Wooden buildings with tiled, thatched irimoya-yane line the main plaza walkway trekking though Angel City's historical Little Johto district. Multi-story pagodas loom in the near distance, constructing a unique transition between the district and the juggernauts of downtown. These structures greet countless people and Pokémon as they experience a slice of Johtoian culture and history, a slice that was unveiled to the public in the year 1807.
The sliding doors of these structures have no time to close due to the constant traffic. The aroma of various foods, such as ramen and dumplings, caresses the noses of those who enter the restaurants. Others venture into the tea houses, but some just want to stare at meticulously manicured gardens of various shapes and sizes. A Chikorita in the nearest garden giggles at a Haunter's spree of tapping random Pokémon and vanishing afterwards.
Several pedestrians wear the traditional Johtoian clothes and accessories they've purchased from the local shops. A grinning Glaceon wearing a kanzashi and a sakuto necklace stands on its hind legs. It makes playful motion with its front paws and receives pets from its trainer. A Sylveon and a Leafeon wearing the same accessories jump up and down with glee.
Obtaining such items is Kris' main goal for the day. She's finally gotten the chance to visit with a certain someone. To her, there's no such thing as too many outfits and accessories.
"Shop shop shop shop until I've gotta stop!~" She skips along, waving at tourist and locals. "A girl from New Bark Town with a megacity to see!~" Kris sways from left to right, gawking at all of the stores. "I don't know what it holds but it won't get the best of me!~"
Her Ursaring and Silver's Crobat hum along, the latter noting that his own trainer's too grumpy to walk faster.
Indeed, Silver could care less about being left in the dust. Valen, Melanie, and Hilda entered a small tournament. Rosa's showing Leaf and Skyla around town. Good for them. Him? He could be battling or admiring the strength of Homeric protagonists, but he's stuck with this fashion and shopping loony.
Hang out with Kris they said, it would be fun they said. She's not cuckoo they said, she's perfect for him they said. Such an absolutely fantastic time he's having with his gi-FRIEND in Little Johto.
"Hurry up, Slowpoke Silvey!"
"My name's Silver."
"Whatever you say, Sil!~" She giggles at his groaning. "Come on, let's have fun together!"
"Sure, whatever." He fumbles his hands into his pockets. "Pain in my ass."
"And yet you're here with me!"
Humph, she better not get the wrong idea. He accidentally said yes and now he's stuck due to her cu-due to coincidence. At least it's Little Johto. He can just stare at this traditional Johtoian architecture to impress-DEFEAT Kris by being the strongest in sophistication.
The largest building in Little Johto is an accurate representation of Champion Nobunaga's castle that serves as a kabuki theater, a movie theatre, a fancy restaurant, a museum, and a contest hall. It's got black walls and multiple of those sloped, triangular roofs that remind him of the various shrines in Johto, such as the ones in Ilex Forest.
Paying attention to Kris gushing about the arts really paid off. He-huh? Wasn't Kris just in front of him? He does a full scan of his surroundings, but she's nowhere in sight.
Silver rapidly blinks. "Where'd she go?"
"These kimonos are so cute!"
Her voice came from inside the building left of the castle. It's another castle-like building, albeit a lot smaller and the exterior's made up of white walls. This one is...a clothing store? Seriously? How many outfits does she need? She's got like ten thousand of every type of fashion item and accessory somebody can think of.
"Whatever."
He saunters through the gate-like entrance the store attempts to spot Kris amongst the throng. Won't be easy to catch up with her because she's a Ninjask in a place like this. She better have picked up at least one kimono because there's a huge crowd in that section..
"Ooooh, I'd rock a jūnihitoe well! Silver would rock this shogun outfit like a boss!"
Silver smacks his face with his right palm. He'd sneak away but knowing his luck, somebody will be there to block his path.
Huh, it's not just a clothing store. The aisle signs mention painting prints, pottery, jewelry, posters, and other items. That's actually pretty cool, so he may as well look around too. Most of the ceramics are reproduction of ones that range the pre-feudal era to the late nineteenth century. There's even replicas of Go gaming tables from the Nara period.
