"This is your fault, Sylvain."
"My fault? How the hell is this my fault?"
"...When I think of how to word it properly, I'll let you know."
Sylvain shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he glowered at Lorenz, who stared back at him with an equally seething glare. Sylvain had not expected to run into his rival after not seeing him for a few years, especially this far north in Faerghus. They had crossed paths on the outskirts of Gautier, where Sylvain was just starting a journey back to Garrag Mach, where he and Lorenz had met five years ago.
All aspiring Pokemon trainers had to attend the Trainer's Academy and graduate before they could choose a starter and begin their Gym Challenges. Sylvain had been pretty excited to finally get a Pokemon of his own, but he was even more excited to flirt with all of the beautiful girls at the academy. Unfortunately for him, Lorenz also had a bad flirting habit, and more often than not Sylvain spent more time arguing with Lorenz about who was better with the ladies than actually getting with any ladies. It had been an irritating time in his life.
Eventually, they had both graduated, with Sylvain choosing a Cyndaquil as a starter, while Lorenz picked a Snivy. They had gone their separate ways to complete their Gym Challenges, but they often ran into each other and engaged in heated battles. Sylvain won some and lost some, and he could never deny the fact that Lorenz made a damn good rival.
When their Gym Challenges came to an end, with both of them being defeated in the quarter finals of the Fódlan Championships, Sylvain had opted to focus on becoming strong enough to take over the Gautier Gym once his father retired. Lorenz left to do the same, as his father was the leader of the Gloucester Gym, and the two rivals had not seen each other since.
Sylvain did not anticipate reuniting with his rival ever again, let alone outside of his hometown, which was pretty far away from Lorenz's own home. Lorenz apparently had been returning from Sreng after taking care of some business for his father, while Sylvain was on his way to Garrag Mach for the annual Gym Leader Summit. His father was also going, but Sylvain had left early so that he could take his time and do some training along the way, as well as pay a visit to his friend Dimitri, who had already taken up the mantle of gym leader in Fhirdiad after his father had unfortunately passed away a few years ago.
Sylvain almost didn't recognize Lorenz when he first saw him. He had grown his hair out since their gym challenge days, which was a vast improvement to the disastrous bowl cut that he had sported back then. He was dressed in layers, more so than Sylvain due to the fact that he lived in a warmer climate. He looked like he was doing well for himself overall.
Lorenz had almost immediately asked for a battle, and Sylvain was eager to see how his rival had improved over the years. They had moved off of the road as to not disturb any travelers, into the thick foliage of the woods. Sylvain knew of a clearing next to a lake that would be perfect for battle, especially if Lorenz was planning on using water types.
When they both tossed their first poke balls, Sylvain was shocked at the sight. He had chosen his Toxtricity, Tox, who had just recently evolved and was proving to be an invaluable asset to his team. Lorenz had also sent out a Toxtricity, named Lavender, although his was the Low Key form, in contrast to Tox's Amped. And that is where Sylvain's current troubles began.
Tox took one look at Lavender and Sylvain could practically see the hearts form in his eyes as he bolted across the clearing. Tox stopped in front of Lavender and took her hands in his as he eagerly conversed with her, while she happily responded. Sylvain and Lorenz could only gawk at the scene, and their battle was over before it could even begin.
"Ugh...of all the Toxtricity in Fódlan, he had to fall for yours?" Sylvain grumbled, sighing as he sat down on a log.
"Please. My Lavender is an exceptional example of her species. She is much too good for anything trained by the likes of you." Lorenz retorted, scoffing as he sat down on the other side of the log. Sylvain rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to Tox and Lavender, who were cuddled up together by the edge of the lake. Sylvain's had let his other Pokemon out to relax until he figured out what to do about this situation, and Lorenz had done the same.
