A row of boutiques and restaurant cascades down Angel City's boardwalk, the bright colors having a calm, inviting aura to them. The decorated woodwork and the steep, gabled roofs are two additional indicators of a Victorian architectural style. People and Pokémon happily going about a day of rest and relaxation, their footsteps making a tapping sound on the platform. Vendors with stands display their goods, which range from hats to magnets to trainer trading cards.
The ground below the platform slopes into a throng of crouching rocks and sand dunes, and the ocean caresses the shoreline with its dancing waves. A group of Poliwhirl play around in the water, exercising caution due to the bored Gyarados resting atop the terrain. A Talonflame leads a flock of its pre-evolutions through the crystal clear sky, and the glistening sunlight is locked onto the megacity and the sea.
For Valen, standing so close to such a scenic view would usually make him feel like the guy in Conrad David Friedrich's A Trainer by the Sea But right now, he's not in the wilderness and he's one of the battling trainers in the nearby battlefields. When a trainer and their Pokémon are harmoniously linked by mutual passion, battling can take on an artistic form of its own.
They wanna see what Armageddon looks like? Team Skull's Valen here to show em. Dwelling may be hard for him to avoid, but he's gotta take action like Rosa and Hilda. He made a promise to himself and his Pokémon—his ardor for being a trainer and coordinator can't be vanquished.
That's why his Typhlosion is going toe-to-toe with an Electivire in a showdown alongside Jacques and his Charizard. The draconic Pokémon's aerial skirmish with a Noivern has him envisioning the said Pokémon species as they appear in Giorgione's Tempest Clash, albeit said scene has a massive thunderstorm.
The Electivire's charging in with fists covered with electricity, that means it's time for a boxing match.
"Typhlosion, Fire Punch!"
Typhlosion repeatedly bobs and weaves to avoid Electivire's punches. She clobbers Electivire with a double hook from her flaming fists. Typhlosion and Electivire bob and weave as they attempt to land any amount of blows, with Valen's smile growing with each precise movement performed by his Pokémon. That smile evolves into a grin when Typhlosion lands another double strike to Electivire's face.
"Flamethrower!"
Typhlosion belligerently roars with a sharp gaze that could pierce one's soul. She hurls herself backwards and launches a red-orange stream of swirling fire that strikes Electivire in the face. Noivern's swooping in, but Charizard's coming in hot. Pun intended.
"I'll finish this," Jacques affirms. "Charizard, dazzle the crowd with your passionate Dragon Pulse."
Charizard fires off a crimson red sphere, which morphs into a dragon-shaped beam. The beam expands into a massive, molten rock dragon with giant wings. Wind shrieks around the dragon formation as it careens into Electivire and Noivern, dropping both of them onto the ground.
Valen's Typhlosion jumps towards him and nuzzles her face against his midsection. In battle, she bears her fangs. Outside of battle, she wants all of the pets like a puppy. He rubs her snout and she begins licking his face.
Charizard wants pets from Jacques, who responds by scratching behind his ears. to Typhlosion nuzzles him again for more pets. Guess she wants to best her fellow starter.
"You'd have gotten more anyway," Valen scratches Typhlosion's chin. "Who's a good girl? Is it you?" More licks to his face. "Yep, it's you."
The crowd's commentary indicates that they enjoyed observing this tag match. The affection between trainer and Pokémon seems to have brightened up their day. Others are discussing the contest he entered a few days ago. Certainly wasn't easy, he had to go up against one of the top coordinators from LaRousse City in the Galarian Coullont region. The flying puppy pulled through against that potent Lapras, nabbing him the win.
Several of the onlookers are discussing about how he's got both a "bad" boy side and a gentleman side. One does not simply stop being a gentleman, even when decked out in Team Skull apparel. It's also how he stands out from Jacques, the person who suggested the idea years ago.
"Are you awake?"
"Being a wiseass is my job, big bro." Valen turns to face his cousin, who is currently surrounded by a throng of fans. "Aren't you busy?"
"I'm always prepared for such an occasion." His blue eyes teasingly gleam as he whips out a pen from the left pocket of his dark blue sweatpants. "Are you?"
