The train ride to the city of Crocus was an enjoyable one for Levy and her Joltik, Livewire. They offered cuisine from many different regions, both for people and Pokémon. She had a hard time deciding but ended up ordering, the boiled egg curry, and got poke puffs and beans for Joltik…though it was only to bond with it more, she actually needed it to cling to her to get electricity.
Eventually, she could see how close they were getting to Crocus, the castle was huge, vaguely remembering when she visited as a child. Even from the train she could already see the gigantic domed arena where the Elite 4 and Champion matches were held. It wasn't really open to the public, but she knew from the televised matches how expansive it was inside. Getting off the train, she placed the tiny Joltik on her head and grabbed her things.
The station was bustling, being a major hub for tourism and eager trainers passing to and for. Levy glanced down and checked her Rotom Phone, seeing if Laxus had given a specific place for them to meet up…. He hadn't. All the man has said was he'd meet her incognito…of course, she was aware that being champion meant it wasn't easy to go on an outing with a friend, so she would happily wait knowing his circumstance.
Though he didn't say what he'd be wearing, at least she knew it wouldn't be his fur lined cape and purple button down, so she waited on a bench.
It didn't take too long however, before she saw a tall man in her peripheral vision with a long sleeve Pincurchin shirt, a black sun visor, and tinted shades. He swiftly sat next to her and crossed his legs.
"Sup Blue, ready to go?" It was Laxus, smirking at her.
Levy turned to him, nodding with a smile at hearing his pet name for her.
They both stood up at the same time, and she followed him all the way to his new condo. Levy had never been to a property this lavish, it made her wonder how Gajeel had lived when he was champion…. She'd never had the opportunity to visit his space.
Laxus' place was huge, he still had his awards from the old days displayed, but he also had a small library and theatre. He gave the bluenette a full tour, showing her the kitchen, the bathroom, and his bedroom; his only bedroom.
Levy stared at the bed, "Question. Where would I sleep?"
"Eh, you'd just sleep here in my room. I changed the sheets, don't worry. I'll take the couch, I mean, you are the guest after all. Don't really matter to me."
Once she set her bags down in the room and got settled in, she brought up the reason she came. She turned her eyes to the Joltik on her head.
"This is Livewire, and this…. is his ball." She fished the ball out from her messenger bag, and it expanded from its portable size to its true size.
Laxus took the ball and then looked at the Joltik, "Hey there Livewire, I'm Laxus, your new trainer. You're tiny, but you'll be a Galvantula soon enough" He held out his hand toward the Joltik, who backed away slightly. Though Laxus was trying to sound soft and cutesy, he still sounded very rough to Livewire.
"Aww, it's okay Livewire," Levy gently grabbed him from her head and held him in front of Laxus' face, "Laxus is my friend and I promise you he's a really kind trainer. I swear he'll take good care of you."
Livewire looked at Laxus, then hopped onto his head, settling in as if he found a new nest. It made Levy giggle, seeing that the Joltik blended in so well with Laxus' hair.
"Tik, tik, Joltik." Livewire closed its eyes and nestled itself securely onto its new trainer.
"Guess it's official, Livewire is mine. Now don't go sucking the life out of me." He said to the Pokémon on his head.
"Seems like it. Now can we go around the capital? I really wanted to look at the gardens while I was here."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."
Levy had a blast at the Crocus Gardens. She was impressed by all the flora it housed, as well as the different grass-type Pokémon it held, with the occasional Sudowoodo. She couldn't even believe it when she saw the Alolan Exeggcutor! It was the first ever time she'd seen one with her own eyes, never having gone to Alola. But she did do some collaborations with the various scientists in the region. She was very impressed that they even had simulated biomes for the different forms of Sawsbuck as well as drier climates for the indigenous desert Pokémon.
She was even more awestruck upon seeing Herba Mystica of the Paldea region and Crystablooms from Lental. They were things she'd only seen pictures of; it made her realize how much power the regional governments had considering she and Makarov had been trying to get their hands on each of those items for months but were blocked due to the possibility of mishandling.
…As if they aren't professionals. Nothing but red tape if you asked her.
After the gardens, they made their way to Laxus' favorite bar, the Sun Bar. It was too early to be drinking, but it had become one of his frequent spots.
