*This chapter once again contains some references to the post game of Legends: Arceus*
You turn around to meet a pair of hazel eyes shining with determination in the sunlight. Before you can ask any more questions, the boy, who looks to be in his late teens, continues,
"The name's Blue. When I see a strong trainer I just have to battle them. So what do you say, do either of you fancy battling me?"
Blue... That name seems familiar to you... You ponder on this for a moment before it hits you.
"Wait, you're the Blue? From Kanto?" you ask with a gasp.
"The one and only," he smirks, but despite his cocky exterior his gaze is friendly, "And you're Y/N, and Adaman, right?"
"That's us," you smile, before turning to your bewildered boyfriend, who looks like his head's spinning from having to add yet another name to the ever-growing list of new people he's met on Pasio, "Sweetheart, this is Blue - he's one of the greatest Pokémon trainers of our generation."
"I appreciate the kind words," Blue grins, "Although I've heard you guys are tough too, so I'd love to show my skills in battle!"
"Well it's nice to meet you, Blue," Adaman says, before placing a hand on your shoulder, "Although I must warn you, Y/N here is amazing, so don't expect to win easily."
You feel a blush rise to your cheeks at his ever-supportive words, and you glance up at him with a small, grateful smile before turning back to Blue,
"I'd be happy to take you on," you say, "I'm interested to find out just how strong you are!"
"Alright, let's do this!" Blue says, before asking, "I know that we usually do battles a bit differently on Pasio, but how about a good old 6 v 6 to really test our skills?"
"You're on," you grin, before pulling out a Poké Ball and sending out your first Pokémon, Blue following suit as Adaman kisses you on the cheek and wishes you good luck before stepping back to watch.
There's no doubt that Blue is an incredibly strong trainer, and you can understand why he is viewed as a living legend in the Pokémon world. There are a few moments when Blue thinks he's backed you into a corner, but you've learned way too much from your time in Hisui to let that happen. As you're down to your final two Pokémon - your alpha Garchomp and Blue's Blastoise, you can tell from the smirk as he mega evolves his Blastoise that Blue thinks he's won, but there's no way you're going to let that happen. You command Garchomp to slow Blastoise with a Bulldoze before landing the final blow with an incredibly powerful strong-style Dragon Claw. You audibly exhale as you see Blastoise faint, relieved and proud to win such a tough battle, and to see that you don't seem to have lost any of your battle prowess during the more relaxed time you've had in Hisui recently.
"How could this happen?!" Blue gasps as he recalls Blastoise, before shaking his head to recompose himself as he walks up to you with a smile, "Man, I see they weren't kidding when they said you're crazy strong! You're the real deal!"
"That really means a lot, Blue, and thank you for the great battle - I had a lot of fun!" you grin, before Beautifly appear in your stomach as you feel a familiar arm wrap around you and Adaman places a gentle kiss to the top of your head,
"You were amazing as always, darling," he smiles proudly, before turning to Blue, "And thank you, for giving me the chance to see Y/N go all-out in battle - it's been a while!"
"Anytime!" Blue says, before adding with a smirk, "But don't think you'll beat me next time! After that, I want to beat you just like I want to beat Red."
"Red?" you ask. Again, that name feels familiar to you, but you can't quite place it...
"Oh of course! My bad, I forgot you guys won't know who that is. Red's considered a living legend in these parts, and until now is the only trainer to have beaten me. He's my greatest rival, who also happens to be my boyfriend," Blue smiles proudly, and you notice his eyes lighting up as he talks about this mysterious Red. After a moment, something falls into place,
"OH!" you exclaim, causing both Adaman and Blue to jump slightly as they turn to look at you, "I remember now! Red is that amazing trainer from Kanto who beat you to become champion, right? You guys went on a journey together and everything - your story is practically a legend across the Pokémon world, right?"
"Well... I mean we can leave out the part where he beat me to become champion," Blue huffs, "But yeah he is a great trainer. A living legend, if you will."
