Episode 6: A Date With Lacey
It was nearly the end of Salma and Antonio's second week at Blueberry Academy. Before the two even knew it, Friday was here again and the weekend was coming up.
The rest of their second week had been busy, consisting of nothing but training and battling against other students. News had spread quickly of Salma and Antonio's battle with Chloe and now it seemed as if all the other students at Blueberry Academy wanted a piece of the pie. The students put up a good fight, but none had prevailed against the Nocedas. It was like once the two got going, they were an unstoppable pair and no Pokémon was too strong for them to handle. Sometimes they'd used Braixen and Vibrava to build up their strength for their next evolution, other times they used their other Pokémon. Their latest battle had seen Salma and Antonio taking on a trainer whose team consisted of Electivire, Rhyperior and Magmortar. Using only Ceruledge and Palafin while her brother used Meowscarada and Tinkaton, the battle had been won quite easily, the Nocedas barely even struggling against the student's Pokémon. Some of the students were League Club members who, for reasons nobody could understand, were loyal to Kieran and anytime they'd lost, they'd reported to him to let him know on how Salma was getting on. The Kitakami teen was quietly pleased to hear his arch-rival wasn't slacking by any means.
"Keep informing me anytime she wins." Kieran ordered, "I want to know how strong she continues getting. I will only face her at her best."
"Of course Kieran." said one student.
"I think you should keep an eye on her brother too." another student added, "I thought he was as milquetoast as they come, but he's no pushover!"
"No kidding! That Tinkaton of his is a menace!" shrieked another student.
Kieran scoffed at the mere suggestion that Antonio was any good. He remembered seeing Antonio battle back in Kitakami and he was practically a footnote in any of the battles that took place while Salma and Carmine had done all the hard work.
"He's being carried by Salma, that's all it is. He's no threat." the BBA Champion snorted, "The fact you're losing to him is only down to Salma."
"I disagree Kieran." said the first student, "When I battled him, he defeated my Dodrio with zero help from Salma. She focused entirely on my Krookodile and never once helped him beat Dodrio."
"That's because you're weak." Kieran snapped, "Even a nobody like him could beat you with ease, so that proves nothing. You watch, the first time he faces anybody without Salma's help, he'll go down in seconds."
He would have to wait to be proven right on that claim for the Nocedas had no intention of battling today. It was Saturday and they wanted to enjoy a nice, quiet day to themselves with no training or battling. They felt their Pokémon had earned a good rest after a hard week's worth of training. Kieran may not believe in a day-off, but Salma and Antonio did as they believed a Pokémon couldn't fight to the best of its abilities if it was too exhausted to do so. The two had decided to spend their day-off in the Coastal Biome. They'd spent so long in the Savannah that they thought it would be nice to explore the other biomes. The Coastal Biome was the most beautiful part of the Terarium in the eyes of many, and the Nocedas were inclined to agree. With its beach-like atmosphere, artificial breeze to stimulate the feeling of being near the coast on a warm summer's day, big rocky mountain centre with costal islands surrounding it and open seas, Salma and Antonio felt more at home here than in the Savannah Biome. If they didn't look up at the Terarium Core in the ceiling or see any of the colourful blocks that separated the biomes, they'd almost feel as if they were back in Paldea. Salma and Antonio found a good spot on the beach where they'd get plenty of the artificial sunlight that provided the warmth the biome needed for its costal atmosphere and set a blanket down each to lie on. The two lay back and allowed themselves to sink in the peaceful atmosphere of the Coastal Biome. Their Pokémon were all out of their balls to join them in their relaxation. Salma currently had Ceruledge, Vibrava, Revavroom, Fire Breed Tauros, Kilowattrel and Baxcalibur while Antonio had Meowscarada, Braixen, Ambipom, Gliscor, Glimmora and Farigiraf. Miraidon and Koraidon were with them as well. Artificial currents allowed the water to stimulate real seawater with actual rolling waves and everything, which made it feel as if the two were on a beach back home. Salma found it ironic that they were here listening to the sounds of an artificial sea when the Terarium itself was underneath the real ocean. Real or not, the rolling sea sounded very relaxing and Salma sighed contently.