Upon walking in, everyone recognized him, but amazingly he wasn't getting swarmed, just one girl came up to him. She had long brown hair and was wearing a bikini top with red capris. If Levy hadn't known any better, she would've guessed she was part of the 'Cool Beauty' trainer class.
"Lachy, why didn't you tell me you had a cute girlfriend?" The woman affectionately wrapped her arm around Laxus' neck, beer in hand at this early in the day.
"Can it, drunkard, Levy is not my woman, she's gramp's head lab tech." He casually removed her arm from and kept walking to his usual table.
"Oh c'mon, she's a cutie. If you don't want her, I'm sure I can find someone who does." Cana turned to Levy, a small glint in her eye.
Levy felt her face heat up as she followed behind and sat down.
Laxus just scoffed, "Don't be annoying, Cana. Can you just get me my usual, and just a soda for her?
"You got it!" Then she scrambled off.
Laxus sighed, relaxing a little bit, "Cana is a bit much, but she ain't too bad. So, what's this about a research mission, where are you gallivanting off to now?"
"Dunno, I guess just journeying around. I was thinking of starting in the area near Mount Hakobe. The area is sparsely inhabited, only having one Pokémon center and small village nearby, but the area is full of mountains and thick forests, so doing my research there seemed to be a good option. It's highly reminiscent of Johto's Mt. Silver area." Levy explained with sparkles in her eyes.
Laxus shrugged nonchalantly. "Not a bad place to start your research, but just like Mt. Silver there's a crap ton of strong Pokémon out there. You think you can tough it out if they start attacking? You're not a trainer, and I'm not confident in your battling abilities. Only freaks like Red can make it in areas like that by themselves,"
"Don't you think I know that I wouldn't be able to handle myself out there? That's why I need muscle, I had someone in mind, but I doubt he'd be inclined to help me."
Laxus narrowed his eyes. "Wait, are you talking about -"
Cana came back with their drinks, "A soda for your friend girl in and a berry punch with spiked lemon soda for the champion. Anything else I can do for you?"
"That'll be all, thank you." Levy said politely as she saw the brunette leave, "Of course, Laxus. I'm talking about Gajeel. I know he doesn't battle anymore, but I was at least hoping he'd help me."
Laxus raised his brow, "Have you spoken to him lately?"
She shook her head, not having spoken to Gajeel in the past six months since he lost his title as champion. The bluenette had tried reaching out, but all she got in return was radio silence and voicemails, getting her updates from the news outlets or Laxus.
"His 'gym' is still open if you want to go." He said making air quotes. "The idiot is probably gonna say no and chicken out. That place is more of a store than a gym if you ask me. Probably because I put him in his place."
"C'mon, don't be mean. That's one thing I actually wanted to ask him about. He always loved battling, so seeing him not wanting to, it's a bit weird. Don't you think? I mean, even after losing to you as kids, he'd always be up for another battle.
"Anyways, go see that sad sack of metal. It might do him some good. He seems to favor you."
Levy rolled her eyes "You talk big for someone in the exact same boat. I distinctly remember you came running as fast as lightning itself when a teeny little Salandit bit me." Levy laughed, recalling how panicked he was after Droy mentioned it offhandedly.
"Those things are venomous, and it used poison fang. Why wouldn't I be worried?!" Laxus was a bit flustered, knowing he overreacted that time.
"And? We had antidotes, I'm always prepared when doing field work. Anyways, I guess I should mosey on down to Gajeel's gym." Levy stood up, finishing her soda.
Laxus followed her with his eyes, "Tell him I said 'get bent.' And if he says no to your request…I guess I'll help out." He finished sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
She left the bar and walked around, looking at her Rotom Phone to see the map of the gargantuan city.
Without it, she be hopelessly lost, but she finally found it after a couple of wrong turns.
It had the exterior of a normal Kantonian-style gym unlike the tailor made Unova gyms. This was because each time a gym leader had to be swapped out, they'd just use the same location and change the inside aesthetic. Though they tried to keep the gyms culturally proper to the corresponding town, it could get complicated logistically.
