Irene rushed back to her dorm after her afternoon classes. She was due to take Seulgi out for their date in a few hours and there was just one thing she needed to do to tie all her plans together. Dropping off her bags haphazardly on her bed, she pulled out her tablet and dialed a number.

"Joohyun? What are you doing calling this early?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded like they were still half-asleep. Irene glanced at the clock on her desk to make sure she wasn't having a stroke. Sure enough, the clock read 2:30.

"Early? Teuk, it's half past two."

Leeteuk groaned and Irene could hear him getting out of bed. She rolled her eyes and waited for her mentor to wake up a bit. He must have been up late last night.

"I didn't exactly get a good night's sleep last night," the Champion explained. He yawned into the phone. "Heechul and I went out with a bunch of other Champions and…" he paused, unsure if he should elaborate further.

"The two of you went out and got drunk, didn't you?" Irene asked. She didn't sound accusatory, which Leeteuk was thankful for. He'd already had to field calls from Taeyeon about how she'd appreciate it if he didn't sing karaoke while completely smashed.

"I am a Champion, I am allowed to have fun occasionally," he sniffed. "But enough about me, what's up with you?"

Irene gulped. She needed a favor from Leeteuk to make this date night perfect but there wasn't really a way she could subtly ask him without revealing everything. So she sighed and made up her mind to just tell him. "I-I wanted to ask you for a favor. I have a date tonight and I—"

Leeteuk could hardly contain his excitement, despite the pounding headache lingering behind his ears. He'd been talking with Hyuna and wondering when Irene would trust him enough to open up and tell him things. It looked like today was that day. "You have a date?"

"Yeah," Irene's answer was wary, almost as if she expected him to scold her.

"I am so happy for you!" Well that wasn't the response she was expecting. "Tell me everything Joohyun, who was it that managed to break through and steal your heart?" Irene could almost picture Leeteuk jumping up and down with glee.

"You met her that night you stayed over at the Moon Manor for dinner. Her name is Seulgi."

"Seulgi? You mean your roommate Seulgi?" Leeteuk couldn't help the surprise in his voice. Out of all the people to break through his mentee's walls, he never thought it would be her roommate. "I don't know what to say, Joohyun. Except that you got lucky, Seulgi looks like a very nice girl."

Irene paused on the other end of the line. Honestly she didn't expect Leeteuk to react the way he did. She was expecting him to scold her, but his response was warm. Almost like how she'd like her father to react. If he wasn't such a dick.

"She is. I really like her, Leeteuk. I wanted to take her somewhere really nice for our date tonight, but I talked with Moonbyul earlier and she gave me some good ideas. Hence the favor. I was wondering if you could get me in at Taeyeon's restaurant tonight."

Taeyeon was a former Johto League Champion who moved cross-region to Kalos after her former mentee stepped up and took the mantle of current Champion. She had opened up a small, exclusive restaurant/bar that catered only to Champions (both League, Coordinator and Breeder) and their guests. The clientele was small and with the security that had been hired, Taengoo's had become a safe haven for celebrities to relax without worrying about rogue reporters or fans. It was the perfect place for Irene to take Seulgi.

"Of course I can, I'll let her know right away to put you on the list," Leeteuk beamed.

Irene let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Thanks a million, Leeteuk. It's just after that whole thing with the reporter I wanted to take her someplace where we could just sit and eat without any threats hanging over my head."

"I'm sure she'll love it," he said. "I hope you haven't run yourself ragged overthinking this date. I know this girl is important to you but I want you to focus on school."

"I promise I've been keeping up with my schoolwork and everything Dad," Irene assured him. "And Moonbyul made sure I didn't stress out too much. I'm in a good place."

Leeteuk couldn't believe his luck. Irene had never been this open and casual with him before and it made his heart soar. And hearing her joke and call him "Dad" was the icing on the cake. He had to thank Seulgi for helping Irene open up. Maybe he'd send her a gift basket…

"Good. I'll even send a car over to the Academy tonight to pick you two up." Leeteuk's tablet beeped with another call and he swore under his breath. He didn't want to end this conversation with Irene but he had some League business to attend to. "You two have fun tonight and be safe. I don't want either of you pressuring the other into doing anything. Now if you'll excuse me, Siebold is calling and I swear if that man wants to allocate more of our budget to install more art in his stadium I'll kill him."

