Alysa was somewhere dark, but calming. Inactivity reigned, but soon, a rather familiar song had started to fade in and fill her hearing. It was very catchy, she unconsciously hummed to it until awareness started bleeding back in between her ears. Then, she realized how odd it was for her to hear a song playing now. Then, she wondered why it was so loud.
Her eyes flew open, bringing in the sight of grey fabric. Her senses returned one after the other, followed by memories of the previous day. What was most pressing to her at the moment was quieting her phone's alarm, something she hasn't actually heard in well over a week. Wiggling out of Drayton's hold, Alysa sat up and reached over to the screen and swipe to turn it off. Silence fell over.
Now able to sit and properly think, she popped her back as she observed the boy. His eyes were closed, but from how his brow was furrowed and his frown, he didn't look too pleased. She giggled, recalling that the two of them cuddled up together before dozing off. Underneath her drowsiness and some shock from having been awoken so suddenly, she felt...soft.
"Dray? You awake?" she cleared her throat. He didn't react for a few seconds, but he soon shifted and mumbled.
"Barely..."
Her alarm must have woke him up too. The girl felt a little guilty at that, but she was surprised. It was 7am, and she had rarely slept straight to that time to where her alarm got her up. Alysa chose to lie back down, grogginess still persistent. Drayton slid over to drape an arm around her, nuzzling against the side of her head.
She hummed. "I need to get up..."
She knew it, but didn't want to. Maybe saying it out loud would give her encouragement. The teen sighed, stretching his legs.
"Can't you sleep in for a while...?"
"It's already 7. Class starts in an hour. I need to get back to my dorm..."
She needed to do her morning activities, like feed her pokemon and get her bag together. If she left right now, she'd be able to do all of that along with some other hygiene-related things, and make it to class on time. Sadly, right now felt like a difficult task when she was so cozy.
...Then again, didn't she need to battle Crispin today too? She had a lot to do and prepare for then. This knowledge stirred her more, and she felt more energy. Gently, she grabbed Drayton's wrist to remove his arm. He whined at this, suddenly moving to cling to her.
"Pleeeease stay...!" he sounded so sleepy, it was adorable. As much as she wanted to heed his request, responsibilities were calling to her. Still, she felt bad. Her schedule likely won't let her spend time with him again until the evening, post her battle with Crispin.
"I can't...I'm sorry." she gingerly responded, and got the idea to affectionately brush her fingers against his upturned cheek. Drayton sighed heavily, cracking open his eyes. He slowly released her.
"You'll watch my battle versus Crispin, right?" she smiled. "I'll see you then."
"...You're not going to lunch?" he asked, bleary gold narrowing.
"I'll get something to scarf down, but I'm gonna be doing some last minute training." Alysa explained, playing with loose white strands of his hair. Hearing she would be eating something dispelled his concern, but his displeasure remained.
"Okaaay."
She gave his cheek another gentle rub before getting off of the bed to gather her things. Maybe on the weekend coming up, she could spend the night again, and they could get some extra Zs in together. The thought made her feel better about leaving, but when she looked back at Drayton after opening his door, he was sitting up and giving her such powerful Baby Doll Eyes that she almost folded. Almost.
"Catch you later?"
His frown grew, lower lip jutting out. "Yeah..."
Laughing under her breath, she stepped out of his dorm, closing the door behind her.
Hours later, Alysa had exited her final class of the day, apprehension tightening her gut.
This was it! Time for her start at the pyramid's bottom and maybe make her way to the top! She's prepared her team as much as she could, and all she could do at this point was to see if it would be worth it in the end. At least she believed Crispin himself would be fun to battle, he's always been so upbeat. Even if she were to lose horribly, she didn't think he would rub it in her face.
Alysa was wracked by jitters while she traveled to the Terarium, exiting the Savanna Biome's elevator. When she got to the dome, she did take her phone out to check her BP account and ensure she had enough for all of the trials she'd be taking. After verifying it, Alysa choose to call out her Salamence to take her to the Savanna Plaza.
The flight lasted less than 3 minutes, and the girl immediately noticed that there were more students loitering about than what she's seen over there. It made sense, but she wasn't necessarily pleased about it. It wouldn't be that different compared to battling up on the court at the school's entrance at least.
