#shieldrival

[swordchamp]

“You’re always there for me.”

❛ of course. that's what friends are for ?? ❜

victor laughs airily , shaking his head. beside him , ace hums , curled up next to hop's dubwool. they've always been friends , & victor finds it sweet that their pokemon were almost as close as their trainers. the wild area was quieter for the moment , the only sounds the soft breathing of their pokemon & victor's own heartbeat in his ears.

❛ l-listen , hop. can i ... ask you something ?? ❜

victor shifts , pulling his knees up to his chest. he wishes ace was awake , that he could depend on the comfort his partner offers. instead , he turns his gaze towards the wild area in front of him , hands curling into the fabric of his pants.

❛ h-have you ever ... had feelin's for anyone ?? a-as in , y'liked'em as ... more than a friend ?? ❜

he's almost scared that hop's answer will be yes. hop is great , so kind & honest & bright ; victor can't imagine a life without him. it makes his heart beat wildly in his chest , but he waits patiently for hop's answer , cheek pressed into his knees as he turns his head to look at hop.

victor just hopes he won't notice the color to his cheeks in the dark.

[swordchamp]

“ what did you want to tell me? ”   👁️👁️

oh , boy. this was it. victor wasn't going to let himself back down again , & neither would ace. that doesn't stop victor from wringing the life out of his hat , twisting it between his hands. his heart is pounding in his chest . & his face is so red victor thinks he might pass out.

❛ i-i ... i wanted t' ... t'tell you ... ❜

quickly , victor replaces his hat , trembling hands fumbling for a pokeball , which he holds towards hop. inside it is an applin that he'd spent hours hunting , to make sure it was perfect. & she was , from her shiny red color to her friendly personality , she'd be perfect for hop.

maybe he could be perfect for hop , too.

❛ ... i-i caught an applin for you. you ... know what that means don'cha ?? ❜

victor wants to run , but he knows ace won't let him. & besides , he's not sure he could without his knees buckling. he has to look away from hop , shutting his eyes for a moment. he hopes hop knows what it means , especially as victor steels himself , taking one of hop's hands & gently pressing the pokeball into his palm.

❛ i-it ... it means i ... i really like you , hop. i-i always have , i just ... never knew how t'say it. ❜

a moment of silence as he lifts his gaze from the pokeball to hop's face , struggling to read his expression.

❛ ... say somethin' , hop. anythin' , jus' ... please. ❜

don't tell me i've ruined everything.

[swordchamp]

“ Vic? “ his voice laced with concern. “ why ya crying ? “ he places a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “ can I do anything to help mate ? “ // :)

he lost. despite all the work his team had put in , all the effort ace had given on his behalf , it still wasn't enough.

did he even stand a chance against leon if he couldn't beat raihan ??

everyone in the pokemon center is giving him pitying looks , & victor knows he looks pathetic. it's the second time raihan had beaten him , the second time he'd failed his team , failed ace. that hurts more than anything , to know that he let his team down.

his partner is returned to his side quickly enough , & ace can't help but fret , concerned chatter leaving the cinderace as victor's shoulders shake with barely held back sobs.

vic ??

he starts at the sudden hand on his shoulder , hop's voice doing little to comfort him. he doesn't want anyone to see him this way , least of all hop , & he exhales shakily , wiping at his eyes that are still plenty red.

❛ h-hop ... ❜

he even sounds like a mess , voice cracking & raw from all the crying he'd done. he can't bear to think about what people are thinking , are saying about him , though victor could wager a guess.

victor lifts his head after a moment to look at hop , lip shaking & eyes watering all over again.

not like there's any use in lying.

❛ i ... r-raihan ... ❜

& there goes any scrap of composure he might've had.

❛ i-i ... i lost. ❜

surely hop was aware of that by now , & of how pathetic victor is.

[swordchamp]

“...” - @shieldrival

ace eagerly runs up to hop , wrapping the trainer in a tight hug. much like its trainer , the cinderace has always held a fondness for the other trainer. though , not nearly as fond as his trainer was of hop , & ace grins to himself , letting go of hop & looking up all too innocently.

❛ hop !! ❜

of course , ace has some tricks up his sleeve , so to speak. he may not fully understand the way victor looks at hop , but he knows hop makes him happy , makes victor smile , even if he does turn red whenever hop's around.

