A/N: Because there was only one vote, I won't be doing polls anymore. But keep the reviews and PM's coming! Enjoy the story.
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Two days had passed since Heather's battle against Elesa, her Pokémon taking a well-deserved break while they waited for Neil to show up. Heather had called him the day before and they had talked about meeting up in Nimbasa once he faced off against Burgh, who had apparently decided to show up, the boy calling her back earlier today telling her he was on his way, badge in hand. Heather was mildly jealous about his win when she herself missed out, but excited that Neil was going to be there soon. The two continued to chat until he was at Route Four, where he let her go to get through the typical route sandstorm. Heather decided to go outside with her Pokémon and just play around while Neil was on his way, all the while nervous about having him find out about Vincent, who she had talked to the previous night about his opinion. His answer had been for her to decide, the Pokémon not worried about being found out, and eventually they came up with a bit of a prank to play on Neil.
Now it was nearing noon and the group sat together outside the Pokécenter playing catch, Vincent in his human guise to wait for Neil to show up. Heather threw the frisbee at Lark who caught it in his vines, the snake throwing it over to Claire. The game continued until they were interrupted by a Water Gun hitting their disk, the group looking over to where it came from while Lark got the disk with one of his vines.
"Neil!" Heather cried excitedly and held herself back from running and hugging the man, Lark rushing over to greet Otty who was now evolved into a Dewott. The two clashed together in an excited hug, both Pokémon checking out the others new form while Neil waved and walked over. Vincent stepped aside to stand with Claire who was watching Otty and Lark's reunion with a smile, Neil giving him a quick look.
"Heather! Told you I'd be here soon, how's it going? And who's this?" He motioned to Vincent who stood a bit stiffly, his eyes set on the newcomer curiously. Heather smiled and resisted a nervous giggle, not positive how things would turn out.
"This is Vincent, I met him when I got out of the forest, at the Skyarrow Bridge. He's been traveling with me since." And he's secretly my third Pokémon... "He gets along really well with Claire and Lark, and he's a huge help when I need it. Vincent, this is Neil, we've been really good friends for a long time, and we started our journey together!" She explained while the two sized each other up, both smiling and nodding slowly.
"Good to meet you Vincent."
"You too, good to put a face to the name." He answered smoothly, looking away as Claire decided to climb up his pant leg up to his shoulder where she sat.
"Oh?"
"She talked about you a lot at first."
"I-I did not!" She butted in, looking flustered. Vincent laughed and ruffled her hair, earning an annoyed glance from Neil, the boy hiding it quickly.
"I have to get my Pokémon checked and get a room, would you want to battle in a while Heather?" Neil asked as he motioned for Otty to come along, his eyes once more set on Heather's blues.
"Sure! I'll meet you on Route Sixteen okay?"
"Alright, see you soon!"
Neil and Otty left to the center while Heather and her group went through Nimbasa to the East, passing by the Pokémon Musical hall on their way. They sauntered past the Route Sixteen sign and Heather scoped the area for anyone else, making sure that they could be relatively alone for the battle. The team went over their plan one last time and waited for Neil to come, tossing around the frisbee that Lark still carried with him for a bit. Neil showed up and Heather threw him the disk, the trainer catching it and laughing.
"What's this? You stopped training and only play now?"
"Of course not, my Pokémon just needed a break!" She retaliated hotly, feeling rather upset that he'd come to such a conclusion. Realizing he'd done something wrong, he frowned, tossing the disk to Otty who caught it after fumbling a moment.
"I'm sorry, we can play after our battle how about?"
She nodded and scuffed her foot into the grass, feeling a bit relieved that he'd responded so well when she herself was ashamed for snapping at him so fast. Neil gave her a smile and took off a Pokéball from his belt, Heather leaving her partners out to watch.
"You ready?"
"Always. Otty, lets show her how strong we are!"
"Claire, time to shine!"
Dewott, The Discipline Pokémon.
The evolved form of Oshawott.
Type: Water
Height 2′7″ (0.79m)
Weight 54 lbs. (24.5 kg)
Abilities: Torrent, Shell Armor.
Scalchop techniques differ from one Dewott to another. It never neglects maintaining its scalchops.
The Pokémon took their position in front of their trainers who were both pumped for battle, both sides having something to gain out of the battle. Once Neil acquired the Bolt badge, he would have one more than her, and with an extra badge came more powerful Pokémon and bragging rights. She had to prove to herself more than anything that what Elesa said was true.