Adaman has remained silent for most of this conversation, and you turn to him in concern, hoping that having yet more names and stories thrown at him isn't too overwhelming. You tilt your head in confusion at the sight of him staring at you incredulously, slack-jawed as he seems to be trying to process something. He notices your look, and it seems to snap him back to reality as he says,
"Wait, so you just beat the second strongest Pokémon wield- sorry, trainer, in the modern Pokémon world?! I knew you were incredible!" he beams as he pulls you into a tight hug. Your cheeks flush red at his words, before truly registering them as you finally realise what you've just achieved. You give your boyfriend one last squeeze before turning back to Blue, slightly guilty for your very public display of affection right in front of him. Much to your surprise, however, he's smiling,
"Looks like you've got the right people around you to help bring out your talent too, huh?" he says with a smile.
"You're right," you say, glancing at Adaman, "I'm so lucky to have Adaman. He brings out the best in me, and I like to think I bring out the best in him too."
Adaman blushes at your words, and you smile, feeling unbelievably grateful to have him by your side. You never would have been able to overcome half the challenges you faced when you first arrived in Hisui if Adaman hadn't been there. He'd been a constant source of support in a doubtful world, believing in you when nobody else did, when you didn't even believe in yourself. His words of comfort and encouragement, his way of reminding you just what you are capable of, have helped you to this day, and you'll never be able to put into words just how grateful you are for him.
"Well, speaking of which!" Blue says suddenly, snapping you out of your daydream as you notice his face light up while looking at something over your shoulder, "Nice of you to show up, Red!"
Your stomach leaps into your throat as you turn around to see the Red, the absolute legend himself, standing there. He smiles and nods his head in greeting with a small grunt, which earns a raised eyebrow from Adaman,
"What's with him?" he asks quietly, so only you can hear.
"Oh don't worry it's nothing personal. He's famously not much of a talker - he lets his Pokémon battling do the talking."
"Well, I guess he seems nice enough," Adaman muses to you, "He has kind eyes, but they're also burning with determination and strength."
You nod in agreement, before you both turn to Blue as Red moves to join him,
"So Y/N, how about I heal your Pokémon up and you battle Red?" Blue asks, before turning to the teen next to him, "Would you be up for that, Red?"
Red dips the tip of his cap towards you, before looking up and meeting your eyes with an intensity that almost gives you chills. This is one powerful trainer, you think to yourself, I'm going to have to be on my game.
"Wait... Red - from what I can gather you're the most powerful trainer in the world, right?" Adaman suddenly asks, his eyes shining.
"I'm pretty sure that's my line...," Blue huffs.
"But you did lose to him...," you tease.
"And to Y/N," Adaman adds jokingly.
"Tch, maybe," Blue scoffs with an eye roll, but you can see his eyes shining with amusement, "But one day I'll beat both Y/N and Red!"
"We'll see," you smile, before taking a deep breath, "But in the meantime yes, I'm happy to battle Red. Let's do this."
Once your team is healed up, you take your place on the battlefield opposite Red after Adaman gives you a good luck kiss on the cheek, along with a "you've got this, darling." You take yet another deep breath to focus yourself before sending out your first Pokémon, with Red following suit.
The battle is like nothing you've ever experienced before; Red commands his Pokémon wordlessly, almost as if they have some sort of a telepathic connection, and it makes it incredibly hard to predict what they're going to do next. He comes up with all sorts of curveballs, and it's clear that his team is phenomenally well trained. The battle is astonishingly even more difficult than your battle against Volo, given Red's calm, calculated approach to battle being harder to counter than Volo's wild, frenzied attacks when he hit the peak of insanity. That being said, you manage to steady yourself and get Red down to his final Pokémon against yours - his Charizard against your Typhlosion. You go for an Infernal Parade, but before it can hit, Red's Charizard nimbly swoops out of the way before hitting Typhlosion with a perfectly placed Rock Slide that's so powerful it makes you flinch. As the dust clears, your heart sinks and your eyes widen in shock as you see Typhlosion fall in defeat, meaning you've just experienced your first loss in a Pokémon battle since falling from the space-time rift.
You call back Typhlosion as you're trying to process what's just happened, feeling the sharp sting of defeat, until you're snapped out of your thoughts by Red approaching with a small smile on his face,
"That was amazing," he says quietly, his voice hoarse from underuse, "You're so strong. Thank you for a great battle."
You have to stop your jaw dropping as he speaks, and your shock is echoed by Blue's words,
"Red! You actually spoke to someone other than me?!" Blue gasps.
