MATURE: In the echo of the ocean/In the hunting of the wind [a Gracefulshipping Two Shot]

[Welkamo]

I now have a fic for every Bulbagarden rating (and every AO3 rating).

Wallace and Winona have been dating for a few months, but now they have to face the inevitable 'meet the family' night, and the thing about those nights is that there have to be two of them. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot, actually.

Spoiler

A sequel of sorts to Who Am I And Who Are You And Who Are We, though 1. that fic is over on AO3, 2. it's rated Explicit, and 3. you don't need to have read that fic to understand this one; it just provides more context.

I debated posting this fic here for several reasons: the MATURE rating, the fact that I don't know it people over here care about Gracefulshipping as much or even half as much as I do, etc. etc. etc. Ultimately, however, I decided to post it here. For validation and stuff.

This story is rated MATURE for the following:

This story is rated MATURE for the following:

Bigotry (including xenophobia and transphobia)
eating disorders (including descriptions of starving and purging behavior)
references to sex (including implied sexual content and slut shaming)
sexual harassment
alcohol and drug abuse
anxiety
misgendering and deadnaming
Implicit physical and sexual abuse

Index:

In the echo of the ocean
In the hunting of the wind

 

[Welkamo]

In the echo of the ocean

For the seventy-seventh time in an hour, Wallace checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked perfect for Winona’s family—or presentable, at the very least. His purple turtleneck was carefully tucked into white dress pants, his white blazer was straight without a single wrinkle, and his white boots and beret had not a scratch or smudge.

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Joan, his Swanna, was giving him a look that said Wallace, we have to go. Even he had to admit that he was being more meticulous than usual, causing him to spend two hours fussing over his appearance when it was usually just one. But he had to make a perfect first impression in front of Winona's family. From what he had heard of them, they weren't the most... accepting people. But they were the ones demanding to meet Wallace, and Wallace wasn't one to break promises. Or not accept them in the first place.

Maybe he could change their ways. Maybe he could impress them. Maybe they would think he was a great partner for Winona... Maybe he would make a fool of himself.

Wallace considered not going over to the house and just playing sick instead. He was starting to think that maybe he was. His Swanna, Joan, cocked her head as his pacing and breathing became quicker.

“Joan, I’m not feeling too well. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea—“

Before Wallace could go into the bathroom, his sister opened the door to his bedroom.

“How are you doing?” Nicole asked.

“Fine.” The way Wallace responded said otherwise; even he had to admit. Nicole walked over and hugged him.

“Kamari mou, it’s going to be okay. You’re just nervous.”

“If I throw up in front of Winona’s family, I’ll never be allowed to marry her.”

“You won’t throw up. You’ll be just fine. Look at me.”

Wallace looked up at his sister. Her smile was warm and welcoming, like a glowing sunrise over the sea. Nicole was perfect. Everyone in his family was perfect. Why couldn't he be perfect?

“Smile,” she coaxed. “Come on.”

Wallace forced a smile. It was small, but it was something.

-

Winona’s parents answered the door. Her mother had pale blue hair that was starting to gray, and her wrinkly face had a stern frown. Her father had lavender hair, and he was much taller and looked much more welcoming.

Wallace bowed to them. He had always been one to show respect, even more so to older people, and respect was especially important tonight. Just for good measure, he smiled.

“I’m guessing you’re Winona’s parents. Rina and Haruki Kimura, if I remember correctly.”

Rina nodded. What kind of nod was it? Approval? Disappointment?

“And I’m guessing you’re her partner.” Her icy voice said enough: she was disappointed.

“That would also be correct. Is she here yet?”

“She’s on the balcony.” Haruki’s voice was more like a quiet brook: calm and pleasant. “She’s excited to see you tonight.”

”We’ll see if that excitement is warranted,” Rina muttered. "She's never brought anyone home.”

Wallace nodded, doing his best to hide his anxiety, and stepped into the house. The living room was a mix of woods of different shades of warm brown. Stepping inside was like eating a plate of freshly baked baklava… before having to walk a mile to purge it in a dark alley.

Winona stood on the balcony with her Altaria. She was wearing a long sleeved, sky blue dress, and her hair was tied back in a bun. Wallace could feel his face burning from blushing. She was always pretty, but tonight she was absolutely gorgeous. Gosh, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her and—

“Hello, Wallace,” Winona said.

Damn it. Wallace had gotten caught up in fawning over Winona.

“Uh… hello, Winona darling.”

He had started taking up the habit of calling Winona terms of endearment, like the romantic leads of the novels he read. “Darling” was the simplest one he used, by a long shot.

He caught a glimpse of Rina, who was watching them like a lurking Jellicent.

“Don’t worry about my mom,” Winona whispered, kissing Wallace’s cheek. “She’ll trust you eventually. Maybe.” She looked over at her mother. “Okaasan, please don’t look at Wallace like that.”

“You two better not… get carried away.”

Winona rolled her eyes. “We don’t, and we won’t.”

“Is anyone else here?” Wallace whispered to Winona.

“Bugsy and Anabel. They're playing with dolls in their room."

The doorbell rang, and Winona sighed. “And here comes Theresa. She just happens to be visiting, and she insisted that she come to dinner tonight.” Sarcasm was palpable in her voice.

“Any suggestions on how to deal with her?”

“Just smile and nod. For what it's worth, she hates me too. And Bugsy. And Anabel. And my dad."

Smiling and nodding. I’m good at that, Wallace thought.

Winona walked over to the front door and opened it. A young girl with light blue hair stood at the door. She was wearing a white dress straightened to perfection. Her expression went from stoicism to shock when she saw Wallace.

“Wallace?” she said. “Gym Leader Wallace? You and… Winona are a thing?”

“Who might you be?” Wallace asked.

“Kahili. I’m Winona’s niece.”

Wallace smiled. “Well, that’s wonderful to hear"—he bowed to her—"and it's wonderful to meet—"

A woman stopped behind Kahili, making the girl’s smile fall. The woman had short hair that was the same color as Kahili’s, and she also seemed shocked by Wallace, though it didn’t seem to be a positive kind of shock.

“Oh,” she chuckled, her smile obviously fake and her voice loud and abrasive. Wallace didn't know what to compare it to—probably a hangover headache or a migraine. “So she is dating you. I thought it was just a rumor.”

“Are you Theresa?” Wallace asked. “I don’t think we’ve met.” He bowed before extending his arm toward her. “But you seem to know of me already.”

“Who the hell is this delinquent?” A man yelled in a deep, fiery voice as he stopped next to Theresa and saw Wallace. He had dark purple hair that was halfway grayed, and he was sharply dressed. He was staring at Wallace with a much more obviously disdainful look.

Did Wallace really look that bad? Shoot, he remembered to put concealer on the dark circles under his eyes, right? His clothes were braggy enough to hide how thin his arms were, right? Was it the bloodshot eyes?! The cheekbones?! The—

“Are you too drugged to speak or something?”

The man’s voice snapped Wallace out of his spiral, even the accusations were…

“Wallace.” He smiled and did a pose with his hands as if to say ta da. “Sootopolis City Gym Leader, and Winona’s boyfriend. Or partner. Or significant other. Call me whatever you wish. I have no preference.”

“Richard, Theresa’s husband,” the man said as he reluctantly shook Wallace’s hand, forcing a smile when he realized that he was talking to his sister-in-law’s boyfriend. “I own the Hano Grand Resort.”

Wallace closed his, pretending to be lost in thought, but really he was just trying to avoid eye contact with Richard. “Ah, I’ve heard of that place. Very elegant, from the stories I’ve been told.”

Wallace could tell this was going to be a long night.

Someone grabbed his arm. It was Rina.

“One more thing, young man: we have a rite of passage here in Fortree City.”

"A... rite of passage?"

"I can't have my daughter marrying someone who can't even protect her."

"I'm sure Winona is very capable of protecting herself."

Rina didn't seem to be amused by that playful quip. "All right then. I can't have my daughter marrying someone who can't even defend himself."

-

Joan missed Kecleon—for the third time.

The two were battling on the city community center’s battlefield. With Theresa as referee and the rest of the family watching the battle, Wallace and Haruki called out attacks. Wallace had an advantage with Chrysosian commands, but he still couldn’t land a hit on the nimble, camouflaging Kecleon, who made hit after hit with his invisible tongue.

“I hope you’re a better husband than you are a Gym Leader!” Rina called.

I’m working on that, Wallace wanted to shout back, but that would be rude. Also, she had a point; he was a new Gym Leader, but that didn’t give him any excuse to be this… bad of a Gym Leader.

The others were sitting far away from Wallace, but he could still feel their judgement stabbing into him like a thousand little knives. Especially Rina's. Sure, she called out the occasional mean-spirited taunt at Haruki, but her stares towards Wallace felt worse somehow. Maybe it was the fact that Wallace wasn't Haruki, or maybe he was anticipating her to say something.

You can’t lose. You can’t lose. You can’t lose.

In the frenzy of his spinning thoughts, Wallace scanned the battlefield and the sky above it for some sort of way to attack Kecleon… or the red stripe it couldn’t change.

Wait…

“Joan, stóchefse to kókkino!”

With a dramatic loop in the air, the Swanna spun towards the red stripe and struck. The impact shocked Kecleon out of his camouflage. While he was still recovering, Joan shot a blast of scorching hot water. She shot attack after attack, and Kecleon never got a chance to bounce back.

Eventually, he fell. Swanna swooped into the air again before landing in front of her opponent.

“Kecleon is unable to battle," Theresa announced, sounding almost disappointed. "Wallace is the victor.”

Wallace and Joan gave a dramatic bow. He could hear clapping.

"Wow, Wallace!" Bugsy shouted. "That was so cool!"

Wallace looked up at Theresa to thank her for her hard—

She was rolling her eyes. “I thought you were going to put on a… performance during your battle, but you pleasantly surprised me with your clothes and skills. For a person of your kind, you did pretty well. Though I should tell you that your Sootopolis speak or whatever feels like cheating."

Wallace sighed. He was failing to impress his potential future in-laws, wasn’t he?

"Don't psychics give commands with telepathy?—"

"Shut up, Anabel," Theresa shot back.

Anabel looked back down at her feet. "Okay."

"According to the official rules and guidelines of Pokémon battling," Wallace stated calmly, "'All forms of communication—including but not limited to telepathy, foreign languages, and hand and body gestures—are permitted between trainer and Pokémon.'" He shot a playful smile at Anabel, who gave him a small smile back. "Are you interested in battles, Anabel?"

"Uh... yes."

Theresa rolled her eyes. "They all want to do battles. I don't have to. Anabel and Winona already completed battle tests, but Abbi still has to complete hers—"

"His," Bugsy corrected. "Or theirs. And my name is Bugsy."

Theresa sighed. "It’s hard to remember, sorry." She didn’t sound sorry.

"Battle tests?" Wallace asked.

"The kids have to battle their father before they can go on a journey," Theresa explained. Before walking back to her husband, she whispered, “Too bad their father is such a weak trainer.”

“Well, that’s not very nice. Haruki most, but he put up a very good—”

Theresa snapped her head towards Wallace and pointed a finger at him. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

Wallace held up his hands. “Okay then.”

Looking over his shoulder, Wallace saw Bugsy, whose eyes were wide and hands were shaking. Wallace put a hand on their shoulder.

“Hey, Bugsy.” Wallace forced a smile. “Theresa is full of shit.”

Bugsy stifled a laugh in his fist.

“You’re nonbinary too, aren’t you?” Bugsy asked.

“That I am.”

“That’s so cool! You know, when I first heard about it, I was like ‘Wow! There’s someone just like me who’s a strong Trainer just like I wanna be! That’s so cool!...”

Wallace smiled as Bugsy continued rambling. His heart fluttered with… something. He had never had anyone say such nice things about… about him being queer. Usually people would call him confused or a freak or would out him in the press for all the world to see—

No. This was a nice moment, and Bugsy was a nice kid. Nothing else could change that.

