BossCar
Pokémon Trainer
- Pronouns
- He/His
Chapter 19: Crazy Wholesome Minds
Valen and Rosa have started the process of moving the rest of the latter's belongings into the former's house. Rosa's currently sitting on one of Valen's sofas, surrounded by unopened boxes that contain the rest of her belongings. Valen's currently on the phone in the dining room, leaving Rosa to ponder to herself.
Her poor sweetie's suffered a lot, she laments. She's struggling to focus on her goals—what if he needs help and she's not around? She hears Valen walking into the living room, a smile on his face. That precious smile's about to be erased, and she's disgusted about it. Sure enough, that horrible sight of Valen's smile vanishing occurs, a worried expression replacing it.
"You okay?"
"...Valen...it hurts that you've suffered so much." Rosa slumps, squeezing her eyes shut. "I hate it...I hate seeing you in pain." Her gaze and chin are inwards, her voice devoid and dull.
"Come here, Valen wants his first hug of the day." He closes his eyes as wraps his right arm around Rosa's waist, pulling her as close to himself as possible. "You've done a lot for me." He holds her tight, his chin on the top of her head. "Don't you ever forget that you're an angel who vanquishes shadows."
Valen's words and gestures cause warmth to surge within Rosa's body. She sports a sweet smile as the tension within her mind starts to dissipate. He calls her a ball of fluff, but has he taken a peek at how sweet he is to her and others? Who's the real ball of fluff, you silly boy?
"I'll be okay, don't worry."
He's about to let go of Rosa, but when he sees that her expression has become somber again, he changes his mind. He senses that there's something else that he needs to comfort Rosa about. She seems to be lamenting over something, but what?
After about a minute. Rosa tightens her fists, mustering up the inner strength to cease trembling. Not only is her beloved Valen's getting better, but he's standing right next to her. She leaves her right arm wrapped around his neck. She begins to caress his right cheek. She knows that Valen's got a strong sense of duty, and it was weaponized against him.
He's willing to concede one thing about himself—his mother was one hundred percent right about his old friends, and Melanie was right about Rosa. It still hasn't fully sunk in, but he's realizing just how wrong he was.
One step at a time, my sweetie." Rosa grabs hold of his left hand, massaging the top of it with her other hand. "One step at a time."
Valen goes silent, thinking about how much he truly adores this girl. Rosa's literally a walking repellant of anything wicked, and anything immoral would be vanquished the instant it tried to corrupt her. It's impossible not to feel happier when she's around, as she's extremely vivacious, high spirited, and lively.
His train of thought gets interrupted when Rosa's phone dings, notifying her of a text. He watches Rosa dart towards the front door, opening it as fast as possible while still being careful."Hiii, Hilda!"
"Heeeeeey!" Hilda warmly grins. She enters the living room, her glittering eyes fixated on all of the antique furniture. "I didn't get to take a closer look last time-I need to change that!"
"He added lots more!" Rosa clasps her hands next to her right cheek.
"Let's do this!" Hilda radiates a vibrant aura around her. "Tell me how to help and I'll do it!" She clasps her hands in front of her left shoulder. "Hilda White's the antidote to dull days!"
"You really didn't have to go this far." Valen closes his eyes, his hands in his pockets.
Hilda glances back at Valen with her mouth gaping open. However, her surprise lasts for only a few seconds—her close friend was very polite. She closes her eyes and clasps her hands behind her back. "I know, but helping each other out is what friends do, isn't it?" She asks, sporting a warm smile on her face. "Also, Melanie wanted you to get accustomed to having me around again."
Before Rosa can chime in, both Hilda and Rosa notice that Valen's got a somber expression.
Valen stares blankly at the wooden floor. "Please...please let me atone for what I've done." His voice emits a dull tone. "I tried pushing everyone away...I hurt the people closest to me...I'll carry this shame unless I can make things right."
Rosa and Hilda stare at Valen, their mouths falling open. What do they-they know what to do! They nod while looking at each other, then they pace themselves towards Valen. Both kiss the top of his head the same time.
"Smile." Hilda playfully winks, cupping his face in her hands.
Valen's eyes meet her gentle gaze. "Smile?"
"When you truly love someone unconditionally, you want them to be happy," Hilda responds, letting go of him. "Whether it's friendship or romance."
"All we want from you is to see you happy," Rosa adds, placing her index fingers at the ends of her mouth. "Give us a big smile!"
Sometimes, these two are so wholesome that they can put people at a loss for words. They've always brightened up his day with their presence alone.
"Obey The Unovan Queens, goofball," Hilda teases, placing her right hand over her grin. "Hehe, we order you to smile."
Only Rosa and Hilda would order him to smile, but what exactly would they do? Hug him without mercy as punishment?
Rosa and Hilda turn in opposite directions, standing back-to back with each other. "No sadness is permitted around us!" They wink, pointing at him with their right index fingers. "Smile this instant, Valentinus!"
"...Why'd you say my full first name?"
"What kind of Pokémon are yoooou?!" Rosa and Hilda cheer. "How dooooo yoooou dooooo the things you dooooo?!" They wrap an arm each around Valen's neck. "Tell us all your secrets deep insideeeeee!"
"I'm not a Pokémon."
"Val-Val's loooooyal through and through!" Hilda's eyes gleam.
"Valey's got a heart that's trueeeee!" Rosa's eyes sparkle. "What kind of Pokémon are yooou?!"
Their invigorating and jubliant demeanor causes Valen to laugh, much to their delight.
"We did it!" Rosa and Hilda triumphantly shout, letting go of him. "We made him smile!" They grab each other's hands, jumping around. "We rock! We rock! We rock!"
