For lack of better options, Brandy tried out the Mint Milkshake. It was actually pretty nice, even though it tasted absolutely nothing like mint. If you put enough syrup in a drink, it turns out it just tastes of syrup. Tasty syrup, so she wasn't going to complain, it’d have been pointless anyway. The Brunette waitress she'd been left with was far too fucked silly to deal with Brandy right now, drooling happily in her sleep on the other seat.

Did Brandy drool in her sleep? Surely not. Sparky would have made fun of her for it by now. 

She tried to pace herself on the milkshake. It was going to be a busy night. She just knew it. But that didn't stop her from eying Calcine's spicy milkshake and wondering. Sure, Maple had said she couldn't have any, but Maple wasn't here right now. She'd never know. 

"Absolutely not," Calcine called out as Brandy went to reach for it. The shock of it made Brandy screech in surprise. 

"What's she doing?" Maple said. Calcine had thrown her over the shoulder, and her legs swung to kick Calcine in the boob as she tried to wiggle off. Calcine took it so stoically that it was funny, and the only thing stopping Brandy from laughing was she didn't want to upset Maple. "Brandy, get me down!"

"Calcine," Brandy tried to say sternly, but it didn't land at all when she was already biting down a laugh. She just got a flat look in response. 

"She was unruly, Brandy. We had to make her listen," Sparky said as she came around Calcine and reached over the table to steal Brandy's milkshake. "Wasn't easy. We nearly died."

"And what did you tell her?" Brandy said as she got up. Calcine could be stubborn, but Brandy was taller, and while Calcine might not be willing to give her over, Brandy was confident she wouldn't fight her either. It was just a case of finding out how stubborn Calcine's grip could be. 

"Wicked secrets about you, everything embarrassing you've done," Sparky said as she sipped Brandy's milkshake. "We didn't have enough time for it all, so we came back."

Well, she didn't believe that one bit. Calcine just smiled cryptically. That's the problem with Rock Types. They have outstanding poker faces. 

"Mahi and Holly are up to some trouble in the restrooms. You can catch up if you give me her."

"They are? Oh no," Maple groaned, "I hope they don't break anything this time. Or anyone." 

Calcine let go and grabbed Sparky's arm. Brandy staggered back as she took Maple's weight and tumbled onto the seat again, Maple in her lap. "We'll go check on them." Calcine was fiery-eyed and dragged Sparky and Brandy's milkshake with her as she went. 

To Brandy's embarrassment, Maple didn't get out of her lap and just fixed up her gorgeous blonde hair with a few strokes of her hand and then turned to look at Brandy. She had the faintest curl on the end of her lips, like she was fighting down a smile. 

"You played Calcine," Brandy said, "She's all worked up. You knew she'd run right into a situation like that."

"Fire Type can be very simple. Suits you."

Brandy gave the cheeky blonde a squeeze. She felt good in her arms, a nice weight on her lap. Her body was warm from struggling to get off Calcine, and it radiated through her blue and white summer dress to mingle with Brandy's body heat. She'd always been rather warm, something Scoria had passed down to her. Girls used to hug her during winter for warmth. At least, that's what they said they'd done it for. Brandy had learned enough by now to be pretty sure there had been other motives.  

If Maple had hugged her she'd have got it for sure, someone that pretty up close would have surely melted her brain enough for it to get a clue. It's a shame it'd never happen, though. She'd just have to settle for Maple getting comfortable in her lap. Wiggling her butt to get comfy. Touching her side and stroking her arms for support.

Wait a second...  

"What is the date plan you have for me?" Brandy said, trying to keep her voice steady. She was assuming things! She had to play it cool. Maybe Maple was just having fun flirting. She was a Water Ace. 

"Hrm, I could tell you or show you." Maple said, "Which do you want?"

"Tell me." Brandy couldn't wait. That'd be torture.

"I'll show you then!" Maple laughed as she leaned back on Brandy. "Carry me?"

"Legs don't work?" Brandy said, giving Maple a bounce in her lap. 

"Sparky wanted to calm me down so they could give me the talk," Maple huffed. "She overdid it a bit."

"Oh? Oh! They really don't work." Brandy gave those legs a pat. Maple had been leaning on her for support, not just for comfort. Her skin was really lovely and soft, and Brandy resisted the urge to rub it.

"Not super well," Maple said, "I'd be mad at her, but you know."

"Hard to be after her shocks, I get it." Brandy really did too. Sparky might be a pest, but she had a lot of ways to make up for it, and she always did. Eventually. One arm around Maple's back, another supporting her legs. A princess carry for a princess. "I'm sure our Partners can get into trouble without us. Grab my neck, and let's go."

Held up like this, they were at eye level, and their heads were so close together. Brandy could just reach out and kiss her, Maple seemed to lean forward to do just that, making Brandy's heart thump so fast she was worried Maple would hear it. Instead, she settled for a lean on Brandy's shoulder and a small smile. "Lead on."

"Right. Right." Brandy took a step, then stopped. "I have absolutely no idea where we're going."

