- Blessed by Divinity -

Feeling Some Way

"Finally! We're here!"

After three days on the road, Elaine and I had finally arrived out our destination. Fueled by a second wind, the two of us excitedly looked around and took in the surroundings of the abstract city. Unlike cities such as Cyllage and Santalune, most of the buildings here stretched to over three floors tall while being fairly narrow at the same time.

The first stop was the pokemon center where Nurse Joy took care of our pokemon before we returned to the city. Laverre was nothing like what either of us had seen on our journey so far. Many of the people were walking side by side with their pokemon, wearing clothing that seemed to be only native to Laverre.

Bright clothing seemed to be the norm here as many of the people dressed in abstract outfits that varied on the spectrum from vivid to blinding.

However, I kept my mind focused on the gym battle ahead as Elaine's showcase wasn't until two days later meaning she had more time to spend on her routine, if needed.

"Looks the gym's over there."

I followed Elaine's gaze, my eyes falling on a tall building that stretched far behind, unlike the other buildings. But it was easily discerned by the huge sign on the front indicating that this was the location of the gym.

The two of us made our way over the building as I felt the tension rising in my chest, anxious for the battle ahead. However, one of the workers at the gym turned us away because the gym leader was busy with a fashion show.

"Sounds like fun. Let's go check it out!"

This sounded like something Elaine was interested in and I had to admit I was curious as to what this gym leader was like. We didn't need to ask for directions as a horde of people had gathered in the central plaza of the city around the stage in the middle.

The two of us were presented with an opening in the crowd that took us right to the front of everyone, to the side of the stage. One of the helpers seemed a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who had gathered to see the show. However, a woman came out on stage, her presence calming the nervous worker.

All of a sudden, the crowd roared, elated that the person that had come to see had finally showed herself on stage. I recognised the woman as Valerie, the gym leader of the city and Elaine recognised her from the television where her and her pokemon would parade in their outfits which Valerie had designed herself. According to the light blonde, she was a pioneer in fashion and pokemon battling which only furthered my interest in her character.

"Hello everyone! I guess you're here for the fashion show right?"

The crowd burst into cheering once again as Valerie spoke.

"But first, I need a volunteer to help me out."

Before she even finished her sentence, many younger and teenage girls had already thrown their hands into the air, eager to be selected. Elaine was a little careful at first but I told her that if this was something that she really wanted to do, she would have to put herself on the line.

Following my advice, the light blonde stuck her hand into the air and out of all of the people who wanted to be volunteers, luck had shone on Elaine today as Valerie called for her to help her out.

A lot of the crowd was dismayed that they weren't selected but I was sure to cheer for the light blonde as she climbed backstage with Valerie

A few minutes later, the gym leader emerged from the back before announcing that the show was about to start. All of the crowd had gone so silent that you could have heard a pin drop as the models made their way on stage, flaunting their looks and the outfits designed by none other than Valerie.

I had to admit, the clothing did look good, even if I wasn't one for fashion. It must have taken a lot of hard work an dedication to perfect the outfits so my congratulations went out to Valerie. Unsurprisingly, the crowd began to cheer with many people taking pictures to commemorate the first look at the outfits. 

The last model to walk out on stage was none other than Elaine herself. She was wearing a mostly lavender outfit with what looked like fairy wings draping over her arms. The dress hugged her body amazingly and anyone would have assumed that she was a model herself because she certainly looked like one.

I found myself unconsciously staring in Elaine's direction as she took to the catwalk with a natural elegance. The cheering crowd put a smile on her face and at that I felt myself smiling as well, sharing her happiness.

As she reached the end of the catwalk, her eyes met mine in the crowd. Time seemed to slow as our eyes stayed in contact but as she turned to walk back, everything returned to normal as the show concluded.

Valerie emerged from back stage to a roaring crowd, a wide smile painted on her face.

"Thank you for coming everyone! All of the outfits you have seen here will be on sale in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes out for them!"

With that the show had ended, most of the crowd dispersing as they returned back to their everyday lives. As the stage was cleared, I climbed up onto it and sat with my legs over the edges as I stared at the pokeball in my hand.

The sun had past its peak, the sky now a shade orange. Many couples were still walking around, going about their business under the setting sun.

I wasn't exactly thinking about anything, I was just remembering all the times that Elaine and I had met, the conversations we had, the sudden flushing of her cheeks whenever I teased her. Something welled up in my stomach that I had never felt before. Unsure what the emotion was, I decided to suppress it for now, wanting to focus on the important gym battle ahead.

"Hey, did you enjoy the show?"

A soft voice from behind me caught my attention. I climbed onto the stage fully, standing level with the light blonde who had replaced the abstract outfit with her usual clothes.

"Yeah, you looked really good."

My comment caused her to flush slightly, the earlier emotion returning in my stomach. She smiled softly before closing the distance between us.

"How about we get something to eat? I'm sure you're hungry too."

I nodded to her suggestion, not realising how hungry I truly was until now that she had pointed it out. Eventually, we decided on one of the local restaurants that had been highly rated in all of its reviews. Sure it wasn't Restaurant Le Wow, but it was better in a different way.

The night was spent with the two of us laughing at each other's jokes and fond memories that we shared with each other, recounting our journeys so far. It became clear to me that Elaine had a certain fondness for pokemon and from a young age she became greatly interested in showcases and performing, just as I was with battling.

The accounts of her past victories in her competition back in Coumarine showed me that she wasn't some ordinary performer. I didn't doubt that the judges of her showcases had pointed out her natural skill and performing mindset.

With that, our first day in Laverre City had come to a close. The two of us had decided to head to the pokemon center where we would be staying until Elaine had competed in her showcase in a few days.

"Aaron."

The mention of my name caused me to turn to Elaine. Currently, we were stood outside the pokemon center, bathed in its interior lights.

"Thanks for tonight. You really made it special."

A warm smile crept onto my lips which in turn, caused Elaine's face to light up, clearly happy that I felt the same way as her. After that, we went our separate ways, concluding the night.

As I felt myself drifting into sleep, my mind replayed the events of the day recalling that I felt some way about the light blonde who had accompanied me on my journey. But I had never experienced this before and mentioning it to my mother would only draw in problems that I didn't exactly want to face.

But my focus remained on the battle for my sixth gym badge which was looking to be the most difficult to date.