Archive of Our Own ^beta

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.

Chapter Text

Morning light filters through your hotel room window, gently coaxing you awake. You open your eyes, feeling miserable. Your body feels as if it was crushed by a ton of bricks the night before, leaving you with no desire to get up. You allow your mind to drift to the night before. It was embarrassing, and you hope to never repeat such an ordeal in your life. The only highlight of the night was Larry.

Your mind wanders back to what he said about being punished. You hope whatever happens to him with his boss isn’t too severe. The battle last night was an honest mistake. You would hate for him to be harshly disciplined for an accident, especially seeing as he tended to you after your panic attack. He apologized sincerely and made sure you were okay. That made him alright in your book.

You return to the present, groaning. You really don’t want to get up. You consider snoozing for a little longer when you suddenly remember you never healed your Pokemon last night. The thought jolts you upright as you’re wracked by guilt. You prioritized yourself the previous night, which is fine, but now it’s time to care for them.

You slowly drag yourself out of bed, feeling stiff and sore. You gather up your belongings, packing whatever you had gotten out yesterday. Once that’s done, you grab everything and head to the lobby. Checking out of the room is simple and goes without a hitch. You ask for directions to the nearest Pokemon Center, and the receptionist happily points you in the right direction.

The nurse at the Pokemon Center heals your Pokemon right up in no time. You feel a sense of relief as she hands the Pokeballs back to you. Once everything is in order and you’ve returned the Pokeballs to your bag, you focus on the next matter at hand: getting back to Mesagoza. It’s not a difficult process. You just need to call an air taxi to drop you off in front of the academy. For a second, you’re torn on whether to eat a meal before you embark back to the academy when you remember that the only place you know to get food from is the Treasure Eatery, and you’re not quite ready to go back there yet. With that decided, you call the air cab service and begin the short flight back to Mesagoza.

The ride goes without a hitch, and you're dropped off in front of the academy. You go to your dorm to set down your things. Sighing, you put everything down and then proceed to lie face down on your bed. You spend the rest of the day drifting in and out of sleep, really only getting up to make yourself food.

Classes the next day pass by without incident. You’re alone in your dorm for a while and decide to let Espeon out of her Pokeball to let her lounge around the room and hang out. You eventually bring out a ball for her to play with. She is chasing it around the room when you get a knock on your door.

You weren’t expecting company, but you open the door regardless. You nearly choke on air when you open the door. Standing in front of you is La Primera, with Larry next to her, slouching as he did when he first introduced himself to you.

“Y/N?” La Primera asks.

You nod your head, eyes wide. You look to Larry for any hint as to what’s going on, but he refuses to make eye contact, opting to stare straight ahead instead.

“Wonderful,” La Primera says. “Would it be alright if we stepped inside? I just had a few questions to run by you, nothing too big.”

You nod once again, opening the door wider and gesturing the two inside.

“We can sit at the table,” you say, pointing at the small table in your kitchenette.

You all take a seat while Larry pulls out a folder and hands it to La Primera. She thanks him and opens the folder. She begins sorting through the pages until she finds what she’s looking for and brings it to the front. She looks up, her blue eyes meeting yours, and you can’t help but feel like you’re in trouble.

Larry sets his briefcase on the ground beside his chair and moves his attention onto Espeon, who walks into the kitchenette to see the new people. She looks at you and the others, observing what’s going on. She hops onto your lap, getting a better view of everyone. She seems to recognize Larry and starts lashing her tail while glaring at him. You pet her to calm her down while whispering that everything is alright. You’re unsure if you’re trying to convince Espeon or yourself, though.

La Primera clears her throat. Your attention shifts back to her abruptly, and the feeling that you’re in trouble comes back tenfold.

“It is to my knowledge you managed to challenge the gym in Medali accidentally. Is that correct?”

Your eyes flit between her and Larry. You go to respond, but your voice seems to have left you at the moment. You manage a slight nod, which seems to suffice.

“This is a novel event,” La Primera states carefully. “Can you please walk me through how that happened?”

You find looking at the chairwoman too intimidating, so you glance at Larry, who is now looking at you adamantly as if he’s also curious as to how you managed to complete the gym test.

“I was hungry and asked the receptionist at the hotel for food recommendations since I had never been to Medali before. They said I should look for the secret menu item because it’d be worth it,” you manage to squeak out, your voice faltering only a little.

A brief look of shock crosses La Primera’s face, but is quickly schooled. Larry’s eyebrows shoot up, replacing his careful, tired demeanor.

“Fascinating. We will have to look into that further. No one outside of the gym is sanctioned to give gym challenges like that,” La Primera informs you. She then turns to Larry and asks, “Are you familiar at all with the staff at the hotel?”

“No,” Larry responds shortly.

“I see. Please look into it and find out who specifically issued the gym test to our friend. They should definitely have a talking to.”

Larry sighs tiredly before agreeing. He pulls out a notepad and pen from his briefcase and starts scribbling on it before returning his attention back to the conversation.

“Now, it was communicated to me that you explicitly informed Larry that you didn’t want to battle him. Is that true?”

For the first time, it seems to hit you that La Primera is Larry’s boss. If anyone would punish him, it would be her. He already seems to have a strained relationship with her as it is if his quips are anything to go off of. You consider lying for a second. You look to Larry, who simply nods at you. You suppose lying is off the table, then.

You nod timidly. La Primera looks to Larry quickly before the full force of her gaze goes back to you. You shrink back a bit, intimidated.

“Your request to back out of the gym challenge was then denied, yes?”

“It was a mistake,” you say. “He didn’t realize I wasn’t actually a gym challenger.”

“While I appreciate your outlook on the situation, that isn’t what I asked. Yes or no, was your request to back out of the gym challenge denied?”

You look down to avoid both Larry’s and La Primera’s eyes.

“Yes,” you whisper.

You chance a glance back up in time to see La Primera glare briefly at Larry. It’s fast, and the anger behind her eyes is subtle, but it’s undeniable that she’s upset with him. You want to defend him or try to say something to help, but you feel as if anything you would say that strayed from the straight facts would land on deaf ears.

“Wonderful. Thank you for being so honest with me. Now I see here that you won the gym battle. Congratulations. I also see that you have no previous dealings with the other gyms.”

She pauses after that, looking back up at you from the paper she’s been referencing. You nod again, and she continues.

“Larry’s is not an easy gym. He doesn’t hold back much, as most people who battle him have already completed a few gyms. I don’t ask the following question to diminish your skills as a trainer but rather to gain all the facts I can about what happened. Do you have any reason to believe that Larry let you win?”

“How would they possibly know that?” Larry cuts in before you get a chance to respond.

“Please don’t interrupt before our friend has had a chance to speak, Larry,” La Primera chastises.

Both sets of eyes bore into you as you contemplate your answer. It would make sense if that’s what happened, but the reality of the situation is that you don’t really know or remember. You were too focused on not passing out from your panic attack. You decide to give the answer that would probably end in the least amount of trouble for Larry.

“I don’t think so,” you finally answer.

This answer doesn’t seem to suffice as La Primera nods, writing something down.

“Are you able to give a more certain response?” she questions, not looking up.

“No,” you respond.

“Why is that?” she asks, finally looking back up at you.

“I don’t really remember the match all that well, so I wouldn’t know one way or the other.”

“I see. Well, I appreciate you answering all of my questions. Do you have any for us?”

You shake your head. Any questions you have would be for Larry, but you don’t want to ask them in front of his boss. La Primera stands, leaving Larry to gather up the papers and notepad. He places them unceremoniously back into his briefcase before standing as well. You place your Espeon on the ground, petting her head. You rush to open the door for your guests. La Primera thanks you and Larry simply nods at you in thanks.

As they both turn to leave, a streak of bravery hits you. You have to know whether or not Larry actually let you win the gym battle. On top of that, you want to make sure your answers won’t land him in too much trouble.

He’s walking past you when you say his name to get his attention. He turns to you, looking exhausted, and a part of you feels bad for bothering him.

“Would it be alright if I talked to you for a second?” you ask timidly.

Larry looks confused and looks to La Primera, who looks equally as concerned.

“If you have questions for us after all, we can stay for a bit longer,” she says, turning to walk back into your dorm room.

“No!” you exclaim a little too emphatically. “Sorry. No, that’s not necessary. I just wanted to talk to Larry about something real quick that doesn’t really pertain to the questions you asked.”

“Ah. I see. Well then,” she turns to Larry, “I will see you back at the Pokemon League when you are done here. Take your time.”

Larry’s slouch seems to increase as he nods. He turns to you with a blank look on his face. La Primera is walking down the hall when Larry turns to walk back inside your dorm. You close the door behind you two and sit back down at the table. You’re debating how to ask if he let you win when he speaks first.

“How have you been faring after your panic attack?”

Caught off guard, you stare at Larry briefly before your brain catches up enough to respond.

“I’m doing well. Fully recovered and a-okay.”

You give him a thumbs up to accentuate your statement. He chuckles at that, nodding.

“That’s good to hear. I’m sorry that happened in the first place.”

“You already apologized. It’s alright. I’m really not upset with you. I’m not mad about any of it. While I’m not exactly down to repeat the experience, there’s no point in holding a grudge.”

Larry slightly smiles, eyes softening at your sentiment. It’s nice to see expressions that aren’t exhaustion and boredom from him.

