Chapter 8
Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of their titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended. Please support the official release.
Moi-Moi: Happy Easter everyone! I feel particularly festive this year. Which says a lot considering that Easter is one of my least favorite times of the year… Oh well. I'll accept any joy that I can get. I should probably let you guys know that this chapter will start the countdown until the final chapter. We have maybe… four more left…at the most. *shrugs* What can I say? Now that Gabi and Paul are officially together, there's only one more hurdle to leap. You'll see what I'm talking about in this chapter…
I just realized this chapter that I never officially gave Gabi's father a name… silly me. I decided to name him Eleott. It's pronounced just like "Elliott"… I wanted to keep up with the electricity puns and it was the best I had! Okay? Geez…
ALSO! Before I forget, I forgot (or probably didn't realize) just how BIG Luxray is… It wasn't until I saw Clemont's Luxio evolve into Luxray that I realized how BIG a Luxray is compared to a ten-year-old. I was always visualizing Volkner and his Luxray, COMPLETELY disregarding the fact that Volkner's a grown man. Sigh… Just thought I'd let you guys know… ^.^
~:~
"Magmortar, use Solarbeam!" Flint commanded his slightly winded Pokémon.
"Ice Beam," Paul spoke in a forceful tone. Gastrodon's Ice Beam met Magmortar's Solar Beam in the middle of the field before rising to form an upside-down 'V'. The attacks began flashing brightly just before exploding in a shower of light fireworks. Paul wasted no time admiring the display. "Water Pulse!"
Flint's eyes widened in surprise. Paul's timing had been perfect. The Water Pulse hit Magmortar directly in his torso before a cloud of steam surrounded him. When the steam had evaporated, Flint smirked slightly. It was moments like these where he could really see why Gabi liked Paul so much. Paul was strong not only on the battlefield, but quite a force to be reckoned with off it as well. While Flint had to admit that Paul's serious nature clashed with Gabi's carefree personality, he didn't dare question. After all, Volkner had rained all over his parade many times in the past, but Flint couldn't ask for a better friend.
"Not bad, Paul. You never cease to impress me with that fire of yours. I can feel your determination," Flint spoke and recalled his fainted Pokémon. "But if you want to beat me, you'll have to take down my Ace. Infernape, let's go!"
Infernape leaped out onto the field before quickly doing a several quick backflips in a row. With a ready grin, Infernape took its fighting stance. Paul inconspicuously took a deep breath before eyeing the Jumbo-Tron's screen. All but the final circle for Flint's Pokémon had been completely dimmed- Infernape. Paul noticed the two spheres he had remaining- Electivire's image had been slightly dimmed while Gastrodon's was shining brightly. Both of his remaining Pokémon had taken damaged while Flint's final Pokémon was ready to go. "Gastrodon, Water Pulse!"
"Dodge that and use Mach Punch!" Flint commanded. With speed that surpassed that which Paul had expected, Infernape easily dodged the attack and moved in for his own attack. Gastrodon's eyes widened in surprise when Infernape seemed to suddenly materialize before it. Gastrodon's squishy body became deformed as Infernape's fist landed its devastating hit. Gastrodon began soaring over the field before colliding loudly with the wall of the stadium. Paul's eyes widened. In a sort of goop-like state, Gastrodon fell from the hole in the wall he had created upon impact. Gastrodon collapsed in a heap onto the ground with a dazed expression.
"Gastrodon is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner!" the referee declared. Paul recalled Gastrodon at once with a resigned expression. He tucked away Gastrodon's Pokéball before taking out Electivire's once again.
"Don't tell me that you're giving up now, Paul," Flint smirked with a chuckle.
"Are you kidding me? I've beaten you before with far less on the line," Paul smirked now. Flint's smirk fell before an eager grin took its place. "Electivire, stand by for battle!"
Electivire swung its arms around like a windmill with an eager grin on his face. Paul gauged both Pokémon on the field. Infernape was at full power while this was Electivire's second bout. Flint's Drifblim hadn't done too much damage on Electivire. Paul could see a way to win, but it would require perfect timing and skill. Paul smirked even wider.
Flint was frowning slightly now. What was Paul planning? Flint narrowed his eyes slightly. No matter what it was, it couldn't beat Flint's secret weapon. "Infernape, Mach Punch!"
"Block it!" Paul commanded.
"I don't believe it folks! Infernape seemed faster than the speed of light only moments ago, but Electivire seems to have caught Infernape's fists as if they were nothing at all!" the announcer yelled into his microphone.
