ɪɴɴᴏᴄᴇɴᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ | ʜᴏᴘ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

IX

ғɪʀsᴛ ɢʏᴍ
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"All competing challengers, please make your way to the locker room and line up by the door"

(Y/n) waves to Hop and Victor as she went to the locker room, she changes to her uniform adjusting the shirt inside the pair of shorts. As she does this she can feel a pair of eyes staring at her from a distance, she slowly looks around stopping at a pair of green eyes glaring at her. 

She flinched at the harsh stare turning back to the open locker, footsteps clicked on the cold floor stopping behind her. She trembled wondering if she should look back and say something or leave, (Y/n) slowly turned her head sighing when Marnie was minding her business.

"Didn't expect you to make it this far"

(Y/n) jumped when Marnie suddenly spoke turning back to her locker, she thought over what she said laughing nervously at how nonchalant she sounded.

"I-I mean... I-It wasn't far, plus I had my friends with me"

She mumbled, she kept her eyes in the locker hearing the rustles behind her. Marnie tucked her shirt in sparing a glance at the mirror in the locker staring harshly at the reflection of the girl. She wasn't wrong about the first gym being far, but there are lots of Pokemon around the area that can cause an issue of getting there.

She closes her locker taking a deep breath, she's spent lots of hours training for this moment so Marnie wasn't planning to lose this early in the Challenge. She walks out of the locker room not without sparing the quiet a few words, "Try to calm down, I can sense your anxiety a mile away"

(Y/n) nods swallowing back her nerves taking a few dramatic breathes, the bag on her side wiggled. She placed her hand on it stopping it from its movements, she knew the Pokemon that she chose for battling was getting antsy not wanting to let them down.

"Don't worry we got this... I hope"

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

"(Y/n) are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah... why?"

Victor pressed his lips to a thin line turning to Hop, who was worryingly watching the girl fidgeting on the floor tying and untying her shoes. It's already been an hour since the first challenge has begun and as each kid goes in they can see the nerves building up every time a number is called up. Hop had a feeling she was going to react this way knowing how she gets being in new places, but on a good note, she wasn't walking out as he had thought she would.

He squats down to her level smiling at her just barely touching her knees with his, he gently places his hand on her head getting her attention. (Y/n) flinched at the touch looking up at him nothing but worry consuming her thoughts, "Don't be scared (Y/n), you're not alone we can do this"

"... You think so?"

Hop nods holding his fists tightly, this was his time to encourage her, to tell her about how much she spent on battling outside Pokemon for this moment. The bell in the speaker chimes letting out a kid from the Challenge, they rushed out of the open doors holding their pokemon in their arms.

"Number 203, Please make your way inside the Gym"

Victor looked up at the screen showing his number, he took a deep breath turning to his friends with a smile, "Wish me luck"

"Good luck, don't lose"

"Ha, as if I'd lose this early. You two better win when you're called"

Victor marched into the open door with a nervous smile there was no way he'd lose he still has to beat Leon at the end. Hop and (Y/n) walk into the doors closing behind him, (Y/n) creased her brows wrapping her arms around her knees bringing them close to her chest. Truthfully she wasn't expecting to reach this far, but as she said to Marnie she only made it this far because of her friends.