“Were all the questions today part of your punishment?” you ask suddenly.

Larry’s eyes lose any light they had in them, and his worn-out demeanor returns.

“No. The boss is trying to figure out how severely to reprimand me.”

“Oh. Did I help, or did I make things worse for you?” you question.

“Does it matter?” Larry responds dejectedly.

“I think so. I would hate to be part of the reason you got in more trouble with La Primera. That’s why I wanted to try to convey that it was a mistake. It’s not like you knew I wasn’t a gym challenger.”

“Ah. So that’s why you did that. I appreciate it, but being honest was probably the best thing you could have done for me, which you were, so thank you. Do you have any other questions? I am expected to be back at the Pokemon League, and I would like to get lunch beforehand.”

At the mention of food, your stomach gurgles. It’s mid-afternoon, and you haven’t eaten anything all day. Larry eyes you suspiciously.

“Have you eaten today?” he prods, his eyes narrowed.

You frown and shake your head. You’re about to explain that you were too busy with classes today to eat, but he shakes his head in disapproval before you can plead your case.

“You should always make time for food. You’re too young to be overworking yourself like me. Even I don’t miss out on meal breaks,” Larry admonishes.

He looks at you for a while, and you can’t tell what he’s thinking. His grey eyes pierce yours for a few moments. He then eyes you up and down, scrutinizing your entire being. He seems to reach a conclusion of some sort because he sighs and finds your eyes again.

“Would you like to join me for a meal? I know of a great spot here that I’m only able to go to on business trips like this.”

You blink in surprise, stunned that Larry would invite you to eat with him. You nod quickly, hoping that if you’re fast enough to respond, he won’t be able to take it back. The man sighs, staring into the distance before standing and pushing in his chair. You hastily do the same. Together, you walk out the door of your dorm and begin your walk to the restaurant.

You walk a few steps behind the man as you have no clue where he’s leading you. You walk for a while before you come to an alley that the two of you dart into. At the end is a door with an unfamiliar name on it. Larry opens it, and you are greeted by the delicious smell of freshly made food wafting through the air. The host greets you, and Larry tells them they need a table for two. The host escorts you to the table, leaving two menus with you as they depart.

You take a look through the menu and discover the restaurant specializes in food specifically from the Sinnoh region. There are many fresh seafood options and a couple of ramen specials. When the waiter comes to take your orders, you go with a seafood dish while Larry gets a bowl of ramen.

“Normally, I have a meal with gym challengers who beat me. We weren’t able to do that for obvious reasons, so this is kind of like we’re doing it now,” Larry says while you’re waiting for your food.

You smile, nodding your head. You’re honestly just happy for any excuse to spend more time with the businessman. He really is handsome, and you can’t help but want to get to know him better. He seems kind and thoughtful. He was willing to talk through someone’s panic attack and allowed them the means to recover and rest, even though they were a stranger. You really are excited to get to know more about the man whenever possible.

You notice he looks more at ease in the restaurant. He’s not hunched over with exhaustion, and he doesn’t look as in need of a nap. A slight smile even ghosts his features as he takes a sip of his drink. Larry doesn’t seem to have the weight of the world bearing down on him. He seems to notice you staring, looking at you puzzled. You smile fondly but make no comment on the change in his demeanor.

The food you ordered arrives quickly. Neither you nor Larry wastes time digging in. The seafood dish you got is phenomenal. It’s filled with a variety of seafood, and each kind is prepared wonderfully. It tastes delicate and buttery. Each bite is truly bliss. You understand now why Larry loves this place so much; it’s terrific.

You look to Larry to see if he’s enjoying his dish as much as you. What you don’t expect is him looking the happiest you’ve ever seen the man. He is sitting tall, slurping down his noodles with gusto. He brings the bowl to his lips on occasion to take sips of the broth. He looks like he’s savoring every little bit of his ramen. This time, when he catches you smiling at him, he smiles brightly back at you.

The two of you eat your meal in silence. You both practically inhale your food because of how good it is. When you eventually finish your meal, you chuckle a little. Larry tilts his head at you in confusion.

“You look really happy,” you remark lightheartedly.

“Do I? Hm. I suppose I am in a good mood because I got to eat at one of my favorite restaurants.”

Larry looks at his watch quickly before returning his attention to you.

“I still have time before I’m expected back at the Pokemon League. Is there anything else you’d wanted to talk about?”

You nod timidly. You know, eventually, you have to broach the subject, but you don’t want it to feel like you’re accusing the man. Larry stares at you expectantly. Deciding the best thing to do is just go for it, you ask, “Did you let me win the gym battle?”

Larry sighs, and some of that tiredness returns to his eyes.

“A little,” he admits. “I genuinely think you would have won anyway because your Pokemon care about you deeply, but I did hold back a little when I put Staraptor out.”

“I do remember wondering why you were using an ineffective move instead of just ending it,” you say.

“When you couldn’t terastallize Gengar, I realized that you didn’t mean to challenge me. You were already struggling so much that I didn’t want to even the playing field because it wasn’t a fair fight to begin with, not if you never meant to battle me in the first place.”

“Well, I appreciate you not making it harder for me. Thank you, Larry.”

Larry’s cheeks tinge pink when you say his name. He doesn’t quite meet your eyes as he clears his throat.

“Are there any more burning questions?” he asks.

“None that are related to the battle,” you reply.

“That sounds pleasant. What’s on your mind?”

“Do you have a favorite Pokemon?” you ask.

It’s something you’d wanted to ask for a while. Larry battled with normal-type Pokemon, which you assume is his favorite type, but you wondered if he had a favorite among them.

“That’s a bit out of left field,” Larry chuckles. “I do like Staraptor, but I’m also quite partial to Dudunsparce, if I’m honest.”

“Oh yeah, you had one on your team,” you recall.

“Mhm. Are you aware that Dudunsparce has multiple forms?”

“Like Rotoms?” you ask.

Larry snickers, shaking his head. “There are two-segment and three-segment forms, and they’re named accordingly. Mine is a two-segment form. Three-segment form Dudunsparce are a lot rarer and harder to find. Personally, I appreciate the two-segment form. It has its own charm to it. It puts me more at ease than something exceptional… I am just an average joe, after all. The only special treatment I get is a restaurant occasionally giving me a free side, and that’s enough for me.”

You nod, taking in everything he said. You haven’t known Larry long, but the answer makes sense for him. He is pretty average, but there’s still something remarkable about him that pulls you in.

“Hey,” Larry says, interrupting your thoughts, “If the two-segment form is called Dudunsparce, shouldn’t the three-segment form be called Dududunsparce?”

You stare at Larry, blinking a couple of times. The joke catches you off guard. He never struck you as someone who is intentionally humorous. When the shock subsides, you grin widely, laughing. Larry looks at you softly as you laugh at his joke. A slight smile plays on his lips, but he’s quick to school his features as your laughter dies down.

“It’s just a thought,” he adds dryly. “With your newfound knowledge of Dudunsparce, which would you say you prefer, the two-segment or the three-segment form?”

You don’t even have to think about your answer before you respond. “The two-segment form.”

“Is that so? I suppose you and I have similar tastes then. May I ask why that’s your answer?”

“Easy,” you say. “Just because something is average doesn’t mean it isn’t special. It still has things to fall in love with and to appreciate. It still has its own unique traits and personality. There are always endearing things to find in the perfectly ordinary.”

It’s Larry’s turn to blink in astonishment. “I see. I think I have a better idea of your preferences now. For what it’s worth, you seem quite exceptional whether you’re trying or not. You seem like the kind of person who’s capable of excelling at many things.”

He stares at you with an expression that’s difficult for you to read. You want to question him about it, but his Rotom phone makes a sound before you get the chance. He apologizes and looks at it. He heaves a heavy sigh as he reads it.

“I’m expected back at the Pokemon League. My boss is wondering where I am. Don’t worry about the bill; I can pay for both of us. I am a salaryman, after all.”

You both get up from the table, and Larry goes to pay the bill at the front of the restaurant. You walk out together, and the bright sunlight stuns you for a moment after being in the dim restaurant. Larry turns to you as you are about to bid him goodbye.

“This was nice,” he states. “If you find yourself in Medali, I would enjoy having a meal with you again. Would it be alright if I called for you at the academy if I’m in town again? There’s a few more spots I’d like to show you.”

You nod, equally dazed and delighted that Larry wants to spend more time with you.

“Wonderful. Well then, hopefully, I’ll be seeing you soon. Have a lovely rest of your day, Y/N. Remember not to skip meals.”

He smiles at you, adjusts his tie, and walks off to call a cab to the Pokemon League. You walk back to your dorm to get your homework done. You’re giddy the entire way there. Not only do you have an open invitation to lunch with Larry, but he’s going to occasionally ask you to join him for a meal as well. You know it’s just a budding friendship, but you get lost in the daydream of it maybe turning into something more once you’re both more comfortable with each other. Either way, you had a great time, and can’t wait to see what more interactions with Larry lead to.

Chapter Text

About half a semester goes by before you hear from Larry again. You haven’t made your way back to Medali because you've been buried in your studies. You kept hoping Larry would visit Mesagoza, but if he does, he doesn’t make his presence known to you. You do continue your exploration of Paldea on the weekends. You’ve been to nearly every major destination within Paldea. You feel fulfilled, but still haven’t found a specific treasure. Though you suppose you could say the connections you’ve made in each town, no matter how brief, are a treasure.

