"And Chimchar?" Nurse Joy inquired.
"I can take care of him," Haley insisted. "All he needs is sleep and a Sitrus Berry, I'm sure."
The nurse looked at the Pokémon. Her trained eye scanned him, and then she looked at Haley. She nodded in approval.
Cynthia had proposed that the partners stay the night, for the sake of Paul's Pokémon. At first, it had looked like he wouldn't agree, but then he rethought that. "Well, alright," he had agreed. The two Trainers walked back, and Paul grabbed the other three Pokémon and then handed them over to Nurse Joy.
Now, with that business taken care of, Paul figured they had other matters to attend to. "Let's go get dinner, and then bring it upstairs," he stated.
Haley looked at him. "What's wrong with eating dinner down here?" she asked.
His eyes began to scan the Pokémon Center, and she noticed the Trainers from the crowd earlier. They hadn't been present after the battle, but it seemed quite a few of them had ventured back.
"Ah yes, the peanut gallery," she noted dully.
They walked over to the food corner and ordered something. And while they waited, trouble reared its ugly head. "Oh, that is a nice one you found, little bro," someone said.
Paul and Haley turned to the voice. It was the kid from earlier, along with a blond-haired boy who looked like him but slightly older.
"Thanks, Sam," the boy beamed. "Though why she's with that loser is beyond me."
"Look, you little shit," Haley hissed as she sat up. "You better back of. I am not afraid to kick your ass."
"Aw, don't go saying that to my little brother," Sam said slyly. "He's just saying the truth, Beautiful."
"Well I don't see you walking up to the Champion to challenger her!" Haley snapped as she stormed up to him.
Sam snickered. "If I recall, you thought he was stupid too, just like the rest of us."
"She worries about me too much sometimes," Paul interjected.
He felt bad for getting mad at Haley for what was, he realized, a reasonable reaction to have. Plus, he wanted to shut this guy up. This was the second time this week someone had tried hitting on her, and for reasons he couldn't explain he hated it.
He walked up to them, Chimchar at his heels. "Is that hard to understand?"
"What's hard to understand is your stupid decisions," Sam stated, nodding towards Chimchar. He then began, in a mocking voice, "Oh, let me send out a Fire type, and then use a Fire type move on a Dragon type. That'll work perfectly." He and his brother laughed.
"Fire Spin does damage over time, moron!" Haley defended. "Besides, typing isn't always everything. I beat Lance's Dragonite with an Eevee, and then with a Typhlosion."
"Babe, you have to stop standing up for this idiot," the mocking male replied.
He suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her close, but just as quickly as he had his hands around her, they were off again. Paul had thrown him off her and then to a wall, pouncing at him to make sure he didn't go anywhere.
"Touch her again," he threatened, "and I promise I will break every bone in your body."
Sam looked at his brother. "Yo, Liam, what the hell?" he asked. "I thought you said they weren't dating."
"Because she told me," the pre-teen defended.
So now Paul was left to wonder whether he should tell the truth or start a charade. He was about to enact his plan when their order number was called. "Just leave us alone," he hissed before throwing Sam aside. He spun and stormed off, snatching the food before making his way to their room. Haley and Chimchar, after glaring at the brothers, quickly followed him.
They got to the room just as Paul unlocked the door and opened it. Haley quickly snatched the food, set it on the desk that was on the opposite side of the room, and sat on the bed that was across from it, Chimchar in her lap, before Paul screamed in frustration. He punched the wall and then kicked it.
Haley let him go at it, cussing and assaulting the wall, for a full minute before she calmly said, "Words, Paul. I need you to explain in words other than cursing the high heavens if I am to help. I think I know everything that's bothering you, but can you tell me anyway?"
"You already know!" Paul spat. But he went on anyway. "That bastard Cyrus, the most humiliating loss ever, those three losers, and that's the second guy, the second guy, Haley! Fucking Arceus, it's annoying as shit!"
His partner took a deep breath. "Can you sit on the edge of your bed for me?"
"Why?!"
"Just sit down, Paul." He grunted and sat down, his arms crossed. "Take off your jacket."
"What?"
"Take off your stupid jacket."
Paul grunted again and unzipped his purple jacket and took it off, and then threw it onto their bags that had been thrown carelessly onto the floor. He crossed his arms again. "Now what?" he asked, still annoyed at not knowing what was going on. Suddenly she climbed onto the bed, kneeling behind him. He quickly turned to look at her. "What the hell are you-"
"Face forward, shut up, and relax," Haley demanded.
"Not before-"
"God, Paul, I'm trying to help, but you have to cooperate with me."
Now he let out a low growl. "Whatever," he grumbled and did as he was told, though relaxing was an issue. He had no idea what she had planned and it was making him a little tense.
Then she gripped his shoulders and he jumped a little. He was about to protest with whatever was up her sleeve until she suddenly began to knead the backs of his shoulders with the bottom part of her palms. She was...massaging him? And oh God it felt amazing. He let out a little moan.
