30

21: Keeping Promises

Hitting the showers after was the first call for any Trainer. Brandy was too exhausted to do anything other than get clean. Scuffed clothes, grass stains along her arms, and petals hiding in her spiky red hair. Brandy had expected to come out of her first Gym Battle a lot worse for wear. In the end, the most significant injury had been her pride. It had only been a matter of time before she got her ass kicked; Brandy knew that on some level and had even prepared for it when she'd gone to find her first Pokémon. All the successes she'd got under her belt had given her the belief that maybe, just maybe, she was special.

"Aw, you look so sour," Sparky said, hugging Brandy's side and nuzzling her head to get under Brandy's chin. Sparky's hair was an odd soft against her body, denser than most hair but smoother, too. It was very comfy to rest a chin on, even when trying to be miserable about things.

"Let you both down, is all. I really thought we could win that," Brandy said, rolling her head to dig a little into the soft hair blowing along the top of Sparky's head. It made her multiple eyes flutter, her body shaking from a held-back giggle.

"No moping! I had a lot of fun, even though I thought I would miss out. How was it, Calcine?"

"It was great," Calcine said, as taciturn as she lathered Brandy's arms with soap to get the grass stains off. Sparky rolled her eyes at the complete lack of detail.

"Give me a little more than that!"

"You going to tell us what you learned with Lea?"

"No way! You'll find out," Sparky grinned.

Calcine gave a little shrug and continued cleaning Brandy up. Her rocky body was easier to clean once it had hardened up again. It hadn't taken long for her usual shine to return. Brandy was taking work.

"Well, even if she isn't going to tell me the juicy parts, the point is, we enjoyed it! Except for getting bitten by a tiny bug Wooloo's. That bit sucked,"

"Sorry," Brandy huffed, burying her face in Sparky's hair. The shower water ran off her in rivulets onto the Joltik until her yellow fur matted up in a big tangle.

"Sorry, sorry! Boo hoo!" Sparky mocked, "We wouldn't fight for you if we didn't enjoy it, so none of this sad sack stuff!"

"I'm actually glad you lost," Calcine said as she moved to soap up Brandy's tangled hair. The short red spikes loved to become a bird's nest any chance they got.

There was an awkward pause. Calcine took a long time to realize what she had just said.

"Because it'll force you to improve," she added quickly. "Not because I enjoy seeing you lose. I just want you to win through more than perseverance and quick thinking."

"Calcine's being mean to me," Brandy mumbled into Sparky's hair, hugging the Joltik closer and squeezing the underside of her breasts. "She doesn't believe in me anymore, Sparky."

"Wow!" Sparky gasped, rolling her shoulders back against Brandy affectionately. "Calcine, that's horrible. I can't believe you're a glory chaser."

"That's not what I meant, and you both know it!"

Brandy squirmed to pull away from Calcine's hands as they rubbed soap into her hair. Calcine got a hand around the pair of them and mercilessly rubbed Brandy's hair until Brandy was left crying with laughter. Sparky bobbing below her, seemingly happy to enjoy all the extra rubbing from the twitching trainer.

"All right, all right!" Brandy squealed. "No more Rock hand rubs! I believe in you. I'll do better!"

"Darn right you will," Calcine said, flicking soap flecks at the furiously giggling Sparky. She just got a tongue poked back at her. "I didn't pick a quitter."

----

Brandy picked at a hole in her shirt sleeve as they returned to the Gym's entrance. Between Calcine stealing her clothes and the drag-down battles she was getting into, she'd already run out of clothes that didn't have some battle damage.

"I know I'm not meant to mope, but no Pokébucks will be a problem. I can't just walk around everywhere naked."

"Well, actually, " Sparky started.

"I don't want to walk around everywhere naked." Brandy cut in before she could finish, "I need new clothes!"

"The ones you got aren't bad. They'll last a little while longer." Calcine said. Annoyingly, the shirt she'd stolen off Brandy was in a far better state than the one she was wearing. That hardly seemed fair. She may need to see if she could get one of Calcine's sports bras to fit. Or raid a few charity boxes and hope she didn't come out looking like an old pair of curtains.

Maple's human mother, Willow, was waiting by the entrance, just as she'd promised. She was smoothing her lab coat nervously as Brandy came over, which just felt odd. Brandy didn't really have much interaction with Willow growing up. She'd worked out she was a very serious and focused woman from the little Brandy had seen of her. Pretty much the opposite of her own researcher mother. Maybe that's why she'd never really seen them get together.