"Crazy wholesome minds." He places his right palm up against his forehead. "You two are such kooks that sometimes, it makes no sense to me." he shrugs. "I'll continue to play along."
"Who needs to make sense when we're bringing energy to everyone?!" Hilda jumps, clasping her hands next to her right shoulder.
"Wherever we go, smiles follow!" Rosa and Hilda cheer. raising their right fists above their heads. "Go, go, gooooooo smiling Valen!"
Yep, these two are definitely crazy wholesome minds. That's why he loves them. His mother comes to mind—Rosa and Hilda bear similar traits to her. Furthermore, his mom has made no attempts to hide the fact that when she was in her teens and early twenties, she was a giant fangirl of The Orbeetles, Galar's most famous contribution to music history. Ironically, the pro trainer that his mother went gaga over was Connor White, and she's a fan of actress Odelle White.
Within another part of Angel City, Melanie and Calem have decided to get to know each other a little bit more, as both of them are old friends of Valen. Amongst the chatter going on around the duo, a few people silently take note of Melanie and Calem, as both of them are known trainers.
Calem's mesmerized by the Neoclassical style of the arena, its cream color vividly illuminated by the beaming sunlight. He glances upwards, using his red cap to shield his eyes from the sunlight as he studies the center of the circular arena's roof. The center prominently displays bronze statues of a king or knight in a chariot being pulled by four Galarian Rapidash. His gaze shifts downwards, noting the massive pillars that surround the entire arena's exterior. This is one heck of a public arena—it looks more like an ancient king's palace. With that said, it's not his first time seeing an arena like this. Marvels such as this structure is why he understands why Valen and other friends enjoy discussing the subject so much.
"Impressed, Calem?" Melanie asks, her amused smirk turning to a beaming smile.
Calem nods as his gaze returns to assessing the arena. "It looks just like the old arenas back in Kalos," he remarks. "I guess that's to be expected, since Valen told me that Kalosians founded this city."
"This isn't even one of the oldest areas in the city—the city's got buildings that date back to the 17th century."
"Since we're here, let's have some fun." Calem smirks, grabbing one of the six Poke Balls attached to his waist. "How about you face me in a battle?"
"You're on!" Melanie takes out a Poké Ball from inside of her brown leather jacket.
"It seems I have arrived in the nick of time," Arthur comments, his footsteps echoing as he approaches the duo. "I saw a magnificent sculpture on the way here," he remarks. "I'm a sculpture bloke, after all."
Which one did you see?" Calem knows nothing about sculpture, but he might as well ask
"Titanic Clash by Jacques Beauchêne-Bernini."
Melanie turns away to hide her broad grin. Oh, if only he knew who he's related to. Wait a minute, Calem and Arthur are walking into the arena without her! No fair! Get back here! She runs into the arena, her face reddening when she nearly runs into Arthur and Calem. The latter's assessing the trainers and their Pokémon. Geez, they could've warned her or something!
"Marvelous frescos," Arthur compliments. "This reminds me of the Sistine Hall's ceiling."
His eyes follow the horizon lines within works that depict various Legendary Pokémon. Among them is one from his native Galar, the piece in question depicting Giratina's fight with Eternatus. Painting is not an expertise of his, but he's familiar with the lines used by Giotto. This must've been painted by somebody who viewed Giotto as a huge inspiration. However, the only Calvanian painter he knows is Lorenzo Buonarotti, his inspiration being Michelangelo Bellincioni. These frescoes contain Michelangelo's style too.
Wait, inspiration! Valen! Valen the Reaper! Gloria's a big fan of his battles and contests! That's where he's heard the name before!
"An interest in art is something you two have in common." Melanie's right hand hovers over her grin. "Valen loves these ceiling frescoes."
Arthur peeks back, a wide smile appearing. "I hope to become more acquainted with him."
Arthur stands behind Melanie within an indoor battlefield, the battlefield where he met Valen and her a short distance away. This time, the field's finished with a stunning presentation of marble. Despite the obvious wear and tear within this eighteenth century relic, he appreciates how well the city and its residents preserve their history. He studies the congregation of onlookers that's assembling, no surprise due to Melanie's status. Calem's likely not a stranger to a good portion of the crowd either, and he's definitely not a stranger to him. He's won the Kalosian Conference twice, the second one was witnessed by Arthur through television.
Due to how well maintained this arena is, Arthur can't help but wonder if these cracks, dings, and scratches are relatively recent or are from centuries ago. Assuming that wear and tear would last that long in the first place, let alone after refurbishment and maintenance. Oh well, there's no use in overthinking that element. He's going to focus on and enjoy the play that's about to start.
"Alakazam, let's rock and roll!"
Melanie spins, her long hair swaying as she throws the ball upwards. Alakazam doesn't make a sound as he comes out—he's already studying this other human that'll be facing off against his trainer. He's met Calem before, but he's never faced any of his Pokémon in battle.
This is the tallest Alakazam Calem's ever seen. "Alpha?"
"Yep."
"This should be fun," he remarks. "I'll use my Charizard."
Calem chucks the ball to let his Pokémon out. Charizard lets out a ferocious roar, sending shockwaves through the ground and air.
Melanie nods, commanding, "Calm Mind."
Alakazam closes his eyes and his body becomes enveloped with a translucent white aura. The aura glows brightly as Alakazam briefly mediates. Then, the aura vanishes as quickly as it appeared, and Alakazam slowly opens his eyes, ready for his command.
"Use Flamethrower."
Charizard is already within close proximity of him. He fires off a red-orange stream of fire towards Alakazam. It strikes the wide-eyed Psychic-type in the upper portion of his brownish armored chest. Flames envelop Alakazam's body, causing him to grunt.
