied in a flat voice, his tone causing his best friends to double up into laughter.
The two chuckled together, eyes sparkling. Gardenia's with the love she had been holding back for years, and Roark's with simply just friend admiration. For now, at least. Fate had a different course planned out for the pair.
They soon arrived at the Veilstone Game Corner, "game corner" being the nice term for casino/club/bar, after dodging taxis, stumbling, drunk gamblers, and just plain weirdos. Upon entering the casino, they were engulfed into a hug by a familiar black-haired girl in furry boots, a blue mini skirt, and a fancy lacy blouse.
"Roarky-poo! Gardsy! I've missed you so much!" Candice Evergreen, leader of Snowpoint City gym and an ice-type enthusiast, squealed as she hugged (or in Gardenia and Roark's words, attempted to suffocate) two of her best friends.
"Slush brain! Nice to see you too, but if you haven't noticed us humans do need air." Roark gasped out, wriggling out of Candice's tight grasp.
"Oops, sorry."
"Yo, dudes! How's it going?" A cocky, charming voice called from a few meters away.
"Fro-bro! What's up?" Roark greeted as he and Flint, member of the Elite Four and fire-type specialist, did their complicated "bro handshake".
"Nothing but chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, Roark. How many times do I have to remind you that you have eyes?" Smug Volkner joked as he and Roark did a "super tough guy man hug".
"Gardenia! What a surprise! How has it been?" Cynthia, wearing a strapless pink dress with a navy bow, walked over to Gardenia doing the opposite of "super tough guy man hug" a "girly, feminine girl hug".
"Great! The whole gang's together! So, who's ready to partayyyyyy?" Flint announced excitedly, him being most likely to end up naked in a random person's bed, get wasted first, and to lose the most in the slot machines.
Of course, everyone was.
"Go, Roarky! Go, Roarky! Go, Roarky! Woooo!" Candice drunkenly slurred as she practically breathed down Roark's neck as he played a slot machine.
"Fuck yes! Oh, fuck yes! Four sevens in a row, baby! Where's those coins… Dammit, that's just two sevens with two whatever those purple things are." Roark fell out of the chair and collapsed to the floor laughing.
Two hours later into the party, the whole crew was already drunk. Candice and Roark were hamming it up at the slot machines, Gardenia was on her third or fourth round of shots, Volkner disappeared into the bathrooms with some random girl, and Flint and Cynthia were dancing drunkenly together.
Roark soon barely contained himself and stumbled over to Gardenia. His maroon hair sloppily messed up after fooling around with Candice and eyes glassy with the magic of alcohol.
"Hey, Gards. I need one of those s-s-shots." Roark fell on top of a bar stool and stole the shot out of her hands, "You look r-really nice today. Maybe even hot. Haha, whatever. Oh, I love partying, don't you?
"Dude, you are wasted as fuck." Gardenia stated sternly, not that she didn't enjoy him calling her hot, even though he did look like a mess.
"No, no. I'm barely getting started. Come on, baby, let's get out of here."
"Wasted."
"You need to be, too. Dude, get this lady some beer… Ahahah."
"Roark, I really think you need to go before you rape someone's Lopunny."
"Haha, I use rock types. Normal types suck, ahaha. Gards, I think I love you."
"You don't, shut up."
The argument with a hilarious, drunk Roark carried on, Gardenia drowning bottle after bottle of beer. Soon enough, the argument became a silly drunk skirmish. It was laughable even, on how stupid they sounded. Wasted comment after stupid, wasted comment followed endlessly.
"Hey, hottie, are you going to use harden on your Onix. Ahahaha!" Gardenia shrieked with laughter at her cheesy, dirty pick-up line.
"Ah, babe, I don't even need to. It's already rock hard!" Roark laughed and they both doubled up into hysterical laughter, "Come on, let's get out of here."
"Lead the way, Romeo." Gardenia giggled.
As the couple stumbled out of the casino with blurred vision with great difficulty, Candice grinned at the sight. Finally, it was happening, The rock-head and ivy-brain were going to get together. Drunk, sober, it didn't matter. Candice thought they were just a damn adorable couple, who argued too much and called each other stupid nicknames.
"Been waiting for this moment?" Volkner murmured, sneaking up on the ice enthusiast and taking her aback.
"Oh! Fuck you, you scared me! And yes, aren't they just damn adorable?" Candice sighed dreamily.
"You talk more about other's love life more than yours." Volkner muttered before walking away back to the brunette he found.
They stumbled into a luxe hotel room, lips craving each other, tongues battling an intense tango. Her hands wove into his hair. His hands roaming uncharted territory.
They collapsed on the bed, passion eating all the common sense that the alcohol had already previously consumed. One of his hands located her ass, laying casually over it while the other gripped her waist like a do or die situation. Her hands seemed like they were trying to weave something out of his hair. His hands slipped underneath her infamous crop top, callused fingers rubbing over the smooth, creamy skin. Her hands mimicked his, feeling the hard, defined muscles of his abdomen, all from training endlessly and working in the mines.
She was almost never boy crazy, unless it came to him. He was always girl crazy, unless it came to her. She was dreaming of this ever since they became friends. He never even thought about it.
It was a sob story for Gardenia Rosewood, and it was a preposterous situation for Roark Tanner.
She was in love with him. He only thought of her as the best friend, the one he could spill his heart out to.
What happened that night was like a critical move in a chess game.