"This is lovely. I could get used to this." Salma said softly.
"Feels good to unwind after a lot of training lately, huh?" Antonio asked.
"Si. Nothing beats a day of rest at the end of the week, I say." Salma said contently.
"If only we could convince Nemona of that." Antonio joked.
"A day not battling is a day wasted in that knucklehead's mind, I know." Salma giggled, "I can only imagine how she'd react if she saw this place for real."
She could already picture Nemona going gaga over all the Pokémon roaming wild in the Terarium and all the students attending the school that had their own Pokémon to battle with. People and Pokémon to battle with to her heart's content: it would be her idea of paradise for sure! Thinking of her girlfriend made Salma feel a sudden twinge of sadness come over her. She was having a good time here at the Academy, but she missed Nemona very much. If only she could've been an exchange student too. Her time here would be even more fun if Nemona was there to join her. She turned onto her side so Antonio wouldn't see her looking sad. She didn't want him to fuss over her, not when they were supposed to be taking it easy.
"After the weekend's over, we'll be back to training. Then I think I'll be ready to take on the League." Salma declared.
"Any ideas who you want to start with?" Antonio asked curiously.
"I don't suppose it really matters. They'll all be strong trainers." Salma murmured thoughtfully, "They're the Elite Four, they'll all be a challenge."
She mulled the options over in her head.
"I might fight Crispin first." the purple-haired teen deduced, "Fire-types are easy to counter and I have plenty of options against Fire-types, so he should be the easiest one to beat."
"But remember, it won't be like facing some normal trainer or Fire-type Gym Leader, this is an Elite Four Fire-type specialist." Antonio warned, "He won't be easy."
"I know. I bet even a team of Water-types wouldn't beat him with ease." Salma acknowledged, "Good thing I have more options than just Water-types to choose from."
"So if you fight Crispin first, who will you fight next?" Antonio inquired.
Salma shrugged.
"Doesn't really matter." she deduced, "But I DO know that I'm saving Drayton for last. He's a Dragon-type specialist, that makes him the strongest of the Elite Four by default. I need all the prep time I can get with him!"
"Well no matter what order you fight the Elite Four in, I'm sure you'll beat them all." her younger brother said supportively, "And I'll be supporting you all the way."
Salma turned over to face Antonio. She smiled warmly in gratitude at her brother's support.
"Gracias hermanito." she said kindly, "I really don't know how I'd cope without you by my side."
Antonio beamed with pleasure. He loved it when his sister said kind things like that to him. With nothing else to talk about, the Nocedas closed their eyes and allowed themselves to drift off to sleep, the sound of the sea gently lulling them into a world of slumber. If any place was a good place for a nap, this was it. But they weren't asleep for long. About fifteen minutes later, the two were catapulted awake by the sudden sound of crashing and thunderbolts. Their Pokémon looked around wildly, worried that they were under attack. Salma and Antonio jumped up and scanned their surroundings. There were no Pokémon fighting on the beach, so the noise had to be coming from somewhere else. Then Salma noticed electricity crackling up on a hill nearby.
"There it is!" she directed, "There must be a battle going on! Let's check it out."
"It sounds intense! I wonder who's fighting…" Antonio murmured.
They returned all their Pokémon and jumped on the Raidons to quickly ride over to the scene. They reached the top of the hill and found themselves entering the Costal Plaza. It was similar to the Central Plaza in the middle of the Terarium, but much smaller. It served the same purpose: providing an arena for people to have a Pokémon battle together. When Salma and Antonio arrived, they saw that indeed a battle was occurring in the Costal Plaza. To Antonio's delight, it was Lacey who was in battle at this very moment. The Elite Four member was battling one of her elite trainers, a young boy named Tony. He was using a Pikachu and a Luvdisc, a pairing that was considered very unorthodox as neither Pokémon was known for being particularly powerful. Lacey was using an Excadrill and an Alcremie. The Nocedas were surprised she wasn't using Plusle and Minun again, but they quickly realized that she must be using other Pokémon in her party. At the moment, Lacey was clearly winning. Excadrill and Alcremie were still fighting fit but Pikachu and Luvdisc were looking exhausted, close to passing out.