Strong Pokémon didn't come from non-stop training, they came from a mix of training and companionship, there had to be trust and understanding on both sides. Her battle against Elesa showed her that her Pokémon were ready to fight for her any time, no matter how dire the situation, and she had to give them something to fight for. Today, she needed to prove herself - battling Neil was just a plus.
"Otty, Aqua Jet!"
"Claire, dodge and Tail Slap."
The Dewott covered itself in water and charged Claire, trying to tackle the Chinchilla who jumped nimbly over the attack, spinning mid-jump to beat the Pokémon with her tail a few times, landing to be hit with a Water Gun from Otty's turned head. Claire was sent back tumbling, recovering quickly to send a volley of sharp edged stars at the otter who took the attack against his back, hardly taking damage.
His defence sure isn't laughable, we'll need to use some special attacks this time.
"Claire, Toxic!"
"Otty, dodge it and Water Pulse!"
The two trainers stared each other down as their Pokémon battled, each displaying a satisfied smirk. Claire's attack hit Otty and poisoned him, the Water Pulse striking the Minccino and sending her rolling back. She got up quickly and Neil ordered for his Pokémon to use Aqua Jet, Heather's smirk growing as Otty covered himself in water and darted at her Pokémon.
"Claire, Thunderbolt!"
"Otty no!"
Claire took the attack straight on, her fur crackling with electricity that she released in a powerful bolt while being knocked back, her aim true as the lightning striking the water-encased Pokémon. Claire hit the ground and struggled to her feet as Otty's water shield dropped, eyes swirling as he dropped right after. Neil returned his fainted Pokémon and took a ball off his belt, tossing it to release a bipedal crocodile.
"Your turn Nile!"
Krokorok, the Desert Croc Pokémon.
The evolved form of Sandile.
Type: Ground, Dark.
Height 3′3″ (0.99m)
Weight 73.6 lbs. (33.4 kg)
Ability: Moxie
Protected by thin membranes, their eyes can see even in the dead of night. They live in groups of a few individuals.
"Claire, good work, come back." She returned her Pokémon, who was about to fall, into her ball and sent out Lark, the Grass-Type wandering onto the field.
"Caught something on Route Four huh?"
"Yeah, I did. He's really strong, hope you can keep up! Nile, Sand Tomb!"
"I'm afraid to tell you, we've got a type advantage and better training!" She teased him, throwing out a hand in a dramatic point. "Lark, Leaf Tornado and we can finish this fast!"
"Hey, don't insult my training!" He shot back, laughing lightly.
The tan and black crocodile's eyes began to glow faintly as a wind began to pick up, Lark using the extra wind to power up his attack. Sand started to pool around the dual-type's feet and started moving toward the Servine, the tornado shooting across the field at Nile, picking up the sand with it. All of it happened in under a minute, Lark's attack battering the crocodile hard, but it stayed standing. The Grass-Type ran to the distracted Pokémon and used its tail to Leaf Blade across its stomach, dodging a swipe of claws.
"Lark, Seed it!"
"Nile, are you okay?" Neil asked his Pokémon who was down on one knee, feeling horrible that he sent his new member against his friend's powerful starter. The Pokémon stood up and roared, blazing red for a second.
"Krrrok!"
"Careful Lark, that's Rage!"
"Nile, use Crunch!"
"Kroooook!" The dual-type roared again and instead quickly dug underground, Lark looking around nervously while preparing to use Protect. Neil looked horrified as his Pokémon ignored him, the boy not knowing what to do.
"Neil, I'm going to have Lark weaken him, then you'd better recall him! It's not safe if he won't listen to you." Heather called as she watched the ground and listened, yelling to her Servine as the Pokémon exploded from the ground to his left.
"Lark, Protect then Leaf Blade, get as many attacks in as you can!"
The Grass-type summoned a bubble of light that blocked and bounced back the Pokémon's Mud-slap, letting it drop to attack with his sharp bladed tail. He got in several attacks and ended in a Wrap, the weakened Krokorok being returned in a beam of red. Frustrated and embarrassed, Neil threw out his last Pokémon, his Pansear taking the field. Heather started with a command of Wrap, Neil telling his Pokémon to run in and Flame Burst the Servine. The Pansear ran at Lark and was successfully wrapped a few feet from the snake, its attack incinerating the vines while the flames exploded at Lark.