Irene laughed, "I'll let you go then. And Teuk?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't know how much this means to me. I really really appreciate it." She hung up and Leeteuk sighed softly.

"I think I kind of get the idea though, Joohyun. Good luck tonight little one. If anyone deserves a little happiness, it's you." He made a note to call Taeyeon after this and get Irene's name on the list before switching lines to answer the call from his Elite Four member.

"Siebold if your first words to me are "I just have to have this sculpture for my stadium" I'll demote you…"

XXX

"Today's the daaaay," Wendy said in a sing-song voice, nudging Seulgi with her shoulder. The two of them were on their way back from art, which would be their last class of the day. Seulgi had signed up for art as her elective because she loved drawing. It didn't matter the subject or style, she just enjoyed putting a pencil to paper and letting herself be creative. Wendy had signed up for art because it was the least demanding elective, and she got to spend two hours every Friday doodling in her notebooks.

"Don't remind me," Seulgi whined, readjusting the shoulder strap on her art portfolio case. "I'm already nervous."

"That makes two of us," Wendy replied cheerfully. "Believe me, Seulgi I want this date to go as well as it can. Then when you and Irene become an official couple I can con both of you into joining my team for the competition."

Seulgi huffed, "Is that all I am to you? A means to an end? I thought we were friends."

Wendy linked her arm with Seulgi's as they approached their dorm. "We are friends. And friends help their friends win competitions by coercing one of the best Trainers in the world to join them."

"You disgust me." There was no bite to Seulgi's words though, and Wendy just started laughing.

"Seriously, Seul. I'm proud of you. You're an amazing girl and you deserve the world. Irene would be a fool not to treat you right."

Seulgi's smile was bright enough to be seen from far away. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are, Wendy?"

"Multiple times, but please tell me more. I enjoy getting my ego boosted as much as the next girl."

Seulgi's tablet buzzed and she almost dropped her portfolio in her haste to answer it. "Irene!"

"Hey Seulgi," came the soft reply. "Can you meet me out by the administrative building?"

Oh my Arceus, it was time. Seulgi unconsciously started breathing faster and Wendy had to put a comforting hand on her back to calm her down. "Y-yeah. I'll be right there."

"I'll see you soon then." Irene hung up and Seulgi swore she could almost hear the note of nervousness in the older girl's voice.

"Oh my god, you two are absolutely useless," Wendy said, gently taking Seulgi's portfolio off her shoulder. "I'll take this back to my room, just message me when you're on your back home. Be safe out there tonight, and remember if she doesn't treat you right I'll sic my Sawsbuck on her, Champion or not."

Seulgi froze, suddenly realizing she was in her casual art clothes. "Oh my Arceus, I have to change. I can't go out with Irene looking like this. She'll think I'm a slob."

She was getting nervous again but thankfully Wendy was there. "Hey, Seulgi. Look at me. You look fine. Irene told you this would be a casual, no-pressure thing, right? So trust her. You're gorgeous."

Seulgi shot Wendy a small smile. She'd never really had any close girlfriends before, and Wendy was more than she could have ever asked for. "Wendy, you're the best."

The shorter girl made a shooing motion with her free hand, hoisting Seulgi's portfolio over her shoulder. "I wanna know all the details when you get back. Now go enjoy your date."

Seulgi all but ran to the administrative building, her breath catching in her throat when she saw Irene leaning against a sleek black town car. She looked absolutely breathtaking even though she was dressed just as casually as Seulgi.

Irene's face brightened as soon as she caught a glimpse of Seulgi, and she unconsciously patted her blouse down to make sure nothing was out of place. Her team of Pokémon were on her belt, giving her a little bit of comfort. It was nice to know her team would always be by her side.

Seulgi stopped less than three feet from Irene and the two of them took a moment to just bask in each other's presence.

"You look nice," Seulgi broke the silence, her eyes raking up and down Irene's body. True to her word, the Champion was dressed casually, wearing a light blue blouse whose sleeves were just a bit too long for her, a pair of jeans and white sneakers.

"I could say the same thing about you," was Irene's reply. Seulgi looked down at her plaid button up. Was that a little smear of orange paint on the bottom? Yet Irene couldn't seem to take her eyes of Seulgi. Irene cleared her throat, "Are you ready to go?"