"This has been an adorable battle Tony, but I'm afraid we must bring this to a close." Lacey announced, "Excadrill, hit Pikachu with High Horsepower! Alcremie, use Giga Drain on Luvdisc!"
Excadrill's body glowed orange and he lowered his head. He stampeded towards Pikachu, moving at the speed of an express train. Pikachu looked as if it wasn't going to be able to dodge in time. But Luvdisc jumped in Pikachu's way and blocked both Excadrill and Alcremie's attacks with Protect. Now the attack had been blocked, Luvdisc used Baby-Doll Eyes in a vain attempt to lower Excadrill's Attack. That didn't deter Lacey at all as Alcremie simply used Decorate to boost his attack back up. Alcremie created a swirl of cream that formed around Excadrill's head and the mole Pokémon received a boost to his Attack and Special Attack. Tony ordered Pikachu to use Volt Tackle on Alcremie but Excadrill intercepted. Pikachu charged straight into Excadrill and did no damage whatsoever as his Ground-typing nullified Electric attacks. Pikachu only damaged itself in the end. Luvdisc tried to retaliate by using Sweet Kiss to try and confuse Excadrill, but the mole Pokémon dodged and Alcremie used Giga Drain to sap away its health. The love Pokémon was knocked out by the attack, leaving Pikachu as the last mon standing against Lacey. Pikachu tried to use Volt Tackle on Alcremie again but Excadrill intercepted just like last time, standing in Pikachu's way to nullify the attack. But instead of standing there and taking it, he rushed towards Pikachu with High Horsepower. Excadrill ploughed straight into Pikachu and sent it hurling backwards across the arena. He crashed into a wall and slumped on the floor, groaning heavily as it passed out. Lacey was the clear winner of the battle and the other League Club members cheered for the Elite Four member.
"Go Lacey!"
"That was one sweet victory!"
"She's the best!"
"No wonder she's in the Elite Four!"
"I wanna marry her!"
"She's the cutest, and so are her Pokémon!"
Salma and Antonio cheered as well. They were very impressed with Lacey's battle skills and only wished they'd been able to see the whole fight so they could've watched more of her in action. Tony returned his Pokémon and sighed sadly.
"Beaten again!" he whined, "I don't know why I bother battling you Lacey! Neither of us are ever going to be at your level!"
Lacey returned her Pokémon and smiled sweetly at Tony.
"Now, now, let's have none of this defeatist attitude Tony." she said sternly, "That's just NOT right. No one ever gets anywhere by giving up. You should take every loss you go through as a learning experience so you'll get better next time! As daddy would tell me, any loss a trainer has can be turned into a victory later."
"But you've kicked my ass at least eight times as of now and I'm still no closer to beating you than the first time I've battled you." Tony muttered.
"And you think just throwing in the towel will help matters?" Lacey retorted, "Bzzzt, nope! Wrong! You need to re-evaluate your strategies, train to battle in different ways and have faith in your Pokémon. Keep trying Tony, and I assure you you'll succeed one day."
"She's right!" cried one trainer, "You think she became as good as she is overnight?"
"Quite right there!" Lacey concurred, "I went through much trial and error before I became as skilled as I am today. I wouldn't be the Elite Four member I am now if I gave up after a few losses."
The trainers clapped in support. Antonio smiled and gazed with admiration at Lacey. Not only was she very pretty, but she was very sweet and kind too. Was she naturally this lovely or did she have to work at it? He wanted more than ever to be with her and be more than friends with the Unovan teen. Lacey was just making her way out of the Costal Plaza, her trademark pink coat billowing out behind her as she walked. She waved and bowed politely to her supporters as she walked out. But as she turned to wave to another trainer, she suddenly caught sight of Salma and Antonio and she recoiled in surprise. The Nocedas gasped, more alarmed by Lacey's sudden reaction than anything.
"Oh goodness me! You startled me!" Lacey exclaimed, "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you two were here as well!"
"No, no, it's OK, we kinda showed up unannounced." Salma said sheepishly, "We heard the battle that was going on and arrived just in time to see the end of it."
