Chapter Text
You’d never really left Mesagoza before. It was one of the largest cities in Paldea and had everything you could ever need. The academy you attended was even in the same city. When you had been given the ambiguous assignment of finding a treasure, however, you knew it would mean finally leaving the safety of the city you’ve always known.
You had no idea what your treasure would be. You weren’t particularly drawn to doing gym battles like most of your peers, so that was out of the question. That being said, your love for Pokemon did make you want to explore Paldea, catching the ones that piqued your interest.
The wanderlust hit, but you decided to finish your studies before embarking on your quest to traverse all Paldea had to offer. You were studious first and foremost and didn’t want your academics to suffer because you were too busy exploring to go to class. It wasn’t long before you were free of class and ready to get out and search for your unknown treasure.
You started in Cortondo, where you unfortunately found little of interest. The highlight of your time there had been the bakery run by Katy. It was during your second visit there that she informed you she was also the gym leader in the area. She asked if you had any interest in battling her as she was typically the gym people started their journeys with. You politely declined and informed her you were simply exploring the region.
After Cortondo, you found your way to Artazon. The various pieces of art made the entire town feel like a gallery in a museum. You fell in love with several pieces and even had the ability to meet the artist of your favorite works. Brassius was a quirky individual, which caught you off guard at first. Though you supposed it made sense. It takes a certain kind of person to hunker down in a studio and create such stunning art. After gushing to him about his art, Brassius eventually offered to host an art class for you so you could make your own small sculpture. You took him up on the offer and, after a few days of toiling, managed to create a small sculpture of Gengar, which you took back to your dorm at the academy.
After your adventure in Artazon, you found yourself in Levincia. The size of the city took you by surprise. While it wasn’t as large as Mesagoza, it was still a sizeable town, especially when compared to the other two places you had visited before. You learned about a popular streamer in the area and decided to check out a stream of hers that was being watched communally at one of the various eateries around the city. You thought she seemed charismatic and full of energy and took part in the chat. She even ended up reading one of your comments aloud at one point.
You also took the opportunity to shop in the large city as it had several clothing stores and a hairdresser, which the other towns you had been to previously lacked. You didn’t go too crazy with your spending, as you knew you still had much of Paldea to explore, but it was nice to window shop and buy a few necessary items.
You ended up in Cascarrafa next. It was another relatively large town with plenty of shopping. One of the activities that caught your eye was the auctions that would take place in Porto Marinada. There were often rare items or delicacies for sale and you watched a few people get some of those things for cheaper than market price. However, the auctions were a bit too high of a risk for you, so you decided not to participate. You did indulge in some of the delicious fish that was offered in the local eateries, though.
Being halfway through your adventure to the various towns in Paldea, you returned to school for a bit. Classes had resumed, and you were eager to get on with your studies so you could graduate on time. You were content for a few weeks with being back to a regular schedule, but it wasn’t long before the want to adventure became overwhelming. You decided it was time for another trek into the lands of Paldea. You concluded that the upcoming weekend would be a perfect time to take a trip to your next town, Medali.
—
It’s Friday morning, which means you have no class. You grab your bag of supplies and call a cab to Porto Marinada. There is a path that leads from there directly to Medali, and if you’re quick enough, you can probably make it to Medali by Saturday afternoon.
The cab ride lasts about thirty minutes. You hop out of the air taxi and thank the flying Pokemon that got you there. The cool sea breeze fills your lungs with fresh air, and you’re tempted to simply stay where you are and enjoy the weekend in Porto Marinada. You entertain the thought momentarily before snapping out of it and remembering that exploring feels more like a need than a want, so you begin your long journey to Medali.
Around the halfway mark, you stopped to have a picnic with the Pokemon you’ve collected on your journey so far. You did this often whenever you reached somewhere scenic, were tired, or just wanted to spend time with your beloved Pokemon. You felt like the time you’ve spent together has given you a newfound appreciation for the lovable creatures and that you truly understand each other. You feel in sync with your Pokemon, and you can tell there’s mutual trust among you. You’ve collected more than a complete party’s worth of Pokemon, but you keep a few favorites in your regular picnic rotation.