"Totally." Irene opened the passenger side door for Seulgi and waited for her to get in before getting in the driver's side. The interior of the car was well-maintained and clean. A cute little Bonsly charm hung from the rearview mirror. "Wow, nice car."

Irene smiled, "It belongs to my mentor, Leeteuk. He didn't have to go this fancy when I asked to borrow a car for tonight, but I think he also wants tonight to go well."

"Everyone but us seems to be confident about tonight," Seulgi chuckled as they exited out the front gates of the Academy and drove towards the city center. "Not that I don't think tonight won't go well it's just—" she stopped talking, her cheeks heating up.

Irene's laugh was full and genuine. Seulgi is absolutely adorable. "I get what you're saying. Can you tell I don't do this often?"

"You and me both," Seulgi replied. "Where are we going?"

"I thought we could start simple and go out for dinner. I know a place." Seulgi was a little worried. What if someone saw them eating together? That would definitely start up the rumor mill again. Irene must have seen the worry on her face because she quickly reassured her. "Hey. We'll be fine. Can you trust that I wouldn't take us anywhere I didn't think could be discreet?"

They drove together for fifteen or so minutes before Irene pulled into a small parking lot. This section of downtown was known for its pricey boutiques and top-quality battle merchandise and Seulgi wondered if they were dressed a little too casually.

But Irene led her to the end of the block where a simple set of oak doors stood, guarded by two security guards in black suits. A sign above the doors read Taengoo's. "We're here." The Champion turned to address the two men. "Good evening, gentlemen. I should be on the list. Joohyun, party of two?"

The taller security guard looked up the name on his tablet and nodded, gesturing for the other guard to open the doors for them. If they recognized the Champion of the Kalos League they didn't show it. "Have a good evening, Ms. Joohyun."

Seulgi was impressed as Irene took her by the hand and led her inside. What kind of place was Irene taking her to?

The inside of Taengoo's was warm, homey and had almost a café-like atmosphere, the complete opposite of what Seulgi was expecting, given the tight security. Seulgi could only count four other people in the room with them, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it but they all seemed familiar somehow. Several tables and booths lined one side of the building, and a small bar area took up the other corner. A pretty brunette with long hair manned the bar, and upon seeing the two girls walk in she waved and walked over to them.

"You must be Joohyun," she said, offering her hand in greeting. "I'm Taeyeon, I own the place."

Seulgi's eyes widened. There was no way…what was a former Johto League Champion doing here in Kalos? Moreover, what was said Champion doing running a restaurant in Kalos?

"Nice to meet you, Taeyeon. Thank you for managing to get me in on such a short notice, I really appreciate it."

Taeyeon shook her head. "Don't worry about it, it's not often I get a call from a hungover Leeteuk asking me to put his mentee on the entrance list. As long as you promise not to get wasted and start singing karaoke while standing on top of my bar you'll be fine."

Irene smiled, turning to Seulgi. "This is Taengoo's. Only Champions and their guests are allowed inside, so we don't have to worry about anybody crashing our date."

"It's a humble little operation," Taeyeon chimed in, "But I wanted to make a place where celebrities could just relax and wind down, away from the public eye. You guys can take a seat wherever you want, I'll have someone come by to take your order." Taeyeon returned to her post at the bar, and Irene led Seulgi to a two-seater table.

"I hope this place is alright," Irene said, glancing around at their surroundings. She couldn't help the residual nervousness even though both Leeteuk and Moonbyul had assured her that no media or rogue fans could approach her here.

"It's perfect, Joohyun," Seulgi replied, taking Irene's hand in her own to soothe the other girl. Their eyes met and Seulgi couldn't help the little gasp that fell from her lips. Irene's brown eyes were captivating.

The moment was broken a second later when a waiter came by to talk about the menu. There was a small variety of comfort foods and drinks, nothing too fancy, but all of it was locally sourced and high quality. Seulgi ordered a drink called Yellow Breeze, non-alcoholic of course. Irene took a minute to look over the drink menu and settled on something called a Pink Island Iced Tea. For food, they both agreed to share a pizza.