"Well that's fortunate!" Lacey teased, "I'd hate for you to see me in action for real before me and you get to face off in the BB League!"
"Nah, I wouldn't cheat like that." Salma insisted, "You looked real cool out there I have to say. Those Pokémon of yours were so strong!"
"That's my Excadrill and Alcremie for you, powerful and adorable! That's the way I love my Pokémon!" Lacey simpered, clasping her hands together.
"I think you're powerful and adorable too…" Antonio mumbled.
He gasped in shock, unable to believe he'd actually said that out loud. Lacey didn't seem much amused by the comment. She put her hands together in an X shape and frowned.
"Bzzzt! Nope! Wrong! We're talking about my POKÉMON!" she shouted.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was only trying to compliment you. Please don't be mad!" Antonio begged feebly.
Lacey quickly dropped back to her usual sweet smile and her attitude softened.
"I understand. Don't worry about it Antonio." she said kindly, "I'm not mad. So what have you two been up to?" she inquired.
"We were having a day-off until we heard your battle." Salma informed, "What was that, a training exercise or something?"
"It was just one of my elite trainers challenging me for my spot in the Elite Four." Lacey answered, "In each biome, we have students who challenge Elite Four members for a chance to take over. So far, us four have remained as we are."
"You must be strong trainers if no one can take your spots." Antonio said with admiration.
"How about you Salma? When will you take on the BB League?" Lacey asked, "We've all been waiting for you to get started."
"I was thinking the end of next week. Is that OK or would you rather I started sooner?" Salma asked.
"No, take your time. We just want some idea on when you plan to go ahead." Lacey said reassuringly, "Say, since you two are having a day-off, how would you like to join me for a little afternoon tea?", she offered, "Me and my Pokémon love to wind down with some sweet, soothing tea after a fight."
Salma was about to accept the offer, but she hesitated for a second. As kind as it was for Lacey to offer, maybe it was better if she declined and let Antonio go with her. He knew Antonio was clearly crushing on the pink-haired girl, so this would be an opportunity for the two to spend some time together and maybe beginning sowing the seeds of romance between them. Of course, it might not happen, but she had to try. Antonio certainly had no chance of getting anywhere with Lacey if she left it up to him! The poor boy would be stuck stammering like an idiot every time he tried to so much as talk to her.
"That's very kind of you to offer Lacey, but I'm gonna have to say no to that." Salma said quickly, "I…uh…just remembered I have a very important assignment I have to catch up on! Yeah, that's it! Can't be late with that or else the teacher will roast me alive!"
"Oh dear, you best get on with it then!" Lacey exclaimed, "I'd hate for you to get in trouble."
"But Salma, we haven't got any…" Antonio began.
Salma quickly shushed him and pulled him close.
"I'm doing this for you, you doofus!" she hissed, "This is me giving you a chance to spend some time with Lacey!"
Antonio's eyes widened as realization hit him. He understood what his sister was up to and he winked at her. It was times like this where considered himself lucky to have an awesome sister like Salma. He turned back to Lacey.
"I'm still available if that's OK." he said shyly, "I've not got anything going on today."
"By all means, do come!" Lacey said cheerily, "It's a pity Salma can't join us."
"Lo siento amigo, but schoolwork must come first." Salma said with a shrug, "Antonio, you be a good boy for Lacey and don't cause trouble, OK?" she added, playfully ruffling her brother's hair.
"Salma, don't treat me like a little kid!" Antonio whined, "I'll be good, you know I will!"
"Oh I'm sure." Salma agreed, "Do tell me how your date goes later on, OK?"
Lacey raised an eyebrow in confusion. Salma didn't realize what she'd just said until seconds later and she gasped in shock.
"Day! I meant to say "day"! Lo siento, I meant "do tell me how your DAY goes"!" she said quickly, "Uh, gotta go! Important assignment! Veeeeery important! Ciao! Bye!"
And with that, the Champion ranked trainer was off like a bolt of lightning, leaving Antonio and Lacey standing alone together in the plaza. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Lacey suddenly giggled. Antonio blushed, both embarrassed by Salma's behaviour and by Lacey suddenly laughing. He thought she had the most adorable giggle he'd ever heard.
