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Phil knew he had never been the most skilled at Pokémon, but still, he didn't expect his very first battle to be a total fail.
Well, he didn't expect to run into a Pokémon thief, either, but that's what happened.
He'd only had Chikorita for maybe half an hour, because Professor Elm had sent him on an errand, to collect some mysterious exiting thing – which had turned out to be a Pokémon Egg. Mysterious and exciting, indeed. Phil had been so excited to see it – he loved Pokémon, but he'd never really seen an Egg up close.
He had been walking back to Professor Elm's lab with the precious Egg when he'd run into that guy – literally. The guy had been running, and he'd slammed into Phil. Straight brown hair cut into a fringe not unlike his, brown eyes, taller than him – which was no small feat.
Phil still doesn't quite explain the shiver he'd felt then, the unexplainable feeling in his gut. The moment had felt like suspended as Phil was on the ground, staring up at a stranger's eyes, and…
It had been broken by Professor Elm running and screaming "He stole my Pokémon!"
Phil was no expert Trainer yet, but he owed Professor Elm, who had graciously given him Chikorita, so he'd grabbed his newly acquired Pokéball and faced up to the stranger. A very brave initiative, except for the fact that he'd been no match for the stranger, and his stolen Cyndaquil had sent Phil's Chikorita flying.
Needless to say, he'd managed to escape with the stolen Pokémon, and Phil had been left with a bitter aftertaste. Everyone dreams of being the hero, the legendary Pokémon Trainer – Phil's dreams had been crushed before they had even started.
So, he trained. He left New Bark Town and started fighting, made his way to the first Arena and won. It had been miserable, hard, he'd struggled, but he made it.
Then he saw his chances of being a hero increase again, when he found Team Rocket at the Slowpoke Well. Phil figured he could just kick in a couple of teeth, save the Slowpokes, and be that much closer to a hero. Except that there were a lot of Grunts, and he was alone, and he thought he was gonna lose, but…
Like a knight on a Shiny Rapidash, the Pokémon thief had appeared out of nowhere, and he did kick Team Rocket's ass in record time, with his beautiful, evolved Quilava, and a Murkrow.
Phil did learn his name, this time – Dan. It was Dan.
Dan didn't stay there, though. He left as fast as he arrived, and Phil, once more, had this bitter taste in his mouth. He'd never thought himself to be envious, but Dan… Dan had something he could only dream of.
He fought his way through the second Arena, hoping that one day, soon, he would find one where his Chikorita, now a Bayleef, was not weak against every Pokémon the Champion had. Oh, well. He'd just gained a Togepi from the Pokémon Egg. His team was filling up.
He got through fine for a while, after that. He got lost in Ilex Forest, despite his Map, and a Murkrow got him out. He met a Growlithe there, as well, a Pokémon he loved and dreamed of. He had fun playing with his Pokémon. He trained, still, relentlessly, won a few more Arena Badges – no longer Plant Type weaknesses, thank Arceus. He helped Jasmine heal her Ampharos, evolved Bayleef again – he loved Meganium. He was given an Eevee from Bill, and its fur was so soft he spent two whole hours petting it.
He still saw Dan, from time to time. Especially when Team Rocket was around, at first – Dan seemed eager to kick their asses into tomorrow whenever he saw one of them. Then it was more randomly, Dan popping out of nowhere and scaring Phil half the time. It took Phil a little while to ask for a rematch, and when he did, he got beaten thoroughly. Dan's Pokémon – his Typhlosion and Murkrow joined by a Sneasel and, surprisingly, an Eevee as well – were no match for Phil's.
Mostly, they just talked.
Dan was hard to get to know – he had walls, high, and Phil took a long time to get any of them down. He even refused to tell Phil his favorite Pokémon, a harmless information.
Then , over time, his tongue loosened a bit, and before he could think about stopping it, Dan was talking to him. Openly. He got a bit too deep, most times, too philosophical and too pessimistic, like he was doomed from the start, and Phil would say something silly. Then Dan would look at him with an incredulous look on his face, and, seconds later, Phil would be graced by the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.
Each and every time, he thought I want to see more of that smile.
There were still shadowy zones in Dan's past, even after so many conversations Phil had lost count. He still didn't know where Dan was from, exactly – Dan had let it slip that he was from Kanto, but never the exact city. He cared less and less, to be honest. It didn't really matter what Dan's past was made of, as long as he was right here next to Phil.
