Chapter 5: Beating the Shiny Odds
- - - - - The Wild Area - - - - -
"Hey what the hell are you doing?!"
"This isn't a part of what we do here!"
"It's supposed to be an equal shot for all of us, and we have to come to an agreement! We DID come to an agreement!"
Four Pokemon Trainers came together at one instance to take down a Dynamax'd Pokemon. It was a very common occurrence for the area. Catching these types of Pokemon would give rare benefits, and it was only through these types of battles that one could find rarer spawned Pokemon. Depending on the strength of Pokemon you would need up to four trainers to take them down. With four trainers and only one Pokemon the situation was always a calm conversation on who would be the one to try and catch it before it ran. You just had to be at the right place at the right time. For three of the four trainers here however they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. One trainer had gone rogue at the last second upon victory and commanded 3 of her Pokemon she wasn't even using in battle to pin and restrain every other trainer so they couldn't do anything. All discussion they had prior to on who would be there to catch this creature went out the window.
The female trainer with long velvet black hair would walk towards the defeated Dynamax Pokemon as she got her best ball for capturing purposes, and looked back at them. "Oh shut up. None of you could ever train this Alcremie to the full potential like me. None of you deserve it. Only I do. I did the most damage. I beat this thing. She belongs to ME now."
She throws the ball at the Pokemon, causing the now giant ball to fall to the ground with a loud crash. With three violent 'wiggles' upon capture, the center light of the PokeBall glowed green as it shrunk to a normal sized ball. The girl had captured it successfully. Withdrawing her Pokemon who restrained the others, she would make her exit.
"You bitch! How dare you! Bad enough you hid your face with that tacky mask, but we already said who was going to catch this one and it WASN'T YOU!"
"This is way too messed up...where's the cops when you need them..? This has to be against Pokemon League rules right?"
"I've been through 6 of these today and still don't have one. I guess it'll be going on 7 now..."
One of them would get up and make a run for her but the girl turned immediately to the oncoming enraged trainer and made them freeze in their tracks. She threw no punches but exuded an immense level of energy, and some other sense that made them retract from doing anything. Havin a devilishly satisfied expression, she looked back at them and smiled behind the cloth mask she wore. Despite no actual emotion visibly seen due to the mask, it was obvious she took immense joy doing this to them. Tossing her Rotom Phone so it could transform into a Rotom Bike, she put a leg up onto one of the pedals once sitting. "Hahahah! That's what I thought. Just sit there and wallow in pity at your own failure, scum. I appreciate the help!"
- - - - - Elsewhere in the Wild Area...- - - - -
A half hour later, Syra is inside her tent as she tends to some private work that she doesn't want any ears to hear. No Pokemon are outside of her camping grounds currently, and a little makeshift stove is on to keep the interior heated. While on the phone there would be what sounded like a much older man speaking back to her. It seemed the conversation wasn't going well, and she insisted. "Look, all I know is that at the rate I'm going I'll be done soon. Maybe the next few months. One could say 4 at the latest. But that won't be enough to study what I need. More time is needed."
The older man responded. "We are doing everything we can on our end to keep up with the rate at which you're going. But someone also told me that the reason you're doing this is for very personal reasons. I'm sorry but I just don't get it?"
Syra sounded irritated; hating to explain herself twice and took a breath to calm herself down before answering. "What's NOT to get? They're not the squeaky clean person everyone thinks they are, and because I refuse to back down with no resolution, I'll reach out and create my own. I'm not telling you specifically the entire story. Only a few are allowed to know how deep my feelings go."
"I see. Well...hold on a minute." she would be temporarily met with silence as it appeared it changed who she was speaking to at the moment.
A new voice came on. "Syra. It's me."
Her eyes lit up and a big smile came over her. "Ah! Oh my gosh, it's you! Hi! It's been a minute!" she exclaimed.
"Please let me know what you need. You've been nothing short of excellent for our forces so far and there's no reason for me to not believe you. Just give it to me straight, okay?" The grizzly man spoke with a commanding but understanding tone. Syra finally softened up and answered.
For a second she focused her anger to one point and spoke more calmly instead of emotionally for once. "Four or Five months from now I should be finished, but my first phase will not be complete by then. It's been taking me longer to travel through some areas and it turns out that I may have to breed for better stats out of a possible team. That's before I even finish 'building' myself up if you know what I mean. Not only do I need more time after that to study my opponent but the plan cannot proceed if I don't have everything. You should be able to see how far along I've come already. The numbers have reached your desk, haven't they?"
He was heard chuckling in satisfaction and responded "That I have. Okay. Then it shall be done. Report back when you've moved forward, and Syra?"
She'd get up to move some of her food supplies to another spot while arranging her sleeping bag. "Yes?"
"Keep sending us what you have been. They're all marvelous." He said back to her.
An evil smile came over her face, standing up now having found a photo she kept around that would inspire her every single day. A photo that was cut from a newspaper article with 6 Pokemon standing in the middle of a stadium, and one man in the middle.
Haru and his 6 Pokemon; the day he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Wyndon Stadium.
"Absolutely. I don't plan on stopping. Just keep the pay coming and I'll be sure to keep it up, boss."
She hung up the phone then stepped away from her tent to the nearby clearing, grabbed the 6 PokeBalls from her waistline and threw them towards said clearing. Her Pokemon would pop out and she withdrew from her backpack a bag that seemed filled with a few candies, supplements, and equipment.
Syra would smile widely eyeing them all with their various heights and intimidating stature each one gave off. "Okay boys who here wants to get stronger today with more Max Raids? There's going to be a lot of new trainers coming by so let's see if we can't make some friends, hmm?"