Injured and weak, Lark shot a Leaf Tornado at the monkey who used another Flame Burst to destroy it, using Incinerate to hit Lark from a distance. The Grass-type was returned before he even fell, Heather taking a ball off her belt with a smirk while Neil looked on with interest.
"Let's go my Zorua!"
Everything went black around them and Vincent slowly emerged from the dark, his blue and brown eyes glowing brightly. Neil stepped back confused and his Pansear looked around stunned, the ground below them non-existent except where the black haired boy walked, which left behind paw prints that showed the grass and dirt that was there before. The boy walked through the darkness until he stood in front of Heather, his form shimmering as it shrunk until a fox took his place, its eyes the same glowing bi-coloured orbs as the mans.
"Vincent, Faint Attack."
"He's... He's a Pokémon?!" Neil muttered whilst shocked, his Pansear taking up the defensive as the fox let the illusion slip, the bright field once more around them. Semi-blinded, Elvis didn't see the attack coming, getting hit straight on by a clawed paw. Vincent jumped back as the monkey shot out a wave of flames, using a well-timed Protect to block most of them. The end trail of the flames got him and the Dark-type shook them off, Elvis running at him with Neil's command to use Flame Burst.
"Vincent, Toxic and Foul Play!"
"Careful Elvis!" He shouted, still more than baffled about Vincent.
The Fire-type jumped and released a plethora of fire, Vincent shooting a ball of Toxic before being engulfed by the inferno, the flames turning dark and smoking. The attack was sent straight back at Elvis, knocking the monkey across the grass to Neil's feet.
"Elvis!"
"Pan... S-sear..."
"Vincent, how're you holding up?"
The fox flicked his tail and panted heavily, both Pokémon ready to drop. Neil and Heather realized that the time to end it was now with one last move, both raising their voices against each other.
"Elvis!"
"Vincent!"
"Flame Burst!"
"Aerial Ace!"
We're guaranteed a hit, but that burst is going to take Vincent out if it does... I can't have him dodge it though...
Both Pokémon ran at each other, Vincent jumping as high as he could last minute. The Dark-type dived down with impossible speed just as the Fire monkey shot a burst of flames, the attacks causing a cloud of smoke to cover the field around them. Both stood facing each other, watching, their trainers unsure what to do until they both dropped, the match a tie. Two red beams recalled the fallen Pokémon and both Heather and Neil looked shocked, staring at each other across the field before cracking smiles.
"Good match, Heather. I almost thought you had me bagged. I wasn't expecting that last trick at all... Vincent is a Zorua, huh? I can't wrap my head around that after meeting him in person." Neil motioned with his head back toward the city and Heather walked over to him, the two side by side to go get their Pokémon healed.
"I know that if your Krokorok was better trained, you would of steam rolled me." She smiled and Neil frowned, Heather feeling a bit guilty for wording things the way she had. His new Pokémon was dangerous and uncontrollable as of right now, something he'd have to work on carefully. Something maybe she could help with, if he let her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, but you do need to work on him. Rage shouldn't make him so blind to your commands, but I'm not sure how to fix that... We can call Juniper once we get our Pokémon healed, alright?"
Neil looked at Heather with calculating eyes and she flushed faintly under his stare, nervousness creeping its way into her voice as they came up to the center.
"W-what..?"
"Just... Thinking. I'm feeling really bad about blowing up at you when I lost against Cilan, there wasn't a need for that, you've always been there to help me. Training with you would've been a lot faster and made things easier too, now that I think about it. We probably could've still made it in time for the cruise too. I'm sorry, Heather... Could I... Maybe..."
He trailed off awkwardly and looked aside as they reached the doors, standing outside for a few minutes longer, clearing his throat once before going on. Heather stood with him patiently, her expression full of curiosity.
"Could... I maybe make it up to you? Say, going to the amusement park tonight as a... Date? If you haven't been there yet that is..." His cheeks were a dark crimson that she couldn't miss, but decided not to comment on, swiftly nodding her head and answering him excitedly.
"Yeah, I'd love that! I was waiting for you to show up, I thought it would be fun to go together."
That was all the answer he needed as they entered the center and checked in their Pokémon, the two grabbing a table upstairs to grab some lunch while contacting Professor Juniper to ask about Neil's Krokorok.
