What a lovely pair these two make. Thank you to those who are reviewing and following.
On with the show.
Spider Web!
A young Trainer was successful in making his way through Victory Road early this morning. Champion Cynthia called for a meeting. Bertha and Flint were in the meeting room in no time, but Aaron had gotten lost on his way. Of all the places he remembered Flint taking him to on the tour, the meeting room was unfortunately not one of them. The teen was going in the right direction, but the halls diverged into three different paths. Aaron stood before the forks and looked about hopelessly.
"So many hallways…why can't this castle have one straight path? I'm tired of getting lost!" The boy threw his arms up. He hung his head in defeat and decided it was best to just try every hallway until he found the right one. As he began to walk, he heard quickened footsteps behind him.
Aaron turned around and before he could say anything, The Man who Reads—with, of course, his signature book in his face—breezed right by him. Aaron's eyes followed the man faster than he could bring up words.
"H-hey, wait!" The younger Elite yelled. The man had already gone through the rightmost hall and Aaron, who remembered he had a room to find, found it best just to follow him. Aaron sprinted behind the man and eventually caught up as the door came into sight. The Man who Reads put his hand on the knob and opened the door for Aaron, who rushed in and caught himself before he ran into the table. The Man who Reads quietly sat down in a chair adjacent to the Champion and next to Bertha, still holding the book to his face.
"Great, now everyone's here." Cynthia clapped her hands together. "Aaron, take a seat next to Flint, please."
The teen Elite sat in the empty chair next to his friend. Everyone (save for The Man who Reads) had their eyes on the Champion as she began to speak.
"Let me start of by saying good morning to all my lovely Elites," Cynthia chirped, earning a collective 'good morning' in response. "Today, it seems, we're going to have a challenger. He's been travelling through Victory Road for a few days now and from what I hear, he's eager to battle. Make sure you arrive at your stations promptly, stay on your A-game, and most importantly, have fun with it! You all are free to go for now. When the challenger enters, the intercom will notify us. Good luck to all my lovely Elites."
"Likewise, Champion." Aaron smiled. The blonde woman returned the smile and left the room, a slight bounce in her step. The young Elite was feeling rather confident today. With all the training he'd been doing, his Pokémon were up to par.
Flint interrupted Aaron's thoughts by patting his back. "So, ready for your first battle as an Elite? Pretty exciting, am I right?"
Aaron looked at his friend with stars in his eyes. "I can't wait! I have a good feeling about this match. My Bugs and I are ready to take on this challenger."
From across the table, Bertha laughed as she left her seat. "I'm glad you're so spirited! Good luck on your first battle, Aaron! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wait in my station." With that, the elderly woman left. Flint and Aaron both hopped out of their seats.
"Come on, kid, let's knock this out of the park!" The redhead cheered. Flint ran out the door, whooping in the hallway. Just as energetic, Aaron jumped up and trailed after Flint.
Completely unnoticed, The Man who Reads stayed behind, peering over his book. As he arose from his seat, he mumbled something under his breath.
"Good luck."
"Three cheers for the king of the castle!" Flint yelled as he burst through the doors of the meeting room. He dragged Aaron into the room and held up his arm. "Weighing a whopping five soda cans in this corner, undefeated Aaron takes home the gold!"
The younger boy laughed all the way, bowing graciously. "Thank you, thank you!"
Cynthia, who stood up from her chair to applaud her youngest Elite, joined the laughter. "Spectacular job on your first day, Aaron! Those Bugs of yours really pack a punch! If you're this good so early into your career, why, the rest of us will never get a chance to battle!"
Aaron blushed and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Aw, thanks, guys. I really tried my best. You all are too nice."
Flint released his grip on Aaron's wrist. "You did good, kid. That's defending the honor of the Sinnoh Elites."
Bertha, who was grinning from her seat, chimed in. "So skilled for being so young. Good job, Aaron. We're all very proud of you."
