[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Spear [M] [IC]

The Barnhouse

"Where is he…" Standing a short distance outside the Contest Hall, Sachi had her arms wrapped around herself as she waited for her 'date' to come. Just remembering the term had her blushing- shit, she could feel her face grow warm. Infront of her was the Contest Hall, where they were going to have dinner while watching the performances.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Simon's voice calling out to her from behind. "Hey, Sachi!" he waved as he ran up to her, "Sorry I'm late, didn't want to get these shoes di- whoa."

Simon paused as he finally got a good look at his date's dress. After meeting with the Haute Couture shopkeeper, Miss Coutelas, the woman had generously offered Simon and Sachi two perfect outfits for the event, insisting that she choose them after their "inspirational battle", but had also insisted on keeping them a surprise from each other.

"You look… gorgeous!" the boy finally said.

Sachi had been given a strapless red dress with white lining, and a black ribbon tied around the waist that ended in a bow on her mid-back. A green ribbon tied her hair into a low ponytail that was swept over her shoulder, with her usual hairpin clipped on. Pua was wrapped around her neck as well, looking at all the people passing by while the rest of her team was back at the Inn watching over the egg.

Simon had wanted to choose his suit himself, but after catching a glimpse of his abhorrent taste Madame Coutelas had insisted on picking for him. He was dressed in a classy white and gray tuxedo, with a red bowtie adding a splash of colour to the outfit. Coutelas had insisted it would match with Sachi, after speaking of her 'silk and fire' inspiration. Simon had attempted to comb his hair into a more presentable style for the event, though he'd found little success in that department.

"S-Simon! Don't worry about being l-late-" Sachi stuttered as she turned towards the boy, but once she saw his appearance, her face got redder. She quickly looked away as she placed her hands at her side, clutching the material of the dress, "Y-You look h-handsome…"

"Th-thank you!" Simon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "This isn't normally my style, but I suppose I can live without a dozen bugs clinging to me for a while." he added, laughing.

Nerves of steel, Simon. he reminded himself, taking a deep breath before offering his hand to Sachi. "Shall we then, madame?" he bowed slightly and smiled.

Sachi looked at the hand nervously, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, exhaling it seconds after. Opening her eyes, she grabbed Simon's hand hesitantly, offering the boy a small, timid smile, "We shall."


As the pair walked up to the entrance of the hall, they catch glimpses of the inside. It would have been impossible to tell this was a renovated and redesigned barn, if not for the name of the venue. The interior looked like a fancier venue than either teen had ever stepped foot in, which left them a little intimidated, but nonetheless excited. They approached a suited man at the door who had a list of the invitees.

"Good evening, madam, sir! Welcome to The Barnhouse." the man said, charmed at the sight of the young couple. "May I have your reservation name?"

"Good evening! I've got one for a table for two, under Simon Pearburgh." Simon replied, winking at Sachi.

"Fantastic, please follow my colleague here and we'll get you seated. The performances will be starting soon." the man ushered them behind him.

"Cheers." Simon grinned and allowed Sachi to go in first. "Ladies first, of course."

"A-Alright…" Sachi walked over to follow the receptionist towards the table reserved by Simon with the latter following behind.

The pair were taken to their table, which Simon had insisted on being indoors and near the stage - being a victorious league challenger did have its perks after all. As they were about to be seated, the sight of two people a few tables away caused Simon to stop and grab Sachi's hand.

"Whoa, Ruben and Raph are here!" the boy exclaimed. "C'mon, I've got to get you three introduced!" Before the girl could respond, Simon was already beginning to drag her towards the others' table.

"Hey lads!" the boy waved at them cheerfully as he walked up to them. "Fancy seeing you here!"

Ruben's face curled into a smirk as he looked Simon up and down. Here Simon was, standing in front of him with the girl he'd said so much about but told Ruben and Raph so little about. The footballer tapped Raph, as if showing the girl off to the older boy himself.

"Simo, you're not gonna keep us waiting are ya? We want to know what to call the young lady." He chuckled, teasingly. "You look amazing by the way." He smiled framing the pair with hands as though he were sizing them up for a painting.

"Oh! I-I'm Sachiko, nice to meet you, sir Ruben and sir Raph, correct?" Sachi bowed a bit as she introduced herself, nervous as hell. These are the people Simon mentioned a couple times in his stories and didn't think she'd meet them so soon! "I've heard about you from Simon."

