Chapter 6
Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of their titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended. Please support the official release.
Moi-Moi: Hey guys. It's been less than a month and I'm already back? I call shenanigans! Lol. I was mildly surprised by the mixed emotions Rhonda was receiving last chapter (mostly hate). But, I guess it's understandable. Just as much as she's ruined nearly EVERY ROMANTIC MOMENT Paul and Gabi have had, she's the main reason they're going to be having a lot more now. Oh, Rhonda. I don't know whether to thank you or suddenly make your character a paraplegic for no explained reason. Decisions, decisions…
Anyways, I adore each and every one of your for reviewing or favoriting this story. It really makes my day. And for those of you who have gone the extra mile to PM me, muchas gracias to you! :D (That's the most Spanish you'll get out of me btw.) I really appreciate the love you guys give. I don't know if I could ever say this enough. So, this chapter shall be dedicated to all of you: my awesome reviewers. I hope you enjoy it. But, I'm pretty sure that you will. ;) ;) ;) ;) ;;;;;;;;;;;)
Pay no mind to the excessive amount of winks. They don't mean anything… (Or do they?)Let's get the chapter started then. Shall we?
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"Jellicent, use Shadow Ball!" Fantina exclaimed up to her Pokémon that was floating high above the field. Her large, pink Jellicent charged up a ball of dark energy before it with its tentacles before firing it at Paul's Pokémon.
"Use Thunder Punch now!" Paul commanded his Electivire. Electivire leapt at the Shadow ball with its fist lit up with copious amounts of electricity. On impact with its fist, the Shadow Ball exploded into a cloud of smoke that completely covered Electivire. Suddenly, Electivire zoomed out of the smoke to strike Jellicent in the face with its still electrified fist. The punch sent Jellicent whirling into the battlefield, leaving a large crater in the ground.
"Jellicent is unable to battle! The winner is Electivire. Which means the victory goes to the challenger, Paul!
The crowd erupted in loud cheers. Paul recalled Electivire after thanking it for its hard work. Once Electivire was back in its ball, Paul turned to face Fantina once again. "It appears zat I have lost to you yet again, Paul. Alors, one cannot win zem all. Oui?" Fantina smiled while making a large gesture with her arms.
"It was a great battle," Paul replied while offering his hand.
Fantina grinned. "Victory was not in my future. 'Ow could it be when you 'ave been training 'ard with Madamoiselle Gabrielle? Non?" Fantina finished with a wink before turning to leave the field. Paul watched her go with an expressionless face before smirking and leaving in the opposite direction. He hadn't trained with Gabi for days. It seemed that whenever he saw Gabi, training was the last thing on her mind. Paul had to ban her from coming anywhere near his home just to get some training in for his match with Fantina. But now that he'd won his match, maybe he could visit her? It would only be for a short while…
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Paul sat at the dining table with the lunch Reggie had prepared, ready to be eaten. Paul frowned down at the food while chewing quietly. He could feel Reggie and Electivire's questioning eyes on him as he ate. He refused to return their stares, however. It had been a week since his battle with Fantina. Before the battle, he had forbidden Gabi from coming anywhere near his home while he trained. Now, a week later, he had yet to see her. It was… disconcerting. Usually, he wouldn't go long before she reached out to him- whether it was by email, phone call, or a surprise visit.
"Paul, are you alright?" Reggie spoke up finally.
"I'm fine," Paul replied briskly. Reggie raised a brow at Electivire. The Electric type offered a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"Alright, Paul," Reggie relented. He could tell by Paul's tone that now was the time to leave his brother alone. "I'm going to feed the Pokémon their lunch."
Reggie began pushing a cart carrying tubs of Pokémon food out back and left Paul and Electivire alone in the house. Electivire watched him go before approaching Paul slowly. He stared down at his Trainer for some time before growling lowly to gain his attention. Paul offered Electivire a sideways glance. At his Pokémon's low growls and hand gestures, Paul raised a brow. Electivire let out an annoyed growl before pulling the tufts of fur on his cheeks back to mimic a pathetic sort of ponytail. Electivire began speaking in a tone of higher pitch to mimic a feminine voice.
"Gabi?" Paul tried. Paul had thought that maybe he had been reading too much into his Pokémon's game of charades, but was only mildly surprised to see that his guess had been right. "What about her?" Paul nearly snapped. At Electivire's shooing gestures, Paul's eyes narrowed. "Go see her?"