He felt a bit guilty for befriending a Pokémon thief, sure, but… Dan looked so much like a hero, up close. He fought Team Rocket like Phil, and he helped people whenever he could, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
He had kind of become the person Phil had dreamed to be, before he left home.
More things happened. Phil found a sick Haunter – which puzzled him to no end, because how could a Ghost Pokémon get sick? – and kept him after curing him. Dan caught a gorgeous Tyranitar. They fought Team Rocket side by side at the Lake of Rage. After a long, exhausting battle – for Phil, at least – Dan insisted they stayed here for the night. So they set up Dan's tent and watched the sun set over the lake. They saw the red Gyarados one more time, and they fell asleep a few inches from each other, their Eevees curled up at their feet.
Phil watched him sleep, and he looked so peaceful like that, his hair falling into his eyes, the slightest hint of curls in his usually straightened to the death hair. He looked beautiful like that, unburdened, and Phil wanted him to feel like that, always.
More importantly, he wanted to be there for Dan, because he'd noticed that the other boy seemed much happier when Phil was there. He'd started smiling and laughing more around Phil, and Phil loved those smiles, loved the musical sound of Dan's laughter, reverberated around. He wanted to hear it all day long.
That's right there, curled up on his side and staring at a boy he never wanted to be separated from, that he realized that, oh. He'd never been in love before, so he didn't know how that felt, but… That might be it, actually.
He fell asleep in the middle of his staring, and when they woke up, there were no longer two Eevees at their feet, but an Espeon and an Umbreon.
From that point on, they were traveling together, mostly. Dan still insisted that they weren't because some days he'd go explore on his own, but he'd always find Phil at the end of the day.
Phil got another Egg, and a soft Igglybuff made its way out of it. They won their seventh Badge, fought the Team Rocket at Goldenrod's Radio Tower and won – all Dan's fault. That night, Dan told Phil "their Boss wasn't there," and while Phil had no idea what it meant, he still held Dan through the night as he cried about it.
Then, they reached Blackthorn City, and Phil fought, and fought, and fought, but he still couldn't beat Clair. He should've felt bitter that his trip would stop there, but… truthfully, he didn't really care. He'd found Dan, and that was so much better than any Champion title.
Dan had, of course, gotten his Badge without much trouble, and all through the trek along Victory Road, Phil had felt nervous. He'd accompanied Dan spontaneously, and Dan had been happy about it, but Phil knew they would find themselves at a crossroads soon.
When they finally reached the Indigo Plateau after a week long journey, it was breathtaking. Okay, no, it wasn't, really – the place itself was quite simple, but everything it represented made it breathtaking.
They stood there, staring for longer than it was warranted, unwilling to move forward and end their adventure – Dan's, at least. Phil was the one to finally break the silence.
"- All this road since New Bark Town, and I still don't know your favorite Pokémon."
He expected Dan to laugh, but he didn't. Instead, he simply stared at Phil like he couldn't see him.
"- Gengar," he said, then. "It's Gengar."
"- Not even one of yours?" Phil started to laugh, and then realized. "Dan. I've got a Haunter."
"- I know," Dan said.
"- I could trade it with you! You don't have a sixth Pokémon, so it's perfect!"
"- No, I couldn't. It's your Pokémon, I don't want…"
"- But I do," Phil interjected. "I want to give it to you, then…" Then you'll always have a piece of me with you, he thinks. Then, there will be a piece of me immortalized with you in the Hall of Fame when you inevitably win against the Elite Four and the Champion. "Unless you don't want a Gengar in your team," he says instead.
"- No, I… I do."
"- Then take Haunter with you. Really, I'm happy to trade him with you."
That was true. Haunter was maybe Phil's best Pokémon in a fight – Meganium and Togetic were as clumsy as Phil, Espeon and Jigglypuff hated fighting, and Growlithe was still unevolved. It was a miracle he'd gotten as far as his seventh Badge. He didn't care. He loved them with all his heart, and they loved him back, and it was all that mattered. Haunter, on the other hand, was always eager to fight, more than even Phil. He'd fit so right with Dan, it was as if it was meant to.
"- You're sure?"
"- Absolutely."
"- Then I…" Dan seemed taken aback. "Thank you, Phil."
"- Of course. Do you need to go catch a sixth Pokémon so we can trade?"
"- No, I, uh… I already have one, actually."
Dan unhooked a Pokéball from his belt, and Phil stared at the Poliwhirl he'd never seen before. He didn't even know Dan had a sixth Pokémon.
