The Slumbering Weald lived up to its name that night, it's peaceful evening stillness broken only by gentle woodland ambience, the occasional breeze, and the sound of four exuberant Pokemon conversing in the meadow by the shrine. Moonbeams seemed to resonate brighter over the ancient wood than anywhere else in Galar as they permeated through the picturesque opening in the jade canopy above, giving forth an otherworldly glow as its white-gold brilliance refracted into a rainbow along the surface of the nearby lake.
While Cinderace and Morpeko chattered away to the young Applin and Eevee in what was more than likely a dramatic and gleeful regaling of their trainers' relationship leading up to this evening, Marcus and Marnie observed as they sat with one another atop a blanket beneath a tree near the ruined shrine. Umbreon slept peacefully at their feet, the canary yellow rings among her ebony fur glowing softly in the night like halos from the moon.
"What do you think they're talking about that's got them so excited?", Marcus pondered.
"Whaddaya think? They're talkin' 'bout us, ya dork", Marnie answered with a gentle titter.
"Really?", Marcus inquired with a curious smirk. "And how do you know that?"
"Ain't it obvious? Cinderace is over there doin' an impression of you", she replied. "See? He's doin' that thing you do when you get all nervous where you start scratchin' the back of your head n' stammerin' n' all."
"I have no idea what you're talking about", Marcus denied jokingly, a slight blush tinting his cheeks - he knew exactly what she was talking about. "I don't do anything like that at all."
"No? That's a shame", Marnie teased with a grin. "I always thought it was kinda cute."
Marcus chuckled and placed a hand on the back of his head - whether this was an intentional response or an instinctively bashful one was unclear.
"By the way", she added, "I didn't say it when we got here, but… thanks for bringin' us all the way out here tonight."
"No problem", Marcus replied with a smile. "Although you might not be thanking me so much when we're taking the tired flight back to Spikemuth later", he chuckled.
"Why?", she asked, raising a brow. "What time is it now?"
Marcus grabbed his phone and clicked it to life. His eyes widened, a short nervous laugh escaping his lungs as he looked at the clock displayed on the device's lock-screen.
3:02 AM
"You don't wanna know…"
"Probably not, huh?", Marnie giggled as she cuddled against Marcus, laying her head against his chest. "It doesn't matter, anyway."
Marcus smiled as he wrapped an arm around Marnie, pulling her closer and holding her tight. His heart was full as they sat together, taking in the evening view as the endless ocean of starlight above cascaded into a heavenly glow upon them. For the first time in his life, he felt complete. It was as if everything he'd ever needed in his life, he had with him in that moment.
"You were right about this place, Marcus", Marnie stated.
Marcus raised a brow. "Hmm? What do you mean?"
She smiled. "Last time we were out this way, you'd said that you thought there was some kinda magic 'bout this place… I think you were onto somethin' there."
"Are you talking about the view, or…?"
"You know what I'm talkin' about, how we seem to come into this place as one thing, and always come out somethin' else?"
"Oh, right!", Marcus exclaimed, recalling the events of that evening. "Yeah, it's true, it's gotta be… at this point, I'd stake my life on it." He grinned. "The first time I came through here, I was a scared homebody, and I came out a Pokemon trainer. The next time, I came in a gym challenger and walked out as Galar's hero…" He chuckled. "I mean, I guess? If that's what you wanna call me, anyway."
"It's what I call ya", Marnie replied, her eyes beaming warmly up into his as she smiled at him.
Marcus laughed. "You're biased, that doesn't count", he replied jokingly.
Marnie giggled, cueing Marcus's heart to skip a beat.
"You know, you've changed a lot since the first time you came through here, too", Marcus added.
"Ya think so?", Marnie inquired.
He smiled lovingly at her. "You've been smiling a lot more since then."
Marnie's face went pink as she averted eye contact with Marcus. "A-are we really gonna do this again?", she asked with a flustered chuckle as she remembered the last time they had a similar conversation.
"We are", Marcus insisted, "because now that we're being completely honest with each other, you oughta know that I absolutely adore your smile."
Marnie's cheeks shaded from pink to red as she buried her face into the sleeve of Marcus's jacket, which she still wore around her shoulders. "R-really…? Y-ya mean that?"
"Absolutely!", he exclaimed. "And I know I'm probably gonna be running the risk of another elbow to the ribs by saying this and all, but I can't hardly believe someone would ever feel like they had to practice for a smile when they have one was sweet and gorgeous as yours."
The heat of Marnie's fluster spread across her face to her ears. She felt her arm instinctively tense up, primed and ready to be jabbed elbow-first into her target - Marcus was right about the risk. She restrained herself, however, allowing her arm to relax as she took in the nature of his sentiment. She couldn't help but smile again - as embarrassing as that "incident" still was for her to talk about, he did just say one of the nicest things she'd ever heard said to her.
