TFLN 2020

[legalized]

【my ❝TEXTS FROM LAST NIGHT❞ post】
or just text me.

♛ here is my muselist. ♛ text them — you can do so by putting their name in the subject line! ♛ can be informal/formal/comment spam/crosscanon/explicit/whatever tickles your fancy! ♛ feel free to make up a scenario at the start, or wait to see where things go. ♛ oh, and here is TFLN. meme code.

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[thunderwave]

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is essential for long-term success.

[ with a hum of agreement, at blue's assessment of salma's weaknesses and strengths . . . and lance continues to watch the battle. he has never been good at things like this; mass-teaching groups of people. it was one of many reasons he never remained leader of blackthorn gym. such a thing is just a thing he is not good at.

and he considers saying so when blue asks his next question.

lance hesitates for half a moment before taking a seat on the bench next to blue, resting his back against the wall. dragonite remains next to blue, seemingly interested in watching the battles, though the massive dragon glances toward lance, as his friend considers his answer. ]

I did. I needed to speak to your grandfather.

[ it wasn't necessarily a pleasant conversation. mostly consisting of what do you mean, you gave ethan permission to scale mount silver, and the bickering of two old friends who believe they know best when neither of them likely do. ]

After that, it was a brief visit. I said hello to Daisy, and Red's mother. Both say hello.

[ it's sort of hard not to say hello to the entire town when he arrives to say hello. the town is so small, and word spreads quickly. and he always feels somewhat compelled to check in with red's family, given what happened. ]

[blueser]

Hmm, sure. You could put it that way.

[With only a slight frown from Blue as Lance sits beside him- he inches a little to the other end of the bench to give his stupid cape more room- he tries to school his face as much as possible in response to Lance's reply about talking to gramps.]

[He's sure glad he wasn't there- he knows how stubborn gramps could be, and Lance was a pushy nag.... It probably would have been super uncomfortable. And besides, he didn't want to hear about the subject- not the actual one, but the elephant in the room.]

[...Blue talked to her every so often, still, and she never was anything but kind to him- but he could never quite look Red's mom in the eye, anymore.]

Good. I have my stuff, so we won't have to stop back there when we leave.

[Luckily, there wasn't too much time left in the day's training schedule- by the time Lance arrived it was late afternoon, and there's a little under an hour more of Blue sitting, then getting up (probably to avoid some annoying conversation with Lance) and weaving between the practice pairs, commenting and calling corrections.]

[With the exercise finished, everyone recalls their Pokémon, and split up to finish the chores around the Gym before heading out for the day; Pokémon to care for, various clerical things to be arranged before Blue's absence, and most importantly, so that any challengers would be aware the Gym would be closed for challengers in that time...]

[At last Blue grabs his trainer pack and hauls it over his shoulder, sighing up at Lance.] ...Alright, you got what you want. Where're we headed?

[thunderwave]

[ samuel oak is a genius, and an exceptionally well-known and well-respected expert in his field. there is likely no one else in the universe that knows pokemon as well as oak does, and so in that vein, lance really has no choice but to listen to certain things.

all of that said, lance had been granted an uncomfortable insight into samuel oak the person, the day that blue lost the championship to red on the indigo plateau. and while sam had brought red to the hall of fame to properly induct him, he had left his grandson with lance, who had the uncomfortable job of balancing professionalism with being a human being. in the end, being a human being won out, which is why lance is in the viridian city gym today, three-ish years later.

he knows some portion of sam is grateful for lance's interest in blue, and lance is certain sam loves his grandson very much. but that didn't excuse the perceived overstep. or treating red like some type of final battle to be won. telling ethan he could go to mount silver without telling lance, and lance finding out via blue, when ethan should probably not be the one to find red first at all . . . it had been a messy argument. dragonite had waited outside patiently allowing the other residents of pallet town to show him around and play with him in order to avoid them seeing lance and professor oak argue over nothing, and lance had left annoyed. which he dislikes doing, on most days.

he pushes that out of his mind, though, when blue is ready to go -- and once the final trainer leaves the gym with a wave toward them, dragonite wastes absolutely no time in seizing blue into a (gentle) hug.

lance, to his credit, ignores it, speaking while dragonite hugs the quasi-life out of the teenager: ]

I leave the decision to you; I have to visit Mahogany Town, to ensure the rejuvenation process of the Lake of Rage is continuing as expected.