She walked into the gym, seeing that it looked like an average run of the mill music store with a few normal patrons and various Pokémon acting as helpers and staff around the shop. Levy was looking for someone, anyone who worked there, that could speak human, but couldn't find anyone. That was until there was a tap on her shoulder, it was a tall man, he had short curly hair and a scar near his left eye. She thought he looked familiar, but she couldn't place him.
"Anything I can help you with ma'am?" He asked.
"Yeah, I was looking for Gajeel. I'm an old friend of his." She scratched her face awkwardly, still trying to figure out where she knew this man from...
"He's with a trainer right now, but he should be out in a bit." The man said as he checked his watch. "You can look around while you wait. And if you need anything, just shout, my name is Lily." As he started walking away, Levy squeaked in surprise.
"Wait, Lily? As in 'The Panther' Lily?!"
He chuckled a bit, which sounded like deep purring. "So, you've heard of me? Only people who recognize me nowadays are old folks and tourists. Impressive someone as young as yourself knows about me."
Levy pulled an old journal out of her bag and turned to an old sketch she had done when she was younger. "I'd watch old tapes of your matches. You were a star in the Alolan Battle Royal Dome! I'm not a trainer myself, but the way you'd smoke your opponents with a team of cat Pokémon was amazing! You probably could have made it in the Hoenn Battle Dome if you tried!" she said exasperatedly.
Panther Lily gave her a toothy grin. "Heh, I wouldn't go that far, it wasn't like I was undefeated or the champion. I was just your normal trainer who simply loved battling with my cat Pokémon."
The two continued their chat for what felt like hours, talking about his old battles and opponents that Levy had seemingly committed to memory. Sure, she may not have been a trainer, but she could admire a man's talent and strategy. Lily spoke about still having some of his Pokémon, but he kept them at home; they were aging, and he wanted them to be as comfortable as possible.
He then took her around the shop and introduced her to the store's Pokémon helpers. She took note that most of the Pokémon were music based, like a Loudred and Jigglypuff.
"Guess it fits the theme of being a music store." she thought to herself.
Before long, Gajeel finally exited from a door at the back of the store, leading out a young boy that couldn't be any older than eleven. "Ya did good kid, you got a good memory and great ears. That'll serve you well on your journey."
"I thought we were going to have a real Pokémon battle." The boy pouted and folded his arms.
"Listen kid, I don't battle anymore, and I'm not one of those other gym leaders who go easy on my opponent. Better for you to leave with a badge, than cryin' to the Pokémon center. Now, go on. Shoo." The boy left, still pouting.
Lily turned to Gajeel, "Nice much Gajeel? By the way, you've got company today."
Gajeel turned to his friend and saw Levy standing there, smiling and waving lightly. A ghost of a smile formed on his lips before he spoke to her. "Never thought I'd see you here in the big city, Shrimp. Guessing you came to see Laxus, right?"
"I guess you could say that, I came to drop off a Joltik," She ignored this silly nickname for her and continued, "I'm staying a few more days to explore the city a bit too, but I wanted to see you. It's been too long since we spoke. Actually, not since Laxus became the champ now that I think about it." she mused out loud.
He gave a noncommittal shrug, "Been kinda busy with the gym and runnin' the store you know. Been helping rehome abandoned Pokémon, on the side too."
"Oh, The Pokémon Rescue Association, I've seen the commercials you do for them. I think it's a really good cause. Your gym looks cool by the way." she said looking around at the decor "It suits you."
"Thanks, anything new with you, Shorty?"
"Just slaving away in the lab, doing Pokémon research, the usual. Oh, Laxus said 'hi' by the way."
Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "He said something insulting, didn't he?" Levy was about to deny it when Gajeel cut her off with a hand to her mouth. "Yeah, don't answer that, he always does. You free to hang out a little or do you have other plans?" Gajeel's voice sounded a bit hopeful, as he removed his hand from her mouth, he hadn't actually spent time with Levy in a year. It made her heart thump a bit harder.
"I'm free. Anything you had in mind?" She tried to say casually but had to stop her hips from swaying.
"Take you 'round town to my favorite spots, catch up, etc." To Levy it sounded like a list of errands, but in actuality it was just a friendly outing that he had in mind.
"Sounds fun," she injected some optimism in her voice. "But wouldn't you need to close up the gym?"
