[ Movie Star ]

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"Guess whose idea got the OK to be turned into another spectacular movie?!" It was Sergeo Pokémonski, the director of a big majority of the most successful movies Pokéstar Studios had to offer to the world, who slammed the doors of the Film room open like a true madman. The less experienced members of the crew flinched and took cover, taken by surprise quite notably.

You and Brycen who after years and years had already grown accustomed to your boss' enthusiasm and mood swings exchanged tired looks with one another before acting as if you were surprised when replying. After all, acting was what the two of you did for a living. "We've got no idea! Do tell us, Sergeo!"

"Mine!!" The movie director was clearly too excited to even notice that you and Brycen had given him the most obvious sarcastic tones when pretending to be astonished. "Bryna-Woman's Fate, the audience will not only love the film, they'll—!"

The director had been working on this project for a long time, so you would be lying if you said that you weren't happy for him. Not only for him though, for yourself as well since this movie's main focus would be the character Bryna-Woman, one that was usually the supporting role in the main series.

The mentioned group of people — including yourself — was currently in the Film room of Pokéstar Studios, the Unovan film studio which was located in the northern parts of Virbank City and famed all across the globe. Sabrina of the Kanto region for example was a popular individual who played a major role in Invaders, a movie series directed by the firm's Takashi Pokémi. Brycen, your close friend and current costar, was also quite the celebrity, being the leading actor of the Brycen-Man series.

You as well were an actress, quite loved for playing the role of Bryna-Woman so well if you were to say so yourself. The Brycen-Man series revolved mainly around the villain, Brycen-Man, and the hero, Lucario Kid, who battle against each other, each representing evil and justice respectively. Bryna-Woman was the evil plotter's partner in crime, said to be his side chick by many of the show's fans.

And given Sergeo's announcement, you were going to receive the honor of acting as the main role in this upcoming movie of which the plot you still had to find out about. All that was currently known to you, the other actors and the members of the film crew was that the two important roles next to Bryna-Woman were going to be given to Brycen-Man and Lucario Kid, as usual.

"OK people, gather 'round. There's been a sudden change of plans you all need to know about." Clapping his hands loudly a few times, the director gained everyone's attention once more, making you all come together just as he had wished. "Alonso who has played the role of Lucario Kid in the past two movies has decided to take a longer break from acting for the time being."

"What?!" The crew broke out in panic at the news, their minds getting flooded by all sorts of crazy ideas as to why such a popular actor would renounce the stage, especially given this amazing opportunity. The young women began whispering about things like the possibility of him having gotten into an accident, having involved himself with Team Plasma, the criminal organization of the real world, and other outrageous scenarios that only people working in this industry would be able to come up with. In reality, his reason was much simpler, Sergeo soon enlightening you all with the additional information. "Alonso is going to become a father and he wants to dedicate himself to his family wholly."

"That warms my heart. I'm so glad to hear such great news." Brycen really was as happy as he sounded, and you certainly were too. The joyful event had almost gotten the entire team side-tracked, until one of the panicky cameramen blurted out what was going to be asked sooner or later. "Hold on, but how can we make Bryna-Woman's Fate when there is no Lucario Kid to battle the main character?!"

"I was getting to that, stop interrupting me!" The director pouted childishly, crossing his arms in front of his chest before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. Sergeo explained that the actor replacing Alonso would meet the whole crew in the afternoon, when the entire plot of the film was going to be reviewed and discussed. Without further ado, everyone was soon dismissed to their lunch break.

"You must be thrilled, having gotten the main role. It's finally your time to shine!" Honestly speaking, Brycen almost seemed more excited than you were after hearing that you were going to play the lead in an already loved movie series. As the two of you made your ways to the canteen, the ice-haired young man kept saying how he couldn't wait to see you give it your all, and that he looked forward to acting with you once again.

In today's society, there were almost no Trainers or people in general who didn't act arrogant when they happened to be exceptionally talented, let alone people who were actors or other celebrities like models or singers. But Brycen was different. He was probably the most selfless human being you had ever met, and you couldn't have been luckier to have landed in the same industry as him which caused the two of you to become the close friends you were now.

You two conversed over a warm meal, conspiring about what the main plot of the spin-off film could be or if the Pokémon you were going to use were going to remain the same ones. Time flew, and before Brycen and you could even dispose of your food trays, someone had approached you, saying they needed the masked man for a favor.

Given his gentlemanly nature, he didn't want you to clean after the both of you, so he was telling the worker to just wait, even if it seemed pretty urgent by the way he behaved. "Brycen, it's all right, just go. I don't think I need your muscles to carry two food trays to the counter over there." You said, raising a brow at him before you had finally managed to get him to go ahead with the other cameraman.

You did say you could carry them, but now that you looked at all the dirty plates and empty mugs on Brycen's tray, you were starting to wonder how you could stack those together without any of them falling or breaking. Of course, you could just walk two times, but that simply didn't occur to you back then. Or rather, it didn't want to occur to you.