You’re working on classwork in the early evening when you get a message from Director Clavell to meet him in his office. You turn off your laptop and put away your papers before heading to his office. As you head to your destination, you wonder what Clavell could want from you. You’ve met with him on a few occasions for academic meetings and awards, but he’s never called on you randomly like this before.

When you finally arrive, you knock lightly on the door to his office. You hear Director Clavell’s muffled voice instruct you to enter. You do as you’re told and go into the room. You’re about to ask the director why he called on you when you notice a familiar figure slightly hunched over in front of Clavell’s desk. Your words die in your mouth as you simply stare at the back of Larry’s head.

Hearing the door open, Larry turns to look behind him. When he sees you, a small, faint smile graces his lips. He turns back around, tiredly talking to Clavell, who is nodding. When Larry’s done, Clavell stands, crossing the room to you.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, Y/N,” he says.

“What did you need me for?” you question, timidly.

“I’m not sure how aware you are of the battling side of the academy, seeing as how that’s not your academic path, but we will be hosting a tournament of sorts here, put on by a few students. The Elite Four members, faculty, and students will all be participating. I was hoping to have students be ambassadors to our guests while they’re here at the academy. I was going to enlist others involved in the trainer program to show them around, but Larry has specifically requested that you be his ambassador,” Clavell explains.

“What would ambassador duties entail?” you ask.

“Not much,” Clavell assures you. “Just showing our guest around the school so he can find his way around, making sure he knows his itinerary for the day of the tournament, and just being a friendly face around the school should he need something. Would that be alright with you? You’ll be excused from any conflicting classes during the tournament.”

You nod. “I’d love to help out! I had no idea we were hosting a tournament, but that sounds exciting!”

Director Clavell smiles. “Would you like to participate?”

“Oh no,” you answer quickly. “Absolutely not, but I’m happy to help and be an ambassador.”

“Thank you, Y/N. Now, I know it’s late, but Larry tends to be incredibly busy. Would it be alright if you started showing him around now?” Clavell implores.

“Sure,” you reply.

While you hadn’t planned on taking an extended break from studying, walking around campus with Larry will be a welcome reprieve from the mind-numbing work you were doing. Larry turns back to Clavell, muttering a thanks before turning to you with tired eyes. You each perk up a bit when your eyes meet. You adopt a wide grin while Larry subtly smiles. He stands a bit taller as he follows you out of Clavell’s office.

When you’re back in the central hub of the school, you turn to Larry and ask, “Where would you like to start?”

Larry eyes the area wearily before responding. “I don’t particularly care. I suppose knowing where I’ll be spending most of my time is good.”

“Right. Sorry. Um, that’ll probably be the Staff Room and the Nurse’s Office,” you say.

Larry gestures for you to lead the way. You give him a full tour of the school that lasts about an hour. Larry perks up when you show him the cafeteria, before visibly deflating when you tell him they just serve sandwiches like you’d have on a picnic. At the end of your tour, you turn to him and ask if he has any questions.

“I have a guess, but where do you spend most of your time?” he asks.

“Oh well, I spend most of my time in the biology lab or my dorm,” you answer. “I don’t get out of my comfort zone very often,” you add.

Larry nods. He looks deep in thought for a second before asking you another question.

“Medali is quite a ways from Mesagoza and the academy. What were you doing there?”

“Students at the academy were tasked with finding a treasure. I hadn’t left the city much prior to that assignment. I decided exploring was the best way to find my treasure.”

“I see. Have you found your treasure yet?”

You shake your head. “I’m honestly not sure what I’m looking for, but I feel like I’ll know it when I find it.”

“You’re quite exceptional, I’m sure whatever treasure you find will be fitting of you. I’m interested to see what it is when you find it.”

You blush a little, looking down at the floor as if it’s suddenly become the most interesting thing in Paldea. It’s odd to be complimented by the man in such a way. You find him plenty interesting and undeniably handsome, but for him to call you exceptional is a bit overwhelming.

You’re about to excuse yourself back to your dorm when Larry’s voice pipes up, “Thank you for the tour. And thank you for accepting the ambassador position even though battles aren’t your thing.”

It fully dawns on you then that Larry is the one who specifically requested you to be his guide at the academy. He singled you out and wanted you to be his point of contact here.

“Why did you choose me?” you ask. “I’m sure Juliana or Nemona would have been better picks.”

“While that may be true, both of them are already paired with other Elite Four members and are a bit more excited about the whole ordeal than I am. I’d rather see another side of the academy while I’m being forced to be here. Your perspective seems refreshing. Plus, I already know you, and familiarity is good.”

You knit your eyebrows together and cock your head to the side. You don’t remember Director Clavell saying the other gym leaders were involved in this tournament. You also don’t miss the way Larry says the other Elite Four members. Realization comes over you like a wave. Larry is also a member of the Elite Four, not just a gym leader. You look up at the man with wide eyes.

“You’re an Elite Four member,” you state. You meant to phrase it as a question, but it comes out as a matter-of-fact sentence instead.

Larry sighs, hanging his head low. “Yes, I have the utmost displeasure of having two jobs that demand a great deal of overtime.”

“No wonder you always seem so tired,” you sympathize.

Larry nods, raising his head to meet your eyes. He looks like his tiredness reaches deep into the very core of his soul. He smiles slightly despite that, though.

“Thank you for the tour. I look forward to being able to spend more time with you in the future.”

Not wanting to leave quite yet, you ask, “Do you have any other plans for the night?”

Larry sighs, “I have some paperwork to attend to in the hotel room.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Larry shrugs before saying, “I should be on my way now. Goodbye, Y/N.”

You wave your farewell and watch as Larry exits the main entryway of the school. You return to your dorm and resume your studying. You find yourself getting distracted often by thoughts of Larry and wondering what the tournament will be like. Eventually, you become too distracted and decide to play with one of your Pokémon in the room.

About half an hour after playing with your Brambleghast, you get a notification from your Rotom phone. You call Brambleghast back into its ball and look at the message. To your surprise, it’s from Larry.

The message reads, “Hello, it’s Larry. I obtained your number from Director Clavell in the event that I needed anything while I was visiting the school. I hope you don’t mind me reminding you to eat dinner if you haven’t already. I have finished my paperwork and am helping myself to a delicious meal. I hope you will or have already done the same.”

You feel your stomach grumble slightly at the mention of food. In all honesty, you haven’t eaten at all today, and the thought of dinner does sound like a good idea. You text Larry back saying, “I probably should eat. Thank you for the reminder.”

You glance at the time. The cafeteria is still open for about an hour or so. You could grab a quick sandwich and head back to your dorm to eat it. You don’t particularly feel like cooking in your little kitchenette. With a sigh, you make a quick food run.

You return about fifteen minutes later and scroll on your Rotom phone while you eat. You’re not sure how loosely you can use Larry’s number. A part of you wants to send him a picture of you munching on your sandwich. You take the picture, but decide against sending it. You don’t want to bother such a busy man with a frivolous text. You’re sure he has more important things to attend to than some college student sending him pictures of them eating.

Not too long after finishing your meal, you start winding down for the night. You take a shower, brush your teeth, and change into your pajamas. You feel nice and cozy and are ready for bed when you get another text. “It seems my boss has found the perfect punishment for the accidental gym battle. I will be helping set up the tournament as well as participating in it. I’m sorry to inform you that this is also a punishment for you, as I will need your assistance through most of it. I can ask for a different ambassador if you would prefer.”

You think about it for a little while. You would be missing class time, and you have a pretty big mid-term coming up that could possibly make or break your grade. Director Clavell did say that any ambassador duties would excuse you from class, though. Besides, you want to spend more time with Larry. Over the next couple of days, you don’t have class anyway, so it’s possible that it may not even interfere with your schedule all that much.

You respond by saying, “I’m sorry you have even more work to do. You don’t need to look for another ambassador, though. I’m happy to help out with whatever it is you need.”

A little while passes before you get Larry’s response. “You should never work for free. I’ll see to it that La Primera or Director Clavell compensates you for your trouble. You shouldn’t be the one punished for my mistake. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. Goodnight.”

You’re not certain what time bright and early entails, but you fall asleep before you can worry too much about the lack of specificity. Your dreams are filled with Larry and different situations that could arise as a result of keeping such close proximity to one another. You have your hopes on what could bloom between you, but you dare not dwell on it yet.

You’re awoken the next morning to a knock on your door. You glance at your bedside clock, which reads 7:00 a.m. You groggily go to your door to open it. To your mortification, Larry is there in his suit, looking you up and down. You apologize for your state of dress and promise to change quickly. Larry shakes his head, informing you that it’s his fault for not specifying a time last night. You close the door, leaving him in the hall, and get dressed in your academy uniform as fast as you can. When you open the door again, Larry is still standing there looking bored as ever.

“Sorry,” you mumble.

Larry waves as if to say it’s no problem. “I’ve been told Juliana and Nemona will be in the schoolyard with a few friends, and I am to help them with figuring out brackets today.”

“Oh, ok. No problem. I’ll take you there!”

It’s not too long of a walk, and sure enough, as you approach the field, you see a few figures already there. As you approach, you recognize Juliana and Nemona, but there are two other people whom you don’t know. As soon as she sees you, Nemona runs up to the two of you to greet you.