"That feels gooooooood," he said.
"Glad you like it," Haley replied. "Now, how about we start from the top, and calmly this time. Tell me about Cyrus."
"I don't feel like revealing more of my past."
"That's fine. Whatever you feel is essential is fine by me, even if it's a simple 'I hate his guts, end of story'."
Paul let out a "hmph" of amusement. "He's a bastard," he stated. "Likes to threaten Reggie and I. Don't ask about what, I won't tell."
"Like I said, that's all I need," Haley responded, continuing her massage. She got another moan for her efforts. "If you feel like telling me later, that's all up to you. Okay, next. Cynthia."
"I just needed to blow off steam, although I assume you knew- wait, right there, a little harder." Haley had traveled her right hand to below his shoulder blade, and to his request she massaged it a little harder. "Yeah, that's it," he sighed. He completely relaxed; his arms (now on the bed) were barely holding him up as he let Haley do the stabilizing. "And my confidence was pretty high. Although, you were right, I was crazy. I didn't really think that through."
"You had every right to be angry with me on that," the masseuse said.
"No, you had the right to call me out," Paul argued.
"Not with everyone else ganging up on you. And don't say it didn't affect you, I'd call bullshit," she added quickly.
"Guess it did this time," he admitted. "But unlike them, you were saying it because you cared, not out of malice. And I snapped at you for no reason."
"Bullshit."
"What?"
"No reason, my ass. Childhood, ring a bell?"
Paul chuckled. "Damn it, you know me too well already. It's only been a month, two at most. How the hell do you do it?"
"A girl's got her ways," Haley answered. She fell silent for a while and focused on the massage. Paul had to try and keep his mind focused, but it was getting hard to do so. He was at least able to keep his mouth shut so that his increasing moans were slightly muffled. "Now, Team Rocket."
"Should have been there-"
"We were somewhere else, and I think Cynthia was right to show us that stone slab. You can't be in two places at once, Paul."
"We could have gotten one of our other Pokémon to guard them," Paul pointed out.
"Would've, should've, could've, didn't, so don't beat yourself up about it," Haley said. "Like Cynthia said, the most important thing is that everyone is safe."
"Chim-Chim," Chimchar agreed.
Paul looked at his Pokémon. He had kind of forgotten the chimp was there. But who could blame me? he thought. This massage is just so fucking amazing that I can't really focus on anything else but her movements and her voice.
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Chimchar," he said. "I've been a little stressed lately. I didn't mean to take it out on you."
Chimchar nodded in understanding. "It happens to everyone," Haley voiced. "Even though it's not right."
"Right," Paul stated. Then Haley massaged a pressure point, and the kneading sent a shiver running through his entire body. He couldn't keep his mouth closed any longer and let out a loud, elongated moan. "God damn it, Haley, why... Mmm... Why are you so fucking good at this?"
Haley chuckled. "Think you could keep that down just a tad? People might walk by and think we're doing something..." She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Dirty."
Another shiver ran through his system, but he kept his cool and chuckled as well. "Let them think that," he whispered. "I'm sick of guys jumping for you."
"Why?" Haley asked, backing away and slowing her hands down. "That's the one thing out of all of this that I haven't really been able to read. I guessed Cyrus said things and that you wanted to blow off steam and that you felt like you should have been there but... Why this?"
Why did he care that much? He had been wondering that himself. Paul put more weight on his arms since most of Haley's stability had gone away. "I'm...not really sure myself," he admitted.
"Is it because you think it's a distraction?" Haley offered.
Was that it? He couldn't really say for sure. "Maybe," he replied.
Haley sighed and ceased her work, then backed up so she was leaning against the pillow. Paul turned to face her to see that she was taking off her bandana and letting her hair down so she could run her fingers through her hair.
"Tomorrow morning's going to be a disaster," she said. "That Sam guy wasn't the only one eyeing me, though I don't think you noticed."
There it was, that feeling again. His blood boiling and racing as if he were about to erupt but... Why did that happen? This was the third time now, and he didn't understand why it happened.
Suddenly, he remembered what he had wanted to do in the food corner. He smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about them," he stated.
"You have something in mind?" Haley asked.
Paul told her, and after he was done she and Chimchar were laughing so hard tears were rolling down their faces.
"Paul, you're a fucking genius!" his partner exclaimed.
"So, I assume that means yes?"
"Hell yes!" she cried. Then she looked at Chimchar. "I'm sorry you don't get to be a part of this, Chimchar."
The chimp shook his head, signaling it was okay. But Paul had other plans. "Actually, he will," he said. The two threw him curious looks, and he continued to explain. Now Chimchar looked pumped.
"Chim-Chim-him-char!" he chattered.
"Tomorrow morning's going to be sooo much fun!" Haley chuckled.
Paul chuckled as well. "Hey, do you think you could massage me again sometime?" he asked.
