[Marco POV]
Watermelon pink button up shirt and a navy blue tie with a white diagonal stripe pattern?
‘Check.’
Navy blue dress pants with a dark brown leather belt?
‘Check.’
Dark brown leather dress shoes?
‘Check.’
A charming and laid back personality?
I smiled at myself. “Nina and I are going to have a great night.”
I grabbed my phone, wallet, keys, and custom-made navy blue blazer. The blazer had an inner lining that functioned as a clip to hold Pokéballs. I left Tetsu with Hawlucha, Kippie, and Skorupi. Tetsu and Kippie were going to train their new teammates while we were gone. I had Nautilus, Colada, Ra, and Hestia for protection. Well, I brought Hestia so I could make sure she wasn’t causing trouble. Anyway, with one last look at the time, I headed out to meet Nina at her restaurant.
It was a nice night out and I had about 30 minutes until I needed to meet Nina. Since it would take me about 15 minutes to walk to her place, I decided to spend some time with Hestia. I released her onto the sidewalk, letting her look around before speaking. “Hestia, wanna join me while I walk to Nina’s restaurant?”
“Ha?” she asked, looking confused.
“Nina is someone I’m going on a date with. I met her way back when Tetsu first hatched,” I answered her question. At least, I think I did. I got so used to Nautilus linking us all up that my Poké speech translation has gotten rusty. “You up for a chat as we walk there?”
“Hattrem!” she said, bouncing in confirmation. She used her braided hair to walk next to me. “Hattrem, Hatt. Hatt, Ha, Hattrem! Tre Trem Hat-.”
‘Way too long for this to happen! I mean, how is it that since you caught me several days ago we are just now having a heart-to-heart? I know you’ve become infatuated with me since then, who wouldn’t? But my heart belongs to Ra. He’s a real Pokémon, you’re just a human. But don’t take it the wrong way! I know you’re using Nina to get over me, but I’m sure she’ll see something in you that will help you get over me,” she said, practically beaming at the chance to finally talk without interruption.
I stopped walking, just staring at her. How could someone talk like Eminem raps?
‘Why did you stop? I know you don’t fully understand us when the edge lord isn’t translating, but you should at least understand some of it. If not, you’re even dumber than I thought.’
“Uh, I think you got so excited while talking that you linked our minds so I could understand you,” I said, giving Hestia a blank look. “And I’m not infatuated with you. I barely know you, that’s why I asked if you wanted to spend some time talking.”
Hestia’s face grew slightly red from embarrassment. “Ahehehe, so Nina?” I smiled at her obvious attempt at changing the topic. I guess I could save her some grace. “Yeah, Nina.”
“I’m honestly not sure how to feel about her,” I said. Looking up for a bit, I thought about my girlfriend back home. “I have someone else… Or I used to. I honestly don’t know what’s happened to her.”
0-0-0-0-0
[Third Person POV]
Hestia slowed to a halt after hearing Marco’s words, confused by the lack of conflicting emotions he was feeling. Marco noticed, slowing his stroll but not stopping. “I became lost, just disappeared from my old life. Not that I wanted to, but I couldn’t stop it. And here I am, just moving on like that part of me never existed.”
Hestia began to bounce along next to Marco, listening with wide eyes. Never did she imagine just how much there was to her new Trainer. Even now, he was barely releasing any emotion, cognizant of the fact that the Hattena line was very sensitive to emotions. But she understood that he was a dam, containing his emotions to protect others.
‘Maybe to protect himself too,’ she thought.
“I’m sorry, Hestia. Here I wanted to try and enjoy some time with you and get to know you better. But I start pouring my secrets out like a weird and overly open co-worker,” Marco laughed at himself. Hestia jumped up onto his shoulder, using her hair to hold onto him.
“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know that you had been dealing with something like that.”
The two walked in silence for a minute before Hestia spoke up. “I know what it’s like to be separated from someone you love.”
