I can't stop stressing how much your support means to me. Really. Without you guys, your positive comments, I think I'd be outta brain juice to keep writing this. But we're almost at the end, just 2 more chapters to go (including this one), so hang on tight!
Many thanks to Kitsune Kit, Jade vert, and psychobubbles for your wonderful reviews!
Author's Note: I hope everybody noticed that I switched some characters around… Like for example, The 'Elite Four' consists of Lorelei, Karen, Koga, Bruno, and Lance. . The Indigo Plateau consists of Lorelei, Agatha, Bruno, and Lance, like the canon game/series. Hope that doesn't mix anyone up!
Now… on with the story!
-x-x-x-
Like Wine
"So how was the festival?" Claire asked.
It was early morning the next day, and the two dragon trainers were sitting at the Blackthorn Gym over steaming cups of coffee.
"Adequate." Her cousin replied.
Claire rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Not for you, you numbskull. You're about as dense as a Gastly! I'm asking how it was with Yellow! What did you guys do? Did anything happen?"
"She wanted a plushie." Lance offered.
"And?" Claire pressed.
"So I got her one." He replied.
"Awwwww," Claire cooed. "And then what?"
"She hugged me."
"And?"
"I hugged her back."
"No kissing?" Claire asked, incredulous.
"On the cheek." He stated.
"Well, that's a step if nothing!" His cousin declared happily. "Next up… go on a date!"
-x-x-x-
Yellow woke up again, but by now she was used to her surroundings. Pika was curled up near her, tired from the festival and sleeping contentedly.
She blushed as she thought about the kiss Lance bestowed upon her cheek. It made her feel warm and… tingly… inside. And she didn't know why. She thought back more. Lance was wearing… an all-black version of his usual uniform, except for the cloak. It was form fitting and made him look very handsome. And the way he held her in his arm and wrapped his cloak around them…
She felt her face heat up again. 'Of all people, why me!' She silently wailed in distress, feeling her face flame up again.
Just then, the door clicked open and the person of her thoughts came in.
"Good morning." He greeted politely.
"G-Good morning," She stuttered awkwardly.
As if sensing her unspoken question, he continued, "You fell asleep yesterday as we were coming back. I decided it would be quicker if I carried you back rather than wake you up and risk letting you injure yourself."
-x-x-x-
He let her digest the information he had given her and watched in amusement as she pinkened.
She was really too innocent for her own good. Of course, that was also part of the reason that she drew him to her like a moth to a flame. Living and growing up in a world shrouded by darkness had yet to corrupt her innocence, whereas he was still fighting the darkness that threatened to devour him at all turns. In a way, she was his salvation.
"Since it seems that we have nothing planned, what would you like to do today?" He asked cordially.
The surprise on her face was evident. It was only a couple days since they had met and he had flirted and teased her mercilessly, and now he was being polite and somewhat respectful. Said surprise turned to suspicion as the Dragon Master inwardly voiced his thoughts.
"Ummm… I was thinking about taking a walk around and exploring the area." The young healer finally replied, sitting up in bed and holding an awake Red's Pikachu in her lap.
He nodded. "I'll give you time to… prepare yourself. I will wait outside."
And he turned and left the room.
-x-x-x-
Predictably, as soon as he stepped outside, he was assaulted by—
"Lance."
The Dewgong and Cloyster were a dead giveaway.
He sighed inwardly and turned to the Elite Four member with annoyance, one hand gripping the Pokeball containing his Dragonair. "Lorelei."
"Karen was most displeased by how you treated her the other day." The Ice Mistress stated.
"Tell her she's lucky to be alive." The Dragon Master said indifferently.
Her eyes flickered with irritation and fury. "You were supposed to be back two days ago. You're one of us, Lance. You can't be with her. She will only hinder you."
"And I suppose this is the part where you come in with your little threats." Lance stated.
"They'll want her destroyed. She is a distraction, Lance. All they see is their beloved Champion screwing around with his slut. Unless you do something about it." She said, her voice laced with venom, her eyes boring into his.
