❛ 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.

❛ i ... ❜

victor feels like he's choking on his words , he can't make anything come out the way he wants to. he didn't want to give up , not after ace had worked so hard to get stronger for him. if he gave up , he'd be letting everyone's hard work go to waste. it wouldn't be fair , not to his team & not fair to everyone he's beaten up until now.

but is it fair to himself to keep going ??

it's hard to act like his losses don't rattle him. he doesn't know how to be unbothered when the entire nation is watching him make mistakes over & over & over again. how many times did kabu overwhelm him ?? how many times had opal gotten the best of him ??

how many more times would it take for him to beat raihan ?? what were people going to say about him this time ?? he's seen enough to know it doesn't look good , & the idea of facing the public again makes him nauseous. he can't do it , not again , not to lose.

❛ i-i ... ❜

ace chitters quietly , one paw on victor's shoulder. his pokemon have been working so hard to stand up to raihan's team. victor's proud of them , of ace , but ...

another quiet sound from his partner draws his attention , his cinderace giving him a smile. the rest of his team make their way over , ninetales nudging at his palm with her frosty snout , gallade standing at his back & boltund at his side. corvisquire , shy as she is , chirps encouragingly from her place on victor's shoulder. he sniffles , palm rubbing harshly at his eyes as he looks around at his team , his partners , who all seem to say the same thing.

we'll follow wherever you lead.

❛ ... thanks , guys. dunno what i'd do without you. ❜

ace chatters beside him , pulling victor & bede into a hug , causing victor to laugh brightly , shaking his head.

❛ one more time. we'll battle raihan one last time , okay ?? & either we win , or ... that's all we can do. ❜

victor glances at bede out of the corners of his eyes , expression brightening but no less tired.