A/N: This...got a lot of attention. Wow. Well, uh, here's chapter two? This is basically one of those "inspiration has struck, voila update" type fics. Once Pokémon Go actually comes out, updates should be more regular. Till then, have dorky Lucy.

"So let me get this straight," Laxus peered at the woman across the table from him over the rim of his glass. "You gave yourself that belly piercing?"

"Yup," Lucy giggled. "Gajeel left all his equipment out in the open, so I figured there was really no harm in trying. I mean, it looked simple enough, you know? Boy, was I wrong. Erik found me a few hours later half-passed out because of the pain and blood loss. Well...less blood loss, and more 'I don't handle blood well'."

Laxus stifled a snicker behind his fist, staring at her with only one eye. "I feel so bad for laughing, but..."

"It's okay," Lucy said. "I laugh about it pretty often, too. It's one of those stories that's brought up at every party, I'm used to it."

"Wait, your piercing looks fine, though. How did that work out?"

Lucy shrugged, placing her fork on her empty plate. "Well, the site healed after a couple months, so I did it again. Succeeded this time, too."

Laxus's jaw dropped along with his spoon. The sudden clatter had patrons to their right turning to stare at them in annoyance, but he hardly had enough fucks to give. The woman was insane. Absolutely, positively batshit insane, and he would be lying if he said it didn't intrigue him more.

They'd only been in the small cafe for about a half hour, but in that span of time he'd learned a lot about the psychology major. Not only was she the sister of the psycho tox major he'd roomed with in the first year ("So you're the guy who tried to electrocute Erik! He's still pissed off about that, you know."), but she was also apparently cousins with Jackal from down the hall ("We like to pretend we're not related."). She was the heiress to a multi-billion dollar company, but was pursuing a degree in psychology to do what she really loved and help people. Her favourite game was Pokémon, and on top of owning every game produced, she could name all 700 plus in alphabetical order.

"You're crazy," he said bluntly.

"You're crazier for pursuing a double major," Lucy countered. "Especially when said majors are polar opposites. Business and physics? Really?"

Now it was Laxus's turn to grin. "What can I say? It's fun."

"All that stress? Nuh uh, physics can stay far the fuck away from me," Lucy shook her head vehemently. The buff blond couldn't help but snicker at how genuinely horrified his new friend seemed at the thought of physics. The subject had always been far too easy for him, and while it tended to make people more stressed and panicked, all it did was calm him down. Something about being able to get one simple number after a page and a half of calculations was...soothing.

"But the real question is, how does one go from business to psychology?" Laxus prodded, immediately regretting it. They'd known each other for barely six hours and here he was getting all personal. Just as he was about to open his mouth to take it back, Lucy spoke. "Easy. One of the many things I was taught by my personal tutors in the Konzern was that keying in to the human psyche was the quickest way to closing any deal, so I had to take a couple psychology classes on top of the regular business management and accounting ones. I found myself actually eager to attend the psych ones, an odd change because typically, I wanted to do nothing more than jump out the window for business. Mrs Spetto, my maid, told me my life would be better going forth if I spent my university years doing something I loved, even if father disapproved. So here I am!"

Laxus could feel his ears and neck burning, and his chest tightened uncomfortably. It was almost unfair, he thought, that she at least had a support system to help keep her on her desired path, whereas he had to pretend that his sole desire in life was to take over Dreyer Enterprises. What did it matter what he wanted? Ivan could have cared less. His grandfather was too busy managing the family business to notice that Laxus didn't want to become a businessman, even if he'd been groomed his whole life to be one.

They weren't so different, then. A split in the same road to business. Where she took the path that was carved of her own choices, he stuck to the one he was handed. He was weak in that way, and he was...resentful, but happy at the same time. He wouldn't have wished his upset upon anyone, let alone such a bubbly blonde.

Besides, it wasn't as if he had stayed silent on the matter. After throwing the mother of all bitch-fits, he'd finally coerced Ivan into letting him pursue a double-degree. If it came down to it, in the end, at least he'd have a second degree to fall back on.

"So what'd you wanna do?" Lucy gave him a knowing look when he quirks an eyebrow. "Don't give me that, Laxus. Every heir or heiress has wanted to do something way out of the blue, you know this as well as I do."

