Unwanted kisses

In Circhester Bay, on Route 9, the place that connects Circhester and Spikemuth, Victor is camped after winning the Ice medal against Melony; he had also faced his son, getting the rock medal, which is official for the league. Unnecessary, “But a medal is a medal!” he thought.

Every fight is grueling, but it brings him closer to being able to be the champion of the region. Right now, he is sitting on a log by a campfire. His team roams freely around the area, some resting, others practicing friendly fights. As he enjoys a plate of curry, the sound of the waves crashing on the sand envelops him in a strange calm. From his spot, he can watch as day gives way to night.

Although he could move faster in his Corviknight, he enjoys the scenery of Galar. Besides, it’s a bit late to go to Spikemuth and challenge the leader. He has also heard that the town is closed, so he will have to find a way in.

That will be the problem for tomorrow. For now, he will concentrate on enjoying his night. The place is relatively deserted. He assumes it’s too cold for swimming; only a madman would go into that freezing water at this hour.

Victor is happy about his victory, and his Pokémon look happy too; maybe he should give them some reward. He should check his backpack and look for something suitable.

But before he could do anything else, his whole team approaches. He watches them all and stands up, patting each one and congratulating them on their accomplishments.

-Very good job back there with Melony, guys. You guys were fantastic as always. We’re getting closer every day to taking on Leon and being crowned champions, and I know it’s exhausting, but we’re getting closer and closer; just 2 more medals and we can have a shot at it while I have these rare candies, okay? I heard they are good for the Pokémon; they make them stronger, so...

Victor begins to unwrap a candy for each of his Pokémon and hands them to them, watching them eat the candy, and is pleased with the taste.

-I’m glad they liked the taste. Now I think it’s getting late; maybe it’s time for me to go to bed. Tomorrow we’ll go to Spikemuth and stop by a Pokémon center before going to the gym.

Victor takes out his 6 Pokéballs, returning his Pokémon and putting them in his belt, returning to his tent to sleep. As he was getting ready to sleep, he could hear footsteps in the sand near his tent; also, some words were heard in a strange accent. He is almost sure who it is. As he leaves, his suspicion becomes certain.

Gloria.

She looks lost and somewhat annoyed before she notices Victor’s presence. And observes him with a bottle of whiskey in hand before approaching him, to which Victor waves.

-Gloria! I haven’t seen you since Stow-on-Side. How’s everything?

-Victor, I still don’t know how a skinny guy like you keeps moving so fast, but it’s always good to see my neighbor from Postwick.

She clasps her hand in his, squeezing it somewhat tightly when they finish. Victor carves this one up a bit as he continues talking to Gloria, returning to the campfire he was at a few moments ago, inviting her to sit with him.

-Yes, it’s always nice to see a friend. Ah, so what brings you here? I guess you’re going to Spikemuth too, right? Are you still collecting the medals, or did you give up?

Victor asks, having a slight smile on his face as he feels the temperature drop a little more.

-Eh, no, just that those leaders are a bit weak for my taste, plus they don’t take defeats well, and how about, do you know anything about Hop or that idiot Bede?

-Eh, Hop, yeah, I fought him at Hero’s Bath. After facing the gym challenge, I met up with Sonia, who took me to a restaurant. Hop was already there and accompanied us to that place; after defeating him, he left, so Hop is probably already in Spikemuth. I prefer to explore the city thoroughly; you can find a lot of things on the streets. Really, people need to stop throwing things around like that.

-Sonia told some more about the story of the princes of the Darkest Day and those things that have to do with the history of our region.

-With Bede, I saw him in Hammerlocke with Opal after he offered to take me after I defeated her, but when he saw Bede, he said I was perfect to be his successor and took him back to Ballonlea, so I guess he’ll be around for a while, or you don’t know how difficult he can be sometimes.

He says this with a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face.

-Yeah, Bede is a fucking idiot with an ego way up there. That’s only why he recommended him: heh, heh, heh, and now what good did it do him? His adored president threw him in the trash for that stupid thing he did. He’ll be lucky if they at least let him participate next year, if I don’t stop him first.

Gloria cracks her knuckles as she looks at Victor with a mischievous grin, while he can only nod somewhat nervously and make a mental note to never make Gloria angry.

-Well, Gloria, ahhh, oh! How’s your relationship with Marnie going? Do you know where she is now?