-

Wallace sat in between Winona and Theresa at the dinner table. He hated sitting in between two people at a table. Most of all, he hated eating in front of others. But he was a performer. He could put up a smile for however long dinner lasted. He could put off the panic attack for later.

It helped that Haruki was a nice enough person. He talked about how proud he was of his daughter for being such a strong Trainer, for gaining recognition beyond Fortree City and Hoenn, for getting into Rustboro University.

“She’s going to do something great someday,” he said. “Maybe she’ll become a professor. Or the Champion. Or both."

Winona hid her face in her hands, though Wallace could still see her face turning reddish-pink.

”Dad, stop it,” Winona mumbled. “You’re embarrassing me.”

”Come on, Winona. Can’t a father be proud of his daughter?”

"But do you have to brag in front of my boyfriend?"

"Well, he should know just how wonderful his future wife is."

Winona smiled. It was a beautiful smile. Wallace wanted to kiss her—

"Yeah, and he better know that she won't take a half-assed husband," Rina muttered. “He better know that he can’t ditch her when he gets her pregnant, and if he gets her pregnant before—“

"Mom please," Winona sighed. "Can we not get into that right now?"

"Young lady, we are going to get into that."

Rina then went on a tirade about how premarital sex was terrible and awful and all that. Wallace had heard the lecture many times from his grandmother, though Rina didn't use religious justification. From what Wallace knew of Winona's family, they were spiritual but didn't practice any kind of organized religion like his family did. Winona was accepting of her and Wallace’s religious differences... he just had to hope that her parents were.

There was a bottle of wine on the table—some fancy port wine that Theresa and Richard had brought to flaunt to the others. Unsurprisingly, they were the only ones drinking it. Wallace wanted to have some of it, but that would most likely lead to him drinking the whole bottle and passing out from alcohol poisoning. He desperately needed to numb his anxiety and the growing nausea that came with it, but he also knew that getting drunk in front of his girlfriend's parents wouldn't look good, and he needed to be perfect. Besides, Winona didn't like alcohol, and she probably didn't like drunkard significant others.

Why did he have to lie to her?

Wallace felt a slithering hand on his leg, completely unlike the graceful hands of Winona. He looked up at Theresa, who frowned when he expressed discomfort.

“Oh honey,” Theresa whispered, too quiet for anyone to hear, “don’t worry, I like my men a little exotic… Oh right, I just remembered that your gender is a fish.”

“The term is ‘genderqueer male’,” Wallace half joked, half explained, “and I don’t mind being called a man… but I’m not really eager right now, especially not for you.”

“I thought you were eager for everyone.”

“That’s not how pansexuality works. Now would you please remove your hand from my leg before Winona’s parents find out? Do you want to get convicted of adultery?”

“You should be honored that I’m giving you such high praise. Just shut up and be happy that you’re pretty for your kind… and your age.”

Theresa squeezed Wallace’s leg. He wanted to be scared and disgusted, but he had heard worse from people older than Theresa... How old was Theresa, anyway?

“Theresa. Cut it out.”

Winona was pulling Theresa's arm away from Wallace.

"If you hit on him one more time, I'm telling your husband."

Theresa shook her arm out of Winona's grip. "Fine. Oh Richard? How's the hotel doing?"

Winona groaned. "Theresa, please."

"It's doing well," Richard drawled. "Business is booming this season."

Theresa shot a teasing smirk at Winona, who looked ready to murder Theresa. "And how much have you made—"

"Kahili are you interested in Water types?"

Everyone stared at Wallace. He prayed to the Mediator of the Sky for good communication skills.

"I am, but I prefer Flying types."

"Do you want to learn some pointers?"

"Oh joy," Theresa mumbled, "poor man's sport."

"I do!" Kahili said. "I have this friend..."

-

Food came. It wasn’t bad food; it smelled really, really good: rice, kimchi, soup, edamame, soba in a broth that smelled wonderful… such wonderful, savory smells…

It was only then that Wallace realized how hungry he was; he hadn’t eaten lunch, and breakfast had been a meager half slice of toast. For the past week, Wallace had allowed himself to only eat toast for breakfast, rice for lunch, and kale and bread for dinner, plus more vitamin supplements than he wanted to admit. He needed to put something else in his stomach.

But eating around other people wasn’t just something Wallace hated. It terrified him. It made his heart race. It made his legs weak. It made him feel like he was going to pass out.

"Are you okay?" Winona whispered.

"Of course I am," Wallace whispered back.

"Do you want to trade seats or anything?"

"I want to leave.” He paused for a second. “I'm kidding. I'm fine."

"What are you whispering about?" Rina demanded.

"I was just asking Wallace if he needed any..."

"He better not need contraception yet."

"MOM!” Winona shouted as she slammed a fist on the table. “I was asking about aspirin."

Theresa and Richard snickered. Winona looked ready to slap Theresa, but Haruki's stare stopped the two’s mockery before she could.

"Rina," Haruki said, "even you have to admit that this is too much. Why don't you trust our little Nagi bird?"

"Nagi's a wonderful young lady,” Rina said, “but just because she’s a strong Trainer, doesn’t mean I trust the kind of people she brings home. She could be bringing home drug addicts or playboys or something worse."

"What's worse than drug addicts and playboys?" Wallace joked. “Drug addict playboys?”

It was a bad joke. Nobody laughed.

"I suppose if you were a drug addict and a playboy," Rina said bluntly.

No, Wallace wasn't a drug addict. Sure, he did drugs, but it wasn't for an addiction; it was so he could function and so he could suppress bad emotions like sadness. Maybe he was a playboy; he had a lot of wild sex with Winona.

“Okaaaaaaaasan, I’ve never brought anyone home,” Winona sighed. “I’ve never had a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or anyone like that. you've never let me."

“All the more reason to be suspicious. And all the more reason I should have chosen a partner for you if you’re going to be bringing home women or whatever else kids these days are into.”

“Rina,” Haruki demanded calmly, “I refuse to let our home breed such hostility—”

Rina turned to Wallace. “You’re Nagi's coworker. Is that right?”

“Yes.” Wallace had to hide his racing anxiety. He had to be perfect in front of Winona’s family. “Winona is the most de-devoted, hardworking, good natured, calm…”

Winona gently elbowed Wallace’s arm. He couldn’t help but smile, even in the tense atmosphere, and he let his breathing relax a bit.

“…caring Gym Leader I know.”

Rina stared at him. ”I can’t have my daughter marry someone who’s skin and bones. She needs someone who can support her, protect her, and care for her, and skinny boys like you aren’t good at that.”

Wallace was very close to screaming. If he took a shot every time someone said "you need a good meal" or "you're going to blow away in the wind" or "you look like an anorexic middle school girl" or some other variation of that, he would get... very drunk, maybe blackout drunk, maybe dead drunk.

”You remind me of my grandmother," Wallace said.

That didn’t get any kind of smile from Rina. ”In that case, tell your grandmother that she’s a smart woman. And eat.”

Wallace knew that he would look like a weirdo if he didn’t eat dinner. Besides, he figured, he could always purge later.

Against the wishes of his thoughts, he forced himself to take a small bite of the soba noodles. It smelled good and it tasted good, bringing a feeling of comfort to—

Restrain yourself, you bitch. Don't eat too much.

That feeling snapped away, and Wallace once again noticed all of the people around him, eating around him watching him eat.

“And you two go to the same college?” Rina still hadn’t smiled yet.

“Yes," Wallace said. "Rustboro University. We share a few classes."

“Nagi's studying the sciences—"

"Isn't that wonderful?" Haruki interrupted, beaming with joy. "She's just like her father. I'm so proud of my little Nagi bird. All of my kids really—"

"What do you study?” Rina grumbled. Haruki’s bright expression went away.

“Many things: Sootopolitan, Hoennese, and world literature; art and music; ancient history; poetry…”

From the look on Rina’s face, those subjects didn’t seem like the things she wanted to see on the resume of her daughter’s future spouse.

You should have lied and said you were thinking of going to law school or medical school, Wallace thought. Scratch that. You wouldn't survive a day in medical school. You can't even treat paper cuts without fainting.

“My friend is a history professor at Rustboro University,” Haruki said. “If you see Professor Fujikawa, tell him I said hi.”

“I’ll be sure to do so.” Wallace smiled—genuinely this time.

“What’s your major?” Rina asked. “Something related to science like Nagi?"

“I’m not sure at the moment.”

Wallace stared at Rina’s frown, hoping that she would smile or crack a joke or something. Instead, she asked, “What do you do for a living?”

Scratch law school, too. Get a job at Devon where that sexy Champion works. I bet that looks really impressive to mothers. And really sexy to significant others.

“He’s one of those Contest pretty boys.”

Wallace’s head snapped towards Theresa. She was staring at him, as if she was expecting him to be insulted. From the way she was barely able to hold her glass, she was obviously drunk.

“Theresa’s… Theresa is correct. I’m a Coordinator.”

“Has Winona ever been to one of your Contests?” Theresa leaned closer to Wallace. The strong smell of alcohol almost made him gag.

“We… We just met. She ha-ha-hasn’t been able to come to one of my Contests, though we… we do plan on fixing that—”

“Are you embarrassed by your work?” A malicious smirk formed on Theresa’s face as she leaned closer towards Wallace. “Do you think Winona won’t approve of you flaunting around with that dumb snake of yours?”

"Theresa, please," Winona demanded as she pulled Theresa back.

“Or maybe you think you’re better than her. Maybe you are. I could see how you could think you’re better than Winona, though that’s not a very high bar.”

Wallace was getting more nervous and more angry by the minute, but he figured that those emotions were what Theresa wanted out of him, so he tried to remain calm.

“Theresa, Winona has been nothing but supportive of my career, both on the battlefield and on the stage. I like the way I dress and identify, and Winona, for what it’s worth, has set the bar up in the heavens. Your attempts to insult either me or her will offend the plates on this table before they offend either of us. And before you go beyond foul implication and speculation hurled at me and Winona, our intimate lives are none of your business.”

The whole room went dead silent. Wallace stole a glance of Winona—eyes wild with fear—and then Rina—eyes cold with judgement. In trying to gallantly avoid Theresa’s trap, he had unknowingly stepped right into it.

“‘Intimate lives’?” Rina’s voice was like a stormy ocean threatening to bring up a tidal wave.

Wallace's gaze fell to his lap. He felt his whole body shaking as he choked on nausea.

“Ms. Kimura, where’s the restroom?”

“You can leave when you’ve answered my question! What ‘intimate lives’ do you and Winona—“

Wallace gagged into his hand, feeling a rush of acid burning the back of his throat. He wished he had listened to the intrusive thoughts.

“Please.”

At this point, Wallace had given up on trying to smile and look perfect. All he wanted to do was not throw up in front of Winona’s family. That would be more than imperfect. That would be disastrous. The house was no longer safe; it was hell.

Haruki seemed to sense Wallace’s distress, as he pointed towards a door in the hallway. Wallace practically ran out of his chair.

-

Wallace hated vomiting. He hated almost everything about it: the burning, bitter taste; the foul, rotten smell; the wretched sight of it; the loss of dignity. The only thing he didn’t hate about it was the emotional catharsis. It was addicting.

Addicting when he was the one controlling it.

He couldn’t let himself vomit. He couldn't let himself vomit here. What would he even throw up? The few soba noodles he had barely managed to get down his throat? The toast from breakfast?

His knuckles were white from gripping the edge of the counter. His gaze was cast down on the basin of the sink. He heard the door open and close. Shit, why didn’t he lock the door?

Whoever had walked in was holding back his hair and resting their head against his back, which they were gently rubbing with their other hand.

“I don’t want to throw up,” Wallace gasped. “I don’t want to throw up. I don’t want to throw up.”

“It’s okay, Wallace,” Winona whispered. “If you’re not feeling well, then just let yourself get it up.”

“I want to go home, Winona.”

"Wallace, I can't let you go home by yourself, especially like this."

"Can you take me home then?" Wallace smiled. "Can you be my knight in shining armor?"

Winona chuckled softly and kissed Wallace’s cheek.