The rest of the journey is relatively uneventful. It’s early afternoon on Saturday when you finally arrive in Medali. You have the rest of the day to explore the town and are eager to do so. What you don’t expect is that it actually only takes you about an hour of walking around before you’ve seen all Medali has to offer. Unsure of what to do next, you find a small hotel to stay the night in, hoping to find some hidden gems in the brochure section.
It’s around dinner time by the time you finish settling in your hotel room. You make your way back down to the lobby and ask for a recommendation for somewhere to eat. The receptionist briefly looks you up and down before saying, “I’m going to assume you’re probably after the Treasure Eatery. Specifically, I’d go around town asking for the secret menu item if I were you. It’s well worth it.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you,” you reply with a smile.
With a newfound quest, you’re off to see what the secret menu item is all about. You’re a bit leery of talking to strangers in a new town, but everyone you come across seems friendly and eager to help if they can. Many just nod sagely at your request before saying they have no information to offer. Eventually, you come across three people who kindly provide hints on where to look. After about fifteen minutes of searching, you’re left with three ideas for the dish, “medium,” “fire blast,” and “grilled rice balls.” Feeling like you have all the information you need, you head toward the Treasure Eatery.
You enter the restaurant and see the attendant waiting to take your order. You tell them you want to order the secret menu item, and they smirk as they begin listing options for you to choose from for preparation. You order everything smoothly until you’re presented with a fourth option. You tell the waiter that you aren’t sure, and they just nod and say, “It’s alright. When you know, come back, and we’ll be happy to get started.”
You’re left confused. You talked to everyone in town who isn’t currently here, and then it hits you. Maybe the last hint is in the restaurant. From the front of the restaurant, you see a businessman eating what looks like the special item you were ordering. You approach him meekly, feeling a little bad for interrupting his meal.
“E-excuse me,” you say, waving a little to get his attention. "Is that the secret dish?"
He looks up at you blankly, swallowing the bite he had just taken. Your breath catches in your chest as you look the man in the eye. He has relatively plain features, but they make for a surprisingly handsome man when put together. He has black hair with grey sections that look like it maybe started nicely slicked back, but several tufts have since escaped the uniformity; his grey eyes look tired but ultimately friendly, and his cheekbones are prominent, which seems to compliment every other feature nicely.
“Mhm,” the man replies.
He looks at his watch and sighs.
“Oh well, I already know the first three things to order, but I’m not sure about the last. Could you possibly help me out?” you ask as sweetly as you can muster.
The man slumps his head slightly as he softly answers, “Yeah. It needs some lemon to balance the dish out.”
“Thank you very much for helping me. And sorry for interrupting your meal. I hope you have a lovely rest of your evening,” you say, bowing slightly to him.
He quirks his eyebrow at that and gives you a half-smile while nodding.
You return to the waiter and order everything perfectly. Once you do, the middle section of the establishment turns into a battle area. Confused, you look to the waiter, who simply exclaims, “Congratulations, you passed the gym test! Hope you’re ready to face the Exceptional Everyman himself!”
“Wait, what? Hold on. I don’t want… I just wanted-” You stumble over your words before the waiter cuts you off.
“Larry, you’re up!” they call back.
The man you bothered earlier stands up unceremoniously, grabbing his briefcase.
“Hello. I’m Larry. I’m assigned to work as the Gym Leader of Medali Gym,” he drones monotonously. “Good job on making your way through the Gym Test. And well… maybe try the other dishes on the menu too sometime. Everything’s good here.”
Larry’s eyes bore into yours. You note that he stands with a slight slouch as if the world itself is weighing the tired-looking man down. You’re at a loss for words, still trying to catch up with the fact that you’re apparently supposed to battle Larry. You’re about to protest again when the man simply turns and begins walking to one side of the battle area.
You follow him to his side, and he looks at you curiously. He cocks his head to the side and looks between you and the other side of the court.
“Listen,” you start, “I don’t want to battle you. I really had no idea this was a gym test. I’m honestly just hungry and heard this was the dish to get here.”