Melanie assess that Charizard's quite the speedy Pokémon, but she's more concerned about Alakazam. Alakazam's got a burn, this isn't a good start.
Suddenly, her eyes tilt, a smirk appearing. Two can play at this game. "Use Toxic!"
Alakazam fires off a stream of black liquid from his mouth, inflicting Charizard with the Badly Poisoned status condition. Charizard's entire body glows purple as he takes damage from the poison.
"I see what you're trying to do," Calem remarks, sporting a amused smile. "Will it be enough, though?"
"Shadow Ball!" Alakazam places his hands in front of his body. Using his spoons, Alakazam forms a purple sphere of energy, and fires it towards Charizard.
"Counter with Flamethrower." Charizard opens his mouth and launches red-orange stream of fire that crashes into Shadow Ball. The collision of both attacks results in a detonation that covers the battle arena in smoke.
"Use Shadow Claw."
As the smoke clears itself out, Charizard's right claw glows jet black. Charizard lets out a blaring roar as he charges from a close distance, striking Alakazam with his right claw. Alakazam gets slashed in the middle of his brownish, armored chest, stumbling backwards as he tries to regain his composure.
Melanie realizes that Alakazam is now in close proximity of Calem's Charizard. Her facial expression's one of determination—Calem's going to see more of the skills that won her two Calvanian Conferences.
"Use Psychic!"
Alakazam crosses its spoon, just as his eyes glow light blue. Then, Alakazam unleashes an enormous tidal wave of light blue energy from his cross spoons. Calem's mouth slightly falls open as Charizard's body is enveloped by the surge of light blue energy, causing the draconic-like Pokémon to stagger backwards. Charizard kneels over with its eyes closed, the Fire-type surprised by the strength of this attack. This opponent's a powerful one.
"Follow up with Psycho Cut," A increased surge of adrenaline flows within her body.
Alakazam motions his left arm like he's swinging a blade horizontally from his left to his right. A crescent of light blue energy, slices through the air, pelting a still reeling Charizard.
"Shock Wave!"
As Charizard tries to stand upright, Alakazam fires off a light blue lightning bolt from the top of his head. The lightning bolt strikes Charizard in his cream colored chest, quickly enveloping his entire body. Charizard pants in exhaustion as he kneels over from the trio of attacks, plus the increasing damage from his status condition.
"Use Dragon Claw."
Charizard's able to pull himself together, letting out a ferocious roar that sends ripples through the ground and air. Both of Charizard's claws glow light red, the draconic-like Pokémon lunging towards Alakazam at a high rate of speed. Alakazam's slashed twice just below his jaw.
"Fire Blast."
Charizard lets out another roar, spitting out a powerful cluster of red-orange flames that take the shape of the kanji for fire. As Alakazam staggers from the previous attack, he takes a direct hit from Fire Blast, causing him to kneel over as he attempts to bear the damage he's taken.
"Use Recover!"
As Alakazam struggles to stand up straight, his entire body glows yellow. This yellow energy heals a portion of the damage Alakazam's taken so far, enabling the yellow humanoid Pokémon to stand back up.
"Use Flamethrower."
"Counter with Psycho Cut!"
Charizard unleashes a red-orange stream of fire from his mouth, while Alakazam motions his right arm horizontally. Alakazam fires off another crescent of light blue energy that collides with Charizard's Flamethrower. The collision causes another detonation, resulting in a considerable about of smoke.
"Use Psychic!"
Alakazam crosses its spoons. Alakazam's eyes glow light blue and he unleashes another tidal wave of light blue energy. This powerful attack causes all the smoke to vanish within seconds. Both Calem and Charizard are taken by surprise, their mouths falling open. Charizard takes a direct hit from the wave of energy, stumbling backwards. Both Pokémon pant in exhaustion. Both are bent over, struggling to stand upright.
"Fire Blast."
Charizard pulls himself together, spitting out another powerful cluster of red-orange flames that take the shape of the kanji for fire. As Alakazam attempts to stand upright, he's struck in the face by the powerful attack. Alakazam stumbles backwards, falling over. Melanie's about to shout, but she relents when Alakazam's able to get back on his feet.
"Shock Wave!"
Alakazam fires off another light blue lightning bolt from the top of his head. This time, the attack strikes Charizard on his head, his horns looking like lightning rods as the electricity envelops his entire body.
Despite using Recover, Alakazam's taken a considerable amount of damage from being burned. However, Charizard's taken more damage from being badly poisoned. As a result of that, Charizard falls to the ground, having been defeated.
"Good battle, Charizard."
As he recalls his Charizard, Calem sports a embarrassed smile, murmuring, "I forgot that the status condition inflicted by Toxic does more and more damage as the battle goes on." He re-attaches the ball on his waist.
"You did great, Alakazam!"
Alakazam looks back, giving his smiling trainer a gleeful grin. As Melanie recalls Alakazam, she notices that Calem's walking towards her, sporting a content smile. Melanie places the ball back inside her brown leather jacket. Melanie and Calem exchange a hi-five over their great battle.
Arthur claps, stating, "Good fight."
Then, Calem's phone rings. Seeing that it's Serena, Calem decides to pick up. "Hey, Serena," he greets. "Look, I know-"
"I'm hereeeeeee!" Serena cuts Calem off, letting out a mischievous laugh.
"W-What?!"
"The plane landed in Angel City an hour ago!" Serena happily explains. "Calvana's largest city is still impressive and pretty!"
"So, should I tell everyone or-"
"No waaaay, durak!"
I'm not a fool, Serena."