Kris waves at him from the section containing the painting and prints. Her Ursaring's holding four bags, two of which are filled up.
"I want this ink painting print!" The gaze of her gleaming eyes darts around. "And this ukiyo-e print!"
No surprise that Hokusai and Hiroshige woodblock prints make up a good portion of the selection. She's going to get several Hiroshige woodblocks for Valen and Rosa. Hilda's getting a series of graphic novels that's been hard to find since release. Melanie will receive posters showcasing the Dragonite line. She's working on the rest of the squad.
As for herself, she'll get a print of the work right in front of her. Lugia's Great Wave is Hokusai's most famous woodblock print. Lugia's poking its head out of of a monstrous tidal wave that curves over the trembling ocean. The water rises into mountains and lowers into valleys as the mighty Pokémon unleashes a gale via its wings. The sky's a mixture of white and orange, and there's an empty boat caught up in the rupturing sea.
She loves how traditional ukiyo-e prints were carved by hand, each line of the artist's drawing engraved with fantastic precision. This medium was and is a team effort. so everybody must get credit.
This one's been on her want list for a while, but she never got around to it. Now's her chance. Of course, this is on top of the numerous outfits, accessories, ceramics, and jewelry she plans to bring home today. She'll come back for more prints in due time.
"I'll pay for everything."
Kris freezes for a moment, then she looks back at Silver. …Haha, her gut feeling proved to be correct. She knew Silver couldn't hide his soft side forever. However, it wouldn't be fair if he paid for four shopping bags full of items.
"That's sweet of you, but I'll take care of it." She shows him the necklace he got her, making sure everybody can see the miniature Botticelli print attached to it. "You've done more than enough."
Silver rapidly blinks and his stare is wide-eyed. Does she really think he's going to let her get away without his contribution? They're his friends too.
"Humph." A smile appears on Silver's face. "Try harder next time." He rubs her head, which makes her giggle. "At least let me pay half."
Kris nods. "That's fair."
"And let me get you another piece of jewelry."
Kris happily gasps and her eyes twinkle. "Yay, thanks!" She rapidly points to a pendant necklace with an ornate, square frame. "I want that one, Sil!"
"My name's…ah just forget it." Silver closes his eyes and his smile grows. "You can call me Sil or Silvey."
"I knew I'd win!"
She dashes while he saunters, but his grumpiness is no more. She might be a pain in the ass, but is that really a bad thing when she's great to be around? ...Okay, he really doesn't need to be pulled along like this...whatever...she's enjoying herself. That's more important.
Kris has decided to drop the bags off before meeting him in this part of town, much to his relief. Imagine if people they knew saw him…having a soft spot for her and carrying one or two giants bags. Even though her Ursaring was more than happy to carry all four.
He recalls this area quite well, mostly because Kris tends to gush about the Gengar and Typhlosion buildings. Nevertheless, he's gotta admit that they're pretty cool. The parking lot of the latter's got a sick trio of Kadillaks lowriders. All three are from the early 1970s, and each one is finished in pinstriping resembling the patterns on Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza respectively. The body colors even match the respective titans.
The other buildings have various shades of blue on their exteriors, such as Kalosian Blue and True Blue. Glass-brick walls and sun-breakers are present too, that the latter keeps these buildings from becoming too hot. It's a little bit strange how Kris really likes the buildings she calls Art Deco, but is neutral on the others. Aren't they from the same time period?
"Oooh, I haven't gotten to see this work yet!"
There she is, leaping towards a wall painting that he didn't even notice until now. How'd he miss that? She's gesturing for him to come closer. Yeah yeah yeah, he's coming. Calm down, you crazy person.
"I wasn't expecting to see something like this out in the open."
"It's a fresco by the Calvanian Fresco School and was painted by a leading muralist from the Mextavito region!"