"We're done!" Brandy tried to put some cheer in her voice. She felt a lot more mellow after her partners had cheered her up. All the money problems swirling around her head would not let her come out of there full of smiles. She'd really been banking a lot on clearing this Gym first shot.

Willow adjusted her glasses, tucking a lock of blonde hair back behind her ear as she looked over at the trio. "Before you go, I'd like to remind you to not discuss the test with anyone. The format will change at the end of the month, and then you'll be free to tell your stories about it." Willow said, all serious. The tension in her eyes gave her away. She was eager to rush through this part, but too darn professional to allow herself the expediency.

"We won't!" Sparky said, "We're raring to come back and try again soon. Not going to get ourselves blacklisted."

"Good. I still recommend the Starter Course if you'd like to prepare more for it."

"No, thank you," Brandy said. "It's a nice offer, but if I do anything more today without some food and a nap, I'm going to collapse."

"Ah," Willow fidgeted with her clothes. "Be that as it may, I have a request of you. It won't require much physical effort, I promise. Could you go talk to my daughter? Maple is at The Poke-center still, and I think talking to someone going through the same journey she is may get through to her better than myself."

"Well, we're not exactly. I mean..." Brandy flailed as she tried to express how Maple was about as enjoyable to hang around with as licking a Persim Berry for Brandy. It was impossible, you couldn't tell someone's mom that.

"In good spirits? I understand. It isn't easy to lose."

"No! Uh..." Brandy's thoughts flail in anger as she throws away a perfect excuse.

Calcine stepped in, giving Willow a polite curtsey. "Brandy's just a little awkward with her words. Don't worry. We'll help her through it."

Willow breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. She's usually so driven. It will be good to see her return to normal."

Still stun locked, Calcine and Sparky drag the shocked Brandy out with some hurried goodbyes.

---

The Pokécenter was busy. A few groups of trainers were getting their Pokémon treated after intense battles. The rest were there for recovery after some equally fierce loving. But for Trainers, usually their days weren't as active as Brandy's had been lately. Most were here for a quick drink or something to eat on their travels, clustered around the corner tables, all chatting amongst themselves. It was a thrill for Brandy just getting to see so many Pokémon in one spot. Brandy had gotten kicked out of the Pokécenter her fair share while growing up trying to sneak looks. It felt almost heretical to be coming in for a good reason.

"I'd like to queue to add in Lapidary's name," Calcine said, gesturing to a queue that was in danger of sprawling back out the center's front doors. "Will you be okay to go see Willow with Sparky?"

"You signed us up for this!" Brandy huffed. "No bailing!"

"Yes, I accepted this task because it was the right thing to do, and I didn't want to hold off on getting Lapidary her name any longer." Calcine said, "You're going to tell Maple you already partnered with two Pokémon. I don't think you'll hate that as much as you act."

She had a good point, but bailing on them was still pretty cheeky.

"We could wait for you?"

"You could, but this place is heaving. I don't think you want to spend all day standing around."

She wasn't wrong. There was a massive crowd of people today. Maybe it was the nice weather? Or some kind of local accident? Brandy was pretty sure there wasn't a festival due for weeks yet. Looking over the crowd, she couldn't work out the reason easily. Mainly because she saw a tall bunny girl looking Pokémon with red-tipped ears and a sticky plaster over her nose. Brandy was lost internally, screaming at how cute they were.

"Standing around with you two isn't so bad. I would love that. We need to bond after all," Brandy said, staring at the cute Pokémon.

Sparky looked between the two, panic in her glowing blue eyes. Brandy felt her anxiety flow up along the bond and reached to take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Or.... you're excited to get home?" Brandy guessed

"You owe me so much quality time! You put it off anymore, and I'll web you up and drag you back to your bed."

"I'll help with the dragging," Calcine nodded. "Sparky's put up with a lot. Don't push your luck, making her wait any longer. You can admire people's ears tomorrow."

Brandy blushed, caught! "Sorry! I am really thankful for all you did. Okay, okay, we'll go without you. But I still think you're a sneak for setting me up like this."

"That's a lovely compliment. I enjoy being smart," Calcine said, beating her chest.

"Not a compliment!"

Sparky used her handhold to swing Brandy's arm, skipping to pull her off. "It's okay to suck at insults, Brandy! You're good at sucking other things."