They talked while waiting for their food to come out, and Seulgi enjoyed every minute of their conversation. When she first met Irene she didn't peg the older girl for much of a conversationalist but now that they were in a comfortable setting, words between them flowed smoothly. Seulgi had to admit that this was quickly becoming the best date she'd ever been on.

When their food arrived, the talking ceased as both girls loaded up their plates. They didn't talk much as they dug into the delicious food but even so, there was something nice about just spending time next to each other. Seulgi kept sneaking glances at Irene and every time she got caught she waved it off. Little did she know that Irene was guilty of the exact same crime.

Irene went up to the bar to pay for their meal after they had finished but Taeyeon waved her off. "It's already been taken care of. On the house."

"Are you sure, I don't want to—"

"I insist. It's not often I get treated to the beautiful sight of a young couple on a date." Taeyeon glanced wistfully at a picture behind the bar of a younger version of her, whose arms were wrapped protectively around the waist of another young woman. "Cherish her for as long as you can, Irene."

Irene looked back at Seulgi, who was busy setting all the dishes to one side of the table so the waiter wouldn't have to do it when he came by. "You don't have to tell me twice. Thank you, Taeyeon."

"Tell Leeteuk that when he and Heechul come by next time I'm cutting them off at four drinks!" Taeyeon yelled as they left, winking at Irene.

"Will do!" Irene shook her head when Seulgi looked at her questioningly. "I'll tell you later."

XXX

Irene took Seulgi for another short drive, and it wasn't long before they had parked again. Seulgi got out and looked at the backlit sign in front of her. Welcome to Serenity River.

"Welcome to the second part of our date tonight," Irene said as she got out, reaching for her belt and releasing her Ninetales from its ball before disappearing around the side of the car. Her Pokémon appeared gracefully and yipped at Seulgi in greeting, pushing her head against Seulgi's hand to demand affection. Irene reappeared a second later, carrying several large plush blankets and a bag of cookies. "You mentioned before that you liked visiting Iki town in Alola to spend time by the lake. This is the closest I could get unfortunately."

Seulgi's heart beat heavily in her chest. She had mentioned that tidbit to Irene more than a month ago, and only once. How the Champion had managed to remember that small detail she'd never know. If it was possible to fall even more in love with Irene, Seulgi did. Even if this wasn't an isolated and calm lake because it ran right through the middle of downtown, since it was with Irene it was perfect. "This is better than anything I could have imagined."

Seulgi released her Vulpix from its ball and let him romp around with Irene's Ninetales while the two of them walked down the riverside pathway together. The sun had long since set and the only light came from the streetlamps that lined the path, keeping it illuminated. A few bright stars had managed to push past the light pollution from the city, where they hung twinkling in the sky. They found a nice grassy area not far from the water, where they set up the blankets and sat down. No one would be able to tell from a distance that they were anything other than a young couple on a date.

There were a few Remoraid and Magikarp floating lazily down the river, but they quickly disappeared when Vulpix ran up to the water's edge on tiny legs, trying in vain to catch them. Irene's Ninetales quickly herded the young fox Pokémon away from the water and towards the two girls. Ninetales curled up at Irene's feet and Vulpix crawled in-between the bigger Pokémon's paws to lie down.

"Aw," Seulgi giggled at the cute picture in front of her.

"I'm still surprised that Aeolus took to your Vulpix so quickly. I can count the number of Pokémon she's allowed to lie close to her on one hand. Not even Dante could get that close to her without provoking a snap." Irene opened the bag of cookies and set them between her and Seulgi, gathering up one of the blankets and putting it over both their legs. "Maybe it's a sign."

"Maybe," Seulgi's mouth was already filled with cookies. Since Irene had been the first one to bring up her old partner she decided to try and keep the conversation going. "What kind of partner was Dante?"

Irene looked up at the night sky. "I received him as a Charmander from my local Pokémon professor when I was ten. We spent a couple of years around my hometown while I learned how to train him. My father would be away on business most of the time so Dante quickly became my best friend. It wasn't until I was almost fourteen that I decided to take on the Kalos League. I had seen an article about a young girl from Hoenn who was blasting through the gym circuit and was on track to becoming the youngest crowned Champion in history."

"Moonbyul?" Seulgi guessed, and Irene nodded.