Dating back to 1927, this cool mural depicts Yveltal dispatching a bunch of armored mercenaries who have trampled upon a lush forest where Xerneas is resting. The artist was none other Dario Rivera, a personal favorite of hers among twentieth-century artists. She studied his work extensively whenever she got the chance.
"You know, there's more to this than meets the eye." Kris interweaves her fingers in-between Silver's fingers. "For centuries, Yveltal's been used to symbolize how you can change your destiny."
He's about to say something but her fingers keeps jolting him! Does she have to hold his hand? …Ah forget it, he's enjoying the tender sensation. And on second though, there's no need to say anything when she knows he'll understand the implication. The power to change your destiny is something only strong people like him can master.
"Are you there, Silvey?"
"...Yeah...thanks." Silver's smile widens and he pats her shoulder. "Means a lot coming from you."
"Don't sweat it, Sil." she winks. "I may joke that you're out of my league but we both know that I'm the kind of girl you'd be down for.~"
"Humph, don't push your luck."
She lets go and strides off like a Sawsbuck on a grassy field. He saunters behind her like a Slowbro, but a misplaced step causes him to tumble into her and onto the grass. As if it couldn't any more awkward, their lips accidentally connect.
He backs away as fast as he can, his eyes locked onto her shocked and flushing face. Hurry up, figure out a cover story! Accidental kiss won't cut it, not when Meganium is making kissy faces!
"That's payback for nearly having a kissing session with me." Silver shuts his eyes and tries to play it cool. "Watch where you're going next time." Don't blush, just don't blush and it'll be fine.
"I already told you that was an accident." Kris folds her arms and looks away. "…But, um…I'm…kinda glad you brought that up." She squeezes her eyes shut and her face burns up. "I...want to know...if…y-you…l-liked it…and did y-you…. like this o-one too?
Silver's eyes widen and his mouth drops halfway. Thanks to her, his face's now burning up. Of course he didn't like that kiss! He didn't like this kiss either! …Okay, maybe he-absolutely not.
Meganium spirals onto the sidewalk in hysterical laughter, her watery gaze directed towards a familiar face lurking around the corner. This is about to get even funnier—she instantly recognized his blond hair and black clothes.
"That escalated quickly," Gladion calls out with a smirk. "I wonder if both were really accidents."
"Humph, put a sock in it." Silver turns his body away. "You don't even know what happened."
"You said it out loud, Silver." Gladion approaches and greets Meganium with head pats. "Your trainer and her boyfriend aren't subtle."
"Humph, Kris and I are just friends." Silver clenches his teeth, his nervous gaze moving from left to right.. "Uh…yeah…friends…don't forget it."
"And a Manaphy invited me to its natural habitat for dinner." Gladion shrugs. "Wonder which one the crew will believe more."
"You better listen to Sil." Kris crosses her arms and glares at Gladion. "Or are you feeling lucky today?"
"Careful, you're barking up the wrong Sudowoodo."
Silver will let them exchange verbal blows—he's too busy smacking his face over yet another one of Gladion's fallacious declarations. Forget Kris, this guy's the real pain in his ass.
His annoyed expression makes way for a puzzled one. Manaphy's natural habit…wait a minute! The nerve, the absolute nerve of this edgelord! Now he's laughing, how dare he! Manaphy and Phione's natural habit is allegedly the lost island of Atlantis! ATLANTIS!
Easy, take it easy. Remember, you don't like overrated edgy bands and are far more cultured than he is.
"It took you long enough to figure it out." Gladion's voice carries triumphant glee. "Kris already knew."
"Humph, I should've known you'd pull a stunt like this."
Before Gladion can witness Silver and Kris making fools out of themselves even more, his attention is grabbed by a car. Specifically, the sedan announcing itself with the angry roar of its engine. Blacked out cars are cool as hell in his book.
The car's parked next to them, the orange hair of its owner now fully visible. Gladion doesn't know how Rui's got a Charjabug SRT Houndoom but it's a good choice on her part. Go big or go home.