“Larry! You’re just in time for us to start figuring out the brackets! Here’s the list of people who’ll be competing!” she exclaims while handing Larry a stapled packet of papers.

You watch as the light in Larry’s eyes almost entirely extinguishes. He physically slouches further and almost recoils away from Nemona’s cheer. You know she can be excitable, but you weren’t expecting Larry to be that adverse to her demeanor.

As you’re looking at Larry, Nemona turns to you and shouts out a greeting.

“Y/N! What brings you here? Are you interested in joining? It’s not too late!”

“No, no,” you hastily reply. “I’m Larry’s ambassador and was just showing him where he needed to be today.”

“Oh really? Well, that’s too bad.” She turns back to Larry. “I’m surprised Director Clavell didn’t pair you up with a student in the battling program. Not that Y/N isn’t great! They’re totally cool, just this isn’t really their forte.”

“I requested them specifically,” Larry responds in a monotone voice.

“Oh. Huh. Is this because of the accidental gym battle? I’m sure they forgive you.”

Larry sighs, putting his head in his hand. He rubs at his forehead as if he’s developing a severe headache.

“Why do you know about that, Nemona?” he asks warily.

“I overheard Rika talking about it with La Primera while we were showing them the campus the other day!”

“I see. So she has no problem airing the League’s problems to prying ears.”

Nemona looks to you again, “So it’s true you beat Larry even though you have no formal Pokémon battle training?”

“I wouldn’t say I beat him. I had a panic attack, and Gengar handled the situation as best as it could,” you correct her.

“Wow, you must have a super strong bond with your Pokémon then!” she exclaims wonderously. “I’m surprised you don’t hold a grudge against him, though. If I told someone I didn’t want to challenge them and they ignored me, I’d be pretty upset.”

“You wouldn’t say no to anyone’s challenge, Nemona,” you point out.

“True, but you did. I think it’s pretty bold to ask for help from someone you ignored the wants of,” she says pointedly, looking at Larry.

“I don’t need to explain myself to you,” Larry states.

At the same time, you talk over him and say, “He apologized. Plus, he helped me out after he realized what had happened. He’s a good guy.”

Nemona looks back and forth between you with wide eyes. Suddenly, a broad, knowing smile crosses her face. “Okay! Well, we can take Larry from here. Thank you for escorting him here, Y/N!”

“Oh, ok. Um, bye,” you say, waving awkwardly.

Nemona waves back, and Larry looks back at you with a sad expression, but solemnly waves as well. You return to your dorm and go about the day as usual. It’s around noon when you get another knock on your door. You open it to find Nemona with Larry standing behind her, looking absolutely exhausted.

“We’re breaking for lunch, and Larry wanted to come back somewhere quiet, he said. I figured that was code for missing you, so I brought him back here! We need him back at 1:30 p.m., alright?”

Larry looks like he’d rather be anywhere else as you stare at Nemona, mortified. You let Larry in as Nemona bids you farewell.

“Um, I assume what you actually meant is you’re hungry and wanted to be away from a bunch of teenagers?” you guess.

Larry nods, making his way to sit at the table in your kitchenette. You look through your fridge and pantry. You haven’t stocked up on food in a long while. Admittedly, money has been tight, and you stretch your measly research assistant checks as much as you can. Still, you’re disappointed to find only a few ingredients for a measly sandwich in your goods.

You turn to Larry, prepared to offer to make him a fairly subpar sandwich that the two of you can split. He stops you before you can speak up, though.

“I can make my own food. I’d hate to put you out.”

“Um, well about that…” you begin. “I haven’t gone shopping in a while. I can basically only make a ham sandwich with the ingredients I have.”

Larry blinks at you. “What do you usually eat?” he asks.

“Whatever is in the cafeteria,” you reply sheepishly. “My meal plan doesn’t really cover home cooking ingredients.”

You expect Larry to look upset or even bewildered, but what you find instead is him looking at you pityingly.

“I see. I’ll make a ham sandwich then. Some food is better than none,” he concludes.

Larry begins rummaging through your cabinets and fridge before gathering all the ingredients he needs to make his food. You give him space and go to your desk to finish some of the work you’d been doing before he returned. You start when suddenly a hand falls on your shoulder.

“You need a break. It’s no good working yourself to the bone. Eat with me,” Larry urges.

“Oh, it’s alright. I normally skip lunch anyway. I need to finish this by the end of the day, and the sooner the better,” you respond.

“No,” Larry says firmly. “You need to have breaks and time that’s just for you. And you especially need time to eat. I made enough so we can split it. Please join me.”

“I thought you worked yourself to the bone with very few breaks,” you counter.

“I have overtime, but I still draw the line at needing breaks and eating.”

You sigh, pulling your chair away from the desk. “Fine,” you say glumly.

“Thank you,” Larry says.

You sit at the table across from him, where a plate with half a sandwich is already waiting for you. The two of you eat in silence for a bit. Eventually, Larry seemingly has an idea come to his mind.

“What are some of your favorite meals to cook when you have the time?” he asks.

You think about it for a while, but eventually list out about three different meals you enjoy that you’re confident you could make yourself.

“What about you? What are your favorite foods?” you inquire.

“Oh, I’m not very picky. I can find something I like anywhere I go. Food is the only time I don’t mind a bit of adventure.”

You nod, “That makes sense. You seem like you enjoy all kinds of foods. That place you took me to last time was really good. I didn’t even know we had somewhere to get that kind of food, and I’ve lived in Mesagoza my entire life.”

Larry smiles at you. You feel your heart stutter as he looks at you without a hint of tiredness about him. He looks like he genuinely enjoys his time with you. He doesn’t slouch or look lifeless or as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He just looks like someone who’s happy with the company he’s keeping.

“As I told you that day, there are many places here I still want to show you.”

“You sure you want somebody encroaching on your alone time like that?” you ask hesitantly.

“I don’t mind your companionship. You’re refreshing. You seem like you understand how to appreciate the simple things in life that most take for granted.”

You smile, blushing a little as you finish the rest of your sandwich. You clean up both of your dishes and look at the clock. It’s currently 1 p.m., which means Larry still has half an hour before he’s expected back in the school yard. You’re about to ask him what he wants to do next when a light snoring catches your attention. You turn your head to see Larry sprawled out in his chair with his head tilted back, fully asleep.

You smile to yourself and return to your schoolwork on the laptop. You let Larry sleep for about fifteen minutes before walking up to where he’s sleeping. You put your hand on his shoulder and lightly nudge him awake. Larry slowly comes to, grabbing your hand in his. He caresses the back of your hand with his thumb.

“Y/N,” he whispers dreamily.

“Hi,” you utter.

“Hi,” he echoes.

“You need to start heading back to Nemona and the others,” you whisper.

“Wanna stay with you,” Larry whines.

He interlocks your fingers now, bringing your joined hands to his cheek. He turns his head to brush his lips across your fingers. You freeze, feeling heat rising in your cheeks.

“L-Larry,” you stammer.

Larry’s half-lidded eyes suddenly shoot open. He stares at you with wide eyes. You’re still staring down at where your fingers are interlocked. He quickly lets your hand go and adjusts himself to be sitting upright in his chair. He adjusts his tie while he clears his throat.

“My apologies,” he starts. “That crossed a line, and I am deeply sorry. Half asleep or not, I should conduct myself in a more professional manner with you.”

“It really is ok,” you assure him. “Like you said, you were half asleep. Besides, I wish you could stay too,” you admit.

Larry looks at you, a slight pink dusting his cheeks at what you’ve said. He adjusts his tie again, almost out of nervous habit. He stands abruptly and reaches for the door before looking deflated.

“I, um, don’t remember how to get to the school yard properly,” Larry mumbles.

“I can show you,” you offer. “It’s what the ambassador's duties entail after all.”

You leave your dorm with Larry following behind at a careful distance. You stop to let him catch up to be by your side at one point, but as soon as you stop walking, so does Larry. You sigh and turn to him before you turn the corner that leads out to the open field of the school yard.

“Really, Larry, I’m not upset with you. You didn’t do anything wrong. So you held my hand a bit. Who cares?” you blurt out.

“Well, that certainly sounds unlike him,” a voice comes from behind you.

You turn to see La Primera standing behind you, having come from the other side of the hall.

“I feel I shouldn’t need to remind you to remain as professional as possible during our stay here at the academy. You are representing the Pokémon League after all,” she says.

Behind you, you feel a wave of ennui radiate from Larry.

“It was a mistake that won’t happen again. I assure you,” Larry responds grimly.

You open your mouth to try to explain what happened and that you’re not upset, but La Primera raises her hand to stop you from speaking.

“I’m aware you chose our friend here to be your ambassador despite them not being a part of the preferred program path. Don’t make me choose a different person for you, should you be unable to remain professional and level-headed. You need to be at your best and not distracted for this tournament and the events leading up to it. This is business, Larry, not an excuse to spend time with someone.”

She turns back to you and says, “None of this is your fault. I just want to ensure that Larry is not too preoccupied to perform adequately at the tournament. And seeing as how much of the preparation is falling on his shoulders, a clear head is best, don’t you agree?”

You nod glumly. You know that nothing will blossom between you and Larry, but that moment was a brief look into what could be if things were maybe just a little different. Of course, Larry doesn’t feel any special type of way about you. He was half asleep and thought he was dreaming. Why you would have been there is beyond you, but you still don’t think he did anything untoward or unprofessional.

