Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Stories

Darkness and Dragons Ch. 5

The bright blue light emitting from Grimer was blinding. Rayna had to shield her eyes, and only once the light faded was she able to see the large Muk in place of her Grimer. Lacey was just as surprised.

“You…evolved.” Muk looked back at his trainer with confidence. That was all she needed to see. “Then let's wrap this up with Gunk Shot! Take it down!”

Muk spit a large glob of purple sludge, which landed right on Granbull. That attack was enough to knock it out. Lacey returned her pokemon. Rayna was left standing there, stunned. She actually won. She beat Lacey. Granted, it was a one-on-one battle, but it was the first time she'd defeated Lacey. Muk rushed over and engulfed the girl in a big hug, snapping her out of her thoughts and out of her battle state.

“You did such a great job!” she said, hugging the delighted pokemon. “And you even evolved! I'm so proud of you!”

When she did pull away and return the dual type, she found her skin sticky from the slime. It was a good thing she and Lacey were in swimsuits. The Coastal Biome was sunny and warm, perfect weather after classes had concluded. Rayna's black bikini was the complete opposite of Lacey's frilly pink one. After using the healing station, the girls grabbed their things and walked the path toward the main section of beach.

“You've gotten so much better at battling, Rayna!” Lacey complimented. “Compared to your first day, you've not only gotten stronger, but you've gotten better about not sacrificing everything to avoid a loss!”

Rayna gave a timid giggle. “Thanks. I owe a lot of it to Drayton's training.”

“Yeah, I heard about his little training regimen. Good on him to actually do something productive with his time. Finally, he's doing something right!”

Upon reaching the beach, there were a few classmates present that were having a picnic. Who could blame them when the weather was so nice. Rayna took the opportunity to wade into the shallows and wash Muk’s sticky residue from her skin. Lacey ended up joining and playfully splashing her. The girls might have spent a little too much time in the water acting like kindergartners, but at least it helped Rayna relax. She'd gotten quite comfortable around Lacey lately. The fairy type user was definitely one of her best friends there at Blueberry. They ultimately ended up laying out on a couple of beach chairs, letting the sun dry and warm them up. Everything was tranquil, at least until a pair of boys discovered their whereabouts.

Drayton had been searching for his girlfriend after planning a little something for her. And Crispin, he was just tagging along because he didn't have anything else to do at the moment. He might've secretly been hoping to run into Lacey when he found that his fellow Elite Four member was heading to the Coastal Biome. Drayton wore a genuine smile when he saw Rayna looking so cute and totally chill. Crispin, however, was heating up as if he'd just eaten the spiciest sandwich in the world.

“Hello, ladies,” Drayton greeted. “Hope we're not interrupting your beach day.”

Rayna and Lacey both snapped their eyes open and sat up, turning their heads to look at the duo. “Oh…no, you're not,” Rayna replied.

Lacey sighed with the slightest hint of annoyance. “Though I didn't think we'd see you out here.” Her gaze landed on the redhead. “Don't tell me Drayton dragged you out here, Crispin.”

The boy swiftly shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from the pink-haired girl. “No. Bored. Beach. Swimsuit. Cute.” His words were a jumbled mess while his head was screaming for him to properly compliment Lacey.

Drayton laughed. “I think what he means to say is, you're looking cute.”

Lacey raised a brow, a little unsure. “Well, thank you, I suppose. But honestly, Crispin, can't you say it yourself instead of babbling like that?”