Paul was stunned. Electivire made it seem so simple. Paul scoffed. 'Because it is,' Paul thought to himself. He sent her away. It only made sense that he should be the one to let her back in. He could face his challenges with a straight face and calm demeanor. But, to face Gabi? Paul rolled his eyes. "Pathetic," Paul scoffed.
He rose up from his seat to clear his dishes from the table. At Electivire's energetic calls, Paul looked up at him. Electivire moved quickly once he had Paul's attention. The large Pokémon hurried outside as quickly as his large frame would allow before reentering with something in hand. Paul raised a brow. From the looks of it, Electivire had returned with some dandelions, grass, and daisies he had pulled from the ground. The flowers still had their roots with clumps of dirt held together between them. Electivire offered the flowers with a grin. Paul gave his Pokémon a blank stare. Flowers? Should he really give Gabi flowers? Did he have to get a special kind? How much did he have to give her? Paul rolled his eyes before drying his dishes and putting them away. Electivire slumped a bit as some dirt fell from the roots and onto the floor.
Just then, Reggie entered with his eyes searching the room. "Paul have you seen my," the Pokémon Breeder stopped when he spotted the dirt on the floor. His eyes connected the dirt with the flowers in Electivire's hand. Reggie placed his hands to his hips before shooting Electivire a stern look. With a sheepish expression, Electivire grabbed as much dirt as he could before slipping out of the house. Reggie sighed lowly before moving to get the broom. "Is there a reason why Electivire decided to uproot the backyard?"
"He wanted me to give Gabi flowers," Paul replied while closing the last cupboard. He was about to slip away from Reggie, but the older brother was faster.
"That's a nice idea. It's almost worth the dirt on the floor," Reggie smiled. Paul stared back at his brother with an expressionless face. Slowly, Paul moved towards the stairs. "She likes white carnations," Reggie offered while sweeping up the dirt into a dust pan. Paul stopped and raised a brow at Reggie. At Paul's curious look, Reggie smiled. "She told me. I sent her some flowers for her birthday last year," Reggie explained. Paul nodded once before slipping upstairs.
Reggie smiled widely. Through the window, he could see Electivire speaking to all of Paul's other Pokémon. Not many would guess that Paul Pokémon were probably some of the biggest Gaul fans around. As Reggie was dumping the dirt back outside onto the ground, Paul walked downstairs and zipped up his jacket. Reggie smirked to himself. "Going out?" Reggie questioned.
Paul froze. "Yes. I called ahead. Gabi's home. I'm going to stop by. Her Gardevoir is going to Teleport me."
Reggie was just happy that his back was to Paul. "Alright. Tell Gabi and Christiana "hello" for me," Reggie said. As soon as he heard the front door shut, Reggie let a wide grin grace his face. "Finally," Reggie muttered to himself.
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Paul tried to keep his composure. It was becoming increasingly hard to do so. He had just knocked on Gabi's front door with flowers in hand. The flowers felt like lead in his hand. Maybe this wasn't the best idea? Gabi'd never said that she wanted flowers from him. What would he tell her if she answered the door?
Before Paul could come up with anything, the door opened. "Hello, Paul. Come in," Christiana smiled at him. Paul felt himself relax slightly at the kind, motherly smile. With a respectful nod, Paul entered. "Are you hungry? I can make you a snack or heat up some lunch for you."
"It's okay. That's not necessary. I already ate," Paul answered. The home was neat and practically spotless. Christiana's Meganium was going about tending to the plants around the house.
"Alright then. If you want something, just let me know. Gabi's upstairs in her room. It's the last door on the left," Christiana informed him before getting distracted by something over Paul's shoulder. Christiana let out a noise of annoyance before exclaiming, "Beartic and Pangoro, don't have your grudge match near my new, flower garden!" At this, Meganium let out a panicked sound and the two quickly rushed outside.
Paul watched them go before taking to the stairs. The upstairs hallway was dark. All the bedroom doors were shut, blocking out any light. At the end of the hallway, further back than the other doors, was Gabi's door. Paul knocked twice. "Come in!" he heard her call out from inside. Not wasting time, Paul opened the door.
He found Gabi laying on her bed. She was resting on her stomach with a large book laid out in front of her. Upon further inspection, he identified it as a photo album. Next to her, Luxray raised his head off of his front paws to give Paul the once over. Those yellow eyes lingered on the flowers before closing slowly. Deeming him not worth the trouble, Luxray returned to his peaceful doze. "I heard you shouting. Are Pangoro and Beartic-" Gabi started as she was looking up from her album. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she quickly sat up in surprise. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail. She was wearing a yellow and orange sweater with a picture of an Elekid and Chimchar cuddling together as they slept on its front and jean shorts. Normally, she was always well put together when he saw her, but she was completely at ease now. He liked this look too.