"She inspired me. Of course the road to the Pokémon League is extremely difficult, so it took a while for Dante and I to find more teammates and get our footing. Aeolus and Garm were the first two to join the team. I got them from a breeder friend of my father's." Irene laughed sarcastically, "Ironically he treated me better than my father ever did. At least he believed in my dream. All my father wanted was for me to one day take over the business and marry into an equally rich family."

Seulgi laid down with her arms behind her head as she listened to Irene tell the rest of her story. "Yeah, your dad seems like a dick."

"You have no idea…but anyway. The three of us took on the first gym and won easily thanks to a type advantage. Dante evolved into a Charmeleon. I'll never forget what Viola told me after our victory. I told her that I wanted to try and make it all the way to the Pokémon League. She told me 'I see the way your Pokémon look at you. And I see the way you give your everything to your Pokémon. The road to Champion will be long. There will be times when you want to give up. I want you to think about this moment whenever things look like they're becoming too difficult. Even if it seems like the entire world is against you, you still have your team. They will love you unconditionally, and together you'll be able to fight through even the darkest of times.'"

"That's really good advice," Seulgi said, thinking over the words she'd just been told.

"It's something I took to heart, though I'm afraid I almost lost sight of it when Dante died. When it happened, my whole world was suddenly chaotic and dark. How could I face the future without my partner by my side? He'd been with me since the beginning, seen me to the ultimate glory as a Pokémon Trainer. He protected me, and when it came down to it, I couldn't protect him."

"He got sick though, right? There was no way you could've seen that coming."

"Logically, I knew that. Of course I knew that. You sometimes can't help the hand you've been dealt. But I was anything but logical. Here I was, newly minted Kalos Champion. My father had finally seen how useful it would be to have a celebrity daughter, and he threw me into a rigorous press schedule to capitalize off my newfound fame. I didn't have any close friends aside from Moonbyul and Solar so when things started getting worse there weren't a lot of people I could turn to. They had their own rising careers too."

Seulgi hummed, "It must have been difficult."

"Honestly, it still is. I forget sometimes that Dante's only been gone for a less than a year. It seems so long ago. Moonbyul told me that it would be good for me to come back to the Academy and focus on something else so I wouldn't let myself get swallowed up by the grief." Irene looked down at Seulgi. "And honestly? I'm glad I did. Otherwise I wouldn't have run into you. Literally."

Seulgi's ears reddened. "I hoped you forgot about that."

"It's hard to forget you. You literally sent me bouncing back down the stairs." Seulgi sat up again and entwined her fingers with Irene's. "You made me feel something, Kang Seulgi."

Seulgi blushed. "Did I ever tell you that seeing your Championship fight against Leeteuk was how I first starting crushing on you?"

Irene looked surprised. "You watched that?"

"Of course I did. Your Pokémon were all incredibly strong, and your sense of strategy was unparalleled. And I don't know if you've noticed, Joohyun, but you're kind of gorgeous. Who wouldn't have a bit of a crush on you?"

"Kind of gorgeous?" Irene wiggled her eyebrows mischievously and Seulgi quickly stammered out an apology. "I'm flattered, Seulgi. So this is sort of a dream for you right now, isn't it?"

Seulgi's blush deepened even further. "Maybe…"

Irene leaned in and placed a feather-light kiss on Seulgi's lips. "And this? Is it everything you imagined it would be?"

"More," came Seulgi's breathy reply. She wanted, no she needed more from the Kalos Champion.

Irene chuckled, her breath leaving goosebumps down Seulgi's arms. She ripped the blanket off their legs and rolled over until both her knees were on either side of Seulgi's legs and she was on top of the taller girl. Seulgi was frozen, her brain unable to comprehend that Irene was quite literally straddling her. Irene placed a small hand on the side of Seulgi's cheek and went for another kiss.

Seulgi's brain completely shorted out as she found herself leaning into the kiss. An impatient whine escaped her throat and Irene immediately deepened the kiss. By Arceus, was this the best thing she'd ever experienced. Irene's warm weight against her body as the older girl took the reins and kept kissing her. Seulgi felt as though her heart was about to burst with sheer affection when Irene broke their kiss to look into her eyes, her gaze asking for permission to continue.

All Seulgi could do was nod and let herself be swept away by the moment, with Irene's lips on hers. Best. Date. Ever.