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moonfairywritings · 7 months

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Nessa x Mer!Reader

Franchise: Pokémon

Genre: One-shot; friends to lovers

Trigger warnings: None

Proofread, but I'm stupid, so I might have missed something. Sorry T~T

A/n: A little something I've been wanting to do for a while. Happy (extremely) belated Mermay!

"Dreadnaw, use Rock Tomb!" Nessa commanded the Pokémon before her. Dreadnaw obeyed the order immediately and let out an angry cry as it kicked up rocks and sent them flying towards the Appletun on the other side of the field.

"You're doing great, Appletun! Now use Solar Beam!"

As usual, Milo was beating Nessa into the dirt. Her eyes widened as the Pokémon began to gather light fueled by the sun that had been previously set up by Milo's Eldegoss. Dreadnaw was weakened, and she had no more team members that could fight, but there was no way she was going to give up. Her honor and dignity as a gym leader was at stake.

"You can do it, just hang in there, Dreadnaw!" She encouraged. "Take it head on then make a comeback with Aqua Tail!"

Dreadnaw grunted in agreement. Nessa could see it physically tense up, waiting for the Solar Beam to hit.

"No-!"

Nessa watched in anguish as her ace yelled out in pain as the blinding light made contact. The crowd was going wild, people were screaming, cheering, chanting for both Nessa and Milo.

Please make it, please, please make it.

The light began to settle as Appletun's attack finished. Nessa squinted over the dust that had been kicked up to see the state of her Dreadnaw. The announcer's voice blared over the intercom before she even had a chance to react.

"-and it looks like Dreadnaw is unable to fight, which means Milo is the winner once again!"

Once the initial shock was over, Nessa ran over to Dreadnaw and knelt down beside it.

"I'm so sorry buddy, I shouldn't have..." She sighed, pulling out her Pokéball. "You did amazing."

*•.¸❀

Interviewers crowded the lobby of the Turffield gym, making it hard for Nessa to escape the locker room.

"Who designed this place? Since when do locker rooms not have a back exit? God." Nessa muttered to herself as she swiftly dodged the camera crew and news reporters before being spotted. At least she had practice escaping paparazzi. Lots of practice. She successfully exited the building when she heard a voice call out to her.

"That was a great match, Nessa! You and your team make one heck of an opponent."

Nessa turned around to see Milo smiling at her cheerfully. Win or lose, he always had something to be optimistic about. Sometimes Nessa wished she had that superpower.

"Y-yeah, thanks." She answered, awkwardly tugging at her sunglasses. "I'm kind of in a hurry, so..."

"Oh, no worries." Milo assured her. "I know you're a busy person. Keeping up with your gym, modeling. Anyways, I'll see you around!"

"Mhm. See you." With a curt nod, she briskly picked up her pace. She wanted to get as far away from the stadium as possible. "Next time, we're going to win. And I mean it. I'm supposed to be a gym leader, I'm not going to be able to keep my position if I let type disadvantages be such a huge roadblock."

Saying Nessa is a competitive person would be an understatement. What's the point of trying anything if you don't win? She was going to get stronger. She had to get stronger.

*•.¸❀

Hours had passed since her loss to Milo. Hours upon hours of training and Nessa still didn't feel like they had accomplished anything. Despite this, she and her team were exhausted, and she decided to quit for the day. She collapsed into the grass with a heavy sigh and looked up at the sky, now an orange-pink as the sun began to set.

"Draaaaw..."

Dreadnaw lightly headbutted the side of Nessa's head, a look of concern on its face. Nessa smiled tiredly and reached up to stroke its cheek.

"You did great today. Why don't we go for a quick swim before heading home?"

Nessa stood up and brushed the grass from her clothing and walked down the grassy slope towards a small lake on the outskirts of the wild area. The water glistened beautifully underneath the setting sun, and Nessa felt the tension in her body melt away just by looking at it. Upon reaching the lake, she removed her sandals and slowly waded into the water, while Dreadnaw loudly ran into the water and began splashing around excitedly. Nessa closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in the fresh scents of lush water plants.