"Th-thank you", she finally replied, her eyes making their way back up to his as she let her head fall delicately into his lap. "Actually, I…" She chortled slightly, her tongue stilled by brief hesitation. "...This is gonna sound super corny n' all…"
"C'mon, we both oughta know how I feel about corn by now", Marcus jested.
Marnie laughed in agreement, feeling an uncontrollable urge to grin as she peered into Marcus's eyes; brown-amber portals into his heart, warm and pure. It gave confirmation to the words she wanted to say, and the resolve to say them outloud.
"...I can only smile like this thanks to you."
"...Thanks to me? What do you mean by that?", Marcus asked with a raised and puzzled brow, almost as if in disbelief - not necessarily in what she had said, but in trying to contemplate that he could've had that kind of an impact on another person.
Marnie glanced to the side towards the treeline above, the glimmer in her eyes dimming to a dull shimmer as her demeanor shifted. "Let's just… let's just say I didn't have a whole lot to smile 'bout 'til recently."
Marcus pondered her response - it sounded vaguely familiar. "I think Piers might've mentioned something about that at one point."
"You talked to my bro?", Marnie asked, looking somewhat surprised.
Marcus nodded gently. "A few days after your battle with Weston. I needed to drop something off to him, and he and I got to talking a little."
Marnie turned to her side, her back to Marcus as she faced out into the woods. "What all'd he go gabbin' on about to ya, then?"
"Not much", Marcus answered. "Just how Spikemuth hasn't always been the most hopeful place, and that people were putting you under a lot of pressure to be the city's claim to fame, or something."
Marnie sighed, breathing into the woodland air along with the crossbreeze. "You know 'bout how I was raised by my bro n' all, yeah? Our parents have been outta the picture since 'fore I can remember." She felt a weight in her chest as she spoke. "After that, some people from an orphanage showed up to take us in… Piers didn't wanna run the risk of us bein' separated n' all, so he picked me up n' ran… I was three, the way he tells it."
Marcus could sense the direction this story was taking. He took one of her hands tenderly within his own, slipping his fingers between hers.
"It ain't fun livin' on the streets, y'know?", she continued. "Doin' everythin' you can just to get by in a city full o' people turnin' on their own, tryna do the same. Piers worked tooth n' claw to gimme the best childhood he could, and I'll always be grateful for it n' all, but… it was rough, y'know?"
A subtle sniffle and a shiver from Marnie prompted Marcus to place a hand on her shoulder and gently roll her onto her back to face up at him. His heart felt heavy for her as he looked upon her.
"...I'm sorry", she whimpered as she struggled in vain to fight back the welling tears in her eyes.
Marcus wiped the streams from beneath her eyes with a delicate caress of his index finger. "You've been through so much… I had no idea."
Marnie inhaled the hurricane of emotions surrounding her as she worked to find her center and establish a more lucid train of thought. Evidently, this was something she didn't talk to anyone about very often. "It don't even really bother me anymore", she sniffled. "That part o' my life is behind me n' all…"
"That doesn't make it any less difficult to think about though, I'm sure", Marcus interjected softly. "I'm sorry you went through all that."
"I feel like I ain't got much room to complain", Marnie tittered half-heartedly. "it hasn't been easy for any of us, y'know? Plenty o' people from Spikemuth with sob stories worse than ours n' all. I mean, things got a lil' bit better after Piers took the Gym Challenge and started the gym n' all, but it's always been a struggle… so when it came time for me to take the Gym Challenge myself, there was a lotta hype goin' around, y'know? People had really high hopes for me n' all..."
"I get having high hopes and all", Marcus began, "but that still didn't give them the right to put that kind of stress on you."
Marnie shook her head. "It wasn't like that, though, not at all", she explained. "I wanted to be like my big bro n' help Spikemuth become the best place it possibly could be, so that nobody else'd have to grow up like Piers n' me did. That's why bein' the champion's always been my goal." She managed a faint smile. "Honestly, the folk o' Spikemuth ain't never been anythin' but supportive of me… so supportive, that I've always pushed myself real hard to try n' live up to all the hype they raise 'bout me. I feel like I owe 'em all that much, y'know?"
"Ooohhh, I get it", Marcus said softly with a nod. "You weren't insecure about anyone's expectations, you wanted to do everyone's praises of you justice in the Gym Challenge."
"Yeah", Marnie continued, "but bein' called "Princess of Spikemuth", and havin' everyone sayin' you're gonna be the one to beat Leon? It was a lot to live up to. Especially when you just feel like some nobody who grew up on the streets, y'know? It was a lot o' praise, n' I didn't really know if I deserved it." She smiled warmly at Marcus. "Honestly, my rivalry with you really changed all that for the better."
Marcus raised a brow.