Flint's eyes were still wide. Electivire was grinning with a slight chuckle now. "Infernape's speed may have been too much for Gastrodon, but it's nothing to Electivire. Gabi's Infernape is much faster. Thunder," Paul commanded. Grabbing hold of Infernape's mid-section with his tails, Electivire let the currents flow through him and into Infernape.
"That looks incredibly painful, folks. I can only describe it as, "immensely brutal"," the announcer continued. Voices of concern rang out from the audience as Infernape shouted from the battlefield. Paul couldn't help but gain a sense of déjà vu.
"Infernape, use Earthquake!" Flint exclaimed. Twitching slightly while still being electrocuted, Infernape struck his fist down onto the field. Seismic waves originated from Infernape's fist before rocking the entire field and the stadium as well. Electivire exclaimed loudly before stumbling back and releasing Infernape from his grasp. "Mach Punch one more time!"
"Protect!" Paul commanded. Electivire's barrier barely held against Infernape's fist. Leaping away quickly to put several feet of distance between them, Infernape crouched and awaited Electivire's next move. Electivire growled lowly as he gazed at Infernape. "Thunder Punch!"
"Flare Blitz!" Flint responded.
Paul watched Electivire and Infernape exchange blows with a careful eye. Electivire would strike Infernape forcefully with his fists just before Infernape would recover long enough to deliver a flaming, full-body tackle onto Electivire's person. At this rate, Electivire would be worn out or burned before Paul could cinch his victory. Eventually, it came to the point where Electivire was landing less and less hits. Worn out first then…
"Electivire, Protect!" Paul commanded. Electivire made the switch from offense to defense seamlessly just as Infernape landed another Flare Blitz onto Electivire's protective barrier. Paul glared harshly. Suddenly, Infernape gasped from across the field before slumping. Paul's eyes widened. He'd almost forgotten about Flare Blitz's recoil damage. Paul smirked. It was time for a bit more déjà vu. "Use Thunder on the battle field."
Like it had done four years ago, Thunder caused many large boulders to be broken up from the ground and sent flying into the air. "That's not going to work on us. Dodge them," Flint commanded. Infernape moved quickly, dodging each boulder as it fell by performing some incredible acrobatics.
Paul narrowed his eyes. Almost there… "Now, grab Infernape and use Thunder," Paul commanded. Flint's eyes widened comically as his jaw dropped.
"I don't believe it folks! In the midst of all that dodging, Infernape seems to have gotten uncomfortably close to Electivire's tails!" the announcer exclaimed.
"Don't let it near the ground," Paul smirked devilishly. Electivire held Infernape above his head with his twin tails wrapped around Infernape's mid-section, effectively trapping the Fire type's arms to his sides. "Electivire, finish this up with Brick Break!"
The battlefield became even more destroyed as Infernape's body slammed down onto the field's worn away ground. Infernape's body began sizzling lightly from where he laid unconsciously.
"Infernape is unable to battle! The winner is Electivire! The victory goes to Paul!" the referee announced.
Paul nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He recalled Electivire after a job well done. Looking up, Paul noticed Flint approaching him. After a few seconds of smiling lightly, Flint offered his hand in a shake. Paul nodded once before accepting the shake. Before Paul could react, Flint pulled Paul in by the shoulders and wrapped an arm around Paul's neck. Paul protested loudly while Flint only laughed him off. Flint left together with Paul while the announcer finished up the last of his commentary on the match.
"I gotta admit, Paul. I didn't think you'd beat me. I suppose everyone gets lucky sometimes," Flint shrugged and started once they were off the field.
"Humph. Leave it to a loser to come up with an excuse for losing," Paul smirked.
Flint grinned good-naturedly with a chuckle. "So now that you've won, how are you and Short-Stuff gonna celebrate? Or is what you two do in private none of my business?" Flint laughed.
Paul rolled his eyes. "Not that it's any of your business, but we don't have anything planned."
"Oh that won't do. You should be wining and dining, Short-Stuff. Let me give you a piece of advice. She may not ask for it, but a woman always appreciates a special, carefully thought out surprise from a lover," Flint grinned and winked.
"Lover?" Paul nearly choked.
"Listen. Between you and me, I'm glad that Gabi didn't settle on that Stephen guy. You're way more interesting than him," Flint scoffed and shoved his hands into his pockets while leaning back into a casual stance
"Even though he loves her?" Paul nearly rolled his eyes. Stephan's words were still flying around in Paul's head, but they only served to anger him.
"Well don't you?" Flint asked in a genuinely curious tone as he gestured to Paul. At Paul's hesitant silence, Flint smiled knowingly. "I don't blame you for not knowing," Flint said as he wrapped an arm around Paul's shoulders yet again. Flint led Paul down the hall towards the exit. "You're still young. The point is that you care. And Gabi returns the feeling."