"- I'll take good care of him," Phil promised.
Dan smiled, and then, the Pokéballs changed hands. Phil stared at the bright light emanating from Haunter's Pokéball – and, in turn, almost missed the glow emanating from Poliwhirl's.
He opened his newly acquired Pokéball and stared at the bright brown eyes of an adorable green frog – a Politoed. The Pokémon croaked and jumped in Phil's arms, and even if Phil hadn't believed in love at first sight, he would now. He hugged his new Pokémon, dumbfounded. Poliwhirl only evolved during a trade if he was holding a King's Rock, so this had clearly been premeditated.
He stared back at Dan. Gengar was already wrapping around him like a shadow – unsurprising. Haunter/Gengar had always liked Dan, gravitated to him, even when he was still Phil's. He used to think that was something him and his Pokémon had in common.
"- When did you get him?" Phil asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Dan seemed uneasy all of a sudden.
"- A while back. I saw him, and he made me think of you, and the more time I spent with him, the more I thought he'd get along with you so well, but how was I supposed to just gift you a Pokémon? We weren't that close, then, and then you got Haunter, and I was afraid you'd think I wanted to steal your Pokémon."
"- Dan, I never would've accused you of stealing a Pokémon. Whose Cyndaquil is that, anyway?" he said, and Dan laughed, and Phil wondered if Dan was also thinking of their first meeting – a fierce, guarded Dan, almost sinister. An universe away from the boy who had just given him a Politoed, whose eyes were gleaming in front of Phil.
"- Maybe, but I didn't want you to think I just wanted Haunter. What kind of gift is a Pokémon, anyway?"
"- Or, maybe it was meant to be all along. You were meant to be Haunter's Trainer, and I was meant to get this cutie. It was on purpose from the universe," he said, with a bright smile, and Dan shook his head.
"- I really don't believe your theory, but I like it anyway."
They fell silent after that, and Dan stared at the Indigo Plateau some more. Phil let go of his new Pokémon, let him go play with the rest of his team, and put a hand on Dan's shoulder.
"- I believe in you," he said.
"- I don't know whether I'm intimidated or excited," Dan replied. "Both, probably."
He called up his Pokémon, then. Typhlosion, Murkrow, Sneasel, Umbreon, Tyranitar, Gengar. The strongest Pokémon Phil knew. He had no doubt Dan would come out victorious. The only unknown, here, was what Dan would do afterwards, and would it involve Phil again?
"- I'm not sure I can go in," Dan said once his Pokémon were all in their Pokéballs. "I'm not sure my legs work anymore."
"- So, you fought Team Rocket fearlessly, but the Elite Four intimidates you?"
"- Shut up," Dan replied, and they both laughed, and his favorite sound in the world made Phil feel brave.
He got onto his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Dan's cheek. As he stepped back, he watched a patch of Dan's jaw redden, not far from where he'd kissed him.
"- What was that for?" Dan asked, and his voice was a bit wobbly.
"- A good luck kiss. Now, you can't lose anymore."
"- Not with your luck, I can't," Dan replied, and the way he looked at Phil was entirely too fond. Phil swore his heart skipped a beat. "So, all I have left to do is walk in, I guess."
Phil watched Dan's back as he approached the building. His stomach was a mess of nerves, now that Dan wasn't right next to him anymore.
Then, all of a sudden, Dan turned around and ran back towards Phil. Before Phil had any time to understand what was happening, Dan had caught both his hands in his.
"- Tell me you'll be waiting for me when I get out," Dan pleaded. "Whether or not I won, please, tell me it won't change anything."
Phil laughed.
"- Of course, you idiot. I'll be waiting right here."
"- Great," Dan said, and then he took a deep breath, and he was kissing Phil.
Dan's lips were warm against his, and soft, and it felt like a flurry of fireworks in Phil's stomach. Dan was kissing him. He was kissing Dan. It was even better than all the times he'd dreamed of this moment – both the kiss and the moment they'd reach the Indigo Plateau.
Their lips came apart, and Phil couldn't help the huge grin that threatened to split his face in half. He was rewarded with Dan's dimple, and they were giggling like idiots, too happy – too in love – to care about anything else.
"- This was the only thing I was worried about," Dan said. "You, not the fight."
"- Idiot," Phil replied, but it sounded too fond to have any real bite. "You got me. Go do your thing. I'll be right here."
Dan laughed again, so close to Phil's lips.
"- Oh, it's like I've won already."