"Yes you are, cuz I want to find and surprise everyone!" Serena cheerfully exclaims. "However, Kris recommended me some shops to check out, so I'll be busy for now!"
"Serena, it's called a megacity for a reason," Calem groans, rolling his eyes. "I bet you didn't even ask Kris where to find the others, did you?"
"O-Oops, I f-forgot to a-ask!" Serena shrieks in embarrassment. "P-Please tell me where I can f-find e-everyone!"
"Fine, I-"
"You better listen to me, zho-pa!" Serena boisterously laughs. "You're powerless before Serena Yvette Verochka Nikolaev!"
"Why did I pick up the phone?" Calem lets out a loud sigh, smacking his face with his left hand.
Melanie faintly chuckles over Calem's amusing situation. It seems that Serena hasn't changed much, if at all.
Valen's glancing at his front yard through his living room's arched window, pondering about the latest events. The sun could've set on his future, but it rose instead. His gazes moves downwards, eyeing the lush grass and foliage. "ate had a different plan for him me after all, but at what cost? What did he lose in order to get to this point? Is his future with Hilda doomed to fail?
"Hey, Val-Val!"
Hearing Hilda's bubbly voice snaps Valen out of his trance-like state. He can't dwell like this, he's got to move forward. He also doesn't want Hilda, Rosa, Melanie, and others to be sad.
"Wake up, Valey!"
He peeks behind him, yelping when he realizes what the crazy wholesome minds are going to do. Hilda's even showing him the camera app for some reason. He's now sweating profusely, his eyes having widened to the point where the whites are showing. He begins to nervously walk past Rosa and Hilda, keeping his hands in his pockets in an attempt to act cool.
Hilda fixates a disapproving glare at Valen, folding her arms and demanding, "Hey, don't you dare walk out on me!" She will get pictures of her OTP and he will like it!
"Lalalalalalalala, I can't hear you! Lalalalalalalala! I still can't hear you!" Valen screams as he covers his ears with his hands. "Lalalalalalalala, I don't know what the word pictures mean! Lalalalalalalala!"
"Rosa, use Take Down!"
"Attack the Valey sweetie!" Rosa sports a playful smile, dallying in front of Valen. She blocks the entrance to the dining room, wagging her finger. "Metronome!"
"I said Take Down!"
"Rosa refuses to listen to Noob!" Rosa giggles, doing a good luck twirl. "Rosa used Flying Press! Grrrrr, feel Rosa's power!" She wraps her arms around Valen's neck and uses the full force of her body to gently bring Valen down. She pins him to the ornate carpeting that decorates the floor.
Nooooo, he's been defeated by cuteness! Mayday, mayday mayday! He's been pinned down by cuteness! This is a battle he's never going to win! Rosa's far too powerful to be defeated!
"Roar, Rosa used Draining Kiss!" Rosa silences Valen's attempt at shrieking with a kiss on the lips.
A pouting Valen rolls his eyes. She's literally his biggest weakness. She's a pain in the ass at times, but she's an adorable pain in the ass.
"Roar, Rosa used Triple Kick!" She bops Valen's legs with her feet three times. "Tee-hee, you'll never defeat Rosa in this type of battle!"
Grumbling turns into laughter as Valen can never stay annoyed or mad at Rosa for long, if at all. He forgot that he doesn't mind any of these antics. He embraces Rosa, causing her to sport an ear-to-ear affectionate grin. Just like her grin, her antics are too adorable to get worked up about.
"Tee-hee, you need lots and lots of hugs and kisses from meeeeee, so get used to it!" Rosa gives Valen a playful, flirtatious wink. "I expect the same amount of hugs and kisses from my boooy, kaaaay?"
"I like that."
"It's picture time!" Hilda announces, peeking through the phone's camera lens.
He doesn't like that! Surprise pictures like this could expose him as being cute!
"You can't run!" Hilda laughs. "Say OTP!"
"OTP!" Rosa and Hilda cheer.
"Nooooooo!" Valen shrieks again, closing his eyes as bright flashes repeatedly illuminate the room.
"Yeeeeeees!" Rosa giggles when Hilda shows her the photo of flustered Valen and her awesome self. Before Valen can say anything, she silences him with another kiss on the lips. "Come and get meeee, big boooy." She gives Valen a playful smile and wink. "As you can seeeeee, I've been veeeeeery baaaad."
"Thanks," Valen's voice emits a gracious tone. "Surprise pictures can freak me out, but I know what the intent was." He pats Rosa's head. "Ball of fluff, can I get-"
"Roar, Headbutt!" Rosa bops Valen's head with her head to prevent him from lifting up his upper body.
"Please-"
"Roar, Double Kick!" Rosa bops both of Valen's legs with her feet so Valen can't lift up his lower body.
"Why-"
"I have full control of yoooou, and I'm not giving it up!" Rosa becomes flirtatious again, saying, "However, you can win this round if you lift me up with those exposed muscles, big booooy."
"Nah, goodnight." Valen closes his eyes, pretending Rosa's a blanket.
Hilda looks on in bewilderment, unsure of what to do. She doesn't remember Val-Val randomly saying goodnight. Wait, yes she does! Hehe, this means Rosa's about to get a surprise! Val-Val's sporting a devious grin, leaving his right hand on Rosa's back! He slightly lifts up Rosa's white top with his left hand. Tickle, feel the power of his tickle! Hehe, he gotcha!
"You thought I wouldn't get payback?" Valen laughs. "Hilda, make sure you get this on video!"
"H-Hilda, please don't record this! Hahahahahahaha!"
Hilda wastes no time in switching to the video option. Sorry Rosa, but it's only fair that she record this! Besides, this tickle session sooooo adorable to begin with! Hehe, maybe she should join in next time! Val-Val might need backup!