When the call ended, the two trainers went to pick up their Pokémon and the large group ate lunch together, casually talking about whatever they felt like. When they were done, they left the center to train, Neil working on keeping Nile under his control the way Juniper had explained. They progressed quite well together and after a while Neil decided to get his gym battle out of the way, having a rough time due to Otty's weakness to Electric attacks. The training he did with Nile proved more than useful though, wiping out her Elesa's Zebstrika fast and efficiently without him losing control. Heather cheered him on the whole time and Elesa gave her a knowing smile that made her blush, the two trainers leaving to get Neil's Pokémon checked in after Neil got his badge.
It was about four-thirty by the time they got out of the center, Heather convincing her companion to see a musical with her. In retaliation, Neil made her promise to see a sporting event with her, the two doing both which brought them to seven o'clock, the sky clear and beginning to darken. They ate a light dinner and headed to the amusement park, leaving their Pokémon under the care of Vincent, who went with them, but let them have their time together.
"This is amazing, it's so big and bright! All the lights are breathtaking!" Heather exclaimed as they walked around, her hand caught in the crook of Neil's arm as to not get separated in the crowd. He laughed and smiled, leading her slowly through the park.
"Yeah, it sure is a lot different than anything we would have seen in Nuvema, huh? I wonder how many rides they have here."
"Yeah, it is. I'm so glad I got this chance to become a trainer, especially at times like this. There's so much to see in the world!"
"What do you want to go on first instead of us just walking around?"
"Let's go on the merry go round!"
"Haha, you're such a child!" He teased her warmly, leading her to the ride where a few dozen different Pokémon statues were stuck on poles, a lot of them Pokémon they had never seen before. "I am not, you bully!" Heather whined playfully, choosing to ride a Scolipede while Neil sat on the one beside her which was a Sawsbuck, the two talking and enjoying themselves.
They went on several other rides including coasters and spinning Pokéballs, Heather decimating Neil in bumper cars. They played a few Midway games and Neil won a stuffed Victiny in a Pluck-A-Ducklett game, giving the prize to Heather. They tried a few different park foods and had just finished some mini doughnuts when the park speakers said they would be closing in twenty minutes, Heather speaking quietly after the announcement.
"Hey, Neil?"
"Yeah?"
"I know that you're afraid of heights... But would you go on the Ferris wheel before we go?"
He looked uncertainly at the object in question before steeling himself, smiling and starting to take her toward it.
"Of course."
"You don't have to!" She answered hurriedly at his look, not going right away as he stepped forward. Neil turned and smiled, giving his arm a light tug which in turn tugged her too.
"Come on, Heather, I'll be fine, okay? I promise"
She hesitated and looked at the sincere expression on his face before she followed him, keeping close to his side as they walked through the clearing park. The two got on the last ride of the night due to Neil's persistent nagging of "it's over ten minutes until closing, we have time", both sitting side by side as the ride started.
"It's so beautiful here in the city, there's so much to do! But I really like the ocean in Castelia too. I wonder where I'll settle down after all of this." Heather started as the ride began, both looking outside at the bright lights of the amusement park and everything else they could see as the ride gained height, making Neil feel nauseous. He left the sight-seeing to look over at Heather who he found staring at him, her eyes reflecting the lights while her cheeks were faintly flushed he noticed.
"Oh, uh, yeah. The ocean was nice, I didn't stay too long though, didn't get a chance to enjoy it. Had to catch up to you." He answered awkwardly, feeling a bit hot under the collar with her glittering eyes on him.
"Are you enjoying this..?" She questioned him a bit hesitantly though her joyful expression didn't falter, his smile reassuring her as he answered yes. To his surprise, Heather leaned into him which left him sitting stiffly, not at all sure how to react. Sensing this, she moved a bit to take his arm and wrap it around herself, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Thank you... Tonight has been amazing."
He blushed a crimson and cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, loosening up enough to pull her closer.
"You're pretty amazing too, Heather. I know this doesn't exactly clear the water, I had no right to yell at you, but I hope you understand." He explained while looking out at the park, the lights below flashing brilliantly, enough to distract him from feeling ill. He turned back to see her smiling, his eyes widening in shock as she leaned in to press her lips against his, the shock only wearing off after she buried herself back into his shoulder. He blinked and asked himself if it really had happened, concluding that yes, it had due to the tingle on his lips. He loosened up and rested his chin on her head, his arm wrapped around her tightly.
The two remained like that for the duration of the ride, both having lots to think about.
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