Valen briefly shuts his eyes, his grin bearing his teeth. "Observe." He takes out his own pen and twirls it with two fingers. "Two can play at that game."
The last time they hung out with the squad, he wore his trademark dressy attire. This time, he's wearing a long sleeve shirt with awesome images of Captain Braviary and Aggron Man emblazoned on the front. His cousin's shoulder-length black hair's always tidy, while he keeps his black hair a little messy to capture a bit of a cool "bad boy" vibe. Bad in a good way, obviously.
"You should inform your family before your mind travels to space."
"Heh, I forgot to commend you for remembering to actually wear something casual."
"Silenzio, cugino."
"Request denied, try again later."
Valen joins his cousin to sign objects and take photos. He's long since learned that fans of one tend to be fans of both, and this crowd's no exception.
Texts from Skyla confirms that she can come over today. She had to hop back to Unova to face off against a challenger, and yet she said not to change the date. He doesn't quite get it, but he's not gonna question it. To be fair, it's absurdly easy to hop back and forth between Unova and Calvana. Only the regions of Orre, New Orre, Venteux, and her ancestral Apisi separates them and the large regions still share a border in other parts. There are even people who make the trip daily, something that she seems eager to do herself if possible.
For now, Jacques and him will meet up with Gladion. After they're finished here, of course. They've got enough time to check out antiques shop, which stands out due to its vintage sign and window display of various examples of ceramics and furniture. There's also a vintage pizza sign, a fitting choice considering there's a pizza place next door.
Some of the best slices in all of Calvana awaits the customers of that restaurant, so why not grab a bite to eat too?
Unpacking at the Team Skull residence in Malibu City took longer than expected. It's still surreal to Gladion that they have a house up there, surrounded by a bunch of other fancy mansions.
A slight breeze ripples Gladion's ripped jeans and spiky, black hoodie as he treks down a packed sidewalk. Rows of shops and restaurants are booming with business, while various pedestrians and Pokémon look up in awe at the mighty skyscrapers on the area's main road. Gladion smirks at the trio of wild Haunter, who wave at him. A fourth Haunter startles a couple by popping out of a store's wall, and a fifth Haunter causes two rough-looking guys to shriek.
Gladion's having fun sightseeing near the boardwalk—it's been way too long since he's set foot in Angel City. Hau'oli City is a bustling metropolis, but this megacity's on another level. It's pretty neat how centuries' old buildings are not too far from that badass Dragonite skyscraper protruding in the distance. Unlike a certain grump, he actually paid attention when Kris told them about Postmodernism.
Alright, he's at the intersection of Yellow Street and 17th Avenue. On one side is a giant bookstore that's hosting a car meet, a parade of classic grand tourers and modern hypercars attracting a lotta attention. There are some battlefields on the other side, which is perfect for what he intends to do. But did he come too early? Where in the world could-
"I'm not going into the photo booth."
Gladion's ears pick up on this and his gaze directed his gaze towards the boardwalk. Was that…Silver? Did they happen to end up at the same location? Who's he talking to?
Not even a minute later and he's put two and two together. He rubs his hand and his face evolves into a Gengar. Oh hell yeah, he's gonna enjoy this. Kris just yanked him into the booth. It's a red booth too, that can't be a coincidence when it's these two. Good thing there's enough room to move around the throng on the sidewalk. He slowly makes his way to the steps, using said throng as a cover.
"Someone's gonna catch us." Silver huffs and puffs like the Mightyena from Three Little Tepigs. "I can't be seen taking cutesy photos." His gaze swings all directions. "I'll make it up to you, but we have to—"
"Oooh, big tough Silver's scared of me!"
"Fine, have it your way—"
Gladion's piercing gaze is bearing down upon him, isn't it? Silver clenches his teeth, unable to come up with a cover story. Gladion knows all of his cover stories, including the one he thought of two days ago.
"Where the heck did you come from?!"
"That's not a nice greeting, Silver." Gladion snickers. "It's been a while and that's what you ask me?"
Imagine the horror of people finding out he took cutesy photos with his cr-FRIEND while on a da-DAY out and about. Fake Silver cannot leak out with this guy around.