"Naw!"

"Huh?" Nessa opened her eyes and turned her attention back towards Dreadnaw, who was staring intently at a bushy area of horsetails near the edge. The water was rippling as if something had made a quick dive beneath the surface. Deciding to investigate, she made her way towards the source of the splash, expecting it to be a fish Pokémon of some sorts.

"I don't see anything. It was probably just a Feebas or someth- AH!"

"Hmhmhmm~"

From within the horsetails, something had splashed water into Nessa's eyes, a sharp giggle coming right after. Nessa wiped the water from her eyes, and stared in disbelief at the culprit.

"What... You're a..."

With only their head and the tip of their tail emerging from the water, a person with the tail of a fish looked up at Nessa with mischief dancing in their eyes. The way their scales shimmered in the sunlight made it hard for Nessa not to reach out and touch them. After staring at them for what felt like hours, trying to discern if this was all real or not, Nessa cautiously reached out her hand towards the Merperson, but their eyes widened at the sudden close contact and they quickly retreated into the safety of the water.

"No, wait!" Nessa yelled out. "I wasn't going to-" the ripples in the water settled, and there was no sign of them. "They're gone..."

Nessa left the water, still in shock from what she had seen. She had come face-to-face with a real Merperson, like something out of a fairytale. She decided right then and there that she would befriend them, and that she would keep this a secret, even from Sonia. Who knew what would happen if word got out about the existence of Merpeople.

Even if they weren't friends yet, Nessa vowed to protect them at all costs.

*•.¸❀

Nessa woke up bright and early the next morning and headed straight towards the bakery. Before heading to the gym, she planned on getting her soon-to-be friend a pastry as an ice breaker. She stood in front of the glass case looking at all of the warm, freshly baked pastries.

"What would Merpeople even eat?" She mused.

"What was that, Miss?" Asked the baker behind the counter.

"O-oh! Nothing, sorry." Nessa replied, silently cursing herself for speaking out loud. "Um, I'll take two raspberry danishes, please."

After paying for the pastries, she left the bakery and made her way back towards the lake where she met the Merperson. Her thoughts began to wander back to the playful look in their eyes that sparkled like the water, their wet hair clinging to their forhead, and the sound of their voice after they had splashed her. It was all so enchanting. Nessa hadn't realized how long she had been walking until she heard a voice coming from the lake.

"Your face is all red."

Nessa snapped out of her daydream and looked towards the source of the voice. There in the lake, propped up against a large rock was the Merperson, staring at her with an amused smile tugging at their lips. She touched her cheek and discovered that her face was not only red, but hot.

"Oh, um, I must have gotten a sunburn." She said sheepishly.

"Mhm, sure." The Merperson replied. They pushed themselves from the rock out towards the center of the lake, floating on their back. "So why'd you come back? To oggle the fish person, I presume?"

"Oggle? No, I, well. I brought you something." Nessa held out the bag for them to see.

"A bag? Just what I've always wanted!" They said sarcastically, splashing water into the air in mock excitement.

Nessa laughed. "No, I mean I brought you something in the bag. A raspberry danish." She pulled one of the pastries out of the bag and went to sit on the edge of the lake.

"A raspberry what?" They swam over to where Nessa had sat herself on the grassy bank. "Mm, it smells good."

Nessa handed it out to them. "Here, try it."

The Merperson looked inspected it for a moment before reaching out a hand to grab it, but before they did, they grabbed a fistful of Nessa's shirt and quickly wiped their hands on it before taking the pastry.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Nessa exclaimed. "Now my shirt is soaking!"

They shrugged. "Oh, I'm sorry. I figured you were supposed to eat this dry, but I guess it needs to be dipped in lake water first."

"You're kind of a piece of work, aren't you?" Nessa said as she wrung out her shirt.

The Merperson giggled in reply and took a bite of the danish. "Hey, this is actually pretty good."

