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Gavin was minding his own business and watering the office's plants when he heard bicycle wheels screech to a halt outside his grandparent's business. It was late. They didn't usually get visitors so late in the day. He glanced over his shoulder at the fenced in area behind him. They weren't watching anyone's Pokemon at the moment, only his grandparent's docile charges milling about the grass enclosure.
He heard muttering from the other side of their building's front door, sounds like shoes scuffing against dirt, as though someone was particularly annoyed.
The door opened without so much as a knock and a teenaged boy entered.
"Hey." There wasn't any pleasantness to the voice and the young man was scowling, his face and clothes dirty and his auburn hair spiraling out at odd angles from under the rim of his hat.
"Hey," Gavin beamed, his mood upbeat as always despite his disheveled visitor. He took a once-over glance of the strange teenager standing in front of him, wearing the usual gear one would typically expect of a wandering trainer. "So you're a trainer, yeah?"
He sighed. "Yeah I guess. Hey, I need to level some shit. You can help me out, right?"
"You want to level your Pokemon?" Gavin's spirits were soaring. They didn't get a lot of visitors here at his grandparent's nursery, certainly not from actual trainers. These were the owners with their sights set on Victory Road, the stuff of legends. Sure, Gavin had his own beloved collection of Pokemon that he was personally raising, but he wasn't a trainer.
"Yeah, whatever."
Gavin's smile faltered. "Um. So." He glanced back over at his shoulder to see if either of his grandparents were coming up to the reception area at the sound of the door opening. When no one appeared he swallowed at turned back to the front. They were probably already asleep. Apparently he had to deal with this himself. "Would you like to leave a Pokemon at the nursery?" The comfortable pleasantries of the usual script felt wrong and awkward.
"No. But I guess I have to."
Gavin's smile was basically gone. "Well." He smoothed the fabric of his apron uncomfortably. "If you don't want to be here, why are you?"
"Because I lost."
Even though he wasn't very competitive himself, Gavin frowned with sympathy. "Went to the Gym, yeah?"
The trainer flushed red and glanced away in annoyance, eyes dark behind his glasses. "It's horseshit."
Gavin leveled an examining stare at his visitor. "So what's your name, anyways?" For a moment Gavin wasn't sure he would reply and then-
"Michael."
"Well it's good to meet you, Michael."
They stood like that in silence, the counter separating them.
"So what happened, Michael?'
"I lost," he repeated. His fingers tracing self-consciously along the surface of the Pokeballs hooked to his belt. "I got disqualified."
Worry returned to Gavin's thoughts as he started to wonder what he'd gotten himself into. This Michael could be a cheater, or associated with one of those no-good organizations who would steal Pokemon or rig battles-
"What for?" he asked without thinking. Gavin wasn't the most assertive person in the world but this was something he needed to know. His life and ambitions were relatively simplistic, but he refused to help someone who would harm or abuse another creature, especially something so personable and unique as a Pokemon.
"Cursing."
And then the air drained out of Gavin's lungs as he laughed, shoulders dropping, relaxing and relieved. "Cursing?"
Michael flushed, rubbing his palm along the leg of his jeans. "Fuckin-" he winced as he caught himself in the act, eyes glancing to the ceiling as though asking for divine assistance. "Yeah. I cussed out Gym Leader Ryan and got disqualified."
Gavin's lips twitched as he tried to keep a straight face. He was a professional after all, he reminded himself as he cleared his throat. "So can you go back? Or are you just…" he hesitated but figured it would be best to know, "-banned?"
"I'm not banned," Michael spat, eyes wincing shut. "Hey. Look. I'm sorry. I'm not normally this much of a dick." Gavin just blinked and let him keep talking. He had never heard someone swear as much as Michael was currently and part of him was mesmerized by it. "I just. I got frustrated. I said some things I shouldn't have. I can go back in three days and try again. That's why I'm here. I need to return and wipe the fucking floor."
"Well, Michael. It's possible I can help you out. That's what we're here for."
"So that's not a problem, then?"
Gavin blinked. "What?"
"That I'm a stupid fucking Gym rejected derelict? You really don't care?"