When Victor finished speaking, a part inside him felt jealous, and with a small pang in his chest, even though they had been dating for some time, he couldn’t process how Gloria had beaten him to the punch so quickly. Victor had only known Marnie for a few days when he saw them walking out of the store and kissing. He could only watch in amazement as, unnoticed by either of them, he retreated elsewhere. He never told anyone, not even Hop. He just started to move forward a little faster, trying to get away from the whole situation, which made him try harder in the fights, although that led him to make a decision he didn’t regret. He doubts what was the reason why he took it: spite? Fear? Consolation? Or just a distraction that does not let him face the reality of things and clouds his judgment, although that does not matter; now he must stand firm and move forward with his goals: to win the league.

As he finished the sentence, Glory’s face changed from that mischievous smile. Slightly more uncomfortable and annoyed, he now looks down at the floor before taking another drink from his bottle of whiskey and looking at Victor.

-Oh, Marnie, if all is well with her, I don’t know where she is; maybe she’s in another town.

Holding his gaze, she picked up her bottle, but it was gone, which caused her to throw it to the ground in fury, beginning to curse in that strange accent.

-Damn it, how the fuck did I forget to stop by for more whiskey? God, why are you punishing me like this? I need more to get me through the night. This is complete bullshit, Victor.

Gloria looks like she’s about to explode in anger before Victor pulls a bottle and cookies out of his backpack, which he frantically searched for while Gloria cursed, thus avoiding being a possible target of his wrath.

“God, sometimes I don’t understand what she says with that accent she has when she gets angry,” Victor thought.

-Wait, Gloria, take this, but calm down, okay...?

Victor offers the bottles of whiskey to Gloria while he eats one of the cookies, looking at the campfire after sighing a little calmer.

Gloria looked at the bottle carefully, noticing the quality of the whiskey and looking at Victor to ask.

-Victor, how the fuck do you have such excellent quality whiskey? This must have cost you a fortune. How come?

-Uh, I got it from some weird guy in Motostoke. He said he didn’t have any money, so he gave it to me as payment. I was planning on saving it for when I won the league, but I guess you require it more, so enjoy it; glory is all yours.

Victor smiles slightly before popping another cookie into his mouth.

-You’re like a guardian angel, something... Strange, you’ve really changed, Victor; you’re no longer that boy who stuttered and cried about not being able to have a Butterfree.... I hardly recognize you.

Gloria, not having a glass, steeped the bottle before passing it to Victor.

-Go on, drink it; it’s yours after all.

Victor took the bottle. He wasn’t a whiskey expert, but he didn’t want to look bad either. So he drank some, letting the strong taste burn his throat. When he felt it was enough, he passed it back to Gloria.

-What was it that changed you so much, huh? Tell me, were you with someone?

Victor stared at her before blushing, remembering how on the way to Route 6 he fought a girl he had spent the night with. After hitting it off pretty well, he had really enjoyed that night, but he’d rather hide it.

-Uh... no, not yet. Yes, I changed, but I guess it was because of the battles. You can learn a thing or two from watching your Pokémon battle, plus all that’s involved in traveling around the region.

-Heh, heh, heh, heh, yeah, sure, Victor, ah, come on, talk to me, so I know the details. I don’t think it’s a big deal.

Gloria got up from her place and approached Victor. She tried to get the story out of him; by this point, the whiskey had started to have more effect. Both already had a slight flush on their cheeks; the colder it had become outside; still, Victor resisted.

-A gentleman has no memory, Gloria.

Victor smiled as he took another sip of whiskey to address Gloria.

-And you, ah, you already have your experiences with Marnie? How about you tell some of that?

Victor staggered a little; the alcohol was starting to create a fog in his brain; he was becoming more brazen and daring.

Gloria stared at him silently. All the sneer on his face disappeared. She looked away, her expression becoming opaque. Victor felt he had said something wrong and, with a lump in his throat, decided to apologize.

-Hey, I’m sorry, Gloria, maybe that’s too much alcohol for today.

Victor dropped the bottle in the sand, burying himself in it, and then yawned. Despite being somewhat alcoholic, sleepiness was taking over.

-Hey, I have an extra sleeping bag in my tent. Come on, you must be a little tired too.

