The curler in my hands hissed at me, but the feeling was mutual. "Oh, shut up." I snapped, and then thrust it back into the tornado of hair that was awaiting it. My ambition in my bedroom that morning was to dress to impress. Not quite "impress", but make those snobs at Striaton Gym turn their heads, and to have the king of all snobs, fall off his throne and onto his knees. I was interrupted from this rather charming fantasy when the heat from my curler almost burnt my cheek.
Even though my curler was yet to be won over, my outfit made me proud. A navy cashmere jumper, a present from my affluent cousin, combined with a chiffon scarf tied loosely around the nape of my neck, stood out to be the prize winners. The silver medal would have been handed to my crisp cream chinos. I raked the curler through the strands of hair, and twisted my wrist to form a signature curl.
"Burgundy, didn't I say you had two more minutes a good ten minutes ago?"
A deep voice interrupted me, and I spun around in my swivel chair. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. I sighed; I could understand that, but sometimes, Stephan is so blind. Could he not appreciate the difficulty I was enduring?
"Oui, that is all very well Stephan, but maybe you don't grasp my divine ordeal here. This is fate- destiny!"
"You're talking about this lesson as if it were," Stephan paused and then smiled a little, "a date. Which is kind of cute, I suppose, it's nice to see you excited-"
Whatever else came out of his mouth, I had no time to hear. Anything else was rendered invalid by that disgusting concept he threw into my head. Switching off my curler, and flinging it onto the floor, I got up and stormed out of the room.
As I quickly slipped into my flats, and Stephan rushed after me hastily, I wondered… do I know anyone who could exorcise my friend?
Cameron was tapping his foot against the hard concrete, his Lucario gazing around the parking lot. I shivered in the morning air, my breath escaping me into the mist. Even it didn't want to deal with that connard, Cilan. Stephan unlocked his rather mediocre car, though he could boast of both a driver's license and an actual car, whereas I was still indulging myself in a pompous dream.
I sat in the passenger's seat, and Lucario along with his trainer squashed themselves into the back seats. I was rather fortunate, even if it meant I had to wake up an hour earlier than I had to; Stephan was refereeing a match in Nacrene City's Battle Club, and Cameron wanted to explore the mysteries of Mega Evolution after obtaining a Lucarionite. As I watched the two of them, trainer and Pokemon, laugh together, tucked in by their seatbelts, like two small children, I couldn't help but grin. The essence of innocence combined with a layer of companionship decorated their relationship and as an A Class Connaisseuse, I couldn't help feel that the stone that glistened in Cameron's hands was meant for them.
"Did you two know that the first mega evolution, according to Legend, was a Lucario?" I turned around in my seat, as the car took off.
Cameron's eyes widened. "Woah, are you serious?" he asked rhetorically, and then high-fived Lucario. "Well, good! That trainer and Lucario paved the way for our friendship to shine!"
Stephan chuckled. "You sure know a lot about Mega Evolution, Burgundy. You even have that catalogue of all the reported stones."
"Bien sur." I replied, self-assured. "It's going to be the topic for my thesis, after all."
"Oh, yeah! You have to write a thesis when you're a S-Class, right? It's a great idea, I mean, Mega Evolution is all about the bond between a trainer and their Pokemon."
I gazed out the window, as the scenery rolled by us. I knew that the A-Class examinations were no easy feat, however, the idea of my thesis exhilarated me so much, especially that it relates to my identity, as a half Kalosian.
However, if I thought examinations were my only obstacle, I was apparently dead wrong according to the garçon who knew everything about the field.
"Well, he is a qualified professor. He mightn't be omniscient," Stephan said as I complained, "but he's much closer than you would be, so it won't hurt learning off him, especially if you want to succeed."
"Not just succeed." I corrected him. "Surpass!"
"So you admit he's ahead of you, then?"
I bit my lip. I knew that, I knew he was ahead of me, as painful as the truth was, it was too glaringly obvious for me cast a blind eye. I had known since he was an A-Class himself, and it seems the further I chase him, the further he slips away.
"Yes." I replied. I could trust Stephan, and now he was the first person that I had admitted this to other than myself.
Stephan briefly tore his eyes away from the road to smile at me supportively. "Well, that's a start, anyways." Stephan told me. "Though you looked so pained, Burgundy. Cheer up; knowing someone is better is never defeat, not to me anyways. Isn't being the best a success and a defeat in itself?" A snore erupted from the back, and I cocked my head. Cameron's head was lolling against Lucario's shoulder, as both were asleep, Cameron's mouth hanging open. Geez that took no time at all.
"What on earth do you mean?"
"Haha, well… you know, your dream is practically over, then. When someone's better, it motivates you to improve. You can't be better than the best, can you? So your growth becomes kind of… stagnant. Of course, it's a success- you are the best, after all! However, it must be annoying, you can never be higher than at the summit, if such a place exists in competition. Someone better will always come."
"I never saw it that way." I answered slowly, mulling it over. Stephan changed gears, and stared ahead of him. "You may want to improve, but that doesn't make it easy to exactly motivate yourself."
"I never said it would be." Stephan answered. "However, no competition would exist if it were easy, and the profit wouldn't be as pleasurable if it were easy. You chose Cilan because he defeated you, therefore, even from the start, you knew he'd be an ordeal."