"Your sister's a strange one, isn't she?" Lacey chortled, "Is she usually this quirky?"
"You should see her when she's around Nemona." Antonio said in exasperation, "It's like all normality goes out the window with those two! Anyone who sees them can believe they're girlfriends with how adorkable they are."
"Oh, she has a girlfriend?" Lacey said in surprise, "That's adorable! How long have they been dating? How cute is their romance?"
"Eh…you're better off hearing it from Salma than me." Antonio said meekly, "So uh…we're having tea together?" he asked.
"Oh goodness! I almost forgot about that!" Lacey exclaimed, "Please, this way."
The Elite Four member led Antonio out of Central Plaza and to her own personal camping spot. As Antonio followed the young girl, he felt his heart beginning to race and his face becoming warm with anxiety. This was his chance to make a good impression for Lacey! He couldn't afford to screw things up! He surveyed the scene before him. Lacey had her own spot in the Costal Biome all to herself with her own round picnic table set with a neat, frilly, pink table cloth, a frilly parasol set up to shade her from the sun and as usual, her own personal tea set sat neatly in the middle of the table. There were soft, velvet cushions for her Pokémon to sleep on. Excadrill and Alcremie were brought out of their Pokéballs so they could rest on the cushions after their earlier work out. Antonio remembered it from the first time he and Salma had had tea with Lacey earlier in the week. The girl was not only a prim and proper lady, but she was very neat with how she set up her camping spot. He imagined the table cloth was washed and ironed at the end of every week just to keep it looking as clean as it did. Lacey clearly liked to live a life free of dirt, untidiness and disorganization. Lacey guided Antonio over to the table and politely offered him a seat while she made the tea. Antonio took his seat and watched as the Unovan teen started a fire. She brought out another Pokémon of her's, this one being a Galarian Slowbro, and had it use a small Flamethrower on a pile of sticks to start the fire. Once the fire got going, Lacey returned Slowbro and placed the kettle on top of the cooling rack. The flames licked the underneath of the kettle. Antonio wasn't surprised to see her boiling the water like this. There was nowhere to plug in an electric kettle in Terarium as the biomes had to look as authentic as possible. Anyone who wanted to cook out in the big dome would have to use outdoor camping techniques such as this.
He wondered how often Lacey made tea this way given she seemed to be down here very often. A few minutes later, the kettle was boiled and Lacey put in a teabag to give the tea some flavour. Antonio picked up a faint, perfume smell coming from the teabags. Lacey liked her tea perfumed rather than traditional. She'd made it this way before, so Antonio guessed this was her favourite way to make tea. She poured some into a bowl for Excadrill and Alcremie to drink. Lacey always served her Pokémon first before serving herself and her guests, feeling it was polite to let the Pokémon to have the first serving. She looked to Antonio.
"Tea?" she asked politely.
"Si, por favor." Antonio said shyly, trying not to blush.
"You know, I find it so cute when you and Salma speak Paldean like that." Lacey said with awe.
"Oh, y-y-you d-do? Uh…th-that's n-nice of you to say." Antonio said bashfully, "Q-quite a lot of f-foreigners s-say the P-Paldean accent and language is p-pretty attractive."
"They're right to say so!" Lacey giggled in agreement.
She poured some tea into Antonio's cup. Antonio picked up the cup and held it close to his lips. He enjoyed the sweet, perfume scent of the tea as it helped him to ease his nerves. He told himself repeatedly in his mind to keep his cool and not act like a fool in front of Lacey.
"Can I offer you any cookies as well?" Lacey asked kindly.
"Oh? Oh, yeah, yeah, cookies will be fine, thank you." Antonio said quickly.
"Want any cream on them?" Lacey asked.
"Si, por favor." Antonio said eagerly, "That stuff is delicious, how can I say no?"
