Jubilee Event: Social Dinner

“Baebae use Nuzzle!” Jamie cried determinedly.

Aidan watched as the Alolan Raichu jetted in on it’s tail, and sparked up its cheeks against the garden’s Florges, paralysing and damaging it on the spot. The Florges’ battle partner- Trevenant, thumped down with a Wood Hammer nearby. Aidan would have loved nothing more than to bound outside and help Jamie with her battle, but he’d promised to meet up with Vron on the dancefloor when they separated this morning.

She’d wanted to do some fishing by one of the local rivers over noon, while he ducked away for a swim at a nearby beach. They’d agreed to meet back at their hotel room, or, failing that, the dance hall. However, the waves had been unentertaining to him, and he’d returned to their parting spot sooner than he thought he would. He’d thought he’d still find her sitting peacefully in the shade by the bank, but she was gone. Rashly, he’d rushed back to the hotel to catch up to her, only to find their room empty. It wasn’t until after he’d thrown on his good suit and taken off for the event that he realised he wasn’t behind her, but ahead of her, and that his beloved girlfriend had probably just shifted up the river to a more ideal fishing spot. He knew how much Vron could lose the day in a blissful fish, so rather than track back looking for her, he decided he’d catch up with her later and go and find some of their friends at the event instead.

He was snapped back to the present by the garden guardian Florges, healing off Baebae’s paralysis with Aromatherapy. Before he could be reabsorbed back into the battle, Rina had approached from his left, smiling slightly amiss.

“I’m liking the red,” Aidan grinned at her, “Just when I think your outfits can’t get any more impressive!”
Rina blushed slightly, and her smile faltered.
“Huh? Is everything okay?” Aidan asked concerned.
“Yeah, it is,” the smile returned, stronger this time, as if to make up for the lapse seconds before, “Where’s Vron?” the hostess asked.
“Running late,” Aidan smirked, “I told her that I’d meet her here.”
“Well, the dance floor still constitutes as ‘here’,” Rina gestured, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him forward, “Come on, I want to see what your moves are like off the battlefield.”
There was a jivy jazz song on.
‘Vron would love the sound of this,’ he immediately thought, but beamed down at Rina as they began to swing their arms rhythmically to the beat. Aidan began chuckling, realising that Rina hadn’t expected such energy from him on the dancefloor, and testily stepped it up faster, tossing his feet around in tune with the music. He spun her out, then whipped his arm back, rotating her back in towards him. They clasped hands again and began grapevining across the dancefloor, however, midway through, he lost his timing and came to a halt.
“Wait, whoops, sorry Rina!” he grimaced, “I’m a bit rusty,” he laughed.
He attempted to start on the beat once more but hesitated and missed it.
“Maybe you should lead,” he suggested, however, the song ended and everyone stopped and applauded.
A new song came on, this time a slow waltz.
With Vron still missing, Aidan looked down at Rina, “One more dance? I’m just starting to have fun!”

They shifted slowly around together. At first one song. Then another.
Aidan was wanting Vron to show so that she could be his dance partner, but he was grateful for Rina’s company in the meantime.
“Rina…” he interrupted the silence between them ever since the current song had started.
“How do you do it? Keep the negativity out day after day?”
There was no immediate answer.
They continued to three-step slowly with the music. Earlier they had been one of three couples on the dance floor. Now as dusk set in, they were amongst a sea of slow-dancers.
Hesitation as she thought about her answer.
And then finally.
“I don’t keep it out,” she responded, “You just learn to live with it.”
Aidan, knowing their conversation could be cut short by the arrival of Vron any second, fired back immediately.
“I don’t know if I can. I’m worried now, that I’ll start seeing sadness again where I see happiness now. Don’t you worry too? That you could suddenly be taken down a place so dark that you’ll never get out?”
She seemed to be contemplating a response for a moment, the two of them still waltzing around the hall, until she came to face the entrance and a warm smile spread across her face. And then she answered him.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that. As long as you remember what pulled you from that sadness in the first place…”

And she rotated him so that now he was facing the entrance.
Facing Vron.
She wore a long flowing cobalt blue dress. Her hair out and shifting entrancingly with each step. By her side was Cy, complete with a little baby blue ribbon and bell on. The only thing more capturing than her hair and dress were her glistening eyes and beautiful smile.

Rina let him go and he was magically drawn towards her. He had no recollection of the distance, but suddenly he was at her and kissing her gently on the lips. Warm and familiar, and he realised, that what he had experienced in the mansion during Round 2 of the tournament was nothing. A distant reminder of the person he used to be, nothing more. As for him. He’d become so much more because of her. During his moment of weakness and duress during Round 2, he’d thought of Vron as his Knight in Shining Armour. And she truly was. Ever there, ever ready to defend him and protect him. And always point him towards the light.

As they parted, smiled silently and happily at each other and began to dance, Aidan couldn’t help but think if this had been a good time.

A good time for him to have brought the ring along that he’d managed to stash and hide from his girlfriend ever since their arrival from Alola.

‘Nah,’ he thought to himself, and dismissed the thought with a grin, ‘This isn’t the right moment yet. But I will find it!’