"Well… you're not banned, so I have no real reason to refuse your business according to League rules."
An uncomfortable silence passed between them.
Gavin spoke first, his face flushed but his repetitive training taking over. "So, Trainer Michael. What Pokemon would you like to leave at the nursery?"
Michael stared at the floor angrily for a few seconds before his shoulders sagged and he decided to own up to the current disappointment of his situation. "Well, there's Dash here-"
His thumb clicked the round button of the Pokeball closest to his hand, the starter of his line-up. With a blinding flash of white and red, an exhausted but healthy looking Shinx appeared on the counter between the two boys. The corner of Gavin's lips quirked up, extending a hand to run along the friendly creatures spine. Dash raised her hindquarters receptively up into the breeder's firm friendly palm.
"She's not depleted or anything, that's good-" Gavin murmured under his breath, his work habits taking over, kind, professional hands running up under Dash's ribs and checking her vitals.
"Well yeah, I'm not a fucking piece of shit," Michael shot back in retaliatory fashion, as though he was used to having to defend himself.
"I wasn't saying you were," Gavin replied without paying much attention otherwise, his focus solidly on the well being of the animal under his hands. "She's in excellent shape, what exactly was your issue before you were- well-"
"Kicked out?" Michael spat.
"To put it that way, yes."
"Ryan's a Ground Type specialist. Surely you know that, breeder boy."
"Well sure, she's Electric, but what else do you have?"
"Garbage," Michael muttered. He had the decency to blush at Gavin's immediate scowl.
"None of them are garbage," Gavin stated flatly.
Michael looked appropriately mortified, thoroughly chastised at the blank look in Gavin's eyes. "I- I know," he breathed, his legs threatening to give out and collapse back into the bench behind him. "I didn't mean that, I fucking know. I just- Fuck it's been a terrible day, alright? I made an ass out of myself. Look, I'll go somewhere else, okay. C'mere Dash-" He scrambled back up and pressed the return button on the capsule still in his hand, his tired but resilient Shinx warping back into her ball. "I'm sorry, just- I'm sorry."
Gavin kept his empty stare in place as Michael backed out the door he'd come through, several seconds of silence playing out in front of him before he sighed and his feet caught up with him. He hadn't heard the scuffs of wheels on dirt road yet and he probably had a chance-
"Hey wait," Gavin called, yanking the door open and sticking his head out only to see Michael staring right back at him, leg already up on his bike but looking back, like he wasn't actually in so much of a hurry to leave.
They stared at each other for a moment like that.
"Swear you didn't meant that."
"I didn't-" Michael choked, his eyes still fixed on the skyline of the city he'd come from. It was acknowledging he was backtracking, adding to his humiliation. "I'm just- mad. I suck and I'm sorry, okay? As if getting kicked out of the Gym wasn't bad enough, fucking Ray had to drag my face through the mud directly fucking after."
"Who is Ray?" The anger had left Gavin's expression, convinced by the chagrined look on Michael's face that he wasn't actually an abusive asshole.
"A douchebag," Michael muttered. "I've known him my whole life and he's always been Geoff's favorite."
"Geoff?"
Michael's face contorted again into an embarrassed expression. "Eugh. Professor Ramsey. We've both been his students since forever and Ray's a brown-nosing piece of crap with a Sandshrew. He knew what I was starting with and now I'm goddamn stuck."
Gavin's face fell into a blank mask as the information washed over him. This "Geoff" who Michael was so casually referring to was the Professor Ramsey, lead Pokemon expert of their region, author of the regional Pokedex and member of the Elite Four.
And he just happened to be the mentor of this angry teenager who'd fallen into Gavin's life within the past fifteen minutes.
"Well I could help you, if you want."
"I don't want your stupid charity."
"I'm not offering charity. We're not a cheap nursery."
Michael glared at him for a moment until his face finally softened, dropping down off his bike. "You're not seeing me at my best. I'm sorry. Ray brings out the worst in me and I'm working on being a not so much of a sore loser."
"You're doing a terrible job."
Michael winced. "I know, okay?"