Silver crosses his arms and pretends he can't hear Gladion asking about this "date" he speaks of. Kris tries to drown out Gladion's questions with whistling. Unfortunately, Gladion's one step ahead.
"We'll do this the hard way." His face now resembles a Gigantamax Gengar. "Should I send my sis those pictures that Ethan sent me?"
"It's not a date!" Kris blurts out, her face flushing and her fists clenched. "I'd never date somebody so grumpy!"
"Prove it." Gladion crosses his arms and leans against the railing. "Hold each other's hands without blushing."
Kris places her hands on her hips. "You wanna throw hands with me boy?" She bears her overbearing gaze down onto Gladion. "Go back to reading unnecessarily edgy A Caterpie's Life stories about HYPERREALISTIC bloody eyes."
Gladion's devious smile vanishes, but all he can do is blink rapidly. What does that have to do with these two being so obvious about their feelings for each other?
Kris's gaze briefly alternates between Silver and Gladion, a mischievous smile becoming more apparent with each glance. "I bet you don't even know what hyperrealism means in art, you uncultured Swinub."
She did it! It worked! It worked! She made Silver laugh! He's not even hiding that grin! Yes yes yes yes, she actually make him laugh!
"Come on now, that wasn't cool." Silver crosses his arms. "Swinub did nothing wrong and Gladion prefers edgy My Little Dratini stories."
"Actually, I prefer both." Gladion's face flushes and he clenches his teeth. "Dammit!"
Silver and Kris sneak in a high five. Their attention's now on Gladion's ripped pants and spiked hoodie, but the arrival of Valen and Jacques save him from a roast session. Only because Silver really likes their classic BMV motorcycles.
"At least we share this taste," Gladion remarks.
Why is Kris rolling her eyes? Those blacked out are sick as hell. Angel City is extremely friendly for two-wheelers and pedestrians, to the point that bike lanes can be used by motorcycles. Nevertheless, it's cool that Valen's Gengar was still helping to make sure they stay safe.
Yeah, he figured that they'd be perplexed by Kris and Silver's bad attempt to hide the fact that they want to kiss each other.
Valen and Jacques shrug with dumbfounded expressions, and the former's Gengar briefly pops out from inside the ground. It's time for him to pull off his favorite prank to save Gladion and troll the obvious pair of Luvdisc. Gengar vanishes into the ground and sneaks into the photo booth. He leaps out and gives an eerie opera performance.
A wide-eyed Silver tumbles backwards but nobody should get the wrong idea. He was just acting, he wasn't-huh? Why are Kris' arms are extended like she was expecting a hug.
A few seconds pass before Silver and Kris blink and blush, both yelping in-between their teeth. They rocket backwards and avoid making eye contact with each other. Meanwhile, Valen's Gengar rolls around on the ground as he tears up in hysterics.
Gengar briefly joins Valen, Gladion, and Jacques in a four-way fist bump, then he teases Silver and Kris with kissy faces. Jacques decides to observe the spectacle, leaving Valen and Gladion to chat.
Gladion embraces Valen and vice versa giving each other several hard pats before they let go. Sis and him will never be able to repay Catherine and Richie Barsotti for taking them in as if they're flesh and blood. Nor can they repay Valen for asking them.
"What brings you here?" Valen inquires. "It was rather sudden to learn that you're coming to visit."
Gladion shrugs. "I needed a vacation."
Hilda trots in-between Valen and Gladion slides her arms around the former's neck. Starmie's airborne and rotates towards Gengar, but it stops to nudge Valen as a greeting.
"Sorry Gladion, but Val-Val can't hide from me!" she titters. "I was here for agency business!"
Hilda basks in Valen's warmth as he strokes her back and plays with her hair. Their kissing's slow and steady, each one packing a a tooth-rotting tingle. They share a laugh over Gengar and Starmie poking each other.
Hilda releases Valen and vice versa, then spins to face Gladion. "How about Rosa?" She tilts her heads rightwards, her left hand in front of her silly grin. "What's the scoop?"
Gladion grunts in amusement, stating, "The Bug-type painting Guzma bought is right up in everybody's face in Team Skull's Mansion."
"Woo-hoo!"