“I can escort Larry the rest of the way. I am heading to the school yard as well,” La Primera offers.

“Of course,” you say, bowing your head to her out of respect.

She smiles. Larry joins her side, looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. He hunches over to make himself smaller and waves goodbye to you. You notice, as he looks at you, that the light and joy that were present in your dorm have been extinguished. You wave back before turning and walking back to your dorm. As you’re leaving, you overhear La Primera talking more to Larry, but can’t make out what she’s saying.

You don’t see Larry for the rest of the day. You assume La Primera or Nemona helped him find the school’s exit, and he returned to wherever he’s staying for the night. You also get no texts from him, which is fine, but you thought you’d at least get a reminder to eat or something like the previous night.

Deciding to take the initiative, you retrieve your Rotom phone from your pocket. You type out a brief message that reads, “Hey, I hope the rest of the day went well for you despite your expectations. Did you make it back okay?” You send the text before you can think too much about it, knowing you’ll talk yourself out of sending it if you do. After all, if he wanted to hear from you, he probably would have returned to your dorm or reached out already.

An hour passes before you get a response from Larry. You read the text that just says, “Yes.” You’re unsure if he’s upset with himself still or if La Primera got in his head about being unprofessional, but either way, you’re hurt to get such a curt reply. You determine that doing something drastic will get his attention and maybe snap him back into the decent rapport that you had built with him.

You text him, “I know I need to eat, but I really don’t want another sandwich.” Only a few minutes pass by this time. He replies, “I’m working on it.” You ask him what that means, but get no response back. Maybe that wasn’t as drastic as you thought.

You go to the cafeteria to get food to bring back to your dorm. This time, you choose to actually send a picture of yourself eating the sandwich. You caption it by saying, “I caved and got the sandwich.” The response is later this time, about half an hour. You’ve already finished your meal by the time you get it. It simply reads, “Some food is always better than none.”

You count that response as a win; it sounds like something he would say to you in person on a normal day. You let the rest of the night pass you by. You spend the time reading and playing a couple of games. When you finally drift off to sleep, it is with the hope that things between you and Larry won’t be this tense forever.

Chapter Text

You wake up early the next morning, unsure if Larry will need your help again. You probably should have texted and asked him last night instead of bothering him about food, as you did. As it stands, though, you have no schoolwork to do. You caught up last night, so you at least have the morning to do whatever you want. You decide to get some reading done. About an hour into your story, you get a knock on the door.

You open the door to find Larry standing on the other side, holding a couple of tote bags worth of what appears to be food. You blink at him for a moment before asking, “What you got there?”

“Groceries,” he answers simply.

“For what?”

“For you. I made a mental list of groceries that would be helpful generally, and then also bought stuff for the meals you said you enjoy making and eating.”

“H-how much did this cost, Larry?” you ask.

“Don’t worry about it,” he responds.

“No, I’m going to. I don’t know if I have the money to pay you back for this!”

“I didn’t intend for you to pay me back,” Larry states. “I’m a salaryman who can afford this sort of thing. The Pokémon League compensates me well for my time as a gym leader, Elite Four member, and businessman. Now, are you going to let me in?”

You open the door a little wider, moving out of the way so Larry can enter your humble dorm room. Once he’s in the room, he sets the groceries on a counter and begins sorting them into categories. Things that need to be refrigerated are grouped together, pantry items are stored separately, and the occasional frozen food is kept in another area. After he’s done sorting, he begins putting things away like he’s lived here his entire life. He rummages through your cabinets before finding where you keep your canned and prepackaged goods. Then he puts away the rest of the groceries in your fridge and freezer.

You’re speechless as he does this without sparing you a glance. You want to thank him adequately, but anything you can think to say or do seems like too little. When Larry’s finally done putting everything away, he turns back to the door of your dorm, reaching for the handle.

“Wait, you’re just going to leave?” you ask incredulously.

Larry sighs, finally turning to look at you. He looks tired, and while he’s looking in your direction, he’s refusing to make eye contact.

“Did I do something wrong?” you ask.

“No,” Larry asserts.

“Then what is going on? You went through the trouble of getting me groceries, which I don’t know how to thank you enough for, but are refusing to even speak or look at me?”

“I have to remain professional during my visit to the school. Yesterday was a lapse in that, and I can’t allow it to happen again.” Larry says.

He sounds almost robotic, like he’s been programmed to give that response. You don’t know why, but it sets you off. You want a friendship with Larry, not a professional connection. You could swear he wanted the same, but La Primera must have really reprimanded him for him to change his attitude so much around you.

“Buying me groceries is hardly professional,” you retort. “Seems like something someone would do for someone they cared about.”

Larry’s eyes finally snap to yours, looking pained. “I know I shouldn’t have done this,” he admits. “But you need food to survive, and I had the ability to help.”

“I appreciate it, Larry, really. I just don’t understand why you’re suddenly so concerned with maintaining a professional distance. You didn’t do anything untoward or improper. Is this because La Primera scolded you?”

Larry sighs, “You’re just a kid, I don’t expect you to understand what’s going on.”

You stare at the man, dumbfounded. “Please enlighten me then,” you challenge.

Larry hunches down, almost doubling in half from the weight on his shoulders. “I can’t,” he whispers.

You’re frustrated, and without meaning for them to, tears begin to prick your eyes. “I thought we were becoming friends,” you mumble, sniffling a bit.

You try to hold back the tears, but a few escape, leaving glistening trails in their wake. Larry hears you audibly try not to cry and looks up at you with the same sadness you feel reflected in his eyes. He opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, but quickly shuts it. You take a deep breath to steady yourself.

“Thank you for the groceries, it really does mean a lot to me. Since you’re so bent on this being a professional relationship, I’ll make sure to pay you back, even if it takes a while. I guess I’ll see you for the next ambassador duty you need me for,” you clip out.

“The tournament is on Wednesday, but Nemona has offered to chaperone me around from duty to duty.”

That stings. Nemona will be spending more time with Larry than you. She’s more of his ambassador than you are.

“Great,” you say. “At least you got a new ambassador.”

“I still need you,” Larry corrects.

“Okay. Well, you have my number if something arises. Bye.”

Larry sighs dejectedly, opening the door to leave. He turns around once to look at you forlornly, like he wants to say something more, but he turns back around and leaves.

You’re working in the biology lab late on Monday afternoon when you feel your Rotom phone vibrate in your pocket. You make a mental note to check your phone on your break, but don’t look into it. A few minutes pass before you get another message. You huff and ignore it. This happens every few minutes for about an hour. Finally getting annoyed, you set your Rotom phone to silent. You have about fifteen minutes of peace before someone comes barging into the lab. You turn to see Nemona with Larry in tow.

Nemona shouts your name, and you start. You go to the entrance of the lab and ask her what’s wrong. She huffs and says, “I know you two are going through something, but Larry has messed up about every task I’ve given him today. So if you two could work it out so the tournament isn’t at jeopardy, I would really appreciate it!”

You open your mouth to say something, but are cut off by Nemona again.

“We don’t need him for the rest of the day, but we need him at the battle area in front of the school at 9 a.m. tomorrow! Okay, bye!”

With that, she turns and exits the lab, leaving you and Larry gawking at each other. You turn toward your advisor, who is sitting, doing some research near the door. He glances at the clock on the wall before telling you it’s alright if you leave a few minutes early today. You nod and go to your station to clean up. You feel Larry’s eyes follow your every movement. When you’re done cleaning up, you gather your belongings and join the man at the front.

“I suppose we can go to my dorm,” you say curtly.

Larry follows behind a few paces. He’s slouched and looks tired as usual, but you do notice a certain level of sadness that you’ve never seen from him before as well. You open the door to your room and gesture for Larry to enter before following him and closing it.

Neither of you says anything for a few minutes. You’re content with this and put your things down. You take your laptop out and place it on your desk, plugging it in. When you’re done unpacking your bag of everything important, you see that Larry is still standing awkwardly by the door.

“You can sit, you know?” you point out.

He goes to the table, pulling out a chair, and sits.

“I’m sorry about Nemona interrupting your work,” he says finally.

“It’s fine. What’s gotten you so out of sorts? I doubt it’s me like Nemona thinks.”

Larry sighs, “Actually, she’s not entirely wrong.”

“Oh?”

“I was afraid my brief lapse in judgment and consciousness would put the budding friendship we have in danger. Then La Primera reprimanded me for forming close ties with the people here, and I felt like I had crossed more of a line than I thought,” Larry explains. “When you didn’t reach out the last couple of days, I assumed she was right. I’ve been a bit distraught since. Hence, the mistakes that I’m sure I’ll hear an earful about from my boss.”

“Why would friendship be crossing a line, Larry?” you ask.

“I never really know where I stand with people unless it’s on a professional level. As I stated before, you seem quite extraordinary, and I don’t want to be someone who drags you down by being so normal and unwilling to do remarkable things like you.”

“I want to know you,” you say. “I want to be able to know you well enough to call you a friend. If you were ever making me uncomfortable or upset, I would let you know.”

Larry looks at you sheepishly. “Well then, I suppose I needlessly overcomplicated things. My apologies.”

You smile politely and nod slightly to show you accept the apology. Larry clears his throat before continuing.

“I’m also sorry about implying Nemona was my new ambassador; that was a low blow. I would appreciate your help tomorrow before the big tournament day.”

