#2: It's All for Show

(Roxie x Elesa)

Lights flashed endlessly as hundreds upon hundreds of pictures were snapped of the Unova supermodel Elesa, the Electric gym leader whom ran her gym with as much style as the finest runway shows in the world.

The bright, yellow-and-blue outfit and large, fluffy yellow coat spoke loudly for her character. No longer was she the very cool and powerful gym leader of Nimbasa— Now she was an icon. Her long, slender legs made anyone she came across stop and stare, and that's exactly what she wanted.

Then she heard a loud commotion, which stopped her in her tracks. Many of the cameras also turned away, as Elesa saw arms rising into the air angrily from someone too short to see from where she was.

With a sigh, Elesa calmly walked towards the source of the commotion. People moved in her wake, watching with bated breath as the model walked right up to the short, white-haired girl, who had a photographer practically begging for forgiveness on his knees.

"Don't ever try that again!" Roxie, the rockin' gym leader of Virbank City, exclaimed. As she turned away from the older man, leaving him to wallow, she found herself looking up towards Elesa. "What's up with you now, huh?"

Elesa gazed down at Roxie's defiant expression. The girl was wearing a loose, long-sleeve sweater of blue-and-purple, an outfit that clearly stood out incredibly against all of the other guests at today's ceremony.

"I just didn't see you here," Elesa spoke softly, moving a hand along one of her long black braids in a flourishing move. "I thought a child might be lost or something."

There were some 'Ooo's and 'Ahh's from the crowd as the paparazzi absolutely ate it up, careful now to not snap too many pictures, less they draw the ire of the two girls before them.

Roxie scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "That's rich, coming from a walking twig. What's with the new hair too, tired of being a dumb blonde?"

Another response from the onlookers. A few other celebrities of Unova walked past briskly, not wanting to be a part of whatever was going on. Elesa smiled and ran a hand along her fluffy coat.

"I've grown out of my past shell. But I guess growing is beyond you, right?"

Roxie gasped, gritting her teeth. Elesa watched in amusement, deciding to use another line she had thought of.

"We both use Pokemon weak to Ground, but… You must handle it better, being so close to it," Elesa said, putting a hand over her eyes and looking down at Roxie. Some of the crowd burst out with laughter, while some snapped photos like it was the greatest event of all time.

It was all for show, of course.

Unbeknownst to everyone watching the display, Elesa and Roxie had been dating for months now. Their short-lived rivalry in fame had led to one thing.. And another.. And now they often played it up for the crowd, knowing it did wonders for their popularity.

The short girl turned away, crossing her arms and grunting to herself. As she walked off, she turned as if she was going to say something, but then continued on. Elesa frowned, while the crowd expressed surprise at how it had gone down.

"Wow, Roxie doesn't normally give up that easily," said a photographer.

"Elesa's truly shining more than ever!" Came another.

As she watched the girl go, Elesa couldn't help but feel bad, wondering if she had gone too far. There wasn't too much time to dwell on it however, as she was ushered along by her security. As she went though, she couldn't help but search for Roxie, seeing where she might have gone to..

That night, after the fanfare had died out and the sleepless Nimbasa City returned to its normal, only slightly bustling nature, Elesa slipped out of her studio, wearing her usual disguise. The black braid extensions gone, and wearing a plain black crop-top and skirt, Elesa looked much more along the likes of a normal night-owl in Nimbasa, and could blend in much easier.

It didn't take her too long to find Roxie, in their usual meeting spot. The large ferris wheel that had become a symbol of the city in its own right was popular for tourists and denizens of the city alike, and the girl was standing near the line, gazing up at its slow rotation.

Elesa hesitated as she reached her, looking up at the ferris wheel above them as well. Roxie was also in disguise, dawning a purple hoodie with the hood over her head, her long white hair let loose, hanging down beneath her hood.

"Hi Rox," she finally spoke. The shorter girl didn't respond for a moment. "Did I make you mad?"

Roxie looked down at the ground for a moment, before turning and gazing up at Elesa. There wasn't anger there, which was a major relief to Elesa. Instead, the girl seemed to be pouting.

"…I forgot my comeback."

"…Eh?"

Roxie sighed. "I know you always make fun of my height, and I had something good. I thought about it all night, even made it into song lyrics, then—" She made a gesture of strangling the air. "It was totally gone!"

After a moment of silence, Elesa burst out into laughter. Roxie seemed taken aback by this, watching the elegant model laugh her heart out before her.

"W-What are you—" Roxie glared at her, but Elesa waved it away with a hand.

