My Name is Marcus: Dark Times

IV. The Walk

-Marcus-

"Hey, Marnie, I've got a plan to work out our problem. Meet me at the usual spot in Spikemuth in about an hour."

"Aaaaaand send", Marcus whispered to himself as he sent the text. "Hope she sees it."

A knock came from the other side of the locker room door. "Hey, you done in there yet?", a familiar voice pressed.

"Gimme another minute", Marcus replied as he took off his white leather jacket. Alright... time to get dressed for the occasion.

. . .

In the hall of the Hammerlocke Gym, Raihan stood with his back against the wall and his arms crossed as he tapped his foot on the floor impatiently. What is it about being the champion that makes people think they can keep me waiting so long?

Things were pretty slow at the gym recently. Because so few trainers even progress far enough through the Gym Challenge to take on the facility, Raihan had only his training and any guest seminars he agreed to do for the student trainers at Hammerlocke University to keep him busy. So when Marcus reached out to him the night-before asking for a favor, he was quick to accept, eager for the distraction.

Raihan's attention swiftly diverted to the locker room door as it swung open. "Well, took you long enough", he said with a smirk. "You ready for this?"

"...Not particularly", Marcus replied nervously.

On any other one of his days off that he'd spend in a public setting, Marcus would be doing anything and everything in his power to try and stay incognito. For him, it meant wearing a somewhat lavish outfit consisting of designer clothes and authentic leather jackets and shoes, since most of the tabloids had learned to pick him out from a crowd whenever he wore normal casuals - they knew all of his Pokemon-themed t-shirts by heart.

On this day, however, Marcus had declared to himself that it would not be an incognito-kind of day. He emerged from the locker room wearing his black running shoes and jeans capped off by his Reigning Champion's jersey with his league number "24" highlighted on the back. He had taken off his favorite wool cap today, allowing for his fresh-cut hair - his signature undercut style - to be seen and appreciated by everyone. He allowed himself his half-rim brown-lens sunglasses, the only semblance of a mask he'd have to protect himself from his fear of overwhelming public attention - if nothing else, he'd prefer to avoid the nervous sensation he felt when accidentally locking eyes with a stranger.

"I really hope this works", Marcus said with a nervous sigh.

"It will", Raihan reassured with a grin. "They'll see that jersey and be eating out of the palm of your hand in no time."

"That's kind of what I'm nervous about", Marcus replied. "I don't deal well with large groups of people."

"Come on", Raihan began, "it's not a big deal. Think of it as a performance, like a Pokemon battle. You're not gonna have to say a lick to anyone or anything! You're just taking a casual stroll down Route 07 with a few friends, right? This'll be the easiest PR of your life." Raihan grinned, an eagerness in his eyes. "Speaking of which... you're still on for our agreement, right?"

Marcus sighed with a smirk. "Yes, Raihan, you can make the video."

"Yes!", Raihan exclaimed as he balled his right fist and pulled his arm down towards his waist. "This one's gonna explode, I can just feel it!"

Marcus smirked sheepishly. For the sake of the cause, he hoped it would. For the sake of his privacy and sanity, however, he hoped maybe it wouldn't explode too much.