"Only if you're stressed out like that again," the masseuse replied. "I used to give them to my dad and my older brother when they were flipping out, and once I did it to my older brother when he wasn't. Apparently, I'm too strong and I can't soften my kneading. So now it's a stress-relief tool only."
Another chuckle escaped Paul and he crawled over to her. "Well I thoroughly enjoyed it," he whispered.
"So I heard," Haley said smugly. Then she let out loud, exaggerated moans that soon turned into a laugh. It died down, and then she smiled. "You should wear your jacket less often," she stated. "That dark gray fitted t-shirt of yours looks really good on you."
Paul was thinking of how to respond to that. Legit or keep playing the game? He smirked.
Of course he knew which one to pick.
"So, I take it you like what you see?" he asked.
"I'd like if I could see more," Haley purred with a smirk and half-lidded eyes. Clearly, she liked playing the game, too.
"Chim?" the chimp piped up innocently. The Trainers looked over to him to see a confused look on his face.
Haley's eyes opened fully and she smiled. "So, what did you think of rehearsal, Chimchar?" she asked.
Chimchar looked surprised, and flustered to figure out an answer. Eventually he gave a thumps-up. "Chim!" he exclaimed.
The girl groaned jokingly. "One thumps-up, Paul. Pathetic."
He smirked. "Hey, we can't put our best foot forward when it isn't even the main act," he stated. "Alright, Flirtatious, off my bed." He pushed her off, sending her tumbling to the floor. "And can you get my food for me?"
She stood up, her cheeks puffed. "Asshole," she muttered. Haley walked over to the desk. "I shouldn't be doing this, you lazy ass. I give you a massage and this is the thanks I get? And who are you to call me 'Flirtatious' when you're the one whispering in my ear."
"Well you're the one pulling the half-lidded eyes," Paul replied.
Haley ignored him for a while as she fished a Sitrus Berry out of her backpack. "Take slow bites, Chimchar, and then get some sleep," she told the Pokémon as she set the berry down in front of him. "You can use my bed and sleep with me tonight."
"Chim," he said, nodding, and then went to eat the berry.
"And you," she addressed Paul, "were the one you took my genuine compliment the wrong way."
Paul smirked again. "If you didn't want it to sound flirtatious, you shouldn't have added the fitted part. And by the way, it's dark blue."
"Since when are you an expert?" He shrugged, making Haley roll her eyes. "Whatever. And I say it's a dark bluish gray. Here's your food." She dropped the box that held his dinner onto his bed. "And don't you even dare and ask for me to feed you."
"What made you think I was? That sounds stupid."
"People do it, don't ask me why."
"Well I'm not one of those people, alright?"
"Good."
They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Chimchar finished most of the berry and then fell asleep curled up next to Haley. She ran her hand up and down his back for a while, and then went to take a shower. Paul lied in his bed, looking up at the ceiling and listening to the running water. He began to feel his eyelids drooping.
Maybe this wasn't the best idea, he thought. He tried to keep himself awake, but only succeed in drifting off to sleep.
...
"..ul... aul... PAUL!"
The sudden yell jolted him awake and he crashed onto the floor. "Ugh, what?" he mumbled.
"I've been trying to wake you up for the past five minutes," Haley replied sternly.
"What time is it?" Paul asked as he stood up.
"8:30."
"That's early."
"You've been asleep for more than twelve hours." When Paul blinked in confusion, Haley sighed. "I came out of the bathroom at eight last night, and you were already conked out," she explained.
"Huh," was his reply. "I'm going to take a shower, then, since I didn't last night."
Haley shrugged. "Do whatever." And then she went back to Chimchar, who was on her bed and looking very, very close to 100% again.
Paul grabbed his jacket off of the floor and went into the bathroom. 10 minutes later he emerged, his jacket back on and his hair dry. And, as Haley noticed when she turned, he had a smirk on his face.
"You ready to make some bastards jealous?" he asked.
"Actually, I've been thinking," Haley began. "What if no one is down there?"
"They will be."
"And how would you know?"
"Intuition," he replied. Then he looked at his Pokémon. "Chimchar, you feeling okay?"
Chimchar looked pumped. "Chim-Chimchar!" he exclaimed.
His Trainer smirked again and then returned the chimp to his Poké Ball. "Let's go get the other three," he said. "And don't start until I-"
"Paul, I know the plan," Haley chuckled. She grabbed her backpack. "Let's go. I want to make it to Hearthome sometime this century." Her partner let out a grunt of amusement and they left the room.
They walked over to Nurse Joy, who said all of Paul's Pokémon were at 100% (including Chimchar; Paul had brought him out just to make sure and then returned him right after). They turned and began walking, and Paul noticed Sam eyeing Haley. Then he noticed all of the other eyes on the girl next to him.
Looking around the lobby, he couldn't believe it. Guys were smiling like idiots, studying every inch of her, or both. He even saw one boy drooling. And upon seeing him, Paul set the plan in motion.