- - - - - ? ? ? - - - - -
"You see, my thing is, is that I found out in the end a lot of us would go on to become either Gym Leaders, or the other way around. That is, everything I told you up until now. I know it's going to be a lot of work, and I just need an idea of where to start. Please..." Haru bowed a bit just out of respect.
"Ex Chairman, Rose."
Haru was in a high security facility that contained prisoners and on the other side of where he sat was a divide in the room with glass to see the person on the other end. He was holding the prison telephone that lets someone speak to the person on the other side, and it was Chairman Rose. Having turned himself in for the crimes he committed, and in the ways he handled it, he never outright gave off evil vibes. In the short time he got to know him, Haru never felt like if it came to the right topic that Rose would steer him wrong. His goal for the day would to start gathering actual plans for this, and to think up of what to do next with his life. His personal life was in an upswing, sure, but business also had to be done.
Rose had his arms crossed in thought, and looked back once a few comments came to him. "Hmm, well I'm happy that you chose to come to me for help. Not sure how much I can tell you here with the limited amount of time I have here, but I do have some pointers."
Haru looked at him, getting his Rotom Phone out; ready to type notes. "I know your time is short here, so don't worry too much if it'll take too long. I'm sure I can handle the rest."
"Firstly, you need to have a plan on where you want to have it done. Where it sits in relation to the area. Simple things like the sun, wind, electricity, water, and so forth. What Pokemon reside and live there is another factor. You'll need to make sure you're accounting for ease of entrance from all sides: both Pokemon Gym Challengers as well as civilians who are entering to watch a game day. Take a look for any hills or any feature you want to retain around it."
"Like landmarks?" Haru inquired.
Rose nodded. "On top of that, you also have to ask which city will accompany it, and how easy it will be for others to get there. Not just with travel distance, but the location itself. Perhaps seek a more in-depth Galar Region Map. Ask how you'll try to accompany for the septic tanks in the construction process, see what land works for the spot. I can point you to some sources of help."
The man nodded, understanding the importance. "I've been investing ever since I started as a trainer. It'll take more, of course, but I can find some help for it."
Continuing to help, albeit with limited time left, Rose took the hint from the nearby policeman to 'wrap it up in 5' " You will need a staff of planners and builders that not only know your vision but being able to work together. You know how we managed to get all the gyms we had here in Galar? Wasn't easy; especially with certain Challenges changing up whether or not to hit certain Gyms."
"That makes sense. Sometimes people show up with Fighting Gym badges, and sometimes Ghost Gym badges, or they're just allowed either or. I think." He was honestly guessing at that point since on his journey he fought against Allister.
Rose continued for a few minutes to give him the skinny on it, as a lot of it was beyond Haru's comprehension. He had to understand the land, the underground area, how it would look, what type of Gym it would be, who would be his direct staff such as Pokemon Gym Trainers and who would he contract with for concessions, gift shops, and so forth. That was all before one would get into the sponsor deals of who would advertise inside it, and build the interior items like the score marquee, jumbotron for the video feeds, speakers, etc. Rose left him with the one phrase that would stick to him as he left. When Haru left the cells and was outside of the prison, he took into account that Rose said while his goal was just that it may not be easy to try and squeeze in one more Gym no matter how noble he seems. It would have to take some sort of push to get officials to consider it since he no longer was helping to manage things as he used to in the past.
Taking a glance at his Rotom Phone again, Haru scratched his head a little while trying to refocus into a zen-like state of mind. Things had him all too cluttered, and he felt in his heart this would be a good thing. "Ugh, so much work ahead of me. All this stuff; building consents, land permits, construction...but if it is something I earnestly want, then I can face anything."
His mind saw Nessa's face and it was enough to give him another battery-induced charge of strength again. The memory of the other night flashed back to him with him talking to Nessa.
/"...me? A Gym Leader?"/
/"I don't see why not. I think you'd be an amazing Gym Leader."/
Going into his phone he found one such contact, and dialed it. The dial tone rang for a few seconds before Haru heard someone pick up.
"Yes? Hey. It's me. Can you meet up? It's really important."
- - - - - Wyndon - - - - -
- - - - - Battle Tower - - - - -
Two men were standing at the top of the tower together overlooking the grand view of what they could make of the Galar region from the city. Wyndon was known for being the city that housed the Pokemon League Tournament and was a very popular tourist attraction. While leaning against the glass with his back towards the bright daylight sun, Haru spoke to the one next to him with a renewed fervor. Goji is seen standing amongst them, with a familiar Charizard as well by his side. "I'm going to need the help of the other trainers again with something, but I'll need your coordination of the years you were Champion to help me out. This doesn't involve a party or anything this time around which is why I've come to YOU first over everyone else."
The one having lent his ear to Haru was ex-Champion Leon of Postwicke, turning to him. "I'm all ears. Still; shame you didn't come here to compete in the Battle Tower. Sure you won't reconsider?"
Haru gestured with a dismissive wave. "I'm sure."
There's an awkward pause.
"I don't...think I want to be Champion anymore."
Leon took a step back and was in shock right alongside Goji and Leon's Charizard.
"What?! But you traveled and fought for so long, a little over a year to do it! You've even gotten the hang of being one right now! You're better at interviews than I was starting off." Leon would say, turning to him. Haru tilted his glasses a bit to re-align them and looked back with a serious expression. "I know I did, and I know I am."