Near the stairs, Alysa recalled her pokemon and walked up them, her destination being the front counter. Many pairs of eyes rested upon her, as various voices murmured amongst themselves.
"Alysa's stomped the tourneys, but the elites are something else..."
"I hope she gets to Kieran at least, I got money on it!"
People have been betting on her? Alysa knew she shouldn't be surprised, remembering the boy who had spoken to her before in one of the halls, but this would probably turn into a spectacle she didn't need or want. Weren't there other grand club activities that people could focus on...?
"Welcome to the Savanna Plaza! We're the team that supports Crispin of the Elite Four!"
The receptionist behind the counter flashed a bright smile, and Alysa tried to mimic it. She needed to focus.
"How can I help you?"
"I'm h-here to make a challenge, towards Crispin." Alysa cleared her throat. "He...should be expecting me."
"You're Alysa, correct?" The assistant tapped at the screen behind the counter.
"Yes."
"Great! You're right, he is. He did tell the team here earlier that you should be coming by today." She nodded.
"You'll need to give 50 BP if you want to take on the Elite Trial here. Are you ready to pay?"
Alysa took her phone out, and opened the app linked to her BP account. With a simple tap of the on-screen buttons, her phone connected with the counter's terminal to initiate the transaction.
"Thank you! Received and noted!"
The girl grinned. She pulled out her Rotom phone and made a quick call.
"Hey, Crispin! You have a new order!"
"Alright! I'm on my way!"
Even though she was on the other side of the counter, Alysa could clearly hear Crispin's voice as if he was standing next to her.
"He'll be here shortly," the receptionist said, hanging up. Alysa selected a nearby cubic pillar to lean against and waited, though her anxiety made standing still a little difficult. The continued stares and whispers from the other students around were only making it worse, so when she spotted a familiar redheaded boy jogging up towards the plaza a few minutes later, she eagerly went back down the stairs to meet up with him.
"Alysa! I've been boiling ever since yesterday!" Crispin was the most animated she's ever seen him, even showing no signs of fatigue. He pumped his fists, invoking a smile from her.
"I bet..." She did feel a little bad that he was more obviously excited about this than she was. Nonetheless, he didn't seem bothered, as his grin lost no strength at all.
"Let's get going asap, before I blow my lid off!" The boy gestured for she to follow him.
"The trial site's this way!"
—
Alysa found Crispin's trial to be the simplest out of them all. Preparing a super-spicy sandwich wasn't the most difficult thing in the world to do, even if she had to get the required ingredients from other trainers. Ironically, the biggest hinderance for her was how she had to literally approach the other club members and ask what items they currently had to give her or to trade. She was never the type to be so forward in social situations, too nervous to strike up any small talk, but at least she had actual reasons to speak up here.
To her, it was a no brainer on exactly what ingredients she needed. If the sandwich was to be as spicy as possible, then she should only use what would either ramp up the spice or give it depth. Anything that contrasted or weakened it weren't correct picks. Alysa acquired everything she believed she needed, and after about fifteen minutes, she finished her last battle.
"Think you got everything?" Crispin asked as she approached him, gripping his frying pan with both hands. She nodded.
"Ok! I'll leave you to work some magic!" Grinning, he waved towards the picnic table he set up. Alysa laid her loaned ingredient basket down to take her items out. It wasn't necessary, but she took extra care to be as neat as possible in putting together the sandwich, as presenting something sloppy to Crispin wouldn't have sat right with her.
"I'm done," she called to him, and he promptly marched over.
"Woah, ain't that a beauty!" the boy gasped. He dropped his pan onto the table, picking up the finger food. "Let's see how you did!"
A large bite was done. He chewed carefully with his eyes closed, and Alysa observed with baited breath.
... ... ...
"...WHEW!" Crispin's amber eyes flew open, fair skin deepening into a red hue.
"Now this is some good spice! Feels like my tongue's turnin' to mush!" he whooped, taking another bite for good measure. The girl's lungs finally deflated, as the tension in her gut was released.
Crispin placed the food back onto the plate, using a thumb to wipe his mouth. "Needless to say: you definitely pass, Alysa!"
"Thank goodness..." she huffed out air, wiping sweat off of her brow. She didn't think she would fail, but getting one's expectations up was never a wise choice.
