I Want To Lay the Very Best!

141 – Planning for Failure

141 – Planning for Failure

Blaze hadn't wanted to explain the plan on Trinket's lawn, something about the risk of being tied up for the whole day. So she'd offered to buy the gang a coffee, and while Brandy was wary about what effect caffeine would have on Sparky, it was too lovely a gesture to turn down. A Gym Leader didn't buy you a coffee every day.

Motostoke was noisy even in the morning, with the whistle of steam and constant trudging sounds of machinery in the background. Still, Brandy found she quickly tuned it all out. Once you were past that, it was quite a pretty place. The shining metal clinging to new red bricks gave everything a spotless look. It looked like a city that'd rise up and move one day, but for now, it was doing its best to make everyone's lives a little better.

Blaze had picked out a coffee shop on the corner of a street, with a few chunky tables made out of reclaimed machinery set out in the road for customers.

It looked cramped in the shop, and Morgan had cringed at the thought of having to sit in amongst the heat coming off the espresso machines, so Blaze had ushered them to one of the outdoor tables, their waitress gushing a little over serving a Gym Leader before shortly bringing out their drinks.

"Solid pun," Sparky said, looking at the shop's sign. It was a fancy thing, a brass snake curled up around a coffee cup that occasionally blew steam out of its mouth. The steam ran into glass tubes, and condensation spelled out the shop's name, 'Starboks'. "They should serve Ekans Cakes."

"I imagine the Ekans would be upset about that," Calcine said, completely deadpan. "I wouldn't want to be a cake."

"No, it sounds like Eccles Cake. It was a pun." Sparky huffed. "Morgan, tell her."

"You might want to be a cake, Calcine, if Brandy got to lick the icing."

Sparky narrowed her eyes at them both as she sipped her coffee.

"I got the joke," Brandy said.

"Thanks, Brandy."

"It's because snakes like cakes. The words rhyme."

"I'm quitting this team."

Brandy ruffled Sparky's hair as she tried to pout, Blaze laughing politely at their antics and reaching into her red jacket, taking out a small case.

"You all recovered from yesterday?" Blaze said as she laid the case on the table. "My Gym's challenges are pretty exhausting. It's as much a stamina check as a test of your relationships."

"I felt better the moment I got out," Morgan said, daintily sipping from her coffee cup like she was taking tea with the Queen and her Dragon. "I loved the company, but the heat I could do without."

"I'm still a little sore," Brandy smiled over the lip of her cup. The coffee here was alright; she was usually more of a Tea gal, but it didn't hurt to have a change now and then. "But I feel much better. Sleeping wrapped up in Calcine's new cloak helps put your muscles right."

"I've had to borrow Lixi's a few times myself. It can put a girl right." Blaze said, "Which actually does sort of bring me to a decision you have to make."

Blaze opened the small box she'd put on the table, the light from the morning sun catching on the badge inside, casting a rainbow of red over the table.

"I can't deny you did incredibly well getting through my Gym. My question is, was that because of Calcine or because Brandy was a good enough leader to trust Calcine?"

"It could be both," Calcine offered. "I did my part, but I couldn't have without Brandy letting me take the lead."

"It was Calcine," Brandy said, giving Calcine's leg a rub under the table with her own. "I let you take charge, and you never let that slip. I only stepped in to keep the team on track now and then, but all the ideas were yours. You had the control."

"As much as I should fight for Brandy to get the badge," Morgan said. "It's true. Calcine unquestionably led us to victory. To say it was anything less would cheapen what she did. Sparky, do you agree?"

"Carkol's can push me into the ground and nail me any day. Fuck, I can still feel it when I close my eyes." Sparky hugged herself. "Mmmm."

"That's," Morgan hesitated. "Agreement of a sort."

The steam curling off Calcine's coffee grew thicker. Brandy wondered if anyone else had noticed the slight blush on Calcine's cheeks. It looked like the fire lines under her skin, but it pulsed brighter when she got embarrassed. Blaze must have. She had a Carkol of her own. Calcine's legs tightened over Brandy's gently stroking one, trapping her calf in a sandwich of muscle and heat. Fuck, Sparky was right. Calcine could push Brandy into the dirt and fuck her stupid any day. She was just so well built for it.

"And that is why I'm offering you the Fire Badge, Calcine," Blaze said, taking the gemstone out of its box. "Only Trainers are meant to win them, but I had a check of the rules, and they never explicitly say that."

Calcine had slipped a hand under the table, the burning palm sliding along Brandy's leg. She kept her eyes focused on Blaze, so casual that even Brandy wouldn't have noticed what she was doing if she wasn't on the receiving end. "You're sure?"

"Cinnamon fucked me absolutely senseless after you left," Blaze gushed, a hand over her heart. "She's got a new bounce in her tails I haven't seen for a while. You're clearly onto something, and I'm more than happy to reward it."