Silver lifts up his chin. "That thing got a Hemi, Rui?"
"Hell yeah it's got a Hemi!" Rui laughs while getting out of the car. "You expected anything less, Silver?"
Kris should've known Silver would follow Gladion's lead. She grunts in annoyance and refuses to look in Silver's direction. She was going to ask about what she should wear to dinner, but whatever. Gawk at the car, see if she cares. It's not like she really likes him or anything, idiot.
"I didn't ask to go to the circus but the circus came to me."
Everybody's attention is drawn towards the park separating two building that's directly behind them. Wes has been listening in the entire time, but why'd hide behind a tree?
Rui places her hands on her hips, her glare looking like Wes brought the wrong flavor of cookies again. She's the boss in this relationship, whether he likes it or not.
Rui storms towards Wes, asking, "Why didn't you tell us you were here sooner?"
"Because I didn't feel like it." Wes strolls onto the plaza with wide steps. "Outta the way, nagging granny."
Rui groans and crosses her arms, rolling her eyes over Wes' gleeful smirk.
"I wanted to meet up with you for this." Silver yanks a Poké Ball of of his belt. "You up for it, Wes?"
"I am, but let's make it a double battle."
"Humph, fine with me."
"Wes enjoyed his battle with Valen so much that he nearly rushed into our eventual battle." she snickers and nudges Wes with her elbow. "It was subtle at first, but I know him way too well."
"Be quiet." Wes faintly blushes and looks in the direction of the mural. "I don't know what you're talking about—do I look like the type to get excited?" Will she fall into his trap?
Rui's eyes bulge out and she scowls. "Hey, I know what you're trying to do!"
Wes fakes a perplexed expression. "What am I trying to do?"
"The pranks you've pulled on me!"
"What pranks?" Wes shrugs with a halfhearted smile. "Stop making things up."
Wes and Rui carry on with their back and forth, while Silver can't help but see Kris and himself in them. Judging by Gladion's snickering, he's probably getting some mileage outta this.
Why is there a public battlefield with the aesthetics of an Old West stadium, complete with a saloon entrance? Why is it smack dab in downtown Angel City? Who knows, but Wes finds it kinda cool. He's a fan of westerns on the big screens, plus Rui has made him partake in westerns in both PokéStar Studios in Unova and Sunset Studios in this megacity.
Speaking of Rui, she's cocking her head with a playful, taunting smirk directed at him. What goes on her mind is truly a mystery.
Silver's Feraligatr and Arcanine emerge from their respective Poké Balls, the ground shuddering under their feet. For a circus clown, Silver's got some pretty tough Pokémon. Even Feraligatr is trying too hard to act cool for Kris's Meganium, much to Arcanine's amusement.
Wes yanks a pair of Poké Balls from inside his trench coat. "Engage."
He hurls both balls upwards, his Espeon gracefully leaping over his broody Umbreon and landing with her head up high. Umbreon rolls his eyes and groans, which only serves to make Espeon giggle.
Silver leans forward and furrows his brow. "You may be top dog tonight, but they bigger they come—"
"The harder they fall!" Kris bends her elbows and tightens her fists. "Knock his socks off!"
"Humph, you don't need to tell me that," he jests as he straightens out his posture. "But thanks."
Gladion crosses his arms. "You used something Valen likes to say to try and impress Kris, didn't you?"
"Zip it." Silver glares behind him, fighting off the encroaching blushing. "Wes, let's start the battle already." He rolls his eyes at Kris and Rui, his groaning overshadowed by their laughter. "Please."
"That's what I'm waiting for."
"Right…my bad." Silver slides a hand into his pocket. "Arcanine, use Extreme Speed," he commands. "Feraligatr, use Work Up."
Arcanine charges towards Umbreon and Espeon with great speed, appearing to vanish and re-appear in the blink of an eye. His teammate's enveloped by a red aura and he roars over his increased power.
"Alright, hit em with Hydro Pump and Fire Blast."