Haruki and Theresa were arguing in the kitchen, with the former speaking in a calm, quiet voice and the latter shouting.

"Don't worry about them," Winona reassured Wallace. “My dad will deal with her. Why don’t we go outside?”

With some reluctance, Wallace let Winona guide him out of the bathroom. He didn’t let himself look up from the floor. He could feel the stares of everyone just fine.

”Aurora,” Winona whispered to her Altaria, who was sitting peacefully in the corner, “come on.”

The three couldn’t make it to the front door before Rina stopped them.

“KIMURA NAGI!! Where are you going?!” Her eyes were cold, and her frown was bitter.

“We’re going for a walk around town,” Winona replied.

Rina raised a suspicious eyebrow. Wallace realized that she probably thought they were running off to have a quickie or something.

“I thought you were a good girl, Nagi,” Rina snarled. “I thought you were a good girl who did as you were told and only hung out with the right kinds of people. But then you became a trainer. Then you thought you could go around and do whatever you wanted.”

“Mom, Wallace is—”

“Do you want to end up like me, young lady?! Do you want to end up poor and destitute, carrying a child who will never know their father?! Do you want to end up worse than me?! Doing drugs or joining a gang?! Do you want—”

“Rina, please.”

Wallace looked up at who had just said that. Haruki was staring at Rina with a desperate look.

“Fine," Rina finally relented. “You can go. But if I find out you did anything—”

“And now you're letting her take that freak with her so it can fuck her?!” Theresa shrieked.

That "it" stung Wallace like a blade stabbing his chest. He had been called much worse before in the press and in person, and he had been called “it” several times in more conservative gossip magazines, but the hatred in Theresa's slurred voice was a much more corrosive poison, especially when Wallace realized that Bugsy was also in the room.

"Mom!" Kahili yelled. "What is your—"

"Stay out of this, young lady!" Richard ordered.

"Wallace is not an 'it'." Winona was glowing with rage. Wallace didn't have to see her to feel her. "Wallace is a 'he' or a 'they', and he has made that very clear in public appearances. If you’re going to be using language like that towards him, if you're going to harass him like this, you will never be welcome in our Gyms, our home, or our lives!"

"Fine!" Theresa yelled. "Go let that whore knock you up! When it leaves you on the streets of the Cardinal whorehouses, don't expect pity from me! I never pitied you anyway—"

Too much noise. Too much noise. Too much noise too much noise too much noise too much noise.

Wallace ran out of the house before the noise could get worse.

-

After confirming no one was on the ground below, Wallace forced two fingers down his throat to force up whatever was in his system. He wasn’t proud of it, and he prayed that Winona wouldn’t see him inducing it, but everything was just too much. The emotions were too much. The shouting was too much. The humiliation was too much. Everything was too much.

He stumbled back, but Winona caught him before he could fall off the bridge. She was breathing heavily, eyes wet with tears.

"Winona..."

Wallace wrapped his arms around her as she started sobbing. The two sat on the bridge in silence for a while. What were they supposed to even say? Nothing was better than something at this moment.

Oh well. At least Winona didn’t seem to know that Wallace had induced the vomiting himself.

"I'm sorry, Winona—"

"No. No. Don't blame yourself. It's my fault."

“I’m the one who mentioned our ‘intimate lives’.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t have—”

“Winona, Winona, don’t blame yourself for Theresa's cruelness and hypocrisy." Wallace stared into Winona's eyes with a gentle gaze. "Who cares about that wretched, foul, vile..."

Winona laughed a little through her tears. "You're really cute when you use that fancy language."

"I am? Even after making a fool of myself in front of your family and throwing up over the side of the bridge in front of all of your tree and bird friends?"

"You're adorable."

Wallace smirked. "Well, in that case, tell Theresa that I much prefer the term 'escort'."

Some of the newly found levity in Winona's eyes faded. “But don't blame yourself either. You didn't do anything wrong. And when... when she was touching you—“

“I’ve had similar experiences with my city and the region’s socialites. I’m… I’m not called ‘Sootopolis’s Boy Toy’ for nothing.”

He laughed, but Winona didn’t. More than anything, she seemed disturbed. Was it… Was it not normal for rich, old socialites to bother younger people with sexual remarks?

"Well, she's a step sister, right?" Wallace added. "You can just tell her to stay out of your family's—"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't, Wallace. She’s my mom’s sister.”

“Well, you’re mom isn’t exactly what I’d call the greatest of people.”

“I can’t leave my mom either! She’s my mom!”

“How about you… get a new mom?”

Winona smiled, forcing back a laugh before she had to give up and fall into Wallace’s arms again in hysterical laughter.

"There's that smile I know and love." Wallace would have kissed Winona then, but... well...

“Are you… Are you okay now?” Winona asked.

“I think I still need some fresh air.” He staggered back to his feet and took Winona’s hand. “I hear Fortree City is known for its fresh air… and having the most beautiful Gym Leader ever.”

Winona hugged Wallace again.

"Winona... can I call you 'Nagi', or is that reserved for your parents? Sounds like your Hinodego name. Is it?"

"Of course you can call me that, Wallace. And yes. It is."

"Well, it's a beautiful one."

"Nageia nagi is a very important plant in Fortree City. It's a very important plant to us, and it... it symbolizes our resilience."

"It's a fitting name for you."

Wallace kissed Winona's cheek.

"What about you?" Winona asked.

"Mikouri. In old Sootopolitan, it was pronounced 'Mikrodi', but over time, as Hinodego began to influence the Sootopolitan Greek dialect, it became 'Mikouri'. It's similar to the Hinodego word for the Sparganium erectum ... heh."

"What does 'Mikrodi' mean?"

Wallace didn't know if he wanted to laugh or blush from embarrassment. "Well, that's a story for another time."

Spoiler: Notes

καμάρι μου (Kamari mou) - Greek, "my pride"; the equivalent of “my pride and joy”

στόχεφσε το κόκκινο (stóchefse to kókkino) - Greek, "aim for the red"

お母さん (okaasan) - Japanese, "mother"

 

[Welkamo]

In the hunting of the wind

Wow, you look pretty.

No you’re not. You’ll never pull off this look.

Stop it, Winona.

Why are you wearing something so revealing?

It’s not revealing.

Winona had put on a dark blue dress that went all the way to the floor. She had gotten it herself at Mall-ville’s Couture Kalos, with her own money from her own job as a Gym Leader, too. The most “revealing” part of it was the fact that it was sleeveless and the fact that it was a V-neck. Her makeup was simple and modest, at least—foundation, blush, and lipstick approved of by her mother.

She turned to the bed, where Aurora was patiently waiting.

“Ready to go?”

The Altaria nodded, chirping happily.

Dinner would be at Wallace’s grandparents house. She already knew a little bit about his family: he was an orphan, and he lived with his sister and her family on weekends. He used to live with his mentor, Juan. He had several other extended family members who he knew like siblings; family was an important part of Sootopolitan culture, and that included everything from parents to second cousins.

“See you, mom!” Winona called as she opened the door. “See you, dad!”

“Now just a minute, young lady.”

Winona had to stop herself from groaning.

“Yes, mom?”

Rina half walked, half stomped over to Winona. She scowled at Winona’s dress but said nothing.

“Now you be home by nine o’clock, you hear?”

“Yes, mother.”

“And you better not do anything with Wallace: no hugging, no kissing, no funny business.”

“Yes, mother.”

“And if he offers you drugs—“

“Mom! You’re acting like I’m dating the leader of Team Rocket!”

“You never know. He could be the leader of Team Rocket. Or the leader of some other gang. Or a womanizer. Or a drug dealer. Or—”

“—Or he could be a really sweet person. You never know.”

Rina huffed. “I don’t know why your father agreed to letting you go on a Pokémon journey. It’s made you rebellious.”

“Come on, Rina,” Haruki sighed from the kitchen. “Winona isn’t a little girl anymore. As hard as it is to accept that, we… have to accept it eventually.”

Rina looked back over at Winona.

“You may be a woman now, but that doesn’t mean I want you to be a bad woman. No cigarettes. No drugs. No funny business. You’re going to make a good wife, and if Wallace makes a bad future husband, you’re cutting things off with him. Is that understood?”

No. “Yes, mother.”

-

Gray, stone tiles led to a big, white, rectangular house. The windows and doors were trimmed with blue. Such architecture and design was common in Sootopolis City. The sound of talking, laughing, and glasses clinking together floated from the back of the house.

A small, brass doorbell stood proudly on the wall next to the door. After debating in her head on whether to knock or ring, Winona pressed her finger against the doorbell. A low ding could be heard from inside. After a few seconds, Wallace opened the door.

He was wearing a white, long sleeved tunic with a turquoise belt, turquoise pants, and white boots. Notably, he was holding two pink, folded pieces of fabric in his hand.

He was really, really pretty. Shoot, the more Winona thought about it, the prettier he looked. He had pretty turquoise eyes and pretty turquoise hair and a pretty smile and—

“Hello, my beautiful Lovekas. ”

Winona snapped out of her thoughts and stood up straighter. No, she wasn’t a doe-eyed damsel. She was Winona, and Winona didn’t let hormones get the best of her.

Even though she wanted to let them get the best of her.

In one hand, Wallace took one of the pieces of fabric—it was a big, silk shawl, decorated with patterns of Water type Pokémon. On the edge, it read:

Παπαδακης Μικουρι

“Papadakis Mikouri,” Wallace said.

He gave her the other shawl, which had patterns of bird Pokémon and a different name on the edge:

Κιμουρα Ναγι

“… and Kimoura Nagi. Traditionally, if you were from Sootopolis City, your family would have made this for you when you turned sixteen, the age one becomes eligible for matchmaking. My sister made this for you… and she made mine. It’s tradition for two lovers to exchange them while they’re dating. My shoulders have felt many Sália tou Lovecas over the years… or less than a year. What’s the age of marriage again? Eighteen?”

“Eighteen.”

“Well, eleven women since I turned eighteen, thirty seven since I turned sixteen. Of course, that doesn’t count you, but you’re different.”

Winona’s eyes widened. “Arranged marriage at sixteen?”

“Well, not exactly ‘arranged marriage’. More… courtship. It’s very common here, so couples can hopefully get married at eighteen. I mean, my grandparents got hitched at sixteen.”

“That seems… young.”

“You know what else is young? The average death rate here!” Wallace burst into laughter at his little joke. When he saw Winona wasn’t laughing with him, he froze. “Sorry… Old joke from ‘The Andreou and Barlos Show’. Have you heard of it?”

Winona shook her head.

“It’s the only comedy show Sootopolis City gets on cable. It’s a tagline that sells.”

Wallace had an… odd sense of humor.

“But anyway, when we get married, the beautiful Sália shall become the centerpieces of To Krevati .”

When. such a simple word. Never before had it sounded more wonderful.

“We have a similar tradition in Fortree City… well, not really, but sort of. Lovers will exchange Wingulls, who will help send messages between the two.”

Wallace smiled brighter. “How poetic: A Water and Flying type Pokémon connecting a Water and Flying type trainer. I’ll find a Wingull, the most beautiful Wingull for the most beautiful woman, and give it to you.”

Winona chuckled. “Well, that’s kind of you.”

“Well, if I’m sharing my family’s traditions with you, I should learn yours, as well.”

“My dad’s side of the family is half Balgeunese. I used to celebrate holidays like Seollal with my grandmother and father.” Winona’s smile fell, along with her spirits. “But then my grandmother died, and I… lost that part of myself.” When she saw Wallace’s sad expression, she forced a smile and waved a dismissive hand. “But it’s okay. My dad’s other side of the family is Hinodejin, and my mom’s a hundred percent Hinodejin. We have our traditions. We have our holidays. And Fortree City has many traditions. Like the Feather Carnival. You should come to the Feather Carnival sometime.”

Wallace smiled again and put the shawl with his name over Winona’s shoulders.

“It’s a very pretty Sália—”

“Sáli,” Wallace corrected calmly. “Sália is the plural. Neuter - i becomes - ia.”