"Leave." Said Champion said in cold anger, his voice steely immovable.
"You leave me no choice, Lance. Dewgong! Cloyster!" She waved an arm.
At their mistress' silent command, the two Pokemon advanced toward the room Lance exited only moments earlier.
His eyes widened with shock and unbridled fury as he moved into action.
There were two flashes as two Dragonair appeared, and at the same time, Lorelei's Pokemon broke down the door.
There was a scream and a bright flash, and Dewgong went flying backwards, hitting the wall and slumping to the ground unconscious. A cloud of smoke floated up from the impact, halting everyone in their movement.
When the smoke cleared, it revealed that an unconscious Cloyster had joined the unconscious Dewgong on the ground. Red's Pikachu was crouching in front of Yellow, growling fiercely, sparks flying from its cheeks. Behind Red's Pikachu was Yellow, wearing a tank top and skirt, her hair down and her usual hat in place, and her Pokebelt draped slanted and loosely around her waist.
Lance released an inward sigh of relief. He had been worried that she would be injured, but Red's Pikachu came through as always. Now he could focus on the situation on hand.
"Lorelei, what do you want?" Yellow asked, her normally soft voice laced with determination and protectiveness.
The Ice Mistress glared coldly at the young healer. "You're a hindrance. You need to be disposed of."
The younger girl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'm a… hindrance?" Beside her, Red's Pikachu also looked at the Elite Four member with curiosity.
"Don't play innocent. You're a distraction to Lance. Stay away from him and—" Lorelei snapped, and her eyes widened as she threw herself to the ground, barely missing the Hyperbeam flying over her head.
"I won't say it again. Leave." The Dragon Master stated coldly, Dragonair hovering behind him, eyeing the Ice Mistress.
Lorelei gracefully picked herself off the ground, reaching for another Pokeball, only—
"Looking for this?" Yellow asked from across the room, gesturing to the Pokeballs that Red's Pikachu was now in possession of. The smaller Pokemon cheekily grinned at the Ice Mistress before depositing his haul in front of his temporary mistress.
Yellow bent down to secure the Pokeballs, and then straightened up, turning to the Ice Mistress. "I'll give your Pokemon back to you if you leave without causing further havoc." She negotiated.
"I'll kill you!" Lorelei snarled, her eyes flashing with fury.
Pika growled at her aggressiveness, sparks flying from his cheeks.
"Now now, Lorelei, play nice," A cheerfully deceptive voice interrupted.
Clair had arrived.
"Now, I normally don't make house calls. But when someone alerted me that a member of the Elite Four arrived, I was like, 'Okay, so they finally noticed Lance.' But when they told me it wasn't my cousin, I knew something was up. Go back and get some sleep. You probably need it. And stop terrorizing my people!" The Blackthorn gym leader declared from atop her Dragonair, her voice amiable and her eyes anything but.
"Like you don't?" Lorelei retorted, eyeing the newest arrival with an air of apprehension.
She was clearly outnumbered; any of them could see that.
"I'm leaving." Lorelei stated. "You've won this round, Lance, but your cousin won't always be around to save you or your slut."
With that, she strode across the room and snatched her belongings from the stunned healer, summoned her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs, and left.
-x-x-x-
Lorelei had called her a... slut?
Why?
Yellow was deeply confused as to why the Elite Four member would call her such a degrading term. She had done nothing to merit it!
"Yellow." A familiar voice drew her from her thoughts.
-x-x-x-
She turned to Clair, who had gently gripped the young healer by her shoulders to grab her attention. "There's been a… discrepancy as of late." Clair started, trying her best to explain to the healer without revealing too much. "The Elite Four thinks that you are a distraction to Lance, and because you aren't one of them, they want to get rid of you."
The young healer looked confused, her expression one of bewilderment. "But why? What did I do?"
Clair sighed. "Lance was supposed to join them two days ago. Apparently, they saw you with him and thought he was spending too much time with you."