His arm wrapped around Haley and grabbed her right shoulder. It was a total douchebag move, and he remembered seeing a few couples on his journey and rolling his eyes, but now he was enjoying it because he was getting the best reactions. He almost broke the façade to roll on the floor laughing. When it was clear he had gotten their attention (the kid from earlier wiping his drool gave him the cue), he squeezed her shoulder. She rested her head on his chest and snuggled.
Something unexpected happened.
Electricity... That's what it felt like, and he should know. It ran through his entire body, spreading from the center of his chest to every tip of his body, just like when Braxton had shocked him with that device of his all those years ago. But unlike those 20,000 volts, this electricity felt nice. Really nice. He almost jumped and gave a weird face, but if that happened the act would be over, so he just gave off a smile as he pondered why Haley's action had done that to him.
Then five boys (one of them Sam), blocked their way, and they looked pissed. He smirked. Now the fun part could begin. "Oh, hello, is there something you need?" he asked in a pleasant way, which succeed in making the five of them even more agitated.
"What the hell is this?" Sam asked, speaking for all of them.
"Is there a problem? Because I don't see the problem of a guy putting an arm around his girlfriend."
Paul had to slightly force himself to say that word. It wasn't like he hated Haley or the word, but they weren't even friends (At least, I think that's the case, he thought), much less was she his girlfriend.
One of the other boys, a redhead, spoke up this time. "But Liam said you two weren't-"
"Oh, that," Paul interrupted. "See, we just started last week, and we actually used to be at each other's throats, so she's not quite used to this."
In a way, he figured his explanation wasn't a total lie. The first minute or so they knew each other, they were arguing pretty bad, and he figured the "we just started" was as close to "we're not actually dating" that he could get.
"Fine then, we challenge you to a battle for her!" proclaimed a black-with-red-streaks haired boy.
That was quicker than expected, Paul thought, smirking internally. He figured it would come to this, and he really didn't like that idea because he tried to treat women with respect (annoyances got an exception). He recalled the discussion he and Haley had the night before.
XXX
"The one problem I have is that they'll probably ask to fight for you," he had said.
"Normally, I wouldn't either, but I can handle an exception this once," Haley had replied. "I'm thinking of a plan to deal with it, anyway, and it goes along with this fake couple thing we're doing."
"Care to share?" Haley explained. "Not bad," Paul had agreed. "I'm still not entirely comfortable about all of this, though."
"You want to fight them anyway to show your actually strength, why not? Right Chimchar?"
"Chim-Chim."
XXX
With that Paul agreed. He was still going to voice his discomfort with the situation. "Haley isn't an item, you know," he stated.
"Farfetch'd, Grape-Head?" another blond taunted.
Paul really wasn't angered by the taunt since these five boys didn't really matter to him, but he decided to act as if he was. He forced his eye to twitch and made his face into a scowl, and he was about to speak when he felt a tug at his arm. He looked to see Haley with a spark in her eye.
"Paul, I'm okay with it," she said with a smile. "Besides..."
She then proceeded to run her fingers through his hair. His body began to heat up and spread from end to end just like the electricity, and once again he had to resist jumping, instead settling on relaxing because that's what her fingers were doing: making him feel relaxed. They ran through so smoothly.
"I love watching you battle," she purred.
Damn it she sounds so... So... He didn't want to think of the word despite the fact that he knew what it was.
He watched the five boys' irritation grow. He smirked. "Alright," he agreed. "But only because you make such a great...persuader." He hoped the boys would catch his meaning by putting so much emphasis on the last word.
Judging by their expressions, they got it alright, and if looks could kill, Paul would be dead ten times over.
"But we play by my rules, since this is my girlfriend were fighting for," Paul stated (once again forcing out that word), stepping forward after Haley stopped. "I will fight all five of you, one at a time. You can only use one Pokémon, but I get four."
"Four?" Sam repeated.
"That's all I'll need," Paul sneered.
"Yesterday-"
"I fought the Champion. Today, I fight losers."
Their eyes widened, only to go to furious looks. "You're on," Sam snarled.
The seven, along with a crowd that had gathered, found themselves at the park again. In the walk over there, thanks to the five boys trying to talk to Haley (resulting in Paul having to pull her away), they found out that they were all friends.
And they're all trying to get her? Paul questioned. What the hell are thinking of? A six-some? He then immediately beat himself mentally for thinking of such a stupid idea.
Besides, he had a battle to focus on.
The first boy (the black-with-red-streaks; apparently, his name was Jamie, but Paul hadn't paid much attention) was up first, and it was Paul's Murkrow versus his Dodrio. The three-headed bird charged using Fury Attack, but Paul had Murkrow blind it with Haze.
"Faint Attack!" he ordered. Murkrow disappeared from sight.
"On guard, Dodrio!" Jamie advised. With three heads, that meant six eyes were scanning for the Darkness Pokémon. But there was one place it would never be able to look.