"Hey! How come I have to improve, and you both still get to be awful to me!" Brandy yelped as she dragged off.

"Character building," Calcine called after her. "Be nice to Maple now, or I'll be disappointed in you!"

Right. Maple. Time to do a good deed for the completely undeserving.

Character building sucks!

22: A Taste of Maple

Pokémon Centers aimed to be a one-stop place for services that helped facilitate the bonds between Pokémon and Humans. The dining areas were often a popular date spot for when people were too tired to be creative about it but still wanted to take people out for a treat. Brandy had always wondered what the little slices of cake they sold tasted like, but her Poké-mom had always told her she'd find out when she was older. It hardly seemed fair that she was older and still didn't know.

Stores set up inside sold useful accessories for Trainers and Pokémon alike. Brandy was still excited to drag Calcine and Sparky into them when she had some money. Her supplies were in a pretty sorry state. She only had one Binding Ball and a half-empty bottle of Repel spray. She probably should have been a little more judicious when using the spray, as the Goldeen she'd squirted while bathing was probably still washing most of it out of her mouth.

Her destination today was probably the most common reason a Trainer had to enter the Pokémon Center. The comfy private bedrooms were for people who'd overdone it. All it took was a press of a call button on the Pokédex, and the Center would send someone to pick them up. Pokémon were good about doing it, mainly because it was the easiest way to get a Failed Capture recorded against their name. Some even took pride in it and competed to drive their numbers up with each other. However, Brandy was hoping she wouldn't run into anyone that aggressively strong yet, or she might end up like Maple.

Poor Maple. Brandy was almost sure her former classmate had deliberately sought the strongest Pokémon near their hometown to be her first Partner. Though the prissy woman had very much gotten the fucking she deserved, it was hard not to feel bad for her. No Trainer wanted to be put in the Center on their first attempt to capture something. It was the sort of thing you'd tease a friend about, but for it to actually happen? Rough.

Sparky was thankfully on their best behavior, standing back with hands politely crossed before her as Brandy caught the attention of the Pokémon manning the reception desk for the Rest Area. Brandy was usually fantastic with identifying Pokémon types, but this one eluded her. Beady crystalline blue eyes peeked out from the shadow cast by her massive yellow shell. The shell wasn't the usual Turtle shape but more like a giant ladybug, made of yellow geometric triangles patterned with blue dots. The eyes made her think a bug type, but Brandy couldn't believe someone inclined to mischief would be trusted to man a quiet desk.

She knew all the pure bug types, so they probably had a second typing that mellowed them out, just like how Grass had dampened Honeycrisp's domineering Dragon spirit some.

"Hi," Brandy said, trying to hush her voice like she was in a library. "Maple Haze's mother sent us to visit her. I'm an old classmate?"

Those crystal blue eyes looked at her, and Brandy felt like a breeze had run over the inside of her head, a weird sensation that made her rub her eyes and shake her head.

"Oh, sorry!" the yellow-shelled receptionist said, "I have to scan people to make sure they're not trying to sneak in to make matters worse."

"That happens a lot?" Sparky said, ears pricked up; now, some saucy talk was on the table.

"Constantly," the receptionist sighed. "Often from the same Pokémon that put them in here. We're all for encouraging relationships here, but we only have so many beds. I like my guests walking out under their own power!"

"Just friends!" Brandy said, crossing her heart. "I mean, uh..."

"Don't worry dear, I know your intentions are pure." the receptionist tapped a finger over her mouth, a quick sign she could keep a secret that flooded Brandy with relief. "Maple's been in a terrible mood, and she needs someone who can shake a little sense into her."

"I wouldn't have thought it'd be me! I saw what happened."

"Mercury got to her, we know," the receptionist nodded, her shell shining as it caught the lights overhead. Brandy was into a lot of Pokémon, but this one had a more reassuring edge to her. Maybe for people who were a little nervous? Or just wanted a perfect companion who respected their boundaries. Psychic made sense there. They understood people the best, even if some, like Mercury, used it to be real terrors.

Sparky bounced on her heels upon hearing the name. "Yeah, Mercury is a big deal. She used to tell me about her fights."

"You're friends with her?" the receptionist asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Pfff, no way! I was someone she could brag to, and, well, admittedly, they were some really cool brags. I doubt she'd even remember my name." Sparky shrugged, content with her place in the world.