"Hm." Crispin put a finger to his chin. "Makes me wonder if I can make the trial's ingredient set even spicier than this. Maybe ask Director Cyrano to outsource the world's hottest peppers...!"
He giggled. "Yeah, that'd be awesome! Really get my taste buds sent to a different dimension!"
"Uh," Alysa flashed him a concerned look. "As long as you don't hurt yourself..."
Crispin was a passionate lover of hot food, but being too avid about it probably wouldn't end well. Regardless, the boy did a casual shrug.
"It'll be fine!" he assured. "Anyway, let's head back to the plaza! You've earned the right to a battle against me!"
The young chef took off in a mad dash yet again. Instinctively, Alysa picked up a hurried pace after him, pondering if his stamina ever went to zero. Hers paled in comparison, and Alysa's burning lungs forced her to stop and walk the rest of the way while Crispin got ahead.
She had her breathing mostly under control when she got to the steps. To her horror, there were even more students standing around. Many of them perked up when she appeared, and hustled further up the plaza to where the battle court was. Alysa took the time to ensure her team was fully healed, and trailed after the crowd.
People either hovered on the sides of the court, or near the entrance to it. They moved aside to let her pass, watching keenly. Crispin was waiting for her at the court's center, but something...or rather someone caught her attention.
Enchanting golden eyes crossed her own, and their owner gave a small wave in her direction. Drayton's smile was relaxed like usual as he leaned with his back to the wall, the club members hovering around him also facing her way. When the Dragon Tamer threw in a wink, Alysa's nervousness leapt upwards into the sky. She knew she looked quite bashful as she returned his wave, and continued onto the court.
It wasn't a big deal, she told herself. Drayton has watched her battle before, many times at this point. This shouldn't and wouldn't be any different from those occasions. Sure, Crispin wasn't just some regular member of the club. Sure, the worst thing ever that could happen is if she lost horribly and was embarrassed right in front of her new boyfriend...
When Alysa stopped before the fire elite, she tried her hardest to force those thoughts out of her head. Like other times when put into situations like this, she put her focus onto pretending that no one else but she and her opponent were present...
"Congratulations on passing my Elite Trial, 'Lys!" Crispin announced. The cacophony of voices around was hushed by it.
"I get to finally have a personal taste of your own battle skills." His face took on a more determined vibe.
"I'm turning the burner up to the max! Just try to match me!"
His bravado kindled needed motivation. Her brows furrowed, concentrating on the battle about to be had. The trainers shared a nod, taking their cues to go towards the opposite ends of the court for their battle positions. Around them, many students begun cheering and shouting out words of encouragement.
Crispin surely had his own fans, but she was taken aback to hear a few students root for her specifically. She didn't hear Drayton's voice, but she could sense his gaze fixed upon her.
Turning back around to face her opponent, Alysa pulled out two pokeballs containing her leads. In that moment, as Crispin took hold of his own capsules, Alysa realized that there wasn't a referee present. It would be up to them to run the battle cooperatively, making appropriate calls if need be. It made the whole thing feel less professional and more casual, something truly fun to do with your peers; a detail which helped her nerves settle more.
The redhaired teen tossed out his first two pokemon: Talonflame and Exeggutor. The avian screeched in enthusiasm, while the three-headed pokemon swayed on its feet. The crowd's cheering increased in volume while she followed suit, sending out her selected two. Mims and Lulu, one of the star duos of her team, instantly felt the buzz in the air and hopped in place. Leading with two of her fairies off the gate against a team composed mostly of Fire-types was a choice, but a deliberate one.
Crispin was going to try his hardest to win, and so was she. First, she needed to get the hypothetical board exactly how she needed it.
"Challengers get the first moves!" He cupped one of his hands around his mouth, shouting to her. She took a few seconds to think over what her strategy was again. Both of her pokemon looked back at her, and she regarded them with a smile.
"Mims, Swords Dance! Lulu, Chilling Water on Talonflame!"
Alysa gave her commands, and the battle was officially underway. Mims performed his action while Lulu formed an orb of glowing water in her little hands, and launched it towards the Fire/Flying type – who evidently wasn't expecting such a thing. The attack connected, leaving Talonflame to sputter and recoil. The orange band tied around one of its legs lost its luster.
