~~~ Chapter 55 - Date Night ~~~
Leaf got bored with the fountain, turning and looking out over the park, watching a couple play with their rockruff and lycanroc. Lanky and I both watched him, Lanky occasionally glancing down between his phone and pokedex. Leaf was standing stock-still when the rockruff broke from the couple. We had the advantage of the noon-day sun, so I wasn't worried about Leaf eating the dog's tackle. Before the pup could overcommit, it was called back by their owners. For a split second, the young, idiotic dog seemed to not register the call.
In preparation for a fight with not just the pup, but the following lycanroc, I let the mana I was using to practice with dissipate. I hopped off the bench under the extra energy of the afternoon sun. The pup curved their trajectory, glanced back at us, before finishing its 180 and proceeded to run back to its owners. Disaster averted, I relaxed, hopped back up as Lanky sighed, Leaf regained motion, deciding not to stare too close at the people enjoying the park. Leaf came to a stop in front and below me, staring up at me as I stood above him from my perch on the bench.
Meditation and mana practice canceled, I faced a bored Leaf. Hopping down from the bench, I decided to see how strong he was getting. We exchanged antennae taps and scents, before he took the initiative to try and push me down. Our blades clashed. I was pushing down on him, and he was struggling to resist. Unfortunately for me, Leaf was easily a good six inches taller than I, which meant that he had leverage working for him.
By comparison, l only had raw power, likely by virtue of being slightly older and getting into more difficult fights. I tried to push him down, and right when I thought Leaf would buckle, he clicked, then flipped his blades, sandwiching my two blades between his, pulling me to him, "Eeen!" I squeaked out, surprised as I lost my footing and he lifted me up into the air. For a moment, my legs dangled, held up by Leaf using his barbs and flat pressure to keep me from twisting my blades out of his grip.
Lanky laughed. Leaf held me up as I wiggled, trying to free myself without breaking up my leaf-blades once again. It was a moment of mildly-aggressive antennae taps between us, before he realized what was good for his health, setting me down on the ground. Leaf took a hop back away from me. To tell the truth, I wanted to be upset—that he would break the rules of engagement like that. But at the same time, he deserved better than that.
Lifting me off the ground was not just creative. It was the right thing to do, since it removed any leverage that I had. Once I was in the air, my raw power didn't matter, since he had all the leverage. I could push on him, but that would just push my body further away. Once my legs were off the ground, I had lost. I clicked, annoyed. But at least a little proud. With Lanky still watching us from his bench, I decided to give Leaf another little scuffle-session.
We locked arms again, and right when he tried the same trick, I rotated my blades to try and intercept them and stop him from pressing mine together like a sandwich. I had limited success with it, actually. His blade arms were longer than mine, and so he simply had leverage I did not. I still managed to get one arm out from the squeeze at the last second by pulling one leaf-blade back right when he managed to out-leverage my rotation. Still, with one arm between two of his, and not wanting to cause any actual damage, I was stuck. Except for one thing. Our battle-skirts would get in the way, so it was a bit of a hail mary.
I snapped my free right arm in between his arm joints, forcing him to pull me closer before Leaf could start to lift me up a second time. Though yanked forward, this had me in a bit of a bind, since now he had both my arms clamped. I kicked a leg out, trying to hook his and bring him down, but was buffeted by both my battle-dress and his. We exchanged taps of antennae and our little pheromone signals. I wasn't ready to yield yet, even despite his clear practice with this move.
Despite having my arms locked down, I still had one last trick I wanted to go for. I pulled my leg out and around, pushing back my dress before hooking my around him. Leaf chirped in surprise, but decided to fall over onto the concrete, me still slightly in the air. I tried to pull my left arm out of his flat pressure-lock, but Leaf held firm. We continued tapping each other with our antennae. He sensed my growing annoyance, and let go. I fell to the ground and rolled over to face the sky.
I didn't want to call the last fight a loss, but the taste on my antennae was a tad bitter. I still had raw strength over Leaf, that much I knew. But my fights had, up to that point, save a couple training sessions, been rather life-or-death. And Leaf had just been playing. Now I knew why sundresser—I mean Kate—'s scrafty had become frustrated. Leaf's shadow stood over me, blocking the sun.
The bugger was constantly, deliberately practicing. Playing, getting better in honorable fights and scuffles. In comparison, my practice… was literally nightmares and plans to one-shot all opponents. The prior night's dreams—images of fire and screams of the nest of bugs I never knew as a flock of birds dove from above as I defended—wasn't going to help with these kinds of drawn out, more friendly skirmishes. Leaf's arm-blade was stuck outward, the barbs on his arm sticking out. I held out my left arm and let him pull me up.
"Ready to go?" Lanky asked. "Dinner appointment at the gym in two hours, and we should probably see if we can clean up first." He was smiling.
I paused. Gym dinner appointment? Oh no, I thought. I remembered these guys. Lanky looked us over. Would Leaf know what to do when he didn't have a type advantage? Or for moves that used pokemon magic? No, that was where Lanky's study and knowledge would have to come in. He would help Leaf plug those gaps. Seeing the power of the solar beam outside of the nightmares would be the next step. Lanky held out his hands.