With a squeak, she snatched her album up to cover her front. After several seconds, she left out a sigh before dropping the book back onto her bed and attempting to brush the stray hairs out of her face. "Doesn't make much sense now. You already saw it," she pouted. He raised a brow at her. "I got it from Flint and Volkner. It's my favorite," she explained and tugged on the hem of the sweater before pushing up the sleeves to bunch at her elbows.
Paul was about to question why she felt the need to hide a cuddling Elekid and Chimchar from him, but Gabi cut him off. "Flowers?" she asked and stood. Paul had almost forgotten. His arm raised of its own accord to bring the flowers up for display. Not knowing what else to say, Paul offered them to her with a quick, "Here". With a surprised expression, Gabi took the flowers from him and stared down at them. Paul fidgeted internally. "These are my favorite. How did you-?"
"Reggie told me," he answered before she could finish. Not knowing what else to do with his now empty hands, Paul slipped them into his pockets.
Gabi let out a small laugh before shaking her head fondly. "Of course. Did you know that white carnations signify pure love?" she smiled. Paul balked at that just as Gabi giggled at him. "I definitely wasn't expecting this. Thank you, Paul. I love them," she said with the brightest smile he'd ever seen on her face. Paul felt his expression soften slightly. He couldn't help it. He returned her smile with a small one of his own. Gripping his arm lightly, Gabi moved closer to Paul while pulling him towards her. He wasn't nearly as surprised by her kiss as he used to be. The surprise may have been gone, but the warm tingling sensation that left his heart racing and a bigger grin on his face. It had felt like she had stayed there longer than usual, but he hadn't complained. When she had pulled back, his entire face and neck felt too hot. "I'm going to put these in some water," Gabi announced before leaving with another smile.
Once he was alone, Paul checked his reflection in the mirror a Gabi's vanity table. His face was far too red. Slowly, Paul removed his jacket with slightly shaky fingers and rested it on the back of her chair. It was then that Paul got a good look around the room. He'd never seen her room before. The walls were white and so was the furniture, but the carpets and bedspread were lightening yellow. Her bed pushed into the corner, a window seat with a light yellow cushion under her open window, a white dresser, desk and vanity filled the room. On her bedside table, Paul noticed a white picture frame with yellow crescent and full moons decorating the frame. The picture in the frame stopped him. It was the picture they had taken at the ball. Lifting the picture to get a better look, he smirked down at it. He hadn't expected her to frame it. Next to it, there was a picture in a matching frame of Gabi with all her Pokémon.
"I'm back," Paul heard. He turned to see Gabi walking back into the room with the flowers in a vase of water. She placed the vase down on her vanity before turning to him with a bright smile. "Not that I'm not happy to see you but, why are you here Paul? Are you done training?"
"Not yet," Paul started. Quickly reading the slight frown on her face, he continued. "But, I thought that my Pokémon deserved a break."
"Good. That means that you're learning how to relax for once," Gabi smirked before sliding onto her bed and reclaiming her photo album. She watched Paul stand next to the bed for some time before tugging on his hand and pulling him to sit down next to her with a roll of her eyes. "I was just looking through my photo album. I have a lot of pictures from the last few years," she explained. Paul sat and watched as Gabi flipped to the front of the book to show him the first images. "This is from the day Vicky got her first Pokémon… and this one is of Dawn's birthday a few years ago…"
Paul watched the pictures with interest. He saw several faces that he knew as well as some he'd never seen before. Gabi was in most of them- always smiling. At one picture, Gabi stopped and began laughing loudly. "This is the day that Cilan, Ash, Iris, and I went to the Flower Garden Troupe's club," she informed him. Paul's eyes widened when the recognition set in. It took several seconds, but Paul could identify Ash sitting next to Gabi in a pink wig and blue dress. "Don't tell him I showed you this. I promised him that I'd gotten rid of the picture a long time ago."
Paul was listening intently to every story she was telling him, but his eyes wandered to her sweater. She'd been embarrassed for him to see it. A cuddling Elekid and Chimchar? Sure, Flint had an Infernape and Volkner had an Electivire, but Gabi wouldn't be embarrassed over that. Knowing Flint, it had probably been his idea to give Gabi a sweater like this. The Fire type Trainer was always keen on dropping hints about him and Gabi. And it was her favorite…
"Why did you put the picture of us in a frame instead of in the album?" Paul asked suddenly, cutting off Gabi's story.