“Neuter?”

“Chrysosian verbs have three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.”

“Oh, like Kalosian… Well, Kalosian doesn’t have a neuter gender. And Hinodego has no grammatical gender.”

“My my, you’re very smart. Does Balgeunese have grammatical gender?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Would you want to learn together?”

Winona gasped quietly. “You’d really do that with me?”

Wallace kissed Winona’s forehead. “Of course I would.”

Winona felt fuzzy inside, like a fluffy Swablu.

“Have there been parties like this for all… thirty seven other women you’ve been with?” Winona asked as she held up the shawl—or, as Wallace called it, the Sáli tou Lovekas— with her name.

“If Mayor Megalos really wants me to be with a woman, then he makes my grandparents hold one.” Wallace laughed awkwardly. “Not that they mind. They… They’re always looking for an excuse to make food. But you’re the first to hear ‘whens’ and not ‘ifs’.”

It was debatable whether or not Winona and Wallace were supposed to be together; Sootopolis City’s mayor was always setting Wallace up with other women, but none of them caught his heart like Winona did. Sure, they had money that Winona’s family didn’t, but… well, Wallace saw something in Winona. She didn’t know what exactly it was, but Wallace talked about how she was different.

Winona held up Wallace’s Sáli tou Lovecas. “Should I wrap this around you?”

Wallace nodded. As Winona wrapped it around him, she kissed him on the lips.

“And now we are Love kes.” Wallace whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.

-

Behind the house was a small courtyard surrounded by white walls, where countless people were already talking and drinking. The smell of wine was strong, almost overwhelming, and the air was filled with music.

Everyone turned to Wallace and Winona. Many of them were already giving them judgemental glares, though an old lady and an old man, both short and with gray hair, seemed elated.

“Melissa!” the old lady cheered.

Wallace froze. “ Yiayia, I, uh, I’m no longer with Melissa.”

The old lady’s smile fell. She stared at the old man, who stared back with confusion and concern.

“Then who is this?” the old lady asked.

“Winona Kimura, Fortree City Gym Leader.” Wallace turned to Winona. “Winona, my grand gonís —parents. Grandparents.” Wallace slapped his face. “Oh dear.”

“Through all ways except blood,” the old lady said, “we’re your parents.”

“Yeah…”

“Mr. Papadakis and Mrs. Papadaki,” the old man greeted. “Wallace’s guardians. You looked like a fine young woman.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Winona bowed.

“Your neckline makes you look like a prostitute,” Mrs. Papadaki interjected.

The music had stopped. The courtyard was tense with strings of silence that were shaken by whispers. Winona didn't like it. Two people staring was already enough, but everyone in the courtyard?

“Fortree City?”

“Aren’t Fortree City people poor criminals?”

“Wait, a Gym Leader? Like he was?”

Mrs. Papadaki held up a hand, and the whispers silenced.

“Miss Winona,” she began, “I had only one son—”

“And he betrayed his family for a prostitute,” a green-haired man shouted.

“Nektarios, please.” Mrs. Papadaki smiled again. “Anyway, I had only one son, and now I have only one grandson—”

“And he betrayed his family by pretending to be a wo—”

“SKÁSE, NEKTARIOS!”

Winona jumped at Mrs. Papadaki’s tone. She had never seen a short, old lady yell so loud. Granted, this Nektarios man was being a jerk, but was everyone in Wallace’s family this… loud?

“Let me begin from the beginning,” Mrs. Papadaki said with a deep breath. “I had only one son, and now I only have one grandson…” She reached up to pull Wallace down and pinch his cheek. “... Mikró Mikouri.”

Almost none of the others seemed as fond of Wallace, and Wallace didn’t seem too fond of the nickname.

“But Mikouri needs a good wife,” Mrs. Papadaki continued, “for the future of the Papadakes, for the future of Sootopolis City, and for his future.”

“All good things.” Winona wasn’t lying. She was just concerned where this conversation was headed.

“And tonight, I must determine whether or not you’re a good wife for Wallace. With observation. And questions.”

“Oh joy,” Wallace said. Winona could tell that it wasn’t going to be a joy.

“In front of… all of these people?” Winona asked.

“We show our true colors under pressure,” Mrs. Papadaki explained, “and you seem to be very under pressure. Look at you, you’re covering your bosom with your arms. Are you ashamed of your immodesty?”

Winona dropped her arms. She had never felt so exposed, so scandalized.

“Ionia,” Mr. Papadakis whispered, “shouldn’t we be nicer to our guest?”

“Of course not, Aeolus. Don’t be so silly. We can’t coddle our young just because they get nervous too easily.”

Mrs. Papadaki looked around the courtyard, then back at Winona. “Now then, what does your family do for a living?”

“My… father is a professor at the city’s university,” Winona replied.

“A scholar... I see… That’s always good.” Was it really good?

“Scholars raised very smart children,” Mr. Papadakis added.

Mrs. Papadaki began walking around Winona, eyeing up every inch of her body. Winona covered her shoulders with the Sáli.

“Are you a healthy woman?” Mrs. Papadaki asked.

“According to my last doctor’s visit, yes,” Winona replied, trying to sound calm.

“How long ago was it?”

“Two months, I think.”

“Do you party at college? Do you drink or do drugs?”

“N-No?”

“Is Wallace good to you?”

Winona smiled, and some of the tension in her shoulders eased as she looked at Wallace. “Of course. He’s wonderful to me.”

“Are you good to him?”

“I think I am—Yes, yes I’m good to him.”

When Mrs. Papadaki looked up at Wallace, he nodded in agreement.

“Never before has a woman been so wonderful to me.” Wallace said that with such… genuineness. Winona knew that the women Megalos set him up with were… less than stellar, but did she really mean that much to him?

“That’s good.” Mr.s Papadaki turned back to Winona. “You two haven’t been having sex, have you?”

“Yiayia,” Wallace groaned, blushing and covering his face with his hands. “Please. We haven’t, and please don’t ask such invasive questions.”

“Mikró Mikouri,” Mrs. Papadaki sighed, “we don’t want you marrying someone impure.”

Wallace’s face grew redder—this time with anger. “How dare you say such things about Winona!”

“Winona?” Mrs. Papadaki continued. “Have you been having sex with Wallace?”

Winona shook her head, swallowing. “No, I haven’t.”

“Are you still a virgin?”

“I… Yes? Yes.”

These questions were invasive, Winona agreed, but at the very least, they were asked with more neutral connotations than when Theresa asked them.

"Why does any of that matter?" Wallace muttered.

“I’m just trying to see if Winona would make a good wife for you in the mayor’s eyes. And mine.” Mrs. Papadakis smiled. “Now, Winona, if you and Wallace were to get married, would you conceive with him and carry his child?”

Winona could feel her face burn up.

"I-I..."

“YIAYIA!!!!!!!!”

In the blink of an eye, Wallace grabbed Winona’s hand and dragged her back into the house.

-

Wallace slammed the door to one of the bedrooms—the guest bedroom, it seemed—and collapsed on the bed, cursing under his breath. He took one of the pillows and covered his face with it.

Winona sat on the edge of the bed. The two sat in tense silence for a minute or two. Winona wanted to say something, but... well, she hadn't thought much about what she wanted to do after college, besides the vague idea of becoming a stronger trainer.

“Wallace—”

“I’m so sorry about my grandmother,” Wallace mumbled. “I’m so, so, so sorry. She’s done this with every woman I’ve brought home, and I should have talked to her about it beforehand. I don’t want to chase you off because she’s—”

“Wallace, it’s fine. Don’t blame yourself.”

“But those questions must have been humiliating. An elder asking about your sex life? Your partner’s grandmother asking about your sex life?”

Winona smirked. “I’m a good liar.” After a second, she said, “I didn’t lie about the doctor. Or the partying part. I hate drugs. And I… wasn’t going to lie about the child part, if I had worked up the courage to respond. I mean the ‘sex before marriage’ part. I don't know what your grandmother thinks of premarital sex." Probably doesn’t think very highly of it.

“What would you have said about the child part?”

“I would have a kid with you. Maybe not now; we’re still in college. Maybe it would be hard to carry and raise a child as a Gym Leader, but lots of Gym Leaders have done it before. I think we could make it work. That is, of course, only if you want to have a child with me.”

“I’ve thought about being a parent before, but Lisia has recently made me think that I might have some innate desire to have a child of my own. Or a few. I’ve been envisioning three as of late. I just… really like children, you know?”

Winona took the pillow off of Wallace’s face. He was smiling now.

“Damn it, Winona,” he laughed softly.

“Come on, you don’t want to suffocate.”

“Can you at least put your pretty lips on my face?”

Winona lowered her head and kissed Wallace’s lips. He wrapped his arms around her as she lay down on the bed next to him.

“ Goodness Mikouri, I want great grandchildren, but I don’t want you to make them before marriage.”

Mrs. Papadakis was standing in the doorway. After staring at the two for a few seconds, she said, “Now come down for dinner.”

-

Dinner was big. Really big.

Winona had never seen so many people sit at one table at once. The conversations spanned across the table. It was hard to keep track of everyone, and Winona had to organize everyone into lists in her mind:

• Theía Locria. Short, turquoise hair. Pianist and composer. Stared at Winona with a frown and no words.
• Theíos Marinos, her husband. Orange ponytail. String composer. Lively conversations about all of the wonderful things his daughter did.
• Xadélfi Halcyone, aforementioned daughter. Long, orange hair. Cellist—but also a Flying type trainer! Winona heard from Marinos that Halcyone was a Flying type trainer, and Winona had a lively conversation about Flying types… a lively, one-way conversation. Halcyone just listened and rolled her eyes.
• Xadélfi Phorus. Turquoise and black hair. Winona didn’t find out she was Halcyone’s sister until Halcyone snapped at her—and Wallace had to remind the two that they were related.
• Theía Phrygia. Long, light turquoise hair. Kept historical records at the Sootopolis City School of the Arts—that school name made Wallace cringe a bit—and made icon art. Icons were pretty, gold plates decorated with mosaics. Was willing to talk about her trade, but seemed skeptical of Winona.
• Theíos Nektarios, her husband. Green hair. Confirmed jerk. A painter of some sort. Had a lot of thoughts on Winona and how she reminded him of Wallace’s mother: She was young, wide-eyed, trying to seduce a Papadakis out of purity and into lechery and sin and death and—Wallace had to cut Nektarios off before it was too late.
• Xadélfi Amaya and Xadélfi Manami, their twin daughters. Same color hair as their mother. Fashion models. One had a refined and elegant style, the other had a wild style. One made condescending remarks towards Wallace’s work, the other made more bluntly cruel jabs at Winona’s fashion style.
• Theía Lydia. Former opera singer. Turquoise hair in a style that reminded Winona of Nurse Joys. Seemed nice enough, at least in comparison to the others.
• Xadélfi Kristina. Looked like her mother but as a small child. Seemed really interested in Winona and Xadélfi Halcyone's lively, one-way conversation about Flying types.
• Adelfí Nicole. Light turquoise hair. Artist and former Trainer and Coordinator. She was… pleasant to talk to. A nice break from the others.
• Kouniádos Raphael. Light green hair. Man of exactly six words. At least he smiled at Winona instead of scowling like a lot of the others were doing.
• Anipsiá Lucia, or Lisia, as she liked to be called. She said it was her ‘stage name’. Turquoise hair. Even her smile was enough to make Winona daydream about having kids when she got married to Wallace.

Mrs. Papadaki threw out all those names and titles, and Wallace had to translate: Theía was aunt, Theíos was uncle, Xadélfi was female cousin, Anipsiá was niece, Kouniádos was brother-in-law, Adelfí was sister, Pórni was slut and not girlfriend, Filenáda was girlfriend… Winona tried to remember some Balgeunese: sae was bird, halmeoni was grandmother… that was all she knew.

Wallace also explained all of the icons decorating the house. Above the house was one of Látiosou and Látiasou, patrons of travellers who protected doorways. The one on the table was of Samínas, patron of food and wine who loved celebration. They were beautiful mosaics of colored glass and gold.

