I Want To Lay the Very Best!

Brandy staggered back, clutching her forehead as a dull throb pulsed through her skull. The lampost hadn't taken any damage at all and stood tall, mocking her. It was a damn shame, she was being so cool for Dani too, but somehow despite not even being here, Rhona had got the better of her. The head bump wasn't the worst pain Brandy had ever felt, but damn, it was enough to snap Brandy out of her spiraling thoughts. She blinked, trying to reorient herself, when a high-pitched gasp hit her ears.

"Oh no! Brandy! Are you okay? Are you concussed? Oh, Arceus, you're concussed, aren't you? Do you remember who I am? What year is it?" Dani was at her side instantly, hands hovering like she wanted to grab Brandy but didn't know where to start.

Brandy groaned, rubbing at the sore spot on her head. "I'm fine, Dani, just hit my head. You know we humans are tough."

"But it was such a big hit! This is a disaster!" Dani flailed, bouncing on the balls of her feet as panic seeped into every inch of her. "You're way too pretty to have a head injury! What if it messes up your brain? What if you forget how to flirt? What if-"

Brandy set the thankfully unharmed cheesecake box down and reached out, catching Dani's hands and squeezing them firmly. "Dani. Breathe."

Dani sucked in a sharp breath but didn't look any less frazzled. Her puffed-up cheeks did at least look really cute on her. Dani threw her all into trying to help, even if her ability was lacking. Brandy needed to help with that, and there wasn't any better time to start.

Brandy tilted her head and put on her best confident smile. "You want to fix me?"

Dani nodded so fast it was almost comical. "Yes! Absolutely! What do I do? Do I get ice? A doctor? Should I take you to the Center? I can try!" She took a stance to attempt to hoist Brandy into her arms despite being significantly smaller. Brandy let her, just to see what'd happen. While Dani had a little muscle under that adorable pudge, it wasn't enough to hoist Brandy up. Though she put a lot of well-intentioned huffing and puffing into trying.

Brandy chuckled, giving Dani's hair a reassuring ruffle so she'd stop. "You don't need to take me anywhere. You're going to take care of me right here and now. First, hold my face."

Dani made a startled noise but obeyed, reaching up to take Brandy's cheeks, only to be defeated by just how tall Brandy was. Instead of holding her face properly, Dani got lost in Brandy's chest, her hands awkwardly pressing against Brandy's jaw while the rest of her face was trapped against the soft fabric of Brandy's maid dress.

"You good in there?"

"I'm fantastic," Dani mumbled. "You're tall."

"Thought you'd notice that. Here, let me help." Without missing a beat, Brandy gracefully dropped to her knees so they were at eye level, Dani's hands still cupping her face. "Better?"

Dani got an even brighter shade of red as she stared into Brandy's eyes and let out a strangled whimper. "Worse! Way worse!"

"Hey, it's okay to be overwhelmed. I know I'm a lot to handle." Brandy gave Dani's hands a reassuring squeeze. "We're going to take this one step at a time together, okay? Focus on getting a good grip on my cheeks. Feel how solid they are, how warm. Just focus on that."

Dani sucked in another breath, her fingers shifting slightly as she adjusted her hold. Her thumbs brushed over Brandy's cheekbones, slow and tentative, as if memorizing every contour. She let out a tiny, breathy noise, barely audible, but unmistakably pleased.

Brandy smirked. "See? You're doing great."

Dani swallowed hard, her blush deepening. "Y-you have really nice skin," she mumbled, her thumbs hesitantly stroking along Brandy's jawline now, like she was getting lost in the sensation.

Brandy's smirk softened into something more genuine. "I'm glad you think so. Now, keep that focus, okay? One step at a time."

Dani sucked in a shaky breath, still visibly flustered but a little more grounded. She nodded, determination flickering through her expression. "O-okay. Yeah. I can do that."

Her voice still wobbled, but her touch was steadier when she reached up again. Brandy smiled approvingly, letting Dani move with more confidence.

"See? You do so well when you have a little guidance," Brandy purred, leaning in to make Dani squirm. She wouldn't fix this in one go, but getting Dani used to flirting would help ease the poor Magikarp's anxiety a ton. There'd be a lot more squirming on that path, but as long as Dani enjoyed it, Brandy didn't feel guilty doing it. "Now you got a good hold of me. Let's get back to fixing me up. Go on, check for any visible injuries. Look me over. Thoroughly."

Dani swallowed thickly, her eyes darting nervously over Brandy's face and settling on her lips. "You, uh, you look good. Really good. Beautiful, actually."

"I meant injuries," Brandy corrected, her smirk playful. Then, maybe a little inspired by Rhona, she added with a teasing lilt, "Sweetie."