Rosa unleashes her usual exuberance as she jumps on Valen's back. Now she's bopping him with her feet. Ahhhhhh, the horror. The best part is that this wasn't even planned. It's another case of him and his rays of sunshine ending up the same location.
"Moving on, you know what I want." Gladion yanks a Poké Ball from his belt. "I've been wanting another go, Valen."
"Very well." Valen narrows his eyes and grabs a Poké Ball from inside his jacket "Ready for a beatdown?"
"Bring it on."
Silver and Kris tried to sneak in photos while nobody was looking, but they were actually successful this time. Silver's trying way too hard to hide his smile...for some reason. His "big" and "tough" attitude isn't fooling anybody.
Hilda's Starmie is poking them to egg them on and his Gengar's making kissy faces again. Guess Silver relenting will have to wait.
It's rather convenient that there's a second set of battlefields right next to where everyone met up, eh? There's more than enough room for the small crowd gathering. There's a lotta cool shops and restaurants to visit nearby, the merchandise and meals vast enough that it's hard for somebody to not find at least one thing they like. Even if they're ultra grumpy or ultra edgy like a certain duo of guys he knows.
Gladion awaits their match from the opposite end of the center field. It's time to-who jumped onto his back this time? The arms around his neck release a endothermic sensation to massage his body and mind and he doesn't want it to end. Just like the huge from Rosa, Hilda, and Melanie. The sassy laughter also gives it away.
"Can't you see that I'm about to battle?" he laughs. "Glad you could make it, Skyla."
"That's why I did it now."
Skyla jumps off of his back and he wraps his left arm around her waist. He pulls her to his side and places his right hand on her back.
"Do it again later, it's only fair that I give you a ride."
"That's what I thought, airhead."
They let go of each other and she runs to join the others. Now that he's gotten a good luck hug, he'll definitely win now. Hilda's Starmie even gave him a good luck poke.
"The empress shall bring order to this chaotic world!"
He spins the ball with a finger and chucks it into the air. Gardevoir leaps out with her eyes closed and her arms folded. She slowly opens her eyes and her devious, lopsided grin appears. She greets everybody with an eerie, whispery cry. Oh, Kris can see what Melanie meant by 'yandere-like personality?' Hahahahaha, she'll gladly take that as compliment!
In all fairness, there's more to the empress than meets the eye. She turns her head to face Valen, her cocky attitude and fierce glare giving way to pure adoration and a beautiful tune.
Gladion's Houndoom jumps out of his ball and lands on all fours. She greets him with a bow, getting a low-toned howl in return.
"No Silvally?" Valen crosses his arms and lifts his chin. "What about a Z-Move?"
"Nah, I want to have a duel." Gladion yanks down his sleeve. "A Mega Evolution duel."
"Bring it."
"From the darkest depths of the underworld, seek out the opposition and incinerate them with your purifying flames!" Gladion booms and punches his Mega Ring. "Houndoom, Mega Evolve!"
Obstructed by light, the intimidating canine grows in size. Once he's fully visible again, his mighty battle howl sends the ground shivering.
"If you're using the chant from that battle flick we did in Unova, then it means—" Valen leans forward and rolls up his right sleeve. "I'm gonna win this one too." His prideful grin fully bears his teeth. "The empress has issued her decree—cower as she unleashes her wrath upon this battlefield!" He taps his Mega Ring. "Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!"
An evanescent light obstructs her figure. Her elegant and flowing gown extends further and the spikes on the sides of her head protrude further out with curves. The long glove look appears on her arms, then her figure becomes fully visible again.
"Use Nasty Plot and Shadow Ball."
Houndoom's eyes glow an eerie red and he howls like a werewolf under a full moon. A black and red sphere is launched from his mouth afterwards.
"Intercept with Moonblast!"
Mega Gardevoir's eyes glow light pink and a burning moon-like orb appears in-between her hands. She swings her body like a elegant figure skater and hurls the orb into Shadow Ball. The collision sets off a detonation that enshrouds the arena with smoke.
"Use Foul Play, then use Flamethrower."
Mega Houndoom leaps above Mega Gardevoir. The smoke scurries away as he slams her into the ground with his front paws. Mega Houndoom fires a stream of black flames that glows red, forcing the remaining smoke to flee.