“Do you have anything like that in Fortree City?” Wallace asked.

“Well, we have woodblock printing and woodcarving. Some of them depict folktales, like the Tailor and the Taillow. It’s my favorite story. My mother would tell me it as a bedtime story.”

“Sounds like a very Winona story. You’ll have to tell me it sometime.”

And then there was the food, a lot of food. Wallace explained every dish to Winona so she could know what was poultry and what wasn’t; she didn’t want to eat poultry. Under no circumstances would she eat poultry.

“Come on, Wallace,” Mrs. Papadaki whispered loudly. “Girls don’t like skinny boys. They like big men with big muscles.”

Winona didn’t really know how to respond, though Wallace’s leg was shaking. She didn’t like big and/or muscular men, but now that she thought about it, Wallace did seem to be getting thinner and thinner by the day…

Eventually, he caved and took a few bites out of gemistá—’yeh-mee-STAH’, stuffed tomatoes. He cut one of the honey cakes in half and shared it with Winona. The two shared long gazes, earning them judgemental stares from Wallace’s aunts and uncles.

One thing was certain: the air was thick with discontent. There were the stares directed at others, the whispers exchanged between neighbors, the casual insults at acceptable targets. This was a family, but it felt like anything but.

After eating, Wallace left the table for a few minutes (to use the bathroom? To get something from the guest room?), so Winona was left at the mercy of his family members.

It was suffocating to be in such a crowded room. She could hear them, see them judging her. She felt like she didn’t belong. So many sounds and voices and stares and—

“You look like a star.”

Lisia stared up at Winona with awe. Winona smiled, blushing.

“Why thank you.”

“You're Uncle Wall's girlfriend? That makes you… what was your name again?”

“Winona.”

“Auntie Win!” Lisia’s smile beamed like the rays of the sun. "'Romance in the Air: Uncle Wallace Finds His Lovely Luvdisc!'"

“She’s my Cousin Win!” Kris grinned. "And just like her, I'm going to be a powerful and smart trainer!"

Nicole smiled. “Lisia, Kris, Wallace isn’t married yet.”

“So?” Lisia asked.

“You don’t want to pressure Winona into marriage, do you?”

“It’s alright, Ms. Nicole,” Winona said softly.

“Lucia,” Locria mumbled, “who knows if Winona even should be marrying Wallace?”

Winona’s heart sank at that.

“Theía,” Nicole sighed, not in front of our guest—”

“Your father cursed your bloodline when he ran off with that woman. First he conceived you before marriage, then he almost drank himself to his grave, then the gods punished him and her with death, and he left behind a whore of a daughter and a woman of a son—”

“Locria, shut the fuck up.”

The whole table went silent as everyone stared at Nicole, who was standing, staring at Locria, fuming.

“I am not going to let you tarnish my father and mother’s names, Tziráchi bless their souls—Luciaki, Kristnaki, would you two mind covering your ears for a moment? Thank you ♡—and I am especially not going to let you tarnish Wallace and Winona’s names when you know damn fucking well that this is their fucking night. And if any of you bitch on about your transphobic or ‘family curse’ bullshit, then I’m going straight to the Sky Pillar to ask that Reikkoúza above curse you all to fucking hell.”

With a deep breath, Nicole sat back down, anger fading to stern stoicism. Everyone then looked at Raphael, who just shrugged nonchalantly at them.

“Luciaki, Kristinaki,” Nicole said with a cheerful smile, “would you two like to help me get Winona ready for dancing?”

-

Wallace and Winona reunited outside, where everyone was gathering for dancing.

“Are you okay?’ Winona whispered to him. “You look a little pale.”

“I’m feeling a little nervous, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry; I’m a little nervous, too.”

Wallace smiled. “Mari told me that you’re a dancer. What’s there to be nervous about?”

Oh right. Mari, former Fortree City Gym Leader and Winona’s mentor, had once seen her dancing in the backroom. Winona wasn’t that good of a dancer, and from what she had heard from Nicole… “Isn’t it a group dance? What if I mess up?”

“Just watch me. You’ll be fine.”

Everyone began joining hands, save the musicians: Aunt Locria on bowed lyra, Aunt Phrygia on toubeleki, Cousin Nanami on bouzouki, Uncle Nektarios on shamisen, Cousin Amaya on shakuhachi, and Aunt Lydia singing.

“Theía Lydia!” Wallace called, “Can we sing ‘O Gamprós’?”

“Óxi, Mikró Mikouri,” Mrs. Papadaki sighed.

“Se parakaló.”

Mrs. Papadaki sighed. “Fine. But only if you don’t tell Winona or the kids what it’s about.”

“What’s ‘O Gamprós’ about?” Winona whispered.

“It’s about a groom who’s scarce on the day of his wedding because he’s eloping with his true love. A Sootopolitan classic.”

The song started at a moderate tempo. It was easy for Winona to follow Wallace’s steps. Her feet were lighter than air, and her steps were so graceful that a few people cheered.

But then someone shoved Wallace into the center of the circle, causing him to drag Winona along with him.

"Hey!" Wallace shouted.

"Come one, Mikró Mikouri,” Cousin Halcyone teased. “Too weak to dance anymore?"

"I'm not weak. And stop calling me Mikró Mikouri."

The music paused, replaced by cheering and shouts of encouragement. When the noise died down, the music started up again, slower this time.

Winona looked up at Wallace.

“Do we…”

He took her hands. “We do.”

Winona’s gaze fell to Wallace’s feet. She tried to mirror his steps. Eventually, she figured out the pattern of steps in relation to the music. She gained confidence at this revelation, enough to look up at Wallace, who was smiling.

It was then that Winona realized that the music was speeding up with every second. The people surrounding them were clapping in time with the music. She had to keep her steps in time with the music, which got harder and harder with each second.

But Winona wasn’t scared or even overwhelmed. Rather, she felt free. And when Wallace started spinning her, she felt like she was flying in a sky of lights, music, and happiness. Was it the dancing, Wallace, or both? It didn’t matter.

“I think we’re reaching the end,” Wallace whispered. “Thank goodness.”

And they were: the music seemed to be reaching the end. With a cocky smirk, Winona wrapped her arm around Wallace’s waist and dipped him back just as the final note ended.

The whole courtyard erupted into cheers. Wallace wrapped his arms around Winona and pulled himself up. Smiling, he kissed her on the lips. Some people gasped and whispered, but Winona was too dizzy with euphoria to care.

Wallace just seemed dizzy.

The doorbell rang, echoing across the courtyard.

“I’ll get it,” Halcyone said.

"I'll get it," Wallace protested.

“Always a showoff, aren’t you? Just like Theía Lucille.”

“I’m not a showoff. And neither was my mother."

"You're too exhausted to even dance!" Amaya teased.

"Just like when you were a kid!" Nanami added.

“Mikró Mikouri still needs to catch up with us before he can show off,” Halcyone sneered.

Wallace rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Fine. I was going to be with Winona anyway."

As Halcyone ran off, Wallace collapsed onto one of the chairs.

“Did I really tire you out?” Winona asked.

“No, I was already tired,” Wallace sighed.

He motioned his hand to one of the chairs next to his. Winona sat down.

“I would ask you to sit on my lap,” Wallace whispered, placing a hand on Winona’s leg, “but I have family here.”

Winona leaned closer to Wallace. “Can I sit on your lap later?”

Wallace smirked. “If we can find a room at the Cove Lily Motel.”

Halcyone ran back over to the two.

“Poios einai?” Wallace asked.

“Megalos,” Halcyone scoffed, annoyed at Wallace and not this… Megalos? The Mayor of Sootopolis City, right?

Wallace’s smile turned into a hissing scowl.

“Gamó ton Drákou.” He looked at Winona, his expression softening to one that was more worried than annoyed. “Sorry, Winona. This night is, uh, about to become terrible.”

Wallace stood up and walked back towards the house.

"Megalos?" Winona looked up at Halcyone.

"He's the mayor of this city. For some reason, he's obsessed with Wallace. Out of all the Papadakes, he chose the weakest duck."

I don't see what he sees in that kid," Amaya added. "There are plenty of other, much better people he could have chosen." She looked at Winona. "Though... I could see why Wallace would pick up a chick like you. You're just as pathetic as he is."

"Maybe you two will run off together and leave one of us to be Megalos's special someone," Nanami teased.

"Like me." Amaya smirked and pointed a dramatic hand to herself.

"What about me?!"

"Oh please!" Halcyone rolled her eyes. "At least I'm not flaunting my body around like you two or Wallace!"

The three started arguing. Winona quietly stood up and walked away from them.

Don't listen to them, Winona... Please...

Where were Lisia and Nicole and Kris? Better yet, where was Wallace?
And right on cue, she saw Wallace, following a man and pleading with him.

“I thought I set you up with Melissa, Wallace!”

“Melissa and I didn’t work out. And she’s ten years older than me.”

“How long have you been seeing this new woman?”

Mayor Matthias Megalos was a stout man in his fifties with grayish-brown hair combed to the side and a tacky, orange three piece suit. When he saw Winona, he froze with an unreadable expression.

“Winona? Fortree City’s Gym Leader? So this is the woman you dumped Melissa for?”

“Um… hello there.” Winona didn’t know what to make of Megalos’s reaction. His gaping mouth and wide eyes suggested surprise, but what kind of surprise?

She found out. She found out when Megalos slapped Wallace across the face.

Winona gasped and tried to run to him, but Megalos stopped her with a pointed finger.

“You’re going to marry this woman?!" Megalos shrieked. "You’re going to produce fruit from your loins with this woman?!”

Wallace gently caressed his face, where a red mark was starting to form. Panting, he stared up at Megalos.

“So what if I’m going to marry her?” Wallace shot back. “I love her!”

“I'm doing what’s best for you! I’m doing what’s best for Sootopolis City! And you have to do the same!”

“Mikró Mikouri,” Mrs. Papadaki sighed, “if Megalos is telling you to break up with you… well, you must do what’s right for Sootopolis City.”

Megalos stomped over to Winona. He pointed to her and looked back at Wallace.

“You are going to break up with this woman,” Megalos demanded, “and you are going to go back to Melissa.”

Winona felt like a small bird, a small bird being mocked by a snake in front of his cruel friends before he snapped her up. Why did this man care so much about her being with Wallace? Why was he being so harsh?

Wallace stared at Megalos for a long, long time. Tension built up in the air as fear built up in Winona’s body. Finally, he responded:

“I’m not.”

Megalos snapped his head back towards Winona. “Mrs. Kimura, I want you to stay away from Wallace. Is that understood?”

“It is, but I’m not going to listen," Winona replied without a second of hesitation. She felt a surge of power and confidence, like she was the heroine in a romance movie. "You have no right to control Wallace’s romantic or sexual relationships, and you have no right to control mine!”

She ended her speech with a smile. She watched Megalos's face slowly fall apart as the implications of her words slowly creeped in.

Uh oh.

“You… YOU TWO COPULATED BEFORE MARRIAGE?!?!?!”

In a flash, Megalos sent out a mighty Gyarados. The courtyard was dead quiet. As soon as the Gyarados looked down at Wallace, all hell broke loose.

People were screaming, running away, and/or taking out Pokéballs of their own.

Wallace ran over to Winona, holding Victoria’s Pokéball.

“Run!" he gasped. "I’ll catch up with you.”

"But what about—"

"This is my fault. I need to suffer the consequences. But you, Winona”—he took Winona’s hand—”you shouldn't suffer because of my—"

"WALLACE!" Mr. Papadakis yelled. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GYM LEADER! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY BOY’S SON! FIGHT THAT BEAST WITH THAT MILOTIC OF YOURS!”

Wallace groaned. "Just go to where we lost our… Pos les ... virginities. Just go to where we lost our virginities."

"Wallace..." Winona gasped.

Wallace realized too late that Megalos was right behind him.

"Get out of here.”

Winona ran around the corner of the house, away from the chaos, away from Megalos grabbing Wallace's arm, away from everything. She didn’t even know where she was supposed to run. She just ran like she was flying across the sky. Maybe she was; she was too scared to see.