Raph finally looked up from his phone as Sachiko started speaking. He took one look at her, noticing the fiery hair, before he turned his head towards Simon with a bemused expression. "So it was Sachiko." He stated, rather matter-of-factly, the older trainer huffing a little from his nostrils in amusement. "There weren't many people it could have been, but it's nice to know my hunch was right. Good thing you approached her yourself, giving you advice while you agonized over text messages was tiring, Si."

Simon shot Raph a pleading glare, feeling his cheeks glow red at the mention. "Ah- anyway, Sachi, this is Raphael, and this is Ruben! They also went to Wedgehurst, and we traveled together for a bit too."

"I remember you from the academy, Sachiko Akabane, right?" Raph couldn't help but smirk. He was usually laid back and not interested in this amount of effort spent. Yet he couldn't deny that the journey had been teaching him that he loved to stir the pot when the effort expended was low for him. Seeing Simon in this new light was amusing. "I was waiting to see when Simon would bring the girl he was mentioning to meet us. You know one of our first proper conversations was about you? He was very interested in my opinion on how he should approach texting you." Raph's eye glinted for a moment, breaking his lackadaisical demeanor long enough for him to shoot a glance to the footballer sitting opposite him. "I'm sure you remember that too, Ruben? It continued well past when we met at the lodge."

"Arceus yeah," Ruben smirked, taking the baton from Raph and immediately running with it, "Remember the poetry? For the flames of her hair ignited those of my heart. Oh Sachiko, how you've awakened that dormant spark." Ruben mocked as he let out a prideful snicker. "We couldn't shut him up."

"That did not happ-" Simon snapped back, now glaring at Ruben, before stopping to gauge Sachi's reaction. "...or, if it hypothetically did, it would've been something much better." he added, huffing and crossing his arms.

Sachi chuckled, "Did that really happen?" They didn't seem like bad people, in fact, they acted like two older brothers teasing their youngest. It was adorable! Hearing the poetry did make her blush though, she could feel her cheeks glowing.

Raph couldn't help but notice that, if that was all it took to make Sachi blush, then maybe Simon did have a chance. "I don't know about his poetry career, but he certainly did take a looong time deciding what to text you, Sachi." he smirked. "In fact, if I remember correctly it took us nearly dying for him to make his mind up and bite the bullet." His sneer softened into a smile at that, however. "Simon tends to put his heart into everything he does, so go easy on him, I'm sure he'll be a good boyfriend if you give him a chance." He paused. "...and don't let him read his poetry, it seems."

Even Ruben seemed to sink in his seat at the mention of that word.

"I can't really go easy on him if I don't know much about dating either." Sachi commented as she did her best to not stutter, but his last sentence messed her up. "...W-wait… B-Boyfriend?! W-we're not- I-I… H-He might n-not-" Sachi's blush worsened as she tried to speak, but was tongue tied. Boyfriend?! Is that how dates went, you become a boyfriend/girlfriend after one date?! It was confusing and embarrassing, she should have asked Seto about all this beforehand! Quickly, Sachi lifted her hands to cover her face, not wanting to face or make eye contact after her embarrassing stutter.

"Don't mind them, the lads are just messing with you." Simon hissed at the two older boys. "This is just our first date, we're just here to have fun!"

"Wait… this is your first date..?" Raph began, the natural continuation of the sentence was already forming in his head. '...but he's been talking about you for months?' Despite how much of a zinger that might have been however, Simon was suffering, Ruben was shuffling, and Raph? Well, he'd had his fun.

"My bad, been a little bit since Si and I talked about this stuff." His smile continued, before settling back into an apathetic sort of mise en place. "I hope you two have all the fun you're hoping for in that case."

The background music suddenly died down and the lights around the stage began to dim, signaling the performances were about to begin. "Oh, shoot- right, lads, glad everyone's acquainted then. Let's meet up afterwards, okay? C'mon, Sachi." Simon said as he took Sachi's hand and the pair rushed back to their table.

"Hey Raph…" Ruben's boastful voice lingered as the duo shuffled through the crowd, away from him. "She just called me sir Ruben."

The words hung in the air, like a rather depressed balloon quickly losing altitude. Raph swam through his mind to find an appropriate response that didn't sound mean, all the while suppressing offensive facial expressions.

"...nice."


Not long after the two were seated once again, the first few performers began, none of which the pair knew from school, but their performances were impressive nonetheless. As the announcer introduced the next contestant, a familiar name hit their ears. "Rosa Valdès!"