"So why do you want to give it up? Are you moving somewhere, did an emergency happen with your mother? Is she okay?" the spiky, purple haired charismatic performer would ask to no avail as
Haru simply shook his head. "No no, everything is fine. But I've recently come to a conclusion. I think Galar needs a new symbol of heroism that they can look up to. When the Pokemon League Tournament happens again, whether or not I successfully defend my title, I'm going to announce to everyone that I'll step down."
There was another pause and Leon narrowed his eyes to his friend. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Mmmhmm. I've been pondering on what to do with my life ever since I became Champion. Don't get me wrong, I love it at the top, but I also don't think I'm just -that- type of person." Haru turned to him and began to think of all the battles he went through. Every single Gym Battle showed to everyone that Haru was the most happy and excited he ever was no matter what ended up as a result of the battle. He was very persistent even when he lost a few times against Allister, and would strike back with almost twice as much power when it came to the Pokemon League itself. Every time before he even went to the center circle painted on the grass fields of the Gym Stadium, there were moments where he closed his eyes to just take in the sounds of people cheering in excitement. Be it for him or against him, he couldn't get enough of it. However, being a Champion meant missing all of that. His new life would involve maybe encountering such an excitement no more than maybe a few times a year; if even that much.
"Leon, every single time I walked out on that field it was like I was reborn; coming in as one person and exiting a completely different one. I got so attached to just the idea of the battle alone that my highlight through my career was almost not even winning the League, but just the battles themselves in the Gyms and getting to know everyone. But..." he sighed.
Leon didn't interrupt, having an understanding of where this may be coming from. They grew up in different households and especially different backgrounds, but as two men who were/are Champions he understood Haru's point of perspective completely. He may get lost easily when it came to physical directions, but he understood character of man well enough.
Haru inhaled a little, exhaled and took off his glasses to clean them with a cloth he kept for such a reason. "...I can't enjoy any of that anymore if I've become nothing more than a mascot; a PR card to have our Region look pretty to tourists and become some 'celebrity'. I don't think I can continue my growth to inspire other people if I just occasionally wave, look handsome on the telly, and pay lip service just to be the 'greatest Pokemon trainer' in this region. Honestly? I'd rather give it back to you."
Leon blinked. "So you're giving up?"
"No. Yes. Well, it's a little nuanced. I have a new goal in mind. The Galar region has all the Gyms we do right now as it stands, yes? Laws limiting the Pokemon allowed in our region aside, we have a lot here to offer people. Part of me has been thinking that I should help us gather the other Gym Leaders, and together we help create a new Gym."
"A new one? But for whom?"
Haru pointed at himself with his thumb, in a commanding aura that showed how serious he was in stating it. "For me."
Haru's Goji is heard making a sound similar to a human going "Ooooh~" and the Charizard from Leon huffing some small fire while exhaling. Haru leaned against the glass dome of the Battle Tower again. "Until that building is done, after I defend my title, I'd like you to come back as Champion, and therefore help me pave the way for new blood to be the next Champion someday. I ask you this as a friend, Leon."
Leon looked as Haru extended a hand for a shake. The two gentlemen locked eyes and Leon gave a hearty laugh before shaking it sternly. "You got it. In that case, let's make sure we enjoy your one time as Champion to its fullest!"
- - - - - Hulbury - - - - -
- - - - - Water Gym - - - - -
The Gym was bustling with activity today, as some of those who lost to Nessa prior to, alongside new ones, came back today to attempt it again after having retrained. With the news of his plans moving along in his mind, Haru saw to it to visit his new girlfriend in between the intermission. He would actually attempt to pay for a ticket upon entering, but the Gym Trainers who saw him stopped him from doing so, saying he's been granted access regardless and let him in. A nice surprise, to be certain, as upon entering the stadium he'd see that Nessa was just about to start another match. Haru chose no seat currently but instead stood in the middle of an aisle as she was making her way to the center to meet the trainer. Her eyes briefly scan the crowds, as she would normally, and spots Haru, smiling. Her heart skipped a beat with him there to watch her now, and would put an extra step forward to the battle against the new Gym Challenger.
A quarter of an hour passes by, and she's able to break away and bolts it immediately to where Haru is; noticeably having a spring in her step. It could have been anything, but the truth was that he was there which made her happier.
"Hey you did good out there!" he said, grinning.
"I lost again, but thank you." Her eyes looked to the side.
"That's fine. Doesn't make the quality of you as a trainer any lower for it. BUT! Speaking of Gym Leaders..." he leaned forward so only she would hear and it not get picked up by other ears. Catching his signal she also leaned forward from the other side of the stands so the two were in earshot; lowering his volume for just her ears. "I managed to get Leon to help me with the Gym idea. I decided I'm going to go through with it."
Her eyes lit up and she gives a hug. "GREAT! Hon that's wonderful! Just come to me if you need a single thing; ANYTHING at all to help prepare!"
Her man would laugh a bit, happy at the thought, and inquired "Are you available to come by tonight? There's a lot of stuff I don't understand that I took notes when my visit with Rose was done."
Nessa folded her arms a bit with a thumb to her chin. "Yes, I am! All I have to do when I'm by your place is remember to send the raws of a new photo shoot to my manager and that's it. I need you to remind me okay?"
Haru jumped, briefly hearing some horns going off in the crowd due to the usual fan excitement, as the jumbotron feed was now cycling through its usual stint of adverts from sponsors, local merch, and Gym Challenge highlights. "It's already logged into my head. But yeah, it's a bunch of technical and real serious stuff. Figure you could help point me in the direction. Having only a few minutes to talk to Rose was good but not enough to get a full picture of what I need to do..."