"How can she when I barely know anything about her?" Paul found himself asking before he could stop the words from tumbling from his lips. He nearly cursed.
"You're kidding right? After four years, you barely know anything about her? Give me a break. I'm sure you know tons about her. With how much Gabi talks when she's around you, how can you not know everything about her? Besides, you don't have to know all the little details about a person to love them," Flint scoffed. Paul raised a brow. "Take me for example. I haven't known Malva for nearly as long as you've known Gabi, but I already know that I'm going to marry that woman," Flint said with a sigh.
"Really?" Paul smirked.
Flint ignored Paul's dubious tone. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You are just a kid after all. But that woman is a special one. If you spent a few minutes with her, you'd see it. She's amazing. I don't deserve her, but she doesn't know that. Which is why I'm going to marry her before she can realize it," Flint chuckled.
"So that's your genius plan?" a female voice rang out. Flint chuckled lowly before leaving Paul's side to stand before Malva. She was smirking slightly at him with an unreadable expression. "You're so amusing that I could just burn you up where you stand."
At Flint's low chuckle, Paul decided to leave the area. Those two were making him slightly uncomfortable. As he turned to leave, Paul heard his name being called out just before he felt a force collide with his person. The wind was momentarily knocked out of him as he felt soft lips quickly peck his. "Congrats! I'm so proud of you!" Gabi exclaimed from where she held onto him tightly.
"I suppose it's you that gets to claim this victory, Gabi. Such as shame. I'll have to work this one harder in the future," Malva winked at Gabi from where she stood next to Flint. Flint was lost to the world as he stared at Malva with a dazed expression and a goofy smile in place. Gabi and Paul chose to look away when Flint leaned in to whisper something in Malva's ear that had her eyes widening and a light blush rising to her cheeks. Malva led Flint away with a small smile while patting his afro softly. "Farewell you two," Malva called back.
"See you two much later. Remember what I told you Paul," Flint offered over his shoulder. Gabi frowned in confusion before looking to Paul for clarification. Paul shook his head with a sigh. Gabi raised a brow at him, but decided to leave it alone for now.
"Gabi!" they heard a masculine voice call out this time. Paul nearly scoffed at the sight of Stephan jogging towards them with a grin on his face. When he felt Gabi patting his arm consolingly, he noticed the slight grip he placed on her waist as he held her to him. He hadn't even realized that he was still holding her to him. Stephan, however, did. "There you are. You ran off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to ask you something."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Stephan. What is it?" Gabi asked politely.
"I wanted to know if you were busy this weekend. I know how much you like the beach I thought that we could go together," Stephan smiled pleasantly.
Paul's grip tightened again. If it hadn't he would have been tempted to put his hands (or fist) on Stephan. He wasn't a particularly violent guy, but everyone had their limit. No matter the circumstances, it was never okay to ask out a guy's girlfriend especially not in front of him. "She can't. We have plans this weekend," Paul butted in, his eyes glaring at Stephan in an unspoken challenge.
"We…do?" Gabi asked quietly. Paul nearly sighed in exasperation. Before he could try to play it off, Gabi quickly spoke again, "Paul, were you planning a surprise for me? That's so sweet of you. I'll still act surprised. I promise." Gabi rested her head against Paul's shoulder before pulling him away from his glaring contest with Stephan.
"It's remarkable how much I can despise one person," Paul muttered once they were far enough away from Stephan.
Gabi rubbed her hand along Paul's arm soothingly with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. I've tried telling him "no" more times than I can count," she apologized. Paul relaxed at that. It did wonders for his mood to know that Gabi had been denying Stephan's advances. He didn't honestly believe that she had been saying "yes" to him, but it didn't hurt to have confirmation. "Paul, do we really have plans his weekend?" Gabi asked him suddenly.
If Paul had been more expressive of his emotions, she would have figured him out in a second. Luckily, Paul was able to play off his panic relatively easy. Where had that declaration come from? He'd never made any plans! Gabi didn't have to know that… "There's a new restaurant that just opened in Veilstone City. I thought that you would like it," Paul spoke. It wasn't a lie. When Paul had been out shopping for Reggie, he'd happened upon the simple restaurant. It'd immediately made him think of Gabi. He knew that she liked simple things. The little bistro had a cozy feeling that he'd thought she'd enjoy.