"I didn't even know Clefairy could learn that," Crispin gaped. He shook his head.
"Talonflame, Sunny Day! Exeggutor, Solar Beam on Mimikyu!"
The Scorching Pokemon was in clear discomfort from being doused by freezing water, but it gave a loud cry as it flailed its wings, launching an orb of light into the air. It stopped at a high elevation, brightening the battlefield and slowly increasing the temperature. His ally charged up, and in a flash, launched a beam of green energy at the cloaked fairy.
Alysa had to cover her eyes at the resulting blast whipping through the air, but when the smoke settled, Mims was naturally unharmed – save for his false head now sagging. Losing Disguise this early was never ideal, but breaking Talonflame's Focus Sash was more important in the long run.
"Talonflame, Brave Bird on Mimikyu! Exeggutor, Solar Beam it too!"
Alysa emitted a suppressed laugh, quite amused at how Crispin has determined her ghostly boy to be a threat. He did get a Swords Dance off, and she was about to prove that the elite's priority was understandable.
"Lulu, Follow Me! Mims, Shadow Claw Exeggutor!"
The Clefairy stuck one of her arms up high, waggling a glowing finger. Talonflame warbled in shock as its trajectory was suddenly jerked to the side towards her, while Mimikyu leapt forward into scampering run. Talonflame's attack knocked Lulu backwards, while Mims lashed at Exeggutor as it begun its attack with a black clawed hand. The impact sound made the super-effective contact feel almost brutal to even her, as the Grass/Psychic-type was sent careening backwards.
Exeggutor laid on the ground, not moving. A one-hit knockout.
"Geez!" Crispin grimaced, recalling his pokemon. The audience had the opposite reaction with multiple avid cheers being heard.
"You really are bringing the heat!" The elite laid his frying pan against his head.
"Didn't feel like dealing with Harvest-Sitrus Berry shenanigans today," laughed Alysa. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes, internally relieved that Exeggutor was taken off the field already. One of the pieces gone, now for the next two...
"Heh! Fair!" he grinned, and took hold of another Quick Ball.
Alysa had to keep her face neutral when Crispin sent out Exeggutor's replacement: Rotom-Heat, toting a little helmet covered in jutting rocks. This was what she hoped for. If she can get knockouts on Talonflame and Rotom, then the path to victory will get much more open.
"Talonflame, Flare Blitz on Mimikyu! Rotom, Thunderbolt Clefairy!"
"Lulu, Helping Hand! Mims, Shadow Claw Rotom!"
Her Clefairy did a little dance while applauding, causing Mims to be cast in a yellow glow. He was hit by the flame-shrouded bird, but due to the earlier Chilling Water and Lulu's Friend Guard, he just as fast got back up and darted forward.
Before Rotom could finish channeling and release its electricity, the powered up Shadow Claw from her swift fairy sent it crashing into the ground. Its oven mitt-shaped plasma arms dissipated, and the appliance seemingly powered down.
"Another one-shot?!" Crispin's teeth were bared, he hiding a portion of his face behind his cookware. "No way!"
"Whooo!" A cluster of students on the sidelines were the loudest out of them all, clearly enjoying what they were seeing. Alysa only hummed thoughtfully, feeling a little bad for her friend if he underestimated how hard Mims could hit – especially with a Helping Hand boost. He waved one of his wisp arms around, feeling the sting of hitting Rotom's Rocky Helmet, but fortunately he and her other physical attackers didn't have to worry about it further.
"Down by two, and you haven't lost any yet. Need to fix that...!" grunted Crispin, recalling Rotom and sending out his fourth team member. Camerupt bellowed, stomping his front legs.
"Talonflame, Brave Bird Clefairy!"
"Shadow Sneak it, Mims!"
Having priority, his shadow zipped forward and hit the avian out of the sky. Crispin reacted with no pause.
"Camerupt, Heat Wave!"
The surge of hot air swamping her side of the court was too fast to avoid, but there wasn't much her pokemon could do to evade it to begin with. Both of her fairies were overwhelmed by the heat, being flung backwards, where they laid unconscious. Both of them were knocked out, but so was Talonflame.
"Man..." Crispin frowned, recalling his fainted pokemon as she did the same with her two. A double knockout on her side, while bad on paper, didn't upset the girl at all. In fact, she could use it to her advantage.