You experimented with the various tablewares and managed to get them all on one tray, even if they formed a small tower as a consequence. Guess who didn't think that was a bad idea? Yes, you. As a matter of fact, you began walking towards the counter where the old lady was already cleaning. It wasn't as hard as you thought until something suddenly caused you to lose your balance.

Now the plates, bowls and mugs were dancing in synchronization with your hectic moves, and for a meagre moment, the image of all that fragile tableware crashing to the floor flashed right before your eyes. That would really have been how things turned out if it weren't for someone getting a hold of you just in the nick of time, stabilizing your posture and consequentially making the things stop quivering. "Whoah, careful there."

"Gosh, thank you so much! That could have turned out very ugly." You breathed a heavy sigh of relief when you saw the tower of plates finally freeze, giving you the opportunity to look beyond it and see who had saved you. It was a tall, rather thin young man with pale skin and cocoa-colored eyes.

His spiky hair was rather long and messy, but the red tennis visor he wore kept stray strands out of his face, making it seem as if fluff came out of the top. The male's outfit consisted of a cobalt short-sleeved jacket and beige knee-length shorts. You could have been mistaking, but it seemed like he wore a shiny black wetsuit with teal accenting beneath those shorts. "Are you alright?"

"I am, thanks to you." You didn't mean to sound smooth with your reply, mainly because you hadn't even properly thought about what to say before opening your mouth. The only thing that had decently snapped you back to the present was his charming voice. When your eyes met once more, you remarked that his had gone a bit wide. By the looks of it, he had probably figured out who you were already which wasn't such a hard thing to accomplish.

"Let me help you." The brunet said, taking half of the load off of your hands and carrying it to where you had originally wanted to place it down. He didn't react abnormally even after realising you were the actress behind the famed Bryna-Woman, so you decided to behave ordinarily as well. You were almost certain that the young man was simply being polite. Why wouldn't someone as considerate as him do that, after all? "Thanks again."

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" Not able to contain your curiosity and partially because it would have been a shame to let such a handsome young man slip by without having properly spoken to him, you asked. The lady at the counter had taken all of the dirty dishes from the both of you by then already. "I am, and to be honest, I'm a bit lost. This place is enormous!"

"Right?" You chuckled, the brunet tensing up the moment he saw you laugh in his presence tranquilly, and not because your gesture had made him feel uneasy. He had comported himself accordingly in order not to make you feel awkward, since he actually admired you and your acting a lot, so when you flashed him such a bright smile so naturally, his cheeks were set ablaze. He kept the smalltalk going and you rolled right with it, feeling like the two of you had known each other since ages when in actuality you had just accidentally met the male a few moments ago. Not even, since you didn't exchange names.

"Is it alright to ask you for a favor?" The young man steered into a slightly different topic of conversation based on his prior comment, you not seeing the problem in him requesting for some aid since he had done his good deed to you. "If it weren't for you, I'd be picking up plate shards from the floor. I'll be more than happy to help you out."

"Thanks. So, I was hoping to find the Studio. I'm supposed to meet up with Mr. Pokémonski there." The brown-eyed male stated, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. A newbie you had never seen before claimed to have a scheduled meeting with one of Pokéstar Studios' big shots sure caught you off guard, but you didn't want to judge anything or anyone by their cover. "Looks to me like you've hit the jackpot."

"I'm actually supposed to be there right now, so you can just follow me." You said, mentally slapping yourself for not having payed attention to the time and to the fact that it was way past the end of lunch break. You had a hunch that Sergeo wouldn't get mad over a trivial thing such as this one, but given his unstable mood swings, you couldn't know for sure.

And so, you led the brunet whose name you still didn't know to the Studio, halting in front of the closed door. You knew that once you were to set foot in there, you would be stared at by the entire team who had been waiting for you to finally show up. With the young man standing right behind you, this was no time to be worrying about such matters, so you pulled down the handle and opened the door, walking into the huge room shamelessly. "Hi! Sorry, there were some technical difficulties on the way."

The film crew stared at you with annoyed expressions that were actually quite transparent and easy to read as you made your way deeper into the room and where they all sat on chairs in a circle. Brycen rambled something about it not having happened if he were to have stayed behind with you, but you weren't given any time to pay attention to him. "Did I say I was mad? I didn't! Now get your rear on a free chair and let's start."

"Also, I suppose I'll forgive you this time since you brought the guest I was about to go look for." Sergeo's words were somewhat contradictory, but that wasn't the important point. What interested you the most was what kind of reason he had to see the brunet who by then had gotten next to you. "Alright team, I've already told you about Alonso."

"Meet Nate. He's going to be playing The Lucario Kid in the next movie." Sergeo announced, Nate bowing his head to everyone as if the two had secretly planned the timing of it all. The room fell silent, no one dared to speak and you could see that the brunet was growing more nervous with every second that passed without him getting any signs of acceptance from the others.

You were shocked as well. It didn't matter how kind a person was or how much you liked them already, they would be useless on stage if they didn't know how to act. You had never heard about or seen this Nate-person being involved in the movie industry, so you sort of had mixed feelings about this whole situation. "Wait, what?"