Paul smirked. "Watch your back," he warned. The comment confused his opponents, and they were even more confused when Murkrow appeared behind Dodrio, charging with a white aura.
"Sky Attack?" the boy asked in confusion and shock as his Pokémon was struck in the back by it. "But you used Faint Attack-"
"As a distraction," Paul finished as Murkrow flew to their side of the field. "It's a little trick I learned after watching someone battle recently."
He and Murkrow had been working on the combo ever since Haley's Gym Battle with Gardenia, and "Combo Master" was there to give them pointers. From Paul's perspective, it was pretty close to being perfect.
"Tri Attack!" Jamie ordered angrily.
"Faint Attack once more!" Murkrow disappeared just as the attack was about to hit him.
Jamie grunted. "Look everywhere this time!" he yelled. "And jump when he charges with that Sky Attack of his!"
Paul smirked once and made a "tsk, tsk, tsk" noise. "Honestly, never use the same trick twice in a row," he advised.
"Hey, don't go stealing my lines!" Haley yelled just as Murkrow reappeared in front of Dodrio, starting it, and then ramming into it. Dodrio fell to the ground, fainted, and Jamie growled at Paul.
"Next," was all Paul said.
It was now Brett, the redhead, and his Arcanine versus Weavile. Paul sighed. He liked the Growlithe line just as much as the next guy, but he had dealt with one love-struck idiot using it, and now he was stuck with another.
"Fire Fang!" Brett commanded. Arcanine sprang into action.
"Dodge and use Swords Dance while you do so!" Paul ordered. Weavile sidestepped Arcanine's Fire Fang and making his claws longer as his feet moved. Both Pokémon were fast, but Weavile proved to be a bit faster as he kept ahead of Arcanine. "Night Slash, let's go!"
Weavile spun to face the oncoming Fire type, then charged, jumped over its head and onto its back, and slashed with his glowing purple claws. Arcanine let out a yelp of pain and crashed to the ground and, thanks to the Swords Dance along with Night Slash's higher chance of critical hits, fainted. Paul chuckled at how it fell rather quickly and Weavile jumped to be in front of him, a smirk on his face.
"Wea-Weavile!" he jeered, causing Brett to growl.
Now it was Daniel, the other blonde's, turn. His Vigoroth was up against Torterra. And that battle didn't take long, either. Vigoroth tried using Slash but was blown away by Leaf Storm, and then was finished off by Rock Slide.
Next was the fourth boy, a brown haired boy named Chad, and his choice was a Marowak. Chimchar was Paul's fourth and final Pokémon, and Chad looked like he figured something out.
"You've been using the Pokémon that used yesterday!" he noted.
"Thanks, Sherlock," Paul commented, causing Chad to growl at the insult and then angrily order Bonemerang.
The Bone Keeper Pokémon threw its bone, which Chimchar dodged with Flame Wheel and then used it to hit Marowak. He used Flame Wheel right after breaking out of the first, and then jumped back. The Ground type had been so distracted it didn't notice its bone coming back and failed to catch it, instead getting hit square on the forehead, knocking it out.
Sam didn't take the fact that all of his friends had lost so well. "I can't believe all of you lost to him," he spat. "Fine, I'll handle this. Golduck, show 'em how it's done!"
The blue Duck Pokémon materialized and stared at the chimp. Chimchar flinched when looking at the Water type, but quickly recovered. The quick flinch didn't go unnoticed by Sam, however, and he snickered.
"Aw, is wittle Chimchar scared?" he mocked.
Neither Paul nor Chimchar reacted to his comment. "Dig, let's go," Paul ordered calmly. The chimp clawed his way into the ground.
"Water Pulse into the hole!" Sam shouted. Golduck jumped and formed a water sphere in its hands. But when it went to fire it into the hole, it only stared with a look of shock. "Yo, Golduck, what's wrong?"
The fact that I'm seeing something I shouldn't, the Pokémon thought.
What he saw was a smirking red chimp.
Chimchar hadn't planned on going anywhere.
"Fire Spin!"
Chimchar released the spinning vortex, which hit Golduck dead on and evaporated the Water Pulse. The Water type fell to the ground, engulfed in flames.
"Scratch, let's go!" Chimchar jumped out of the hole and charged at Golduck, slashing at him with sharp claws.
Sam growled. "Water Gun!"
"Dodge!"
Chimchar ducked under the shot and then threw a punch to Golduck's side. That along with the earlier attacks and Fire Spin's effect sent the Duck Pokémon to his knees, and then Chimchar finished the job with one last Scratch attack. When Golduck fainted, he and Paul smirked.
Flawless victory.
The five boys didn't know what to say. Their faces fluctuated from irritated to disappointed to defeated and then circled to the beginning again. It went on for some time until they settled on a new face: annoyed.
"I don't buy this," Daniel grumbled.
"Buy what? That you lost spectacularly?" Paul sneered as he returned Chimchar and Haley walked up to him. "We have a whole crowd of witnesses if you need confirmation."