They stood there another moment. "Do you have a place to stay tonight, Michael?"
"Eh, not really. I was planning on staying in town but I don't feel like being around-" he cut himself off, covering his mouth with his closed fist in a forced cough like he was covering up another emotion. "You know. Other trainers or whatever."
"But now?"
"I dunno. Maybe in the woods or whatever."
"Michael that is ridiculous."
"Well what do you care, anyways?"
Gavin wasn't sure.
Maybe there was just something contagious and romantic about the life of a trainer on the path to Victory Road. It wasn't something Gavin had ever dared to dream for himself, born into the sixth generation of a family of breeders and caretakers.
"Well it wouldn't be fair," Gavin murmured, averting his eyes to come up with the clumsy excuse. "Besides, I want to take a look at the rest of your Pokemon. I have an obligation."
Michael actually relaxed a little at that, and Gavin's nerves loosened in turn. "I'd like that," Michael murmured, his fingertips tips brushing subconsciously against the spheres on his hip. "It's not their fault I lost. I should have spent more time training. I'm just- I wanted to win."
"You should come inside," Gavin smiled, his concerns laid to rest. "We have a guest room and you're the only traveler whose been by in over a week. I insist."
Michael scowled out of what was probably an obligation to his damaged pride but followed Gavin back inside all the same. Gavin guided them past the public office-combination-grazing area into the personnel half of the building. He led Michael into a clean if simple room with a small bed, a few chairs, a table, dresser, television, and a window with a nice view of the road that led to both the city and the forest behind them in the opposite direction.
"I know it's nothing fancy," Gavin murmured, suddenly self-conscious at the thought of putting a student of Professor Ramsey up for the night.
"Are you kidding? I was gonna sleep on the fucking ground." There was a genuine smile on Michael's face, dropping his backpack off his shoulders and groaning at the weight it relieved. Gavin suddenly wondered just how long he'd been carrying it and when the last time Michael was able to catch a decent rest.
"This is- well honestly what do I owe you for all this?"
Gavin's eyes went wide at the question as it hadn't even crossed his mind, but quickly recovered and glanced to the side. "Well I guess it'll really be up to my grandparents if you want to stay more than one night. But for tonight. I mean. It's on me. Sun's already going down. I can't in good conscience just send you into the forest to crash."
Michael looked skeptical but sighed when he realized that at least part of what Gavin had said was something he could agree with. The sun was indeed going down, and he would be a fool to turn away a free night's sleep in a warm, clean bed. "Alright, yeah. But like I said I'm not a fuckin' charity case. We'll figure something out in the morning."
"Where did you sleep last night?" Gavin asked boldly, pulling a chair up to lower himself into as Michael settled onto the room's single bed, kicking off his shoes.
Michael didn't answer for a moment, as though he was afraid of Gavin's judgement. But he did finally answer. "The woods."
Gavin's lips thinned into a flat line. "Is that just part of being a trainer?"
"Sort of. Pretty much. I mean, what's the point of roughing it if you're just gonna schmooze your way into someone's guest room every night."
"How can you be expected to win if you're always exhausted and filthy?"
Michael's cheeks flushed red like he was about to lash out, but Gavin's calmly raised eyebrow stopped him in his tracks. His blood ran cold then hot once more when he realized he didn't really have a good answer.
"That's how they make it sound," Michael murmured, his eyes unfocusing as though suddenly lost in thought. A large part of Gavin wanted to keep talking, keep asking him questions, but the smaller, more mature corner of his brain took over and realized that he should probably let the young man get some rest.
"Well all the more reason for you to get some shut-eye here. We're always up early but feel free to sleep in. Just come into the common area when you're rested and we'll take it from there." Gavin rose and headed for the door. He knew he'd spend the next several hours in his room staring at the ceiling and thinking about this Trainer named Michael.
"Hey Gavin-"
Gavin turned at the door. "Yeah?"
Michael pulled the hat off his head and ruffled his hair out self-consciously. "Thanks. For everything. We'll talk tomorrow, alright?"
Gavin smiled. "Yeah. Get some rest."