Alcremie sounded delighted to be getting the chance to share some cream with someone. She hopped up from her cushion and onto the table. Antonio picked out a couple of cookies from the cookie jar on Lacey's tea set and he placed them down on his plate. Alcremie formed a blob of cream from her hands and placed it over each cookie. This particular Alcremie was the Ruby Swirl flavour with blueberry sweets in her "hair", so her cream always had a sweet taste with a hint of blueberry to it. Salma had joked that Alcremie was a visual representation of the academy itself given the blueberry sweets and how the academy was named Blueberry Academy, something Lacey confirmed was the actual reason behind why she'd decorated Alcremie this way. Antonio had never seen an Alcremie until he'd seen Lacey's as they weren't native to Paldea, and already he was sure this was one of his favourite new Pokémon he'd met during his stay at Blueberry Academy. Antonio picked up one of the cream-coated cookies and ate it. The taste was unlike anything he'd ever tasted before. Lacey baked her own cookies and it was clear to him she was very good at it. In his eyes, it was better than any cookie he'd ever eaten in his life. The Alcremie cream only made it even better.
"You really do make the best cookies ever Lacey." Antonio complimented.
"You think so?" Lacey said graciously. "You're too kind. Pretty much all of my friends say the same thing."
"They must be good then if I'm not the only one who thinks that." Antonio joked, "Did you learn to bake them yourself or…?"
"Oh no, I was taught by my mom." Lacey cut in, "She's a boss when it comes to baking, let me tell you! I wanted to learn to bake like she does and so far, I've perfected her cookie recipe. I hope to be able to bake a cake like she does next."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do great." Antonio said supportively, "I'm sure you'll be as great at baking as you are at Pokémon battles."
Lacey blushed with pleasure.
"You're so sweet. Really, you are. You're probably the sweetest boy I've ever met…" she said shyly.
Antonio chuckled bashfully.
"I am? Well…that's quite a compliment." he said meekly.
He coughed and quickly changed the subject.
"Say, do you mind if I ask you something?" Antonio said quickly.
"Go on?" Lacey said politely.
"What inspired you to be a trainer in the first place?" the Paldean boy asked, "I guess it had something to do with your father, right?"
Lacey nodded in confirmation.
"No doubt you remember when the director just blurted out that I'm the daughter of a Gym Leader." she muttered, clearly still annoyed at him for doing that.
She picked her cup up and rose it to her lips. She paused for a brief moment to take in the sweet aroma of the scented brew and then sipped delicately. Once again, Antonio could see what a prim and proper lady she was. Her table manners and the delicate way she sipped her tea were something one would expect from some wealthy rich kid than a student at a prestigious academy. Antonio sipped his own tea, feeling he was being impolite for not having drunk any of it yet. He more preferred peppermint tea himself, but the taste of this tea was good enough for him. After Lacey finished, she put down the cup and picked up a cookie. Her Alcremie put a dollop of cream on it for her.
"Yes, my daddy was a big inspiration in becoming a Pokémon trainer." Lacey went on, "He's a very famous trainer, and not just because he's a Gym Leader. He's an extremely rich man too, being the owner of a successful mining company and all, and that makes him a well-respected figure back in Driftveil City. In the Pokémon community, he's renowned for his strong Pokémon who can hit hard and take a beating. Even from a young age, I knew I wanted to be just like that!"
She glanced down to her Excadrill. He'd long since fallen asleep after the two teens had arrived at this spot and hadn't stirred the whole time they'd been talking.
"See my Excadrill? I caught him as a Drilbur in honour of my daddy." Lacey explained, "His ace is an Excadrill too."
"I'm sure that tickled his fancy." Antonio remarked humorously.
"He as just a Drilbur at the time, but daddy very much did approve." Lacey confirmed, "I remember him saying "Why Lacey, yer taking up after yer old man already!". I surprised him when I said that was as far as I was going in paying homage to him. You see, daddy's a Ground-type specialist. I didn't want to copy him and do the same thing. It just wouldn't have been right for me."
"So you became a Fairy specialist instead." Antonio said, seeing where this story was heading.
"Right on the money!" Lacey confirmed, "I have a burning passion for all things cute, so I knew Fairy-types were what I wanted to specialize in. Daddy…was a little thrown to put it politely." she said meekly, "But he could see how passionate I was in wanting to be a Fairy specialist, so he supported me in my endeavours."