"He means this," Brett stated, pointing at Paul and then at Haley and back again. "And I agree. This seems set up."
"Jealously clouds the mind," Haley replied. "I mean, how you mistake this as being set up?" Then she kissed Paul's cheek.
Fireworks. That's what the sensation that was currently traveling up and down his spine felt like. It was like fireworks popping and crackling along his nerves. He was struggling to not drop the act, fearing any second he'd do something stupid.
Quickly composing himself mentally, he smirked, turned to her, and titled her chin up gently with one finger. "Oh come on, you can do better than that," he said smugly. Haley giggled.
"Okay, okay!" Sam exclaimed. The two looked at the group and watched as Sam sighed in defeat. "Sorry for trying to steal your girl, man. And sorry for doubting you about it."
Haley looked at him. "That's not all you need to apologize for," she said.
"You can't be serious," Jamie said flatly.
"I don't know if Sam told you, but I'll say it again: at least Paul had the guts," Haley retorted. "So apologize."
The five boys sighed. "We apologize," they groaned.
Paul wondered if Haley would be looking for a better apology (not that he cared), but she just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. That's the best we're going to get, I guess. Let's go..." She winked at Paul. "Love. Hearthome won't come to us."
Paul smiled as she walked away, then smirked at the boys before following her. And when they were far enough away, the pent up freak out moment finally exploded.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Paul cried frantically.
"They weren't going to believe us if we just kept saying it!" Haley retorted.
"I wish you had at least warned me!" He let out a cry of frustration. "I almost looked like an idiot!"
"Almost only counts in horseshoes," was the witty reply.
Paul let out another cry and then slammed his head against a tree. Haley watched as Paul rubbed his forehead and then ran his fingers through his hair. She sighed.
"Though, I guess you're right," she continued. "I should have warned you. But it was a reactionary decision. They weren't going to believe us for much longer, and I just came up with it on the fly. Look, the point is, I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's fine," Paul assured, finally calming down. "It just caught me off guard." He turned to look her and smirked. "Besides, I had fun."
"Oh, you did, did you?" Haley chuckled. "And I bet you're somewhat pleased your Pokémon got some training in, right?" She didn't wait for an answer as she spun on her heels. "Let's get moving. Like I said earlier, I would like to get to Hearthome sometime this century."
Paul nodded and watched her take the lead. He waited for a few seconds before following, the smirk still visible on his face.
It was one of those days. Those days that made him feel like nothing else would go wrong.
...
A face-twitching Paul plus occasional grumbling equaled a not good sign, and Haley knew it. She knew that she had to think of something to lighten the mood, and fast. "Let it go, Let it go, Can't hold it back-"
"Keeping singing that song and I will not hesitate to hurt you," Paul snapped. There was silence before he added, "Badly."
"Alright, alright, sorry," Haley stated. "But seriously, can you just forget about that Fearow?"
"No I can't 'just forget about that Fearow'," he repeated mockingly and slightly annoyed. "It looked strong, I wanted it, and they made it flee, end of story."
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and mumbled in an annoyed tone under his breath. Haley grumbled. This was getting old. When he didn't stop after a minute or so, she snapped and slapped him upside the head.
"Ow! What the hell?!"
"That incident was two days ago!" Haley shouted. "You have been irritated about it since then, and I'm sick and tired of it!" She huffed and rubbed her right temple. "Now if you don't shut up, I'm going to have to use that duct tape."
Paul rolled his eyes. "Do you seriously believe I have duct tape?" he asked.
"I will make duct tape appear if I have to!"
"Will you stop thinking about the stupid duct tape?!"
"Only if you stop thinking about the stupid Fearow!"
"WELCOME TO HEARTHOME CITY!" a little boy randomly cheered.
Since they had been so absorbed in their argument, the partners were caught off guard and tripped over each other, tumbling to the floor, with Paul on top of Haley's back. The boy slid over to the pile and blinked.
"Are...you two okay?"
"I've had better days..." Haley whined quietly.
Paul picked himself up, letting Haley have the ability to stretch. "Did you really have to yell?" he asked, slightly annoyed.
"I'm welcoming tourists," the boy declared. "What's wrong with that?"
There was silence, and then it broke when Paul sighed. "Whatever. Do you know the way to the Gym?"
After a round of confusing directions, the boy's mother walked up and gave them understandable directions. Haley said thank you, Paul bowed (and then glared at the boy, only to receive another slap upside the head), and the two went to the Gym.
It was hard to miss: a four-story building with a Drifblim on top and a very elegant door. But when they got to said elegant door, they found a not-so-elegant note tape to the door that said the Gym was-
"CLOSED?!" Haley screeched.
"Bullshit!" Paul shouted. "What is it with Gym Leaders and not doing their jobs?!"
"Technically, Roark was at his job," Haley stated. "He also works in the Oreburgh Mines, and he came back rather quickly."