Nessa had a proud look, putting one hand to her chest near her Water Gym broach "I'll be able to help with that a lot. You should know that out of the two of us =I'm= business savvy and if you require being taught I'll be happy to help."
He snickered a bit and gestured a 'I don't know' expression with both arms "Hey that's fine. I'm kind of dumb on some things like this."
She puffed her cheeks and poked him in the forehead "Haru! You are NOT dumb! Don't say that!"
They laughed a bit when he wouldn't press on the matter.
She leaned forward on her arms towards him as they continued talking "Also, Haru, you should know that eventually you'll have to meet my parents. I'd like to introduce you one day to them both."
His face went a little blank and a bead of sweat formed on his temple. /Oh. Oh No./ He thought. "Is uh...is your father okay with us? Does he know me?" Haru had to ask, since Nessa herself also needs to meet his mother but that visit shouldn't go too badly. At least, Haru thinks the meeting wouldn't go too badly. Another series of video feeds switched on the jumbotron and the crowd would get noticeably louder.
"Believe so. Don't stress it'll be fine!" she insisted, patting on one of his hands encouragingly. His glance had been looking past her for the past few seconds when she said that wondering if the idea of meeting her parents shocked him that badly. "Haru?"
Nessa turned to what he might have been looking at, and saw that the video feed on the jumbotron was fixated on THEM. All four screens were showing multiple people in the audience with an impromptu 'Kiss Cam' and someone had zeroed in on the two of them talking. Nessa continues looking as Haru speaks.
"hehehe, sorry. The audience got hype all of the sudden and I had to look. They showed a cute couple prior to and I guess they're fishing for some reaction eh? Fans, am I right?" Haru said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"...Nessa?" he asked since she didn't respond to him. Nessa was halfway looking at the video feed and the audience around her; some sense of pride starting to well up within her. It was equal to the feeling of wanting to prove herself as a Gym Leader or a model. Something that would say each time 'This is who I am'.
Haru saw Nessa turn back to him; eyes locked onto his with red in her cheeks. She's seen sighing as a smile comes on.
"Screw it. Let them watch for all I care." she says.
"Wait Wha-" Haru begins to say as his girlfriend extends her arms from her side while still on the field, and Haru literally right on the opposite side within the stands. Both of her hands stop at his collar of his shirt and Water Gym sweat jacket, yanking him down to her level and full mouth kisses him. His eyes go wide with shock, and immediate intense blush as what feels like several thousands of camera flashes go off as the two share a rather brief but intimate kiss. Nobody expected her to do anything at all, but the revelation of this has almost everyone freaking out. Her lips pressed intimately against his own, with the added adrenaline of no longer hiding their feelings for each other. Haru's hands go back around her face softly since she had yanked him down. It's seen that this may have been more than just a simple 'kiss for the cam' as the people get the idea that these two are romantically involved.
She lets go with the kiss slowly, feeling a slight line of saliva between them. Her face is as red as can be and smiles at him pulling a bit of her hair back. "See you later, love. I'll call you after work so you know when I'm heading by!" she said, turning to wave and having a slight added strut in her walk. Haru just looks at her walk off, readjusting his shirt.
/What a woman.../ is Haru's only thought as right behind him some fans of his ask for hugs and fist bumps due to such an open display. He can't help but feel the infectious energy and ends up high-fiving several fans too. When she disappears beneath the stands to prepare for the next match, Nessa is seen giving off a giddy squeal leading to a jump for no one but herself as she is beaming. /Gosh everything is just...tickety-boo for me. I never felt such a charge like that before..!/
The rest of the day would move on like a storm as within mere minutes throughout the day a few news outlets would pick up one story: "Popular Gym Leader with The Champion?". That would be one of the headlines, anyway, with it currently being aired alongside one of the smaller gossip types of news blurbs. From all across the region, the other Gym Leaders found out when they got to their respective homes with wildly different reactions. Raihan would come across it while having his late dinner and froze mid-chew seeing it on the live news broadcast, Bea, who was doing nightly stretches, had taken to just chuckling lowly; satisfied with herself when she saw it. Melony was told right away what happened when Nessa told her after a match during her time at the Gym that day so she didn't need updating just because the news got a hold of the story. Gordie would bump into Haru as he was talking to him earlier that day in lieu of searching for good trainers and had heard what happened by then. Haru got a shoulder bump and slap on the back in support, and said he'd pitch in for extra security if he had to. Piers, Milo, Kabu, Marnie, Allister, and Leon had caught wind of it by seeing the news shared amongst other Gym Leaders in a mass group text sent by Bede of all people.
[[BEDE: I know that everyone by now has probably heard of the news already. Much as I'd hate to admit it, it would be bad if the media tried to swarm over Nessa and Haru over the next few months. Not sure on what I can do from my end but if we can do anything to lower unnecessary tabloids I'll pitch in; I know firsthand what it's like to be in negative light and have that be the only thing people know about you for too long. My own arrogance and mistakes cost me for a bit and there's no need for them to go through something similar for even dumber reasons.]]
[[MARNIE: I dunno, Nessa herself has been able to handle plenty of bad paparazzi moments. Wouldn't this just be another one like this?]]
[[PIERS: It's not really up to us to butt in; they're adults. They can handle it. But take it from a musician: let's make sure we don't say anything that would compromise the two. I've let a thing or two slip and it wasn't easy to clean it up afterwards. Just know that some guys will do what they can to put a 'spin' on this in a negative way trying to create drama. If anything, those two deserve to be happy.]]