"I hope her Thunderbolt isn't too shocking for you!"
Mega Gardevoir spins like a ballet dancer and a purple glow envelops her. She narrowly avoids the attack and zaps Mega Houndoom with a powerful lightning bolt.
"Try this on for size," Gladion quips. "Here comes Iron Tail."
Mega Houndoom's thin, pointy tail becomes covered by a metallic white aura. He slams his tail into Mega Gardevoir, flinging her onto the ground. She quickly regains her footing and briefly levitates, gesturing for Mega Houndoom to come on down.
Gladion crosses his arms, his competitive gaze following the rocketing canine. "Let's try that again."
Houndoom's tail beams metallic white again, but Gardevoir simply folds her arms and snickers.
"Deny it with Mega Kick!"
Mega Gardevoir's feet glow bright white and she readies herself. Each swing of Mega Houndoom's glowing tail is blocked by the graceful movements of her legs. Her gown ripples as she spins to block another onslaught. Her eyes narrow and her smirk widens at an opening. Before Mega Houndoom can react, he's slammed into the ground with her right leg's end tips.
"Quickly, use Aura Sphere!"
Mega Gardevoir fires a light green oval of energy from her mouth, which flings Mega Houndoom sends him skipping like a rock. He eventually comes to a stop on his right side, but he manages to stagger up on all fours.
"Try taking a Sludge Bomb!"
A storm of black globs, each with a crimson glow, comes flying out of Houndoom's mouth. Gardevoir crosses her arms and braces herself for impact.
She shuts her eyes and grits her teeth, determined to endure the pelting. This move must've slipped her mind, but it won't happen again.
"Gardevoir, we've gotta be cautious," Valen tells her with his arms crossed. "Use Recover."
Mega Gardevoir nods, giving Valen a loving smile. Visibility of her figure is obstructed by an evanescent light obscures her figure.
"Fire Blast."
"Block it with Mystical Fire!"
Gardevoir's eyes glow purple and two flaming swords materialize above her. Her hand movements resemble that of a composer, and the flaming swords spin to form a circular shield. The blazing kanji formation collides with the swords, causing smoke to obstruct visibility.
"You've landed some mean attacks, but that's as far as you'll get." He slams his right fist into his left palm. "Rapid fire combo with Teleport and Aura Sphere!"
Mega Gardevoir vanishes, then re-appears to blast Mega Houndoom with the green sphere. She repeats this process several times, the smoke clearing out with each instance.
"Agh!" Gladion grits his teeth. "Dark Pulse!"
"Moonblast!"
Mega Houndoom fires off a stream of black circles with a crimson glow. Gardevoir leaps up over the stream of circles and hurls her moon-like orb like a baseball pitcher. The orb slams into Mega Houndoom's back, sending him howling and staggering.
"End this with Mega Kick!"
Mega Gardevoir careens downwards and slams her feet into Mega Houndoom's left side. A series of graceful, precise blows follows suit. Houndoom quickly topples onto the battlefield and reverts back to its regular form
Gladion lowers his head and takes a deep, cleansing breath. When he looks up, a content smile appears. "You've still got it."
"Thanks, you too."
Before Gladion recalls Houndoom, Gardevoir bows to thank the canine. She reverts back to her regular form, then she levitates towards Valen. She him a peck on the top of his head, and he responds by rubbing her upper arm.
"That's my girl," Valen commends. "Get some rest." He recalls her back into her ball.
Gladion's catching up with Rosa, Hilda, Skyla, and Silver. On the other hand, Kris is gesturing towards him to come chat with her. Valen pauses, then he nods with a smile. He strolls closer to Kris and they exchange a fist bump.
"How's the apprenticeship going?"
"Great great great!" Kris closes her eyes and forms a V with her fingers. "Can you believe that I got to explain the museum's lone Giorgione yesterday?! I love Tempest Clash soooo much, it's a truly classic battle painting!"
"That Charizard and Dragonite causes quite a storm for those seeing it for the first time."
"I see what you did there!"
Silver can't help it, he's gotta smile over Valen and Kris geeking out together. That was a sick as hell battle too, it makes him wanna plop himself into the pro circuit to show that he's just as strong…as Valen. He'd mop the floor with Gladion no problem, but he's already got his next opponent in mind.
