Chapter 7: Flying
"Do you think I should go blonde again?"
Touya looked over the table at Elesa, who was twisting several strands of her long hair between her fingers in front of her.
"Is there a right answer to this?" he joked only to have the model fix him with a cool glare.
"No, but not giving an answer would be the worse thing you could do."
He laughed nervously under her piercing gaze. His gorgeous girlfriend was usually known for being upbeat, but there were times where she could be terrifyingly scary. He watched her as she continued to play with her hair while trying to come up with a politically correct answer.
"Black was a good change of pace. Personally, I prefer blonde hair though."
Elesa's gaze turned thoughtful as she pondered the answer.
"I see... Skyla said the same thing. Maybe I'll change it then."
Internally sighing in relief, he made a mental note to thank Skyla next time he saw her. Even though they were in a relationship, he couldn't help getting nervous over some questions. They had only made it official quite recently and he was still adjusting to the change.
He took a bite of lunch from his spoon, savoring the mouthful as the it melted in his mouth. Across from him, Elesa delicately wielded her fork and knife with precision, perfects cuts appearing on her dish of chicken and potatoes.
Eating with her at these restaurants always made him feel like a barbarian. It didn't help that she always dressed way better than him, even at a casual lunch.
"This uh, blanket de veal is delicious." He cringed at his pronunciation, the words clumsily rolling off his tongue.
Elesa couldn't help but laugh as she put down her fork.
"It's blanquette de veau dear." she said in perfect french, mirth evident in her eyes and an amused smile plastered on her face.
She leaned forward, reaching across the table, napkin in hand. "You've got a bit of food on your cheek."
Wiping it off his cheek, she leaned back, satisfied, as a nearby table erupted in squeals.
Touya blinked, his own napkin sitting innocently and forgotten in his lap.
"Thanks."
He nodded over to a table in the corner where several girls sat whispering and giggling behind their plastic menus. He was pretty sure he had seen that same group shadowing him and Elesa several times over the past couple days. How they always managed to find them whenever they were out in public was amazing.
"Your fan girls followed you again. Are you sure they don't have some kind of tracking device on you?"
Elesa turned and flashed a blinding smile at them, sending the girls into a chorus of squeals as their idol acknowledged their presence.
"They're probably judging me," continued Touya, looking rather glum at the possible rumors that would be passed about him. They're probably all gossiping about how Elesa should be dating someone else.
"Of course they are! They wouldn't want me to have an unruly boyfriend" said Elesa, winking at a him.
"That' s not helping," he deadpanned.
"Oh lighten up you stick in the mud. How's your sister doing?"
"Touko's doing fine. She seems pretty excited for the tournament" Touya said, slightly surprised by the question.
"Of course she would be. I remember when she first walked into my gym." Elisa recalled thoughtfully. "Loud, brash and ready to 'kick my ass' as she so eloquently put."
Touya couldn't help but grin as he pictured his sister marching into the gym and declaring that an ass kicking was in order. He'd have to ask her about that later.
"That definitely sounds like her. She met some guy recently that she should be training with now. He's got some pretty interesting training methods."
Elisa raised an inquisitive eyebrow at this statement. She knew how overprotective her boyfriend was about his twin.
"I'm surprised you're ok with this. I remember you complaining about that one guy. I forgot his name though."
"That would be N I suppose."
"Yes, him. The one with tea green hair."
He rolled his eyes at that. Leave it to a model to know the exact shade of someone's hair.
"I'm fine with it. After all, they're training and not dating. He seems to be a pretty quiet and serious guy so I'm not worried about it. More importantly, how do you remember the exact color of someone's hair and not someone's name when it's only one letter?"
His question was met only with silence as he could see that Elesa was clearly planning and pondering something.
"Do you think they'll go on a date after training? I've never seen your sister in clothes other than her usual outfit. While they certainly show off her juicy booty and those ravishing legs of hers, they're not date material. We'll have to go on a shopping trip!" Elesa squealed, her eyes sparkling while clearly not hearing a word he just said.