[[RAIHAN:...and each other, yes? That's what you were going to say?]]
[[ALLISTER: I don't know how much I can do because a lot of this is beyond my understand. But I'll make sure nobody bullies them!]]
[[MILO: Having been the first one of us to have been considered a 'rival' to Nessa once, I'm not sure we'll need to do anything, really.]]
[[RAIHAN: Why is that?]]
[[MILO: There's been a few times where I've seen her explode defensively, but it's only been a few times. I wager that if someone pokes the bear in the wrong way on her she'll be doing the defending herself plenty. We already know Haru is the type to just ignore whatever he doesn't want to answer.]]
- - - - - Motostoke - - - - -
- - - - - Haru's Home - - - - -
"Well, you are the master of waves, and look at the surf you created, hon." Haru had said with a bemused smile. He was sitting in the living room area where his couch and television would be within view. Nessa came over as she said she would to help him in what he was planning, with both glancing at the table. Some brief clip from her kissing him earlier had played from an amateurishly recorded phone camera footage and got some sports-based hosts talking about the two of them. With the television muted and some music playing from a smart speaker he recently bought, they didn't actually hear what the people had to say but it didn't matter.
She flashes a confident smirk back to him. "What -we- created together, m'dear. "
He glances briefly at his phone and sees his agent has been trying to contact him for a bit and has left several messages. His eyes roll a bit, and just mutes it so he can spend time with her. "Yes, indeed. By the way, sorry on my handwriting. It's a mess, I know..."
Nora, Haru's Glaceon, poked around with a curious expression on her face as to what was going on with all the papers, and why Nessa was there at all. Haru of course lets her investigate, giving head pats when she walks by. Nessa's seen almost scrutinizing the notes he made and looks back at him from across the table.
"What?"
"Only going to scout for 4 gym trainers?" she said with an in-flexed tone.
"Yeah, what's the problem with that? That's how many are usually at Gyms right?" he'd ask as she started drawing a few lines with simple sketches to show 'people' on the paper.
Pointing with a pen, she brought his attention. "Well for one thing, you can't always count on all 4 of them to be up to the standards of what you want for your gym. When they're there, you'll have to make sure they're not too easy and not too hard depending on your combined strength as a Gym. Look at it like job applications; not all of them are going to be a perfect fit. You'll want to aim for maybe 10 total so you can see how everybody does and then slim down your choices from there."
"Huh, okay that makes sense. Wouldn't be overkill if I went for more than that would it?" He'd ask.
She gave a studious expression that then turned into a smile again. "I mean, you could, but it'd be more work for you to figure it out and may not show you as an efficient leader if you're constantly cycling out people daily to go through who knows how many. 10 is a good number, so when you get to that step, go for 10."
"Will do." He noted, and taking a minute to look at her working through what he wrote; even though all she was doing was reading.
"Other than that I think you have a solid head on your shoulders to go from here. The League probably won't be able to fully go through with these plans until after you defend your title at least once, but it won't hurt to come to them about it. Tomorrow I'll see if I can try to help you figure out on numbers for attendance. I always seem to sell out but I actually don't know how many seats one would need depending on the area you choose." She said, handing him back the papers, to which Haru took them back but not before leaving his hand on hers for a second.
When she noticed, their eyes met. "Gods you're beautiful."
Her face went a slight pink but she smiled proudly with that compliment. He'd get up from his seat and found a place to put all of what they had collectively done together into a file. Thankfully having reminded her about her photo shoot raws, all she ended up doing was just using what in-home online connection he had to do what leftover work she had.
"So, whatever this new photo shoot of yours will be...any chances I can get a hint to what you'll be wearing for it?" he would ask, making his way to walk back to her with a refill of her tea and his own. Nessa would look back with a confident smirk but rested her chin on her hand.
Her eyes looked at his and had that same sort of look when she got competitive. "Hmm, should I? Or would it be more fun to see you writhe around a bit, guessing?"
"You do that plenty already." having fired back.
Around the corner his Gardevoir, Masako, and his Lucario, Mirukon, were watching the two chatting up rather animatedly. Neither of them had ever seen Haru be so open with anyone to this degree, and while Mirukon looked like he was groaning with the overly saccharine display before him, Masako seemed rather content. She had nudged him with an elbow when she caught his expression, and the two Hall of Famer Pokemon quietly left their Master to his guest.
Bringing the tea to her lips and taking a small drink, Nessa replied back "I never said you wouldn't be the first one to see the finished product. There's also the idea of me showing you my closets of clothes."
Haru blinked, stopping himself from taking a sip. "Wait. Closets? As in more than one closet?"
"Oh honey, I have a =lot= of clothes. I'm a model, remember?" giving back to him a teethy smile.
"Aye, that's fair. That reminds me; will you have to head out soon then for tomorrow?" he asked, taking a look at the clock on his wall. She took into account of her duties and would briefly think about it and how well her sleep had been lately.
"Hmm. I don't have to leave for at least a little bit. What do you feel up to doing?" she asked. It took him a second to think of it, but Haru had a good idea.
In the next few minutes the two of them would be huddled up together on the couch as her boyfriend brings out a binder containing photos of the past few years detailing his pre-Pokemon Gym Challenge journey to now. Within them she would see younger photos of himself hanging with Hop a lot, and then come to meet Hiro himself. A tall man with a slender figure, long straight brown hair and a trimmed beard, who was wearing clothing indicating he loved the outdoors and camping a lot. Several photos of him and Haru eating outside, and a few from parties." He uh...did't like to get photos a lot. Very self conscious. So the few photos I have of him over the years, I treasure immensely."