"I may have given her some ideas," Morgan smirked. "Did she do the thing with the tail whip?"

"Twice, my legs are still a bit shaky."

The Murkrow preened her hat at that. Morgan didn't have a particularly long tail, but it still wagged against the back of the seat at the idea of helping with tail shenanigans. Brandy really wanted more details, but it'd have to wait.

"I think," Calcine's hand slipped off Brandy's leg, leaving a pleasant tingling sensation on her thigh. "I'd rather Brandy have the badge. She's my Trainer."

"I thought you'd say that. You are a Rock Type, after all. Loyal to a fault, do you remember I said I'd devise a test for Brandy? I think I have something."

"Take the badge," Brandy said, reaching across the table to grab Calcine's hand. She laced their fingers together and squeezed tightly. "Please. You earned it."

"But-"

"Barbecue Maids," Sparky said thoughtfully, looking at Brandy's legs. "We should do this."

"We're never going to find maid outfits in a day. We can serve normally, though, I guess. It doesn't sound too bad."

She wanted that badge after all, and as much as redoing the Gym would be fun, it was more prestigious to do it in one go. This was on the edge of a one-shot, but she was going to count it.

"It won't be easy. Spitfire loves cooking, but she is very, very easily distracted. Help her run a good barbecue, and I'll consider you more than capable enough of managing wild emotions."

Oh shit, with both her parents there, she'd need a riot shield to keep them apart. The huge, fiery snake lady was going to be irresistible for Fenny.

"Okay." Brandy sighed. "I'll never hear the end of it if I say no."

"Excellent! I'll be happy to help. And I'm sure your mothers will be delighted to have you back. I'm looking forward to meeting Scoria. I've heard a lot about her."

Brandy looked up from the table, narrowing her eyes at Blaze.

"She asked you for this?"

"Mhm!" Blaze nodded, looking at her coffee like it was the most exciting thing in the world. She was a powerful Gym Trainer but a really awful liar.

"I'm sure Fenny has told you about Scoria," Brandy continued, not letting Blaze get away that easy. "You sure you're not just eager to meet her?"

"I do love powerful Fire Types. The coincidental timing is remarkable." Blaze said, casually sipping her coffee. "Spitfire will be so happy to do it."

"Shameless," Calcine said, pulling Brandy back into her chair. "We don't have to do this if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Ugh," Brandy gripped Cacline's hand, feeling the fingers to help disperse her worry. "Embarrassing is fine. They embarrass me constantly, and Spitfire does deserve something nice, even if her Trainer is a sneak."

"I am going to decide if you win," Blaze said. "You should be nice to me."

"I already have a bonus point. I'm spending it on ragging you for this. Joyce's are going to be plenty lovely to you anyway. "

"I'm banking on that. So you'll agree? I can find other servers, but you all would be the best. They love you to bits. I've heard a lot about you already." Blaze laughed. "I wasn't prepared for the reality."

Ugh. Moms. What could you do about them?

"I agree. If everyone is good for it."

"Oh, I'm not missing this," Morgan smirked. "It will be entertaining."

"Anything for Brandy," Calcine nodded.

"Barbecue Maids though?" Sparky said, still a little lost in her thoughts.

"We can't get outfits in a day."

"Actually," Morgan said. "We probably could. We just need to find a tailor with the right Pokémon working there. I'd bet Motostoke has one somewhere."

"That'll be expensive!"

"Oh, I'll pay for it," Blaze said, "You're doing a favor for me, and I like spoiling Pokémon. I think they're excited about the idea."

There was absolutely no way Brandy would be able to keep control if everyone was running around in Maid outfits. It just wasn't going to happen. It'd be a disaster.

But.

They would all be in Maid outfits.

"We'll do it." Brandy said, "We should get going immediately if we want to find a place in time. I think Sparky is going to cry if it doesn't happen."

"It'd be a tragedy." Sparky nodded. "We need to make this happen. Need to. Never have I needed something more. Barbecue Maids."

"You keep saying that."

"Because I love it!" Sparky bounced up out of her chair. "Let's get to it, Morgan take to the skies! Calcine, keep an eye out. Brandy..."

Sparky faltered as she saw everyone staring at her and shrunk in on herself, blushing madly. "I mean, um, tell me what to do. Hah. Hah."

"Such an interesting Trainer," Blaze laughed, emptying her wallet onto the tip plate. "Go on, get to it. I'll tell Fenny she's on for this and go shopping with Spitfire for the food. This'll be fun."

It probably will be. Hopelessly embarrassing but fun. Brandy just needed a plan to get through it without it becoming absolute chaos because right now, she wasn't even sure they'd get any meat cooked before it all went to hell.