“Of course,” you say softly.

Larry clears his throat a bit awkwardly and says, “I know you have groceries now, but I was going out to dinner soon if you would like to join me.”

You don’t even think about the offer before agreeing. It’s not like your food will spoil overnight. You will need to cook for the majority of the rest of the week, though. Larry smiles gently at you before asking if you’re ready to go now. You nod excitedly, and the two of you exit your dorm.

You ask Larry where you’re going, but he just answers vaguely, saying it’s a place with great food that's better appreciated with company you enjoy. Accepting that as the only answer you’ll get, you follow Larry through the city until you come to a low-key-looking restaurant. He leads you inside, and you see tables centered around a small griddle. Larry tells the host that there are two for your party. You’re led to a small table and left with a drink menu and a food menu.

Once you’re settled at the table, Larry asks, “Have you ever had okonomiyaki before?”

You shake your head hesitantly.

He explains to you that it’s a dish made with flour, yams, eggs, and dashi that you can add certain ingredients to in order to customize it.

“It’s a specialty from the Johto region,” Larry remarks. “This particular establishment lets you griddle your own okonomiyaki. I’ll walk you through it; it’s easy.”

“Is this one of the places you wanted to take me?” you question curiously.

“Yes,” Larry responds. “It’s nice to have someone else with you in places that lend themselves to an experience of the food.”

“Well, thank you for bringing me along,” you say.

Larry nods as you grab the menu to peruse what you want. You’re presented with many options and quickly get overwhelmed. You set the menu down, asking Larry if he has any recommendations on what you should get. He suggests the cabbage and squid to you, saying it’s a nice pairing that goes exceptionally well with the batter. You nod, deciding that’s what you’ll get.

“Are there any drink pairings to go with this?” you ask.

“Hm? Oh, yes. I usually get a whisky highball with mine, but I’m not sure what your tastes are. If you want something a bit smoother, sake would be the way to go.”

You nod, considering your options. When the waiter eventually comes, you take Larry’s recommendations and order the okonomiyaki with squid and cabbage, and order some sake for yourself. Larry orders the same as you, except he gets a whisky highball instead of sake. The two of you make light, idle conversation while waiting for your meals to arrive. When they finally come, you’re starving and ready to grill your food with Larry’s guidance.

Larry walks you through how to assemble the food to ensure there is a little of everything in each bite. He guides you by providing instructions on how to grill the food and for how long. He even gives you a little demo so you can copy what he does. It’s sweet of him, and he’s so patient. You feel the unease and tension between you completely diminish as you make your okonomiyaki together. Larry looks in his element, and he’s looking at you with fondness and familiarity as opposed to tired apprehension.

When you finally get to try the food, it’s absolutely delicious. You get a little of each ingredient in every bite with Larry’s help. You can understand why he chose this place. The experience of grilling up your own food is fun, but actually eating it is delectable. It’s savory and a little greasy, but the sake washes away the grease and cuts it with a slightly sweet, smooth finish. When paired together, it’s almost silky. You can’t remember the last time you had such a good meal with such an enjoyable experience.

Halfway through the meal, Larry asks how you’re liking it. You mumble around a mouthful of food that it’s phenomenal. He looks at you with a glint of something you don’t understand in his eyes. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he looked at you as if he were enamoured with you. You’re fairly confident that’s just the sake playing tricks on your mind, however.

By the time you’re both finished with your meal, you realize you may have drunk a bit more sake than you thought. Your body feels warm and loose in a pleasant way. Your head is a bit hazy, and you feel more bubbly than usual. Larry, for his part, seems to have handled his drink well. You have always been a bit of a lightweight, though.

When the two of you stand, you’re a bit unsteady on your feet. Larry quirks an eyebrow at you, but comes to your side. He puts a large, warm hand on the small of your back and helps lead you out of the restaurant. The crisp, fresh air outside helps cool you down, but you remain keenly aware of where Larry makes contact with you. As if sensing your thoughts, he suddenly removes his hand and asks if you can make it back to your dorm by yourself. You nod silently with a doofy smile on your face.

He looks in the direction you’d be traveling and says, “I’d feel better escorting you back, I think. It is a little late, after all.”

“If you insist,” you respond.

The way back to the academy is mostly silent. In order to break the quiet that’s settled between the two of you, you hum a little tune with no real melody. You see Larry smile slightly out of the corner of your eye. His attention is fully on you, but you’re unsure if it’s the humming or your general demeanor that’s grabbed his attention. You’re loose with your movements as you walk, aimlessly zigzagging so you’re not just walking straight to your dorm with a man who makes you feel butterflies. Occasionally, you drift a little too far into Larry’s space, and your hands brush. Each time you let out a small gasp and move a little further away, only to find yourself in his space again. Every brush of your hands feels like a small shock has gone through your body; all tingly and exciting.

You’re near the gates of the academy when Larry comments, “You’re in a good mood.”

“Mhm. I had a great meal with someone I like. It’s a nice night, and a handsome gentleman is walking me to my room! There’s a lot to be happy about,” you giggle.

You look up in time to see Larry’s eyes go wide and a blush bloom across his cheeks before he turns away from you.

“I’m aware I’m quite ordinary. You don’t have to try to flatter me,” he mumbles.

“Did you know you get such a big smile whenever you eat a meal you enjoy? You savor each bite, and it’s like the weight of your work never existed. It’s a marvelous sight to behold, truly. It’s the happiest I’ve seen you.”

You’ve arrived at your door now, but you continue your train of thought by softly admitting, “Sometimes I wonder if my treasure is you. I’d like for that to be the case. I really do cherish every moment I’m able to spend with you.”

“I think you’ve had too much sake,” Larry whispers, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Maybe. That doesn’t make what I’m saying any less true, though,” you assure.

Larry inhales sharply, standing up fully. You hadn’t realized how close to him you were standing, nor how he’d stooped lower to share your space. As soon as the distance between you increases, you miss the closeness, though.

Larry adjusts his tie absentmindedly, a motion that you’ve learned is a nervous tick, a way to feel more in control of a situation. You track the motion with your eyes, blatantly staring. You notice that he’s messed up his tie more than he’s fixed it. You reach out to fix it for him. His eyes snap to yours, but you keep your gaze glued to where your hands are clumsily adjusting his tie. Your hands brush across his throat briefly, and you feel as he gulps nervously. You remove your hands from his tie to admire your handiwork - even in your tipsy state, you managed to make his tie look more presentable than he did. You look up to him proudly and are surprised to find a severe expression gracing his features.

For a brief moment, you’re worried you crossed a line, but before you can ask, Larry says, “Thank you. I hope you rest well, Y/N. Have a good night. I’ll see you in the morning in front of the school.”

You nod. You want to ask him if you messed up, but before you get the chance, Larry has turned and begun walking back toward the school's entrance. You watch him as he goes, just to see if he’ll look back. He does look back when he’s reached the end of the hall. When he sees you still standing in front of the door, he shooes you as if telling you to go inside. He doesn’t budge until you open your door, wave to him, and walk into your room.

Still feeling a bit fuzzy, you get ready for bed. It’s not until you’re about to crawl into bed that you remember the texts you got earlier in the lab. You check your phone to see texts from Nemona. Each one details a different way that Larry messed up his work for the tournament and how it was corrected. The final few texts talk about how she found out it was a relationship issue because Larry told her it was “none of your business” when she pressed him about you. You huff a laugh at the texts and hope that Larry won’t get in much trouble for his errors. You put your Rotom phone away and finally cuddle under the covers of your bed, and drift off to sleep thinking about Larry and his smile.

Chapter Text

Your alarm wakes you up the next morning. You replay the previous night in your head as you get ready. You freeze halfway through getting on your uniform, realizing that you fell just short of confessing your feelings to Larry. You at least certainly hinted at the fact that they exist. Feeling a little mortified, you continue getting ready for your day. You hope, at the very least, that you haven’t made it awkward between you and Larry, not after you just got over the last awkward bit.

You rush out to the battle area in front of the school, finding a small group already gathered when you arrive. Nemona, Juliana, the same two individuals from the bracket-making day, and La Primera are all present. Nemona sees you arrive and asks you where Larry is so that everyone can get started. You look at your phone to check the time and see that you’re about ten minutes early from when you were told to show up. You tell her you’re sure he’ll arrive precisely at nine. It seems like him to only work the hours stated instead of showing up early.

Sure enough, at exactly 9 a.m., Larry arrives at the meeting area carrying his briefcase and wearing a fresh suit with his blue tie. He looks over the group, nodding hello. When he finally makes eye contact with you, you notice a light pink dusting his cheeks. He walks over to you to stand beside you.

“I see you’ve already gotten used to Larry’s work style,” La Primera notes.

You nod to her before turning to Nemona, who has begun delegating tasks to people. You’re separated from Larry as Nemona puts him in charge of confirming people are still participating, while you get placed on setup and decoration duty with Juliana. The work goes by quickly as you and Juliana move tables and chairs around. You set up a check-in area for tomorrow and decorate it with balloons and streamers, as well as a large colorful sign denoting it’s the check-in area. You catch glimpses of Larry making calls to people, going down his list, and occasionally crossing people off.

By the time lunch rolls around, everything is mostly settled. You put the final few touches on some decoration before waving goodbye to Juliana. You go back up to Nemona, who’s hunched over a bracket sheet, mumbling to herself. You ask if she needs help, and she tells you she does.

