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 Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:23 am
Michele was quiet for several long moments after Dane stopped talking. His hand moved absently over Ultima's fur, and the Eevee was purring in content. It was a relaxing and heartfelt moment...and it was strange for him to experience. Mike had never had a bond like this...had never even had much love from his own family. To have to love of someone like Dane was overwhelming and it made his throat tighten. He had to clear it before he was able to speak, to shy to even look up at Dane properly,
"...Yeah, I've got you...and that's still such a surprise for me. I know this might sound a little weird, but I still sort of feel like I'm not good enough,"
The words were tough to say. He finally lifted his gaze, grey against green,
"I'm not particularly brave or strong or smart. I'm not really all that good inside. I didn't have a good home. I didn't have parents that loved me, or a place to learn about the outside world in my backyard. I'm so....less than average."
He dropped his gaze now, shamefaced,
"And you're so....good inside. You're the most wonderful person I've ever met....and the first person I've ever felt like this for. The first person I've ever loved...a-and I'm so afraid...that one day you'll see that I'm not good enough for you a-and I don't know what I'll do when that happens...."
It was a terrifying but very real fear,
"...I've only ever had my Pokemon...they've always been my friends and family, because I didn't have anyone besides Ms. Carrie..." Mike lifted a hand to scrub at his eyes, ashamed of the tears that have built up there, "...but now I have you, and I don't know if I could go back to being the way I was before. I wouldn't be as happy....and I don't want this feeling inside me to go away....I don't want to feel empty like before..."
Ultima whined and pawed at her Trainer's hands, upset. He petted her gently to try and calm her down, trying to rein himself in.
"....I-I'm sorry, I'm being stupid, huh? Heh..." his laugh was nervous and embarrassed, "....Fo-Forget I said anything~"
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:19 pm
Listening patiently to Mike, all Dane could do was smile. While he understood why Mike would say such horrible things about himself, he didn't agree in the slightest.
Reaching an arm around, Dane gently pressed Mike back down into the grass, careful not to disturb Ultima, and lying down beside Mike as he went. Resting his head close to Mike's, Dane assured him, "Just you as you are now is all I need. You have a beautiful heart, Mike. I see it in the way you care for your Pokemon, and the way you interact with people. You've seen the dark side of the world, lived in it so long, yet you've somehow stayed so pure yourself.
"And besides, I'm not perfect either. You'll know...at the end of all this...you'll know I'm not perfect. And even if I was, that would just be all the more proof that you were good too. Someone as good as all that would certainly know who was worth their love, wouldn't they?"
Chuckling at his own lack of ability to explain what he meant, Dane sighed and glanced up at the sky with one eye. The sun was setting; they'd spent far longer sitting and talking than he'd thought possible.
"It'll be dinner soon. Why don't we head back?" Helping his partner up, Dane held him tight for a moment and said, "Don't ever doubt how wonderful you are. Trust me on this one; you deserve every ounce of love I can give and more. It may just be my opinion, but...isn't that all that matters in love: that you love someone and they love you back? That's all I need. You're all I need."
Leading the way back into town, Dane held Mike's hand gently, stroking it from time to time. "Tonight we'll be able to get the orb after dinner. We'll leave in the morning after breakfast, even though I know my parents will ask us to stay...and then we'll almost be done. After we get the Poison Orb, the Ground Orb will be the only one left...any ideas where we should even start looking?" Dane asked with a halfhearted smile.
---
That night at dinner, the four of them enjoyed a variety of conversations over a home-cooked meal, ranging from the type of Pokemon each of the boys preferred and used to the types of places they hoped to visit together in the future.
"Honestly, the sky's the limit. I really want to show Mike some of the awesome places my work normally takes me, though: mountain-top temples and crumbling, forgotten ruins. I'm sure we'll make a great team."
---
Later that night, the two of them left for the Gym.
"I've got to warn you Mike, Koga is really intense. He's a master ninja on top of being a Gym Leader, so it makes sense, but the dude can be pretty scary. I was friends with his daughter when we were little, though, so he's usually more chill around me. It's been a while, though, and I haven't seen Janine since I left town all those years ago. Still...don't be surprised if the old man challenges us to a battle or something."
((It been too long. D: Sorry. OTL In any case, I was thinking they could have a double-battle against Koga and Janine for the Poison Orb, the treasure of the gym and symbol of their mystical powers...unless you had something else in mind.))
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:00 am
"I never thought we'd need to battle a gym leader for the sake of an orb..." Mike wasn't exactly enthused about it. After all, his Pokemon weren't exactly an upper level, weren't exactly ready to take on larger, more experienced Pokemon like that of Koga. Since he was less of a trainer and more of a "wanderer with a team of six Pokemon", his little companions weren't made for battles.
Mike grimaced a little. He'd always known he was better fit to run a Daycare.
"But....okay. Let's get this over with." He reached up, petting Ultima's head, "Ready, girl?"
The Eevee chirped happily.
~~
Mike didn't really like the atmosphere that could be in a Pokemon Gym. It was tense and heavy, and it reminded him too much of home. All he could think about was how much he wanted to get away from there, the moment they set foot inside. Mike hovered close to Dane as they went, talking to the man that gave Trainers warning about the gym leader before they pushed forward.
"I just hope Koga isn't busy with his waterfall training...."
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