He's going to challenge Wes to a battle.
Oh great, Kris is focusing on him instead of buildings. He wanted to see her gush because she's ador-she leaves him alone when she does. What did he do this time? Were the photos subpar! Is she about to drop a lecture over his fashion sense?
"Are you having fun, mister?"
"I should've seen that one coming." Silver clears his throat and shoves his hands into his pockets. "I'm having fun, but we're just friends having fun."
"At least you know the truth." Kris waves in a silly, dismissive manner. "The truth being that I'm way of your league."
"Good." Silver shuts his eyes and inverts his lower lip. "But you do look...well you know...good." If he has to accidentally blush like this, he's making her blush too. "Uh...yeah...you always look...that word…starts with a p." He picks a random building to stare at. "Friends can say that…can't they?"
If they weren't in a city, the only noises would be the melodies of bird Pokémon and various other sounds in the orchestra of nature. Did she hear him correctly? Did he just…say…she looks good? She's not dreaming…is she?
She squeezes her eyes shut and tucks her head in-between her arms. This wasn't supposed to happen—she was supposed to be swooning like a princess being swept off of her feet.
"Huh, that actually shut you up." Silver smirks and aims his mischievous gaze towards her. "About time something worked."
How could it not shut her up?! Code red! Code red! Focus on that cool Dragonite skyscraper! Wait no, her face is still red! Stop laughing, Gladion! All of you, stop laughing.
"This is gold." Skyla giggles. "Pure gold."
"No, his name's Silver." Valen's jest forces him to block a nose poke. "Watch yourself." He laughs with her and they share a quick side hug.
"Valen, I must concede that you are indeed the wiseass," Jacques quips and bows halfway. "I apologize for the inconvenience."
"You're all soooo funny!" Rosa and Hilda howl. "Even Silver can't hide his laughter!"
"…Humph, got me there." Silver's smugness leaking out as he approaches the short steps. "Come on Kris, let's head back onto the boardwalk."
Kris lets out a squeak. "Ah, s-sorry!" Her smile's sheepish and tight-lipped. "I'm coming!" Phew, it's not her they're laughing at.
As she runs to catch up with Silver, an image of him rocking attire from the 1400s pops up in Kris' mind. Specifically, that black robe and hat worn by Geret van Bruge in his Jorgel van Eyck portrait. ...Does that mean she should dress up as Geret's lover, Caterina Arnolfini?
Timeout! Timeout timeout timeout! The others are about to follow Gladion's lead and roast them! Pull a Silver and act indifferent! Don't poke her, Starmie!
Silver's staring at her with a flat-eyed expression. He's already gone up the stairs while she's still halfway. He shrugs and starts to scurry off, making her dash up the rest of the stairs. There's no escaping her, Silver! Give up and say that you're her best friend!
A pot hisses and sizzles atop a modern stove with an antique aesthetic, and the ticking of an oven's timer joins it for a duet. Valen keeps a close eye on both, plus he makes sure the red pasta sauce is far from the edge of the counter. He felt like having pizza for dinner too, plus how can he say no to such fine ladies like Rosa and Hilda?
A bluish glow surrounds a knife as Gardevoir motions it with her powers to chop bell, green and red peppers. The chime of silverware echoes as Hilda sorts them into groups of three.
Across the hallway, Melanie, Skyla, and Leaf are chatting in the living room. Melanie and Leaf came over just as he was starting to make dinner. Gardevoir always lends a hand, but Hilda didn't have to come trotting in. Rosa and her already took care of the Pokémon's dinner, so it's only fair that he handles the rest.
"Listen, I appreciate the help but—"
A forehead bop overrules his attempted objection, and a kiss to the lips solidifies the negation. Hilda gently nudges him aside. Words aren't needed here, for Hilda's decreed that he's going to stay back and let her handle the rest. Except he wants to help her.
"I would call you ball of fluff, but you're being Hard-Ass Hilda right now."
Hilda taps both of his cheeks. "One more word and you're butt's going on the sofa."
He pretends to not hear her, directing his gaze to the living room. His butt would already been out of the kitchen if Rosa decided to trot in. Rosa's going to bake desserts after this. All of the treat recipes were handed down to her from her mother.
