Человек... Красиво... (Man... Beautifully...)

In Need of Relief

It all happened, one night in Galar, somewhere in the Wild Area.

Although Victor was one to doze off almost immediately as soon as he retired to his sleeping bag, this night had served—well, differently for him. Tonight, while he did try to get some shut-eye, he found himself unable to get past the first stage of falling asleep.

Dang, his body wanted to rest, yet his mind did not want to, especially at this crucial time of night.

He shifted his head to the side, taking a quick view of the Galarian horizon bathed in the moonlight thanks to his tent being translucent instead of fully opaque, before turning back to the ceiling of his tent. He closed his eyes once again, hopefully trying to drift off this time; though unfortunately, he failed to do so even after minutes passed.

Shaking his head, he let out a disgruntled sigh. Insomnia was not a constant occurrence every night. However, it seemed that he had been having trouble sleeping well lately.

"Oi, ya still awake there, sweetheart?"

That voice shook him out of his trance.

Letting out a small but surprised gasp, he shifted his head to the other side, seeing his Scottish girlfriend and rival having woken up a little after hearing him sighing, her eyelids opened slightly. Tonight, they had met up after a long day and decided to camp together for the night, with the couple having a sleepover inside his tent and thus sharing a sleeping bag.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I bother you awake, love?"

Gloria let out a small tired smile. "Nonsense. But, it seems like ye're havin' some trouble dozin' off tonight, aye?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Victor replied as he shifted his body to face her.

"Wot's da craic, love? Something wrong? Ye be'n havin' nightmares?"

"No, my dear. It's just that, well..."

She blinked a few times to get herself awake. "Wot's on yer noggin, then? Speak away."

He blew out another sigh. "Well, these past few days have been kind of... rough, I guess...? Some nights I'd gotten a good night's rest; other nights, it took about an hour or two before I'd finally get some needed shut-eye. I... I just don't know what's up with me these days."

A look of concern came on Gloria's face as she proceeded to cup his cheek with her hand. "Victor... have ya be'n burning yerself oot, perhaps? Wot have ye be'n doin' these past few days?"

Victor gently grasped her wrist, savouring her touch on his cheek.

"These days, I've been doing nothing but training my team to conquer the next Gym Challenge. Guess I've been learning some new things from our last battle, yeah," he lightly chuckled at the last statement before returning to a serious expression. "But, it feels like I haven't really built myself enough to beat the next Gym Leader, especially considering that I had lost to you last time. I worked tirelessly to get my team stronger and to be ready for the next city... or for another battle with you, Hop, Marnie, Bede, or any other trainers out there. I suppose, restless nights like this take a toll on your sleep rhythm, you know?"

"Aw, Victor, sweetie..." Gloria said as she scooted closer to him. "Ah think ya need tae relax, ya knoo. Ye've be'n stressed oot, Ah see."

"But Gloria, I need to get stronger so that I can—"

She shushed him, pressing her fingers on his lips. "Ah ken dat ya want tae get stronger an' catch up tae me. But, it's no' good tae overwork yerself like dis. Even Ah needed tae catch some breaks during mah training jus' so dat Ah could rest up an' simply enjoy life."

Victor's eyes widened as he blinked. "Y-You aren't worried about losing battles to anyone, including me?"

She couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"Aw, come on, sweetie! Have ye already forgotten dat ya beat me a few times a while back? Ah even had tae get mahself on track tae catch up tae yer level! And it was all fair, ya knoo. Ah beat ya, you beat me, Ah beat ya, you beat me..." she said the last statement with her hand alternating between motioning at him and motioning at herself. "We're basically trading wins right there. It's just dat Ah got stronger da last time we had a battle, so Ah'm confident aboot acing da next Gym Challenge. And ye almost beat me dat last time wit' yer Inteleon, so Ah can say dat you an' I are on track."

He closed his eyes and let out another sigh, trying to get his girlfriend's words to sink in. It felt like sometimes, he'd forgotten that he was still going great as a trainer, having won battles against other trainers he met on the journey and accomplishing five Gym Challenges so far. Yet, he had a tendency to hyperfixate on whatever loss he had, his confidence in taking on the Gym Challenges around Galar shaken at times. This habit did motivate him to keep training seriously; though consequently, he'd found himself constantly strategising the next course of action or move, his mind often going haywire that he'd doze off later than expected.

Gloria was right; he'd gotten too worked up. He needed a chill pill for once.

"Com'ere, sweetie," she said as she motioned him to huddle close. As soon as he obliged, she wrapped her arms around his neck while he wrapped his arms around her waist. She then leaned in, touching his forehead with hers, and gave him a gentle smooch on the lips. He immediately returned the kiss, their lips embracing each other for a few moments.

They broke away soon after, content staying in this cuddle for now. As Victor basked in this moment while burying himself onto his girlfriend's comfort, Gloria gently stroked his hair, giving his scalp a light massage before planting a smooch on his forehead.

"Ya dinnae have tae be too pushy fer noo. Ye're on da right track, love."

"I guess you're right, Gloria. Maybe I should really pipe down for once."

She giggled. "How aboot, Ah suppose, we spend a day or two together? Anywhere ya wanna go...?"

"You'd really want to go on another date with me?"

"Aye, of course!" she exclaimed with a cheery smile. "Ah'd be chuffed tae hang out a lot more wit' mah loving boyfriend! Besides, Ah also need a little holiday from da stresses of Pokémon battling!"

Victor couldn't help but chuckle at her. Though Gloria was usually a tough gal with a temper to deal with, she'd definitely make exceptions for her loved ones and most especially for her dearly beloved. While she mostly kept a serious composure on the road, she was usually respectful just like any average human being; however, she wouldn't hesitate to jab on anyone who'd slander her boyfriend or her fellow loved ones. One time, she even gave Bede a mouthful over insulting remarks he left on her, Victor, and even Hop!

At this time around, she was fine being soft around her endearing boyfriend. She would make sure to control her temper around him, hoping not to hurt him with such unnecessary anger and bossiness.

"I'd truly love to spend more time with you, love," Victor said, smiling at her. "Thank you for this... and for reminding me to simmer down."

"Always a pleasure, sweetheart," Gloria replied.

At that moment, she saw him yawning with his hand covering his mouth, giving her the satisfaction of finally getting him drowsy.

"Well, I'm finally ready to sleep here," he stated groggily, his eyes getting heavier with blinking as he yawned once again.

"All righty, then. Let's get some kip fer noo. We can talk more in da morn," she responded.

Victor shifted his body around, lying on his back once more, all the while taking his girlfriend onto his embrace as she contently lay on his chest.

"Good night, darling. I love you," he said as he kissed her forehead before dozing off.

"Kip tight, sweetheart. Ah love ya too," she replied as she basked in his kiss and joined him into the slumber.

For the meantime, it's in their best interest to chill out and spend more time hanging out with each other.

This moment of serenity—wasall he needed. And he'd be grateful to have her by his side.