Victor takes Gloria’s hand, trying to pull her into the tent. Gloria’s skin is very soft despite her appearance and demeanor. This made Victor blush a little. Before Gloria followed him into the tent, he let go of her and looked in his backpack for the sleeping bag for her. He, meanwhile, had an inflatable mattress on a collapsible metal base.

Gloria took her sleeping bag, thanking Victor and taking off her beret and boots before lying on the ground with her bag.

-Thank you, Victor; it’s better than freezing out there.

Gloria stands, serious in her words, while Victor just nods; he knows he blew it and shouldn’t bother Gloria anymore with questions about Marnie. He just lies down and tries to surrender to the sleep that plagues his mind.

While Gloria seemed to toss and turn in her sack, unable to fall asleep; she had so many worries in her head, but being here next to him, she felt somewhat calmer. She felt that he could understand her. Gloria looked up and looked at Victor on his small mattress. In doubt, giving a little of what he was going to do, she ended up getting up.

Just as he is about to make it, an extra weight on his bed and a voice pull him out of his sleep; it’s Gloria sitting on the corner of his small mattress.

-Marnie and I are not well, Victor. I don’t know if it will still be us when I get to Spikemuth.

Victor looked at Gloria for a few moments, hesitated a bit as she continued to stare at the floor; in the end, he ended up getting out of bed and sitting down next to Gloria.

-You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but if you feel safe, I’m here, Gloria. You can tell me whatever you like; I’m not going to play games with you if you just need to get it off your chest, because I’m here.

Gloria looked at him again, and he just gave her a warm smile, so after a sigh, she started to vent about their relationship.

-I ruined everything. A few days ago we were going on a date in Wedgehurst, but I ended up drinking too much, and when we were going to go home, a guy yelled at us in the street; I couldn’t take it anymore and ended up exploding in anger. I attacked him more than I should have; the people around noticed and called the police. I ended up in a cell for a while until Marnie bailed me out, but she said she couldn’t handle me anymore. She said the drinking was killing us, that everyone was starting to talk about her, and she couldn’t handle the gossip. Her brother told her that I had become a bad influence since I induced her to wine and that her performance in battles was going down.

Gloria’s eyes filled with small tears as she got up from the bed to pick up the bottle again and drink some more of that whiskey before returning to her story.

-I really love her, Victor, but I don’t know if I can give up drinking, but God, this whiskey is still excellent.

Gloria drank another bit from the bottle before tossing the little bit left to Victor, who almost knocked the bottle over as he was unprepared.

-Come on, don’t leave me alone in this; drink it all.

Victor was a little nervous; Gloria’s words about Marnie left her with that pang in her chest again. That made him feel a little more depressed and jealous of Gloria, so Victor gave in to temptation and finished the bottle of whiskey, dropping it as he felt the taste burn his throat. He savored it as a smile formed on his face. He was a little drunk, but not as drunk as Gloria. He looked into her eyes as she continued to unburden herself.

-She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, Victor. Ah, I really don’t want to lose her. Ah, I haven’t even touched her yet.

Gloria moved closer to Victor; the alcohol was weighing on her mind; she was no longer thinking clearly; she just looked at that smile on Victor’s face. For the first time she looked at him with a different kind of eyes; was he always like that? A feeling inside her had been revealed, something she may never have noticed.

But the closer she gets, the more Victor shuffles back on his mattress, but still maintains that smile, though he’s obviously blushing. In addition to a steady panting as she approaches him, she keeps talking.

-I think my favorite thing about Marnie is that smile and those sweet lips. Ah, every time I think of them, I feel like I melt.

Gloria licked her lips as she cornered Victor. He was looking at her nervously; he was panting. His smile had gone from teasing to nervous. When he touched the tent mesh, he knew he had no escape; he watched as Gloria stood over him, tried to reason with her, and got back to the main topic.

-Gloria... I think it was a lot of alcohol, ah, maybe we should calm down a little, don’t you think? I’m sure you can fix your problems, Marnie; don’t let alcohol make you lose a nice relationship and control.

But Gloria seemed to ignore what Victor said, as she stood over him, putting a hand on his face.

-Are you afraid, Victor? We are just two friends having a good time.

They could see each other more closely and observed things that neither of them saw before the other. Victor was still nervous; something about this didn’t feel right, but Gloria just wanted an outlet; she wanted to feel some contact, and right now she doesn’t care who is the one in front of her. She took one of Victor’s hands, interlacing their fingers. Their pulses were at maximum; they looked directly into each other’s eyes; they knew what would happen; even so, Victor put up some resistance.

