"Hi, I need to use the washroom. It's kind of urgent."
The girl asked calmly, but the barista working on her coffee did not even look up while replying. "Restrooms are for paying customers only."
The golden-haired girl frowned. Just a flicker, but enough. She reached toward the nearest shelf and picked up a random item, a pack of bread.
"Fine. I'll buy something."
The barista pointed toward the long queue. "You'll have to pay first."
She looked at the line. Then back at the barista.
"Seriously?" Her patience was waining but her voice remained calm. "I really need to go. This is public space, you do know you're required by law to let people use the washroom, right?"
The barista finally looked up and crossed her arms. "Store policy."
"There is no way store policy supersedes the law." The girl groaned in frustration. Why were people in Kanto always so hard to deal with?
If not because she was undercover for her recent project, she would have never opted for this place.
Daemon had been watching quietly from his spot in line, head tilted in thought.
"I'm about to order," he said, loud enough for both the girl and the barista to hear. "Do you want your usual?"
The café stilled for a moment. The girl turned toward Daemon and blinked at him, caught off guard.
The cashier punching his order arched a brow.
The black-haired boy didn't miss a beat. He turned casually toward the girl and smiled. "Weren't you planning on something cold?" He asked before looking at the menu. "How about a mocha cookie crumble, babe?"
The golden-haired girl caught on instantly, eyes flickering with understanding. She slowly nodded, stepping closer like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She gave him a thankful smile. "Sure. A latte sounds perfect."
Daemon hesitated for a moment but then asked, "Anything to eat? I just ordered a 'morning special.'" Every shot you didn't take was a shot missed, and he had just shot his shot. "What would you like to eat?"
The golden-haired girl smiled at the audacity of the boy, but she was amused as well.
Without waiting for a reply, he turned to the cashier. "Another 'morning special' and also," he looked at the barista, "can I get the washroom key now that my girlfriend is part of the purchasing class?"
The barista stared at him, her expression somewhere between disbelief and quiet resignation. After a long second, she sighed, reached beneath the counter, and slid the key across without a word.
Daemon paid, pocketed the receipt, and turned toward the girl who now had a thankful and yet amused expression on her face. He handed her the key as if it were a rare treasure.
"How about I save us a seat?" He was asking the million-dollar question, and the answer would decide if his efforts had paid off or not.
For a second, the golden-haired girl hesitated. It had been a long day, and this wasn't in her plans. But then her gaze met his, and even though the boy was trying to hide it, she could see the anxiety in his eyes.
A stranger had stepped in for her… and now he had asked her for a date.
'Bold.' She had to give that much to the boy. Her lips curled into a small, playful smile. "Give me five minutes," she said softly.
Two minutes after she left, Daemon finally heard the barista call his name.
As the barista slid the tray across the counter, he took it with steady hands. A latte and a frappuccino. Two plates of warm and fragrant food.
He nodded his thanks and turned away from the counter, scanning the café for an empty booth near the window. His feet moved, but his thoughts lagged behind.
He'd just ordered breakfast for a complete stranger and lied, smoothly, convincingly, without hesitation. And not just any lie…
"Babe? Really?" He muttered to himself and groaned while dragging his hand down his face. "That's the best I could come up with?"
'Alice is going to have a field day.' The psychic-type was surely going to bully him for what he did, but she was also sensible enough not to mock him in front of others.
However, it wasn't entirely his fault. Daemon knew he had one shot, and if he missed it, it would be a generational fumble.
'Fuck it. It is what it is.' The the ever non-changing motto of his life, he called the psychic-type out of her ultra ball.
"Ralts." The psychic fairy smirked at her trainer and then clasped her hands before acting as if she was swooning over something or someone. "Raaaa~"
Daemon's eyes twitched when the psychic-type went on her knees and started mimicking a proposal.
"Yeah, whatever."
He leaned back slightly, resting one arm on the booth and glancing toward the hallway where she'd disappeared, ignoring Ralts, who was now laughing with her hands over her belly.
Sigh
A few minutes later, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye: the same girl, her golden hair now tied in a ponytail, scanning the café. When she spotted him, she smiled and walked over.
"Mind if I sit?"
"I was wondering if you ditched me." Daemon joked and pointed to the empty chair. "Thankfully, you hadn't."
"I considered that for a second."
"Too bad I was planning to hog both plates for myself." Daemon gave a fake sigh before the duo chuckled at their lame joke.
"Daemon Aragon." Realizing they had not exchanged names, the black-haired boy introduced himself. "And this," he pointed at his Pokémon. "Alice, my starter."
"Ralts." The psychic-type greeted politely; all of her previous mischief had long disappeared.
The golden-haired girl raised an eyebrow when her gaze landed on the psychic fairy before she turned to the black-haired boy with a smile. "I am...Shiro." She gave him her hand. "Thanks for the help, by the way.""
"Don't mention it." Daemon shook her hand, holding it delicately. 'Soft.' He discarded unnecessary thoughts and tried to move the conversation forward. "You don't look like someone from Kanto."
"What gave it away?" Shiro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Your accent."
"I just flew over from Unova."