[ relocating the gyarados to allow the magikarp population to thrive again, so on and so forth . . . it's going to be a process, before the ecosystem is properly restored to what it should be. but from what lance hears, it's slowly but surely getting there. ]

A stop in Goldenrod City is also needed, for supplies . . . but if you have no interest in either of those stops, we can proceed to Blackthorn directly.

[ dragonite grumbles in approval. ]

[blueser]

[Blue gives a squawk as he's suddenly gathered up into a scaly belly, but chuckles and waves his arms to wrap around- as much as he can, anyway- and pat-pat as far as he can reach around him in a returned hug.] Just waiting for your chance, huh? Heheh.

[Certainly, he doesn't mind returning the dragon's affection, and Lance wisely doesn't comment, so all is well! Eventually Blue is released, and fixes what of his hair got mussed up by the sudden cradling, mulling over Lance's itinerary.]

...I don't mind, [He finally decides, hiking his bag back up over his shoulder.] If I'm getting dragged to Johto, I might as well see the whole thing, right? 'sides, sis wanted me to grab some things for her at the department store...

[He didn't go to Johto often, and he might disparage it, but new sights were new sights. Or at least uncommon ones.... After all the drama of recent times, he'd take the distraction. And besides, he wasn't about to let Lance just drop him in Blackthorn and abandon him there!]

You're not gonna dump me off that easily. Let's go.

[thunderwave]

I wouldn't just drop you off in a city and leave you there.

[ it would be a far more useful exercise to drop him in the middle of nowhere to see how he did, but lance keeps that joke (or is it) to himself -- and lance gestures, to let blue lead the way out of the gym, now that dragonite is done with his affections. ]

But you are right -- if you haven't been to Johto, you should explore. It's a beautiful area of the world.

[ though lance is partial to certain areas of it (the remote mountainous areas, the beautiful valleys), goldenrod city is impressive on its own. and he slides his hands into his pockets as they walk outside of the gym, dragonite following close behind. ]

What did your sister want in Goldenrod City?

[ just out of curiosity. ]

[blueser]

[Blue gives a scoff to that, eyebrows lofted in skepticism; but he doesn't feel the need to add to it with words. Yeah, sure, like that totally wasn't your plan all along, Lance!! Blue runs fingers in his hair to fix it up a little from Dragonite's crushing hug before gathering his bags back up and giving things a once-over.]

[Well. Time to get going.]

Some lame tea stuff, you know. The usual. And I've been, [He corrects, easily taking the lead out of the Gym, waving to his trainers and staff as they go.] Since that new Battle Tower opened up past Olivine- that's about the only thing worth checking out there. But I've been to Goldenrod a few times since the Magnet rail was built, while gramps was doing his radio show... Since Mary-san wanted to do some interviews with me.

[He smirks up at Lance, chin lifted.] I bet a fossil like you never caught any of those, though.

[thunderwave]

[ lance is about to point out that it's difficult to say the battle tower is the only thing worth checking out there if you haven't properly explored the region, but he lets blue keep going . . . and he's about to mention that he has listened to the radio show when dragonite snorts to himself, quickly covering it up with a cough as they move outside.

lance really isn't a big fan of . . . press. or interviews. or really anything that isn't doing his job. but he's often talked into doing those things, particularly if it means he can elevate a certain idea, or platform, or policy change, or whatever.

mary, in particular, is specifically relentless. hence dragonite's chortle. ]

I know Mary.

[ RESIGNED . . . ]

I'm sure she'll be happy to see you.

[ but no mention of the radio show, because he's avoiding the hell out of that particular branch of goldenrod city, thanks. ]

[blueser]

Oh, that's right! I heard you being dragged onto there, a few times.

[Blue beams, apparently delighted of the fact. He listened to the radio now and then while he was doing officework in the Gym, or lounging at home, or while he was setting camp up in the field.... And Mary's interview program was usually primetime, right after hosting Gramps' show.] It's okay, you didn't do too bad...... Buuuut, if you ever want some pointers on public speaking, you know you can always ask.

[He turns back to give Lance a snotty grin, pushing the door open with his foot.] I'll be your teacher.