Valen and Rosa have started the process of moving the rest of the latter's belongings into the former's house. Rosa's currently sitting on one of Valen's sofas, surrounded by unopened boxes that contain the rest of her belongings. Valen's currently on the phone in the dining room, leaving Rosa to ponder to herself.
Her poor sweetie's suffered a lot, she laments. She's struggling to focus on her goals—what if he needs help and she's not around? She hears Valen walking into the living room, a smile on his face. That precious smile's about to be erased, and she's disgusted about it. Sure enough, that horrible sight of Valen's smile vanishing occurs, a worried expression replacing it.
"You okay?"
"...Valen...it hurts that you've suffered so much." Rosa slumps, squeezing her eyes shut. "I hate it...I hate seeing you in pain." Her gaze and chin are inwards, her voice devoid and dull.
"Come here, Valen wants his first hug of the day." He closes his eyes as wraps his right arm around Rosa's waist, pulling her as close to himself as possible. "You've done a lot for me." He holds her tight, his chin on the top of her head. "Don't you ever forget that you're an angel who vanquishes shadows."
Valen's words and gestures cause warmth to surge within Rosa's body. She sports a sweet smile as the tension within her mind starts to dissipate. He calls her a ball of fluff, but has he taken a peek at how sweet he is to her and others? Who's the real ball of fluff, you silly boy?
"I'll be okay, don't worry."
He's about to let go of Rosa, but when he sees that her expression has become somber again, he changes his mind. He senses that there's something else that he needs to comfort Rosa about. She seems to be lamenting over something, but what?
After about a minute. Rosa tightens her fists, mustering up the inner strength to cease trembling. Not only is her beloved Valen's getting better, but he's standing right next to her. She leaves her right arm wrapped around his neck. She begins to caress his right cheek. She knows that Valen's got a strong sense of duty, and it was weaponized against him.
He's willing to concede one thing about himself—his mother was one hundred percent right about his old friends, and Melanie was right about Rosa. It still hasn't fully sunk in, but he's realizing just how wrong he was.
One step at a time, my sweetie." Rosa grabs hold of his left hand, massaging the top of it with her other hand. "One step at a time."
Valen goes silent, thinking about how much he truly adores this girl. Rosa's literally a walking repellant of anything wicked, and anything immoral would be vanquished the instant it tried to corrupt her. It's impossible not to feel happier when she's around, as she's extremely vivacious, high spirited, and lively.
His train of thought gets interrupted when Rosa's phone dings, notifying her of a text. He watches Rosa dart towards the front door, opening it as fast as possible while still being careful."Hiii, Hilda!"
"Heeeeeey!" Hilda warmly grins. She enters the living room, her glittering eyes fixated on all of the antique furniture. "I didn't get to take a closer look last time-I need to change that!"
"He added lots more!" Rosa clasps her hands next to her right cheek.
"Let's do this!" Hilda radiates a vibrant aura around her. "Tell me how to help and I'll do it!" She clasps her hands in front of her left shoulder. "Hilda White's the antidote to dull days!"
"You really didn't have to go this far." Valen closes his eyes, his hands in his pockets.
Hilda glances back at Valen with her mouth gaping open. However, her surprise lasts for only a few seconds—her close friend was very polite. She closes her eyes and clasps her hands behind her back. "I know, but helping each other out is what friends do, isn't it?" She asks, sporting a warm smile on her face. "Also, Melanie wanted you to get accustomed to having me around again."
Before Rosa can chime in, both Hilda and Rosa notice that Valen's got a somber expression.
Valen stares blankly at the wooden floor. "Please...please let me atone for what I've done." His voice emits a dull tone. "I tried pushing everyone away...I hurt the people closest to me...I'll carry this shame unless I can make things right."
Rosa and Hilda stare at Valen, their mouths falling open. What do they-they know what to do! They nod while looking at each other, then they pace themselves towards Valen. Both kiss the top of his head the same time.
"Smile." Hilda playfully winks, cupping his face in her hands.
Valen's eyes meet her gentle gaze. "Smile?"
"When you truly love someone unconditionally, you want them to be happy," Hilda responds, letting go of him. "Whether it's friendship or romance."
"All we want from you is to see you happy," Rosa adds, placing her index fingers at the ends of her mouth. "Give us a big smile!"
Sometimes, these two are so wholesome that they can put people at a loss for words. They've always brightened up his day with their presence alone.
"Obey The Unovan Queens, goofball," Hilda teases, placing her right hand over her grin. "Hehe, we order you to smile."
Only Rosa and Hilda would order him to smile, but what exactly would they do? Hug him without mercy as punishment?
Rosa and Hilda turn in opposite directions, standing back-to back with each other. "No sadness is permitted around us!" They wink, pointing at him with their right index fingers. "Smile this instant, Valentinus!"
"...Why'd you say my full first name?"
"What kind of Pokémon are yoooou?!" Rosa and Hilda cheer. "How dooooo yoooou dooooo the things you dooooo?!" They wrap an arm each around Valen's neck. "Tell us all your secrets deep insideeeeee!"
"I'm not a Pokémon."
"Val-Val's loooooyal through and through!" Hilda's eyes gleam.
"Valey's got a heart that's trueeeee!" Rosa's eyes sparkle. "What kind of Pokémon are yooou?!"
Their invigorating and jubliant demeanor causes Valen to laugh, much to their delight.
"We did it!" Rosa and Hilda triumphantly shout, letting go of him. "We made him smile!" They grab each other's hands, jumping around. "We rock! We rock! We rock!"