It might as well have been a Draco Meteor. Dani went utterly still, her breath catching like a Pokémon mid-battle, before she visibly wobbled. Her hands trembled against Brandy's cheeks, and her eyes darted anywhere but at her.

"I-I-" she squeaked, her brain clearly working overtime to process the word that had just left Brandy's lips.

Brandy tilted her head, still holding back a grin. "You're looking a little dazed there, Dani. You good?"

Dani inhaled sharply, trying to recover, but it was no use. The damage had been done. She swayed slightly as if genuinely considering fainting on the spot before squeezing her eyes shut and forcing words out. "I am fine. I am totally fine. I just... no one's ever called me that before."

Brandy raised an eyebrow, amused. "No one's ever called you sweetie?"

Dani shook her head frantically. "Not like that! Not in a way that makes my whole brain shut down!"

Brandy smiled, reaching up to steady Dani's hands on her face. "I want you to look after me, but I can look after you if you need it. I'm your Trainer. I will always be here for you."

Calcine, Morgan, and Sparky had buckets of confidence to draw on, while Dani was used to being just a little fish in a big sea of Pokémon. She needed a little help, and maybe this was a bit sneaky, but if Brandy was right about the Pokémon Dani was, there was no way she'd let her own embarrassment stop her from helping a lady in need.

Dani took a deep breath, steadying herself, and Brandy could practically read her thoughts. She could do this. She would do this. Brandy needed her, and there was no way Dani would let her down. Her grip on Brandy's face firmed, her thumbs tracing along her cheekbones with purpose now instead of hesitation.

"Alright," Dani said, her voice still small but filled with a new resolve. "I can take care of you. Just ... just tell me what you need."

Brandy grinned, warmth flickering in her gaze. "That's my partner."

Dani let out a tiny, involuntary moan at the words, her lips parting in a breathy sigh before she could stop herself. Her eyes went impossibly wide, and for a split second, she looked like she was about to simply disappear from sheer embarrassment. But a small, bright smile pushed through the overwhelming heat on her face.

Brandy had lit a little fire in her heart. Time to give her something to use it on. "My head got bumped. I'm going to need you to kiss it better."

Dani nearly choked on her tongue. "W-what?!"

"You heard me." Brandy said firmly as she leaned just a little closer, presenting her forehead. "If you want to help me feel better, you've got to kiss my bump better. That's just basic medicine, Dani. Everyone knows this."

Dani's hands trembled slightly where they held Brandy's face, but the sheer determination on her face won over her body's weakness. "Okay. Okay! I can do that! It's just a kiss! No big deal! Super simple!"

Brandy kept still, letting Dani work through her nerves. The poor thing was shaking like a leaf, but after a deep breath, she leaned in and pressed the softest, most hesitant kiss to Brandy's forehead. It was barely a brush of lips, but it sent a pleasant warmth through Brandy.

When Dani pulled back, her face was impossibly red. "D-did that help?"

Brandy let out a satisfied sigh, exaggerating it just a little. "That was beautiful, cool lips and all very loving. But, I might need a few more just to be sure."

Dani groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I can't, that's impossible."

Brandy laughed, reaching out to tug Dani's hands away. "You're my partner now Dani. I'm your Trainer. I will help you do the impossible. Now, you are going to keep taking care of me, aren't you?"

Dani let out a tiny, resigned squeak. "I'll take care of you. But I'm never going to recover from this. This is too much."

Brandy grinned, leaning in just enough to make Dani's breath hitch. "You can do this. You'll get used to it. I promise I want kisses from you and more, Dani. Lots more."

"Like ... tongue?"

That wasn't what Brandy had been thinking at all, but now that Dani had raised the option, Brandy wouldn't pass it up. "You're a Kalosian Magikarp, aren't you? I hear Kalosians are all naturally good kissers. I think it's all they do all day."

Still flustered beyond belief, Dani straightened slightly, puffing out her chest with a surprising hint of pride. "I mean... yeah! That's absolutely true."

Brandy blinked, a little taken aback by the sudden shift in Dani's attitude. "Wait, really?"

Dani nodded, this time without hesitation. "Yeah, it's kind of a thing. The Galar ladies in the sea always loved kissing us, and it was just expected we could do well. I got so much practice."

Brandy raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So you're a top-tier kisser? A professional smoocher?"

Dani made a noise that was somewhere between a squeak and a scoff, crossing her arms in a way that did nothing to hide the deepening blush on her face. "I never said that! I mean, I wouldn't want to assume that. Kalosian ladies get really serious about kissing."

Brandy wanted to help Dani with her anxiety, but her curiosity demanded she dig into this.