[thunderwave]

[ dragged is an appropriate word. someone needed to rehabilitate the indigo plateau's reputation (given giovanni, and then red abruptly surrendering his post, and . . . well, pick your public relations disaster, really). and as lance is from johto, he's a natural fit to go to goldenrod and be asked a slew of questions about nothing in particular.

every so often, he can convince karen or koga to do it instead. will had done it once, and that had been a disaster. bruno had made it explicitly clear that he was not leaving the plateau to go talk to some random woman in goldenrod city about nothing.

lorelei was quite good at navigating the press, until she elected to return home. a skillset lance hadn't realized was important, until he was suddenly tasked to deal with it.

still, lance pushes those thoughts away, responding with a dry: ]

You've taught me many things, Blue, but I don't think public speaking will be one of them.

[ because flirting with the radio host in order to move the conversation along is something lance is not going to do. ]

Besides, judging from how frequently Mary makes a request for comment, I think she was satisfied with my appearances.

[ arceus help him. ]

[blueser]

Suit yourself, [Blue shrugs, nose still in the air. And hey, Blue is still a babby- he can get away with being a little flirtatious, because it's just cute and endearing! Not that it stops him in the future from doing it, then it's just suave and charming.] Just don't come crawling back later!

Weeeellll, but you probably draw the viewers in... [Reluctantly, Blue will admit that much. In Johto, of course Lance was going to be a popular speaker...] Even if it's just to talk about boring news stuff.

[You know, boring. Like the Radio Tower takeover and Team Rocket.]

[Now that they're outside, Blue releases Pidgeot, who stretches his wings out for a few beats and eyes Lance indifferently, sternly waiting for orders. Blue arranges the weight of his bags and slides on, waiting for Lance and Dragonite.]

Alright, Slowking. Lead the way.

[thunderwave]

"Boring news stuff" is in the job description, I'm afraid.

[ mildly; sometimes it sucks to be champion. it's all fun and games until something goes horribly worng, and you need to pick up the pieces.

still, a radio show is probably the least awful thing lance has had to do, as champion. he should probably stop complaining about it.

pidgeot earns a warm smile, despite the indifference, and lance easily pulls himself up onto dragonite, who stretches his own wings in preparation for the journey. ]

Goldenrod City first, then. We'll stop at Mahogany Town before going to Blackthorn.

[ and, without much more hesitation, dragonite lifts into the air, surprisingly fast and agile for . . . well, a big doofy dragon. but lance tosses blue a grin, and just before dragonite takes off properly: ]

We'll go slow, so you can keep up.

[ :) ]

[blueser]

Yeah, tell me about it.

[Blue watches Lance mount Dragonite, casually stroking Pidgeot's feathers. But he catches that grin, and the power Dragonite puts into his takeoff, the agile launch sending them soaring upward.]

[It's not Blue that the Taunt reaches first, but Pidgeot, giving an irritated flap as he starts in a run to liftoff. Blue makes a face too, and haunches himself forward with some words to his Pokémon, and the eagle Pokémon stretches his wings with a cry and gives a mighty beat, kicking up a whirlwind on the ground around them as he launches off...]

[...And away, passing Lance and Dragonite like a whizzing missile with a blast of wind only gently intended to knock them off course a little. Careful what you wish for, Lance.]

So it's like that! Smell you in Goldenrod, loser! [He calls back, voice whipped away in the winds.]

[thunderwave]

[ indeed, blue beats them to goldenrod city, but lance isn't too concerned about an actual race. dragonite, though, is more competitive than lance, and lance has to tell him at least twice, en route to goldenrod, that racing pidgeot isn't necessarily a good use of time or energy.

dragonite wholeheartedly disagrees. but he's less grumpy once they land just outside of the entrance of goldenrod city about an hour later, stretching his wings once before lowering himself down, letting lance slide off of the dragon-type's back, landing soundly on the ground. ]

I think it's best if you stay out of sight, my friend.

[ warmly enough, as he runs a hand along dragonite's side, readying to put the big beast back into his pokeball. lance alone tends to attract the chattering of strangers whenever he returns to johto, but dragonite attracts them even quicker. and once lance recalls dragonite into the pokeball, he turns to blue and pidgeot, arching his eyebrows slightly. ]

I would ask if you enjoyed the flight, but something tells me you went too quickly to enjoy the view.

[blueser]

Dragonite's strong, but Pidgeot's faster, [Blue smugly, diplomatically offers, internally patting himself on the back for being so fair in his assessment, giving Dragonite a wave before he goes back into his ball.]

[Blue turns to Pidgeot and similarly gives his thanks before returning the bird to his ball as well, and runs some fingers through his hair to reaffix the spikes that have been blown out of place by Pidgeot's wind-whipping speed.]