"Boss, acting isn't something you can do part-time, and neither do you learn how to do it overnight." A minor actor playing one of the background characters blurted out, not minding his words the tiniest bit. You did agree with his point, but that was no decent way of phrasing anything right in front of the person who it concerned.

"Warren, watch your tongue!" You shot right in without letting the director speak, quite angered by that amateur's attitude. Nate obviously appreciated your gesture, but he didn't want you to give him special treatment just because he had helped you out or because you might have been feeling indebted to him, so he gathered his courage and spoke up himself. "No, he's got more than the right to say that."

"I'm fully aware of it myself. I wouldn't be able to hold a candle to any of you in this room as I am now. But I couldn't just refuse Mr. Pokémonski's generous offer, so I want to give this job my all." Speaking in front of so many people who were looking down on him was something that took a lot of courage. You knew because you yourself had gone through a similar scenario way back in the past, and Nate's tenseness just gave it all away.

"Still, I hope to get along with the team. I'll be in your care." The boy concluded his introduction speech and bowed his head once more, causing endless whispers to echo across the room. You were hoping for Sergeo to say something to ease the tension, but thankfully that wasn't even necessary. If there was one jerk among you, it didn't mean that the team was composed entirely of them, and Beverly certainly proved that. "More than 'I'll be in your care', you should be saying, 'I look forward to working with you'."

Nate's face instantly brightened at the young woman's hint that he was being considered as an equal in this room, and that he shouldn't take this job on with the mindset of being inferior right off the bat. He and you finally took your seats and received the movie's script in the form a rather thick book.

Hours went by as everyone went over the plot, analyzing and bringing betterments to it. The story was nice and typical for the already existing series, you were sure it would catch the audience's interest nicely.

The movie's main plot was going to be the choice Bryna-Woman had to make, one that would change her fate altogether. She was going to be faced with two different paths, and be allowed to only proceed on one. She had to choose between staying with Brycen-Man or joining The Lucario Kid, between evil or good.

Sergeo seemed to have added that secret ingredient which people loved despite it being cliché: The element of forbidden love. Over the course of the movie, Bryna-Woman was going to fall in love with the hero, rendering her choice even more difficult. Honestly, you couldn't wait to start working on the scenes.

"That's it for today, folks! Everyone, go home and get some rest because we'll be starting tomorrow." The director said after clapping his hands together two times, a sign of dismissal everyone knew all too well. "Oh and we'll be holding Nate's welcoming party today in two weeks, so prepare yourselves mentally to get wasted!"

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the new project had been launched, today also marking the day of Nate's welcoming party. All until now, everyone had been working hard, either with acting, finding the right angles and positions to film from, searching for satisfactory landscapes and outdoor locations which could be used for shooting later on, the costumes and make-up... There was simply so much to add to the list.

During that time, you also got to sneak a peek at Nate's acting skills which for a complete newbie such as himself weren't half bad at all. Actually, they were astounding. If he were to polish his skills for a few years, he was bound to become someone famous.

Currently, the entire team working on Bryna-Woman's Fate was in Virbank City, in the interior of a neat restaurant Sergeo had booked specifically for this occasion. You were already seated next to Brycen, the other place on your left currently being empty since the guest of honor still had to arrive. He wasn't the only one though. Warren, two cameramen and a make-up artist also hadn't shown their faces yet. With the commotion around you and Nate not being here yet, this was the perfect opportunity for you to exchange a few words with Brycen on the matter.

"So, what do you think of him?" You asked, lowering your voice a tad as you leaned closer to the blue-haired young man, eyeing him as you waited for his response. He stopped filling his plate with grilled meat and turned to face you as well. "Of Nate? Certainly, he's still a beginner, but I like his enthusiasm."

"He will achieve great things in the near future. I can see it plainly within him." Brycen added, a small yet friendly smile gracing his expression. It had a contagious effect since the next thing you knew, a grin was already plastered on your face. Just when you had wanted to agree with him, Nate decided to show up, making it more awkward for you to say now. "[Name], Brycen, good evening!"

"Nate! Finally decided to show up, huh?" You smirked, sliding somewhat closer to Brycen since the brunet seemed to be wanting to sit down next to you, and given the fact that your seats were formed like benches, that was the most logical thing to do. Nate chuckled sheepishly and said how he had run into an old friend of his on the way here. You thought he said her name was Bianca, and that she just wouldn't let him escape.

"Alright everyone, Nate has joined us at last, so let's toast! Cheers to us!" Sergeo interrupted all ongoing conversations between you and the others, holding his arm out as he raised his bear mug, it being filled with that typical foamy part on top. Everyone imitated him and toasted, despite it being slightly narcissistic before making their glasses and mugs collide with each others'. "Cheers!"