"Oh?" It surprised Aeron. "You are very far away from home."
Unova was one of the regions that was furthest away from Kanto, but it was also the weakest since their Champion was not as strong...well, compared to other champions; Alder could wipe the floor with any trainer, but paled in comparison to his peers as well as some gym leaders from other regions.
"What's with all the dust?" he asked as they began to eat, gesturing toward her clothes.
"I just came from Diglett Cave," she replied casually.
The black-haired boy looked her up and down. "You went into Diglett Cave dressed like that?"
She was wearing a black dress and heels, hardly the kind of outfit suited for a cave full of sinkholes and uneven ground.
The golden-haired girl just shrugged. "You would be surprised by my travelling habits when I was young."
"Maybe a story for dinner?" Daemon suggested before changing the topic. "Were you there to catch a Pokémon? Found anything interesting?"
"No." The golden-haired girl shook her head with a smile, knowing what the boy meant by his first question, but decided not to comment on it. "I was there for work."
"Ranger?"
"Archeologist."
"As in, you dig up ruins of old and try to uncover the buried history of the world archaeologist?"
"Why? Don't look like it?"
"I thought you were a model, honestly." Daemon shrugged, not letting any emotion surge on his face, acting calm as if he had not just complimented her.
"Compliments will get you everywhere." The golden-haired girl smiled at the boy's bold attempt. "And you do know I am older than you by quite a few years?"
"And I don't remember age being part of the requirements for giving a compliment." A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Should I start checking IDs before I admire someone now?"
"Touche." The girl clicked her tongue. "What about you?" It was a broad question that asked for a lot of things.
"A small village in the Ransei Island/Region. Plan to challenge the Gym Circuit."
"Ransei Island/Region? The one ruled by three leagues after the war was stopped mid-way?"
"Correct."
During the Kanto–Johto–Hoenn War, Ransei served as a frontier where the three regions clashed in constant battles. When the war finally ended, the island remained divided into three territories. To maintain peace, the regions signed a treaty agreeing to govern Ransei jointly.
Daemon was born in the Kanto-controlled territory of Ransei, which is why he was sponsored by the Indigo League rather than the Johto or Hoenn Leagues.
"So a Pokémon Trainer, huh?" Her eyes studied him closely, and she could feel the confidence with which he carried himself. "When is your first gym battle?"
"I am fighting a gym trainer in three days and then Flint a week after that." Daemon was still a bit unhappy at how late his battle with Flint would be.
"Enough time to train." She nodded before once again asking. "How many Pokémon have you caught?"
"Well..." Daemon hesitated for a moment before speaking. "You already met Alice." The psychic fairy was elegantly eating her food, unbothered by the golden eyes of the girl that were filled with amazement every time she looked at her. "I have another...But I don't think he will listen to me anytime soon."
Shiro thought before guessing. "A Scyther?" Since they were close to Viridian Forest, that was the only species in the nearby area that a new trainer would be hard-pressed against.
"Its..." Daemon did not know if he should tell her about Deino. "It's a bit complicated." He decided against revealing the identity of his second Pokémon.
The golden-haired girl did not pry into his personal matter as well, but she was very much interested in his starter. Her eyes, ever so slightly, kept drifting towards the psychic-type.
"Why can't I see your face properly?" Daemon finally asked.
"I have a Fairy-type using its power to make my face… cloudy to other people's eyes."
The black-haired boy let that sink in, wondering how strong a Pokémon would have to be to pull off something like that.
From what little he had gathered about her, he knew she was anything but ordinary—even if their conversation felt surprisingly normal. Not even the way she happily sipped the iced mocha cookie crumble he had ordered for her fooled him into thinking he stood a chance.
'Is this what they mean by 'out of your league'?'
Daemon pushed the useless thought aside. This was just a chance encounter with a stranger who happened to be breathtakingly beautiful, even if her features were blurred to him.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
At least, that was what he told himself.
They kept talking, but he knew it wasn't going anywhere. Eventually, the golden-haired woman glanced at the time and rose from her seat.
"I had a great time. Thanks for the treat."
"The pleasure was mine." Daemon stood as well, unsure what else to say or do.
She slipped on the coat she had draped neatly over her chair and turned to leave—
"Miss Archeologist, for how long are you staying in the city?"
She paused and looked back at him; the way he had addressed her brought a smile to her face. Afterall, they had figured out the name she had given to him was not real.
"A few days, I think. Other than the museum, this city doesn't have much to offer."
Daemon grabbed a napkin and quickly wrote down the date of his upcoming Gym battle; losing to a Gym Trainer wasn't even an option in his mind. He held it out to her.
"See if you can make it. I promise it'll be worth staying in the city a few extra days."
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[Author's Note]:
[1]: Did you guys like the chapter? Please tell me if I can improve anywhere.
[2]: I know, a bit awkward, but that was what Daemon was feeling. And also the fact that I am not a brilliant writer.
[3]: I need suggestions for the third Pokémon. It has to be either a Rock or Ground-type; it doesn't matter what generation or secondary type they have (No Starters or legendaries).
PLEASE DONATE STONES!