"I think I bit my tongue when I hit the lampost," Brandy said, poking it out. "Gonna need a kiss too."

Dani looked ready to short-circuit on the spot. "Nope! Nope, absolutely not! We're focusing on your head injury! That's the priority!"

Brandy sighed dramatically. "The tongue hurts way more. I could be healed instantly if you kiss it good."

Dani groaned, burying her face in her hands again and softly whimpering, "Galar ladies."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Brandy smirked, leaning in just a little, eyes glinting with mischief. "I heard something about Galar ladies? What about us, Dani?"

Dani swallowed hard, her face somehow growing even redder. "I-It's nothing! Just a thought! A tiny, fleeting thought that isn't important at all!"

It was simply too much fun to not keep the teasing up. Darn, Sparky really had gotten into Brandy's blood. "Dani, sweetie, I want to know all your thoughts. You're my Magikarp, don't be afraid of me."

Dani's lips tweaked up at the use of sweetie again, and she spoke with the soft, heated tones of someone dishing some scandalous gossip. "It's just that Galar Pokémon really likes Kalosian kisses. They always went on about how refined and romantic we were. Like, a lot. It always made me feel proud to be Kalosian."

Brandy grinned. "So what you're saying is, Galar ladies are weak to you?"

Dani gasped, flailing her hands. "No! I mean, maybe? But no! They like the charm and, um, the technique, and there's a lot of competition, so you really have to be good if you want to impress. I do like impressing so-" Dani clamped her mouth shut, realizing she was rambling.

Brandy smiled, enjoying every second of Dani digging her own grave. "Interesting. Very, very interesting. I'm a Galar lady; does that mean I'm weak to your kisses, too?"

Dani made another strangled noise, looking about hoping someone would swoop in to save her. But while a few people were glancing at them as they passed, they hadn't drawn a crowd. They just looked like one more drunk human being helped by her Pokémon. "That's... that's not how it works! I don't think you're weak to anything."

Brandy leaned in, playful and teasing. "Only one way to find out."

Before Dani could squeak out another protest, Brandy closed the gap, pressing a soft, exploratory kiss to her lips. It was meant to be a teasing little thing, just to see how flustered she could make Dani, but the moment their lips met, Brandy's thoughts stopped.

Dani kissed back. Not just kissed back but took control! What started as a hesitant press of lips became something far more practiced and devastating. Dani's hands firmed against Brandy's cheeks as her lips moved in a way that was entirely too smooth, entirely too effortless. Then came the tongue, warm and precise, curling just enough to drag Brandy into a dizzying, breathless state.

Brandy's entire body tensed as her brain lagged behind what was happening. The teasing, flustered mess of a Magikarp had completely flipped the script on her. The way Dani kissed was unreal; it was as if she was pouring every ounce of Kalosian pride into this moment. Brandy felt her thoughts go soft and fizzy, a warmth spreading to her toes. Her fingers curled into Dani's sleeves, holding on for support as her mind cooked under the sheer skill pressing into her mouth.

When Dani finally pulled back, her eyes were wide with surprise, as if she hadn't expected to react so instinctively. "O-oh," she whispered, blinking rapidly. "That was okay, right?"

Still trying to reboot her brain, Brandy attempted to push herself up, only to find her legs far too wobbly to cooperate. Instead, she toppled forward, straight into Dani's arms. The smaller Pokémon barely managed to steady her, wrapping her arms around Brandy's waist in a firm but shaky grip.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" Dani asked, her voice caught between concern and pride.

Brandy groaned, letting her forehead rest against Dani's shoulder. "I'm fine, just... wow. Give a girl a second to recover, will you? You completely scrambled my brain."

Dani giggled, a little smug but mostly delighted. "T-told you Kalosians are good kissers."

Brandy exhaled sharply, shifting just enough to glance at Dani's face. "You and Shay would get along."

Dani's blush deepened, but curiosity flickered in her gaze. "You're trying to find her, right? Maybe if we... you know, spread some of that oral expertise around, and we'll end up in the same place?"

Brandy shook her head, a slow, proud grin spreading across her face. "That's the sort of plan I'd come up with. You know, we do think alike a lot."

Dani straightened, her earlier nervousness slipping away beneath a new, determined glint in her eyes. "Then let's do it. If kissing helps us find Shay, I can handle that!"

Brandy grinned, wrapping her arms tighter around Dani in the embrace. "Alright, my watery lover. We got cheesecake to deliver. Let's go make some waves."

Dani snorted at the pun, shaking her head with a small, amused smile. That alone proved they weren't totally alike. Brandy would never admit Sparky's puns were funny. At least, not out loud.

But admitting Magikarp were amazing kissers? After what Dani had done to her, that'd be easy.