Touya covered his eyes, scandalized at the image that popped into his head. "Please, let's never talk about how 'juicy her booty' and 'ravishing her thighs' are ever again. I don't ever want to think about her that way."
"We'll have to find something that matches her eyes. And definitely some that accentuates those luscious curves of hers... And..."
She paused, a wide grin on her face, amused by Touya's actions. She gently pried open one of his closed eyes and slid a finger out of his ear.
"I was only joking dear. But we ARE going on a shopping trip sometime."
Touya internally sighed in relief, glad that he didn't have to hear such vivid descriptions of Touko any longer.
"Ready to go?" he asked as he plastered a glare on his face that Elesa saw right through much to her amusement. He sighed, knowing his attempt was a huge failure. He couldn't even pretend to be angry at her.
Standing up and, she slid an arm into her light jacket, her other arm following suit until she was warmly embedded inside.
"I thought of a new pun. I'm going to test it on them and see how it is" she said eagerly.
She sauntered over to the table full of her fangirls, the table growing quiet as she approached.
Touya rolled his eyes. He knew exactly how they would react and knowing her, it was probably a terribly pun.
"Venison for lunch again? Oh deer!"
She flashed him a victory sign and he couldn't help but smile.
"I won't be back for at least another week. Professor Juniper asked me to go take a look for her."
"But Biancaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."
It was late in the morning as Touko pouted at the high definition image of her friend being displayed on the device in front of her.
"First Cheren and Touya disappear, and now you! At this rate we won't be able to spend any time with each other." whined Touko, trying to muster as much pity from the blonde as possible.
Bianca smiled back at her wistfully, knowing all too well the devastating effects that pout could have on Cheren and Touya. "I'm sorry, but she said this was important. I'll try and be back as soon as I can."
She leaned in forward, motioning with a hand for Touko to do the same. Taking a hand and cupping it around one side of her face, she waited for Touko to move forward until her face took up the whole screen.
"By the way, you have my permission to jump his bones as well. He's hot! Have fun!" she whispered before cheerfully waving and backing away.
"Bianca, wait!"
Touko was cut off as Bianca's image disappeared in a flash as the connection was severed, leaving her staring at blank screen.
She peeked over at Red, who was busy gazing out the window while lazily chewing on his food. Doesn't look like he heard that last part. Good.
Indeed he hadn't. Red had been able to follow the conversation all the way to the end where Touko had brought her face within an inch of the device. Curious as he was, he wasn't the type to pry into other people's business.
A thought occurred to her as she set the device down, slightly unnerved by Bianca's wild suggestion.
"Say Ash, what's your xtransceiver number?"
"My xtransceiver number?"
He looked at her blankly from across the table before turning back to the window.
"You don't know your own number?" Touko asked incredulously. Who doesn't know their own Xtransceiver number?
"It's not that I don't know it..." Red paused. "I just don't have one."
Touko frowned. "How do you make calls then?" Who doesn't have an xtransceiver these days?
"I use a phone."
"But, what if you're not near any place with a phone?"
Red shrugged. "Then I don't call."
Touko shook her head in disbelief. The thought of only using a phone was such a foreign concept to her. Everyone had a xtransceiver. She was pretty sure there was a higher chance of a Feebas winning against a Samurott than finding someone their age without one.
Bringing down both hands on the table, she stood up, leaning over the table with a look of exasperation on her face.
"We're not training today. We're getting you a xtransceiver instead. You can thank me later for introducing you to a vital piece of technology. I still can't believe you don't have one Ash."
"Today?"
Red continued to look out the window, mentally noting that it looked rather pleasant outside.
"Right now."
"Where?"
"We're going to Shopping Mall Nine."
"Where is that?"
"It's on Route 9. Near Opelucid City."
"They sell xtransceivers there?"
"They sell pretty much everything there."
"And how exactly do you plan on getting us there?"
"Duh, we can fly! Stop asking questions, this sounds like some sort of speed Q&A session."