"No, if I remember rightly, it was because he humiliated me!" I could still see it now; a svelte figure, blurred through my tears, with his hand on hip, trying to string ostentatious words together, as I sat dumbly on the floor of the field, cradling my fainted Oshawott.
"So you still hate him, then. And maybe that's okay." Stephan flicked down the indicator. "Still, I don't know if you're being fully honest."
"What? I am. I'm telling you what I'm tell myself."
"Exactly."
I reclined in the passenger seat. Sometimes, Stephan seriously confused me.
Thirty minutes before the dissent to hell, and I was looking up at the prestigious Striaton Gym. In fairness, the exterior did silence you with its power and yet eloquence, as expected from Cilan. However, I was an A-Class now; a couple of marble pillars did not intimidate me in the slightest. You may wonder what does pillars have to do with my rank, but I don't see how frolicking around trains seems to qualify either.
I sighed, and pushed open the door. I didn't really have that much money to venture into Striaton City, anyways. The cost of living was high enough in this city. As usual, almost every table had an occupant, quite a few of them happened to be members of the Striaton's Gym leaders fan club. I groaned inwardly at the disturbing prospect of them watching over the lesson. If that happens, Cilan is getting kicked and I do not care how he feels about that. I shuffled to the side a little awkwardly, waiting for a table. I actually didn't want to see him until the lesson, and even that seemed like a torturous idea to me.
I saw a bush of crimson hair and grinned. The real Chili this time approached me. "Yo, Burgundy. I heard you were coming over. The usual table by the window?"
I flushed. He still remembers my preferred table from the days when Cilan was travelling and therefore absent from this place. The café is quite pleasant, after all.
"Merci beaucoup." I told him, already walking over the table. He came over to me, and lingered beside the seat across from the one I had occupied.
"I can't stay for long, Cress'll butcher me." He told me with a chuckle. "To make it seem like I'm doing my job, you want a drink?"
"I'll have a latte, and maybe a shortcake too, for now, s'il vous plait." I answered. Chili's colloquial, slightly cavalier way of speaking was oddly charming. He saluted and rushed off to the counter. The heels of my feet slipped out of the flats as I stretched in my chair. The air felt uncomfortably tight, and I realised… I was nervous. I frowned; were Stephan's words getting to me? I shook my head. No, that couldn't be it.
Suddenly, a large cup and a plate adjacent to it obstructed my view, and I was jolted out of my thoughts.
"Merci." I took a sip from the latte. "Ah, damn, you missed it! The design!" I stared at the contents. True, the white stripes represented nothing more than cirrus clouds.
"Didn't know you had an artistic inclination." I answered cheekily, winking. Chili huffed, and a few members of the uninvited audience frantically scrambled for their cameras.
"Please!" He cusped his chin, and tried to pull off an attractive grin. "It was of a Darmanitan, how is yours, by the way?" I took a bite of the shortcake. It was delicious, and the essence was just right. Not half bad!
"Oh, alright. A bit quick tempered, though. That aside, though, did you know what your absolutely ridiculous brother got up to?"
Chili snorted, as he sat down. "I'm gonna guess it was Cilan, yeah?"
I growled. "When isn't it that bowtie wearing idiot…"
"Hey!" Chili exclaimed, pulling at the ends of his own bowtie. "Bowties are awesome. Oh, yeah, I heard all about me. He impersonated me, then again, who wouldn't?" He flicked his hair arrogantly.
"I find it a bit disconcerting that you're not even a little perturbed by that."
He let out a laugh, his head reclining. "It's a bit of a tradition over here. See, during the week, for our fans, we've these, like, themed shows, particular to which triplet. But what if one of us is sick or away? We can't disappoint our customers. So we disguise ourselves as the other; our body shapes are pretty much identical, anyways. Cilan must seriously worry about you if he would pull off that kind of thing, though then again… Cilan likes dressing up a lot."
I snorted. Cilan just wanted to indulge in a pastime and torment me. Go figure.
In the distance, I could hear someone call for Chili. Chili jerked his head around, and both of us looked at Cress, his pale hands firmly on his hips, apron unbelievably pristine. He was glaring.
"Oops, better run. Catch you later, Burgundy!" Chili said to me, scrapping back the chair hastily.
I waved goodbye and informed him I'd see him after my lesson. I would need something pleasant. I sipped my latte, and wondered were there any matches scheduled for today. Cilan will have his hands full with me, anyways, not that he'll be touching me- I'll burn off his fingers if he even dares. Still, I loved Pokemon battles. They were always so thrilling to watch, but instead I have to deal with this lesson.
The chair opposite to me scrapped against the oak floor, and before I looked up, I coyly murmured, "A bit keen, aren't we, Chili?"
"Yes, I've been perpetually keen to teach you, Burgundy." A softer, well-spoken voice answered me, and I almost choked on my own tongue in surprise.
I willed myself to look up and my eyes widened. His hand on the arm of the chair, his other on his hip… the pose was too familiar to me.
"I think it's time we begin, Burgundy." Cilan told me. "I hope you enjoyed my shortcake, by the way."
Sorry, I know I keep delaying things- I didn't intend to, the conversation between Stephan and Burgundy spanned out for longer than intended.
Um, also, apologies for the delay.