Feraligatr shoots out a torrential jet stream of water and Arcanine spits out a powerful formation of flames that are in the shape of kanji.
"Umbreon, use Double Team." Wes cocks his head while smugly smiling. "Espeon, use Light Screen."
Espeon's eyes glow violet and she creates an rectangular barrier that blocks the torrent, albeit the force of the attack slightly pushes her backwards. At the same time, an squadron of Umbreon clones surrounds Arcanine. Several of the clones are vanquished by the fiery formation, but Umbreon taunts that Arcanine's going to need more than that.
"Now it's our turn." Wes grins and folds his arms. "Psychic and Dark Pulse."
Espeon's eyes glow light blue and she unleashes a massive storm surge of energy. Umbreon and each of its clones launch of flurry of circles that resemble the ring on the black quadruped's head.
The blue surge blows Feraligatr and Arcanine backwards, despite their best attempts to hold their ground. However, the attack ends up slamming them into each other. That sends them stumbling, the streams of circles coming in hot and pelting them relentlessly.
"Throat Chop."
Umbreon's front paws are enveloped by an ominous purple aura. He leaps up and does a backflip, jabbing Arcanine under the jaw. He swerves and does the same to Feraligatr. As they reel, Umbreon does another backflip to land next to his teammate. He boasts to her that two can play at that game. Espeon simply giggles and waves her front paws dismissively.
"Not bad," Silver remarks with a lopsided smirk. "Use Flamethrower and Ice Punch."
"Counter with Psybeam and Shadow Ball."
Arcanine launches a crimson stream of swirling flames and Feraligatr's left fist glows frost white. Espeon fires a multicolored beam from her gem and Umbreon ejects a black and purple sphere of energy.
Silver's smirk grows into a grin. "Switch."
Arcanine and Feraligatr swing their bodies to the right and left respectively, resulting in wide-eyed expressions on Umbreon and Espeon's faces.
Flamethrower blasts Umbreon just under his jaw and he lets out a yelp. Flames appear and envelops his body, while his teammate's sent toppling onto the battlefield.
"…Clever." Wes crosses his arms. "You're a formidable opponent."
"You too, but here comes another Hydro Pump."
"You aren't getting lucky this time!" Wes declares. "Umbreon, Confuse Ray!"
Umbreon snarls, his eyes glowing with an ominous yellow aura. The same aura grabs Feraligatr and makes him see Staryu.
Feraligatr swirls around like the jet stream of water he's firing, and his attack strikes Arcanine instead.
"Use Psybeam and Shadow Ball."
Espeon blasts Arcanine with a multicolored beam, then quickly swings her body to strike Feraligatr before the beam can evaporate. As his teammates and him reels, Arcanine's nearly sent upwards by a black and purple sphere.
"Throat Chop!"
Umbreon's front paws glow purple again and he jabs Feraligatr, pushing the reptilian's chin upwards and sending him stumbling backwards.
Silver tightens a fist and furrows his brow. "We aren't going down like that!" He swings his right hand forward, then backwards. "Arcanine, Dragon Pulse!"
A crimson red sphere made up of flames swirls inside of Arcanine's mouth. Arcanine launches the sphere and it morphs into a dragon-shaped beam. The beam expands into a massive flaming dragon, it's atheistic a combination of lava and molten rock.
Wind shrieks and ripples everybody's clothes. The dragon formation blasts into both Umbreon and Espeon at a high velocity, hurling them behind Wes. Espeon manages to stay on her feet, albeit barely, but Umbreon topples and wallops the ground.
Wes' mouth gapes halfway, twisting his body and fixating his gaze towards his Pokémon. Umbreon's panting, but his glare indicates that he wants to go down with a bang. Good thing that the area's spacious enough for a big finish—several of the fields in Phenac City are too narrow in space to go all out in.
"Umbreon, Giga Impact!"
Umbreon's able to get up on all fours. A white oval with black streaks encases him and he hurls himself like a missile towards Arcanine. The canine's hurled behind Silver and crashes onto the ground.