If possible, Yellow looked even more confused. "But I met him two days ago."
"I was on my way to meet them when I happened to pass you and your… dilemma." Lance interjected smoothly, instantly grabbing the young healer's attention. "It just so happened that I was… intrigued and I decided to see for myself."
As if sensing the need, Clair stated, "Well, I'm sure you can handle the rest. Take care of yourselves and don't be afraid to call me if you need back-up. You can't beat them all by yourselves." With that, the Dragon Mistress nodded to her Dragonair and took off.
After she was gone, Yellow turned back to Lance. "See what?"
The Dragon Master turned and looked at her, his ever intense amber eyes boring into her wide curious brown ones.
"An angel."
-x-x-x-
Ba-bump ba-bump ba-bump—
Yellow felt her heartbeat speed up, her eyes locking with Lance's passionate, serious ones as he leaned forward, closer and closer until they were touching nose to nose.
"You interest me." He stated simply, his eyes seeming to shine golden with intensity. "I don't know if this is love or lust. We're completely different. Opposites, you could say. However, I would like to get to know you better, if you will allow."
Momentarily rendered speechless, she nodded, wide-eyed.
"Then… would you be interested in accompanying me for dinner tonight at the café a couple blocks down? I hear they have an excellent sushi bar." He stated slowly.
"A-Alright," She heard herself agreeing, blinking rapidly and trying to digress if this was some sort of dream.
"Then I'll be back in a couple hours. Hopefully that will be enough time for you to… do whatever it is you females do. Clair would like to remind you that she's available should you need assistance." He said, looking slightly bewildered but nonetheless reassuring.
At the mention of the Blackthorn gym leader, she blanched. "No! I mean, I'll be fine! By myself! And Pika!" She added hastily, gesturing to Red's Pikachu.
Meanwhile, Pika was laying on a pillow, drowsing off, completely oblivious (at the moment) to the two trainers.
He merely smirked before leaning forward to brush her lips against the tip of her nose before withdrawing and leaving.
Only when she was sure that he was gone did she allow herself to groan out loud, waking Pika up, who looked at her with sleepy, amused eyes. "Pika?"
"Why me?" She asked in dismay.
-x-x-x-
A couple hours later Lance found himself standing outside their hotel room wearing an outfit similar to the one he wore the previous day, except it was black with dark orange stripes running down his sleeves, and a black cape with a dark orange inside.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door tentatively.
There was a short silence. Then Yellow shouted, "Coming!" and there was a cluster of noises as footsteps echoed across the room and the door was flung open to reveal Yellow wearing a lavender colored dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair was down and she wore matching flats. Pika was on her left shoulder, excited to head out and eat some food.
"Ready?" He asked politely, offering her his elbow.
She nodded, taking his elbow and offering him a smile.
-x-x-x-
A short time later found them at the café, sitting across each other at a small booth in the corner. Pika sat next to Yellow, contentedly munching away at some fries (with the assistance of a large bottle of ketchup).
"Do you like the food?" Lance asked.
Yellow nodded, smiling. "It reminds me of this dish my mom used to make."
The rest of their meal continued in silence.
Shortly after the waiter came to give them the bill (which he insisted on paying for) and clearing away the dishes, he looked outside at the clear sky and suggested, "Would you like to take a stroll in the park?"
Her eyes lit up. "Will we see the stars?"
He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "They always shine the brightest in Blackthorn."
-x-x-x-
She sighed happily, looking up at the stars. "They're really bright!"
"I told you so." He smirked.
"They look so happy…" She said, her eyes glazed and faraway, reflecting the brightness of the stars.
"Stars can't look happy." He stated.
"But those two do." She pointed up towards two bright shining stars, away from the rest of the others and shining with an intensity that was breathtaking.
"Like you?" He asked quietly.
She looked towards him, her eyes still glazed but mixed with a hint of confusion, a slight blush grazing her face.
He leaned forward and gently caught her lips with his.
And realized she was right.
End Chapter 4.