"Pokeball? Or Basket?" he asked. I chose the basket. What else would I choose? Lanky pulled out the bike, and recalled Leaf and the silcoon into their pokeballs. With a nice hop, I jumped from the bench onto the basket, and off we went to the gym. It was, at once, both not what I expected and exactly what I expected. I still couldn't read, but three red letters, and the little outstretched awning from the classic automatic sliding doors told me all that I needed to know.
Lanky set me onto the ground, and a man with blue hair greeted us at the entrance. "Welcome to the Striaton Gym! You must be, let's see… Artemus?" the man asked, smiling, dressed in a waiter's uniform—Wait. Artemus was his real name? The waiter continued, "My name is Cress, and I will be your guide tonight."
Lanky nodded. "Thank you, and it is nice to meet you, Cress," he said. "We're uh, we're a bit early. I hoped to use the facility's showers to clean up first."
"Yes! Yes! Of course, of course, Artemus,'' the waiter said.
Putting the puzzle pieces of language together was a mistake, I thought.
"There is a second person listed on your dinner reservation, beside your pokemon. Kate. Will she be arriving for dinner and a battle as well?" Cress asked.
I looked into the deeper gym as Lanky and Cress continued to talk. As far as I could tell, it just looked like a regular restaurant. Though the music was softer, more of a lull. And the temperature didn't seem too cold, unlike the old ones from when I was human.
"Come this way then," Cress said, guiding us off of the carpet of the entrance to the dining area or gym. The restaurant already lost a star in my books—the gym floor was tile, though they regained a half-star because the lights were not a bright fluorescent, instead choosing moody, warm colors for their lights. We stopped in front of a T-section hall, the moody lights turning fluorescent behind a pair of doors. They lost a quarter star.
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Cress, our waiter, not Cresselia, the goddess, spoke again, pointing. "The locker room is down this hall and to the left. Pokemon are welcome through this establishment, so long as they are within pokeball range. If you wish to keep your pokemon outside of their pokeball, we have a care area for those that will not be at the dinner table tonight, though we do staff a pokemon care expert, we do ask for an upfront payment."
I stared down the hallway, then checked Lanky's bag. My shoes were still hanging off the back. They were quite dry by now, though covered in dirt, their purple still sparkled in my eyes.
"Uh, thank you. I don't think that will be needed. Will I be able to get a separate table for my pair of leavanny?" Lanky asked, catching my attention.
"Yes! Gym challengers and their pokemon will have a seating area to themselves, away from the crowd! Pokemon outside the care area and outside the battle arena will need to stay within pokeball recall range, of course."
Lanky smiled, then looked down at me. "That's all then, then thank you" he said, and we trekked down the hall, my legs slipping ever so slightly between the steps. Lanky picked up a key that the waiter had apparently given him, and stuffed his things into it. Then looked down at me.
"If you pop open a single locker, I swear," he said, threatening me as he pulled off his belt and shirt, setting them into the locker. I found other things to look at.
"I don't know if you can understand me," he said, a ziiip sounding as he talked, "but seriously! If we have a scene here…" He trailed off, his clothes flumping as he tossed them into the locker, shuffling a few things around I was NOT going to watch. Instead, I focused on the smell and sat down on the bench.
Or what, Lanky?!? Or what?!?, I thought. Not that I had a hard time imagining missing out on dinner, stuck in a pokeball while Leaf ate. That threat, implied, was enough. Not that I needed a whole lot of coaxing. I pulled my headdress over my eyes, using the slits in the makeshift helmet to reduce the pain of the blinding blue light coming from the ceiling.
"Good," he said, "just, stay there please. I'll be right back from the shower and we'll have dinner. We'll be out and eating dinner before you know it." Lanky said, repeating himself while I sat on the bench, staring at the concrete wall. Was I that big of a trouble maker? I didn't smell any cherry conditioner in the air, at least. Or even dried fruits outside of the locker. I used the time to try and trawl my human memories of playing pokemon black. Lanky's phone beeped.
What I remembered about the gym? Not a whole lot, really, though it was weird. Like it was still weird here, with a cafe/restaurant setup and people eating would likely have been able to watch us battle. I had gone with the snivy starter. Of course the game would pit me against the fire guy. But that was all I could remember. And my memories and dreams from my time of Cress's dream had only shown me in the museum of Lenora's gym. Then, this gym would prove to be a quick experience, right?
My eyes adjusted from the filtered light, I took the time to skim over my dress. It was in good shape, overall. A little scuffed from our wrestling, but holding up well. The leaves had plenty of time to settle and integrate, thickening up and gaining a consistency similar to leather. They did a good job resisting tears, slices and scuffs. An actual stab, or another leavanny's bite though, I would have to hope I could keep anything with major fangs away. The thought of a similar pokemon with even more height difference? Or extra-large talons? No thank you, I thought, my antennae working overtime to push water droplets collecting from the steam.