Paul waited for Gabi to say something to ease his panic, but she was silent. He was about to question her when he felt her peck his cheek softly. "Thank you, Paul. I can't wait," he heard her speak in a delighted tone. Paul nearly smirked in triumph. Maybe Flint knew what he was taking about for once…
~:~
Paul scanned the names that were printed on the page of the phone book early the next morning. His breakfast rested before him with a cup of still-warm tea. In a display of ease that could be considered rather rare lately, Paul sat at the kitchen table in nothing but a loose t-shirt and pajama bottoms. When Reggie stepped into the room with a particularly heavy cardboard box, he raised a questioning brow at his brother. Paul hadn't looked up from the book. His eyes were fixed onto the pages and his brows were knitted in concentration.
Finally, Reggie decided to speak up. "Paul, what are you doing?"
"I'm looking for the number to the new restaurant in town," Paul answered before flipping another page.
"Are you planning on ordering take-out for lunch?" Reggie asked slowly, not fully understanding his brother's motives.
"No. I'm making dinner reservations… for Gabi and I," Paul added as an afterthought. A slight flush rose up his cheeks before he immediately reigned it in.
"Oh," Reggie replied before taking his box away. Paul stopped his searching then. He had expected light teasing, embarrassing talks about his body, or even over-zealous excitement from Reggie. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Paul went back to the phonebook. "When is your date?" Reggie started casually.
"This weekend. I… I asked her," Paul went on. He could sense that Reggie was just dying to ask the questions, but Reggie never commented.
"I see. I hope you have a good time. Don't stay out too late," Reggie said before leaving to take the garbage-filled box outside. Paul sighed once. He wasn't about to question Reggie's motives.
Outside, Reggie nearly pumped a fist into the air. The only thing preventing him was the heavy box weighing down his arms. There was hope for his little brother after all. A cheery grin spread across his face just before Reggie began whistling down to the trash can at the end of the driveway. On his way back to the house, Reggie stopped at the mailbox. He flipped through the envelopes one at a time, separating the junk from everything else. Most of the pile consisted of colorful envelopes that were made out to Paul. Reggie quickly put those with the rest of the junk before dumping them into the trash can.
Ever since Paul had started receiving public attention, he'd obtained piles of letters from admiring girls (and a few males) all over Sinnoh. Paul hadn't been interested in fan mail and had left the letters at the bottom of the garbage. Being the good-natured man that he was, Reggie had fished them out of the trash and had opened a few. They were mostly from younger girls- many of which were just starting out on their journeys. A few came from slightly older, teens. It was quite an amusing situation and the fact that it was happening to Paul only made it that much funnier. Reggie took to reading each letter for Paul to hear, but Paul would only leave the room as quickly as he came in.
It wasn't until Reggie had opened a letter in a ruby red envelope to read its contents that Reggie started to follow Paul's example. Reggie still frowned when he thought about the rather suggestive things that letter contained. It was probably written by an older woman- one far too old for his fourteen-year-old brother. Since then, a few other red envelopes had arrived in the mail, but they were quickly trashed. Reggie hoped that Gabi didn't share in Paul's misfortune.
~:~
Paul adjusted his tie once again before sighing. Paul hadn't expected to be wearing his tuxedo so soon. But given the occasion he was wearing it for, he could overlook this fact. After looking himself over in the mirror a final time, Paul pocketed the PokéGear (that Reggie insisted he take with him) and his wallet. Paul scanned his room a final time to ensure that he had everything he would need before heading downstairs. Upon entering his living room, Paul spotted Reggie fiddling with some flowers and ribbon. Paul was about to question his brother, but Reggie beat him to it. "Torterra grew them. It's getting colder now and florists in this town take that as a sign to raise their prices sky high," Reggie explained with a roll of his eyes.
"Thank you," Paul said and nodded to where Torterra was standing outside a living room window. The large turtle let out a low noise before its thudding steps could be heard moving away.
"Have fun. Don't stay out too late," Reggie smiled.
"Of course not. I have to continue my training tomorrow. My battle with Flint was too close. I need to be better prepared for my battle with Lucian," Paul scowled. Reggie smiled good-naturedly before gesturing to where Gardevoir was waiting patiently to Teleport him to Sandgem Town. Paul frowned. "I don't understand why she didn't Teleport here so that we could go together."
"Paul, when you ask a girl to go out with you, it's traditional to pick her up at her home. It gives you a chance to meet her parents while getting to know them and vice versa," Reggie informed. Paul rolled his eyes and decided not to mention that he'd already met Gabi's entire family. Reggie called out a final farewell just as Gardevoir Teleported them both away.
Paul thanked Gardevoir for her assistance before walking with her up to the front door of Gabi's home. Paul knocked twice on the wooden door before waiting. Suddenly, a muffled squeal made its way to his ears just before a, "He's here!" was shouted from inside the home. Suddenly, the front door opened to reveal a now ten-year-old Victoria and fourteen-year-old Dawn smiling widely at him. Paul blinked confusedly at them just as Victoria started giggling happily. "Wow, Paul. You clean up nice," Dawn complimented.