"I don't have Pokemon."
"We can use mine!"
Red turned to look at her doubtfully. "How many flying Pokemon do you have?"
"Er..."
Now she felt a little dumb. "I only have Braviary..." she admitted, a little embarrassed at having not realized that.
Going over a mental list of her pokemon, a sudden thought struck her. "Wait, Druddigon has wings, he might be able to carry you! I'm going to see if he can. See you at our usual spot!"
Dropping her share of the check on the table, she grabbed her things and walked outside, leaving Red sitting there at the table. He fought the urge to sigh. Taking one last bite of his toast, he wiped his mouth with his napkin before leaving enough cash to pay for his share and a healthy tip. She was really such an impulsive person.
At the clearing, he could see any animated Touko talking and pointing at the sky next to the red and blue Pokemon. Red took a moment to observe the dragon's physique. A large body, sharp claws and tiny wings. He was pretty sure that the dragon couldn't even fly, let alone carry a person.
"I don't think he's quite built for that" he said walking up behind her. "Have you even seen him fly before?"
Touko paused. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't ever seen the dragon airborne.
"No, but we won't know until we try right?"
Climbing onto its back and nestling herself somewhere stable, she patted the grumpy looking dragon.
"Alright Druddigon, let's prove this guy wrong."
She pointed to the sky. "Go!"
Red was sure that if the dragon had been capable of the action, it would have sighed at its ambitious owner.
Bending down towards the ground, the dragon reluctantly leaped into the air, its powerful legs launching it up high while its wings beat the air in an effort to gain enough lift to keep it airborne.
On its back, Touko felt a sense of victory as they rose up above the trees, only for her hopes to come crashing down with her as gravity took its course.
Amused, Red offered a hand to her as she lay on her back where she had fallen off her Pokemon during the earthshaking landing.
"Not today then."
Touko, however, wasn't one so easily deterred.
"No! This is important! Everyone needs one!"
Red raised an eyebrow at her persistence. "Is it that important to you?"
She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"Of course! I wouldn't be doing this otherwise."
Patting Druddigon's head, she let back into her pokeball before taking another one and releasing her Braviary.
"I use my xtransceiver multiple times a day. So I can vouch for its usefulness. Besides, it will make things easier if I ever have to go look for you."
She climbed onto the bird pokemon's back, motioning for Red to get on. "Braviary here is unique in the sense that he's much larger than most pokemon of his kind. I was avoiding this but he can probably carry us both."
Red followed her leading, climbing up behind her, only to find himself in a dilemma.
"Where exactly am I supposed to hold?"
Touko blushed at this, glad that he couldn't see her face from behind her.
"You can hold my middle. Just don't do anything funny or I'll push you off!"
Touko turned even redder as she felt him lean forward and wrap his arms around her stomach, his chest slightly pressed up against her back.
This was going to be one slightly awkward trip.
She rubbed her pokemon's head distractedly, the flying pokemon leaning its head and enjoying its trainers touch.
"Alright Braviary, take us to Shopping Mall Nine. You'll get a nice treat if you get us there extra fast."
With a squawk, the flying Pokemon took off into the air, mighty flaps of its wings lifting them into the sky and toward their destination.
High up in the air, Touko could see Shopping Mall Nine off in the distance. Even as far up as they were, the building looked massive. Pointing down towards Route 9, she directed Braviary down to small area slightly off the road.
Red sighed as they landed, glad to finally get out of such an awkward situation. Normally he would've enjoyed the flight, but he could tell how tense Touko was in front of him and it had made him a little nervous.
Stretching his legs, he looked around, noting how they weren't next to the mall.
"Why did we land out here?" he asked.
Touko nearly fell at that question as she got off Braviary, stumbling a bit before finding her balance. She had not expected him to ask that.
She had her reasons that she didn't really want to admit. Put on the spot, she tried to quickly come up with a valid excuse.
"Um...because you're not supposed to fly double on a pokemon!"