You weren't one to drink on a regular basis, so it was alright to have an alcoholic beverage or two once in a while. Especially since this was a pretty festive opportunity, and not to mention the fact that you were all responsible adults. Well, the director could get a little carried away when drinking, but that was nothing new. Besides, the camera crew would always rock-paper-scissor to decide who would end up being the unlucky victim who had to bring him home.

You slowly chugged down your beer before placing your mug on the table again, looking around to see if everyone was enjoying themselves. Brycen had begun talking to Beverly who sat across him which led you to turn around to the other side in hopes of having the chance to get to know Nate better. Luck was on your side, because despite his handsome looks, no girls had started to talk to him yet which was very rare. Every time a good-looking young man were to work with you on a project, the squad of girls would corner him as if they were a group of hungry predators.

As you thought of something you could bring up as topic to some smalltalk, you noticed how the brunet was hesitantly looking at his drink which had barely even been tasted. "Are you not one to drink?" Nate raised his eyes, meeting your gaze during the process. He was a bit embarrassed to admit, but you were on the right trail. "Well, not really. I've never quite drunk out properly, so I'm a bit worried about getting wasted."

You chuckled at his genuine answer, the latter blushing as he thought you were making fun of him when in reality you only thought that he was behaving cutely. You didn't know a lot of guys who were as responsible about not getting drunk like Nate seemed to be. Of course, Brycen was, but he was a born gentleman. "I don't usually drink either, but this time it's special."

"After all, it's to commemorate your arrival." You added, flashing the brunet a small smirk. Was you saying that considered flirting? If it was, you weren't doing it on purpose. Or perhaps you were, but you simply didn't want to admit it. Nate chuckled and got a hold of his mug, ready to raise it again. "If you put it that way, I'll feel like I really need to go along with you."

"Hey now, I'm not trying to force you to." You did say that playfully, but you were serious when you said that you didn't want him to feel obligated to drink. You had put your hand on top of his which he used to hold his beverage, rubbing your fingers against the back of his hand as if to keep him from raising it. His cheeks were kissed pink, but he didn't let his embarrassment show. "I know you're not. You're too nice for that."

The evening went by with everyone drinking and having fun to to their hearts content. You acted moderately, partially because it was in your nature and the other reason being because you wanted to remain sober in order to remember all the things that Nate told you. The two of you had learned so much about each other in just one day, it was pretty great.

Sergeo had gotten dead drunk, as expected, and this time it was Warren who had to escort him to his mansion. Everyone went their separate ways, even Brycen had to leave you at some point and eventually, the only two people waiting in front of the bus station being only you and Nate. It was actually logical, since the two of you had to take the same direction to get home, you living in Floccesy Town and Nate having his house in Aspertia City.

The bus came to make a halt in front of where you stood eventually, the two of you mounting it and looking for a seat once you were on the interior of it. What was rather surprising was the fact that it was so full, that there was no place to sit down despite it being the last bus that drove at this hour. So the two of you ended up standing, which was absolutely no problem for Nate who was very tall and could reach the handles just fine. For you, it was already a bit more challenging, given that you had to get on your toes to even reach one of them, let alone hold onto one properly.

"Tonight was really fun. We don't necessarily need to drink, so how about we go out sometimes? Just the two of us." You said, adding that last part after a small pause because it felt like the right thing to say. The bus began moving, causing you and Nate to stumble slightly, but that didn't prevent him from answering you. "I'd love that."

"Also, there's this thing I wanted to get off my chest. I couldn't tell you at the restaurant because I felt like the others would definitely tease me about it." The brown-eyed male said, sounding a bit unsure and hesitant for a change. You were growing more curious with every moment that passed due to what he said, and attentively listened to his next words. "I didn't tell you when we first met in the canteen because I didn't want you to see me as some weird fanboy, but I really love how you play Bryna-Woman's role. Well, I find your acting stunning in general."

"So I'm really looking forward to filming with you." The young man finished with a pure smile, rosy cheeks causing him to look even more charming than he already was. You could feel your face burning, certain that a part of the reason was because he had so causally praised you, but perhaps you were already a bit tipsy and it was making you feel all dazed. "If you start saying cute things like that, I might really get embarrassed."

"Well, maybe I want you to feel conscious about it." Nate retorted somewhat suggestively, urging you to look up and straight into his cocoa-colored orbs. You wanted to reply, but when you were about to open your mouth, the bus driver suddenly braked, causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop and you to fly right into the brunet's arms.

He caught you perfectly, just like he had done back when you first met in the cafeteria at work. Your face rested between his shoulder and neck, and even if you wanted to move, your body just wouldn't. It was as if Nate's was a magnet attracting your own. "My bad."

"Don't sweat it. Actually, you might as well hold on to me, no need to go for a handle." The brunet didn't want to imply that you were too short to reach up, but he didn't want to come on too strong either. No matter the form or way he put it, you accepted his offer gladly and remained in that position. The bus eventually resumed moving as well.

As you breathed silently, you couldn't help but catch a whiff of Nate's perfume. It smelled so nice that you didn't even realize that you had blurted out your opinion on it. "What cologne do you use? You smell great."