Paul huffed. "Fine, sure, but does that excuse this?!" He pointed to the note, which described that Fantina was going on a journey of her own.
"I never gave this an excuse, I was excusing Roark," Haley replied, a little growl obvious in her voice. The two bickered for a while until finally Haley took a deep breath.
"You know what, we just need to calm down. We didn't stop until really late last night and we've been walking all morning." Under her breath she mumbled, "And someone still isn't over his Fearow."
"I heard that," Paul grumbled. "Don't think your comments are helping."
"Anyways, I think I have an idea. There was this café-"
Paul turned and began walking to the Pokémon Center (at least, to where he thought it was). "No," he said flatly.
"You didn't even let me finish!" Haley cried. "And how do you know that's the way to the Pokémon Center?"
The purple-haired teen stopped. "I don't," he admitted with no change in tone.
Haley face palmed. "Listen. I saw desserts on the menu, and one of the items I saw was chocolate lava cake." She was staring down the street they had just come up, so she didn't notice Paul straitening up. "It was just down that road not too far from here. I don't know about you, but whenever I need to calm down, chocolate helps me out quite a bit." She looked at Paul, finally noticing he hadn't moved. "Hey, are you okay?"
There was silence, and then he turned around, his eyes wide. "Chocolate...lava cake?" he repeated.
His partner stared at him in disbelief. "You and your sweets..." she finally whispered in shock. "Well, if that's what works, I guess we should go."
"Just show me where the café is," Paul grumbled, feeling stupid for sounding like a child. But Haley saw the glint in his eyes, and to that she gave off a tiny smile.
"Sure," Haley replied.
They walked back down the road, and soon found the café. Noticing the chalkboard and seeing the various items, Paul gulped. "Damn it," he whispered.
"What?" his partner asked.
"I just hate how much of a child I am when it comes to sweets."
"So am I."
Paul smirked. "The difference, however, is that you almost always act like a child," he stated.
"I resent that," Haley said. "And I'm doing something nice for you, so the last thing you should be doing is insulting me." Paul just shrugged and walked inside. Haley rolled her eyes and followed him.
The café was a little dimmer than the one back in Floaroma Town, but it still had that homey feel. In fact, to Paul, it felt more comfortable. No windows so no one could look in, a guitar quietly playing on the speakers, the wood was a dark brown instead of white, and there was even a bar in the back.
And speaking of the bar, that's where the two decided to sit. Paul didn't have the nervous feeling in his stomach like last time, and he wasn't sure if it was because of the atmosphere or that he had gotten more used to Haley's company.
When the man behind the counter asked what they wanted, Haley replied wondering how big the lava cake was. "Enough to share between the two of you," he answered.
"Then we'll take that," Haley stated.
"Do you want me to cut it in half?"
"You don't cut chocolate lava cake in half!" the two teenagers cried, causing the one other customer in the café to jump. The waiter blinked and then hurried off to place the order.
Haley suddenly giggled. "What's so funny?" Paul asked.
"Well, two things. One, that we said the exact same thing and two, how are we going to spilt this?"
Paul opened his mouth, about to say that there was nothing wrong with eating the same cake, but then he closed it. He was silent for a few seconds. "Um..." he said, and then he sighed, deciding to stick to his original plan. "We'll just eat it. Nothing wrong with that." Then he looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Unless you're sick and I somehow didn't notice and or wasn't told."
The girl next to him shook her head, a smile on her face. "Nope, nope," she replied.
"Ugh, now I'm thinking of a girl version of Zach," Paul groaned. "Thanks for that." Haley laughed.
A few minutes later, the cake came out along with two forks. The waiter asked one more time if they were sure they didn't want it spilt, but that only got another cry of protest, and this time the other customer chuckled. The waiter glared at him.
"Yeah, just keep laughing, Clyde," he warned. "I might make you treat us next time we go out for a drink."
"Clint, you wouldn't," his friend jokingly gasped.
Haley laughed again and took the first stab. "Hey!" Paul snapped.
"I'm paying, so I get first bite," Haley reasoned. Paul grumbled as the piece went into her mouth and then went for his own piece, which was quite big. "Hey!"
Paul just smirked as he took his bite. "What can I say?" he said. "Chocolate lave cake is my favorite."
"You're lucky I'm so nice," Haley mumbled.
"Yeah man, you should treat your girlfriend nicer," Clyde chuckled.
"No, no, see, that was eight days ago," Haley joked.
Clyde raised an eyebrow, and then he went, "Oooh. You guys played a prank?" Haley laughed to confirm. Clyde laughed, too. "Ah man, that's one of the oldest tricks. My wife and I did that when we were younger."
"Your wife?" Paul asked.
"My best friend at the time," the man explained. "She's a beauty, kind of like her." He pointed at Haley as he said that. "Guys couldn't keep their eyes off of her, and it was pissing us off. So, we pulled the play. And the more we did it, the more I fell in love with her."