Arcanine's able to stagger back onto his feet, and everybody except Sliver looks on in surprise. Arcanine tells Feraligatr to fall back because he wants to go down with a bang too, to which Feraligatr nods.
"Use Flare Blitz."
Arcanine's enveloped by a crimson red fireball and he careens like a meteor in the atmosphere. The full force of the attack tosses Umbreon into Espeon, sending them both landing on their undersides. Arcanine's surrounded by flames that resemble static. He clenches his teeth and leans forward with one eye closed.
Espeon slowly gets back up, but Umbreon's down for the count. As their trainer recalls him, Espeon promises Umbreon that she'll win this battle. Suddenly, a loud thud echoes due to Arcanine tumbling onto his belly. He's got a satisfied grin on his face, much like the one she saw on Umbreon's face a second ago.
Wes and Silver recall Umbreon and Arcanine respectively, smiling over their performances. But there's still one standing on both sides, time to see who'll take home the win.
"Use Shadow Claw."
Feraligatr roars, crossing its arms as his claws glow purple. He lunges towards Espeon and, who giggles and jumps to avoid a double strike.
Each time Feraligatr attempts to land a blow, Espeon leaps up from spot to spot like a pogo stick. Feraligatr nearly hits his mark by rapidly moving his claws, but Espeon does backflips to avoid the flurry of slashes.
A grin re-appears on Wes' face, but it's wider and more lopsided. "Got you where I want you," he declares with rodomontade. "Use Zap Cannon."
The gem on Espeon's forehead glows bluish green, and she launches a large, spherical beam that crackles like a stormy sky. Feraligatr's blasted in his midsection and is sent flying close to the edge of the arena. He kneels halfway with his eyes closed, static surrounding his body.
"Grass Knot."
As her eyes glow light green, Espeon thanks Feraligatr for a good battle. Giant vines sprout from the ground and converge onto Feraligatr. They cause him to topple over onto his back, but he tries to get back up. A tense silence befalls the battlefield, only coming to a halt when Feraligatr falls back onto the ground.
Espeon might be panting, but Wes knows that she'll still demand pets from him. He strokes her back and she licks his hand like a puppy. He overhears Silver commending Feraligatr for his performance. Silver may look grumpy but he's a good dude.
With each great battle he partakes in and witnesses, Wes is getting more and more fired up for his battle against Rui. He's been practicing for it, perhaps it's time to set the date.
"I've got to avenge Silver!" Kris turns her body sideways and points toward Rui. "I challenge you."
"Hahahahaha, I'll beat you in half that time!" Rui sticks her tongue out and makes two peace signs horizontally. "Rui's gonna give it to ya!"
Silver and Wes step off of the field, joining a deviously plotting Gladion. Kris and her Meganium dashing past the former. Rui tosses a ball into the air, and out comes her Heracross.
The ensuing battle plays like a slow motion movie in Wes' mind, but it shifts into a prequel featuring Espeon facing her Heracross for the first time. His irresolute feelings are diminishing—he's actually regaining what he thought he had lost. He's also been thinking about paying Orre a visit, but one thing at a time.
Is a loss truly a loss when one sees two people near and dear to their heart brimming with elation? For Valen, the answer's no. Win, lose, whatever. He just wants to chill on this sofa in Melanie's bungalow, having a chat with his old rival and his newest friend.
Melanie and Hilda's eyes are glued to the recording of Garchomp and Dragonite going toe-to-toe with each other. The repeated collisions of Dragon Rush was reminiscent to one of Rosa and Hilda's battles a little while ago. That battle helped him to find the person he thought he had lost.
They're sitting in another one of Melanie's four sofas, six towering bookshelves lurking behind them. Each sofa had a rosewood frame finished in darker brown vinyl and vibrant orange fabric. They're arranged in a rectangular formation, plus there's a lone plush armchair for Melanie.
"I can't believe I won!" Hilda hops up and down. "Battling's so much fun!" Her palms are folded in front of her right shoulder. "I want to have more battles!"