Then Lily chimed in, "Don't worry, I can take over for a bit. Being the acting gym leader is fun sometimes." A savage smile appeared on his lips that gave Levy flashbacks to his younger days.
It was settled, Gajeel would take Levy around town while Lily took over the gym.
Though Lily was only seen officially as a trainer, helping Gajeel gave him more opportunities. Rather than staying as a contender in the Battle Royal Dome, working at a Pokémon gym gave him a chance to interact with more up and coming trainers in a closer capacity than in the chaos of a free for all battle.
Before leaving though, Levy did want to see his on-hand Pokémon, since he had sent his old team back to the lab's sanctuary. Agreeing, he took her into his back room, showing off the concert stage where his team of six Pokémon were interacting. They were all fully evolved Pokémon; an Obstagoon, a Rillaboom, two Toxtricity (Both Low-key and High-key), a Primarina, and a Noivern. They all turned slightly when they entered the room, looking at their trainer and the extra person that was with him.
"Obsta, Obstagoon?"
Gajeel shook his head, "No, she's a friend, not a trainer. This is Levy, Levy, this is my band."
The Obstagoon ran up to Levy, sniffing her all over, then picked her up and spun her around. Levy noticed this Obstagoon was particularly large compared to others of its species, being over the average 5' 03", Levy herself was about 5' 02", but it wasn't as tall as Gajeel. Levy was a bit surprised at the Pokémon, never having been picked up by a Pokémon before.
"Cut that out, Gene, you can't just pick up random people!"
The Obstagoon shook his head, "Goon, stagoon!"
It didn't take a genius to piece together what it had said.
The other Pokémon started getting rowdy at once, then the Rillaboom stood behind Gene the Obstagoon, intimidating him into setting Levy down. This just made Gajeel shake his head and formally introduce them all:
Gene the Obstagoon,
Kong the Rillaboom,
Axel the Noivern,
Venus the Primarina,
Finally, his twin Toxtricities, Eileen and Alice.
Gajeel said his Rillaboom had a gift from his associate Leon, the former champion of Galar. But the rest of his team consisted of Pokémon who were bred by trainers who were hoping for specific traits that they didn't have, that or they weren't shiny. Levy thought it was noble, but different from the Gajeel she knew months ago; he much preferred catching his own Pokémon than getting one "secondhand" like he'd say, despite still taking them from her and Makarov. After getting acquainted with each of the Pokémon, Levy would take mental notes on how each of them acted.
Of course, each Pokémon had their own personality traits and natures, but Gajeel's seemed to be outliers. She knew most trainers preferred Pokémon with personalities that either matched their own or ones that made it easier to train them. And this wasn't like that.
—
After going around the capital for a few hours, they went to a nice restaurant, a chain establishment from Paldea, Jade Palace Garden. While waiting, Levy started talking about her research trip, which caught Gajeel off guard.
With a laugh, he said, "You? At Mount Hakobe? Fat chance, Shorty. That's a death wish if I ever heard one."
"That's rich coming from you, you didn't make it three days out there."
"Mmmhmm, and you wouldn't make it three minutes. That was before I was champion, I was inexperienced. And if I was as an inexperienced as a trainer, you're just plain stupid."
Levy rolled her eyes, looking at her friend across the table, "I don't plan to go alone, I was hoping- "
"With who, your little lap dogs at the lab? No way."
"Oh, and who do you suppose I take?"
Gajeel shrugged, "Anyone in the Veteran, Ranger, heck, even a Karate King trainer class?"
"Why don't you just be my muscle? You're an experienced trainer right, former champion Gajeel?"
"As if, I don't battle anymore, why the heck would I go on some field expedition as the one battling Pokémon for you?"
"You don't even have to battle much, just be there if an aggressive Pokémon shows u- "
"Mount Hakobe is full of aggressive Pokémon. S'not a matter of if, it's when. Go ask that golden boy of yours for help, because you ain't gettin' it from me."
Gajeel then got up and stormed out with a huff.
Everyone knew he didn't battle anymore, and for his childhood friend to make a request like that, it felt like a slap to the face. Sure, no one knew why he stopped battling, but Gajeel felt that shouldn't matter.