“Some people have dropped out last minute, so now I’m trying to rearrange the brackets in a balanced way,” she explains.

“What are the parameters for sorting?” you ask.

“I’m going by class and the number of gyms completed,” Nemona says.

“Can I help?” you offer.

“Yeah, that would be super appreciated actually!” she exclaims.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Larry shake his head, but ultimately pay it no mind. You and Nemona work through lunch, and about half an hour after, before finalizing the bracket with everyone who confirmed they were participating. Nemona thanks you profusely for helping her out and bounds off to take care of last-minute prep work.

As you’re gathering your things, you feel a presence behind you. You turn to find Larry looking deep in thought, holding a wrapped parcel of some sort. You smile at him, but he doesn’t move. You gently say his name, and he snaps out of it.

“I noticed you worked through lunch today. I brought you this so you could eat when you’re done, but it appears you’ve already wrapped up.”

“Yep! Just got done a few minutes ago,” you say.

“Well then, this is yours to eat now,” he surmises.

“Thank you, Larry. Do you want to join me?”

He looks at you tiredly and nods before saying, “I would truly like nothing more, but someone is attempting the gym challenge in Medali. I have to be there when they finish it so they can battle me.” Larry sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll have to get a cab back to Medali. I’ve already put it off for as long as I could. I’ll see you tomorrow for the tournament.”

With that, Larry gives you a small, half-hearted wave before turning around to call for a cab to Medali. You watch as the cab descends from the sky, and wave at Larry as he enters. The various Squawkabilly lift off into the air once Larry is securely inside and take off to Medali. You briefly consider calling your own taxi to follow him and support him in his battle, but decide against it. You’ll be doing plenty of cheering for Larry tomorrow.

The rest of the day passes without event. You attend your remaining classes, do some schoolwork, and make yourself dinner with the groceries Larry was kind enough to provide you with. As you’re getting ready for bed, you receive a text from Larry that reads, “The challenger lost. They were a bit of a sore loser, but I treated them to a meal anyway to attempt to raise their spirits. They remained ungrateful. I’d have much rather dined with you again. There’s a lot that’s good at the Treasure Eatery. I hope we can have a proper meal there someday soon.”

You blush as you read the message. It’s always nice to know that Larry is thinking of you. In your heart, you know you’re so far gone for the man, but knowing he values your friendship as well is fulfilling. You’re happy getting to learn what he likes, what makes him feel joy and happiness. Seeing his soft smile is always such a treat. You admire the fact that he has simple tastes and is content with enjoying the small things in life. You often get carried away with flashiness and the next big thing. Larry’s presence is almost a reminder to slow down and appreciate the details you’d typically take for granted.

The next morning, you wake up before your alarm, ready to take on the day. You feel a surge of energy in your veins with the upcoming tournament, even though you aren’t participating. You decided to help further and assist the cause by checking people in with another student. You report to your station and get your alphabetized list ready.

All in all, getting everyone checked in and sent to their respective places takes about an hour. After that, Nemona and Juliana make a speech to commence the tournament. With that, your only responsibility is to usher Larry from battle to battle until he eventually wins the tournament or loses. Luckily, he’s the only person you really cared to cheer on anyway.

Larry’s movements are slow and deliberate during his battles. He handles himself professionally and with dignity. The elite four are facing faculty first. It wouldn’t be fair to pair them up with kids who’ve barely completed a few gyms after all. You notice that Larry’s team is a bit different. Instead of using normal-type Pokémon, he’s using flying-type. You ask him about it between one of the rounds, and he tells you La Primera wanted him to use a different type as an Elite Four member. Since he’s representing the Elite Four in the tournament, he was told it would be best if he used the same type as he does for them.

Larry handles himself well for a while. He barely has to send his second Pokémon out before he’s defeated his opponent. He starts to have a little more trouble as the pairings progress and the competition intensifies. He eventually makes it to the quarter-finals against Nemona. Larry keeps his calm disposition with an air of disinterest, but you can tell he’s locked in. He puts everything into the battle. Eventually, both his and Nemona’s Pokémon are terastallized. It’s close, but Nemona comes out on top. Larry shakes her hand and congratulates her, but it’s half-hearted.

Larry makes his way out of the battle area, scanning the crowd. He finds your eyes, and you smile at him brightly. He makes his way to you, looking more invigorated with each step towards you. When he finally gets to you, you commend him on doing such a wonderful job. He thanks you and says he’s just glad his tournament duty is almost done; he just has to watch the rest now.

In the end, it comes down between Juliana and Nemona. Part of you wants to say you’re surprised, but with how ambitious and talented they both are, you’re not. Larry comments that when he retires, he won’t be surprised to see either of them make it into the Elite Four. He goes as far as to say one of them may one day hold the La Primera title. You can’t help but agree.

After a long, arduous match, Juliana comes out as the victor. The crowd goes wild as the winner of the tournament is announced. A small ceremony is held where La Primera gives Juliana a Pokémon League sporty cap and an ability patch. Juliana immediately puts on the cap and pumps both their fists in the air. Some pictures are taken with her and La Primera before everyone eventually begins dispersing.

A small crowd of Elite Four members, the students who helped out, La Primera, and Director Clavell are all that are left. La Primera congratulates everyone on a job well done and thanks everyone for their hard work and dedication to making the tournament such a huge success. Director Clavell says that clean-up duty should begin immediately. Everyone left begins putting away chairs and tables, cleaning up trash, and picking up any items that were dropped that may need to go to the lost and found.

Once everything is orderly, Director Clavell offers to take everyone involved in the tournament’s success to dinner. You notice that Larry looks hesitant to go. When Director Clavell asks if you’ll be joining everyone, you nod enthusiastically; you’re proud of the work you did and want to celebrate. When you give your assent, Larry sighs and slouches next to you and also agrees to come to the dinner. You notice a small look of shock on La Primera’s face as Larry says he’ll join.

She comes up to the two of you and tells Larry that he’s free to return to his usual duties within the Pokémon League. She emphasizes that he doesn’t have an obligation to join the dinner. Larry nods before turning to you. He eyes you, then the rest of the group wearily. Eventually, he seems to come to a decision and tells La Primera he’ll join everyone.

“You don’t have to come with,” you say.

“Do you not want me to?” he asks, looking confused.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” you respond. “I just know you haven’t enjoyed this whole ordeal. It makes sense if you want to be done with it.”

“It’s actually been nicer than I anticipated. Parts of it were almost enjoyable,” Larry admits. “I’ll come to the dinner.”

La Primera looks between you and Larry with a frown on her face. When you look at her, though, it’s replaced with a neutral smile. You look at Larry with an unspoken question. He blinks slowly, shaking his head once. You have a feeling La Primera will have some words for him when he finally returns to the office. You try not to focus on that at the moment, and instead try to enjoy the dinner with everyone.

Director Clavell takes you to a restaurant that specializes in paella. He orders a communal pan of both seafood and traditional paella. The conversation flows easily between everyone, and it seems as if everybody is having a good time. The food is delicious and robust. Larry talks to you about what ingredients in the paella impart corresponding flavors. You listen, enraptured with every word he speaks. Those who can, pair a sparkling wine with the paella, which complements the dish amazingly.

You drink enough to feel a little light and warm, but cut yourself off there, not wanting a repeat of the last time you went to dinner with Larry. Larry, it seems, does not pour his drink as conservatively as that night. He refills his wine glass whenever it is offered to him. You notice a rosy blush begin to tinge his cheeks. You look at him wonderingly, as if he’s the most fascinating person at the table, and to you, he is.

Larry has drifted closer into your space, and you feel your heart flutter in your chest. As he talks to you about his Staraptor, which you noticed was on both of his teams, he places a hand on your knee. Seeing as it’s still fairly warm, you’re wearing your summer uniform, which means his hand is touching your bare skin. The contact sends a thrill through you as you try your hardest not to stare at where he’s making contact - you don’t want to scare him off or make him think it’s an unwelcome gesture. Instead, you focus as best as you can on what he’s saying and maintaining eye contact.

It proves to be more difficult of a task than anticipated as he begins to draw small circles on your knee with his thumb. Your brain short-circuits, and you stammer as you reply to him. It’s then that Nemona catches your attention. She thanks you for all your help and says that she’s delighted to have gotten to know you a bit better during this event. You tell her you’re happy to have gotten to know her as well. She then wishes you the best in your relationship with Larry, which causes you both to sputter. You try to tell her there isn’t a relationship, but she seems skeptical.

Larry’s hand moves away from you as if he’s been burned, and he leaves your personal space. He mutters an apology to you. You tell him it’s alright, but he doesn’t seem to hear you. At the same time, you catch La Primera’s gaze on you. You smile politely at her, and she returns the expression, though you notice it’s a tight-lipped smile she offers.

When dinner is over, everyone begins making their way back to the various places they came from. The couple of academy students form a group that walks back together with Director Clavell. La Primera walks up to Larry, and you take that as your cue to leave. To your surprise, Larry tells you to wait. You notice La Primera stiffen as he requests you wait up for him.

She takes him aside and begins having what appears to be a tense conversation with Larry. You see Larry’s eyes narrow at her, before a wave of anguish seems to come over him. He slouches low and nods. La Primera’s eyes flit to yours for a brief moment before returning to Larry’s. He notices the action and stands a bit straighter, narrowing his eyes at La Primera. She says something else you don’t catch, but instead of looking miserable, Larry seems defiant. He clips a response which makes La Primera look as if she’s been stricken. She quickly schools the expression, nods, and waves to Larry, walking away.