Nessa smiled. "I'm glad you like it." Her phone vibrated in her pocket, which made the Merperson perk their head up in interest.

"What was that noise?"

"Oh, just my phone." Nessa answered.

"Phone? What's that?" They asked curiously.

"It's- shoot. I have to get to the gym."

"Gym?'

"Yeah." Nessa stood up and put her phone back in her pocket. "I have to go. But real quick... Can I get your name? Mine's Nessa."

"Nessa..." They repeated. "My name's [Y/N]."

"I like it. It's pretty." Nessa said with a smile.

[Y/N] swam over to the edge. They seemed... Down. "Nessa? Will you... Will you come see me again? It gets lonely out here."

Nessa crouched down by the edge. "Of course, I promise I'll come back every day." Without thinking, she brushed the bangs out of their eyes, causing their cheeks to flush a faint pink. Nessa's hand lingered on their cheek for a second too long as she looked into their eyes. Their beautiful eyes... "Um, anyways, I'll see you later, [Y/N]." Nessa backed away from the bank, and gave them a wave before hurrying away, trying in vain to keep her face from lighting up any more than it already was.

"Bye, Nessa." They called from behind her.

For some reason, those parting words seemed to vibrate in the back of her skull. They had such a nice voice. Nice eyes, nice hair, a nice smile.

Nessa felt lighter and giddier that day than she had in ages. She had difficulty focusing on her work, which concerned some people, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting to see them again.

*•.¸❀

A few months had passed since Nessa and [Y/N]'s first meeting. The first few weeks consisted of Nessa bringing them food offerings, or else they would just sit there, arms crossed and pouty, and pretend she wasn't there. It was a little aggravating, but soon the Merperson became accustomed to Nessa's presence, and "offerings" were no longer necessary.

"Have you beaten him yet?" [Y/N] asked. They were sitting on the edge of the bank beside Nessa, with only the tip of their tail in the water. Nessa sighed in response, her furrowed brow giving an amused [Y/N] their answer.

"No..." The young woman replied, glancing away out of embarrassment. [Y/N] only laughed in response.

"Aww, are those cute little plants giving you trouble~?" [Y/N] playfully poked Nessa's nose, laughing even harder at her surprised and bashful expression.

"H-Hey, it's not funny!" Nessa half heartedly swatted [Y/N]'s hand away and adjusted the denim cap she was wearing. "Even with my team knowing practically every ice type move under the sun, it feels like he's just this indestructible wall. It's so frustrating." She glanced over at [Y/N], whose usual mocking expression was gone, and instead was replaced with one of sympathy.

"Well, regardless, I wish I could see one of your matches." [Y/N] looked off into the distance. There was an uncharacteristic sadness in their eyes that made Nessa's heart crack.

"I wish you could too." She said quietly. There was a moment of silence, before [Y/N] spoke up.

"Um, Nessa?" They said quietly.

"What's wrong?" There was a bit of worry in her voice. The Merperson was never this... vulnerable.

"Do you... enjoy coming to visit me? Aren't I boring? I can't exactly leave..."

"Of- of course I do!" Nessa assured. "I've come to visit you every day, haven't I? Just like I promised." She gave [Y/N] a reassuring smile and laid her hand atop theirs. The softness of their hand was almost distracting, she kind of wished she could run her fingers over their silky smooth skin for hours.

"Yeah, you have." [Y/N] exhaled, letting out a bunch of tension they didn't know they were holding in. "Just like you promised." They scooted closer to Nessa, and rested their head on her shoulder.

Nessa's heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Her eyes wide, she looked down at their ethereal figure. They looked so calm, so at peace. The fact that they trusted her enough to be this close filled her with a warmth she had never felt before, and one she wanted to preserve for as long as possible. She intertwined her fingers with theirs, and gently kissed their forehead.

"And I'll continue to keep that promise. Because... because you're the most precious thing in the world to me."

#pokemon #swsh #nessa #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon headcanons #pokemon x reader #pokemon imagines #fluff #gender neutral reader

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