Marco sent her a gentle look of focus, letting Hestia know he was listening. There were few people out as the light of the day was fading away. The twilight sky slowly began to shimmer with stars as it grew darker, causing the air to grow colder. Hestia snuggled closer to Marco as she resumed her tale.
“My family and I were normal for an interspecies couple. My mother was a Hatterene, my father a Togedemaru. I had two sisters, both Togedemaru, and a Hattena for a brother. We were doing rather fine in our community of fairies in the Glimwoods. And then I met Zura, a Marill. He was just fantastic. Always bringing me flowers, creating all sorts of beautiful ice figures… He didn’t just steal my heart, he convinced me it was his all along.
“He wanted me to move with him, promising beautiful views of fields of flowers and quiet pastures. I loved him, but I didn’t want to leave my family behind. We spent weeks fighting about what we were going to do. And then my family decided they were going to leave. So, I had to choose. Would I go with my family to Alola, or would I move to Paldea with Zura? In the end, it didn’t matter. Zura was caught by a Trainer, taking away the choice I had.”
The two walked in silence as they turned onto the street Nina’s restaurant was on. The building slowly came into view, its wooden structure resembling a homey cabin in the woods. It looked rather small from the front and sides, but I knew there was a lot of room to go further back. Right on top of the door was a sign that read ‘Ditto’s Palate’ and a painted Ditto dressed as a chef. The lights were on, but a neon ‘CLOSED’ sign let all who passed by that it was no longer serving for the day.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Marco said, breaking the silence. Hestia looked at him with teary eyes and said, “It’s okay. I’ve learned to live with my indecisiveness. But you didn’t have a choice from the beginning. I’m sure she loved you. I’m also sure she still does. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let yourself be happy and enjoy the love of another.”
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Marco smiled at Hestia, his gratitude radiating in rolling waves. “Thank you, that was very wise and un-narcissistic of you,” he said with a laugh. Hestia rolled her eyes at her obnoxious Trainer, “Well, you know me. I’m the queen of love.”
With a shared chuckle, Marco returned Hestia just as Nina opened the door.
“Wow, just in time,” Nina said with a bright smile.
0-0-0-0-0
[Marco POV]
“You know me, impeccable timing,” I said with a smile. She stepped back to let me into the warm waiting area, pointing at a coat rack so I could hang my blazer. After I hung it up, Nina led me to the kitchen, where the fantastic smell of meats and cooked vegetables harmonized. There was a cast-iron pot on a burner, small blue flames keeping it warm. Another pot, this one wider than it was tall, was set aside on the counter. A tray containing some sort of bread was on the open stove.
“And damn does that smell delicious,” I told her, closing my eyes to enjoy the smells. “Let me guess…” I said as I took a long breath in, “Bouffalant stew, mac and cheese, and baguettes?”
Nina laughed and said, “Not even close, mister amateur chef. Miltank pot roast, my popular deluxe mashed potatoes, and beer biscuits. Really, baguettes?”
“A man can only hope he gets quality baguettes in Kalos,” I replied with a chuckle. “I know it’s going to be delicious, so how about a drink to start the evening?” I pulled out a bottle of Pecha and Fancy Apple mead, imported from Galar after some fierce bidding since the bottles came from a now defunct brewery that stopped producing about 40 years ago.
“Wow, a bottle of Galarian SlowBrew! I’ve heard a lot of great ratings regarding their wines and meads. Where’d you get a bottle?” she asked, genuine delight radiating from her face.
“From the cold, dead hands of a PokéNet bidder,” I answered. “I’m surprised I was able to get it, given how many people were trying to outbid each other. But I was able to get the last bid right before it ended.”
“Of course, you used crafty tactics. But this is really expensive for just a date. You could’ve just gotten a bottle of berry wine from down the street,” she said.
“I could have,” I said with a small smile, “but you could have also used Tauros meat for the pot roast. Instead you went for Miltank, a rather heavily regulated meat source.” Nina coughed a bit at that, saying, “It was nothing, really!”