Larry walks back up to you, some of that fire still in his eyes. His posture is straighter, and he doesn’t seem as loose or drunk as before. It seems as if between Nemona and La Primera, he has sobered up. You ask him what La Primera had said, but he answers vaguely.

“She reprimanded me for some of the mistakes I made throughout the tournament organization, and then reminded me about remaining professional. She has some opinions on the relationships I form with others, it seems.”

“I hope I’m not getting you in trouble with your boss,” you say.

“You’re not,” he states firmly.

You nod, deciding it best to change the subject. “What did you want to talk to me about? You asked me to stay.”

Larry blushes a bit, but answers, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior at dinner tonight.”

You cock your head to the side, confused. “What do you mean?”

“I shouldn’t have put my hand on you like that. It’s crossing a boundary. Alcohol isn’t an excuse for what I did.”

You’re unsure how to react to his apology. You enjoyed feeling his hand on you in such a casually intimate way. You also don’t want him to regret his actions, though. You’re not certain if he’s making advances toward you in small ways or if he just views you as a friend, but either way, you don’t feel like he’s crossed a line. He’s never done anything to make you uncomfortable. You decide the best way to find out what his intentions are is to make yours somewhat more apparent to him while sober.

“I didn’t mind it,” you admit. “It felt nice. I’m sorry if you regret it, but I hope it’s not because you think you crossed my boundary.” You take a step closer to him, now fully in his space. “I enjoy spending time with you and getting to know you. I don’t mind if you put your hand on my knee. In fact, I welcome it.”

Larry blinks rapidly as if catching up with what you said. “You’re quite forward, you know?” He adjusts his tie with a shaky hand and a trembling breath.

“Is that a bad thing?” you ask.

“I suppose you just know what it is you want, which is impressive for anyone,” Larry responds.

You nod in agreement. You want to ask what it is he wants. You want to know what this relationship is to him and what it has the potential to be. You’re not sure you’d like the answer, though. The truth is, you are younger than Larry by a not insignificant number of years. You don’t know if he’s even open to a relationship, if he were able to put that fact aside. You’re in his space still, and he’s leaned down to you so you’re closer than you started. You feel like maybe something could be there.

Larry cuts off your thoughts by saying, “Well, I’m glad I haven’t made you uncomfortable. I know we just ate, but would you maybe want to get dessert together? I could go for something light and refreshing after such a robust meal.”

You nod. Larry’s changing the subject and avoiding the topic at hand. You know that. You’ll take any time with him you can get, though. Plus, you’re scared of changing the dynamic between the two of you too much. If Larry’s not ready to talk about his feelings or lack thereof toward you, you’re not going to force him.

The two of you walk in companionable silence to the nearest Sugar-N-Ice stall. He orders a Nacli salt ice cream cone, and you get a teriyaki ice cream cone. You then find a bench where you can sit and enjoy your ice cream. There’s a pleasant breeze running through the city that makes the warm air more manageable. Some time passes before you notice Larry looking at your ice cream dubiously.

“What?” you ask.

“That’s quite a bold pairing of flavors. I’ve never tried it. I’m a bit skeptical that it tastes any good,” he replies.

You chuckle and say, “Would you like a taste? The sweet and the salty combine nicely for a slight contrasting flavor that’s still cohesive. It’s what I’ve gotten since I was little.”

Larry eyes the cone for a second and nods. You hold the cone out to him, and he bends down, taking a small lick from the ice cream. He assesses it for a second in his mouth before smiling softly at you.

“It is quite good,” he admits. “Just as you said, the sweet and salty make for an unlikely combination that melds together nicely. I do think I prefer my Nacli salt ice cream, though.”

Now it’s your turn to eye his ice cream. You’ve only really stuck to what you know at Sugar-N-Ice. You want to try it but are afraid to ask for a taste. Sensing what’s on your mind, Larry asks if you would like to taste his as well. You nod timidly. He holds the cone out for you, and you take a delicate lick from it.

Your eyes light up as you taste it. It’s a gentle, just perceivable flavor of salt with a hint of vanilla. It’s not overwhelmingly salty. You can see now how it’s refreshing to Larry. You beam at him and say, “That’s delicious! It’s a very subtle, sweet and salty flavor. It’s not as bold as the teriyaki ice cream, but it’s nice and understated, making it overall almost as delicate as it is refreshing.”

Larry looks at you with a tender smile. “Those are precisely my thoughts on the flavor as well. I’m glad you can appreciate the plain, but remarkable flavor of the ice cream.”

You’re about halfway through your ice cream when Larry huffs out a sigh. When you look at him, he seems as if the weight of the world is on him again. You’re about to ask him what’s wrong when he blurts out, “I have to go on a business trip soon.”

You nod, thoughtfully. He doesn’t seem to particularly enjoy his job, but you would think he enjoys seeing the new flora and fauna in new regions as well as experiencing new foods. Yet he seems so unhappy about having to go.

“Where are you going?” you ask politely.

“Blueberry Academy in Unova,” he answers. “Julina is going there for an exchange program, and I’ve been tasked with being a liaison of sorts to the Unova students’ Pokémon League.”

“Why don’t you want to go?” you question, unsure of what the underlying issue is.

Larry sighs, “Typically, I actually don’t mind these little excursions. They are ways for me to enjoy myself while exploring various cuisines that I haven’t tried before. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone this time around, though.”

“Ah,” you say, understanding his problem. “The ambiguity of not knowing how long you’ll be gone means you’ll have an undisclosed backlog of work to catch up on here in Paldea.”

Larry makes a painful noise. “I hadn’t thought about it like that. That certainly makes it worse, but that’s not why.” He hesitates for a second before he admits, “There’s someone I’ve grown rather attached to. I don’t want to be away from them for an undetermined amount of time.”

Your heart flutters, but you don’t want to get your hopes up; however, you don’t think there’s anyone else he could be talking about. Playing coy, you give Larry a playful smile.

“And who may that be?” you ask innocently.

Larry looks at you with a serious expression. “A friend that I’ve made quite recently,” he answers simply.

You know he means you, but you want to hear him say it. “Hm. Oh, I know! You mean Nemona,” you state facetiously.

He stares at you blankly before shaking his head. “I assure you, I do not mean Nemona.”

Larry sees your crestfallen expression before turning to you and grasping your free hand in his. He stares down at your hands, deliberately not making eye contact when you gasp at his touch.

“I mean you, Y/N. I don’t want to leave you for such a potentially long period of time. I’ve appreciated our time together this past week and wish it could continue in a similar fashion. It’s selfish of me, but I hope you’re willing to wait for me. And of course, we can communicate via Rotom phone as well.”

You shake your head and say, “It’s not selfish to want me to wait for you to return, Larry. I know you’re a busy individual.”

Larry looks at you with a pinched expression. “It is selfish. I should be encouraging you to spend your time with someone who can shower you in the attention you deserve.”

“You literally bought me groceries because I complained about the cafeteria food. I think you give me enough attention,” you scoff.

Larry looks at you with the ghost of a smile gracing his lips. You catch yourself staring, before jolting out of it and meeting his eyes. You hold each other’s gaze for a long while in companionable silence. You forget about your ice cream cone until some of it melts onto your hand, dribbling into a sticky, creamy mess in your fingers. You lick up the mess and make quick work of the rest of the ice cream before it has a chance to melt even more.

You notice Larry looking at you as your tongue darts out to clean your fingers once you’ve finished your sweet treat. He seems amused, but you see another emotion that looks similar to need. He offers you a napkin eventually, which you gladly accept as he turns his gaze away from you.

As you’re cleaning up, Larry suddenly stands, picking up his briefcase, which he had placed on the ground. He turns to you awkwardly and says, “Thank you for joining me tonight. I hope I’m able to see you again soon.”

His tone is serious and has that monotone cadence you’ve grown accustomed to with the man. You take a once-over of him again and are still blown away by how handsome the supposedly unremarkable man before you is. Everything about him pulls you in. You would never really want your time with him to end, but know that it must at some point.

You realize you haven’t responded yet. Larry is darting his eyes around, looking everywhere but you, before you finally reply with, “Thank you, Larry. I’m always happy to be with you. Travel safe on your trip and try to have as much fun as you can!”

The businessman smiles at you, and you feel your heart skip a beat. “I promise I’ll be in touch. Goodnight,” Larry utters.

“Goodnight, Larry,” you say.

With that, Larry begins walking to wherever he’s staying. You make your way back to the dorm feeling a mix of conflicting emotions. On one hand, you’re happy you’ve grown closer to the salaryman. This week has been exciting, and you’re thrilled to have someone new to call a friend. You’re also sad, though. You won’t have as many excuses to see him without the tournament. Plus, he’s going to be away on a business trip for a while. True, he said he’d text, but you do wish you could communicate with him in a more proper manner.

You’re still feeling a swirl of emotions when you finally get back to your room. You shuck off your shoes, leaving them by the door. You plop onto your bed, taking a deep breath. There’s nothing you can do for now besides be okay with just texting for a bit. You know Larry will be back soon, and then you can worry about having excuses to see him. Until then, you should turn your focus to your studies and research.