Sylvain was not surprised to see that Lorenz's team was much different than the one that he had used during the Gym Challenge, because his own had changed a lot too. Sylvain's Rapidash was currently racing Lorenz's Galarian Rapidash around the lake, and they looked to be having a good time of it. Lorenz's Milotic was resting in the lake, splashing water lazily at Sylvain's Luxray, who seemed to be egging her on by roaring and pawing in her direction. Lorenz's Serperior, Roserade, and Froslass were chatting it up with Sylvain's Typhlosion and Houndoom, while his Hydreigon took a nap under a tree. Well, at least their Pokemon were having a good time.
Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, Sylvain pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Tox and Lavender. He then opened his group chat with his best friends - Dimitri, Felix, and Ingrid - and sent it to them.
'Aw! how cute! Tox found a girlfriend! 3' Ingrid was the first to respond, and Sylvain pursed his lips as he typed out his response.
'You won't believe who that other toxtricity belongs to.'
'?'
'Lorenz Gloucester.'
'LMAO sux to be you' Felix had decided to chime in, and a sour look crossed Sylvain's face.
'Where'd you run into him?' Dimitri finally joined in, and Sylvain quickly typed up a summary of the last couple hours of his life for them.
'Oof, good luck with that.' Felix said.
'Do NOT separate them! they look so happy!' Ingrid said at the same time, and Sylvain could practically feel her seething glare on him if he even considered the idea.
'I'll figure something out.' Sylvain hit send and put his phone away, standing up as he turned to face Lorenz.
"Alright, Lorenz, what are we gonna do about this?" Sylvain asked, waving a hand in the direction of their love-struck Pokemon before crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well," Lorenz said as he stood up and started pacing back and forth, his brow furrowing as he rubbed at his chin, "The obvious solution is for one of us to trade Tox or Lavender for the other, but I certainly would never give my precious Lavender up for anything."
"Yeah, no way in hell I've giving up Tox." Sylvain said, and he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from adding 'especially to an irritating snob like you.'
"I thought so. The next obvious solution is for us to travel together-"
"Oh hell no!" Sylvain cut Lorenz off, and Lorenz narrowed his eyes coldly. "I can barely stand your company for a few hours. I am not crossing the entirety of Faerghus with you."
"Yes, I detest the idea as well. The only other option is to break them up and go our separate ways." Lorenz said, and Sylvain nodded.
"Yeah. I'm sure this is just a case of extreme infatuation. Tox may have caught his bad flirting habit from me…" Sylvain mumbled, and Lorenz laughed.
"Ah yes, you were quite the terrible flirt back in our academy days."
"Oh like you're one to talk! You were just as bad as me!"
"Oh no, not even close!
"Ugh, whatever!"
The two continued bickering as they crossed the clearing, stopping in front of Tox and Lavender, who blinked and cocked their heads at their trainers.
"Alright Tox, you've had your fun, it's time to go. Say goodbye now." Sylvain said, pulling out Tox's poke ball and holding it out towards him.
"Come Lavender. You can do much, much better than this poor excuse of a Toxtricity." Lorenz said, ignoring the heated glare that Sylvain sent his way.
Tox stared at his poke ball for a moment, and he narrowed his eyes and slapped it out of Sylvain's grasp. He then growled and sent a spark of electricity shooting through Sylvain's hand, causing him to jump and yelp in pain.
"Son of a bitch!" Sylvain hissed, jerking his hand to his chest. "What the fuck, Tox?" Tox just growled at him and sent another spark to the ground at his feet, causing Sylvain to jump back again.
"Just look at how barbaric he is. Lavender, dear, you really can do much better-" Lorenz started, but he was cut off when Lavender burst into tears and started wailing, the sorrowful sound deafening enough to cause Lorenz to wince and cover his ears. The sound then turned into an attack and Lorenz was launched off of his feet, with Sylvain following shortly after. Sylvain grunted as he hit the ground hard, and the wind was forcefully knocked from his lungs.
"W-Was that a Boomburst?" Sylvain gasped, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath.
"Yes…" Lorenz said, groaning as he struggled back to his feet. "She just learned it." Lavender's sobbing had caught the attention of the other Pokemon in the clearing, and Lorenz's Serperior quickly slithered over to Lavender. She listened to Lavender's pained wailing for a moment before she hissed and slithered over to Lorenz. Before Lorenz could say anything, his Serperior smacked him over the head with her tail.