"Ooh, this girl's from school!" Simon whispered to Sachi.

"You mean the academy?" Sachi questioned.

Simon only had time to nod back before the performance started. Judging by the outfit and the music, the girl was clearly drawing influence from her Johtoan background. Her movements with the music were expertly timed, which prompted him to wonder how long she'd had to practice them - and he was also glad to see her relationship with her Pokemon was stronger than ever.

"Her outfit is lovely and her Pokemon are adorable…" Sachi uttered in awe as she watched the performance. "The performance itself is amazing! I hope to meet her one day!"


As the next performed was called, Simon heard another familiar name: "Aeliana Kekoa!"

"Ooh, I know this girl too! Remember the dancing girl from the academy?" he told Sachi. "I bet there's gonna be tons of that in her performance as well."

"I do remember someone dancing back in the academy… so her name is Aeliana Kekoa." Sachi trailed off as she looked at the woman closer, blinking when something came to mind,"Simon, is she by any chance from Alola?"

"Yeah, she did! That's how she greets everyone too. She-"

"Shh, it's about to start." Sachi whispered as she placed a finger over his mouth to silence the boy as she looked towards the stage.

As Sachi listened to the song playing throughout the performance, she felt a lump grow in her throat. This song… Brings back memories… As the song continued, more thoughts flooded in. Mom... Not realizing, a tear slipped from her right eye as she continued to watch the performance.


The stage got darker and the lights dimmed as the next contestant was announced. "Melody Argent!"

Simon grinned, this one was gonna be good. For all her spunk and attitude, he knew that Spikemuth sis had the ability to wow an audience, and the creepy aesthetic was her best element.

...what he didn't realize was how well she could sing! That certainly destroyed the stereotype of Spikemuth girls' voices being so hoarse from the screaming. Melody had some real talent- let alone her name.

As the performance ended and the audience cheered for her, Simon leaned towards Sachi, "That was sick! The whole spooky vibe kinda reminded me of home."

"I've never seen something like that before…" Sachi commented as she leaned towards Simon as well, not realizing that Simon did the same as she was distracted by the performance and causing their shoulders to touch. The two reeled back suddenly, blushing and blurting out hushed apologies.


The next performer was one Simon had been anticipating for a while: "Pia McGuire!" As the audience clapped for the sparkling green-dressed girl, Simon cheered even louder, whistling eagerly which got them a few annoyed glares from the nearby tables.

"This is the girl I was telling you about- we battled together!" he told Sachi.

Once the crowd got quieter, the spotlight shone on Pia, and Simon let out one last boisterous cheer before Sachi shushed him and he clammed up, realizing he might be distracting the performer.

They both watched with starry eyes as the girl used her Pokemon's moves on the stage to transform Pia into a veritable fairy, floating and sending sparks flying. It certainly was a flashy display - just as flashy as Simon had seen Prim and Milla.

"Woah… So that's Pia… I want to meet her!" Sachi said as the performance ended.

"You should! She's really nice- and she's the one who's dating Ruben freakin' Sancho!" Simon whispered back.

"Really?!" Sachi replied back, looking over to where Ruben was before looking back at Pia. "I didn't expect to hear that… Wait, what do you mean 'Ruben freaking' Sancho'? You're saying it as if he's someone famous?"

"Um, duh? He's the Boltund Blitz! Top scorer for- oh shoot, next one's about to start."


The next name sounded familiar to Simon, though he couldn't place where he'd heard it. "Arrietty Maverick!"

"Huh… I feel like I've seen her." he mused, his eyes gazing at the girls' Pokemon then the crowd in the background. He then noticed Raph was standing at their table. "Oh, yeah! That's the girl Raph and Pia were talking about. I almost thought her and Raph were dating, heh."

"Really?" Sachi took a glance at Raph before looking back at Arrietty, whispering the last bit, not knowing that Simon could hear her, "I have to admit though, he is handsome and Arrietty is really pretty…"

Yet as the lights dimmed and the music began to play… the performer's nerves seemed to get the best of her. Simon looked away in secondhand embarrassment as the girl rushed off the stage. "Oof, that must sting." he muttered.

"Simon…!" Sachi chided, frowning at the boy, before looking over to where Arrietty rushed to. "I would have done the same too…" Sachi felt bad for Arrietty, she wished she could do something to help make her feel better.


