Summary: Nessa is feeling down about her losses to the champion-endorsed trainers, but luckily Milo is there to pick her back up, as he always is.
Nessa was well aware of her position as the second Gym Leader in the Galar region. Her team that she used in her gym battles was considerably weaker than her best team, the one that had seen her to victory in her own Gym Challenge. She knew this, and she knew that she was most likely going to lose most of these matches. Still, it didn't hurt any less when she lost, and it especially stung being defeated in back-to-back matches.
A deep sigh broke the tranquil silence of the night as Nessa leaned forward on the bench, her elbows resting on her thighs so that she could hold her head in her hands. It was mostly dark, save for the light from a few lamp posts, and the light from the lighthouse that swung around above her at a steady pace. For as long as she could remember, she had always come to sit in solitude by the lighthouse when she was feeling down. Listening to the waves crash against the breakwall always seemed to soothe her troubled mind.
"Ah, here you are Nessa!"
Eyes wide with surprise, Nessa lifted her head to see Milo standing in front of her, his bright smile seeming to pierce through the darkness of the night. She sat up straight as a dusting of pink appeared on her face. She had forgotten that Milo had come to watch her matches, and the pink quickly darkened to red as a wave of embarrassment flooded through her. Ugh, she felt worse about her losses now that she remembered that he had seen it all, but Nessa was confused as to why that was.
"Hey," was her simple response, and she averted her gaze to the ground as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her shoulders slumped as another dejected sigh escaped her, and she heard the bench creak slightly as Milo sat down. They sat in silence for a while, and Nessa closed her eyes as the tension she felt slowly started to leave her body. Milo always seemed to have a calming effect on her and he didn't even have to say anything, and she was grateful for that.
"It's a really nice night." Milo said, finally breaking the silence. Nessa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and found that he was staring with wide eyes up at the star-filled sky. "Golly, even though Hullbury is bigger than Turffield, you can still see the stars just as good here!" Milo shot a toothy grin her way, and Nessa's dour mood was lifted slightly, but it was not enough to bring a smile to her face.
"Yeah...nights have always been beautiful here." Nessa said, her gaze shifting back to the ground as she uncrossed her arms and hugged her legs to her chest. She felt Milo's eyes upon her, and she flinched when she felt a gentle hand fall onto her shoulder.
"Hey, Ness?" Milo said softly, and she finally turned to meet his gaze. His green eyes were completely focused on her, shining with an unusual amount of intensity that made her heart jump into her throat.
When he was sure that he had her full attention, he continued, "We're friends...no, best friends, right? So you should know by now that you can talk to me about anything. Especially about things that are bothering you." An emotion that she could not name suddenly flooded through Nessa, and she almost felt like crying. She managed to pull herself together though, and a ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.
"I...I know, Milo. Thanks." Nessa said, her voice dropping to a whisper. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she placed her hand over Milo's that was still resting on her shoulder.
"I just…" she continued, biting at her bottom lip as she tried to find the right words. "I know that I'm just the second Gym Leader. I know that I'm statistically going to lose most of my matches. It still frustrates me. Every loss does." She stood suddenly, and Milo's hand slipped from her shoulder as she started pacing in front of the bench where he still sat.
"I completed my Gym Challenge, sure, but I was knocked out in the first round of the Champion Tournament." Nessa continued, her brow furrowing as she continued to pace. "And it's been a really long time since I won any of my exhibition matches with the other Gym Leaders. Hell, I think the last time I did win was when I fought Kabu last, and I have the type advantage against him, so that hardly counts!"
"Ugh, I'm just so frustrated!" Nessa ranted on. She let out an aggravated grumble as she stopped her pacing, hands flying to her head as she shook it back and forth. Her eyes squeezed shut as her fingers curled into fists against her hair. "I always get destroyed by the likes of Raihan, Piers, and even Gordie! I have the type advantage over him and I can't even win with my best team!" Nessa threw her head back and groaned as she dragged her hands down her face.
"I just feel like...I'm stagnating as a trainer. That I'm not...good enough for the position of Gym Leader..." she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as she dropped her arms to her sides and stared down at the ground. She did feel a little better, having given voice to her frustrations, but her stomach still churned uncomfortably with her sour mood, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut.
A sudden warmth engulfed Nessa's hands, and her eyes opened again, to the sight of Milo standing in front of her, his hands holding hers. She blinked owlishly as her breath caught in her throat, and her heartbeat quickened as his thumbs brushed lightly over her knuckles. She hesitated a moment, before swallowing thickly and lifting her head so that her gaze met his. A small smile was sitting on his freckled face, those big emerald eyes of his filled with a patient understanding.
"Do you want to know what I think, Ness?" Milo asked softly as he gave her hands a gentle squeeze. She opened her mouth to respond, but found that a lump had formed in her throat, so all she could do was nod slightly.
"I think...that you are a really, really competitive person." Milo began. Nessa's face scrunched up at that, and Milo chuckled as he shook his head. "That's not a bad thing, you know. Far from it. You are always pushing yourself to be better and better, and to be honest, it really shows. You may not think so, but I've seen subtle improvements in your matches, especially against Raihan." Nessa blinked at him and tilted her head, not knowing what he meant by that.
"Oh come on, you have to know what I'm talking about!" Milo continued, his smile growing wider. "The last match you had against Raihan, you managed to knock out two of his Pokemon! Before then you couldn't knock out any! That's a huge improvement."