You're asking if I enjoyed the view. It's fine; me and Pidgeot like going fast, [He corrects, crossing his arms.] You should try some actual excitement some time, old man; a high-speed Flying-type battle is really something, you know!

[But whatever, lame-o Lance can enjoy his slow and steady mooning over the Johto landscape, Blue supposes. He glances towards the towering buildings of Goldenrod's center from the quiet suburb neighborhood they've landed in and gestures.] At least the city'll be less boring, let's go!

[thunderwave]

Actual excitement, I see.

[ dryly, though he does steer blue by the shoulder toward the path that leads toward the city. goldenrod has always felt a little out of place, to lance, compared to the rest of johto. the old buildings and beautiful historic sites seem at odds with goldenrod city, which is definitely the metropolis of the area.

but, you know. it is probably more exciting to a teenager than the ancient sites of history scattered throughout johto. lance can't really blame blue for wanting to shift there as quickly as possible. he did the same thing, once he was introduced to the concept of a city. and . . . then lance decided that he really didn't like the whole city vibe.

surprising literally no one, really.

as they walk down the path to the city, though . . . ]

If anything, I think I'm in need of less excitement, not more.

[blueser]

[Blue frowns, and half-heartedly shrugs Lance's steering off. He can walk himself there just fine, jeez!!]

You wouldn't know fun if it hit you in the face. Do they have a Gamecorner here? [Blue immediately grins, head swiveling around as buildings came into view.]

[Mostly, it was just small shops and sidestreets, but the bustle was becoming more lively the deeper they got into the city.] Heh, at least it'll be less shady than the one in Celadon.

I heard there's some kinda underground area where there's lots of battles, too. Is it any good? Is it just talentless losers?? Come on, let's explore and loosen up a little!!

[Indeed, maybe the teenager desperate for distraction was prone to go a little apeshit in the city.]

[thunderwave]

[ oh boy.

the rapid-fire questions cause lance to grin a little to himself, allowing the half-hearted shrug as lance slides his hands into his pockets, choosing to let blue finish before he responds. ]

Yes, there is a Game Corner, and I think anything is less "shady" than the one in Celadon City. [ that part is a bit dry; team rocket's crimes really seem to encompass everything . . . ] This one, to my knowledge, has never been touched by Team Rocket, though they did . . .

[ but lance pauses, there, and chooses to shift topics. blue does have a point; this is supposed to be a relaxing exercise, not dwelling on negativity. ]

Anyway. [ moving on. ] They do have a Game Corner. And the Goldenrod Underground has quite a lot in it. Including, I'm sure, trainers looking for a battle.

[ he . . . will probably avoid going there unless blue absolutely insists. lance showing up in the goldenrod underground is just a recipe for chaos. though, really, blue will not be much better.

but as they get to the city proper, lance pauses to glance around, before settling his gaze on blue, arching his eyebrows. ]

As the resident fun expert, you should lead the way.

[ if blue wants to explore, then lance will tag along. ]

[blueser]

Huh? Did you say something? [Blue snottily tosses back over his shoulder; if Lance ignored his chatter, he'd ignore Lance's, too!! And his... sad soliloquies about Team Rocket.]

[Blue's head is still swishing this way and that as they walk; he's been to the city, but only a few times. Certainly he didn't come here often, so there was still plenty of new things to see. He's definitely interested in exploring the underground and the shopping, but first...]

Glad you agree, [He smirks, and stops in an intersection to plot his course with a hum.] Hey, Johto's famous for takoyaki, isn't it? ...Where's the best snack stand around here? A local like you should know, right?

[He turns to beam smugly at Lance.] I think an after-work snack is in order before we start running errands, right?

[thunderwave]

[ ah, takoyaki . . . lance doesn't really partake in the food. the poor octillery . . . but due to the fact that lance doesn't really eat his furry little friends, he actually does know of a snack stand that is both (1) good and (2) will feed them both just fine. ]

I agree. This way.

[ with no hesitation; as lance turns right, at the crossroads, gesturing for blue to follow as they walk down the street. for a cavedweller, he sure seems confident . . . ]

It is relatively close to the Department Store, so we can kill two Spearow with one stone.

[ what a dreadful saying, but, you know, the point exists. ]

[blueser]

[Don't be a wimp, dad!!! But whatever, Blue looks delighted to be led on to food, so he bops along after Lance, letting his eye get caught by signs and displays here and there as they go, stopping to peer into a watch shop window, glancing through an outdoor book stand before darting back after Lance's fluttering cape.]