"It's just… That's so funny," Elesa said, getting out the last of her laughter before taking a deep breath. "You're so cute, Rox."

Roxie's face flushed a bit, and she looked away, crossing her arms. "But I don't want to be cute, I don't lead in a rock band to be cute!"

"Especially when you act like a child," Elesa commented.

"I— Hey, we're the same age! Grr—" Roxie suddenly jumped forwards, wrapping her arms around Elesa and burying her face in the girl's chest. She said something, but it was muffled in Elesa's bosom.

"What was that?" The electric gym leader smiled down to the girl, embracing her back.

Roxie pulled her head back and looked up at her, her face reddening. "It's… I-I haven't seen you in a while, so I was saying I.. m-missed you…"

"Gah—" Elesa squeezed the girl tightly suddenly, burying her face into her hair. "I missed you too..!"

"S-Stooooop—" Roxie enjoyed every moment of it, but it was in her nature to act affronted, despite the happy giggles she emitted as they hugged tightly.

After a moment of enjoying each others embrace, they finally broke apart, standing hand-in-hand and watching the people going about their day around them.

"You were looking at the ferris wheel.. Did you want to go on it?" Elesa looked from the ride to the girl at her side.

Roxie shrugged. "We've been on it before. I'm okay with whatever you wanna do."

Elesa reached over with her free hand and pinched the girl's cheek, eliciting a yelp from Roxie. "I know you better than that. Come on, let's get in line then."

"Ow— Hey, I mean it, we don't—"

"Yes we do~"

After a little while of standing in line, they finally reached their turn. With their celebrity statuses, it would have been easy to bypass the line entirely, but they were, thus far, keeping their relationship a secret…

And that bothered Elesa now more than ever.

Requesting to ride without any others, they sat on the same side of the ride car, and soon enough, began to be lifted as the wheel began to turn.

Roxie gazed out of her side, towards where the lights of the city provided a beautiful banquet of colors. Elesa watched it as well, before her eyes settled on the girl beside her.

"Roxie…"

The girl looked to her. "Hm?"

"I'm tired of hiding this," Elesa admitted with a sigh. "All of the back and forth, and just… Lying."

Roxie shrugged nonchalantly. "It was to protect us from too much crap from those picture jerks, right? It is what it is."

"Do you really feel that way?" Elesa pressed. Roxie shrugged, so Elesa leaned in close to get her attention. "I don't think it's worth the stress anymore."

Roxie's eyes widened. "H-Huh? What do you—"

Then, Elesa kissed her, silencing her confused words. After a few moments of their soft lips dancing gently together, Roxie pulled back, shaking her head.

"I-I'm so confused…"

Elesa giggled softly. "Sorry.. Maybe I misspoke. I want you, so badly, and… The secrets make it so much more stressful than it has to be."

Roxie played with her long hair strands a bit, thinking for a moment, her legs swaying a bit as they were slightly too short to reach the floor of the cab car.

"I… want to be yours too," she admitted, blushing slightly. "Like… officially."

Elesa smiled and pet the girl's head softly. "You do?"

Roxie nodded, leaning against her girlfriend's arm, her icy-blue eyes gazing up at her longingly.

"I do."

The ferris wheel halted for the third time since they had entered, as new passengers left and others stepped on to the car a few back from theirs. Elesa did some quick math, before gently poking Roxie's cheek.

"Well.. This ride still has maybe fifteen more minutes before we reach the end," Elesa commented.

"Mhm, that sounds about right."

"Soooo…." Feeling bold, Elesa gently moved her arms around Roxie's hips, pulling the girl towards her. Roxie, surprised, straddled the girl's hips, gazing up at her as Elesa smiled. "Shouldn't we make the most of it?"

Roxie seemed at a loss for words, so Elesa made the first move, leaning in to kiss the girl once again, but with much more passion, her soft hands beginning to explore Roxie's body eagerly…

That night, below the bright starry sky and above the radiating lights of Nimbasa, two shining beacons of the Unova Region truly became one, casting away their doubts and their secrecy. From that day forward, they would become the true power couple of Unova, not caring what anyone thought of them, because nobody could stop them.

Every time Roxie would see Elesa in the crowd watching her perform, it only made the girl sing her heart out more. Now, after every passionate , breathless musical session, the tall bombshell model was waiting for her lover to comfort and be there for her. Roxie eventually didn't mind how being lovey-dovey conflicted with her image, because in the end…

She loved her, and that's all that mattered.

End

Next Story: It's Over, Right?

(Anabel x Mina x Plumeria)