She paused confusedly before turning behind her to view the picture in question. "Because it's important to me. I really like that picture," she answered him in a small voice.
Paul nodded. "Reggie framed mine as well. He has it in the living room," Paul told her. Now, Paul was sitting on the edge of Gabi's bed. She was sitting next to him, but the two of them weren't taking up much space on the bed. Half of the bed went to Luxray as he slept along. With so little space to share between them, Paul was starting to become increasingly conscious of this fact. When she turned her head, he could smell whatever product it was she used in her hair. Even when she kept still, there was still the clean smell of her clothes. Normally, sitting next to Gabi, even at close distances, didn't bother Paul. But in the past, he never had the memory of Gabi's lips on his skin fresh on his mind.
He'd never kissed her. Not even on the cheek. Could he do it? Would it really be so bad? She seemed absolutely elated buy the flowers alone. One kiss wouldn't hurt… Or was all this Rhonda foolishness getting to his head? They weren't really dating. So why get her flowers? None of his thoughts were making any sense to Paul.
"This was the day I went to see Chimchar after he hatched at my grandparents' day care. Infernape was amazing to watch," Gabi was saying. In the middle of her story, she stopped. Her story forgotten, her body froze as she felt Paul place a soft kiss to her cheek. When he pulled away, her eyes widened and her hand quickly shot to her cheek. When she looked at him, Paul looked just as surprised as she did.
Paul couldn't process any thoughts. The room was too quiet. It made his pounding heart sound too loud. He remained absolutely still at the edge of Gabi's bed, staring back at her surprised, blushing face. Eventually, he was able to break his gaze away to focus on something else besides her eyes. His eyes focused on the thunderbolt pendant around her neck. Should he go? She wasn't saying anything. In the middle of regretting his actions, Paul felt Gabi's cool hand on his hot face. She was bringing his gaze back up to meet hers while leaning in towards him.
Paul had never kissed anyone before. He'd never spoken about the subject to Reggie. When it came to sources of information, he was rather limited. Other than the occasional sight of a couple kissing in a movie or in real life, Paul had nothing to draw instruction from. Which is why he remained still as Gabi kissed him. Although he was a passive participant, that didn't lower how much he enjoyed it any less. He forgot how to breathe, his heart alternated between pounding in his ears and stopping completely, and his stomach twisted in a surprisingly pleasant way.
He decided to reciprocate Gabi's actions. This must have given her some encouragement because she placed both hands to his cheeks while scooting closer. Just as she scooter closer, Paul felt a shift in his position and a loss of balance. He pulled away quickly only to notice himself slipping off the bed with Gabi following suit. She let out a surprised squeak as they fell before they collapsed onto the carpets with a dull thud. Jolting awake, Luxray called out questioningly before leaning over the side of the bed to spot Gabi laying on top of Paul on the floor. "Are you okay?" Paul asked at the same time Luxray gave a low, concerned growl.
"I'm okay," Gabi laughed. Luxray gave a final growl before returning to his place. "I'm more worried about you. I fell on you," Gabi told Paul while looking at him with a dopey grin on her face. Paul scoffed once before looking up at the ceiling with a shake of his head. Paul closed his eyes slowly with a deep breath. Her kisses to his cheek had been nice, but they were nothing compared to that.
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"Ew!" Charlotte exclaimed at the same time Surgio yelled, "Gross!"
Paul smirked before chuckling. "What did you expect? You asked how your mother and I got together. I'm telling you," Paul told them.
"You could have left some things out, Dad. Yuck," Surgio griped.
"Is that it? You and Mom started dating and then you got married. Right?" Reggie asked.
"Mommy and Daddy sitting in a tree. First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes three babies in carriages!" Charlotte singsonged with a wide grin and giggle. Paul grinned at Charlotte's disregard of her previous feelings of disgust. The girl moved through the different emotions faster than normal.
"Not exactly. It wasn't perfect. There were a few bumps," Paul said. 'A fair few,' he supplied in his mind.
"Like what?" Reggie questioned inquisitively.
"Like it took Mom and Dad ten years to learn how to kiss without falling over," Surgio joked. Reggie rolled his eyes at his brother's joke ad turned back to his father. Paul checked the clock on the wall. It would soon be dinner time. If he told the rest of the story quickly, he could finish before dinner. Gabi had inherited the need for a strict dinnertime from her mother.
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Moi-Moi: Here lies moi-moi819. The feels were too much to bear…
Edited: 2/3/15
