What's So Great About Being A Trainer Anyways?

Chapter 14 - Is This Really The 8th, The Last Gym?

"Flora, will you marry me?"

Her eyes teared up and she covered her mouth, which I was sure was hung open. The tears that had formed streamed down her face. She was overwhelmed, but who could blame her?

It took longer than expected for her to reply, so I panicked a little bit. "It's fine if you won't... It's only been a few months and all..."

"No," she said.

I about collapsed on the spot. Shot. Down. I shook as tears of my own formed.

"I mean..." she corrected herself. "I mean 'no,' it isn't too early." She smiled with her tear stained face. "Yes, I will marry you."

My emotions did a complete flip. I was sling-shotted to a feeling of ecstasy. "R-really?!"

"How could I say no?" Her lips pursed a little. Her expression softened, and she held out her hand palm down.

I removed the ring from the shell and slipped it on her finger. She laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"It's on the wrong finger you doofus."

I cringed and then switched the ring over to another finger.

"Try again."

I switched it one last time.

"There you go."

I stood up, red as a rose, and the pressure in the air finally fell of my shoulders. I still felt that I had to do something though. I stepped forward and took my hand around her neck. I closed my eyes. I pressed my face forward and our lips connected. I could feel tension at first, but she relaxed and it finally hit me that I had done it. My dreams had come true: Flora was going to be my wife.

We held it there for a few more seconds, but then, as if communicating without words, we both released simultaneously. We opened up our eyes to find ourselves gazing thoughtfully at each other.

I grinned from cheek to cheek and used my hands to motion down an imaginary red carpet that lead to the gym door. "Shall we?"

She nodded, and I walked her arm in arm towards the door. When we got close enough I got the door for her.

"I want you to go first," she said. "I'm still a little frazzled."

"Alright, no problem! I'll be sure to weaken him a little for you," I said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the smile creeping across her face.

-----

"And for you two love birds, I'll start with Luvdisc." The strange blue haired man dressed in a flashy white, green, and blue suit pulled out a pokeball and tossed it forward. Out popped a heart shaped fish that jumped straight into the water below.

I smirked. "Go, Gyarados!" My huge blue water serpent made a splashdown into the watery field below, creating waves that moved around the ice platforms.

"Luvdisc, use Sweet Kiss!" The gym leader's pokemon blew a kiss which took a pink and bubbly form, and shot it at my Gyarados.

Gyarados effortlessly dodged it, and it became my turn. "Use Whirlpool!" He dove into the water, tail eloquently following his head in an arc, and seconds later the middle of the field started to exhibit rotation. The rotation speed increased quickly, until the whole field was in a spiral. The ice platforms that had been placed for the non-swimming pokemon were dragged down into the whirlpool, like little white boats. "I don't care how fast your Luvdisc is," I said with a smirk to Wallace. "Its tiny body is going to be completely overpowered by the force of my Gyarados."