Larry sighs again while looking at his watch.
“Let’s just get this over with. My boss will dock my pay if I stand here and just chitchat with you.” His tone leaves no room for argument as he caps it off by asking, “Will you please go to your designated section?”
You look around wildly for a second, hoping anyone will come and save you. When no exit plan presents itself, you honestly consider simply running out of the restaurant. Even that would be too much of a scene, however. You swallow the lump that’s started forming in your throat and shakily make your way to the other side of the gym’s designated battle space.
As you turn to face Larry, he sets his briefcase on the ground beside him. He then looks you directly in the eyes from across the area and says, “Thank you for doing business with us today. I, Larry, will be at your service.”
It sounds rehearsed and almost automatic, like he’s entering a usual routine. He absently adjusts his tie and presents his first Pokeball. He throws it into the court with nearly everything he’s got, and suddenly, you’re faced with a Komala. Larry looks simultaneously bored and zeroed in somehow. He’s concentrating, obviously, but he’s doing so in a way that gives him a stone-faced facade.
You gulp and take a deep breath in. You try to present your Pokeball in the same way he did, but it doesn’t look nearly as confident as your hand shakes, and you look about five seconds away from bursting into tears.
Larry seems to notice the mixture of hesitance and nerves and finds your eyes once again. He nods at you in a way you think is meant to be encouraging, but just looks like he’s waiting for you to get on with it.
You send out Espeon first and silently apologize to her for making her battle. She even seems confused and looks back at you, puzzled. You outspeed, luckily, and are able to land a solid first hit against the Komala. That’s about where your luck runs out, however. Larry’s first hit is major and does critical damage. It also seems like his Pokemon is significantly stronger than your Espeon. It looks like Espeon is about to cry when she looks back at you, and quite frankly, you’re ready to join her.
You remember you have a lemonade in your bag and use your next move to give it to your beloved Pokemon to help heal her. She looks absolutely thrilled to bits about receiving a bit of care. The next attack from Larry doesn’t do as much damage, but your Espeon still looks pretty hurt. You're about to just use your turn to heal her again with some berries, but she shakes her head, looking determined.
Apparently, she wants to fight. You have her attack again, and this time, it seems to critically injure the opposing Komala. Espeon turns to you, looking satisfied with itself. You cheer out for your Pokemon and it looks super happy with itself. You then see Larry’s Pokemon attempt to attack while yours is still basking in the glow of your praise. You call out to Espeon, and she manages to dodge the hit just in time. You have her make another attack, and while it doesn’t land a critical hit, it is enough to knock out the Komala.
The next Pokemon Larry sends out is a Dudunsparce. You still outspeed the opposing Pokemon and manage to land your next hit. When the Dudunsparce attacks, your Espeon looks woozy after the damage. For a second, you think she might faint, having taken too much damage. She holds out for you, though, and you’re thankful for it. This time, she accepts the berry when you hand it to her. It’s not enough, however, as the next attack from Dudunsparce takes out your poor Espeon.
You send out Brambleghast next, and Larry gives you a small smile as you do. Your Pokemon resists the next turn. Your Pokemon exchange blows for a little before both are low on health. You feel bad for your Brambleghast and give it a berry to heal it even just a bit. You would hate for your dear Pokemon not to feel supported by you. The next attack lands critically, but just like your Espeon, Brambleghast holds on for you. It looks at you with determination shining in its eyes. You cheer for your Pokemon and thank it for being so brave.
Larry’s stone-faced expression falters at that, and he looks at you and your Pokemon softly. As soon as the expression is there, it changes back to a neutral look. It’s enough to catch you off guard, however. Your voice cracks, and you shake even more as you direct your Brambleghast to deliver a final blow to the Dudunsparce.
Before Larry throws out his next Pokemon he smirks at you. “You know this is still better than getting cornered by my boss.”
“I-I’m sorry,” you call back to him.