Crispin squinted at her, seeing her little happy look as she readied two more pokeballs.
—|—
"Yo, Alysa is crushing it!"
"4-3 now. Crispin's still behind."
Many of his peers around him talked amongst themselves, while Drayton continued to watch silently with his arms crossed. The smile stretched across his face didn't leave his enjoyment a secret. This was loads more fun than he could've predicted, and he wasn't even out on the court! Yet, at least.
All of his attention was of course on his darling, precious girlfriend who looked especially radiant at the moment. Throughout the battle so far, Alysa has kept a cool head. Drayton could pinpoint the calculating way she surveyed the court and Crispin's pokemon, pretty pink eyes shifting about. Whatever idea she had in mind, it was going well, even if she just suffered two knockouts at once.
In fact, Drayton would bet that her plan was about to come to fruition, as she sent her next pokemon out with zero hesitation. Her Salamence and Altaria appeared, the former possessing a blue-marked white cloth tied around her front right leg. At that exact moment, a realization popped into his head. He thinks he knows where this is going now. With Talonflame, Exeggutor, and Rotom gone...
Crispin sent out Magmortar, gritting his teeth. "You're trying to stomp me out Alysa, but I'm still in this!"
"Yeah?" she giggled, and Drayton's heart fluttered at the sound. He knew she was nervous going into this battle, but looking at her now, the girl was in her element. She clearly had a knack for battling, and he wished she herself would see that and give herself more credit.
He believed she had what it took to defeat them all.
"You are right, that's exactly what I intend to do!" she declared, boasting in such an endearing way that the white-haired boy could feel himself melting. His smile softened, before being dropped and replaced by a smirk. Even though his fellow elite was technically his...co-worker in a sense, they all were still competitors to one another. And he was very biased towards Alysa. He was so rooting for her to take this whole thing home.
"Tari, Helping Hand! Sally, Earthquake!"
Drayton laughed, tickled that Alysa wanted to finish the battle right here and now. She obviously planned this, getting rid of his team's answers to Ground-type attacks and having Tari be the perfect supporting partner for Sally with his Flying-type. Sally's Choice Band sealed it. Crispin reacted with horror, when the Salamence roared before slamming her front legs down onto the court's flooring – sending out powerful seismic waves. Camerupt and Magmortar each were engulfed, blasted by the energy coming from beneath them.
Unsurprisingly, both pokemon collapsed and didn't get back up. Crispin recalled both of his pokemon, sighing loudly. He grabbed his last pokeball, the final team member he had. Blaziken appeared from the capsule, staring both of his opponents down unflinchingly. It was just him against Alysa's remaining four. He'd really have to work to pull out a victory.
"I'll admit it, you got me cornered." Crispin stood up straight, and smacked his shoulder with his frying pan. "But there's no way I'm givin' up! Not until I'm burnt to cinders!"
He readied his Tera Orb. "We're going all out with our firepower!"
The sparkling object was tossed over to Blaziken's head, where it burst. The Blaze Pokemon's body was transformed into crystal, as a Tera Jewel composed of white candles stood out. Against two dragons, the pokemon was at a big disadvantage, but Drayton knew...if there was a will, there was a way.
Alysa didn't even want to give him a chance, as she shouted the same commands from before to her pokemon. Sally launched another devastating Earthquake.
"Hurry and leap over it, Blaziken!" Crispin ordered. His pokemon did so, avoiding the waves.
"Stone Edge the Salamence!"
Blaziken landed while slamming a leg down, causing sharpened stones to materialize and jut their way towards their target. Alysa gasped when the attack made contact with Sally, but a rather loud screech signaled that a weak point was struck. A critical hit.
The dragon went down, deprived of energy. Blue energy sparked at Blaziken's feet.
"Wow! It should've been over right there!" One of the girls nearby was astonished. Drayton snorted, observing Alysa's reaction closely. She was shocked for sure, but to his satisfaction, she brushed it off and recalled Sally. Things like this can and will happen in battles, getting tilted wouldn't help. She was still in the lead.
Alysa called out her choice of replacement: her Galarian Rapidash.
"Psycho Cut, Thea!"
The horse whipped her horn, sending out sharp blades of psychic energy.
