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[fire_leaf]

 
Leaf's won, among other things, a Dratini hairband. It took some work, but she's managed to make the ear fins look like ear fins without taking her hat off. It's an accomplishment! Maybe it's not as obvious as some of the other prize winners, but it was only a carnival game, and she doesn't need the stares anyway. It can stay tucked under the brim of her hat for her own satisfaction. She's got a Long Poster tucked under one arm, with the other occupied as it is. It's not a Dratini or Dragonair, which she doesn't understand, but she has it now anyway.

The sun is a disc on the horizon, but the festival is only really getting started. There are signs everywhere about a glowing ribbon show pointing towards the beach, and she's going that way, but it doesn't take much time before Leaf is distracted by a Pokémon, a yellow bug-type that's lurking behind the food stalls she'd watched help pitch the tops for earlier. When she asks, she gets told that's Galvantula.

The tiny Vulpix cradled in her arm hides her face. Leaf laughs and lets her. 

Right. Ribbon show.

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[quickfirequiz]

There is a rather conspicuous old man in sunglasses hanging out at the back of the gathering-area for the ribbon show, with a handful of leaflets stuffed in his pocket, nibbling taiyaki shaped like a Magikarp.

The taiyaki is a consolation prize. He has just been politely "moved along" from a trivia game for what they all mutually agreed was overenthusiasm, and before that, he spent a good half-hour in a friendly battle with some local children before Arcanine almost set fire to a string of pennants and someone kindly reminded him of the rule against battling too close to the main thoroughfare.

Blaine is having a good time.

He pulls out one of the leaflets and consults it for further information on this ribbon show thing. It looks promising. He's a fan of lights in dark places. Then his gaze drifts, drawn just over the top of the leaflet and at a wandering Leaf.

No one can see him squint behind the sunglasses, which he is probably doing because it's already evening. He squints especially hard at the girl finding a place in the accumulating crowd, and considers a recent bulletin that came through on his work phone.

Blaine does the bumbling old man thing, and conveniently wanders by complete accident right up beside her as soon as she stops moving about.

"How many tails are we on?" he cheerfully asks Leaf, like someone might ask how old their puppy is.

[fire_leaf]

Shifting on the sand, Leaf glances up and doesn't recognize him immediately. (Most of who she does are a handful of ex-Rockets, who give themselves away by either confronting her or shuffling away quickly. It's sort of funny...)

It's the first time she's been asked tonight. She was surprised...at first. Not everybody knows that much about Vulpix. Everyone just wants to pet her.

"Just one!" she answers brightly, hefting her up. Indeed, just one hangs underneath Leaf's arm. Rawst is immediately entranced by her own reflection in the old guy's glasses and leans forward a little. "Only a few days old."

[quickfirequiz]

"Just one! Well, aren't you a spark!"

He leans forwards and scrunches his nose, meeting the Vulpix and letting her sniff him. Her image looms large and a little fish-eyed in his sunglasses.

"Glad to see this one getting socialised. Expose 'em to a lot of experiences just like this one and you'll have a calmer Pokémon. I think you'll like the light show!"

It is sometimes hard to tell at which points he's talking to the trainer or the Vulpix.

Blaine straightens up and tweaks at the brim of his hat. Of course, the Champion won't recall him like this.

He lifts the hat in greeting. And his moustache ticks up just a little bit, cheerful and a little smug, like he greets all his challengers.

"Good to see you again!"

[fire_leaf]

"Yes! She was hatched right on the water, so she wasn't even scared of it when she should've been!" she says, smiling crookedly. "I let her stick her paws in. I'm not sure if that helped as much as I wanted..."

Leaf's expression flickers. Again? Come to think of it, that mustache is familiar, but where--

The Fire Gym Leader. Having a Fire-type in her arms helps with that. His name...his name is...?

...She sounds like Professor Oak's bad jokes. The Fame Checker is right in her bag, but grabbing it right in front of him would be awfully rude. And embarrassing. "Taking a vacation?" she says instead, wiggling her other arm until all her stuff is balanced again.