Upon coming back to his gym, he told Lily everything that happened. Though he thought Lily would take his side, the older man was much more level headed and experienced than him in life.
"Gajeel, don't you think she came to you for a reason? You grew up together, right? She trusts you."
"I'm not going, Lil. She's got other options." Gajeel spat back.
Lily put his firm hand on Gajeel's shoulder, "But she came to you. Maybe she didn't want to go to Laxus. I think you're worried about something…it's been months since you actually battled, is that it?"
Gajeel swatted his arm away, "I'm not worried about anything."
"Then battle me. If I win, you have to accompany her on her expedition."
Even though Gajeel had stopped battling, it didn't mean he hated it. It just meant he wouldn't battle in an official capacity. Lily was the only person he'd been battling with seriously in the last six months, but it was more about sparring and letting his Pokémon have fun or learn new moves. Gajeel agreed to the sparring match and called Gene from the backroom, who was always up for a rumble. Lily pulled a single pokeball from his belt called his own Pokémon forth, an Incineroar, Lily's ace.
"Alright, let's do this Tigre! Use Double Kick!"
"Dodge it Gene, and counter with Brutal Swing!"
But Gene didn't move an inch, not even when his opponent's paw made contact. Gene didn't counter either, he just laid on his side and shut his eyes.
Gajeel let out an annoyed yell, "Do I have a Slacking or an Obstagoon?! Get up!
"Goon." Gene shook his head and remained there.
Lily and his Incineroar both let out a laugh, "In an official match, you'd lose in a few more turns."
"Yeah, but it's not official. I haven't lost yet."
"Maybe not, your Obstagoon's completely checked out."
Gajeel reluctantly gave up their sparring match. Lily commented that perhaps Obstagoon heard everything, and that's why he didn't listen. It made the gym leader roll his eyes, ten minutes and his partner Pokémon was already enamored by his childhood friend. So, it was settled, since he lost their little match, Gajeel would go with Levy on their mission. And of course, Obstagoon would come too, not taking no for an answer. Lily insisted he take his whole team with him, saying it'd be good for them to see new places. He just nodded.
Gajeel got up early the next morning and ventured to Laxus' condo. He'd been there plenty in the past few months, but he didn't always enjoy it; they had too much history. He stood outside of the door, having knocked twice already before a groggy Laxus opened the door. He was in nothing but sweatpants, exposing the tribal thundercloud tattoo on his chest.
"Mmmh, whadaya want?"
"I need to talk to Levy, now move." Gajeel pushed his way through the door, Laxus not putting up a struggle from just waking up.
Still sleepy, Laxus chuckled, "If you really wanna know, she's in my bed, sleeping like a baby."
Gajeel shot him a cocky smirk, "Wow, put her to sleep that fast huh? Didn't know you could bore a woman that much."
Laxus walked up to his old rival, forehead to forehead and said, "Like you'd do any better? I bet you can't even get it-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the bedroom door swung open and Levy appeared, hair a bit frizzy with a wide eyed expression. "Could you both just stop bickering for five minutes! Some people are trying to sleep!"
Both of the men muttered their own apologies.
She sighed, "Alright Gajeel, what is it? You're here for a reason, right?"
"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. And let you know that I'll go on that research expedition with you." Gajeel said this in a sheepish tone.
"Finally picking your sorry butt off the floor I see." Laxus butt in, lying on the couch where he slept.
The raven haired man turned quickly to retort, "Oh, I don't see volunteering to help out!"
"Cuz, she didn't ask me, Klinklang for brains! And unlike you, I would've agreed on the spot."
The blunette let out an exasperated sigh, this was why she didn't enjoy being around them at the same time, "Can you not talk for a little longer Laxus, please? It's like I'm the mature one here, and I'm the youngest."
All he did was let out an incoherent grumble in response and closed his eyes.
"So Gajeel, what made you change your mind?"
"Realized none of those trainers could compare to me. Not like any of them were former champs. 'Sides, it'll be good to get away."
"It's not a vacation, I'll be working and so will you. But thank you Gajeel, I mean it." Levy smiled, going up to him and giving him a hug.
Laxus let out a gagging sound but hid a small smile.
EN: Takamura was here and beta'd this story! Takamurarules! Remember that fact!