After a few more performances, there was a short break as the judges reconvened to make their decision, and the quiet murmurs of the crowd broke out into excited talking as people began chatting away about the contestants. Simon put down his glass of sparkling razz berry juice and looked at Sachi.

"Man, this whole event has been a treat so far. You ever been to anything this posh before?" he asked.

"Not really…" Sachi voiced, glancing down at her glass of water with a frown. She couldn't get her mind off Arrietty's performance, for some reason… she felt like she could sympathise with the girl. And then there were the memories of her mother… she didn't think that just one song would bring up those unwanted memories. First her aunt, now her mother's… was fate trying to bring past her past to the present?

"Everything alright, Sachi? You look a little tense." Simon spoke up, snapping her back to reality. "I know the whole fanciness can be intimidating, but it's good to just lie back and enjoy some glam, right? Especially after all the camping and traveling."

"It's not that. Just… one of their songs brought up memories of the past…" The girl trailed off as she looked down at her hand that rested on the table, clutching the table cloth. She wanted to tell Simon, but also didn't want to burden the boy with her problems. She had to handle this on her own, especially when it comes to her aunt.

"Oh, I'm sorry… would it help talking about it?" Simon asked. "My da' always says the best time to talk about your problems is over drinks, heh." He raised his glass with a smile. While he didn't want to pressure Sachi, he also didn't want her mind to be dwelling on sad thoughts on their date.

"I...I don't want to push my problems onto you." Sachi shook her head, "I'm used to handling stuff like this on my own. Sorry for mentioning it." The girl gave Simon a sad smile before glancing around, refusing eye contact, "I shouldn't have said anything." She'd been dealing with the memories for years and managed to repress them. Her problems were hers alone to deal with, and asking for help would only cause more problems. Her father had always been adamant about not telling anyone about their circumstances or past, so dealing with this was normal. She'd already slipped a few times with Simon, but she couldn't let it happen again. Hopefully, talking to Lola about the memories would help; her childhood friend was one of the few people that she could freely confide in without getting her father angry. Blinking, the girl glanced down at her bracelet, realizing that her father still hadn't contacted her. Usually, he'd be calling the house to check up when he's gone...

Taking note of her discomfort, Simon smiled before closing his eyes and taking a sip of his drink. "Ah, well, I won't insist on it then. I do like a little mystery in my women, after all." he said nonchalantly. It was a quote from a movie, but Sachi didn't need to know that. He thought of changing the subject. "Speaking of, uh, interesting people, who was that friend who approached us earlier? She didn't seem particularly fond of me."

"You mean Lola?" Sachi glanced up at Simon, "She's a childhood friend I haven't seen in years since moving to Galar. I wasn't expecting to see her ever again - she still looks almost the same, just older and more beautiful." As Pua released her hold on the flower crown, leaving the item around her trainer's neck to float and rest on Sachi's head, the girl gave Simon a confused glance, "She didn't seem fond of you? I'm sure that wasn't the case! Lola may be blunt, but she's kind and affectionate, so I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. Sorry about that…"

Simon shook his head with a smile, "Nah, don't worry about it. I know the bugs can leave a weird first impression on people sometimes. I just hope she'll warm up to me eventually." He shrugged and took another sip. Though he wasn't going to bring it up to Sachi, something about that girl was still bothering him, more than just her initial apprehension. Something about the look she'd given him then Sachiko... "Is she a trainer too?" He asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Yes! Now that you mention it, her first pokemon was a Wimpod!" Sachi then looked up and thought, "It should have evolved by now, so probably a Golisopod instead."

"Whoa, seriously?! Catching a Wimpod is a feat itself, that's pretty cool." The bug catcher was genuinely impressed. Maybe this girl wasn't as bad as his gut told him after all. He'd met blunt individuals like Raph, and it certainly didn't mean they were bad people or even disliked him. The thought of Pokemon made him curious about the gym challenge, and more particularly, Sachi's. "By the way, are you-"

A loud notification sound from Sachi's phone suddenly cut him off. Sachi flinched at the sudden interruption, quickly fishing out her phone from her dress pocket, "I don't remember adding a ring…" Flipping it open, she wondered what caused the phone to… Lola? "When did she…?" Quickly opening the message app, she read through Lola's message.