Nessa smiled, looking at Haru explaining who Hiro was as her eyes scanned the pictures with him. "He mainly wore boots a lot, and liked to just walk around the neighborhoods and camp. Sure he didn't own any Pokemon but if he was ever a Pokemon trainer he'd probably be pretty good at it I'd wager. It's called 'bush-craft' if I recall correctly." Haru would say.
Haru saw Nessa lean closer as her head rested on Haru's shoulder. "Hi Hiro...nice to meet you. I've heard a lot from your goofy ass little brother. You should have seen him lose the plot a bit back just from a simple kiss when I beat him because he was -so- in love with me already."
"Hey!" Haru said, turning to her with just a glance. She turns back and cutely sticks out her tongue at him playfully. They kept going through the years to the point it was starting to be too much for Haru to take.
"Wait, what's past this point? There's more, right?" she asked, putting a hand on the page, noticing Haru was trying to close the binder prematurely.
She saw him sweating a bit. "It's uh...y'know. Me as a kid. Mom kept a lot of duplicate photos and the- HEY!" he began to explain before she yanked it out of his hand and ran off. "OooOooo I can see teeny tiny Haru too?!"
"NESSA PLEASE!" Haru wasn't as athletic but he got up and tried to corner her, as she was holding the binder in hand, trying to take peeks when in enough distance away from him. It wasn't easy but she was of course fast on her feet and in reflexes.
She had that intense, spitfire personality coming just due to the fact her lover was red in the face trying to stop her. "Hah. You can't catch me if I'm the one trying to get away!"
"Damn it Nessa!"
Due to the sudden noise, Haru's Tsareena, Leafa, had to see what in the world was going on and sees the two doing something confusing to her. Whether it was a chase or a fight she couldn't figure out but looked irritated, finding one of Haru's earmuffs he used for winter from his hangers in front of the front door then walked back off into the hallways as she put it on.
"AYE what?! Too ashamed to show me kiddy Haru in his wittle booties or something?!" She teased, having nearly to get up on the kitchen counter above Haru and raising her arms.
"All. In. Good. Time...! Shit! Why are you so fast?!" He would say trying to catch her, and would actually be laughing.
/I live for these reactions of his!/ she thinks to herself.
"Sorry, I'm Nessa, have you seen my career? I make it a point to be this fit you know!" she said in a sarcastic manner, laughing. Nessa thought the whole thing was hilarious as her athleticism put him in way over his head. If it was anyone else she probably wouldn't have gotten such a charge seeing him get so flustered. There's a moment when she's cornered, and Haru feels like he's a goalie.
Both arms stretched outwards, he had gained one slight upper hand. "Babe I got you. There's nowhere else now unless you plan on wrestling that cushion to try and leapfrog over it."
She looks left and right, then tries to bolt for one side before one of his arms catches her by the waist.
"NOO!" she yells, still holding onto the binder and legs flailing a tad while laughing.
"GOTCHA! Let go!" he shouts, both still laughing but now having moved onto trying to out-wrestle the other one. She simply ends up leaning against the wall facing him and sticks her hand up holding it at full arms length. "Nuh-uh!" Deciding to play dirty, Haru grabs her by the waist and kisses her. The sudden feeling of his lips to hers causes her to be briefly distracted. Both of them relax from the high of this silly chase to kiss genuinely. The juxtaposition of the moment meeting up to a kiss made them both enjoy it more than either initially thought.
...before Haru then yanks the binder away from her. "AHA!"
"You bastard!" Nessa yells, then jumps after him, tackling him down successfully. He actually can't keep up anymore and taps the floor, letting go of the binder. He's panting while on the floor, and Nessa sitting next to him.
"Learned that one from Bea, love." wiping her forehead a bit as she eventually stops laughing. She sees Haru is just laying on his back staring at the ceiling, then leans over him from the other side of his face. To his view, she's upside down.
"You doing okay there, 'Champ'?" she asked, pulling a strand of her hair back.
Having a much messier head of hair after all that, Haru would respond "Yeah I am. That was fun. You totally won that bit too."
"2 and 2." was her only response to that, before giving him a peck on the lips then sitting on her knees to look at the other parts of the binder in victory.
"W...what are you going to be keeping score from now on? Is that what you'll be doing?" he said, getting up finally and looking at her with a befuddled expression.
"Maybe, maybe not. Whatever keeps getting me to see you flustered like this." turning to him while turning a page with one hand and then giving him another kiss; proud of herself 'winning' that chase.
The worst offense within the binders that Haru would find, was that they contained photos of him down to his years when he was only of age 2. It seemed the binder he had wasn't completely crazy embarrassing as he thought, but Nessa still considered it a victory having outmaneuvered her lover like that.
Time continued to move forward for everyone but the two young lovers. Every day Haru would move a bit towards his newfound goal of becoming a Pokemon Gym Leader by either spending time with another Gym Leader for advice and ideas, or training his Hall of Fame team for the oncoming Champion match that may arrive. New Gym Challengers were unpredictable in their speed, so he had to keep moving. Needless to say, every day he made it a point to drop by Nessa's Gym at least once to see her matches live, and each time when they managed some time together he'd escort her out. One such night the two of them were surrounded by some paparazzi, to which Haru simply just keeps walking with her holding onto his arm a bit tighter. The whole time he goes out he makes it a point to his agent that he would rather not have anyone else with him except his Pokemon to keep him safe. While it took some long bickering back and forth, the man he hired eventually agreed.
One month goes by...
