Vamos!
Author's Note: Is that a crack pairing I smell? Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Pokémon franchise.
Pairing: Florian x Elian.
Summary:
Far in the future, Florian revisits his beginnings.
"Here in Paldea, you gotta talk to a Pokémon Trainer to challenge 'em. We can't tell if you wanna battle just by making eye contact!"
It only took two attacks for Elian's Tarountula to faint. A straightforward and easy win for Florian in the early days of his Pokémon journey, but a notable battle. It was his first battle with a Trainer before he got to Los Platos, excluding those he had with Nemona and Arven. Especially memorable due to him feeling bad about accepting prize money from a Youngster who probably didn't have much in the way of spending money to begin with.
220 Pokémon dollars might not seem a big deal when you have a Meowth with Happy Hour and an Amulet Coin, but to a chaval, that's a Gimmighoul's treasure chest!
In Nemona and Arven's cases, Florian didn't accrue as steep a pileup of guilt.
It'd taken years – mostly because Florian was busy filling out a complete Pokédex – but he went back to the South Province to talk to Elian. The boy had grown up like himself, but hadn't outgrown his fondness for shorts and suspenders. His Tarountula had evolved into Spidops, and he'd rounded out his party with a swarm of Paldea-native Bug-type Pokémon.
Not a word of what Elian once told him had faded from Florian's brain.
Trainers in Paldea couldn't tell if you wanted to battle by eye contact. They were peculiar that way. It was a cultural thing. You had to strike up a conversation. Actually be social, which admittedly, wasn't peak simplicity. Not for an introvert. Not for Florian.
One advantage of this was there was little room for misinterpretation.
"Te amo."
"Coming on strong, huh? If you talk to a Pokémon Trainer like me like that, it means we're gonna go on una cita!"