"Astrophysics was always huge for me," he gave a sheepish grin at her surprised look. "Yeah, I know. But damn, space has always fascinated me. 'Specially the thought of multiverses and time travel. But I also kind of liked biomedical engineering."

"I used to want to be an astronomer," Lucy admitted. Her fingers toyed with the small spoon in her cup of coffee, drawing idle patterns in the liquid and watching the ripples as they spread. "I loved constellations. Had every last one memorized by the time I was ten."

Laxus whistled. "Impressive. I-Lucy?"

The psychology major was gripping her phone tightly and positively quivering in her excitement. "Oh my God," she breathed. "There's one here!"

"One...what?"

"Piplup!" Lucy squealed. "There's a Piplup in here!"

Laxus almost groaned. The breakfast had been going just fine up until the little (or large, who knew) Pokémon had decided to make its surprise appearance. But, he caught himself, at least she looked excited about something. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that happy doing something other than physics.

Instead of sitting by as she concentrated on catching it, he said, "Where is it?"

"By the juice bar," Lucy eyed the area.

"Shall we?" he stood up, offering his hand. "It seems pretty rare, judging by your...exuberance."

Lucy's soft hand slipped into his like a perfect fit as she stood up, eyes still firmly glued to the bright screen of her phone. "Not so much rare as a starter and kind of difficult to find."

"So...rare."

"You know what? Shh," Lucy tip-toed towards the juice bar as if there were an actual Pokémon there that would be scared off by sudden movements. He followed her in amused silence, making sure to walk just as quietly. If anybody gave them funny looks...well, it had been a few hours too many since he had put on his 'stare-and-die' face.

"You're all mine!" Lucy hissed, coming to a stop before a whirring blender of green leaves. The employee, a rather scared looking woman whose name tag read 'Chelia', blinked in confusion. Laxus shook his head, mouthing, "Not you."

Chelia nodded slowly and continued to blend whatever unholy concoction lay within.

"So, what's the status?" he peered over her shoulder. A tiny, blue...penguin thing hopped back and forth, waving its flippers in the air. Opposing it was a Pokémon Laxus recognized as Jolteon, an old personal favourite of his.

"My team is too strong for this," Lucy indicated the levels helplessly. Piplup was at level seven, while Jolteon was a whopping 56.

"Can't you just, like...throw a pokeball at it? It's weak enough that it'll get caught."

Lucy blushed in embarrassment. "I only have one on hand, I'm not taking any chances..."

"So switch to one that's got, like, sleep or stun spore," Laxus suggested. He was amazed at how quickly his knowledge of the game was coming back to him once he was intrigued. He could feel his heart pick up speed as he debated his-no, her options. It was her game.

"No!" Lucy shrieked. Taken aback by her sudden outburst, which had attracted the attention of all the customers, Laxus muttered, "Jesus, if you didn't like the idea-"

"It's gone!" the blonde yelled. "Piplup ran away!"

"Wait, what?" true to her words, 'PIPLUP RAN AWAY!' blinked repeatedly in a text box at the bottom of the screen. Lucy let out a depressed whimper as she slid to the floor, pouting. "My Piplup..."

Laxus squatted beside her, patting her silky blonde hair comfortingly. Even he could feel the slight sting of disappointment over having lost the admittedly cute penguin. It must've been worse for a hardcore fanatic like herself in comparison to a former player such as himself.

"It's okay," he soothed. "We can find another one."

"But it was so close," she moaned. "So close!"

Both parties stayed silent for several moments as they silently mourned the loss of Piplup. While Lucy cooed at her screen, Laxus gave patrons who stared just a little too long his trademark 'closing a deal' look, which sent them scrambling. His hand moved in rhythmic, yet hesitant, motions up and down her back. He wasn't too used to comforting people, and the most he could remember of his mother was her doing the same to him when he was upset. It seemed to do the trick.

A loud beep sounded from the phone.

"It's back!" Lucy laughed gleefully, leaping to her feet once more. "There is a god!"

And old woman decked out in heavy pearls shot the duo a scandalized look.

