That Silent Toast
A/N: This is sort of a sequel to the oneshot "What it Takes to be the Top", else the meaning of the title is kind of lost.
Chapter 1
It had been a week since they had all arrived in Johto; a week since that silent toast aboard the S.S. Aquaria. The coordinators had bade each other goodbye as they scattered from Olivine city, each taking their own route around Johto to collect their five contest ribbons to make it to the Grand Festival. Solidad had watched as her enthusiastic young friends had dashed off in different directions, May opting to travel with her new friend Caitlin to Azalea and Drew making his typical solitary way toward Cherrygrove. Harley had decided to keep his destination as much a mystery as his dress sense and Grace decided to hang around in Olivine to train. However, there was one person she had wanted to keep tabs on, and he had already disappeared without a trace.
"Good job Pidgeot, return," she commanded as she landed gracefully in Violet city. It was always a good idea to stay away from your toughest rivals in your first few contests – you needed the ribbons to boost your confidence for when you eventually had to face them. But lacking information on her fiercest contender, Solidad had had no choice but to take her chances in the Violet city contest. It had been a long while since she had lost a contest, but she knew that a new region came with new risks, so she braced herself for any possible outcome. The contest was in two days, and in that time, she would have more than enough opportunities to survey the competition.
Acting nonchalant, Solidad made her way to the historic Sprout Tower after leaving her pokemon to rest at the Pokemon Center. It was a place imbued with historical flavor and an air of mystery intensified by the soft swaying of the floors. She bowed to the passing sages in reverence as she made her way to the upper levels, eager to get a good view of the city in the serenity of the setting sun. On her way up, she recognized a few familiar faces she had seen aboard the S.S. Aquaria, calling out friendly greetings and making mental notes of the battling styles she had seen them use during friendly matches aboard the cruise. As she reached the top, she found herself mesmerized by the tall figure silhouetted against the flaming orange sky. Standing upright with his hands clasped behind him, she would have thought him tense if she didn't already know that it was just his nature to be prim. Her inner insecure self cringed when the recognition set in, but she calmly approached the figure, wordlessly resting her arms on the railings beside him.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said simply.
It wasn't so much a question as a statement. She let the gentle breeze sweep past them, taking in the sweet scent of the nearby forest and allowing her senses to absorb the scene before her. She had hoped that Robert would not be at her first contest. Having never battled him before, nor watched very many of his matches, she could not devise a foolproof strategy beforehand. This contest would be a test of her wit and speed unlike any other she had had in years.
"Yes it is," she replied, turning to glance at her unlikely companion. His chiseled features were accentuated by the contrast of shadow in the fading light, and his long blond hair being tossed by the breeze gave him an aura of distance and wisdom, despite his relative youth. A few years ago when she was still an impulsive teenager, if anyone had told her that she would be watching the sunset, enjoying a companionable silence with a quiet and reserved Englishman, she would have laughed in their face. Then again, a lot of things had changed since then. When she turned back toward the distant horizon, she could feel his eyes on her, though she was never able to tell how the cogs were working in his mind. The vermillion glow of the atmosphere lit her hair in an almost magical way, softening her serious features and showing her for the young twenty-two-year-old that she was. He gave a silent chuckle as he contemplated the intrigue of it all. He considered that just maybe, analyzing the competition wasn't the only reason he wanted to get a glimpse of the person behind the mask of 'Top Coordinator of Kanto'.
As the fiery orb sank beneath the horizon, he turned to leave, bidding her a good evening and good luck in the upcoming contest, leaving her to brood a little while longer before making her own way back to the inn where she was staying the night. She flopped unceremoniously onto the covers of her bed, bracing herself for a long day of training ahead before surrendering to slumber.
"Claydol, hyperbeam."
"Butterfree, protect!"
The hyperbeam was deflected in the nick of time, leaving both pokemon unharmed, but extremely exhausted.
Contest day had dawned bright and early with eager coordinators and pokemon gathered to take the stage. After an afternoon's appeals and battles, there had been no surprise as to who the final two contenders were. The MC, Gillian, was beside herself with excitement as she did a play by play of the fierce battle between the two ribbon cup winners. It was down to the last 30 seconds and neither side had lost very many points, each having expertly dodged the other's ruthless yet graceful attacks.
"Let's go with sandstorm, Claydol."
"Turn the sandstorm back on them with psychic!"
There were 15 seconds on the clock and neither side was winning. As Butterfree forced the towering pillar of sand back to the other side of the arena, Claydol emerged from the vortex, landing a heavy blow with headbutt without needing a word from its trainer. Winded but still ready to fight, Butterfree recovered itself just as the timer ran out.
"That was one intense battle, ladies and gentlemen, but let's see who the winner is! And it looks like this contest goes to Robert by little more than a sliver of points!"
The crowd burst into applause, with equal numbers chanting each coordinator's name, a standing ovation for a spectacular battle. Solidad gamely recalled her Butterfree after praising it for a job well done, taking her loss in stride and congratulating Robert on his victory. She had hoped that the years of experience she had had dealing with different opponents' strategies would give her an edge, but unfortunately this was something that he too possessed, with a few added years under his belt. There was always a great deal to be learnt from a loss, and standing on the battlefield faced with such a powerful opponent, she understood why her young green-haired friend had completely lost his nerve.
She sat at a nearby café, absently stirring a cup of coffee as she replayed the entire battle in her head. What differentiated them was how his pokemon were able to orchestrate a complex series of moves without his command, while hers relied fully on her call, particularly in offense. This gave him an element of surprise which enabled him to push his opponents' points down, no matter how strong they were. Turning this observation over in her head, Solidad struggled to find a loophole in his strategy – short of learning how to a mind-read, there was no way she could overcome the disadvantage. Unless…
Struck by the sudden inspiration, she swigged the remains of her coffee and made a beeline for the pokemon center to retrieve her pokemon and work on her new strategy.
A/N: Reviews please! Particularly for language and whether the story is boring etc. Just don't flame the pairing lol.