“So was the mead,” I replied. “But enough of that. Let’s pop it open and enjoy it.” I winked as I said it, causing Nina to blush a bit. She brought over a bottle opener and opened the mead, handing me the bottle to grab some chilled wine glasses. I poured both of us a quarter of a glass, putting the bottle in the freezer to let it cool. We looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, glasses in hand, before I smiled.
“Cheers to our date,” I said, clinking my glass with hers before bringing the drink up to my nose to smell. Nina did the same, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath in. It smelled of Pecha and apples, obviously, but it also had hints of anise, cardamom, and I think hops.
“Cheers,” Nina said before taking a small sip and savoring the mead. I took a sip and immediately tasted a balanced medley of flavors. The honey, apples, and Pecha berries provided all of the sweetness I expected from the smell. The spices provided a cool sweetness that elevated the overall flavor profile, while the hops and cardamom added floral hints when you really paid attention to the flavor. Though it wasn’t the strongest mead I’ve had at 14%, it was one of the damned best I’ve had the pleasure of drinking.
‘I could easily see myself drinking two bottles,’ I thought. Nina laughed and said, “Same here. It’s delicious!” Once we savored the rest of the glass, we walked over to a table set up close to the kitchen. Nina went to serve both of us, so I grabbed the bottle of mead and poured us both half a glass. She came back with two plates of a mixed berry salad to begin the dinner.
“So, you have some business to do with the :League?” Nina asked. “You said something about a report last time we chatted.”
“Yeah, a report for the Professor,” I said. “There’s lots going on lately. The Professor, Champion Calem, the League as a whole… I feel like I’ve joined a shitshow.”
“If you’ve only just noticed, I’d hate to see how long it’ll take you to realize how the public is being affected,” Nina said with a small chuckle before sighing. “Cooking for Trainers has given me a lot of information I shouldn’t have as a civilian, so I can tell you myself that most people have no clue what’s going on out there.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, for starters,” she responded, “and I’m only telling you this cause you’re on cahoots with Professor Sycamore, so you probably already know. But the League hasn’t told a soul about the aliens they’ve been fighting. Shit, I just found out three days ago. That’s not to mention the video that popped up showing one of the League Execs abusing his power and basically threatening Professor Sycamore.”
“I know,” I replied with a sigh. “Augustine has made some complaints, but we’ll see how it goes. I know Calem and Augustine like to be proactive about things, but there’s only so much they can do when politics get involved.”
“So, do you know the specifics?” Nina asked as we finished the salad. She took the plates to the sink and began serving us the main meal, giving me some time to think about how I wanted to answer her. I’ve known her for a while, but that doesn’t really mean much when it comes to important, confidential information. Soon enough, she walked back with two steaming bowls of shredded meat and veggies, as well as the mashed potatoes, doused with the thick gravy-like broth. She also set another plate stacked with the biscuits between us. Before we started eating, I answered her question.
“I do, but trust me when I say that it would be best if less people knew.”
Nina raised an eyebrow as she reached for a biscuit. “Why is that?”
“Because we’re at a point where anything could quite literally fuck up society. I actually have to go investigate something out in Santalune Forest tomorrow. Depending on what I find, well…” I looked Nina right in the eye before sighing again. “Anyway, we’re here to enjoy a date, not talk about politics and other disturbing topics.” I took a sip of the mead, enjoying its taste for a few seconds. Nina downed the rest of her glass and poured herself a glassful.
“So, do you have any Pokémon? I don’t think I’ve seen you with one before,” I asked. I really wanted to know if she had a full team of just enough for protection. “Yes, I do,” she answered. “I used to be a Trainer out in Sinnoh, even beat all of the Gyms.”
I blinked in surprise. She what?
“Really know? How come I’m just now hearing of this?”
“Because you just now asked,” Nina said with a cheeky grin. “My traveling team consisted of Purugly, Medicham, Gastrodon, Electivire, and my starter, a Gengar. We had good times, trained like hell for each gym since we always lost on the first try. But I stopped after losing during the Sinnoh League tournament.” Her smile became melancholic, her voice barely covering up some bitterness.