Gengar waddles through the hallway, but the silly specter stops to wave at them. Once he arrives in the living room. happily closing his eyes over Luxray and Hilda's Umbreon snuggling together while watching television. Nearby, Rosa's Serperior and Jacques' Tsareena are having a chat, presumably over human food. He doesn't know what else to conclude—they're keenly focused on what's going on in the kitchen.
Gengar vanishes and re-appears to land on his back. He onto his feet and waddles a few steps, only to perform it a second time. A nudge from Starmie indicates a challenge, and the two engage in another poking battle.
Rosa's giggling over the antics as she drums her feet on the floor. He can tell joint aroma between the pasta and pizza's tingling her taste buds.
Rosa catches Valen looking her way and she blows a kiss at him. "Don't forget to eat your fair share of Roooosa's Super Special Stupendous Brownies!"
She's also giddy over the cool exhibit they've set up before dinner prep—eight vases she painted on in the style of red-figure and black-figure vases are now in the living room. They've been meticulously placed around the replica of Bernini's The Anguish of King AZ. Rounding out this cool display is a reproduction of an Etrusk black-figure vase that depicting a buff guy riding a five-headed Hydregion.
Silly her, she can gawk at the art pieces later. There's a tag team exhibition match being broadcasted from Barberini Stadium, go back to watching that with your besties. Hooray for watching with besties, and it's a good thing that the house now has a third sofa!
Pegasus Cubworth and Abeiku Akousa of the Elite Four are facing Galar's Raihan Bajya and Unova's Iris Hatem. Pegasus's Latios and Abeiku's Salamence are giving Raihan's Duraludon and Iris' Dragonite a run for their money.
Iris and Abeiku call for Dragon Claw, leading towards an intense, close-quarter skirmish between their dragons. It reminds Rosa of the many battles that Valen's Salamence and Melanie's Dragonite have had over the years. Seeing two powerful Pokémon locked in aerial combat has always been super cool to her.
Serperior slithers over for her pets, plus she's keenly eyeing the televised match. Rosa massages the Grass-type down her body, the happy humming a pleasent tune to her ears.
Kaaaay, it's time to stop playing around and ask Melanie the fashion rater some super duper mega ultra serious questions!
"Soooooooooooooooooooooooo, who's got the better sense of style?"
Jacques directs a sideways glance towards Melanie. "As one of two fashion gurus in the squad, your input would be most appreciated."
Melanie straightens out her posture and holds her chin up high. "I've long been a fan of Pegasus' red suit jacket and Abeiku's traditional Drakkon robe, but the winner's obviously Iris."
Rosa high fives Melanie. "Good pick."
"You forgot Raihan, signorina."
"He desperately needs a makeover." Melanie flips her long hair back. "Who shows up wearing that when everyone else's so stylish, huh?"
Jacques chuckles. "I forgot that you're both a fashionista and a judge."
"Don't be a wiseass like your cousin."
"Nooooooooooow, this queen decrees that Iris is gonna win the whole thing by herself!" Rosa furrows her brow and raises her fists. "Let's gooooooo, Unova!" She makes punching motions. "Wham bam pow!"
Iris may no longer be the champ, but she's developed a unique persona for the pro circuit in Unova and abroad. That kalasiris and jeweled collar is laced with ornamentation. That cape looks nice on her, and she's got a headdress fit for a pharaoh. It's an unapologetic presentation of her Osirian roots and it's super duper cool!
Salamence knocked out Duraludon with a mean Brick Break! Here comes the pinkish white beam of Luster Purge! Dragonite's countering with Double Team, but Luster Purge manages to strike its mark! Who's gonna clench the win for their duo?!
Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Valen heading towards them. Hilda must've kicked him out of the kitchen. Look at him shrug like he doesn't get it.
"Don't laugh," he teases as he sits next to her. "Gardevoir agreed with Hilda."
"Silly boy." She blows another kiss at him. "You need to relax."
Rosa's body is massaged by the warmth of his arms around her waist. She giggles as he hoists her onto his lap.
Valen plays with Rosa's long ponytails. "At least you're not a hard-ass like Hilda."