"A shame. It would be nice to know more about her." the receptionist took a keycard out of an enormous pile of them on her desk. How in Arceus' name she knew which was which, Brandy had no idea, as they all seemed the same to her eye. "Take this. She's in room sixteen. Make sure to hand it back in after you're done, and please, no sex."

"Absolutely not," Brandy nodded, agreeing far too quickly.

"Oh, trust me, I'm used to no sex by now," Sparky huffed, putting her arms around Brandy. "Come on then, my ever-teasing Trainer!"

"I'm not that bad!"

"No lying to receptionists, only good deeds! Take away your needy Partner to another thankless task."

Brandy had to drag Sparky behind her for a bit until she got sick of it and pushed her up against a wall, giving the Joltik a kiss that made her fur sparkle with electricity. Sparky really picked up the pace after that.

---

"Mom, not right now!" Maple called through the door as Brandy ran her card over the lock, and it beeped, leaving her standing there torn up with panic like she'd just been caught breaking into Maple's house.

"I'm not your mom?" Brandy said each word, filled with more awkward nerves than the last, slowly turning the handle to the room. "It's okay. I'm a friend."

"I don't have any friends!" Maple shouted.

Well, that's just sad.

"I can fix that!" Sparky said, pushing Brandy through the door.

Maple was sitting on her bed with a bowl of popcorn in her lap and a big pink blanket wrapped around her to form a small burrow, eyebrows raised as she watched Brandy tumble in with a Joltik right on her tail.

"Holy shit, you are pretty!" Sparky gasped as she saw Maple on the bed, "I mean... hi!"

Great start. Thanks, Sparky.

Brandy gave Maple an apologetic look, running a hand through her spiky red hair and gripping her neck. "Hey, Maple, we were in class together?"

"Yes. I remember," Maple said, voice sharp as she gave Sparky some vicious side-eye. Brandy had to admit Sparky wasn't wrong, though. When they'd last seen her, Maple was half covered in mud and still rolling off the highs of multiple orgasms from a big dicked Galar Rapidash. More composed, her blonde hair fashioned into long rolling waves and her skin clear and smooth, highlighted artfully with just a touch of makeup, she was back to her usual standards. A refined and powerfully hot look that made Brandy just awkward and gawky being around her.

"Well, uh, wanted to come to see you. Saw you had a rough time out there and uh.... uh..." Brandy faltered, her heroic deed already running afoul of the fact she just really didn't know how to talk to someone who'd treated Brandy more as a rival than a person and one Maple had happily crushed mercilessly in every test and activity.

"My mother sent you," Maple said, pulling the pink cover around her as she shied back into its depths.

"Yeah. Sorry." Brand said, "Even so, I wanted to see you. I mean, you were top of our class!"

"Much good it did me," Maple looked past Brandy to Sparky. "See I wouldn't even rate above the bottom now."

Sparky gave her a wave. "Nonsense, you're way hotter than Brandy."

Brandy glared at Sparky, but the Joltik ignored her to keep up the compliments. "You got a way better figure. Brandy's tall, which is hot, but she's got no curves yet."

"I swear you keep bringing that up. I'll put you in the ball and drop it in a river."

"And she's so mean to me! Listen to her, just absolutely vicious."

Strangling Sparky would prove her point, but that neck looks really grippable right now. It was cheering Maple up a little, though, just the glimmer of a smile on the edge of her lips. Maybe Sparky was doing this on purpose, or more likely, doing this on purpose while also finding an excuse to embarrass the hell out of Brandy.

"Nice try. Brandy's not mean," Maple said, "Daydreamy and a terrible coursework partner, but she's good."

Oh yeah, their shared project on Bonding Relations that Brandy had somewhat gotten lost researching, and Maple had needed to come over and watch her write it all down in a mad rush. To be fair to Maple, she hadn't been mean to Brandy. She just got really intense about anything that might possibly drop her grades, and that thing had just happened to be Brandy.

"We got an A! I wasn't that bad."

Maple snorted. "I got an A. You got lucky I was your Partner."

"Okay, fair. You are great at that stuff." Brandy admitted. No way she'd get a lie past these two. "I didn't want to come in and tell you how clever and pretty you were, though."

"Yes, I'm aware you don't like me."

"That's... that's not fair." Brandy faltered, again unwilling to even try to lie. Much as she had something to lord over Maple, now it just didn't really feel right. The Gym had wanted to teach her to look after others' feelings, and kicking her when she was down would make Brandy a heel. "I just never really got the chance to like you?"