[quickfirequiz]

"Hah! Never met a Ninetales yet that didn't have a strange quirk or two. I'll bet you this is just the start."

He's confident enough to stick his finger out and gently tickle the underside of the Vulpix's chin before straightening back up, and then turns his attention fully to her trainer.

Seems like she does remember him! Good! That makes things considerably less awkward. Pleased, he sticks his hands on his hips and almost elbows someone in the gathering crowd.

"Mmm. Apparently I could use one." He makes this sound highly dubious. Someone has told him this and he's not convinced. Candidly, and partly spoken behind his hand: "I'm thinking I'll use it as an excuse to put out the ol' feelers - you can never have too many irons in the fire." Mysterious. Maybe. "What about you? Can't say I expected to see the Kanto Champ all the way out here. Congratulations, by the way!"

[fire_leaf]

Leaf makes a noise of agreement. The Ninetales father is certainly one of the most willful of her Pokémon.

Rawst's eyes slide shut in bliss, and then she immediately tries nipping him. Leaf gently redirects her muzzle away.

That is mysterious. A more interesting and harder to grasp subject than congratulations, as evident by the blatant grimace that crosses her face.

Being Champion isn't what she thought it'd be, she'd say, if she seriously thought she'd make it at all.

She didn't. She really, really didn't. She just...did what she felt like doing.

She helped her friendly old neighbor (and occasional babysitter) with the Pokédex. She trained to be stronger with her team. She got fed up and showed up her other neighbor who never stopped being a jerk to her or even his own Pokémon. And somehow that's netted her fame literally beyond her wildest dreams, and people just won't leave her alone about it.

Leaf accidentally leans a little too far forward to get out of someone's way, and Rawst takes another nip--this time, aiming for Blaine's taiyaki. (Not actually in reach.) "Oh, you already want more treats, huh? Charti bites weren't good enough?"

...Actually, it has been a while since last mealtime. There's too much people-crowd around to just set all her stuff down and dig for anything by now.

[quickfirequiz]

He quirks a sidelong grin at the attempt at biting. Clearly he would not have been entirely displeased.

Blaine is experienced in more than just Pokémon. It's her quietness he notices, and though he doesn't understand it, it feels like it raises questions.

None of his business as a Gym Leader, of course. Blaine sticks a hand in the pocket of his waistcoat and leaves it there, next to the League-issued button phone. Now he's confirmed it's her, he can wrap this up and make the call. He'll probably feel good about that once it's done.

Blaine's other hand excitedly wiggles the taiyaki at Rawst.

"Oh-ho! Well, now."

(Fox Pokémon. Bean paste filling - no nutritional value. Batter - very unhealthy, but alright in tiny amounts. And for such a tiny one - tinier amounts.) Blaine one-handedly scoots the Magikarp shape lower in his hand, and smushes off a little smudgily-broken paste-sandwiched scale with his finger and thumb, and sticks a sticky finger out for Rawst to lick the piece off.

And it occurs to him:

"I hope you're keeping yourself and your Pokémon well-looked-after?"

[fire_leaf]

Leaf's eyes snap back from vaguely wandering around her eager little Vulpix to Blane's face, lips flickering to show teeth like she's choked down a dry Charti and maybe a far more bitter Durin herself. "Of course I am," she says curtly. Because excuse her. What Champion wouldn't be looking after her Pokémon?

[quickfirequiz]

"Good, good!" He's oblivious to whatever effect that just had. He's Making Conversation, as adults are wont to do, which probably means it doesn't really mean anything.

Behind his glasses, he gives her a better once-over. She looks fine. Her Pokémon looks fine.

"Upkeep with a fully-realised team is tough! Between you and me, accept the freebies whenever they come your way. Nothing wrong with reaping what you sow, you've earned it." A pause. "Though, read before you sign anything." Has anyone told her this? He hopes so.

There is a slight rise in hubbub around them. Mindful that the show is impending, Blaine faces front.

"Can you see from there?"