"I heard that, Val-Val!"
Rosa giggles. "She's going to get you, sweetie."
Leaf mischievously smiles. "You got in trouble!"
"You're definitely a candidate for Rosa's long lost twin."
"Except she likes the inferior deep dish pizza, you silly boy." The tables have turned on Rosa via Valen giving her a forehead bop. "I have to state the truth."
"Rosa's just jealous that I'm the winner!"
This is Leaf's first time inside Valen's house, and what an experience it is. She's heard about all the old furniture and other art pieces, but seeing them all together like this is awesome! She's never seen anybody plop a sculpture in living room like this before! The house itself bears a resemblance to her grandparents' house in Lakeview City, so there's a pinch of nostalgia present too.
"Focus on the battle—it's down to Iris vs Pegasus!" Skyla high fives Rosa with both hands. "Unovan girl power will prevail!"
"Tee-hee, that's right!" Rosa makes a peace sign over her forehead and winks. "Unovan girls, we're unbeatable!"
"Unovan girls, we're undeniable!" Skyla does the same gesture. "Go go go go!"
Since they're looking at him because he's half Unovan, Valen may as well say something too. But his devious smirk says it all.
"Woo-hoo, go." He exaggerates the deadpan in his tone, but he blocks the ensuring bop and poke. "Nice try."
"You won't be so lucky next time." Rosa grabs a portfolio off of the carved walnut table on her right. "Noooooooooooow, it's time to show Leaf my favorite portrait subject." She turns her head and flritatously winks. "I wonder who it is."
Since Rosa's decided that the seventeen portraits she's painted of him must be shown to Leaf, perhaps he's the real winner. She houses them in the first art portfolio she received from him years ago. The oldest one was painted when they were sixteen, about a year before they got together. It was her way of celebrating ten years of friendship.
She treated each one as a labor of affection, intimately crafting them with abundant verisimilitude. Much like the portraiture of Old Masters like Heinrich Holbein, Leonardo da Vinti, Raphael Sadoletto, and Sir Arnold van Dyck. Naturally, it's a badge of honor to be a frequent subject in this galluptious woman's oeuvre. It's an oeuvre that channels the Old Masters each and every time he sees a member of this prestigious congregation.
"Saaaay, why's the heart blue?!"
"Valey has dark blue eyes, so I used a darker shade of ultramarine blue to paint a big heart on the cover!" Rosa's gaze moves between the television and her works. "It was a small thanks for always believing in me!"
"Awwww, he must've been so happy!"
Yes he was, good ol' Rosa rarely fails to put at least a small smile on his face. How can anybody not smile when they see that grin?
"You painted Hilda riding on his back!"
"Tee-hee, it was too cuteeeee!" Rosa briefly flips to the next page. "I painted myself getting a piggyback ride too!" She accesses the photos on her phone. "This one's still drying!"
There he is, holding the trophy and ribbon of his most recent contest win. His confident grin and his Salamence's smug expression were captured with remarkable photorealism. She even nailed the faint hint of blushing on the flying puppy's face. He's basking in the visible tingle from Milotic's kiss to the top of his head.
The background's pitch black, like she wanted Salamence him to be in a play. This theatrical effect is a hallmark of Caravaggio's influence on her.
"Hard-Ass Hilda's coming."
Her tittering and trotting can be heard from the hallway, and she appears like a Rapidash using Agility.
"Dinner's ready!"
Rosa leaps off of his lap, but a forehead means that he's going to relax and he will like it. The bop was also on behalf of Hilda.
Not even a minute after he stands up, Skyla clears herself for take off. To be fair, he did promise her a piggyback ride, but he also didn't think it would be to the dining room. Eh, he's used to being a human taxi. Rosa's been doing it since they were fourteen. When Rosa's Serperior was a Snivy, she used to do the same to his Luxray.
Skyla hops off of his back and takes a seat next to him. Rosa and Hilda pull him onto the seat and resume splitting the food and drink with everybody. They've brought out the goblets with twisted stems and the porcelain plates lavishly decorated with ornate patters on the brim.
It's time to eat with several people close to him, plus somebody he wants to get to know better. Between this squad and the Pokémon squad, he couldn't have asked for a better group.