Melanie rests her palms on her hips. "It could've easily been different." Her grin fully exposes her teeth. "I'd have faced him in the finals if Emboar's Blaze didn't activate."
"I knoooow, but I'd still be elated!"
Her match against Melanie in the finals was recorded by Valen, who's chatting with Lisia and Ragnar in the sofa across from then. The recording would've ended when he joined them, but Ragnar recorded the rest. They made sure that the crowd cheered for him with equal fervor. He would've done the same thing—this is somewhat of a tradition among them and the squad.
If that wasn't enough, Val-Val and Lisia became friends super quick. How awesome is that?! It's a repeat of how soon he befriended her!
When he sat down next to her that day, he didn't even bring up the fact that she's a celeb couple's daughter. He was solely focused on her interests, her goals, her favorite food, it was all about her. That was the start of a beautiful friendship that later blossomed into something magnificent.
Her eyes move down towards her diamond-lace necklace, specifically the ruby with a flexing Emboar engraved on both sides. It's hard not to think about him when staring at it—he was and is the absolute sweetest thing.
She wants to hear more of this performing arts discussion, but she also has something important to tell her beloved.
"Val-Val, I'll never cease to be proud of your ability to take losses in stride."
"Hearing those words means that I still won." Not to mention that Rosa texted him a bunch of grin emojis and a cute selfie. "Come here for your second victory hug."
"Hehe, Tackle attack!"
Hilda jumps onto his lap and he pulls her closer. He places a hand on Hilda's back and runs his other hand through her dark brown hair. She wastes no time in wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"I've defeated the first place winner with the power of love."
"Hehe, now I'll re-claim first place with Giga Snuggle!" She nudges his upper chest with her forehead. "Feel Hilda's might!"
"Ahhhhhh, help me!" Valen fakes a scared expression. "Whatever will I do?!"
Hilda rests a hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around her and he massages her back.
"Girl no matter what I'll always be your king," he melodiously whispers into Hilda's right ear. "Cuz I know your love's the same."
"And what else?"
"And you're a living Renaissance masterpiece."
Hilda smugly closes her eyes. "That's what I thought, goofball."
"Can you two not send me to the dentist?" Melanie chuckles. "How do you feel, big guy?"
"Still uncertain, but my mind's slowly painting a picture." Valen leans back against the sofa. "But I had a lotta fun, so placement doesn't matter."
"Awesomeeeeeeee!" Hilda drums on his shoulders. "Keep up that positive attitude and you'll be rocking everybody's pants off!" She points at him and winks. "No frowning allowed!"
"Heh, can do."
Just like last time, he felt, and can still feel, an abnormality of detachment over his placement. It was a lesser case this time, but this has never happened before. Are tournaments no longer for him? Or is he so confused that irregular feelings are popping up?
A static-like jolt from Hilda's caressing tingles him back into focus. He should get back to the conversation before anybody else worries about him.
"You were all so so so awesome!" Lisia high fives everybody one by one. "Just the way I like it, and I love love love this bungalow's interior!"
"It's my interior, so of course you would," Melanie quips with a silly smile. "Kidding, kidding."
Valen turns towards Lisia. "Hey, you haven't told me your dream."
"I will travel across the land, dazzling far and wide!" Lisia makes a sideways peace sign and peeks in-between it. "I'll show that anyone can be a star if they just get up and try!"
"You really are similar to Rosa and Hilda," he remarks. "The most similar person that I've ever met."
"That means we're gonna be ultra good friends!"
"Heh, that's fine with me," Valen says. "So, what led you into the performing arts?"
"It screamed my name." Lisia folds her hands on her lap. "I started as purely a trainer, but I realized that gyms and leagues weren't for me," she explains. "I hail from a family of coordinators, composers, and dancers. I've been into all of that since I was little."
"We're similar in that regard—the arts are like a family business for my mom's side. "I've been studying art and history since I was six.""