-Gloria... What are you do...

Gloria silenced Victor with a kiss on the lips; she showed a repressed passion that was released towards Victor. He could barely process it all; he stood still as he received the kiss; his eyes were wide open. His blush intensified as Gloria claimed his mouth; shit, she was giving him a Kalos-style kiss. Victor’s defenses were coming down as he squeezed Gloria’s hand and put his arm around her back. Pulling her slightly towards Victor, he began to use his tongue as well.

The kiss lasted barely a minute until Gloria pulled away from Victor. Both gasped as a trickle of saliva connected to their mouths; they stared at each other. Victor closed his legs slightly, hiding an erection.

The whole atmosphere felt somewhat hot; anything could happen on both sides until the expression of glory changed. She realized what she had done and got up from the bed, embarrassed and uncomfortable.

-I’m sorry, Victor, I... I got carried away with the alcohol, and no, this is not right; this is a mistake.

This is wrong; this is a mistake.

Victor had a blank stare as his hands trembled. When he came to himself, he shook his head before speaking again.

- Yes, you’re right; this should never have happened. Y-you and I are just friends, and you’re dating Marnie. Hell, let’s just try to forget. No, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It had been a while since I’d felt like this. Ah, I’d felt like this since I saw Marnie the first time.

Victor was silent for a few seconds before realizing what he had said. His eyes widen like saucers, and before he can say anything, Gloria interrupts.

-What do you mean by that? You... You have feelings for Marnie, and yet you encourage me to stay with her. Oh, man, what the fuck, you’re full of shit!

I’m sorry, Gloria, I’m saying too much, but I think I’d rather be honest about this. Oh, yeah, I like Marnie maybe as much as you do. But you were quicker before I could do anything. You were ahead of me; if I’m being honest, I’m jealous of you.

Victor looks down at the floor before Gloria grabs him by the shirt and smashes him against the bed.

-Since when, Victor, since when do you have feelings for my girlfriend?

She slams him against the bed again, looking really annoyed, her eyes slowly glazing over.

-Since I met her, but when you started a relationship with her, I walked away. I never tried to do anything. Because I had missed my chance, or maybe I never had it.

The impact echoed in the room. Victor felt the sting spread across his cheek, a sharp throbbing beating against his skin.For a second, he froze, not understanding what had just happened.Gloria released him roughly and walked away. Her breathing was erratic, her body trembling.Victor touched her cheek in disbelief.

-Gloria...

-You’re a damn liar, Victor. While I was telling you my problems, you were gloating, weren’t you? The more you encouraged me to go on and fight, the more you wanted me to give up so you could get your hands on her. You’re the worst, a little scumbag who claimed to be our friend.

-I wasn’t, Gloria; I would never have done anything to break it up. I walked away from you in an attempt to focus on my goals and not let what I felt affect me. I didn’t mean to be a bad friend; please, just forget it.

Gloria began to get dressed. She felt disgust at being around Victor and ignored his excuses; she already knew what he really held inside. When she finished this one, she left the store. Victor, behind her, tried to talk to her. He touched her shoulder in an attempt to stop her, but she responded with a blow to his chest that threw him to the sandy floor of the beach.

-Don’t touch me; you’re a fucking hypocrite, and you’d better stay away from me and not give me any of your fucking excuses. It will save you. The best thing for you to do is to get lost and leave us alone.

Gloria walked further into Route 9, giving him one last look as tears ran down her cheeks, leaving Victor still on the ground, touching his chest in growing pain; it was emotional as well as physical. After a few minutes, he was able to get up, returning to his tent and taking one last look at the night scenery. Then he just lay down on his small mattress, trying to fall asleep, knowing the trouble he had gotten himself into and how this was only the beginning.

As morning fell, Victor was awakened by the sun filtering through his tent. He could hardly sleep, worried about the situation he was in; he was very sleepy, but he had to keep moving.

It took him a while, but he was able to disassemble his tent and put his things away, cleaning the area he occupied. When he looked at his Rotomphone, he saw that it was a little late, but he didn’t have the energy to walk to Spikemuth.

He took one of the Poké Balls from his belt and threw it near him. Out of it came his Corviknight. Who looked at it, indicating that it was ready to serve. Victor petted it and then jumped on it.