"Deino Homme Intense. And thank you." Nate could feel the heat of his face rise all the way up to the tips of his ears, both because of what you said and the fact that he had you softly in- and exhaling right against his neck. He wanted so much to just put his arms around you and keep you close, but he was too much of a coward, afraid of losing the relationship he was slowly building up with you.

Sadly, the bus had reached the stop in Floccesy Town where you needed to get off. The vehicle stopping and its automatic doors opening was your sign to pull away from Nate which you regrettably did. You looked up at him for a few moments, wondering how you could say goodbye to him properly. After all your bonding moments, it would be stupid to just say it, wave and leave, so the least you could reward yourself with, was by getting on your toes once more and wrapping your arms around the brunet's neck.

"Goodnight, Nate. I'll meet you in my dreams." That was a line Alonso had used when he acted as Miguel in Love and Battles, and you had always wanted to either have it used on you or use it yourself outside of work. So you whispered those sweet words into the male's ear, distancing your face only the slightest bit before finally placing a soft kiss on Nate's hot cheek.

"Wait—!" The young man called after you once you had rushed off the bus. The doors had closed themselves quickly, just barely having allowed you to descend, making it impossible for Nate to catch up to you now. You had to admit that your little act of flirtation was quite unfair, especially since you left poor Nate hanging by running away. This wasn't a wild Pokémon battle that one had the option to flee, it actually had the potential to develop itself further, and yet you treated it as one.

* * *

No one was really keeping count of the days that had passed since the project was launched — except Sergeo Pokémonski, he was actually obligated to be updated with it — but you were certain that a month or two had passed already. Nate had never mentioned that kiss on the bus and neither had you brought it up. The male probably shrugged it off as you having acted under the alcohol's influence which in a way was a good thing since things between the two of you hadn't become uncomfortable.

What regarded the movie itself, you had all begun filming scenes some time ago, some of them even being perfectly ready. The team including all actors all worked hard, and the work was so much easier to take on with the help of the faithful Pokémon that worked alongside you and were also staff at Pokéstar Studios. A group of Yanma helped out the camera crew, Reuniclus lent a hand when it came to moving larger or heavy objects and Jynx were more than happy to aid the makeup-artists.

"[Name], Brycen! It's time for your scene next, so get on stage!" Sergeo yelled across the Studio, not because he was angry or excited, but to make sure you would hear his message through the commotion in the background. The scenario that was about to be filmed was one that starred only you and Brycen, it taking place in the evil duo's hideout. It occurred just after another battle against The Lucario Kid in which Bryna-Woman had hesitated to deliver the finishing blow after having been served one of the hero's speeches about justice which she could actually relate to.

"I'm quite fond of this scene. It depicts Brycen-Man's dominance perfectly, hinting at the chemistry between him and his irreplaceable partner." Brycen commented as the two of you slowly made your ways to your appointed positions, you not able to help but agree with him on the matter. "I like it a lot, too. So let's make the best out of it!"

"And... Action!" Sergeo exclaimed in a loud voice, the cameras rolling immediately after he had delivered the signal. The scene began with Brycen-Man looking out the window where grey clouds covered all of the bright sky. His back was facing you when he spoke in his cold tone. "I hope you can explain your pathetic behavior."

"What are you talking about?" You retorted like the typical woman who was hiding something from their partner. You crossed your arms above your chest and took your eyes off of Brycen-Man's lonely back, directing your gaze to the ground. The masked man turned around abruptly, clearly displeased with your attitude. "You cannot fool me! You could have easily finished The Lucario Kid off with a nice Icicle Spear attack, but instead, you allowed him to get away!"

"I didn't allow him, Froslass was just at her limit!" You countered, now raising your gaze again only to shut your eyes tightly in the next moment, bracing for some sort of impact because you had noticed Brycen-Man suddenly approaching you with malevolent intent. He slammed his hand against the wall right next to your head, trapping you between it and himself and forcing you to retreat until your back was firmly pressed against the wall. "Excuses."

"Do I need to remind you that there is no place for either of us in the world of justice that Lucario Kid lives in? We will never be accepted by it, and neither do we need it to accept us!" Brycen-Man stated strictly, his piercing eyes staring right into your own. You furrowed your brows, gritting your teeth as you turned your head away just to break the eye-contact. "I know that! I know, but I just thought—"

"I don't know what The Lucario Kid has told you, but you live in two entirely different worlds. It's impossible to coexist peacefully." Not even allowing you to finish speaking, the villain pressured his perception onto you with no intention of allowing you to follow the different beliefs that were starting to form. He cupped your chin and forced you to meet his eyes, your faces now being extremely close as he ran his thumb across the fabric of the purple mask covering your face. "Don't forget, I am the only one who knows who's hidden behind this mask."

"Cut! Great work, you two!" The director yelled a few moments after Brycen-Man had finished his speech. The cameramen accordingly stopped recording and Brycen took a step back, giving you back the personal space he had stolen from you as the villainous persona. The two of you exchanged a few words of praise as you got off from the stage, you making your way to Nate who seemed to have been wanting you to approach him.