"Just go to where we lost our virginities."

Of course. Megalos may have been pissed about the revelation that Wallace wasn't a virgin, but at least he didn't know where Wallace stopped being a virgin and where Winona was supposed to run to.

She jumped over the fence with relative ease and immediately fell back into a sprint.

-

“Winona?" Juan, who was standing in the doorway of his estate, almost dropped his teapot when he saw the young woman. "What are you doing here? Wallace told me that you were at his grandparents’ house.”

Panting, Winona stormed inside. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You didn’t have a falling out, did you?”

“Of course not, but that mayor of yours sure wants us to.”

Juan shut the door. “What happened? I thought it was a family gathering. I thought I told Megalos not to interfere."

The doorbell rang again. This time, Megalos was at the door, dragging Wallace by the Salí wrapped around him.

“Señor Aguado. We need to talk.”

"I believe that is indeed true. You have some explaining to do."

Megalos saw Winona, and the anger in his stone-like eyes blazed brighter. “First of all, why did you let Sin occur under your roof?!”

Megalos let go of Wallace, who immediately fell to the floor. Winona ran over to him, but Megalos grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Don't go near him." he hissed.

"Don't touch Winona," Juan demanded, pulling Megalos away from Winona.

"You don't have any power anymore! You're not the Gym Leader anymore!"

"Yes, but Wallace is, and that hasn't stopped you from dragging him around like a rag doll."

Winona helped Wallace stand up. Juan looked at them with a gentle expression.

"Wallace, I'm so sorry about this,” Juan whispered. “I'll talk to your grandparents about this later.”

“Come on, Winona,” Wallace whispered. “We’ll go to my room.”

As the two left Juan and Megalos to argue, Wallace winked at Winona.

-

They snuck out the window and had sex in one of Cardinal Plaza’s love hotels for the first time. Luvdisc Lounge, to be more specific.

Wallace was right: it was incredible. Pink neon lights shaped like hearts, silk curtains and bedding, plush bathrobes, rose petals, LED candles. It was romantic, perhaps excessively so for what was essentially a spur of the moment hook up after pissing off the mayor of the city.

The two lay on the bed in silence for a while after having sex, staring up at the wall, trying to figure out what they were supposed to do or say or even think. Wallace was wearing a bathrobe, though both him and Winona had their Sália wrapped around them.

Finally, Winona spoke: “‘Fruit from your loins’.”

Wallace chuckled. “I know. I almost gagged, too.”

“At least you speak poetically in a sexy way.”

“Really? Thanks. I try my best. Hinodego and Galarian are my second and fourth languages, respectively.”

"And your third?"

"Kalosian. You took it in high school, didn't you?"

Winona chuckled. "Oui."

Wallace kissed Winona's cheek, then whispered in her ear: "Ah, ma chérie, je veux te baiser comme une bête."

"Oh, stop it," Winona teased as fell against Wallace's chest.

“I’m sorry for revealing to your whole family that we’re fucking.”

“Hey, assuming this night went off without a hitch and we got married and had kids, they would connect the dots sooner or later.”

“Does this mean creepy old people will stop hitting on you?”

“Probably not, but at least I can tell them I have a date. That ought to do something. And Megalos will probably stop trying to set me up with women I don’t love; he’ll turn to trying to break us up first.” He sighed. “Oh well. At least he didn’t find out about all of the details of the more intimate side of our relationship. If he found out that we were in an open relationship…”

Winona sat up. "I'm sorry for not... I'm sorry for not being wife material."

"When did I ever say that? I think, if anything, you would make a wonderful spouse."

"My sister and your family sure don't think so..."

“Listen, Winona. No one can tell us to stop loving each other. Not your parents, not Theresa, not my cousins, not Megalos, not anyone. You love me, and I love you. That’s all that matters.

He sat up and kissed Winona on the lips. It turned into making out very quickly, and the two fell back on the bed.

“What about Megalos?” Winona asked. “We’re going to have to face him eventually. And that note you left in your bedroom probably isn't a good enough way to tell Juan how long we'll be gone."

“I’ll call Juan and tell him that you and I are staying somewhere for the night.” He winked. “And I’ll keep out the part about that somewhere being a love hotel. We’ll deal with Megalos later, but for tonight, forget about Megalos. He isn't even family. Why should we give a damn about him? For tonight, it’s just going to be the two of us.”

Spoiler: Notes

Γιαπιά (yiayiá) - Greek, “grandmother”

Σάλι του Λοβεκασ (Sáli tou Lovekas) - Greek, Luvdisc’s Shawl

Ποιος είναι? (Poios einai?) - Greek, "Who is it?"

Γαμώ τον Δράκου (Gamó ton Drákou) - Greek, literally “fuck the Dragon”, referring to Rayquaza. Γαμώ τον Ραικουαζα (Gamó ton Raikouaza) is a much stronger form, since it replaces the more generic “Drákou” with the specific “Raikouaza”, sort of like the difference between “oh my goodness” and “oh my God”. In the case of “Gamó ton Drákou” and “Gamó ton Raikouaza”, the latter is very strong and offensive, but the former is fairly common among young Sootopolitans (as common as “damn” in English, or “fuck” in a high school).

"Ah, ma chérie, je veux te baiser comme une bête." - French, "My dear, I want to fuck you so bad."

ΣΚΆΣΕ, ΝΕΚΤΑΡΙΟΣ! (SKÁSE, NEKTARIOS!) - Greek, "Shut up, Nektarios!"

Σε παρακαλό. (Se parakaló.) - Greek, "I beg of you."

Πος λεσ (Pos les) - "How do you say"

 

[bluesidra]

Oh. My. God. So, I’m writing an AU where the Darkest Day could not be resolved, and let me tell you, that is less of a catastrophe than that dinner.

Spelling and grammar are okay, I’ll just skip that.

Holy shit, what is wrong with that family? Was there a secret prize out for who's assholery could not be topped? Holy fuck!

Sad thing is, as awful as all those people are, I think the most horrible person in all of this was Winona. It pains me to say, because I’m 100% sure you did not intend for this, so let me explain. Warning, rant incoming.

Like, even before it started, she did everything wrong? Why even set up a meeting when she knew what death-trap that would be for Wallace? Why the entire family, and in their home? Wouldn’t it be safer to have Wallace meet only her parents on neutral grounds in a restaurant or something? Then he arrives – alone, mind you – and has to introduce himself to the family members. Without being briefed on them? I can overlook her being occupied by her mom in the kitchen, that is understandable. But the entire dinner, she was just calmly taking everything, not once standing up for him. She should have known that Wallace can only lose in this situation. The only statement that could be made was if she would leave. But no. It was on him. And then the Audacity to ask him if he can go home alone! Bitch, you walk him home, and then you stay the night, and if you sleep on the carpet with his blazer as a blanket. God damn! And then he has to apologize to her? I don’t see anything he has to apologize for and he also is Not in a position to make her feel better about herself. And then, when everything is over, Winona twists the knife just a little bit deeper by implying he has to go back and try again? No! These are really toxic people, and if Wallace’s sacrifice this night means anything to her, then she better cut them off now. I do not understand why she returns home or why she even wanted him to introduce himself.

But yes, oh god, what awful people. Wallace has every right to freak out. He is surprisingly calm and light-hearted after he is out of the house and with Winona again, which struck me as a little odd. But then again, I don’t know your Wallace well enough and it could very well be a facade.

As a side note, I’m continuously smiling at your worldbuilding with Winona’s family, and how you manage to make everyone with slightly light blue/violet hair related to each other. I don’t mind at all, I love it! But the ages you assigned them are the absolute opposite to my intuition on them. I always pictured Kahili as the drunken aunt, while Winona would be a tad older than Bugsy and Anabel, who, by RSE canon, would be around 16 imo. It’s just funny to imagine them so young.

Also, again kudos on depicting Wallace’s ED. Can’t relate to the purging, but the restrictive eating and especially the reasons for it sound very familiar, and if those are lessons you’ve gotten from firsthand experience, have a biiiiig hug from me.

I’m reading both back to back, so I’m excited about what drama awaits me on Wallace’s side of the equation.

 

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

Hello there. I’m here for my fourth entry for the February reviewing challenge. I suppose that it’s fitting that on Valentine’s Day that I end up on one of your Gracefulshipping fics, haha, but looking at those content warnings, um… had me wondering exactly what I was about to get into here. And then I started reading and quickly realized that the title is referring to two different stories here, before guessing that they one would probably be from Wallace’s perspective and that the other would be from Winona’s perspective (I was right). And then I realized that this was going to be a family episode. Which, when it comes to Wallace and Winona, means the very opposite of what most people think when they hear the words “family”.

In no way was I prepared for just how true that last statement really was here, yeesh!

Now, before I elaborate on my thoughts on the story proper, I’d like to give some of my thoughts about technicals, as I think that they’re actually really important to, well, actually most of your pieces, but especially this one. Basically, I feel that a lot of what helps make this story work as effectively as it does is that the prose, for the most part, doesn’t get “in the way” so to speak, as far as flow and ease of reading goes, which makes things feel natural and effortless as you read through the many, many things that happen in both stories and the emotional collercoaster that comes with them. Said prose is neither too simple nor too flowery or complicated, and it depicts the events of both stories with just the perfect amount of “getting the job done” detail without feeling like it’s just “getting the job done”. It’s to the point where you don’t really pay attention to it, which is a real understated accomplishment, I think. I did say mostly though, which is because I do think that things get a little harder to parse when more than two or three characters are “on screen” at once, especially given that the narrative frequently brings in people the very large cast of both these stories. Nothing completely took me out the story there, and I don’t really know if that’s really a problem with the prose itself or just the actual flow of events and conversation (which are many), but that is something that required some more effort on my part to completely understand everything. That said, when the cast of characters at any given point is more on the smaller side, that aforementioned strength in your prose is able to shine on a more consistent basis, I think, and to work well in service to the plot and characters without, again, “getting in the way”.

Meanwhile, much is the same with spelling and grammar; neither of those “get in the way” either. But that’s something that I’m used to with your works, haha, so that wasn’t as much of a surprise there. That said, there’s some more minor things that I noticed, such as:

“Joan, I’m not feeling too well. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea—“

That quotation mark at the end; I’ve encountered this before. With the program that I use to write stuff on (Notes, on my iPad), adding a dash before a quotation mark will make it think that the sentence actually ended and that you’re trying to make a new one, prompting to add a starting quotation. Which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever from a writer’s perspective, but then I suspect that most programmers aren’t writers (or that they even actually test a lot of their own stuff in any meaningful way, but that’s a rant for another time). I don’t know what you write on, but in any case, look out for this!

”We’ll see if that excitement is warranted,” Rina muttered. "She's never brought anyone home.”

Thankfully, even Rina’s least offensive sentence in the entire story is more offensive than that ending quotation mark there, haha, which should of course be a beginning one. Again, look out for that!

This is the first of a few times that I saw this here (mostly in the first story). Again, it looks like whatever program you’re using is really trying to make you look like a bad writer (versus the programmers who wrote said program, haha). Look out for this too, okay?

"Kahili are you interested in Water types?"

I think that there’s supposed to be a comma after her name. This seems to be just one of those regular, benign mistakes compared to the others.

Rina stared at him. ”I can’t have my daughter marry someone who’s skin and bones. She needs someone who can support her, protect her, and care for her, and skinny boys like you aren’t good at that.”

Backwards quotation mark there. Almost certainly a formatting error, right? Certain programs I’ve used have no idea how to handle them correctly, or any idea what a quotation mark even is, exactly (there’s at least two or three different kinds of them out there, I think). Ugh… just be careful!

“Well, you’re mom isn’t exactly what I’d call the greatest of people.”

While I concur with Wallace there, haha, “you’re” should be “your” here.

“That’s good.” Mr.s Papadaki turned back to Winona. “You two haven’t been having sex, have you?”