She winced at the terrible excuse that she came up with. She had seen a few couples being carried by the same pokemon before and they had always been a hot topic among those who had seen them land shortly after. She had wanted to avoid that as she was a rather visible figure these days in the Unova region. She wasn't sure how Ash would take it if rumors were spread about them.
Red looked at her doubtfully. "I've seen people fly two on a Pokemon before. I'm sure it's allowed."
"Oh, uh, well, I didn't know that." she said lamely. Fortunately for her, Red didn't question her any further, choosing to accept her answer and make his way over to the concrete .
Unfortunately for her, things hadn't worked out entirely as planned for her, as she hadn't spotted a few ace trainers, lasses and roughnecks in the bushes around the area they had landed.
As she let Braviary back into its pokeball, she could hear the whispers start up around her.
"Wow, she's hot. That guy is so lucky. She should get with a biker like me."
"Do you think girls like her will notice me if I shine my head?"
"They rode double! That's so cute! They're such a cute couple."
"I want to go on a date like that!"
"I agree Amy. That guy is really handsome too. I'm so jealous."
"Hey isn't that the girl who beat you a few years ago? I heard she became the Pokemon champion."
"Yeah she is! I wonder how that guy snagged her?!"
Cheeks burning, she walked away quickly from the whispers and right past a waiting Red. Puzzled, he followed her into the enormous shopping mall, impressed by the sheer size of the building.
Several minutes later, he found himself standing in an electronic store, faced with a wealth of xtransceiver options in front of him. Over on the other side of the store, a stressed looking clerk hurried around between several groups of people, all asking for an opinion and help.
"Hey Touko," he began, drawing her attention. "Which one should I pick?"
Touko had been off in her own world, her mind revolving around the comments she had overheard when they had landed. His voice drew him out of her thoughts when she spoke, only to be reminded of them when she looked at him. Pushing her thoughts away forcefully, she focused on the models in front of her.
"I would choose one of these three models here. They're the latest ones and have pretty good screens. I hear they also pick up reception really well."
Red leaned forward to take a look. "They certainly look new. How much are they?"
Checking the list of prices next to her, she gawked at how expensive they were, especially the newest model. That's so expensive! Who can afford that?
She herself knew that she had the funds to buy it, but that was because she had earned so much through her battles throughout the years. Mentally berating herself for forgetting about the price and not knowing her companion's financial situation, she fidgeted, debating if she should tell him or suggest an older and cheaper model.
"They're a bit expensive, there are some other older models..."
She was cut off as Red waved a hand dismissively. "How much?"
"20000 dollars." she muttered.
She waited for the rejection that was to come. The proclamation that the price was too great for him to spend and that he'd choose something cheaper. It never came.
"Ok."
Red turned and walked towards the cashier, leaving a gaping Touko staring at his back behind him. Red reached for his wallet as he spoke.
"Can I have the latest xtransceiver model in red? Thanks."
He was a little surprised at first, but the item wouldn't even come close to putting a dent in his savings. He wasn't a big spender, and having won countless battles and being the pokemon champion had their perks for his wealth. He didn't even have to think about money when he wanted to purchase something or go somewhere.
As the man hurried to go get the item, he looked back at the brunette and noticed how she was still staring at him.
"What? Is something wrong?"
Touko closed her mouth and shook her head.
After handing over the payment, Red was the proud owner of a new red xtransceiver.
"You should have gotten the black one. It looked cool!"
Red shook his head as he sat down. "I like red."
Taking the device from him, Touko opened the contacts list and created a new entry for herself. After entering herself in, she handed him back his communication device before taking hers out. Adding an entry labeled 'Ash' and entering his number, she jabbed at the call button with her thumg
"You should be proud. I'm taking your xtransceiver's virginity!"
Red raised both his eyebrows at her odd choice of words but stayed silent, picking up the call and being greeted with the face of the person sitting next to him.
Hanging up, Touko stood and stretched, bringing both arms up and bending backwards.