All the good food should be around there, right? I've eaten nearby once, there's waaay too much to try just one time, [He agrees sagely. He stops to glance across the way at a crowd gathering around a street performance of some Aipom and a musician before he catches up again.]

You must come here a lot, huh? Kinda surprising for a boring guy like you, but I guess even hermits have their favorite stores.

[thunderwave]

Goldenrod City? More frequently as of late, I think.

[ lance has spent so much time in kanto, with team rocket gripping the region and giovanni manipulating the outcome at every turn. and then, when team rocket had fled to johto, lance spent time combing the countryside to try and root them out. which required more time spent in goldenrod city, particularly after the radio takeover. ]

It's easier to deal with the rest of the chaos of the city when you have something to look forward to.

[ like delicious non-octillery takoyaki. it's a nice day, in goldenrod, and so a lot of the stalls with outdoor seating are fairly full with people taking their lunch break and enjoying the sunshine. but as they near this specific food stand, there is something of a line.

( never pick the food stall that doesn't have a line, okay. )

and as lance picks a place in line (and carefully ignores people who have recognized him in lieu of talking to blue), he glances toward the big department store, which is just around the corner, but you can clearly see the massive building. ]

It's also a quick walk to the Department Store, which is usually everyone's first stop, when they get here. Or the Game Corner.

[ gambling heathens and all. ]

[blueser]

Hmmm, something to look forward to, huh...

I shoulda figured you're the simple type, who just follows his stomach.

[Just like Red, tch.......]

[Blue frowns at the absurdly long line that Lance leads them into, poking his spiky head out a few times to peek at how it's moving as they wait. It's obvious that they've been recognized by the people around them (who else wears a cape!!!), but Blue smugly ignores them, enjoying the attention without having to acknowledge it.]

If you're an addict, maybe. [Please, Blue isn't that bad!! He grumbles as they shuffle forward in line, maybe a little slowly for his taste.] Are you sure this line is worth it...? It's so long.

[thunderwave]

[ well, he's not wrong, regarding the game corner. ]

It is worth it.

[ reassuringly, as he glances down at blue, who is clearly fidgeting and eager to get to the end. patience is a learned trait, lance thinks to himself. it's a difficult thing to learn, particularly when you're not inclined to such a trait.

but after watching blue fidget as they shuffle forward, and more people taking stock of who they are . . . well, maybe letting him wander off wouldn't be such a bad idea. exploring and seeing something new is a benefit too, in addition to learning patience.

and, honestly, blue can't get himself into too much trouble. probably. ]

If you would rather explore for the next ten or fifteen minutes, go ahead.

[ as lance inclines his head down a sidestreet, where they are plenty of shops and drink stands. ]

The stand, and I, will still be here when you're done.

[ try not to get into trouble. ]

[blueser]

[Blue huffs at the assertion, but with his fidgeting, Lance is able to read his mind pretty easily. Blue's head jerks up hopefully when Lance offers for him to cut loose, and it hardly takes him a second to accept.]

Heh! That's more like it. [Blue inclines his head down the sidestreet Lance indicates, and smirks back over his shoulder.] You better not eat my takoyaki!! Oh, and extra pickled ginger on mine! Smell ya, old man!!

[He calls loudly, dashing off towards the alley. Surely he'll be fine...... He's a very responsible young man. Right?]

[......A little less than half an hour later, Blue comes strolling back to the area, glancing around the vicinity of the takoyaki stand, with two drinks in hand. Can't be too hard to spot the caped dragon-crusader....]

[thunderwave]

[ and there he goes.

the line moves relatively quickly (or, at least, lance's definition of quickly), and it poses lance the opportunity to talk to people. typically, he really tries to avoid it -- his time limit for "acceptable socialization" is pretty stunted, but it's good to gather information, on how goldenrod has been faring, since team rocket has left. and while his celebrity is (mostly) an annoyance, it is good for getting people to talk to him.

so by the time blue comes back, it hasn't actually been that long since lance received the food. and lance has found a moment of reprieve at a table near-ish to the takoyaki stand, with blue's octillery-filled takoyaki (with extra pickled ginger, as requested), and whatever lance has ordered. it vaugely looks like takoyaki? but, you know. fish are friends, not food.

once blue makes his way over, though, lance's eyes flicker toward the drinks in his hands, curious. ]

What did you find?

[ warmly, as he gestures to a seat. ]