“So anyways, Jasmine tells me that she wanted to get a THIRD Steelix. A THIRD! I told her you’d find me wearing Clair’s cape before finding another Metal Coat, those things are impossible to come by!”Whitney’s banter sent all the other ladies into a small uproar of laughter. They were all her Gym Trainers; the foes that the Trainers must defeat before they’re considered worthy enough to battle Whitney and her team. The Goldenrod Gym was unashamedly a girls’ club; it was a hang-out for all the ladies in town, even if they weren’t Gym Trainers, or even trainers at all. Whitney liked that sort of vibe; she hated how stiff and uptight and proper the League wanted everything to be. On chill Fridays, they all went into the City to try and find a light snack for them to munch on in the early afternoon before dinner.
“Wow Whitney, you’re so funny.” Carrie spoke out, saying this with zero irony. Her voice just had a bit of a fry to it that made her sound quite robotic.
“I’m sure Jasmine can import one. She’s a Gym Leader, she can just buy her way out of most of her problems, like I do!” Victoria winked and fluttered her lashes, obviously showing off the wealth a Beauty often had.
“S-she’s not the most well-off person just because she has a job, Vic…” Samantha, the other Beauty who was a bit more level-headed, brought Victoria down to Earth again.
“Well, anyways! Whitney, there’s been something on our minds!” Lois the Lass spoke up. She was Whitney’s right-hand woman when it came to the Gym.
“E-eh?” Whitney looked shocked, genuinely unsure of what she was going to be asked next. “L-look, if it’s about a raise, I’d love to, but the League has my pocketbooks a-and-”
“No.” Cathy piped up. She was the Gym Trainer who most often told the challengers to be patient, and wait for Whitney’s waterworks to die down after a loss. “You know what we’re talking about.”
Whitney chuckled nervously. “I-is there some food on my face or somethin’?”
Rita grunted, clapping her flip phone shut. “Your boyfriend. That’s what we’re all dying to hear about.”
At this point in time, Whitney and Bugsy had only just recently become a pair. Due to the regulations and restrictions The League likes to impose on their Gym Leaders, the two kept their relationship under wraps for the time being. However, in Goldenrod City, gossip was its own currency, and all the Gym Trainers wanted their piece of the pie. They all leaned in, each with a smile on their face; some mischievous, some sincere in curiosity.
“H-hey, girls, m-maybe please don’t pry into my private li-”
“Hey, we told everyone about when Cathy was dating that Ricardo guy.”
“Or when Bridget sent that love letter to Clair and got a letter back.”
“Or when Mika went on a date with Gloria. Not the one from Galar, but you know the idea.”
The Gym Trainers always did a mock ‘round table’ of discussion for their romances, and Whitney oftentimes was a part of these too. She was feeling her stomach turn a bit; they were right, it would be unfair for her to stay mum on her love.
“Unless… the rumors are true and you are dating that Ethan guy.”
Whitney felt a knot in her chest, and she felt like she had heard some glass break. “Th-that’s not a rumor, is it?!”
“Only if it’s the truth!” Rita snapped back, sending the other Trainers into fits of laughter.
“I-it isn’t?! Jeez, where do people come up with this stuff, after a Rage Candy Bar coma?” The pink-haired Gym Leader let out a huff and crossed her arms. “Everyone, follow me.”
Whitney began to walk, and like a certain space explorer, the Trainers followed her like a group of rather-carrot-inspired alien creatures. They made a scene with their constant gossip, but the other denizens of Goldenrod City knew not to butt in too hard. Whitney would lead them to behind the Radio Tower; the smallest semblance of privacy she could find in the bustling city.
“Okay…” Whitney inhaled, chest expanding before she let out a slow exhale. “I know if I say this, it’s gonna be all over town. And the League is NOT gonna be happy with me.”
The girls all leaned in, waiting with bated breath.
“But rumors of whom I’m datin’ are even worse! So if y’all MUST talk about this in the Underground, PROMISE to tell what I tell you and only that much, okay?!”
“Just let it out!” Lois added on.
They all nodded, anxiously awaiting their answer.
“...Two months ago, I asked Bugsy out, and he said yes.”
The Trainers all erupted into noise, with Whitney using various hand motions to try and hush them and calm them.
“Bugsy?! Really?!! W-why not Falkner or Morty?”
“Aw he’s so cute! He’s a bit of a nerd and I heard he had a crush on Erika though.”
“Whitney, isn’t he way out of your league?”
So many comments, and so little time. And little too was Whitney’s patience. So, with a stomp and a hand gesture, she managed to get the whole gang to quiet down for a bit.
“I can answer all of your questions one-on-one another day! For now, I…” She shook her head. “I’ll just tell you this much. I’ve had a crush on him for months now.” She crossed her arms. “He’s… he’s adorable, alright?” Her voice falters a bit. Now she isn’t quite speaking at the top of her lungs over the commotion, but it’s clear that her tone is getting a bit tender.
“He’s sweet. And he’s honest. And smart, too.” Her voice begins to raise a bit in both excitement and pitch. “I can’t believe there was a part of my life where I knew him and DIDN’T fall in love with him. He…” She puts up a hand to rub at her temples, before looking at her audience, whom were all watching expectantly.
“He’s the kind of guy that is someone you can spend your whole life with, I know it. I-I mean, he’s so dedicated in everything he does. A-and I know he really only Gym Leads and researches, but for cryin’ out loud, he’s trying to become a professor! I… I don’t really have… any aspirations.”
Whitney choked a bit on her spit. “I mean, I never had any plans for the future. M-me becoming a trainer was sort of a spur-of-the-moment sorta thing, y’know? J-just saw Pokemon, thought they were cute, and bam. Next thing you know, I lead the Gym of the biggest city in the region. B-but it’s because of that that I get to meet him! Bugsy! He has a real goal in mind. A-and there are nights where I lay in bed thinking about him, knowing I should sleep so it’ll be tomorrow and I can see him… but it’s so hard to sleep when you’re in love as I am~!”
Whitney’s voice had crescendoed, clasping her hands on her cheeks and skipping onto one leg with a swoon. Some of the trainers swooned right back.
“H-him and I had a few dates already. National Park. Lake of Rage. Route 34. And I can just tell…” She balled her hand up into a fist and gave it an energetic shake. “That everything with him is going to be alright. That we can be together for… well, forever, I guess.” She chuckled a bit with that phrase. “Kinda cliche, I guess…”
At that moment, all the Trainers, Lasses and Beauties, began to erupt in squeals of delight and jealousy and swoons and admiration.
“You two sound adorable together!”
“You’re hitting it off well. That’s awesome.”
“I’m so jealous!”
Whitney scratched the back of her head and chuckled softly as a small bit of pink crawled up on her cheeks. But then she looked a bit stern and got her crowd control act back up again.
“A-anyways. That’s that.” Whitney reiterated, even though she definitely gave a pretty thorough script down of her thoughts. “So if you are gonna tell your friends, and if word does get out… aw who am I kiddin’, it WILL get out. At least you have the truth. And just promise me, all of you, that ya tell the truth and try your best to get those rumors of me out of people’s mouths, alright?”
The trainers all agreed in unison. That made Whitney feel good.
She sighed, and happily lead them all back to the Gym. She was in a bit of a hurry, though. After this, she still had to head to the store to get some popcorn and sodas before she spent the night at Bugsy’s place.
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