❛ hop is victor's favorite human , y'know ?? makes victor happy. and if victor's happy , makes ace happy. ❜

& that much is true , really. ace likes when his trainer is happier , he's spent far too many days with victor in despair. he'd rather have this version of victor than go back to that.

❛ victor talks about hop a lot. ace thinks ... victor really likes hop. an' ace's ... tired of listening. ❜

[swordchamp]

Sends him a “ funny “ meme from across the room & stares at him waiting for him to check it 👁️ 👁️

victor's rotom phone dings distinctively , & without even looking , he'd know the message was from hop. & normally , that's not a bad thing , even gloria's got her own message tone so he knows it's her.

but ... they're in the same room , watching a match on tv. couldn't hop have just shown him whatever it was ??

oh , well.

opening his phone , he can feel hop's eyes on him , as if anxiously awaiting his reaction to whatever it was he sent. it takes victor a moment to find his messages & open it , tilting his head when he finally sees what it was that hop needed him to see. & what was it that was so important ??

a meme. a meme featuring galar's champion , no less.

it's not particularly funny , but victor laughs anyways , shaking his head. from its spot in his lap , his scorbunny makes a curious noise , even though ace wouldn't understand it. thinking for a moment , he responds with a laughing emoji , shooting hop a grin as he hits send.

hop really is odd sometimes , but he wouldn't be hop any other way.

[swordchamp]

Trips over his own feet “Wah—-! Watch out ! “ he tries to warn his friend but it’s too late— the disaster has already been set In action. He crashes into Victor sending the two rolling down the routes small hill, intertwined like a tumbleweed. Once they finally halt he’s quick to apologize.“ Real sorry bout that mate … ! “ he winches laughing softly. Hop however too caught up in his concern for his dear friend has somehow failed to noticed just how CLOSE they are; Hop ending on top not thinking yet to move, faces but merely inches away. “ You alright ? Nothing broken ? “

❛ hm ?? ❜

victor's only barely heard hop's warning before they collide , rolling down the small hill as a surprised yelp leaves him. his partner yells worriedly , fussing over the sudden disappearance of its trainer. victor's hat is lost somewhere in the scuffle , but he hardly notices until they come to a stop.

his back hits the ground with a final oof as the wind is knocked out of him. once he's finally stopped rolling , victor opens his eyes , blinking up at hop. he's sore , but nothing that can't be dealt with.

it's only then that victor realizes how close they are , face turning nearly as red as his shirt. he can hear ace yelling for him , the poor scorbunny wondering where he'd gone in such a blur , but all victor can focus on is how close they are , one hand grasping at hop's jacket as his mouth goes dry.

❛ 'm fine , i think. ❜

have hop's eyes always been so gold ??

❛ i-i jus' ... lost my hat. ❜

the hand holding onto hop's jacket rests over his heart instead as victor swallows thickly.

[swordchamp]

“ ay why you suppose Ace been giving me that cheeky look ? “

❛ because he's a brat now. ❜

out of the corner of his eye , victor glares at his beloved partner , eyes narrowed & arms crossed. but cinderace is hardly discouraged , mimicking its trainer's pose with amused chatter. of course , victor knows the real meaning behind that look , the same expression ace has always had around hop , ever since he was a raboot.

get it together & stop pining so obviously , idiot.

at least , that's what victor believes his partner is telling him. & perhaps ace is right , he should get it together. he's the damn champion for arceus' sake. he should be better than making eyes like a schoolgirl in love.

but that's exactly what he is around hop , utterly smitten , & it's a wonder hop himself hasn't caught on.

❛ he's probably planning on taking some berries when you're not looking. ❜

a simple lie & a warning to his partner: don't try it.

[swordchamp]

Leans over his shoulder. “ whatcha workin on there mate ? “

❛ whaa -- !! ❜

victor's startled when hop leans over his shoulder , face flushing as he scrambles to turn off his phone , nearly dropping it in his haste.

he'll apologize later , rotom , promise.

he collects himself after a moment , clearing his throat & tugging at the collar of his shirt. really , it's embarrassing that he still gets like this , despite how long he's known hop. ace snickers from nearby , & victor shoots his raboot a sharp glare , which does little to dampen his partner's amusement.

❛ give a guy a bit'o warnin' , will you ?? ❜

now that his heart's stopped pounding in his chest , victor remembers hop's question.

❛ i-i was jus' lookin' at this new curry recipe. 's got sweet berries an' sausage innit. sounds interestin' , yeah ?? ❜