"...," Red nods, quickly back to business as usual.
"Heh, I think what Red's trying to say is that your performance deserved congratulations. Nobody other than me has ever pushed him to his last Pokémon before."
"Thank you," you say gratefully, although deep down you're still feeling a bit upset and shell shocked at losing. You thought you could take on anyone, but knowing there's someone out there that can defeat you when you're going all-out makes you worry that you're not capable of fulfilling your role of protecting Hisui. Noticing the look in your eye, Adaman gently squeezes your hand,
"You did amazingly, darling," he says earnestly, his eyes shining with pride. You're grateful he leaves the rest unsaid for now, as it's not a discussion you want to have in front of Red and Blue, especially after they were kind enough to battle you in the first place.
"Well, it's been great meeting you guys," Blue grins, "We better get going, but I'm sure we'll see you around. Smell you later!"
With that, and a wave and a smile from Red, the pair head off back towards the city, leaving you and Adaman alone once again. As soon as they're out of sight, Adaman pulls you into a tight hug, leaning his chin on your head as you bury your face into his chest, desperately trying to stop the tears from falling, but to no avail as self-doubt overwhelms you. After a couple of minutes of Adaman soothingly running his fingers through your hair and placing gentle kisses to the top of your head, you feel yourself start to calm down, but that lingering self-doubt still remains as Adaman finally speaks,
"Darling... What's wrong?" he asks gently as you move to look at him, his arms still around you.
"It... It's stupid," you murmur, looking away from his gaze.
"Nothing is stupid if it's upsetting you," he insists, gently brushing a tear from your cheek, "You know you can talk to me about anything."
"You're right," you say, "And you have no idea how much I appreciate you always being here for me. It's just... I haven't lost a battle since arriving in Hisui and I always trust my team to be able to take on any challenge, so I feel like I've let them down by losing to Red. Plus... if there are trainers out there who are stronger than me, how am I supposed to protect Hisui? What if I've lost my touch...?" you finish, your voice trembling.
Adman tilts his head with a sympathetic smile as he gently rubs circles on your back with his thumbs,
"Sweetheart... You know more than anyone that every experience is a chance to learn, and you can learn more in the long run from losing rather than winning. Red is the most powerful trainer in the modern world, with many, many years of advancement in battles compared to what we're used to in Hisui, and you'd already battled Blue just before. To even take him to his last Pokémon was incredible, and you and your Pokémon will have learnt so much from that battle. Plus, when we go back you don't have to protect Hisui alone. You've got me, the Diamond Clan, Irida, the Pearl Clan, and the Galaxy Team to help you. You never have to put pressure on yourself to protect Hisui single-handedly. It's happened in the past, but I promise you that you will never have to face that much pressure ever again. I have no doubt that you could handle anything that's thrown at you, but I never, ever want you to feel alone when facing it."
Tears prick your eyes at his words - this time not from sadness, but from being truly overwhelmed by just how much you care for this man,
"I love you, so much," you smile softly, "What did I do to deserve you?"
"You were your amazing self, that's what," he grins, leaning down to kiss you gently, "And that's the best thing in the entire world to me. I love you too."
He leans in for yet another, longer kiss, before pulling back with a pink tint to his cheeks and a thoughtful look on his face,
"You know, things have been pretty full-on since we got to Pasio, and I think we could both do with a bit of a break. How about we take the rest of the day to ourselves, to explore the island completely on our terms without interruption? And if anyone asks for a battle we can always arrange a time for it rather than accepting straight away."
"It's a date," you grin, your mood immediately lifting at the thought of being able to spend a completely uninterrupted afternoon with your boyfriend after meeting so many people over the last few days.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Adaman chuckles, his chocolate brown eyes shining warmly as he offers you his hand, which you gladly take as you set off to explore the island together.
******
Hey, I'm back after a bit of a break! I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter - I felt like it was only right to bring the legends Red and Blue themselves into this story. The next chapter will have more Adaman x Reader content as they spend an afternoon exploring Pasio together, which I hope you enjoy too! Thank you again for all the support on this story - it really means a lot❤️ I've got the rest of the book all planned out now so it can have a bit more structure going forward, and after a few more chapters of getting to know people on Pasio, things are going to get pretty intense, so I hope you all enjoy that when the time comes!