Cynthia nodded. "I believe we made the right choice in choosing you as our newest Elite, don't you think, Lucian?"
Aaron's expression fell. He looked around the room curiously. "Who's Lucian…?"
The person sitting next to Cynthia, holding a book to his face, simply moved his hand and gave the Champion a thumbs-up in agreement.
Aaron's eyes widened. "He…!" The boy pointed at The Man who Reads, Lucian, apparently, and tried to speak, but nothing came out. No one seemed to notice his turmoil.
"Well, another congratulations to you, Aaron. I believe there isn't anything to evaluate today, so everyone, you are free for the afternoon. Thank you all so much! Have a nice rest of the day, my lovely Elites." With that, Cynthia bounced out of the room. Bertha and Flint congratulated Aaron before leaving as well. Said Elite, however, stayed behind, in shock.
Lucian, who was still reading his book, remained seated for a few seconds before getting up and walking away. Aaron jumped in front of the door, blocking it.
"Oh no you don't!" Aaron warned. "Not this time. You're not avoiding me now."
Lucian stood there in front of Aaron, completely frozen. There was silence between the two.
"You have refused to talk to me—or anyone—ever since I got here. I think that maybe, you know, since we work together it would be nice if we exchanged something other than breathing space!" The younger Elite cried. He furrowed his brows and looked up at the man who until this point stayed perfectly still. Moments of silence passed before Lucian lowered his book at an uncomfortably slow pace. He only revealed his eyes, much like their encounter the night before, complete with the exact same stare.
Aaron stared back at him. "Well? Are you just going to walk around me and pretend like I don't exist again? Or are you actually going to say something?"
The older Elite blinked behind his glasses, shifting his attention to the door behind Aaron. He reached for the knob nonchalantly.
"What?!" Aaron sputtered. Frustrated, he grabbed Lucian's wrist and pulled it away from the door. Lucian's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but he didn't try to resist. "Can you stop that and treat me like a human and not like a freaking decorative plant?! What do you have against me that you can't talk to me?! What did I ever do to you?!"
The older Elite said nothing and kept his book over his mouth. Aaron growled and let go of the man's wrist then pouted. "I'm never going to get anywhere with you. This is a lost cause." The boy looked down somberly.
"What is it that you want to know?"
Aaron's eyes popped open. He looked up at Lucian, who was still hidden behind the book. "D-did you just…?"
"What is it that you're so desperate to get out of me?"
His voice was hushed, but not as if he was purposely doing so. There was pleasantness to his voice that Aaron didn't expect. For an uncertain amount of seconds, the greenette stayed captivated by the voice. Eventually he was brought back down to reality.
"N-nothing…I just wanted to hear you talk. You don't talk to anyone, so I was curious to know if you even could." The boy admitted.
Lucian kept his gaze on the boy as he spoke. "Have I satisfied your curiosity? Have I quelled the need for knowledge?"
"Well, for the most part, yes…"
"Then may I please leave?"
"W-wait!" Aaron pressed his back against the door. "Is it too much to ask for maybe a little bit more than just these couple of sentences?"
Lucian raised one of his brows. "Meaning…?"
"I-I don't know, maybe we can talk more, get to know each other?" Aaron shrugged. "It bothers me that you're not very social. I like making new friends."
The bespectacled man leered. "What if I like being antisocial?"
"Then I'm going to bother you until you become my friend."
Lucian sighed heavily. "You're beginning to test my patience. I would like to leave now."
Aaron frowned and moved to the side, opening the door for Lucian. "Thank you." He walked out the door and raised his book back over his eyes. Aaron watched him leave, feeling a bit dissatisfied.
"Note to self: your new goal is to get Lucian to come out of his shell. Best of luck to me." Aaron sighed and left, tired but motivated.
Lucian turned back, listened to the boy walk off, and smiled to himself.
Which boy is luring the other?
Thank you for reading. Be sure to tell all your Eliteundershipper friends. Chapter three is on the way.