"I...I guess you have a point…" Nessa finally managed to say, and she averted her gaze, suddenly feeling really silly for getting so worked up about all of this. "Sorry Milo, for getting upset."
"Oh, don't apologize!" Milo said, shaking his head. "Everyone has their insecurities, and I know that talking through them really helps me out. I'm always happy to help you out when you need me, Nessa." A slight smile returned to her face, and Milo beamed at her.
"Ah, there's that pretty smile! Happiness really is the best look for you, Ness!"
Nessa's smile grew exponentially, and she glanced down at her hands, which were still being held in Milo's much bigger ones, and she felt her face heat up. Her eyes wandered back up to lock with his, and she took note at how pretty they were. Strange that she never really noticed before...She felt a fire suddenly ignite in her chest, and she suddenly knew what she wanted to do. Her hands slipped from his and moved up to his face...before jerking up to grab his hat and pluck it from his head.
"Hey!" Milo said, eyes wide with surprise when Nessa placed his hat on her head and ran to the breakwall, turning back around as a wave hit the wall with jarring force, sending some water over the edge and onto Nessa. She grinned at Milo, who was staring at her with an eyebrow raised, and she pulled out a Dive Ball and thrust her arm in his direction.
"If you want your hat back, you're gonna have to battle me, with your best team. And win." Nessa said, a fire blazing in her sapphire eyes as they locked with his. A huge smile slowly spread across his face and he laughed.
"Are you sure, Ness? I have the type advantage over you, you know."
"Oh yeah, I know. I also know that if I can win against you, then I can win against anyone." Nessa was surprised at the amount of conviction in her own voice, but she liked it, and her heart began to race when Milo plucked an Ultra Ball from his belt.
"Alright, but I won't go easy on you, you know."
"I would never want you to. I'd actually be really mad if you did."
"I know."
Milo winked at her, causing Nessa to laugh, before a serious look crossed her face. They stared at each other for a moment, before Poke balls flew through the air, and their evening seaside Pokemon battle had begun.
...And in the end, Nessa was thoroughly defeated.
As she returned her fainted Drednaw to its Poke ball, Milo returned his Appletun and walked up to her. She had only managed to take out one of his Pokemon, and even her Pelipper and Golisopod didn't stand a chance, despite having a duel type with an advantage over grass.
"That was a good match!" Milo said, grinning when Nessa pulled his hat off of her head and placed it back onto his.
"I guess. You kicked my ass. I've still got a long way to go until I finally beat you. You'll make a damn good rival, Milo." Nessa said, holding her hand out to him. Milo grabbed it and shook it firmly, and he gasped in surprise when Nessa pulled him into a tight hug. She pressed her face into his soft, fluffy hair, and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sniffed, and she felt Milo rest his chin on her shoulder.
"It's okay Ness. Just let it all out, I'm here for you." he whispered in her ear. That was enough to break the dam holding her feelings in, and she cried as his arms embraced her, large, warm hands rubbing soothing circles over her back. The tightness in her stomach finally unwound, and was replaced by an incredible warmth, that only Milo could provide, Nessa realized, and the exact reason why eluded her.
When her tears had finally dried, she pulled away, one hand on Milo's shoulder as the other went to her face to wipe away the lingering tears. A gust of wind blew past them, causing Nessa to shiver, and Milo chuckled and removed his scarf.
"Here, you'll catch a cold." he said as he wrapped it around her neck. Nessa's felt her face heat up, and she suspected that it did not have to do with the warm scarf that was just given to her. She smiled down at him as he adjusted the scarf until it was snug, and he dropped his hands to his sides.
"Thanks, Milo." Nessa said, and before she even knew what she was doing, she leaned over and placed a light kiss on Milo's cheek.
Time seemed to stop as Nessa tried to process what she had just done, and when she did, her eyes went wide, gaze falling to the ground, and she balked. She did not just do what she thought she did. Nessa gulped and barely managed to look back up at Milo, who was just staring at her, eyes out of focus as if he was in a trance, and his jaw hung slightly open. Oh...Oh no.
"Er, um...It's getting late! We should, uh, g-go get some sleep!" Nessa sputtered, laughing nervously as she pat Milo's shoulder. Oh Arceus! What an embarrassing thing to do out of the blue! The slight physical contact seemed to snap Milo out of his daze, and he blinked a few times before he nodded.
"Y-Yeah, good idea. It's, ah, getting a bit cold. I'll, uh, walk you home?" Milo said, smiling sheepishly as he held out his hand to her, a cute blush spreading across his face. Nessa felt her face heat up as well, but she couldn't help but smile and place her hand in his.
"Yeah, I'd like that." she said, and they started off down the road together.
"Oh! How do you think those two trainers will do against Kabu?" Milo asked, glancing at Nessa out of the corner of his eye.
"Hmm, well he's the toughest out of the three of us, obviously. His Gym Challenge is where a lot of the new challengers see the end of their journeys. The old man is not one to be underestimated." Nessa responded, and Milo chuckled.
"You know he doesn't like being called 'old man.'"
"Well, he doesn't need to know about it. You better not tell him."
"Ha! My lips are sealed!"
As their conversation turned to making plans to see Kabu's match against the champion-endorsed trainers together, Nessa was feeling...elated? Giddy? She wasn't sure what the right word to describe how she was feeling was. Her heart was racing, butterflies were taking flight in her stomach, and she felt a kind of happiness that she had never, ever felt before. And maybe, just maybe, it had something - no, everything - to do with Milo, her best friend, heated rival, and maybe...something more?