"I've seen the two of you act so many times now, but it still sends shivers down my spine every time." The brunet admitted, holding out a bottle of cold water. You gladly took it to refresh yourself, but the male's compliment was enough to make you feel self-conscious. "I don't know if you're realizing it, but you're saying embarrassing things again."

"I'm not lying. I guess the reason why watching you two on stage gets everyone so hyped is because you and Brycen have such great chemistry." Even though the male really was speaking from his heart, the words that rolled off his lips didn't seem to make him too happy.

"We get told that a lot. I guess it's because we've been acting together for years now." Not having noticed his discomfort right away, you replied with a sheepish chuckle as you got rid of the now empty water bottle. When you directed your attention back to Nate, he was frowning but refused to look at you directly. Given the fact that a lot of gossip and rumors surrounding the relationship you shared with Brycen, you had a pretty good idea of what could have been weighing the young man's mind.

"Hey now, don't go making those pouty faces." You said in a teasing tone as a small smirk crept up on your face, you soon poking Nate's cheek with your index finger to gain his attention back. Your gesture succeeded, but the male's face wasn't much different, only a small blush was added to his way of sulking. "Bryna-Woman may be Brycen-Man's side chick, but in our private lives, we're not romantically involved with each other. I thought you of all people would know."

"I didn't say anything about that!" Now his expression changed into a more red and panicky one, him soon waving his hands defensively when trying to deny something that was clearly true. You snorted at his reaction, but were glad that he was smiling again. "Your eyes told me though."

"Let's wrap up for today! We need to film in Icirrus City tomorrow, so we have an early flight to catch!" This time as well, Sergeo interrupted your moment with Nate, a sigh of disappointment not so attractively leaving your mouth. "Well, you heard the man. But let's sit next to each other on the plane tomorrow."

"It's a promise." The brown-eyed actor flashed you a smile, secretly or not so secretly looking forward to that time tomorrow. After all, Virbank and Icirrus City were not exactly close to one another, not to mention that Twist Mountain separated them altogether.

* * *

It was the day after, and just as promised by Sergeo, the entire filming crew found themselves onboard of a plane the director had specifically rented for this occasion. Mistralton City's Gym Leader and Brycen's acquaintance Skyla was in charge of piloting the plane, so your team couldn't be in better hands.

"I can't believe that old fart made us rendezvous at five in the morning." You grumbled under your breath, your brows furrowed despite the fact that you could barely keep your eyes open. You usually spoke respectfully about the director, but not even he would get away with making you get up so early. Nate who was relaxing in the seat next to yours chuckled, amused by your morning attitude which he had never witnessed before. "Still sleepy?"

"How are you not sleepy? You live even farther from Pokéstar Studios than I do." Another groan left your mouth as you looked over at the male in disbelief. He indeed didn't appear tired, at least not physically and by the way he shone so brightly even in the morning, perhaps he really wasn't. "If you're tired, you should rest. No need to put on an act."

"Then I'll take you up on your offer. I'll be borrowing your shoulder." You announced, shuffling in your seat a tad until you had finally found a position you wouldn't mind falling asleep in. Your next step was leaning your head against Nate's shoulder, just like you had said you would. The young man was as kind as to turn around slightly, so that your head comfortably rested between his shoulder and his neck.

Being so close to him, it was impossible not to smell the cologne that rested on him. You were pretty certain that it was the same one he had worn that day on the bus, because it smelled just as good. You closed your eyes and relaxed completely, letting the weight of your head press entirely against the brunet.

After a few minutes, just before drifting to sleep, you felt Nate's warm hand placed on top of yours which until then had been leaning against your thigh. You were surprised, pleasantly, even more so when you felt the male give you a few gentle squeezes. Your lips rolled up in a small smile before you decided to flip your hand and entwine your fingers with Nate's. You didn't see, but your gesture had put both a grin and a blush on his face.

After that little exchange, you had easily fallen asleep and dreamt for about half an hour or so until the turbulences shook you out of your nap. You yawned as unnoticeably as possible and secretly glanced over at the brunet, trying to figure out what he was doing. One hand he still had united with yours while in the other he held the movie script. "You're going over the scenes again?"

"Oh [Name], you're awake. Yeah, I'm a bit stuck with this one." The brown-eyed male was a tad surprised at first after having heard you speak so suddenly, but he resumed the conversation right after. "The Lucario Kid almost acts as if he's possessive here. I'm finding it kinda hard to relate, or rather, to get into his character."

"Really? Let me see." You lifted your head slightly, letting your gaze fall on the paper and the lines that were written on it. After scanning the sentences throughly in order to know which bit in particular Nate meant, you put yourself in The Lucario Kid's shoes and attempted to view things his way. "It's understandable, since the hero characters aren't usually possessive. But try putting it this way: Lucario Kid and Bryna-Woman have always fought against one another, and yet he fell in love with her."