The man looks at you oddly before chuckling to himself and throwing out his next Pokemon, Staraptor. Unfortunately, you no longer outspeed his Pokemon. Before he attacks, however, he starts talking, which surprises you and throws you for a loop once again.
“You’re pretty good. I might end up losing this…”
“Am I?!” you ask incredulously.
Larry eyes you curiously once again before someone cuts in, cheering, “Come on, Larry! Step it up a notch! We’ve got hungry customers waiting! Give ‘em something to cheer for, y’hear?”
You turn in time to see the chef give him a big thumbs-up. As if on cue, several people rush into the restaurant and begin chanting for Larry. You hear a few cheers for you, but the support for Larry far outweighs them. The sudden crowd sets your nerves on edge even more, and you’re close to the tipping point of a panic attack. You try to ground yourself by counting your breaths in and out but are interrupted.
Larry starts stretching and says, “Well, you heard the good folks… I suppose I can put on a bit more of a show.”
Suddenly, Larry stands straight, making you realize precisely how tall he is compared to you. He looks more alert and a little less miserable. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a tera orb. Whatever shred of confidence you had vanishes from your body, and you feel the panic attack inch closer. Larry pays you no mind as he adjusts his tie with one hand and holds the sparkling orb in the other.
He throws out the orb to his Staraptor, and it’s suddenly encased in white crystals. You’d obviously learned about terastallizing in class but had never actually seen it before. You’d be in awe if the Pokemon terastallizing weren’t directly going up against you. The crystals around the Staraptor stay for a bit and then shatter in sparkles as the Pokemon is now crystalized with an inlaid diamond resting upon its head.
“It’s time to show you that real life isn’t all just being true to yourself…” Larry grimly states.
With that, Larry’s Pokemon uses a move that makes your Brambleghast faint. In response to the display, the crowd, and the situation as a whole, your vision starts to tunnel. The noise from the crowd is too much and turns into just a uniform roar in your ears. Your heart is thrumming in what feels like an uneven pattern, and your breathing has become nothing but rapid gulps for air. You’re unsure as to when you started crying, but you feel your cheeks become wet as tears start streaming down.
You notice Larry staring at you expectantly and realize you never sent out your next Pokemon. You pull out the next Pokeball, your whole body trembling as you present it to Larry. When you go to throw it, you’re shaking too much to get any leverage behind the throw. Instead, it sort of just bounces and rolls onto the ground. Gengar pops out nonetheless, looking as confused as your previous two Pokemon.
Gengar looks to you, waiting for instructions on what to do. Your mind blanks completely, and you just point shakily at the rival Staraptor. Gengar makes a sad sound seeing you in such a state but seems to understand you.
In the corner of your eye, you register Larry, trying to subtly get your attention. You muster everything you can to meet his eyes. He points at the tera orb slightly as if trying to remind you to terastallize your own Pokemon. You open your palms to him and shake your head at him, shuddering out another sob.
Larry’s eyes widen as he seems to reach some sort of realization. He looks at you sadly and whispers something to his Staraptor. It squawks in understanding and goes to attack once again. To your surprise, the attack does very little to your Pokemon.
Gengar seems to realize it won’t get direction from you and seems hellbent on attempting to stop whatever is making you so miserable. It goes all out on its next move and lands a critical hit against the Staraptor. Gengar looks satisfied with himself and looks to you proudly as if to say that he’s doing a good job at protecting you. You give him a watery, flimsy smile, which seems to put him over the moon.
Larry’s attack again doesn’t damage Gengar very much, and you’re shocked that he’s not trying to just end this quickly. Your Pokemon astonishes you by landing another critical hit against Staraptor, making it faint.
“Well, you certainly threw me for a loop,” Larry mutters quietly.
The crowd cheers louder as you defeat Larry, and your tunnel vision becomes spotty. You’re pretty sure you’ll be the next to pass out. You try to focus on steadying your breathing and don’t really register when a large, warm hand envelops yours. You’re vaguely aware that you’re moving, but it feels automatic and disconnected from your actual being.