Haru is seen at Milo's town of Turffield buying a large bouquet on their one month anniversary, showing up to her Gym inside the staff rooms. The two spend the entire evening doing nothing but just watching the waters of Hulbury's bay together at the familiar bench near the lighthouse.
Two months go by...
Haru has been pestered online by large numbers of fans who aren't happy he's with Nessa; be it they jealous or otherwise. The one single social media account he owns is still filled with positivity and understanding with only the occasional slander. One day he ends up going to just outright ask what the deal is amongst his fellow friends, and it's Hop that tells him that they're 'trolls'. "Oy, you can't please everyone, man. I wouldn't let it get to me." he would say to Haru while on the phone with him.
At that point, Haru was making a new type of curry with Masako in the kitchen with him and briefly knocked over some peppers, sneezing.
"I figured, but it's still annoying. I could say a lot of things to these people, but I think the only thing that would go through my mind is a simple 'Boy some of you are mad'." he said, readjusting his glasses after the sneeze and hearing Hop laugh.
- - - - - Four months later...- - - - -
Four months have gone by since the two began dating each other openly and decide to spend an off day doing nothing but being indoors. Her Gym would be closed for the day for maintenance on the indoor pipes that she used for the puzzle each Gym Challenger had to solve before getting to her, so that gave her an excuse to come by. The two were watching a movie together; Haru having Nessa leaning against his chest while in front of him like two spoons. At times she'd do small, cute things like feeding him the popcorn from the bowl they had popped, and keeping chatter to a minimum. To a degree, it was one more in the long line of most rewarding things Haru had ever done with anyone.
When there was finally a quiet moment, Nessa spoke up. "Hey hon? Question."
"Answer." he said back, causing her to laugh at his phrasing. For the question she actually went and paused the movie.
"Okay so...the bad guy went back in time to change time for his past self right? It's why he stole that time machine." pointing at the screen, with the gears in her head turning.
He was nodding, glad she at least remembered the basic detail. Then again it wasn't a complicated movie."Right, and now they have to fix it."
Her hands stretch outwards in confusion. "Okay but if that's the case how is it when he changed time of his past that he's back in -this- future?"
Haru is heard going quiet.
"...hon?" her head turns slightly upside down at him while still being the small spoon on the couch with him.
She saw that he was looking off to the side trying to explain it away. "I...damn it. I don't know. Huh. Maybe time just sort of took a long time to catch up with him and that timeline because you see him 'die' a delayed death but..."
"See?" she gestured with a hand.
"Nessa please don't ruin this movie for me..." he wasn't serious in saying that but he chuckled because she had a really good point bringing that up. "We can just chalk it up to 'the director and writers didn't think that part through'. " she surmised.
The only reaction he could give at that point was one serious asspull explanation. "Maybe they just watched The Doctor and are operating on his form of time travel? Wait, no that doesn't make sense."
Nessa is heard gasping and looks back at him. "But could you imagine if The Doctor met these guys? I wanna see -that- movie."
She went quiet again before un-pausing the movie as Haru snuggled her from behind. The couple ended up watching an assortment of movies from either his childhood favorites to some she knew he hadn't seen. For how silly some of the ones he suggested, the least he could do is deal with one chick-flick; so he did. Thankfully they had shared a mutual appreciation for rom-coms since he was less enthusiastic about slow paced drama flicks.
For this point of the Pokemon League Gym Challenge, Haru's possible Championship would have to be defended soon, as a few trainers had been close to finishing their goal to collect all 8 of the Gym Badges they were assigned to get. He was well on his way to finalizing plans, and for what everyone could see, he was riding high on the wave of being in a very healthy relationship with the most beautiful woman in his eyes. Nessa of Hulbury didn't have to do much 'defending' their relationship against the media, but anytime someone tried to bring attention to the relationship she merely had nothing but good to say about it and demanded to move onto the next question. If the interviewer persisted, she left the interview outright. Haru had his agent buckle down on him a bit harder than he wanted, but would let him continue to live his life thankfully. They were only his hired men, not his babysitters, and had begun a healthy new lifestyle where he could grow in multiple ways.
If anything, Haru had beaten the shiny odds, and found his own unique treasure in the world. Someone he valued very much as her own person, who was helping him grow and her as well. Her colors were her own and there would be no 'variant' of her to exist, but to him, she was more valuable than anything he'd have to try and find within the odds of 1 in 4,096. In his eyes, she was 1 in 1,000,000.
- - - - - Spikemuth - - - - -
"Tch. What do you want, following me around like this?" Syra said, as she was exiting the town of Spikemuth after having taken down Piers the Dark Gym Leader. Around her a bunch of random trainers had shown up; mostly all male of near age to her own or older. There were about 7 of them, and all of them without PokeBalls on their waists. Either they were fans of hers, scouts trying to recruit her for a Gym position, or something else.
"Not here. Follow us. Someone wants to talk to you." came one of the guys talking to her in a gruff tone. Seeing no way out of the situation, she would be herded into an alley that had a small clearing with just a skyline above and one exit. There would be more men waiting when they got to the spot, now numbering 12 in all.
A man wearing a blue vest, jeans, and a do-rag hopped off a barrel looking at her intently. "There's a rumor coming around the bend that there's a Pokemon trainer that's been stealing other people's Pokemon after battle. Using illegal technology that hasn't been seen but rumored to have come from some island that housed Mewtwo originally. You know, the same legendary that was involved in that Rhyme City incident a few years back? It's outlawed, and anyone caught doing so can face serious consequences."
Syra kept a neutral expression, eyeing him as he walked around her in a circle.
"Wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you, miss? Around these parts, you never know what could happen. It's dangerous out there. You saw how quickly you were jumped just on the challenge alone here by Team Yell didn't you?"
Syra kept saying nothing, not a peep to compromise herself in any way, shape, or form.
"HEY! I'm talking to you!" the man said, now angrily standing in front facing her.
"What do you want me to say?" she said plainly, almost bored.
"I'm saying we know it's you! You're the infamous trainer that's been going around filling her PokeDex, taking Max Raid captures that don't belong to them, forcing every other trainer to give up their strongest Pokemon to fill her team in regular battles, and then selling any duplicates you got from said captures to a certain group. A certain group that is very good with trafficking Pokemon for money. That's how you've been able to ride high with so many support items, so many balls. Each time it was reported by trainers that someone of your height and appearance would be the one doing it." he insisted, pointing a switchblade at her direction.
Finally some emotion hit her face, and it's just a cheeky, sly grin. Her face gave the impression she was innocent as she put on an 'act'. "There's a lot of girls that look like me. I change up my outfit pretty much every single time that I go to a new city. What proof do you even have that it's me? Sounds like a lot of wasted hot air coming from some loser who has to threaten a girl."
The man who might as well have been a gangster with his own hoodlums acting on their own, put his knife away into his backpocket. "Because when that person got away on their Rotom Bike about one month ago from a Gigantimax Machamp raid, someone took a photo of the person wearing a helmet and we used our own methods to track them. It's YOU. Now I won't ask more than once: give back the Pokemon you stole, lady, or you're going to be in a world of hurt."
Syra sighed and just turned away from him, ready to exit. She started walking back from where they came from. "Look if you don't have any solid evidence it's me then I'm just going to leave. It's not what you 'think', it's what you can 'prove'. Nobody wants someone acting on their own feelings to pretend and act heroic when they're no better than anyone else, and even if I was that person, what did you plan to do? How would you explain what you're doing to me right now to the authorities? Who do you think they'll believe more: some idiot flashing his weapon who speaks too loudly and needs better hygiene conspicuously returning stolen Pokemon to people from an unknown source, or a young woman like me, who says she was threatened by a bunch of guys and can't afford to defend herself since she's well on her way to becoming the best champion of all time?"
Without answering, he would lunge at her from behind, brandishing the weapon, but would then find himself being thrown off balance and having his face smashed into the concrete wall with one of her palms before kneeing him in the back. He's knocked out cold immediately. The sheer speed of Syra reacting to the assault catches everyone else off guard. But one by one the rest of the men go after her. Using her frame to leap off of one, she kicked another in the face, grabbing a giant mallet off the ground to pound one of the assailants across the torso, and using the brief distraction of immense pain to sweep him off his feet. When he hits the ground she grabs him by the ankle then swings him around before tossing him into some of the others like a bowling pin. They all crash into the wall, with one trying to come at her with some sweeping kicks. Not off guard, and focused, Syra dodges at one point, using her own leg to sweep his leg in the opposite direction, breaking his knees causing him to fall down hard. She sends one fist downwards to his face to knock him out cold. Another tries to go for a sucker punch before she dodges it effortlessly, hitting him with a 1-2 punch then headbutts his nose hard. The man reels, to which she walks over to his writhing body and stomps on his chest.
"Gotcha, bitch!" one man yells as he gets her from behind in a reverse bear hug. It doesn't stop her as she uses her weight to flip over and then behind him, bringing her arms to put him into a full nelson before slamming him into the ground. Before the man cries out in pain from the quick reversal she kicks across his face to shut him up. A few men are left and try attacking once before she parries a few side swings and gut punch before firing back with several fists to their gut and crouching under a swing of the other assailant giving him a hard uppercut. She would put some extra force into her fist as his jaw is felt breaking, and sends him flying. Looking around, she sees that everyone is passed out or groaning in pain. Moving to the one she head butted in the nose earlier, Syra yanks him up by the collar and slaps him so he pays attention.
"If I =ever= see your stupid faces again, I won't stop until all of you have to eat through a straw. Is that clear?"
He can barely speak, trying to respond, and Syra shakes him again. "I SAID 'IS THAT CLEAR'?!" Her eyes are blazing with a scary look the guy had almost never seen before. Whatever was inside this young lady, put her on a whole different level than everyone else of intensity.
"ye...Yes...!"
"Yes -what-?" trying to pry for more as she tightened her grip now.
"Yes ma'am. It won't happen again. I swear." the assailant says.
"Good. Now piss off and have a good nap." Syra comments with a low tone, letting him go and standing up slowly before kicking him in the ribs. The girl leaves after rearranging her jacket and looks at it when she passes by a reflection in one of the windows in the main streets of Spikemuth.
"Ugh. Of course...what's a lady to do in order to keep up her appearances?" she comments, noticing a few splatters of blood on her skirt. Wiping it off with a thumb, Syra then looked back down the alley she came from, then back towards the exit of the city. It was later discovered, and reported, that a group of gangsters in Spikemuth got into what was said to be a 'territory battle' and would go in for questioning. Not a single one mentioned the velvet haired girl that kicked everyone's asses in that moment. Their pride wouldn't let them.
Her pride wouldn't let her have any distractions like this from reaching her goal. She had simply gone too far to let something like this take her down.
In an almost completely different tone from her normally aggressive manner, Syra is hop-skipping happily after taking a glance at her Galar Map. "Now then...only one more left to go. Might have to put a delay on things, but Raihan should be fun to take on!"
- - - - - END CHAPTER 5 - - - - -