"Bryna-Woman has always followed the path of evil, and it would be impossible for a hero like him to be together with a villain like her. He wants to be together with her though, so he'll try to win her over, talk her into leaving Brycen-Man and join the side of justice instead." You tried explaining, hoping that the brunet would find it easier to retrace the hero's way of thinking. "You're totally right. Thanks for helping me out."

"You know I'd do anything for you." You had almost blurted that out, but thankfully you managed to keep your lips sealed and reply with a simple 'you're welcome'. It was neither the time nor the place for saying such ambiguous things, the fact that the two of you held hands during the entire flight was already dangerous enough.

Soon enough, you heard Skyla's voice emanate from the speakers, saying that you would be landing shortly. She did her job so well, that the filming crew barely felt the impact of when the plane came in contact with the ground — as expected of someone of her caliber.

The director led the team all the way over to the filming location in Icirrus City. There, the Pokémon that would be needed in front of the cameras like Beartic and Tyranitar were released from their rental Pokéballs. Not only them, but Gothitelle and Reuniclus who would be needed for the various psychic and special effects were asked for their cooperation as well.

Everyone was getting prepared and after a good amount of time, the cameramen were ready to roll. Unlike the final scenes of the previous movies which were taken in big cities such as Castelia or Nimbasa which were also rich with skyscrapers, this one was going to be a little different. Given that Icirrus City gave a more village-y vibe, Sergeo couldn't bring forth a real battleship, so it was one of the Gothitelle and Mismagius who created an illusion of the infamous Brycen Jet.

You, Brycen and Nate were all in your respective positions, ready to act as soon as you would be called. Reuniclus used its psychic powers to levitate Brycen-Man and make him appear as if he was on the wing of his Brycen Jet. After all, no matter how strong Gothitelle and Mismagius were, an illusion as physically big as that one was impossible to materialize. You were on a roof with your partner Froslass while Nate, his Lucario and the enemy Pokémon Beartic and Tyranitar were all in the streets.

"[Name] is playing the part of Brycen-Man's irreplaceable partner here. I won't hand her over to you easily, so if you want her, you'll have to take her from me. Be convincing, don't falter!" Brycen suddenly yelled at the brunet from so high up in the sky, it was surprising how his voice remained that clear. You couldn't help but chuckle at his words of encouragement, especially after you saw Nate thanking him so excitedly. This was the moment of truth, your favorite scene, and Sergeo finally gave his signal. "And... Action!"

"Bryna-Woman, that's enough! This is no time to be stalling, we need to retreat!" Brycen-Man shouted in an angered tone, only causing you to klick your tongue. You directed your gaze up at him, but only to give him your disobedient response. "You were the one to tell me to always terminate the job, so I'll finish him off myself! Froslass, attack with Blizzard!"

As the Snow Land Pokémon blew massive winds of ice and snow in The Lucario Kid's direction, Tyranitar and Beartic continued going on a rampage, shooting Hyper Beams and Ice Beams in all possible directions. In reality, they were being careful not to damage any homes, but on camera and thanks to the psychic Pokémon's help, it looked as if the city was crumbling to pieces.

"You won't get away with this!" The hero called out, his Lucario hitting one of the Beartic with a powerful Aura Sphere. The two then rushed through various alleys, using the more narrow ones to climb the walls like ninjas until they eventually got on top of a roof. Them now being on the same level as you was bad news, so you turned around hastily and made a run for it, dashing in the Brycen Jet's direction.

What you — in the role of Bryna-Woman — didn't expect, was to get hit by Tyranitar's Hyper Beam once you had landed on the roof of the bell tower. Froslass would have wanted to save her owner, but she was knocked away by Lucario's Meteor Mash. At first you were falling while still facing the sky, but at one point, your body had turned around, so you had the sight of the harsh ground coming closer and closer with every breath you drew. You knew you were technically safe thanks to Reuniclus using Psychic on you, but it was still nerve-racking.

You shut your eyes and braced for the impact which never came. When you opened your eyes again, all you could see was The Lucario Kid's masked face. Your legs were supposed to have given out due to the fear, so you acted as if you were too weak to fight back as the hero held you in his arms, bridal style. "Why?! Why did you save me?"

"If you'd have let me fall, it would have been as if you had defeated evil. You would have finally rid the world of me!" You yelled desperately, ending up hitting The Lucario Kid's chest with your clenched fist. He halted on another rooftop, one he believed was safe from the enemy Pokémon's attacks. "I don't need to rid the world of you!"

"Come with me, Bryna-Woman. Get off the path of evil and join me." The brunet said passionately, tightening his grip on you. Your expression froze before you eventually snorted, freeing yourself from his arms while you were at it. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You must have lost your mind, scouting a villain."

"I'm not scouting anyone, I'm asking you to stay by my side." The Lucario Kid insisted, forcefully grabbing your wrist when you were about to make another run for it. You attempted shaking his hand off, but his strength wasn't comparable to yours, so you tried punching him instead, only for him to catch your fist with his other hand. "Let go of me! I will choose which side to take, stop trying to tell me what to do!"