"And you've regretted it ever since," Clint taunted.
"I only regret her cooking," Clyde replied. Haley giggled. "So, if Chocolate guy ain't your boyfriend, who is?" he asked.
Chocolate guy? Paul repeated in his head. Add a "Mister" in front of that, and that's a nickname Haley would come up with.
"I don't have one," Haley stated.
"You probably have a celebrity boyfriend," Paul joked with a smirk on his face. "Let me guess, Fiorello Cappucino like every other girl?"
Haley flicked his arm. "Far from it, Mister Chocolate Guy," she stated. And there we go, Paul chuckled. "I don't see what's so great about him. The other girls can have their Romance star. Steven Stone... Now we're talking."
"The former Hoenn Champion that you beat out of his spot?" Paul said.
"He was going on a journey, regardless if I beat him or not," she informed. Then their forks clashed going for the last piece. "Oh no, Mister, that's mine," Haley challenged.
Paul smirked once more and quickly grabbed the cake with his fingers. Haley's jaw dropped as he put it into his mouth. "I don't think so," he replied smugly.
His reward was a glare. "That's it. I'm so done doing nice things for you." Paul chuckled and Clyde laughed as Haley grumbled incoherently while she paid. Then she sighed. "Well, guess we should get moving. The next Gym is in Veilstone City, right?"
"Guess so seeing as some Gym Leader doesn't want their position," Paul stated.
It was Clint's turn to laugh. "That woman is quite the traveler," he explained. "She's always looking for a new style of battling."
"So, she does this often?" Haley asked.
"And frequently pisses off Trainers like you two," Clyde added. "Hey, if you guys are looking for battling, there's a tournament coming up in two days. It's called the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition."
The two turned to him. "A Tag Battle Competition?" Haley repeated.
"Yep. Happens every year right after the Contest. Sometimes Coordinators compete if they lose in the Contest, though it's very rare."
Paul's gears were turning. "Are there strong Trainers?" he asked.
"Almost always," Clint replied. "Are you thinking of competing?"
"Possibly," Paul answered.
Haley tapped her finger on the counter. "...No," she finally said.
"No?" her partner questioned.
"Think if we were paired," she reasoned. "We would cream the competition so bad they'd all fly into next month. And besides, I'm not a huge fan of tournaments. I'll watch them, but I rarely participate."
Maybe that's why she does the Elite Four Run, Paul thought. "Your loss," he said aloud. He hopped off his stool. "I'm going to go train."
"Because of course you will," Haley stated. "Clint, do you know where the Pokémon Center is so my power-hungry fri...partner doesn't get lost?"
Paul could have sworn she almost said "friend", but decided not to say anything. Clint told them where the Pokémon Center was, and Haley told him he would meet him there since she wanted to explore. Paul shrugged and walked off. He went to the battlefield that was right behind the Pokémon Center and released his Pokémon. They looked at him.
"We have some preparations to make," he told them. He looked at all them, but he looked at Chimchar the most. "We have a tournament to win." Everyone nodded, especially Chimchar.
But for whatever reason, the chimp couldn't shake this terrible feeling that was racing through his stomach.
...
Two days later, and the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition was upon everyone. Paul had signed up and was handed a card that had the number "5" on it.
"Aw, two spots away from being in the top three," Haley joked. Paul rolled his eyes at his partner's corny joke.
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, the chocolate had help quite a bit, although it seemed to be running out. But all things considered, today was a good day.
An hour later they went to the stadium, where they spilt up, Haley to the bleachers and Paul (with Chimchar and Elekid by his side since they were the ones who were going to appear the most) to the battlefield. Soon the MC and Mayor, Enta, came onto the stage and made his opening speech. Of course, the purple-haired Trainer tuned most of it out, seeing as what he was here for wasn't a sappy speech.
Then the MC hit a red button, and numbers appeared on the brackets on the jumbo-tron scoreboard. Paul noticed his number was in the "H" block and matched with "15", whoever that was.
I just hope they aren't pathetic, Paul thought.
Enta instructed the Trainers to find their partners, and Paul began wandering around, looking for Number 15. He then noticed a familiar-looking Pikachu sitting atop a very familiar-looking Trainer's head.
Oh, please no...
But of course, bad luck had to be on his side.
The card Pikachu was holding read "15".
He sighed mentally. I REALLY need to start knocking on wood, he thought with a scowl on his face. "Of course, you had to be number 15," he scoffed.
"And I'm ready to win!" Ash exclaimed happily, turning around and not noticing Paul until he opened his eyes. His face turned into that of surprise and then to a frown. "Hey Paul," he greeted dryly, not liking the situation any more than Paul.
Haley, of course, noticed this since she was sitting in the front row. She huffed. "Umbreon?"
"Um?"
"Remember how I said the chocolate had been doing good, and that today was a good day?"
"Um."
"I think all of that chocolate finally drained, and I take back what I said: today's not a good day."