You’re still sobbing and breathing raggedly when you eventually come to a stop. The warm hand encompassing yours tightens slightly as if trying to ground you back to reality. You’re directed to sit in a plush office chair and plop unceremoniously into it. The person leaves for a second and returns with a blanket that they wrap around your shoulders. You then hear a vaguely familiar voice counting lowly.
“In, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.”
Simultaneously, you realize you’re with Larry and that he’s trying to walk you through your panic attack. You begin following his breathing instructions, and though it’s difficult at first, you’re able to match his slow counting without gasping or sobbing. Your tears subside, and your vision and heart rate start to even out.
Larry’s voice slowly trails off, and the two of you are left sitting in silence. He stands from where he was kneeling in front of you on the floor and goes to a desk, grabbing something from off of it.
“Here,” he whispers, holding out a take-out box to you. “I know it may be hard, but try to eat a bit of this. It’ll help you recuperate your strength.”
“Thank you,” you mutter. Your voice sounds thin and foreign to you, so you decide not to talk further.
“Let me go get some water for you, too,” he adds.
It’s then that you realize how scratchy your throat feels, and you’re thankful that he’s grabbing you something to drink. Larry’s not gone long and returns with a styrofoam cup filled with lightly chilled water. He hands it to you, and you slowly start taking sips. You reposition, placing the take-out box he gave you on a small coffee table in front of you.
Larry sits down in another office chair beside you. The chairs are faced in a way that makes you slightly face each other. You’d be embarrassed or flustered if you weren’t so numb and tired from your panic attack. You take another sip of water and clear your throat. You want to thank the man for caring for you, but the words catch in your throat. You settle for placing the water down and grabbing the box of food. You don’t think you can eat much, but you know Larry’s right about needing to eat to regain some strength.
When you open the box, you let out a strained sound of shock. Inside are extra crispy grilled rice balls with two lemon wedges. You squeeze the lemon over the rice balls slowly and just sit, staring at them.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I thought you were just having second thoughts about battling me. I’ve never had someone accidentally complete the gym challenge before. I didn’t know what you would want and figured I would just order you what you meant to get in the first place.”
Larry’s voice cuts through the quiet even though he speaks softly.
“I’m sorry for making you do all of this for me,” you murmur, still not entirely trusting your voice to not give out on you.
Larry looks at you with a frown. He shakes his head and firmly says, “It’s my fault. You explicitly told me you didn’t want to challenge me, and I made you battle anyway. I truly am sorry. The least I can do is make sure you’re alright.”
You nod in lieu of saying anything. You finally take a bite of your food and discover you’re truly ravenous. You practically inhale the first rice ball. It tastes amazing. The rice balls are nice and crispy, have a slight char on them from the grill, and the acid from the lemon truly does help make the meal feel fully fleshed out. You notice Larry smiling at you from the corner of your eye.
“They’re good, right?” he asks with a hint of happiness creeping into his voice.
You nod, reaching for the second rice ball. You take your time with this one, wanting to actually savor the flavor and texture of the dish.
You and Larry sit in companionable silence until you finish your food. Once you’re done, he collects the take-out box and throws it away for you. He then goes back to the desk, where he set down his briefcase. He opens it and retrieves a few items from it before returning to where you’re sitting. He kneels in front of you again and is at eye level with you.
He wordlessly presents a business card to you. You take it, reading it over. It tells you basically everything you already know. His name is Larry, and he runs the Medali gym inside the Treasure Eatery. Next, he hands you a disc in a case. You look down and see that it’s a Technical Machine called Facade.
“I’m not sure you’ll get much use out of that, seeing as how you don’t seem to battle with others much, but it’s what I give to everyone who faces me in the gym.”
You nod, placing the TM on the table beside your water. Larry then pulls out a small lapel pin and hands it to you.
“This is the gym badge you’ve earned,” he explains when you look confused.
“I won?” you ask, dumbfounded.
“What did you think happened?” Larry queries.
“I honestly don’t know. I don’t really remember much after you terastallized your Staraptor,” you admit.
“Well, you tossed Gengar into the fray and he handled himself exceptionally well when you failed to provide instruction to it. Your Pokemon truly care about you, it seems. They held their own well and genuinely wanted to help you.”