She ate some of her cookie before continuing.
"Naturally, he had to throw a jab at my expense by saying his Excadrill would totally tear through my team of Fairy-types." she went on, "Excadrill is half-Steel type and I'm sure you know Fairies are weak to Steel-types."
"Not all of them." Antonio noted, "My Tinkaton's one of the few exceptions given she's half-Steel type. Though I bet yours or your dad's Excadrill would be a threat anyway as it gives her a Ground weakness…"
"I already know that. I'm aware of Fairy/Steel types." Lacey insisted, "I know about every Fairy Pokémon out there. I practically slaved away to make sure I'd know everything about them, even ones from regions outside of Unova."
"That's some dedication!" Antonio complimented, "I may love Pokémon, but I doubt even I could share that same dedication."
"Really? You seem quite passionate, just like your sister." Lacey said, puzzled.
"Oh no, Salma's the real passionate one!" Antonio exclaimed, "I just…kinda tagged along when she started her journey. Though I did grow more passionate as I went along, caught more Pokémon and made friends with them."
He finished his second cookie and sipped some more tea.
"While my sis is into the competitive side of Pokémon battles, I'm more into the adventuring side." the Paldean teen admitted, "It's why I can at least hold my own in most cases, but would absolutely fall to pieces if I was in a tournament or anything."
"So that's why only Salma's taking on the BB League." Lacey acknowledged.
"Si. I could never do that myself. Too intense and complex for me." Antonio muttered.
"But you help Salma train and keep in shape. That must prove you have some skill in competitive battling." the Unovan girl suggested.
Antonio shrugged doubtfully.
"I…would say it's more that I play a supporting role." he said thoughtfully, "I'm always happy to help my big sis out. It…it makes me feel important and that I'm valued as a brother." he said wistfully.
"I'm sure Salma more than values you." Lacey said sweetly, "I think she's lucky to have such a supportive, sweet brother like you."
Antonio's face turned the colour of ripe apples.
"Oh…gosh! I…I really don't know what to say…" he mumbled shyly.
"Don't mention it!" Lacey giggled, "I'm just saying what I think. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you though." she said apologetically.
"Oh no, no, you didn't embarrass me, don't worry about it. I was just flattered, is all." Antonio said quickly, "I do appreciate it. And you know what?" he added, a smile of admiration spreading across his face, "I feel lucky to have a strong, brave and caring sister like Salma." he said with pride.
"I bet you tell her that every day, don't you?" Lacey said with awe.
"Not literally every day, but I do tell her that more times than I can count." Antonio confirmed, "And I mean it. I'd be nowhere without her."
"I've often wondered what it'd be like to have a sibling." Lacey murmured, "Being an only child, I can only imagine what that's like…"
Antonio grimaced.
"Oh…s-sorry. We're not making you jealous, are we?" he said uneasily.
"Oh no, not at all. I was just thinking aloud." Lacey dismissed, "Say, would it be OK if I could meet your Pokémon while we're here?"
Antonio granted Lacey's request. He brought out his current party and let Lacey have a good look at them all. The Fairy specialist immediately fell in love with Braixen and began cooing over the fire fox Pokémon. She also found Glimmora to be a very attractive looking Pokémon with her pretty blue petals and small yellow eyes. She thought Ambipom looked adorable with his twin-tails both with hands at the end and large, round ears. Gliscor didn't appeal as much but she thought he had his own kind of cute charm, even if she would never say he was conventionally cute. She was well familiar with Farigiraf as there were wild ones living in the Terarium, but she though Antonio's was the cutest Farigiraf she'd seen. Meowscarada was the biggest appeal of the bunch, being the first Pokémon of Antonio's she'd met and she found the feline magician to be a very graceful looking Pokémon. Antonio's teamed liked the praise Lacey gave them and how she doted over them. They could see straight away that she was a friendly person and would get on nicely with her.
"They're all so cute and lovely! You have a fine batch of Pokémon here!" Lacey squealed with glee.