“I was so mad and upset, I released all of my Pokémon without thinking. Most of them took that betrayal personally and left me. Gengar… Well, he didn’t want to come back to me. But I know he’s around. I always feel his familiar energy close by.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, completely taken by surprise. “That must have been a rough patch to get through.”
“You’re telling me. I cried myself to sleep for so long, I couldn’t remember a time I didn’t. But then I ate some food from Jack’s tent and his pretty little Vulpix just melted my heart. I told myself I couldn’t continue acting like that. My team would’ve been so disappointed if they were still with me. So, I chose to focus on food. At first, it was to make sure I was eating properly. Once I caught a few Pokémon, my focus was on making all of their meals properly nutritious and delicious. At some point, I was so engrossed in learning new recipes and techniques I chose to go to culinary school and boom. Chef Nina was born.”
“Wow, this Jack must have legendary food and a really cute Vulpix for it to have been your catalyst,” I told her. “What Pokémon do you have now?”
“Well, the first one I caught was a Machop, who is now Machamp. I also have an Alakazam, Rotom, Dachsbun, and Appletun. They’re all amazing helpers in the kitchen and are just as strong as my old team,” she said.
“So, that means you like to keep up with your training, right?”
“Ha, I probably stand a good chance at beating you,” she said. “Especially since you only have four Gym Badges.” I choked a bit on the beer biscuit, “Thems are fighting words, Nina. I might not have many badges, but you best believe I’ve been pushing my team to grow stronger every single day. Besides, I think I can easily get seven Gym Badges. The eighth could be a challenge, but I could get that one too.”
“Oh, really? I looked you up on PokéNet and found you’ve been a Trainer for about 12 or 13 months. Half a year since getting your starter and you think you can earn all eight Badges?” she asked with a doubtful expression.
“Hell yeah. If you don’t believe me, I saw a battlefield nearby,” I said with a challenging grin. She scoffed, probably thinking it wasn’t worth her time. “How about this,” I started, “once we enjoy the rest of your delicious dinner, we get out and have a battle. A 3 versus 3 match. Does that sound alright?”
She looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze before saying, “Fine, but don’t cry or get offended when I beat you.”
I snorted, which made Nina laugh. We continued eating, talking about the three months I was ‘in Orre.’ I made up stories about chasing some group trying to cause trouble in Phenac City, which ultimately led to their capture right before I came back. I told her about catching three new Pokémon, with Hestia catching her attention right away. She wanted to take a look at her, but I refused since I knew her excitement would be too much for Hestia. When I talked about Skorupi’s situation, she exclaimed how even Pokémon could be meant for the streets.
I learned about her restaurant and how she basically dumped all of her life savings into creating her perfect kitchen. She was doing alright for a restaurant until she was visited by some Ace Trainer that was well-known in certain PokéDB forums. He was famous enough to cause a huge increase in restaurant visits after recording his experience. After that, her popularity grew in its own right until she became the owner of the most popular restaurant in this area of the city.
After having some dessert, which was just some strawberry ice cream topped with walnuts, candied Cheri berry pieces, and Mago berry sauce, we decided to finish the mead.
“I still can’t believe you were able to get a bottle of this mead,” Nina said as she savored the flavors. “But I’m glad you did. Too bad we don’t have extra to celebrate my win.”
That cocky smile made me… Oh, no, that’s not anger. I didn’t know I could feel this while being challenged by someone. I looked her in the eyes and saw the same look I felt. I smiled at her and said, “Well, it’s a good thing we won’t be celebrating your win since I’m the one that’ll come first in our exchange.” I added a wink at the end, one that caught Nina off-guard if the light blush was anything to go by. Oh, yeah. This was going to be a good night.
“Hmph, we’ll see. Come on, we have a battle to start,” Nina said before grabbing her coat and belt and heading out the door. I smiled and followed her.