I’m hoping that’s not meant to be Mr. Papadaki there, or Wallace and Winona’s night is going to be even more unpleasant, haha. In any case, I’m pretty sure that “Mr.s” is supposed to be something else, whatever it is; you know what to do!

And so with all of that said, I’ll go ahead and share my thoughts on the story proper. But given how this is more of a long-form story compared to what I’m used to from you and how there’s a lot to unpack here (oh boy, is there), I think I’m going to do something a bit different and write little casual notes on certain key or interesting parts of your story, rather than trying to write them all down in a more formal paragraph style. I think that’ll allow me to focus more on my thoughts themselves, rather than on trying to make them all nice and neat (which is a lot harder than I might make it appear). So with further ado…

NOTE: As this is a MATURE-rated story being reviewed here, I’m not going to pull any punches as far as language or discussion of mature content goes, and there will be many, many punches. Reader beware.

~In the echo of the ocean~

For the seventy-seventh time in an hour, Wallace checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked perfect for Winona’s family—or presentable, at the very least. His purple turtleneck was carefully tucked into white dress pants, his white blazer was straight without a single wrinkle, and his white boots and beret had not a scratch or smudge.

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Things are going off to a lovely start already, aren’t they? For all of the stigma, scrutiny, and discrimination that the mentally ill get, perfectionism could really be called the most common mental illness that no one ever talks about, right? (Not that Wallace’s other, more defined problems help things, naturally.)

Although, of course, certain other scourges of the mind easily could be put in similar terms, too. Many of which we’re about to be familiar with very shortly…

“I’m guessing you’re Winona’s parents. Rina and Haruki Kimura, if I remember correctly.”

Rina nodded. What kind of nod was it? Approval? Disappointment?

“And I’m guessing you’re her partner.” Her icy voice said enough: she was disappointed.

A wonderful way to greet your guest and potential future son-in-law, Rina. I’m guessing that Hoenn hospitality isn’t a thing in this universe, huh? Although given how I remember her from Alternate Title (Alternate Universe) and how off-putting she was within just one sentence, let alone Winona’s reaction after, this is utterly unsurprising.

Unfortunately, as you and I both know, she’s only just getting started.

“You two better not… get carried away.”

Winona rolled her eyes. “We don’t, and we won’t.”

How old does Rina think her daughter is, thirteen? You’d think. That alone would justify Winona despising her so much later on in Facadeverse-time, let alone what she dishes out later.

The doorbell rang, and Winona sighed. “And here comes Theresa. She just happens to be visiting, and she insisted that she come to dinner tonight.” Sarcasm was palpable in her voice.

“Any suggestions on how to deal with her?”

“Just smile and nod. For what it's worth, she hates me too. And Bugsy. And Anabel. And my dad."

That does not sound worth a damn to me, Winona. Is her whole immediate family just awful, or what? How the hell does she just not explode at all? I mean, speaking from experience, there’s a lot of crap that the human mind can take, but…

“Who the hell is this delinquent?” A man yelled in a deep, fiery voice as he stopped next to Theresa and saw Wallace. He had dark purple hair that was halfway grayed, and he was sharply dressed. He was staring at Wallace with a much more obviously disdainful look.

Did Wallace really look that bad? Shoot, he remembered to put concealer on the dark circles under his eyes, right? His clothes were braggy enough to hide how thin his arms were, right? Was it the bloodshot eyes?! The cheekbones?! The—

“Are you too drugged to speak or something?”

Ah, nothing like meeting someone for the first time and proceeding to have, without second thought, “delinquent” be one of the very first words you say to them. Hmm, I wonder what it is about Wallace that would have someone use a word like that…

“Wallace.” He smiled and did a pose with his hands as if to say ta da. “Sootopolis City Gym Leader, and Winona’s boyfriend. Or partner. Or significant other. Call me whatever you wish. I have no preference.”

“Richard, Theresa’s husband,” the man said as he reluctantly shook Wallace’s hand, forcing a smile when he realized that he was talking to his sister-in-law’s boyfriend. “I own the Hano Grand Resort.”

Well, he sure changed his tune real quick, didn’t he? The fact that he owns a resort explains a whole lot about pretty much everything he’s done up to this point, actually.

"I can't have my daughter marrying someone who can't even protect her."

"I'm sure Winona is very capable of protecting herself."

Rina didn't seem to be amused by that playful quip. "All right then. I can't have my daughter marrying someone who can't even defend himself."

Damn, Wallace just can’t win, can’t he? But then, you never can win like people like Rina; they practically live for this kind of conflict.

“I hope you’re a better husband than you are a Gym Leader!” Rina called.

I’m working on that, Wallace wanted to shout back, but that would be rude. Also, she had a point; he was a new Gym Leader, but that didn’t give him any excuse to be this… bad of a Gym Leader.

I see a trend here with Wallace blaming himself for things that aren’t his fault, or giving legitimacy to people and their thoughts that aren’t worth listening to. Much of which is almost certainly because of his anxiety and self-worth issues, the poor guy. Richard is one of the first glaring examples of Wallace doing this out in the open with his perfectionism and insecurity about his looks taking over; now it seems that his insecurity about his worthiness of being a Gym Leader is leading him to buy into Rina’s bullshit, even as that’s probably one of the last things he actually wants to do.

She was rolling her eyes. “I thought you were going to put on a… performance during your battle, but you pleasantly surprised me with your clothes and skills. For a person of your kind, you did pretty well. Though I should tell you that your Sootopolis speak or whatever feels like cheating."

Wallace sighed. He was failing to impress his potential future in-laws, wasn’t he?

You’ve gotta love that open, shameless queerphobia there, huh? It says a lot about the history — and the present — of your Facadeverse that women like Rina are able to hold any kind of power over people like Wallace. Rather than said people, you know, kicking women like Rina to the proverbial curb without a second thought like any sane, functional society would allow.

"Don't psychics give commands with telepathy?—"

"Shut up, Anabel," Theresa shot back.

Anabel looked back down at her feet. "Okay."

And you’ve gotta love that open, shameless bullying there, too; damn. But as always, bullying says more about the person doing the bullying than the person being bullying. Theresa was already unlikable as just a spoiled jerk, but this shows that’s she’s a punk, too. I wonder how quickly she would’ve told Anabel to “shut up” if she, well, didn’t shut up? Or if perhaps she used some of her psychic powers on her? Oh, how I would pay to see how that would’ve played out.

"His," Bugsy corrected. "Or theirs. And my name is Bugsy."

Theresa sighed. "It’s hard to remember, sorry." She didn’t sound sorry.

I’m sure she didn’t. Seriously, fuck this woman. If you can even call her that, the little punk. I mean, When you make Rina look like a decent person in comparison…

About Bugsy… they’re a really weird person to try to slap on a gender on, aren’t they? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Most interpretations of them I’ve seen make them either trans or (indeed) non-binary, and it’s not surprising that people have latched onto them as LGBTQ+ (particularly people who are LGBTQ+). My preferred interpretation of them is them being a genderqueer and/or androgynous male-identifying person, without necessarily to the point of being non-binary, but those other interpretations work, too! If anything, it’s kind of fun to see how different authors choose to interpret Bugsy and his unique presentation and mannerisms, I think.

Looking over his shoulder, Wallace saw Bugsy, whose eyes were wide and hands were shaking. Wallace put a hand on their shoulder.

“Hey, Bugsy.” Wallace forced a smile. “Theresa is full of shit.”

God, you have know no idea how cathartic that is to read, haha. Or maybe you do, actually. Their whole exchange is a wonderful bright ray of light on a dark, unpleasant night, really. No matter what happens here, at least Bugsy knows that they have a friend in someone who has a lot in common with them when it comes to gender.

It helped that Haruki was a nice enough person. He talked about how proud he was of his daughter for being such a strong Trainer, for gaining recognition beyond Fortree City and Hoenn, for getting into Rustboro University.

Haruki has indeed been a surprisingly decent person so far, but one has to wonder how he ended up with a person like Rina, and why he would choose to stay with someone like her (I suspect that she doesn’t treat him too much better than she treats someone like Winona). Would a certain underage pregnancy mentioned later on have anything to do with it, I wonder?

"Yeah, and he better know that she won't take a half-assed husband," Rina muttered. “He better know that he can’t ditch her when he gets her pregnant, and if he gets her pregnant before—“

"Mom please," Winona sighed. "Can we not get into that right now?"

"Young lady, we are going to get into that."

Really shooting for gold in the Asshole Olympics, aren’t we, Rina? I guess Theresa must’ve had you running for your money there.

Wallace felt a slithering hand on his leg, completely unlike the graceful hands of Winona. He looked up at Theresa, who frowned when he expressed discomfort.

Oh sorry, Rina; I think that Theresa has just gotten you beat for the whole night here. Sexual freaking assault now!? The sheer nerve of her…

“Oh honey,” Theresa whispered, too quiet for anyone to hear, “don’t worry, I like my men a little exotic… Oh right, I just remembered that your gender is a fish.”

“The term is ‘genderqueer male’,” Wallace half joked, half explained, “and I don’t mind being called a man… but I’m not really eager right now, especially not for you.”

“I thought you were eager for everyone.”

More nonsense from the spoiled, entitled bully, and now sex criminal. Yeah, Theresa has got that gold on lock, alright.

Rina stared at him. ”I can’t have my daughter marry someone who’s skin and bones. She needs someone who can support her, protect her, and care for her, and skinny boys like you aren’t good at that.”

Wallace was very close to screaming. If he took a shot every time someone said "you need a good meal" or "you're going to blow away in the wind" or "you look like an anorexic middle school girl" or some other variation of that, he would get... very drunk, maybe blackout drunk, maybe dead drunk.

”You remind me of my grandmother," Wallace said.

That didn’t get any kind of smile from Rina. ”In that case, tell your grandmother that she’s a smart woman. And eat.”

I don’t think that’s supposed to be a compliment, Rina. Makes me wonder what Wallace’s grandmother is like; oof. But I forget about Wallace’s anorexia, actually, although when I think about it, it’s come up in some of your other stories (including those taking place after this one, oof). It’s never pleasant to see him suffer through it (especially since he clearly doesn’t want to suffer through it; not that I’d imagine that anyone would) and especially seeing him think about things like purging or how thin he is instead of enjoying himself (as best as he can here, anyway). Seeing him suffer through it in front of the likes of Rina and Theresa is exponentially more unpleasant, of course.

Wallace hated vomiting. He hated almost everything about it: the burning, bitter taste; the foul, rotten smell; the wretched sight of it; the loss of dignity. The only thing he didn’t hate about it was the emotional catharsis. It was addicting.

Addicting when he was the one controlling it.

I’m guessing that this is also an anorexia thing? As someone who has never experienced that nor has witnessed anyone in real life suffer through it, this is pretty chilling stuff here.

“I thought you were a good girl, Nagi,” Rina snarled. “I thought you were a good girl who did as you were told and only hung out with the right kinds of people. But then you became a trainer. Then you thought you could go around and do whatever you wanted.”

Well, yeah, Rina, she can do whatever the hell she wants to. She’s a grown-ass woman. I guess that “good girls”, to people like Rina, are daughters who do everything that their mothers say all the time no matter what or no matter how ridiculous, right? I mean, damn, just how stupid and delusional do you have to be, Rina? She’s pathetic.

“And now you're letting her take that freak with her so it can fuck her?!” Theresa shrieked.

At this point, Theresa has not only won the gold, she’s taken home the trophy, melted it down, and used the molten remains to make a golden toilet before prompting doing business of the most horrible sort in there. And sadly, we know that the wine didn’t do much to help her get there. If Rina is “pathetic”, then what the hell can you even call Theresa? Besides spoiled, cruel, queerphobic…

"Mom!" Kahili yelled. "What is your—"

"Stay out of this, young lady!" Richard ordered.

When a literal child is the most mature and sensible one between them and their parents, something has gone very, very wrong. Must’ve been some immaculate conception going on for such an angel to come out of that fool’s stomach. Hopefully she’ll endure the inevitable abuse that’ll come her way later in life — assuming that she isn’t enduring it already — and grow up to be a decent person and break the cycle of nonsense perpetuated by her parents.