"Ooooh, that's super cool!" Lisia's eyes light up. "Uncle Wallace's a huge art lover, but you already knew that!"
"Indeed."
"What's your backstory?!" Lisia cups her hands together. "I want to know lots more!"
"Well…even as a kid, I felt that being myself would benefit me in the long run." Valen leans back and his eyes meet the ceiling. "You see, I struggled to fit in," he admits. "Especially with the other boys."
Lisia's smile departs to make room for a perplexed expression. "You seem pretty outgoing to me."
"It wasn't always like that." he shrugs. "I tried, they tried, but my interests didn't match up." A sideways glance is directed towards Melanie. "She became defacto leader of the neighborhood girls, but she would invite me if they went somewhere that I liked." He fist bumps Ragnar. "And overtime, I was able to improve my ability to befriend guys."
"How'd you meet Melanie?"
"We met at age five—she had just moved from the Nordica region." Valen flashes a soft, nostalgic smile. "Saw her sitting by herself so I got two juice bottles."
"I still picture that in my mind at times." Melanie rubs the top of his head. "Any guy who wants has to accept that he'll always be a big part of my life."
"I got lucky with Rosa and Hilda." His gaze darts toward Melanie. "Maybe you'll get lucky too."
"We'll see." She shows off the Samurott engravings on the sapphire that hangs from her own diamond-lace necklace. "Last I checked, my favorite necklace came from you."
"You more than deserved a nice gift, and I didn't want to leave you out."
"I know that, doofus."
"Hehe, he forgot that I'm right here." Hilda bops Valen's forehead, but the return bop means he's looking for a fight. "Big mistake."
They attempt to push the other's hands backward, but a stalemate ensues. They narrow their eyes and lock glares. Valen uses this moment to surprise Hilda with a few kisses on her lips. She instantly returns the favor and he gets pressed into the sofa.
"Seriously, this is Gigantamax level of sweetness." Melanie flicks both of their heads, them she walks towards the front door. "And they're here."
Hilda leaps off of Valen's lap to join Melanie. The duo high five each other with their gazes slightly directed towards Valen, Ragnar, and Lisia. It's all part of the plan—Rosa and them had a video chat with Ragnar yesterday.
Valen, Ragnar, and Lisia smile at the sight of the lively conversation between the quintet.
"Heh, guess Leaf and Skyla wanted a bonus tour." Ragnar's facing him. "What's up?"
"You know, there's a lot of potential for you to make a big difference," Ragnar tells Valen. "The general public could really use somebody like you to inform them about art and history."
"You mean…like an EeveeTube channel?"
"Something like that, plus your two unpublished books and series of essays. "Ragnar stands up and approaches Valen. "I know you've had a hard time deciding on the field." He pats Valen's shoulder. "Fate and destiny might have a different plan for you."
"That's a great idea!" Lisia folds her hands under her chin. "Anyone can become a star in anything if they put their mind, heart, and soul into it!" She hops up and spins. "And you more than excel at that, Valen!" She raises a fist above he head. "You're among the coordinators whose passion really tugs my heart!"
Valen pauses for a moment to let their works sink in. It's kinda embarrassing didn't even think about bridging the gap, but Lisia's right.
"Thanks for the support."
"Anytime."
"We're now besties, silly!"
Here comes Rosa in all of her adorable and prepossessing glory. Oh nooooo, he's sooooo scared. Such a menacing grin, ahhhhhhhh.
"Grrrr, feel Rosa's power!" She hops onto his lap and wraps her arms around his neck. "There's no time to question our moves, we stick to the path that we choose!" A soothing current flows through her thanks to his hands on her back. "We're all smiles day and night, but we'll never run away from a fight!"
"To brighten the world is our dream!" Hilda bends her elbows and places her fists in front of her shoulders. "And all we've got to do is believe!"
Heeey, it just hit her that Val-Val came to trust Lisia as quickly as he came to trust her. That was even in lieu of the agency's uncertain future! This is an even bigger win for Expert Trainer Hilda!