"Crazy wholesome minds." He places his right palm up against his forehead. "You two are such kooks that sometimes, it makes no sense to me." he shrugs. "I'll continue to play along."
"Who needs to make sense when we're bringing energy to everyone?!" Hilda jumps, clasping her hands next to her right shoulder.
"Wherever we go, smiles follow!" Rosa and Hilda cheer. raising their right fists above their heads. "Go, go, gooooooo smiling Valen!"
Yep, these two are definitely crazy wholesome minds. That's why he loves them. His mother comes to mind—Rosa and Hilda bear similar traits to her. Furthermore, his mom has made no attempts to hide the fact that when she was in her teens and early twenties, she was a giant fangirl of The Orbeetles, Galar's most famous contribution to music history. Ironically, the pro trainer that his mother went gaga over was Connor White, and she's a fan of actress Odelle White.
Within another part of Angel City, Melanie and Calem have decided to get to know each other a little bit more, as both of them are old friends of Valen. Amongst the chatter going on around the duo, a few people silently take note of Melanie and Calem, as both of them are known trainers.
Calem's mesmerized by the Neoclassical style of the arena, its cream color vividly illuminated by the beaming sunlight. He glances upwards, using his red cap to shield his eyes from the sunlight as he studies the center of the circular arena's roof. The center prominently displays bronze statues of a king or knight in a chariot being pulled by four Galarian Rapidash. His gaze shifts downwards, noting the massive pillars that surround the entire arena's exterior. This is one heck of a public arena—it looks more like an ancient king's palace. With that said, it's not his first time seeing an arena like this. Marvels such as this structure is why he understands why Valen and other friends enjoy discussing the subject so much.
"Impressed, Calem?" Melanie asks, her amused smirk turning to a beaming smile.
Calem nods as his gaze returns to assessing the arena. "It looks just like the old arenas back in Kalos," he remarks. "I guess that's to be expected, since Valen told me that Kalosians founded this city."
"This isn't even one of the oldest areas in the city—the city's got buildings that date back to the 17th century."
"Since we're here, let's have some fun." Calem smirks, grabbing one of the six Poke Balls attached to his waist. "How about you face me in a battle?"
"You're on!" Melanie takes out a Poké Ball from inside of her brown leather jacket.
"It seems I have arrived in the nick of time," Arthur comments, his footsteps echoing as he approaches the duo. "I saw a magnificent sculpture on the way here," he remarks. "I'm a sculpture bloke, after all."
Which one did you see?" Calem knows nothing about sculpture, but he might as well ask
"Titanic Clash by Jacques Beauchêne-Bernini."
Melanie turns away to hide her broad grin. Oh, if only he knew who he's related to. Wait a minute, Calem and Arthur are walking into the arena without her! No fair! Get back here! She runs into the arena, her face reddening when she nearly runs into Arthur and Calem. The latter's assessing the trainers and their Pokémon. Geez, they could've warned her or something!
"Marvelous frescos," Arthur compliments. "This reminds me of the Sistine Hall's ceiling."
His eyes follow the horizon lines within works that depict various Legendary Pokémon. Among them is one from his native Galar, the piece in question depicting Giratina's fight with Eternatus. Painting is not an expertise of his, but he's familiar with the lines used by Giotto. This must've been painted by somebody who viewed Giotto as a huge inspiration. However, the only Calvanian painter he knows is Lorenzo Buonarotti, his inspiration being Michelangelo Bellincioni. These frescoes contain Michelangelo's style too.
Wait, inspiration! Valen! Valen the Reaper! Gloria's a big fan of his battles and contests! That's where he's heard the name before!
"An interest in art is something you two have in common." Melanie's right hand hovers over her grin. "Valen loves these ceiling frescoes."
Arthur peeks back, a wide smile appearing. "I hope to become more acquainted with him."
Arthur stands behind Melanie within an indoor battlefield, the battlefield where he met Valen and her a short distance away. This time, the field's finished with a stunning presentation of marble. Despite the obvious wear and tear within this eighteenth century relic, he appreciates how well the city and its residents preserve their history. He studies the congregation of onlookers that's assembling, no surprise due to Melanie's status. Calem's likely not a stranger to a good portion of the crowd either, and he's definitely not a stranger to him. He's won the Kalosian Conference twice, the second one was witnessed by Arthur through television.
Due to how well maintained this arena is, Arthur can't help but wonder if these cracks, dings, and scratches are relatively recent or are from centuries ago. Assuming that wear and tear would last that long in the first place, let alone after refurbishment and maintenance. Oh well, there's no use in overthinking that element. He's going to focus on and enjoy the play that's about to start.
"Alakazam, let's rock and roll!"
Melanie spins, her long hair swaying as she throws the ball upwards. Alakazam doesn't make a sound as he comes out—he's already studying this other human that'll be facing off against his trainer. He's met Calem before, but he's never faced any of his Pokémon in battle.
This is the tallest Alakazam Calem's ever seen. "Alpha?"
"Yep."
"This should be fun," he remarks. "I'll use my Charizard."
Calem chucks the ball to let his Pokémon out. Charizard lets out a ferocious roar, sending shockwaves through the ground and air.
Melanie nods, commanding, "Calm Mind."
Alakazam closes his eyes and his body becomes enveloped with a translucent white aura. The aura glows brightly as Alakazam briefly mediates. Then, the aura vanishes as quickly as it appeared, and Alakazam slowly opens his eyes, ready for his command.
"Use Flamethrower."
Charizard is already within close proximity of him. He fires off a red-orange stream of fire towards Alakazam. It strikes the wide-eyed Psychic-type in the upper portion of his brownish armored chest. Flames envelop Alakazam's body, causing him to grunt.
