“Sooo… you’re supposed to be ‘Sabrina’, right?” the man with the cross asked, trying (and failing) to open a mustard packet for his tasteless lunch while they walked together through Saffron’s black market.
Both of them were covered in cuts and bruises of varying severity, living proof of the Pokemon battle they’d had in the Gym only minutes before. Sabrina had mentioned something about buying potions and a TM that was for sale, as well as a bag of fertilizer for her garden, and her rival decided to accompany her on her shopping trip, ignoring all complaints on the matter.
“That’s what they call me,” she answered reluctantly, both hands in her pockets.
“Then that means… you can, y’know…”
He pressed a finger against his temple, screwing up his face like a prune; an expression so stupid and childish that the Gym leader could barely keep the corners of her mouth from perking up.
To answer his question, Sabrina narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, fixing them on the mustard packet the man held in his other hand. A moment passed, then two. Then, so suddenly that the man almost dropped his lunch, she squeezed her hand and the packet exploded violently, staining the man’s jacket.
“Perhaps,” the girl said, trying not to smile.
“WH-!?” The man blinked gormlessly, looking between her and his stained hand. “Y-you fucking-!”
“Well, hello there!”
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He wasn’t there one moment, and then there the next. Like a passing mirage, Azure appeared out of the corner of one of the stalls in the moment they weren’t looking, hands held behind his back and a listless, cold smile on his lips. The complete lack of blemish on his person contrasted sharply with the filth around him. Sabrina couldn’t believe they didn’t see him coming a mile away.
As soon as he appeared, both trainers froze in their spot, unconsciously holding their breath.
“Having fun?” Azure asked with a small rise of the eyebrow. “It’s not the place I’d choose as a spot for a first date, but eh… To each their own.”
All color drained from Sabrina’s face. Like the flash of lightning before thunder, she felt a horrible ominousness fall over her. Beside her, the man with the cross looked at Azure with wide eyes.
“What’s with those faces?” Azure shrugged. “It’s not strange for me to be here. I need to buy groceries just like any other citizen, don’t I?”
The Gym leader opened her mouth to say something, but was just as swiftly interrupted.
“Oh, by the way, Sabrina… You have another challenger at the Gym. He’s been waiting for you for the past, oh…” Azure stole a glance at his expensive watch, an unnecessary if not pointed gesture. “...40 minutes, exactly.”
Sabrina let out a tired sigh. This would be her fourth battle of the day, and in all honesty she didn’t see herself or her Pokemon having the energy to win. Then again, she had a nagging feeling that this challenger didn’t actually exist, and that Azure simply wanted time alone with… the man with the cross. She reminded herself to ask him for his name at some point.
“...Right.”
As she turned around to head back, Sabrina couldn’t help but catch the moment both men’s eyes crossed. Something… Something in Azure’s bi-colored gaze… He was smiling, but…
Sabrina shook her head, and simply kept walking.
Must just be her imagination.