Lanky's shower was pretty quick, and after dressing in a newer, cleaner, more synthetic (and less natural-smelling) pair of clothes, he grabbed a washcloth and wiped down my leaves, rubbing off dust and dirt that had accumulated since the night of rain. I didn't feel that dirty, but the dark brown of dirt that rubbed off said otherwise. Muttering about how he should have had me hop in the shower but didn't want to get his new, clean clothes wet, Lanky grabbed another pair of towels, and I was dry again. He then pulled out of the locker, detached from his backpack my purple shoes, and wiped them as well, their purple shining as bright as ever.
Lanky did the same for Leaf, letting him out of his pokeball and wiping him up. In moments the three of us were all cleaned up and walking down the hall, Leaf using his barbs and my leaf-blade to stay upright as he tried to navigate the textured, yet slippery tile, since he had no shoes. Lanky paused in the hallway, checking the message he'd received while showering, before pocketing it, then looking back at Leaf and I, smiling at the sight of me holding Leaf up as we approached him.
The blue-haired waiter saw the three of us stepping out, and in moments, Lanky found Kate already seated at a table, where Lanky joined her. She laughed as Leaf and I found ourselves seated at a duo table, away from Kate's pokemon, on surprisingly comfy little stools. The table was already adjusted low, perfect for our heights. A small sun lamp was on and once we were seated, adjusted, angled and scoped so the light perfectly hit the two of us, but did not extend outward. Leaf and I both leaned forward, angling ourselves so the back of our headdresses received a bit more light.
This brought our little antennae close enough to tapping distance. I had to admit. The sunlamp was incredibly nice, though the bright light and our bug-faces in proximity with each other made it hard to see anything beyond each other. The warmth spread through my undone headdress, keeping us from getting up and exploring despite the smell of sugar wafting through the air. Neither Leaf nor I had any inclination to leave our spots. Comfortable with some chlorophyll production going, our antennae tapped each other, Leaf's lightly phosphoric scent indicated his utter confusion and yet we were simultaneously lulled into the rhythm of the dinner.
"Thank you for joining us tonight." A soft voice spoke through a speaker to my left, causing us to turn and freeze. A red-haired man stepped out onto the stage, a pair of lights beaming down onto the field over his head, allowing us to see him from a few hundred feet away in our perches, from far above.
"This evening, we have two scheduled challengers, one up-and coming trainer with four badges! And another, seeking his first badge, one hailing from the Burghs of Anville, and the other, hailing from the deserts between Castelia city and Nimbasa! I, Chilli, will be the leader to host tonight's Mastery challenges! My brothers, Cress and Cilan will be your waiters tonight. The challenges will begin in the next hour. In the meantime, please enjoy your meals."
"... and what shall we get for your pair of leavanny?" I heard the waiter ask.
"Two Occa Berry shakes, please." I looked over, taking my head out from the heat of the lamp, at Lanky and Kate's table, the duo sitting there over dinner.
"Oh?" the blue-haired waiter-slash-gym leader exclaimed. "Against Chilli, this is excellent forethought," he said.
Lanky looked down at me, though I could not see his eyes or face, my eyes not adjusted from the dramatically-darker light. I got bored and decided to trust that Lanky and Kate would know something of what they were doing. In moments, a pair of plastic bowls with little flats jutting out the sides sat in front of Leaf and I, giving off the distinct smell of chocolate and sugar. Leaf dipped his leaf into his slurry, before his scent shifted, to a more acerbic kind of disdain.
He didn't like it. I tapped mine with my antennae. When it burned like it was on fire, I shot back, chirping in surprise as my antennae went numb. It was literally just straight cacao with a bunch of sugar! Not made for bugs. Blech. My mouth had gone from dripping with saliva from the scent of sugar to dry as the desert.
I looked back down at the spicy, agonizing slurry. Then back at Lanky's table, clicking in disdain. Leaf's antennae brushed against my numb antennae, before recoiling. I turned back to the slurry, my abdomen already trying to gag. Chocolate was not made for bugs. I paused, then moaned, "Nnnnyyyy," I proclaimed, distraught at what Lanky was asking us to do. Then I stuck my arm-blades out into the bowl, lifting it up to my mouth, then swallowed the bowl of sugar-fire chocolate in one go, holding my mouth shut with all my might, forcing the poison down, ignoring the gag reflex of my inner stomachs as they slowly went numb, my whole insides practically boiling and vibrating as the numbness spread through my entire body, leaning forward into the sun-lamp, Leaf's antennae tapping mine, though the taps were dull, all scent exchange practically gone.
He shoved his bowl to the side, and I caught it, just before it careened off the edge. I wasn't exactly seeing leaves. But I wasn't able to taste the scents in the air, and I only felt Leaf's taps on my head, all sound had gone mute. It was for the best, that Leaf didn't eat this stuff. At least one of us was able to drool when a bowl of sugar-lathered leaves, sprinkled with soil were set in front of us. Completely physically numb from eating poison slurry, I decided that I would give the restaurant one out of four Michelin stars.