Melanie assess that Charizard's quite the speedy Pokémon, but she's more concerned about Alakazam. Alakazam's got a burn, this isn't a good start.
Suddenly, her eyes tilt, a smirk appearing. Two can play at this game. "Use Toxic!"
Alakazam fires off a stream of black liquid from his mouth, inflicting Charizard with the Badly Poisoned status condition. Charizard's entire body glows purple as he takes damage from the poison.
"I see what you're trying to do," Calem remarks, sporting a amused smile. "Will it be enough, though?"
"Shadow Ball!" Alakazam places his hands in front of his body. Using his spoons, Alakazam forms a purple sphere of energy, and fires it towards Charizard.
"Counter with Flamethrower." Charizard opens his mouth and launches red-orange stream of fire that crashes into Shadow Ball. The collision of both attacks results in a detonation that covers the battle arena in smoke.
"Use Shadow Claw."
As the smoke clears itself out, Charizard's right claw glows jet black. Charizard lets out a blaring roar as he charges from a close distance, striking Alakazam with his right claw. Alakazam gets slashed in the middle of his brownish, armored chest, stumbling backwards as he tries to regain his composure.
Melanie realizes that Alakazam is now in close proximity of Calem's Charizard. Her facial expression's one of determination—Calem's going to see more of the skills that won her two Calvanian Conferences.
"Use Psychic!"
Alakazam crosses its spoon, just as his eyes glow light blue. Then, Alakazam unleashes an enormous tidal wave of light blue energy from his cross spoons. Calem's mouth slightly falls open as Charizard's body is enveloped by the surge of light blue energy, causing the draconic-like Pokémon to stagger backwards. Charizard kneels over with its eyes closed, the Fire-type surprised by the strength of this attack. This opponent's a powerful one.
"Follow up with Psycho Cut," A increased surge of adrenaline flows within her body.
Alakazam motions his left arm like he's swinging a blade horizontally from his left to his right. A crescent of light blue energy, slices through the air, pelting a still reeling Charizard.
"Shock Wave!"
As Charizard tries to stand upright, Alakazam fires off a light blue lightning bolt from the top of his head. The lightning bolt strikes Charizard in his cream colored chest, quickly enveloping his entire body. Charizard pants in exhaustion as he kneels over from the trio of attacks, plus the increasing damage from his status condition.
"Use Dragon Claw."
Charizard's able to pull himself together, letting out a ferocious roar that sends ripples through the ground and air. Both of Charizard's claws glow light red, the draconic-like Pokémon lunging towards Alakazam at a high rate of speed. Alakazam's slashed twice just below his jaw.
"Fire Blast."
Charizard lets out another roar, spitting out a powerful cluster of red-orange flames that take the shape of the kanji for fire. As Alakazam staggers from the previous attack, he takes a direct hit from Fire Blast, causing him to kneel over as he attempts to bear the damage he's taken.
"Use Recover!"
As Alakazam struggles to stand up straight, his entire body glows yellow. This yellow energy heals a portion of the damage Alakazam's taken so far, enabling the yellow humanoid Pokémon to stand back up.
"Use Flamethrower."
"Counter with Psycho Cut!"
Charizard unleashes a red-orange stream of fire from his mouth, while Alakazam motions his right arm horizontally. Alakazam fires off another crescent of light blue energy that collides with Charizard's Flamethrower. The collision causes another detonation, resulting in a considerable about of smoke.
"Use Psychic!"
Alakazam crosses its spoons. Alakazam's eyes glow light blue and he unleashes another tidal wave of light blue energy. This powerful attack causes all the smoke to vanish within seconds. Both Calem and Charizard are taken by surprise, their mouths falling open. Charizard takes a direct hit from the wave of energy, stumbling backwards. Both Pokémon pant in exhaustion. Both are bent over, struggling to stand upright.
"Fire Blast."
Charizard pulls himself together, spitting out another powerful cluster of red-orange flames that take the shape of the kanji for fire. As Alakazam attempts to stand upright, he's struck in the face by the powerful attack. Alakazam stumbles backwards, falling over. Melanie's about to shout, but she relents when Alakazam's able to get back on his feet.
"Shock Wave!"
Alakazam fires off another light blue lightning bolt from the top of his head. This time, the attack strikes Charizard on his head, his horns looking like lightning rods as the electricity envelops his entire body.
Despite using Recover, Alakazam's taken a considerable amount of damage from being burned. However, Charizard's taken more damage from being badly poisoned. As a result of that, Charizard falls to the ground, having been defeated.
"Good battle, Charizard."
As he recalls his Charizard, Calem sports a embarrassed smile, murmuring, "I forgot that the status condition inflicted by Toxic does more and more damage as the battle goes on." He re-attaches the ball on his waist.
"You did great, Alakazam!"
Alakazam looks back, giving his smiling trainer a gleeful grin. As Melanie recalls Alakazam, she notices that Calem's walking towards her, sporting a content smile. Melanie places the ball back inside her brown leather jacket. Melanie and Calem exchange a hi-five over their great battle.
Arthur claps, stating, "Good fight."
Then, Calem's phone rings. Seeing that it's Serena, Calem decides to pick up. "Hey, Serena," he greets. "Look, I know-"
"I'm hereeeeeee!" Serena cuts Calem off, letting out a mischievous laugh.
"W-What?!"
"The plane landed in Angel City an hour ago!" Serena happily explains. "Calvana's largest city is still impressive and pretty!"
"So, should I tell everyone or-"
"No waaaay, durak!"
I'm not a fool, Serena."
"Yes you are, cuz I want to find and surprise everyone!" Serena cheerfully exclaims. "However, Kris recommended me some shops to check out, so I'll be busy for now!"