"Well, she's a step sister, right?" Wallace added. "You can just tell her to stay out of your family's—"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't, Wallace. She’s my mom’s sister.”

“Well, you’re mom isn’t exactly what I’d call the greatest of people.”

“I can’t leave my mom either! She’s my mom!”

“How about you… get a new mom?”

I know that last line is partially playful, but there’s some seriousness there too, I’d bet. Many people might see Winona as somewhat unsympathetic for showing what appears to be loyalty to her mother here, wondering why she would allow the possibility for her — and people like her — to hurt and demean the one that she loves, or why she would even give her the time of day. Well, speaking from experience, it’s not that simple to just break away from people that you consider(ed) to be “family”, no matter how horrible they are. And in the case of Winona, she’s dealing with the woman who literally gave birth to her. You see, we’re taught from birth to defer to our parents and “respect” them, and respect is a concept that’s easily twisted by the cruel and manipulative. So I don’t think that “loyalty” is the thing that’s holding Winona back from breaking away from Rina, as I’m sure that she would greatly prefer to do. Rather, I think that it’s deference, of the sort that she, again like all children, are taught from birth. Or perhaps to use less charitable term: programming. Moving away from that is difficult, as is realizing that you need to move away from that in the first place. And it’s also important to note that Winona is only college age here. Once she learns more about the world and about people, and realizes what is truly “OK” and what is merely “accepted” or “taught”, she’ll learn to trust and respect her own feelings more, and to rebuke and dismiss — without hesitation — anyone who doesn’t respect said feelings... including her mother.

~In the hunting of the wind~

Why are you wearing something so revealing?

It’s not revealing.

Winona had put on a dark blue dress that went all the way to the floor. She had gotten it herself at Mall-ville’s Couture Kalos, with her own money from her own job as a Gym Leader, too. The most “revealing” part of it was the fact that it was sleeveless and the fact that it was a V-neck. Her makeup was simple and modest, at least—foundation, blush, and lipstick approved of by her mother.

How did I know that she was thinking about her mother before we’re told that we’re thinking about her mother, haha. Given how the previous story went, I guess it’s safe to say that this one takes place before then?

“Now you be home by nine o’clock, you hear?”

“Yes, mother.”

“And you better not do anything with Wallace: no hugging, no kissing, no funny business.”

“Yes, mother.”

“If he so much as looks at you funny, or if he tries to touch you, I want to scream, as loud as you can, and then run straight home, you understand me? Who knows what a… someone like him might try to do.”

Oh mother, you hateful old—

“Yes, mother.”

Rina huffed. “I don’t know why your father agreed to letting you go on a Pokémon journey. It’s made you rebellious.”

“Come on, Rina,” Haruki sighed from the kitchen. “Winona isn’t a little girl anymore. As hard as it is to accept that, we… have to accept it eventually.”

And Winona’s father restores my faith in humanity for yet a few more sentences, haha.

“You may be a woman now, but that doesn’t mean I want you to be a bad woman. No cigarettes. No drugs. No funny business. You’re going to make a good wife, and if Wallace makes a bad future husband, you’re cutting things off with him. Is that understood?”

No. “Yes, mother.”

As if your grown-ass daughter is somehow incapable of figuring that out for herself. Because it’s, you know, your job as a parent to make sure that she’s able to do that in the first place. Seriously, fuck you, Rina.

“Well, eleven women since I turned eighteen, thirty seven since I turned sixteen. Of course, that doesn’t count you, but you’re different.”

Winona’s eyes widened. “Arranged marriage at sixteen?”

48 people…

“Mr. Papadakis and Mrs. Papadaki,” the old man greeted. “Wallace’s guardians. You looked like a fine young woman.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Winona bowed.

Well, we’re sure off to a much better start than last time here! I mean, that’s not a very high bar to clear or anything, but it’s something that fosters some optimism about the rest of the night, I think!

“Your neckline makes you look like a prostitute,” Mrs. Papadaki interjected.

Oh damn, here we go…

“And tonight, I must determine whether or not you’re a good wife for Wallace. With observation. And questions.”

“Oh joy,” Wallace said. Winona could tell that it wasn’t going to be a joy.

“In front of… all of these people?” Winona asked.

“We show our true colors under pressure,” Mrs. Papadaki explained, “and you seem to be very under pressure. Look at you, you’re covering your bosom with your arms. Are you ashamed of your immodesty?”

People can also show their true colors when they’re not under pressure. Especially if they’re in a position of power and reverence. I don’t know what’s worse: someone who says mean things meanly, or someone who says mean things nicely? The former is unpleasant, certainly, but the latter can really mess with your mind…

“Mikró Mikouri,” Mrs. Papadaki sighed, “we don’t want you marrying someone impure.”

Wallace’s face grew redder—this time with anger. “How dare you say such things about Winona!”

“Winona?” Mrs. Papadaki continued. “Have you been having sex with Wallace?”

I don’t know what’s more impressive here; that Wallace actually stands up to his parents so early, or that she doesn’t give a single damn and continues on anyway. In any case, yay Wallace!

…

That list of family members… just wow, is all I say about it.

“Come on, Wallace,” Mrs. Papadaki whispered loudly. “Girls don’t like skinny boys. They like big men with big muscles.”

Winona didn’t really know how to respond, though Wallace’s leg was shaking. She didn’t like big and/or muscular men, but now that she thought about it, Wallace did seem to be getting thinner and thinner by the day…

I’m glad that Winona is able to notice the consequences of Wallace’s anorexia problems. Unfortunately, if this does take place after the first story, then nothing seems to come out of it, huh?

It was suffocating to be in such a crowded room. She could hear them, see them judging her. She felt like she didn’t belong. So many sounds and voices and stares and—

“You look like a star.”

Lisia stared up at Winona with awe. Winona smiled, blushing.

“Why thank you.”

It seems like the young ones are the truly the nicest and wisest ones in these families, aren’t they?
[/QUOTE]

“Your father cursed your bloodline when he ran off with that woman. First he conceived you before marriage, then he almost drank himself to his grave, then the gods punished him and her with death, and he left behind a whore of a daughter and a woman of a son—”

“Locria, shut the fuck up.”

The whole table went silent as everyone stared at Nicole, who was standing, staring at Locria, fuming.

<cue epic, profanity-laced takedown>

Never were those five words more needed than with that fool, haha. It’s nice to see more people within Wallace’s family with sense than we saw with Winona’s family, that’s for sure.

“Megalos,” Halcyone scoffed, annoyed at Wallace and not this… Megalos? The Mayor of Sootopolis City, right?

Wallace’s smile turned into a hissing scowl.

“Gamó ton Drákou.” He looked at Winona, his expression softening to one that was more worried than annoyed. “Sorry, Winona. This night is, uh, about to become terrible.”

“About to”…!? How much worse can it—

“Um… hello there.” Winona didn’t know what to make of Megalos’s reaction. His gaping mouth and wide eyes suggested surprise, but what kind of surprise?

She found out. She found out when Megalos slapped Wallace across the face.

Oh damn, yet again…

“So what if I’m going to marry her?” Wallace shot back. “I love her!”

“I'm doing what’s best for you! I’m doing what’s best for Sootopolis City! And you have to do the same!”

“Mikró Mikouri,” Mrs. Papadaki sighed, “if Megalos is telling you to break up with you… well, you must do what’s right for Sootopolis City.”

“What’s best for Sootopolis City” my ass. Not from a man who thinks that assault counts as a greeting, or whose first response to a woman is an insult. I bet it’s good for something, all right; probably something good for Mr. Mayor here. And really great sticking up for your son there, Mrs. Papadaki. Nothing cowardly or thoughtless about that at all; nope.

“I’m not.”

Megalos snapped his head back towards Winona. “Mrs. Kimura, I want you to stay away from Wallace. Is that understood?”

“It is, but I’m not going to listen," Winona replied without a second of hesitation. She felt a surge of power and confidence, like she was the heroine in a romance movie. "You have no right to control Wallace’s romantic or sexual relationships, and you have no right to control mine!”

Oh wow, they both said no! Alright then, that’s actually really badass and romantic! Just two real big middle fingers to Mr. Mayor there. I guess that means they just won the night and—

“You… YOU TWO COPULATED BEFORE MARRIAGE?!?!?!”

Damn, you’d think he was saying “YOU KILLED HER?!?!?!” or something. Knowing him, though, he’d probably prefer that to what’s apparently the cardinal sin of, ahem… copulation before marriage. Oh, the humanity…

In a flash, Megalos sent out a mighty Gyarados. The courtyard was dead quiet. As soon as the Gyarados looked down at Wallace, all hell broke loose.

People were screaming, running away, and/or taking out Pokéballs of their own.

This whole scene was so crazy, that Mr. Mayor would actually pull out their Pokémon for this… I almost couldn’t believe that I was actually reading that. It would’ve been hilarious if it wasn’t so pathetic, or if Mr. Mayor wasn’t dead serious there, thinking that there’s no problem whatsoever — none at all! — to sic a Gyarados on a human for… copulating before marriage. Oh, how dare they, says Mr. Mayor!

"This is my fault. I need to suffer the consequences. But you, Winona”—he took Winona’s hand—”you shouldn't suffer because of my—"

"WALLACE!" Mr. Papadakis yelled. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GYM LEADER! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY BOY’S SON! FIGHT THAT BEAST WITH THAT MILOTIC OF YOURS!”

Oh Wallace, thinking that everyone’s else bullshit is his fault. That having a Gyarados sicced on him is his fault. Speaking of which, fuck you, Mr. Papadakis. Anything coming out of your mouth right now that isn’t “fuck you, Megalos!” or “run like hell, son!” is a complete waste of time and breath. With parents like these…

The doorbell rang again. This time, Megalos was at the door, dragging Wallace by the Salí wrapped around him.

“Señor Aguado. We need to talk.”

"I believe that is indeed true. You have some explaining to do."

Damn right; what the hell!? Isn’t this just flat-out assault and kidnapping right here? If Mr. Mayor were just any random person on the street doing this, he’d be rightly branded as a monster. He is a monster. Just how much power and privilege must this guy have to be able to do something like that without consequence?

"Don't go near him." he hissed.

"Don't touch Winona," Juan demanded, pulling Megalos away from Winona.

"You don't have any power anymore! You're not the Gym Leader anymore!"

"Yes, but Wallace is, and that hasn't stopped you from dragging him around like a rag doll."

Someone else with sense, thank God. Can we have him be the mayor instead of this assaulting, kidnapping freak?

As the two left Juan and Megalos to argue, Wallace winked at Winona.

-

They snuck out the window and had sex in one of Cardinal Plaza’s love hotels for the first time. Luvdisc Lounge, to be more specific.

O-Oh, w-well… well. A happy ending after all, then?

Now, as for which one of the two stories I think has a better ending, as in better for Wallace and Winona? Well, that’s kind of a tough call, given how both dinners were God-awful in every conceivable way. There were a few bright spots, certainly, but man are Wallace and Winona’s parents absolutely terrible people for the most part. While they’re probably not the root of all of their problems, I’m sure that they were the root of many, and in any case they sure as hell didn’t help things. But as far as the best of the worst between both stories is, I’ll have to go with…

…the second story, by a hair. Why? Simple. It started out a lot better, if you consider “prodding prude” better than “hellish old hag”. But it did also end arguably far worse than the first story, with Mr. Mayor literally assaulting Wallace with a Pokémon and dragging him halfway across town against his will and all of that. That was a nadir, for sure. So how does the second story edge out? Simple: because Wallace and Winona got the ultimate revenge, in the form of wild sex in a love hotel. With Luvdisc. And rose petals. And neon lights shaped like hearts. It’s their ultimate “fuck you” to the world and their problems, in the form of fucking each other. Or should I say, making sweet, sweet love. All’s well that ends well, right? Ahaha…

Thanks for the very interesting story here, Torchic! A bit edgier than usual with the MATURE rating, but worth it!