“Yeah, I think they definitely deserve a picnic after all of that,” you respond. You look up with sudden clarity as it hits you, “I need to get my Pokemon to the Pokecenter!”
You move to stand when Larry puts a hand on both of your knees to keep you seated. You stare blankly at where he’s making contact with you, remaining seated.
“You should rest for a bit longer,” he advises. “Panic attacks take a lot out of a person, and you only just ate. Relax here as long as you’d like. There’s no rush.”
You nod and thank him again before realizing you don’t actually know where you are right now. As if reading your mind, Larry says, “You don’t have to worry about anyone bothering us or overstaying your welcome. We’re in my office, and the company buildings aren’t in operation on the weekends.”
Had it been any other situation, you would have been thrilled about being alone with such a handsome man. Right now, all you feel is mortified and tired, though. Still, you’re able to take in Larry’s appearance. His suit is slightly wrinkled after moving around so much during the battle. In place of the mix of boredom and exhaustion you saw when you first met him, his expression is more concerned and alert.
You feel eyes on you and return your gaze forward to see the man’s eyes looking into yours. You feel heat rise to your cheeks, embarrassed at having been caught checking him out. You notice, however, a faint blush gracing his features as well. You stare at each other in silence for a few moments before Larry stands abruptly and clears his throat.
“You stay sitting there. I have paperwork I need to complete following our battle. Excuse me.”
He stands there awkwardly for a few more beats before clearing his throat again and going to sit at his desk. You hear him open a drawer, and he pulls out a small stack of papers. Larry grabs a pen from the ample supply on his desk and begins filling it out intently. A few minutes pass by before his scrawling stops. He looks to you before getting up and crossing the room back over to you. He’s kneeling in front of you once again, looking stiffer than the past couple of times.
“Do you have an ID of some form?” he asks, looking down at the floor. “I need your name and trainer ID information.”
“Ah. Yeah, here you go,” you say, handing him your Rotom phone.
“Thank you.”
Larry returns to his desk, his writing continuing. The silence that’s broken only by the occasional scratching of Larry’s pen starts lulling you into a sense of security. Between the ambiance and the warmth of the blanket, your eyes begin to droop. Your breathing deepens, and before you know it, you’re out.
You’re woken up later by Larry softly shaking your shoulder saying your name. You start and feel panic rising in you before you remember where you are. You take a deep breath and look up to see Larry looking at you kindly. He hands you back your phone, which you thank him for, and put it back in your pocket.
“I finished the paperwork. My apologies for taking so long. As I stated previously, you can stay here as long as you wish, but if you’re tired, you may feel more comfortable in a bed. Do you have somewhere to stay?”
You nod. “Yeah, I got a hotel room before leaving to get food.”
“Ah. Very good. Do you want to go there now, or do you still want to sit here for a bit?”
“I’m ready to go now. Um. I’m not quite sure how to get there from here, though.”
Larry nods solemnly. “Of course. I can escort you there. It would be no trouble. It’s on the way to where I need to go anyway.”
You thank him and get up. You fold up the blanket, placing it on the chair you were sitting on. Larry looks at you expectantly, as if asking if you’re ready, and you go to his side. He turns the light off in the office on your way out. You follow him to an elevator, which leads you to a lobby. From there, you walk outside and begin your short trek to your hotel wordlessly.
You arrive shortly, and you turn to face him as you do.
“Thank you for showing me the way. Sorry again for causing you such a hassle this evening.”
Larry shakes his head. “It’s my fault. I am the one who should be apologizing to you. Rest assured, my boss will hear about what happened, and I will be proportionately punished.”
This causes you alarm. “I-I don’t want you to get in trouble. It was an honest mistake on both of our parts.”
“Yes, well, I’m sure my boss won’t see it that way. Have a good night.”
With that, Larry turns and begins walking away. Unsure of what to say to get him to stay, you enter the hotel. When you open the door to your room, exhaustion hits you hard. You don’t even change into your pajamas. You hop right into bed and let sleep claim you.