"Dodge it!" Crispin told his pokemon, who easily dashed out of the way, moving with greater agility thanks to his Speed Boost ability.
"Temper Flare Rapidash!"
Blaziken was ignited in fire that twinkled intensely. Thea had no chance to avoid the incoming rush, and was sent sliding backwards. She slowly stood up on shaking legs. Drayton whistled. The horse couldn't take another attack like that. Alysa stiffened; she must've understood that this could get out of control real quick if Blaziken was allowed to keep moving; the more time that passed meant more speed increases. It would get to the point that her team wouldn't even be able to hit him at all. That was one of the reasons why Crispin had him as his ace.
"Tari, Tailwind!"
The cottony dragon trilled and flapped his wings forward, guiding a rush of air to begin blowing from Alysa's court side. Drayton chuckled.
"Thea, High Horsepower!"
In this moment, her team had the speed advantage now. The Rapidash galloped forward, too quick for Blaziken to react. A bucking kick from her hind legs forced the Fire-type onto the floor in a hard impact.
"Blaziken!" Crispin exclaimed, but the pokemon was left in a stunned state.
"Tari, Dragon Pulse!" Alysa didn't hesitate to swoop in. Tari fired draconic energy at his downed opponent, and the resulting blast sent smoke around the court. It became quiet.
When the air cleared, Blaziken was normal once again, and obviously without any strength to continue fighting.
That was it.
"I...I lost...!"
Crispin smacked himself with his frying pan, just as the audience applauded. Nothing could stop the grin from appearing on Drayton's face, witnessing how Alysa didn't grasp that she had won until Crispin recalled his fainted Blaziken. The Tailwind disappeared, as did the false sun in the air.
Some students already started leaving the premises, but many still watched as Alysa pet her two pokemon. He could feel his heart swelling, standing up from his lean. She returned her team members to their pokeballs and met back up with Crispin at the court's center. Drayton took the liberty of sauntering up to the pair.
"Felt like you came for my throat." Despite losing, the other elite was in good spirits. Crispin was never one to stay down in the dumps for long.
Alysa laughed. "It wasn't personal, I promise. That's just how I battle."
"Tell me about it. Pruning someone's team, and swooping in later to knock all the mons down like dominos...you're way more brutal than you come off as, Alysa." Crispin guffawed. "Seeing you battle is a way different experience versus facing off against you!"
Drayton didn't recognize the emotion that flared to life within him then, but after a few seconds, he understood that it was...envy. He was envious Crispin got to battle Alysa first, before them all. But especially before him.
It was an odd feeling. He couldn't remember the last time he felt jealous over anything.
Eyes half-lidded, the teen watched the two trainers face Alysa's phone and throw up peace signs for the celebratory photo together, to commemorate this day. Then, Crispin handed her a TM for Temper Flare, as per custom. When they were done, he promptly crept in to satisfy the urge he had been holding back all this time.
"D-Dray?" Alysa squeaked when his arms enveloped her waist from behind. His chin found its home, nestled into the groove connecting her neck to her shoulder. He inhaled deeply, taking in the vague floral scent from her hair and clothes.
"Hi. That was a good match."
"It was fun!" Crispin expressed, not reacting to the Dragon Tamer's intimate action outside of his face turning a bit more meek.
"If you're gonna bring heat like what you had against me to Drayton and the others Alysa, you got this challenge run in the bag."
She sheepishly laughed, pressing her hands against the taller boy's snug arms. He hummed in acknowledgement.
"Well, I'll leave you guys be. See you later!"
Crispin, for once, walked instead of running off of the court. Around them, few students lingered, attention awfully stuck on the two of them. Drayton didn't care though.
"You were really somethin', sweetheart." He spoke at a softer volume to her. "I do hope you'll bring that energy in our battle."
"I'll be bringing some kind of energy, that's for sure..."
She shifted to turn around, he loosening his grip to make it easier. He got the close up view of her eyes that he adored, noticing the same shyness she had earlier when she got onto the court. Her hands pressed against his chest, but she made no effort to push him away.
"What, you aren't going to take it easy on me, are you?" he squinted playfully.
"Nooo, I'd never." The corners of her mouth were tugged upwards. He reached up to boop her nose.
"Good. I want it to feel like you're trying to take my life."