It had been a while since Paul had seen either of them. Dawn's blue hair was still as long as ever. Not much had changed with the Coordinator aside from her height. Victoria, however, was constantly changing her look to suit her mood. Her brown hair was now cut short into a bob with light brown highlights. He remembered Gabi mentioning Dawn being in Kanto several weeks ago while Victoria was in Snowpoint City… "Thank you," Paul said finally.
"That's enough girls," Christiana's light voice called out as she shooed the two girls away from the front door. "Hello, Paul. Come in. Gabi's almost ready."
Paul entered the familiar, off-white home before moving towards the living room to wait. He stopped at the sight of Gabi's father, Eleott, sitting with Volkner on the beige, living room couch. The sight wasn't too strange. This was their home. What had Paul raising a brow was the sight of them watching a French, television show on the flat screen. Paul deduced that it must have been some sort of sitcom based on the perfectly timed laugh track.
"Oh. Hello Paul," Volkner greeted Paul while offering him a long stare. Eleott turned to stare at Paul as well, sufficiently increasing the tense feeling in the room by at least fifty percent. "Why don't you sit down?"
"Yeah. Sit down, Paul. I need to have a word," Eleott started. Not wanting to upset the two males more than he already had, Paul took a seat on one of the beige, arm chairs that were farther away from the two. Volkner had always been a serious man, but Paul had never known Gabi's father to do anything other than laugh or smile. It was slightly unnerving to have them both staring him down from across the room. Without taking his eyes off of Paul, Eleott gripped his glass of water from off of the coffee table before taking a slow drink.
"What's going on in here? I can feel the tension from the kitchen. You two better not be harassing this poor boy," Christiana said in a warning tone as she suddenly materialized in the room. It looked like both males were about to protest when she shot them both stern looks.
"She's ready!" Vicky exclaimed as she popped into the room with a wide grin. She moved around her mother before pulling Dawn further into the living room with her. At once, the three males ceased their staring contest in order to stand and wait. Paul couldn't be any more grateful if he tried. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief.
The relief morphed into awe when he spotted Gabi hopping down the steps while trying to pull on one of her shoes. To the average person, she looked far less than graceful with her face fixed in concentration and an arm full of her black jacket, purse, and other red shoe. "Well… she's almost ready," Vicky muttered softly.
Even without her shoes, Gabi was still able to leave Paul breathless. Once she had both red, strappy heels on her feet, Gabi turned to Paul with a bright smile. Not caring about the other five people in the room, Paul returned her smile with a small one of his own. She wore a flared, sleeveless black dress with lace embroidered at the top with a small, red belt buckled at the waist. Her long, brown hair was parted down the middle and styled in a half updo with a clip at the back.
At the sound of Dawn's voice softly whispering, "I told you he'd like it" and some girlish giggling, Paul was brought back to reality. He cleared his throat as he fought off the blush rising up his face. Sensing his discomfort, Gabi quickly took him by the arm to lead Paul away. "I think we're going to get going now," Gabi said to the others.
"Have fun, sweetheart," Christiana replied.
"Have fun," both Dawn and Vicky giggled.
"Not too much fun," Volkner frowned.
"He's right. Don't forget to call if anything!" Eleott called out after them.
Paul had never seen Gabi in such a rush. He couldn't get a word in edge wise as she was quickly shoving him out of her home and having Gardevoir Teleport them back to Veilstone City. It wasn't until they were standing safely in front of the restaurant that Gabi finally let out a breath. Paul raised an amused brow at her. "I'm sorry, Paul. Dawn and Vicky have been teasing and harassing me all day about this. My mother has been going after my dad and Volkner for hovering and I'm pretty sure my dad had Volkner develop some sort of tracking device to slip on me. At least, that's what they've been suggesting all day," Gabi rolled her eyes. "I'm just lucky that Infernape's in Kanto at Professor Oak's lab and that Luxray was fast asleep."
Paul could only imagine. Luxray never went to sleep before Gabi did. With an amused smirk, Paul handed Gabi the flowers he still held before leading her towards the restaurant. With a bright smile, Gabi waved goodbye to Gardevoir before letting Paul lead her away.
~:~
Moi-Moi: Malva seems kind of rough around the edges and slightly pushy to me. It suits her considering she was a member of an evil organization. I based this on her quotes from the Pokémon games. That's what I got from those quotes anyways…
Edited: 4/3/15