"And that's not even all the ones I own." Antonio remarked, "Next time, I should show you some other ones I have. Though I'm not sure if you'll think guys like Lokix or Tauros are cute…"
"I believe any Pokémon can be cute in its own way!" Lacey retorted, "I'm sure no matter how they look, they'll have their own adorable charm."
Antonio couldn't help but laugh. That Lacey was just like Salma and Nemona: a girl with her own strange quirks. But that only made Lacey more appealing to him. He wanted more than ever to be her boyfriend. But he knew it would be foolish to make a move now. Lacey would only look at him weird if he was to immediately say he loved her when they'd barely come acquainted. He would be sensible and take his time. And would Lacey even like him that way? He could only hope she would. Before he could say anything else, someone called out to Lacey.
"Laceeeeeeeey! You've got another challenger!" the League Club member called to her.
"Oh gosh! I best get going!" the Unovan girl exclaimed, "Coming!"
She returned Excadrill and Alcremie to their balls and shook Antonio's hand.
"It's been lovely talking and having tea with you, thanks so much for coming!" she said rapidly, "I need to go now! Bye!"
And Lacey quickly took off like a Dodrio going for a sprint. Antonio watched her rush off back to the Costal Plaza, feeling disappointed their "date" had to end so suddenly. He'd been enjoying spending time with her and wished it could've gone on a little longer. But duty called and he wouldn't ever stand in her way. Antonio returned his Pokémon and walked away. He supposed it was best he left Lacey to her duties now. Maybe next time, they could meet up again and maybe have a real date together. As Antonio walked away, he saw that Salma was nearby. The purple-haired girl had secretly been watching the two the whole time just to make sure that everything went swimmingly, but had kept herself scarce so that Lacey wouldn't notice. Antonio approached Salma, a love-struck smile on his face. Salma giggled.
"I'd say that went well Toni." she acknowledged.
"It went brilliantly." Antonio agreed, his hands over his heart, "Oh that Lacey…she's so lovely! So wonderful!" he sighed contently, "I'm so glad I didn't make a fool of myself!"
"I did get worried a few times, but thankfully you kept your cool and didn't mess up." Salma said with pride, "You did great there Toni. I'm so proud of you."
"Gracias Salma. I…I only hope this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between us." Antonio said anxiously.
"I think it is and I think you two will be wonderful together." Salma said supportively.
Antonio beamed with pleasure. It had been a lovely time with Lacey, and he was sure they would have more lovely times together as the term continued. The only problem was who would he end up rooting for more when Salma and Lacey inevitably battled each other? He didn't much fancy having to pick a side in this situation. But he knew that it would be a battle he wouldn't want to miss. He even wondered if maybe he himself could battle Lacey someday…
Things seem to be going well with those two. Maybe Antonio has a shot with Lacey. ^^ But will it work out? Will they become a couple? Wait and see. ;) Next time, the Nocedas find themselves having to get out of a "Polar Biome Cave-In"...
Trivia: Once again, the opponent depicted here is another opponent from The Indigo Disk. And yes, he actually does use a Pikachu and a Luvdisc. What idiot trainer ever uses those two as a pair? Not evolving Pikachu is bad enough, but pairing it up with LUVDISC?! You're asking to suck if you do that!
Some of you may be wondering "Hang on, I haven't fought anyone like that when playing the game, so what do you mean?". Well, Tony is one of Lacey's Elite students whom you only battle if you get a question wrong in her quiz. Naturally, I get all her questions right so I always missed this battle. I wasn't even aware of a guy who uses a Pikachu and a Luvdisc as a pair until I read about it on Scarlet and Violet's TVTropes page. XD
We don't know who Lacey's mum is, so I kept it deliberately vague in this story for the sake of franchise continuity. The fandom HEAVILY suspects that her mum is Elesa but...eh, I don't buy it. And what have they got to go on? Just the fact Lacey's from Nimbasa City? That's like saying Crispin's related to Roxie just because they're from Virbank City, that's not how it works. =P I just can't see Elesa and Clay being a couple, so I'm NOT making that fanon canon for this story. Besides, I thought Elesa and Skyla was the preferred couple here? =P I imagine Clay's wife is just some nobody and isn't anyone in the franchise we've met before.