"Oh! Yes. Sorry." Maple giggled. "Well, you walk, and I'll direct you then. If you don't mind me being your Trainer for the ride?"

Brandy didn't mind at all. A woman this cute in her arms? Maple could do whatever she wanted. 

---

Carrying Maple to their date was nice, but it was also far more of a workout than Brandy had been expecting. She'd thought it'd be somewhere close by. It was not. She was sweating by the time they finally reached the Canal. Maple wasn't heavy, but she wasn't light either. Her arms ached from taking the weight, and her legs felt the burn. For Maple, she endured, but it was getting tough.

Turrfield Canal wasn't anything that impressive. Two stone walls penned in a long stretch of water. It wasn't as fun as the river, which often had Pokémon bathing beside it, though once a year, all the barges would come upstream and throw an on-the-water market festival which Brandy loved because there were always plenty of Poffin vendors. Brandy had completed her quest to eat every type of Poffin that existed before she'd even left Turrfield, so she'd had to settle for Pokémon. At least she was pretty sure she'd got them all. She always kept an eye out in case she'd missed one. 

Nice, serene, and calm. After all the days' craziness, there was an appeal to that. 

"You're really fit," Maple said as Brandy took a breath by the waterside. "I thought you'd have put me down by now."

"Got to be fit as a Trainer," Brandy said, tightening her grip. Putting Maple down was tempting, but if she could impress her? She'd carry her all the way to Motostoke. 

Maple rubbed her leg across Brandy's stomach, which had her quickly shifting her grip to catch the shift in her weight. It didn't help that the feeling of Maple's leg rubbing over her stomach made her insides flutter and her limbs go weak. She had to focus. 

"A walk by the Canal is a nice date," Brandy said lamely. Wanting to focus was nice and all, but it was hard to do when a ludicrously hot girl was using you to scratch an itch. 

"Can do better than that! I'm not so basic. Keep going." Maple said, and so Brandy did. Deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth. She'd learned that in volleyball training, and it had been endlessly useful to help her catch her breath. There'd been a lot of need to catch her breath lately. 

Maple might just be enjoying the Brandy ride, but she did help out in her way. Little words of encouragement and ruffles of Brandy's hair kept her moving step after step, the sun had all but set, and the orange setting sun looked so pretty shining off the water. 

"Stop here," Maple said as they arrived at a moored Canal boat. It was a dark green wooden thing, with black stripes at the water line, and looked very simple, a big cabin at the back of the boat with an opening to sit. The boat name 'King Leer' was written on the side in red font with a white outline. A pun so bad Brandy was just going to ignore it as best she could.

"Welcome aboard my fair vessel," Maple said. "Sail the seas with me. Also, put me down."

"I got used to carrying you," Brandy smiled as she stepped carefully over the edge of the Canal Boat with Maple. "And you made me walk a really long way. So why should I put you down?"

She tried to sound cool and playful and hoped one of those was coming through in the tone. It was hard when she was still short of breath, and her arms were soaked in sweat.

"I have food, water, and candles. Trust me, it'll be worth it." Maple said, "This is our date spot. Out on the water with me, just the two of us."

"To get to know each other?" Brandy said as she let Maple down. Food sounded good, and water sounded even better. Candles, she would give a shot after those two. "Like a sleepover?"

Maple actually snorted a laugh at that and batted Brandy's arm. "You're just like they said."

"Who?" Brandy knew who as soon as she'd asked. "Wait, what did those two tell you?"

"They had some advice for me, is all. About you. And girls." Maple grabbed Brandy's wrists. "This is a date, not a sleepover. That was a romantic walk, not you carrying me because my legs didn't work."

Maple leaned in and went up on tiptoes to kiss Brandy's chin. The heat from it flowed right into her brain, which from the feeling of it, then melted immediately out of her ears. Soft lips on her, the meaning of it, the gesture. Too much to process

"That was a kiss, not a thank you for letting me use your muscles. Though I do thank you for the muscles, they are lovely."

Brandy tried to reply, but her tongue got in the way of her words, and it just came out as a big, mushy yelp of surprise. 

"Do I need to be more direct? They said I might have to really beat it into you." Maple said, “I don't mind getting a little rough." 

Brandy shook her head and regretted it. A tussle with Maple sounded really good.

"Purrloin got your tongue?" Maple smiled and just ... fuck. She was so pretty, so full of eager joy it was hard not to be captivated by it. Brandy might be willing to admit she was attractive to some, maybe even a lot, but she wasn't in Maple's league. Not even close. 

And yet. 

"I suspected you were into me. I was going to get it!" Brandy blurted out, honest to a fault. She'd been working it out. She would totally have got it. Eventually. With a few more hints.

"I had bunny ears I was going to put on if you needed more hints. Glad I didn't have to go that far."

She cackled at the look of disappointment in Brandy's eyes. She really was perfect as Mahi's trainer. They were both evil in a wickedly hot way. 

But she could handle Mahi, barely, a challenge like this? Brandy was ready to lose hard and love every minute of it.