"There ya go again, actin' all modest n' all, like ya ain't got a clue what I'm talkin' about", Marnie chuckled. "It's true, though. My rivalry with you gave me somethin' to shoot for, n' it helped me go a lot farther as a trainer than I ever thought I would. It took me all the way to the finals and made me a trainer worthy o' all that praise. It brought Galar's champion to Spikemuth's rescue when everythin' with the League went down, and helped the city become more than it's ever been." She giggled. "It brought me into a romantic night out with the most beautiful guy I've ever known."
Marcus felt himself blush to the touch of Marnie's hand gently cupping his cheek as she looked up at him amorously.
"It's been yonks since I've had this much to smile about", Marnie continued. "And I know I owe a lotta that to you."
Marcus had no words to respond with - the notion that his actions could hold such significance in the lives of those around him was still one that utterly baffled him. All he could think to do was meet Marnie's adoring smile with his own as he cradled her in his arms, his right arm under her back and his left hand holding to the back of her head. He leaned forward with closed eyes and kissed her forehead tenderly, prompting a flustered titter from her as a wave of warm pinkness spread across her face. He pulled his lips away slowly before nestling his own forehead against hers, pulling her in close to his core as he held her like she was the most precious thing in his world.
"You're amazing, Marnie."
Three words she never knew could mean so much to her. She didn't know why they resonated in her as much as they did when Marcus said them, it's not like it was the first time anyone had ever said them to her. Yet as she lay there, having confessed her childhood tragedy in a state of spontaneous vulnerability, she was met with all the affection and adoration she'd always dreamed of one day receiving. She beamed brightly as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, holding him in a gentle and loving embrace.
She was happy. Happier than she'd been in a long time.
"Thank you for sharing all that with me", Marcus finally said, pulling himself slowly away from her embrace as he locked eyes with hers.
"Why're you thankin' me?", Marnie asked.
"Because now that I know all that about you, I'm gonna make it my mission to make sure that you always have a reason to smile", he answered wholeheartedly with a grin.
Marnie chuckled. "Dork, you already do that!"
"Then I'll try harder", Marcus insisted. "Bring it my A-game, keep you on your toes, that sorta thing."
"Always tryina go one step beyond, aren't ya?", she asked.
"Only when it's something that matters as much as this does", he replied.
She smiled warmly, wrapping both of her arms around his waist and cuddling close to him. You're such a goofball, she thought to herself.
That's one o' the things I love about you...
The vibrance of Cinderace and Morpeko's performance for Applin and Eevee continued unabated as they persisted merrily into the night, gleefully unconscious of time. Morpeko put on her best serious-face as she gripped a small pebble with both hands before lifting one of her stubby legs as high in the air in front of her as she could and hurling the pebble with all of her might into a nearby pile of twigs and sticks.
"Oh, look", Marcus chuckled as he pointed a finger, "Morpeko's doing you when scammed that guy."
"Ugh", Marnie giggled, "I didn't scam him! I just played him at his own game, that's all!" She looked back up towards the beams of starlight as they broke through the woodland ceiling; the surrounding view never ceased to amaze her. "This place really is magic", she said in awe.
Marcus nodded in agreement, beginning to take in the scenery himself. "You know, the last time we were here, we came in as friends, but when we left, we came out way closer."
"Yeah… what do ya think we'll come out as this time?", Marnie asked.
Marcus shrugged - he knew what he wanted to say, but decided to play it cool. "I dunno… something more?"
Marnie smirked up at him. "You mean… like boyfriend n' girlfriend?"
"I-I mean…", Marcus stammered, his entire face growing red as a rose as Marnie's seeming ability to read his thoughts caught him completely and utterly off-guard. "...I-I understand i-if it's too soon to start calling each other that, and all, w-we don't have to rush into any-"
His words were suddenly stilled as Marnie gripped his shoulders tight with both hands, pulling herself up to his level and stealing a passionate kiss from his lips as she let her arms wrap around his back. The motion was enough to somehow take him by surprise, temper his fluster, take his breath away, and melt his heart all at once. She eased off lightly, staring intimately into his eyes as she pressed her forehead against his.
"Datin' the champion… that sounds pretty excitin'!", Marnie exclaimed with a soft giggle. "Definitely somethin' worth smilin for, yeah?"
Marcus's eyes were still slightly wide with surprise from her unexpectedly kissing him. After a brief moment of pause while he processed everything, he smiled back at her with an exhale. "Y-yeah, totally!"
Marnie beamed, pulling him into a tight embrace, her head now resting on his shoulder. Marcus responded by wrapping his arms around her waist in a firm and affectionate hug. The two held steadfast to one another, neither wanting to let go; neither wanting to awaken from the bliss of their mutual dream-come-true.
"You know", Marcus whispered, "we don't have to worry about drawing a crowd or breaking curfew out here… if you wanted, we could get that rematch in, I think Cinderace and Morpeko have the steam for it."
Marnie smiled sweetly. "You gonna be let down if we table that for now?", she asked. "I'm not ready for this to be over yet."
Marcus's own grin widened as he tightened his embrace. "Sure thing… whatever you want."