Sachi stared down at her phone, conflicted. A real date? Wasn't that what she and Simon were on right now? Lola's were suggesting otherwise… but from what Simon told her what a date was… was his description not true…? Shaking her head, Sachi tried to clear those thoughts; Lola probably meant something else. And what did she mean by the loser? Who was she talking about? So many thoughts were running through her mind, she could feel her anxiety going up. What got to her the most, though, was the thought of going on a date with someone else… She quickly lifted her hands and lightly slapped her crimson cheeks, realizing where her thoughts were going.

"I-I'd like to excuse myself for moment, please." Sachi swiftly stood up and walked towards the open area, unknowingly leaving her phone unlocked on the table.

Having flown off her owner's head, Pua cooed as she rested beside the phone with a frown. Something on the device had caused her trainer to panic, but she didn't know what. Tora wasn't here to help, but maybe someone else could... The Pokemon turned to stare at Simon, a plan in mind.

"O-oh, okay, I'll just... be… here." Simon's voice trailed off as the noise of the audience drowned it out, and Sachi quickly got out of earshot. The young girl's silhouette quickly disappeared behind the crowd of visitors and staff. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her - was it something he'd said? Shite, maybe the movie line was a bad idea. he thought. This whole date business was not his thing; why couldn't everything just be as easy as battling? He sighed, staring at his meal for a while before shrugging and taking a bite; at least the food was good. He looked up at Sachi's Comfey that was sitting beside her plate, giving the Pokemon a smile and raising his glass.

"I guess it's you and me for now, lassie. Some champagne?" He joked half-heartedly.

Pua quickly flew towards the boy her trainer fancies and headbutted his forehead to get his attention. The only way she could think of getting his attention…

"Ouch, hey! I was just joking, I know you fairies are weak to poison." Simon replied, rubbing his head.

"Com!" Pua used Vine Whip to grab the open phone and moved it in front of Simon. If there was something on there that caused her trainer to run off, she needed someone to help. "Fey!" Lifting one of her hands, Pua flew down and tapped the phone, as if signaling to look at it.

"Whoa, I can't just do that, that's Sachi's private messages there." Simon raised an eyebrow at the Pokemon. "Besides, it's probably just locked- oh, nevermind." He stopped as he noticed the girl had left the phone open on her texts.

Pua stared at Simon for a while before pointing at where Sachi ran off to, back to the phone, then back to Sachi. "Comfey!" She couldn't speak human, but she needed some way to communicate and let the boy know that something on the phone was the cause of her trainer's reaction. She then patted the phone, "Com! Fey! Co! Fe! Comfey…!"

Simon furrowed his brow. This Pokemon was really insistent… maybe it wouldn't hurt to take just one tiny peek? Who knew, maybe Sachi was in danger or something. It's not like he was actively opening the messages anyway. Yeah! He was just taking one teeny, tiny look at the contents on the-

Lola? Simon's eyes immediately darted to the name at the top of the phone screen. Even when she wasn't here in person, this girl had somehow managed to interfere with their date again, much to the boy's frustration. And was that a heart emoji next to the name?! Wait, nevermind that- how had the girl even gotten her number on Sachi's phone after not seeing her for years?

Throwing any semblance of subtlety out the window, Simon discreetly slid his hand across the table and grabbed the phone to read the text conversation. His expression shifted from curiosity to anger as he went through. Bug Loser? Who did this girl think she was? Any thoughts he'd had about this girl's decency were long gone now as he continued down the conversation, Pua floating at his side. Was this girl asking Sachi out herself now?! He didn't know what to make of the situation. Most frustrating of all, her comments had flustered Sachi to the point she'd had to leave, tossing a wrench into his date plans. He really didn't like this girl now.

The realization of what he was doing suddenly hit him and he put down the phone, looking around to make sure Sachi hadn't returned yet. He cursed himself for even glancing at the thing and pushed it back to where it was.

"Thank you, lass, but this isn't something I can do anything about." He told the Comfey beside him. "Let's just keep this between you and me, alright?"

"Com! Fe! Fey!" Pua wanted the human to help her trainer badly, but if he couldn't, there was nothing else the Pokemon could do. Pua gave Simon one last look before floating over to lay back down beside the phone.

After a little while, Sachi returned to the table. "I'm sorry about that. Did I miss anything important?" Sachi asked as she sat back down. "I-I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly! Just a text someone sent me had me thinking for a bit.

"No, no, don't worry about it." Simon smiled, feigning ignorance. "And no, you haven't missed anything, the judges are still deciding on the winner I think."

Picking up his fork, he asked calmly, "Shall we dig into this slowpoke-tail roast then?"