as soon as he disappeared offstage, he’d started running.
that glitter. all that glitter. dawn had loved it, and maybe the crowd did too, but that didn’t really matter compared with what the glitter really meant.
he’d just put a pokémon in glitter.
he ran to a corner of the contest hall that he’d all but staked out for himself since day one--not a particularly comfortable spot, but at least it had a chair, and given his reputation, it wasn’t as though anyone would approach him (which worked to his advantage when he wanted to be alone). there his gallade waited with a drink that he’d promised: a cup of hot milk tea, seasoned with milk just the way he liked it.
he was not in the mood to talk about what he’d just been forced to do. but of course…
❮hey, ruilin, how’d it go?❯ his gallade said via telepathy, using his chinese name. ❮no, wait, i don’t even need to ask. it was brilliant, wasn’t it? my idea was really brilliant!❯
❝can we not,❞ he muttered, slouching into his seat and grabbing the drink.
❮can we pleeeeease?❯ gallade leaned in closer. ❮i saw you on the café TV, you know. houndoom looked absolutely--❯
❝you heard me. she looked stupid.❞
❮but…but i thought you liked my idea. it was your first time doing a dress-up round at a contest, so i just had to give it my all!❯
❝first and last,❞ he muttered. ❝the whole dress-up thing is pointless. i don’t care if it costs me points in other contests, i’m not doing it again. i mean, contests are a whole are pointless in general, but why do we need to dress up if we’re already showing off moves?❞
❮because it’s fun, which you don’t seem to have a sense of?❯
but his pokémon wasn’t done there.
❮you know, i’m actually really offended by the way you treated my idea,❯ he said. ❮you want to call it stupid? what if houndoom was out of her ball? would you have said it then?❯
❝yeah.❞ he snorted. ❝why wouldn’t i? it’s the truth.❞
❮she was having such a good time out there, and all you’re gonna say is that she looked stupid.❯
❝i’m not letting any of you dress up ever again. i have to tell you the reason why,❞ he snapped. ❝when you come up with my cute appeal, could you maybe try a lot harder not to make it half as embarrassing?❞
❮um, excuse me--did you say when?❯ gallade huffed.
❮Not with THAT sort of attitude. You’re on your own, mister.❯
he whipped out gallade’s poké ball, recalling the pokémon before he could do anything to stop him. but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of his fellow coordinators standing nearby, close enough to have overheard the whole exchange…
the tea had gone cold in his hands.