"Well in any case it works and red is good for you. It matches your eyes." She froze at her own words, her thoughts spilling out of her mouth. I did not mean to say that at all. Curse you mouth!
"Sure." was Red's only reply.
"Right. Anyways," she said, striving for normalcy, "let's walk around for a bit. It would be a waste of travel time to go back now. I need to pick something up for Braviary as well."
Red nodded. It would be a nice change of pace for him as well.
Lunch, a trip around the mall and several hours later, the two trainers found themselves alone off the side of Route 9 again. This time, Touko had made sure to scour the area, making sure that no one was around. She stood in front of her flying pokemon, cooing as she fed it food out of her hand.
Red watch as Braviary squawked happily as it received attention and food from its beloved trainer, preening itself once Touko had given it all the food she had.
He had a request for her that he wasn't sure she would grant. Well, might as well ask.
"Touko."
She looked at him, slightly startled by his serious tone.
"Yes? Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "Do you mind if I sit in front this time?"
The brunette brought a finger up and tapped her chin for a few seconds before coming to a conclusion.
"You know, normally, I would say no, but since you were such a good sport today and more social than usual, I'll let you." she said grinning at him.
A few minutes later, they were in the soaring in the air, Touko's arms tightly wrapped around his midsection and shivering slightly.
"Don't get the wrong idea now Ash," she said as she tightened her grip on him, brunette hair billowing out behind her in the wind. "I just really don't want to fall."
"I won't," came his short reply from in front of her.
Red gazed out into the horizon as they flew. On the way here, he had been too concerned to enjoy his flight. With his flying companion's impulsive nature, he wasn't sure if she was serious about pushing him off should some sort of accident befall him. Now being at the helm, he could properly enjoy his experience and he could definitely say he missed this.
He missed flying. He missed soaring through the sky on his Charizard, the wind whipping around him and through his hair while being so close to puffy white clouds he could almost touch.
He watched as the sun dipped slightly before the horizon, bearing witness to yet another sunset. But this was different. Everything was different in the sky.
A warm orange glow slowly spread throughout the sky, dyeing the formerly blue sky, the sun a blazing circle from where it originated. Red watched silently as it spread in front of him, enjoying the colors intermingling in front of him and without him realizing it, the arms wrapped around him.
Behind him, Touko watched the scene unfold in front of her as well, slightly lost in her thoughts again from the 'date' comments from earlier.
"Hey Touko."
She blinked and looked at him.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
She smiled sincerely from behind him before bringing her head forward to rest on his back.
It's for the warmth and wind protection she insisted to herself.
But maybe... it wouldn't be so bad if he did get the wrong idea.
"You're welcome."
Author's Note: Hi guys! I know it has been a very long time since my update, but the story isn't dead! I had written a whole chapter, but after reading it, I really disliked it and trashed it. So I wrote another one, then got sick and blah blah blah. I know you don't want to hear about my problems. =]
I realize that this story didn't have much action or battles in it, but I think its rather necessary. I know some of you are probably disappointed but you can't have fighting all the time!
A few notes about the world . I don't know anything about french cuisine, so please forgive me if I messed anything up. Also, since Elesa seems to have a fondness for bad puns, I shamelessly borrowed one since I can't come up with any. I really don't know how xtransceivers and phones work together either.
In regards to questions, Red's team may.. or may not show up. I'd spoil it all for you otherwise!
Again, reviews make the story go! So please review! (notice how bold the word review)
Special thanks to: Han-ko, crystalliser, skydancing dragon, stridertom, mrperson01, , pokemaster56, kingtaso, shiroyashakoutan, wing3done, digitally and drayllien. Apologies if I spelled your name wrong!
Shuiro9: Thanks for the review. I actually laughed when I read your little ran on the crap that is 4 moves. Anyways, I won't tell you what I have planned, but I will say that its broader than what you initially speculated. I've had the little story running through my head since chapter 1 about and I've got it written down somewhere, so hope fully it will meet your expectations later on.