"That's extreme, isn't it?" Her resulting incredulous laughter was music to his ears. Both of his arms went back around her, and he rubbed little circles into the small of her back.
"Not at all. Did you already forget everything you did against Crispin? I need a stimulating fight like that, " quipped Drayton. "Though I gotta say, a girl like you being an intense battler... still haven't gotten used to it."
"A girl like me?" She parroted his words, though she didn't seem to be offended – just curious. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sure you already have an idea. You remind me of a Buneary, with how you're all shy and timid. Very cute too." Drayton's grin widened at the deepening hue of Alysa's face. "Then again...Buneary are strong enough to literally destroy boulders with their ears, last I checked. An accurate comparison to you."
She huffed in amusement. "Is this what you meant, when you said I prove that looks can be deceiving?"
Drayton was surprised she remembered that. "Yeah, partly. You're something special though. The way you battle contrasts with how you present yourself, but I can tell that you still wear your heart on your sleeve. So...there's more to you than meets the eye, but then there's also not. It's intriguing to be honest."
He genuinely meant that. It was like she didn't leave much to the imagination, but there were other things going on with her than what she let on – with what she told him last night during their date standing out like a giant sign. Alysa's expression changed, becoming bashful and something else Drayton couldn't name.
"I'll...take that as a compliment."
"You should. I think you're one of the most interesting people to attend this school."
He brought one of his hands up to play with a lower portion of her hair.
"Though, I do wonder about what exactly goes on that pretty head of yours." Or what has went on, before the day he first met her. The kind of life she's lived prior to coming to Blueberry. Ever since he got a peek into it through her tales on how she met each of her pokemon, he's felt a strong curiosity.
"I can say the same thing about you..." Her pink eyes squinted some as she poked him. "I caught wind before on how hardly anyone in the club knows a lot about you... outside of where you're from, and your family."
"That's intentional. I like to keep people guessing."
They maintained a steady eye contact, and Drayton could see more emotion flipping by in her gaze. There was something...analytical present. How he hasn't been one hundred percent open about himself with her yet and vice-versa loomed over them both, but not necessarily in an awkward way. They had only just started dating two days ago. He wasn't expecting her to tell him her life story this early on, and he didn't plan on doing it for himself. That'd make things way too weighty between them.
"I figured as much." Alysa's smile returned, and to his inner relief, it didn't look fake at all. "But that's ok. I never mind a good challenge."
Drayton never liked making things too serious. Too personal. His interest in this girl was real, but old habits were hard to break.
He's happy that she not only recognized this, but was willing to try to cross the distance he kept people at. That's more than what others have bothered to do. She was able to have an easier time though, considering he was even opening this possibility up to her in the first place.
"Same." He not only agreed to her statement, but also to her sentiment. Whatever effort she put in, he would return it. On the inside, he actively wanted to do that much for her. Something pulled him to be especially considerate towards her wellbeing, towards her needs. At first, Drayton assumed it was only how demure she was that spurred it on, but that alone wouldn't have been enough.
There was something more. Something mystifying...something lovely.
Drayton's hand moved on its own, leaving her hair and rising to drag his thumb across her jawline. The longer he stared at her precious, freckled face, the more his composure dropped down.
He just had to lay a kiss to her cheek, feel how hot her skin was growing. He could hear a sound of delight muffled in her throat, and he himself was sent adrift when she returned his action. Her lips traced his cheek, brushing across as she smiled. Her first technical kiss to him, no matter how light. It was like he was becoming drunk off of her allure; the haze that was beginning to settle over his mind was thick and intoxicating. All he was willing to focus on at the moment was her, but noise yards away caught their attention.
There were coos and laughter from a group of female students, some holding their phones up at the two of them. No doubt taking pictures or recording them. Or both.
He felt Alysa recoil, and hunker down to shield herself inside his jacket. He tsked, a flare of protectiveness causing him to lean down and nuzzle her fluffy hair. The boy was used to shenanigans from whatever fans or fervent admirers he had, but obviously, Alysa wasn't the same.
"C'mon babe. Let's bounce."
He grasped one of her hands. She gawked at him, surely because of the new pet name, but he'd drink up her adorable bashfulness when they were in a more secluded area. Drayton took the lead in guiding Alysa off of the court and down the staircase. She mindlessly followed with an intense blush.