"So what's the-holy fuck!"

Lucy had leapt over the counter, crashing into one of the (mercifully off) blenders and spilling the contents all over her shirt. She fell to the ground at an angle that would have rendered lesser people unconscious (he knew this from experience, having executed throws that forced the opponent into similar poses), but she stayed alert and relatively uninjured.

Laxus stood in utter shock for all of two minutes before hastily bending over the counter to stare at her. "What the fuck, Lucy?"

"It's right...there..." she whispered breathlessly, crawling slowly towards Chelia's feet. The pinkette squeaked in alarm and remained stock still. "Please don't hurt me!" she said in a high pitched voice.

"Move and die," Lucy snarled, at the same time Laxus sighed, "She's mostly harmless."

Celia merely let out a sound akin to a dying porcupine, and Laxus made a mental note to tip her generously before they left.

Now, the more pressing matter was Lucy and her very rounded backside.

"Oh, for fuck's-" Laxus groaned. He could see the more perverse male patrons stand up and shuffle closer to ogle shamelessly at the well-defined ass not-so hidden behind tight yoga-pants. While Lucy continued to snap and snarl at her phone, Laxus drew himself to his full height-a rather impressive 6'3-and crossed his arms, not-so-covertly displaying his defined muscles. While most of the guys took the warning, one stood by, a cocky look on his face.

"Really," Laxus deadpanned. The other male merely continued to smirk.

"One last chance, Laxus!" Lucy yelled, thinking he was addressing her. "I'm gonna ace this!"

"Do you really wanna play this game?" the buffer blond asked. The other man, who he had aptly nicknamed 'Douchey Mcfly', sneered in a way that said, 'you don't threaten me'.

"If you download Pokémon Go, maybe we can play!" Lucy called back. She sat up ramrod straight, bouncing on her heels. "So close!"

Douchey Mcfly's jaw dropped, and the business major knew exactly where his mind had flown. "In hell," Laxus growled. Lucy tilted her head back with an affronted look in her eyes. "No need to get snappy!"

"The ball shook twice," was enough to get her attention away.

Laxus strode over, leaning down to hiss in the shorter male's ear. "Get any closer and I can guarantee that no party will let you in for the rest of your university career."

To a normal person the threat would've held no real value, but to a fuckboy, the idea of no major partying for four whole years was a death sentence if there ever was one. Paling drastically, Douchey Mcfly scurried out of the cafe at a speed that would have put Sawyer "Racer" McGee to shame.

"I got it!" Lucy leapt up victoriously. "Piplup is mine!"

"Nice," Laxus grinned. Vaulting over the counter as if it were an every day occurrence, Lucy smiled brightly up at him, offering her phone to show him. "See?"

Piplup stared up at him, chirping cheerfully. He wasn't quite sure what the stats meant, but what really caught his attention was the name.

"'Laxy?'" he rolled his eyes despite the heavy thump of his heart. "Really?"

"Well, yeah!" Lucy laughed. "I always name at least one Pokémon after a friend, and since you were here while I caught my favourite Pokémon, I'm naming him after you!"

Her favourite.

His cheeks heated, and he scratched his temple with the hand on the opposite side to block her view of his face. "T-thanks..." he mumbled.

"Well, I need another shower," the psychology major scooped up a little bit of the green goop on her neck and popped it in her mouth. After a few minutes of thoughtful silence, she turned to Chelia and said, "Well, it's good, but I'd add a bit more kale, if I were you!"

"O...k..." Chelia nodded slowly. "U-um...your total is $22.57?"

"I got this," Laxus said, pulling out his debit card and tapping it on the card machine.

He hoped a thirty dollar tip would be suffice as an apology on their behalf.

As Lucy led him out of the cafe and chattered on and on about how precious this Piplup was, and the moves she had figured out for it already, Laxus couldn't help but wonder what crazy adventure she'd drag him on next. That is, if she was going to. He couldn't help but hope that she was still interested in hanging out with him.

After all, he'd felt lighter in those brief moments watching her play than he had ever been doing physics.

A/N: Oooh, look! Drama! Not really. Well. Really. Kind of. I think? Have plot.

-Touko.