"Then choose me. You may deny it now, but deep down you know that you don't belong with Brycen-Man." This time, the brunet spoke in a softer tone, but he made it sound possessive. You guessed that ever since he had asked you for advice on the plane up until now, he had figured out how to get into his role, because in your opinion, he was living in it and you loved this sensation. "I won't repeat myself another time, so let go."

You attempted escaping anew, only to fail and lock eyes with The Lucario Kid's. His expression was stern which only proved that he wasn't messing around in the slightest. Being in this very situation, you could feel Bryna-Woman's emotions and comprehend what she must have been going through at this point in the story. You waited for the perfect moment another second or two before you snapped at the hero emotionally. "Why must you do this to me?! Why do you have to give me false hopes?!"

"In the world you live in, there is no hope for me! I know that, and yet look at me!" Yelling as your voice cracked midway was something you had practiced hard in order for it to come out amazing when it counted the most, and it seemed to be working well. You only had to say one more line before The Lucario Kid would have to cut you off, doing so by pulling you into a tight embrace. "This is your revenge, isn't it? You find pleasure in tearing me apart—"

Nate indeed did interrupt you, but not with what was planned in the script. Instead of your face being trapped in the crook of the hero's neck, your lips had been united with his in a beautiful, romantic kiss. You felt him release both your wrists and use his hands to trap you by dominating your waist with them.

Your eyes had frozen the moment they had been widened the most, and your cheeks soon caught up with the situation by reddening deeply. This was all supposed to be an act, but Nate's kiss was very real. The way he so hungrily moved his lips against yours, trying to sync them with your own was so passionate, you were becoming aware of the fact that you were slowly losing yourself in your true feelings.

This was awfully off-script, but neither the director nor Brycen had yelled to the team to stop, so this was a risk you were willing to take. A mistake you knew you wouldn't regret. And so, you recollected yourself and leaned your body against Nate's, showing him that his emotions were about to be reciprocated. You snuck your hand up to his face, cupping his cheek and pulling him to yourself even closer.

You used that hand of yours to shield both of your lips from the cameras, so that they wouldn't catch too vividly how you had slipped your tongue inside your partner's mouth. The various sounds the two of you emitted echoed in your head, but were inaudible to all others. You could truly feel yourself melting more and more with every single second that passed.

As the kiss which appeared to be lasting forever to the slightly embarrassed cameramen progressed and got deeper, Nate's hands travelled lower until they had found a comfortable position to rest in. The brunet occasionally gave your rear a few unfilmed squeezes, but only to keep your bodies united as by doing so it allowed him stay glued to you.

As sad as it sounded, your show of affection had to come to an end, and you were the one who put a stop to it by pulling away slowly. A thin string of saliva still connected your lips until even that was forced to snap, the air between the two of you soon being filled with heated breaths due to the cold environment. Nate placed his warm hand on top of yours which you hadn't retreated from his face. He seemed to have gotten back into his hero role, to make sure that the scene wouldn't be ruined despite the improvisation.

"Stay." He whispered, so tenderly that it sent shivers racing down your spine without you having to act the part. You let your gaze travel back and forth between the ground and his gorgeous cocoa-colored eyes, before eventually giving your undesirable answer. "...I can't."

"Cut!" Sergeo finally intervened, even though it was far too late to even label it that. His confident voice snapped the both of you out of your trances, making you feel conscious of your actions. It was still regrettable, but you had to let go of Nate and be released from his arms entirely, so that you could face both the director and the scolding he had in store for you and the rookie actor. You waited and waited, too ashamed to even meet the man's eyes, but no one said a word.

"Please don't stay quiet. It makes me feel worse." You blurted out, practically begging with that comment for someone to cut through the tension and free both you and the brunet. Sergeo crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised a brow at you, then shifted his gaze to Nate. "That stunt you two pulled. It wasn't in the script."

"We're aware. I'm very sorry, it was me who forced myself onto [Name], so it wasn't her fault—" Nate sounded guilty at first, but then he slurred his words and tried fitting everything he wanted to say in a single sentence, only for the director to cut him off midway. "That was amazing! How did I not think of adding such a scene from the start?! In the heat of the moment, you two shone brighter then I expected you to—!"

You were expecting something a thousand times worse than a tantrum, but Sergeo actually looked overjoyed? You were certainly not complaining, and his reaction was a weight off your shoulders as you felt your body easing up again. While the director was going on about the occurrence to Brycen quite enthusiastically, you felt your hand get taken once more.

"He's right about that having been in the heat of the moment, but I wasn't acting. My feelings for you are real—" Nate once again tried to explain himself, the priority in his mind being to not get hated by you because of what he thought he had so one-sidedly done. You put your index finger on his lips in order to silence him before giving his hand a light squeeze. "I know."

"I know, because I feel the same, Nate. I love you too."

[ E N D ]

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My note to you:
I've been rewriting my old one shots (again) lately, and out of all of them, this more developed plot is the one I like most. Let me know what you think of this version. ^-^

Thank You for Reading!