"Ow! Serenity! What are you doing?" Lorenz said, rubbing his head as Serenity hissed at him. Lorenz listened patiently as she continued 'talking', and Sylvain wasn't surprised that he could understand her. She had been Lorenz's first Pokemon, after all, and Sylvain could also understand his Typhlosion pretty well after all the time that they've spent together.
"...I see your point. Very well." Lorenz said, and he quickly made his way back over to Lavender, who was crying into Tox's chest. He growled as Lorenz approached, and electricity sparked over his arms, and Lorenz's wisely stopped.
"Lavender, my dear," Lorenz said, and he paused until she turned to look at him, "I am terribly sorry. I did not mean to brush away your feelings so haphazardly. If you truly do love Tox, then I cannot in good conscious tear you away from him." Lavender stared at him for a moment, before she let out a happy cry and ran to Lorenz, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face against his chest.
"Hey, I'm sorry too, Tox." Sylvain said, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked up to him. "I want you to be happy, so I guess I can put up with Lorenz for a while so that you and Lavender can be together." Tox smiled brightly and chirped happily, pulling Sylvain to a bear hug.
"Alright, alright! I can't breath here!" Sylvain wheezed, and he laughed when Tox let him go and licked him across the face. "Ugh, gross!"
"Well then," Lorenz said, watching as Lavender ran back into Tox's arms, embracing him tenderly, "I guess we will have to be traveling partners for a while, Sylvain." Sylvain frowned and sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"I guess so. Can't be helped."
"Where are you headed?"
"Garrag Mach. The Gym Leader Summit is in a month, so I thought I'd get a head start heading there so I could take my time and visit some friends along the way."
"Ah, good." Lorenz nodded as he pulled out his poke balls and started returning all of his Pokemon except for Lavender. "I am heading there as well. I will just have to tag along with you until we get there. By then maybe we can come up with a permanent solution to this...dilemma."
"Fine. I think I can put up with you for that long. Maybe." Sylvain said with a wink. He laughed when Lorenz pouted at him, and Sylvain returned all of his Pokemon sans Tox to their poke balls. "Ready to head out then?"
"Yes, let us get moving. Where is your first destination?"
"Fhirdiad. I want to pay a visit to my friends, Dimitri and Dedue."
"Ah, Dimitri is the gym leader now, yes? I hear his team is quite a force to be reckoned with." Lorenz said, his amethyst eyes lighting up. "I would love to test my mettle against him."
"Yeah, he's a tough one. The toughest gym leader in Faerghus currently. I'm itching to battle him as well. Wanna see if he gives me as much trouble as his dad did during my Gym Challenge." Sylvain's heart raced at the thought. He always felt the most poised and confident when in the heat of battle alongside his trusted Pokemon partners. When he eventually took over his father's gym, he'd be making a living doing what he loved most, and that was why he always trained so hard.
"Oh, I'm sure he will. Compared to my skills as a trainer, you are leagues below me." Lorenz said, chuckling as he brushed his hair over his shoulder. Sylvain rolled his eyes as they finished packing up their things and headed back to the road.
"Whatever, Lorenz. Whenever we get a chance to battle next, I'll make you eat those words."
"Oh, we shall see about that, Sylvain."
Sylvain glowered at Lorenz as they began their journey to Garrag Mach, with their first destination being Fhirdiad. Tox and Lavender walked along behind them, hand-in-hand, and even though they were the cause of his current frustrating situation, Sylvain couldn't help but feel happy for them. He supposed that putting up with Lorenz for a month was worth it...maybe. Sylvain sighed as he pulled out his phone to update the group chat on his interesting situation. This...was going to be a long month.
Alright, so I'm posting this with zero outline for the rest of the fic so that's fun lmao uh just don't expect this to have a regular update schedule...
I'll also take any suggestions for Pokemon to give to Dimitri and Dedue, because I only have one for each of them picked out at the moment...So yeah, thanks for reading!