"Serena, it's called a megacity for a reason," Calem groans, rolling his eyes. "I bet you didn't even ask Kris where to find the others, did you?"
"O-Oops, I f-forgot to a-ask!" Serena shrieks in embarrassment. "P-Please tell me where I can f-find e-everyone!"
"Fine, I-"
"You better listen to me, zho-pa!" Serena boisterously laughs. "You're powerless before Serena Yvette Verochka Nikolaev!"
"Why did I pick up the phone?" Calem lets out a loud sigh, smacking his face with his left hand.
Melanie faintly chuckles over Calem's amusing situation. It seems that Serena hasn't changed much, if at all.
Valen's glancing at his front yard through his living room's arched window, pondering about the latest events. The sun could've set on his future, but it rose instead. His gazes moves downwards, eyeing the lush grass and foliage. "ate had a different plan for him me after all, but at what cost? What did he lose in order to get to this point? Is his future with Hilda doomed to fail?
"Hey, Val-Val!"
Hearing Hilda's bubbly voice snaps Valen out of his trance-like state. He can't dwell like this, he's got to move forward. He also doesn't want Hilda, Rosa, Melanie, and others to be sad.
"Wake up, Valey!"
He peeks behind him, yelping when he realizes what the crazy wholesome minds are going to do. Hilda's even showing him the camera app for some reason. He's now sweating profusely, his eyes having widened to the point where the whites are showing. He begins to nervously walk past Rosa and Hilda, keeping his hands in his pockets in an attempt to act cool.
Hilda fixates a disapproving glare at Valen, folding her arms and demanding, "Hey, don't you dare walk out on me!" She will get pictures of her OTP and he will like it!
"Lalalalalalalala, I can't hear you! Lalalalalalalala! I still can't hear you!" Valen screams as he covers his ears with his hands. "Lalalalalalalala, I don't know what the word pictures mean! Lalalalalalalala!"
"Rosa, use Take Down!"
"Attack the Valey sweetie!" Rosa sports a playful smile, dallying in front of Valen. She blocks the entrance to the dining room, wagging her finger. "Metronome!"
"I said Take Down!"
"Rosa refuses to listen to Noob!" Rosa giggles, doing a good luck twirl. "Rosa used Flying Press! Grrrrr, feel Rosa's power!" She wraps her arms around Valen's neck and uses the full force of her body to gently bring Valen down. She pins him to the ornate carpeting that decorates the floor.
Nooooo, he's been defeated by cuteness! Mayday, mayday mayday! He's been pinned down by cuteness! This is a battle he's never going to win! Rosa's far too powerful to be defeated!
"Roar, Rosa used Draining Kiss!" Rosa silences Valen's attempt at shrieking with a kiss on the lips.
A pouting Valen rolls his eyes. She's literally his biggest weakness. She's a pain in the ass at times, but she's an adorable pain in the ass.
"Roar, Rosa used Triple Kick!" She bops Valen's legs with her feet three times. "Tee-hee, you'll never defeat Rosa in this type of battle!"
Grumbling turns into laughter as Valen can never stay annoyed or mad at Rosa for long, if at all. He forgot that he doesn't mind any of these antics. He embraces Rosa, causing her to sport an ear-to-ear affectionate grin. Just like her grin, her antics are too adorable to get worked up about.
"Tee-hee, you need lots and lots of hugs and kisses from meeeeee, so get used to it!" Rosa gives Valen a playful, flirtatious wink. "I expect the same amount of hugs and kisses from my boooy, kaaaay?"
"I like that."
"It's picture time!" Hilda announces, peeking through the phone's camera lens.
He doesn't like that! Surprise pictures like this could expose him as being cute!
"You can't run!" Hilda laughs. "Say OTP!"
"OTP!" Rosa and Hilda cheer.
"Nooooooo!" Valen shrieks again, closing his eyes as bright flashes repeatedly illuminate the room.
"Yeeeeeees!" Rosa giggles when Hilda shows her the photo of flustered Valen and her awesome self. Before Valen can say anything, she silences him with another kiss on the lips. "Come and get meeee, big boooy." She gives Valen a playful smile and wink. "As you can seeeeee, I've been veeeeeery baaaad."
"Thanks," Valen's voice emits a gracious tone. "Surprise pictures can freak me out, but I know what the intent was." He pats Rosa's head. "Ball of fluff, can I get-"
"Roar, Headbutt!" Rosa bops Valen's head with her head to prevent him from lifting up his upper body.
"Please-"
"Roar, Double Kick!" Rosa bops both of Valen's legs with her feet so Valen can't lift up his lower body.
"Why-"
"I have full control of yoooou, and I'm not giving it up!" Rosa becomes flirtatious again, saying, "However, you can win this round if you lift me up with those exposed muscles, big booooy."
"Nah, goodnight." Valen closes his eyes, pretending Rosa's a blanket.
Hilda looks on in bewilderment, unsure of what to do. She doesn't remember Val-Val randomly saying goodnight. Wait, yes she does! Hehe, this means Rosa's about to get a surprise! Val-Val's sporting a devious grin, leaving his right hand on Rosa's back! He slightly lifts up Rosa's white top with his left hand. Tickle, feel the power of his tickle! Hehe, he gotcha!
"You thought I wouldn't get payback?" Valen laughs. "Hilda, make sure you get this on video!"
"H-Hilda, please don't record this! Hahahahahahaha!"
Hilda wastes no time in switching to the video option. Sorry Rosa, but it's only fair that she record this! Besides, this tickle session sooooo adorable to begin with! Hehe, maybe she should join in next time! Val-Val might need backup!
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