52nd moon [video]

[paladinlost]

[Background: Saffron City's Pokémon Center, lobby, that nice spot with the comfy benches. Foreground: Avenger is propped against Rosie, who is snuggling up to Esuna, who is spread out halfway on Edges, who is curled up against Minerva, who is sprawled over Kayne's tail. All are sleeping.]

Truly. You'd think a good battle would have left them energized. I think the lack of talented opponents made them lazy.

[But Cecil sounds more fond of them than anything, the silly man.]

That's another badge earned, and four possible paths to follow. It's nicer than having to follow a predetermined route, I must admit.

[Even if he'll spend the next few days wondering where to go.]

Comments

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[skirtchases]

[Zidane? Reading instructions? Nah man, he had a bet with Bartz!]

Hm...okay, got it. I'll get a Pokemon, train, and then that Gym's going down before you know it!

[It was just a little change of plans.]

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[paladinlost]

Followed by the second, the third, the fourth...

[Forever and ever...!]

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[skirtchases]

[That's a lot of gyms, honestly.]

Well you have to start somewhere - one at a time.

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[paladinlost]

And Falkner's is the best for that. Do try to remind Bartz, if you can.

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[skirtchases]

Will do. He won't be able to miss it when I get my first badge!

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[paladinlost]

Unless you decide to do so in the middle of the night, but that might earn you the leader's hatred.

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[skirtchases]

I don't want that to happen. I'm not here to make enemies, after all.

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[paladinlost]

You should manage to avoid that easily enough, but I'd still be careful around people like Whitney.

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[skirtchases]

...Why should I be careful around people like Whitney?

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[paladinlost]

She cries when she loses, drags people shopping, has a terrible crush on Bartz...

[Cecil sounds positively gleeful at that.]

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[skirtchases]

...Hey, I wouldn't--

[Wait, what?]

She has a crush on Bartz? He didn't tell me he got girls after him here!

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[paladinlost]

Neither would I, with such a terrifying girl interested in me. Even the most hardened trainers are wary of her. Yet she seems quite sweet on him.

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[skirtchases]

[He's laughing as he speaks up again:]

Come on, she can't be that bad. How is she so terrifying?

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[paladinlost]

It can take hours to convince her to give her badge to a victorious challenger. She takes losing very badly, and tries to make us feel guilty for it. Her Miltank is also an excellent battler.

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[skirtchases]

A sore loser, huh? Well maybe I can cheer her up and get the badge at the same time.

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[paladinlost]

You can cheer her up with a whole afternoon of shopping.

[His smile is definitely not strained. Or twitchy.]

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[skirtchases]

[...]

Are you okay, Cecil?

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[paladinlost]

...It's something of an unpleasant memory.

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[skirtchases]

Well I won't press it if you don't want to talk about it. But I'm not going to lie, I am a little curious why it's a bad memory.

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[paladinlost]

The whole afternoon... so many bags... even underclothes... on Christmas...

[He might need a reboot, now.]

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[skirtchases]

Ah, I think...I might've accidentally started something. I'm sorry.

[Oops.]

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[paladinlost]

...It's fine. It's been over a year, after all.

[Yet it still gets that reaction...]

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[skirtchases]

I don't know how 'fine' it is if you still react like that...

[It's even more shocking since it's been a year.]

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[paladinlost]

It was merely... unexpected, at the time. I simply offered to cheer her up, and suddenly my whole day was taken over so boldly...

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[skirtchases]

I hate to say it, but it happens. You want to cheer a girl up and then suddenly bam! You're off doing a million things for her.