#much like arven i cannot stop thinking about the man on the mountain (and of course my dear arven) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

splenderai · 1 year

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i have some Thoughts about grusha and arven meeting (and eventually becoming friends) that i just need to get out

i hc that arven becomes an apprentice of kofu's and learns a great deal about cooking from the acclaimed chef

after getting to know more about arven - what he's been through, his positive attitude, the hope he possesses with respect to the future despite all the setbacks he's faced at such a young age - kofu suggests arven meet an acquaintance of his (who, kofu thinks, might really benefit from having a friend like arven)

he sends the young, aspiring chef to the chilly heights of glaseado mountain in search of some rare ingredients only found there, instructing arven to stop by the local gym and deliver a homecooked treat to its leader, grusha

arven doesn't know what kind of person will be running the gym on top of a mountain, but he definitely doesn't expect to meet an incredibly beautiful young man who accepts the package and then immediately begins to scold arven for climbing up a snow-covered mountain without any gloves, scarf, or hat to shield him from the weather

("you need to be more careful in a place like this," he says. "it's unforgiving. can take away everything from you in an instant..." his voice is as far away as the look in his eyes when he says that)

grusha invites arven over for tea so that kofu's foolish apprentice can at least warm up a little before heading on his way, and arven makes a well-intentioned comment about how he likes the minimalistic style in grusha's house, to which grusha snorts and offers a hollow "thanks" in response

(grusha doesn't tell him about the framed photos of him beaming with his snow goggles and snowboard in hand that used to adorn the now bare walls, the trophies from his numerous victories on the slopes that now collect dust deep in the closets, his first ever snowboard that used to take center stage above his couch in the living room... none of that belonged here anymore)

they make small talk over tea, even finding common ground when arven mentions his best buddy, the young champion who grusha recalls battling

arven, who has been on this journey of finding himself and going down this path that he's chosen for himself, asks grusha a question similar to the one he's been asking most people he meets these days:

"what made you want to become a gym leader ?"

grusha's brows knit together, and he merely says that he "had no choice"

arven, confused, asks why he had no choice, but grusha only shrugs half-heartedly in response

arven, again well-intentioned but horribly misplaced, tries to reassure grusha by saying that, hey, you don't have to be a gym leader if you don't want to ! you can become whatever or whoever you want ! sometimes it feels like you're stuck with the bad hand you've been dealt, but it doesn't have to be that way ! the world is your cloyster and all that, y'know !

without warning, grusha's unfocused eyes sharpen into a frigid glare that he fixes on arven, stunning the latter into silence, and before arven even has a chance to offer some sort of apology (was it something he said ?), grusha is standing up quickly (wincing almost imperceptibly) and excusing himself for he has "gym duties" to attend to, his tone turning bitter and even colder as he spits out that last bit

his entire encounter with grusha plays on loop in his mind as arven gathers the ingredients for kofu and makes his slow trip back down the mountain

when arven returns to kofu's restaurant, the older man asks how his time in the mountain went

arven, ever the glass half full kind of guy, recounts his trip fondly, mentioning all the pokemon he met and the breathtaking views from atop the mountain, but his energy wanes when he talks about his meeting with grusha

"i think i really upset him," he says, guilt etched into his features

kofu puts a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder, a bittersweet, knowing smile on his lips

"it's not you, boy, i promise."

arven only receives some clarity on the issue when he meets up with nemona at poco path to hang out a few weeks later

they talk for a while, catching one another up on their latest adventures, and arven inevitably tells his friend about the encounter with grusha

nemona waves a hand, telling arven that he shouldn't take this one too close to heart, that grusha's kind of not the friendliest guy out there

when arven asks her if she knows why he hates being a gym leader so much, she tells him everything she knows

she lays grusha's past bare, fondly remembering seeing him winning championship after championship on the tv when she was younger until "that nasty leg injury" put him out of commission for good, which led him to become the super tough gym leader he is now, and oooh arven, you should see his altaria in action, it's such a pretty pokemon but man does it pack a punch ! (she looks like she's ready to run all the way up that mountain and challenge him yet again, arven thinks)

the puzzle pieces start to click into place with all this new information, and arven can feel his stomach sink

the conversation they'd had replays in his mind, and arven wants to shove his whole fist in his mouth as he remembers all the seemingly nice things he'd said that would definitely strike a nerve for someone like grusha

it's another month or so after his meeting with nemona, and arven finds that he can't stop thinking about the young man on the mountain

grusha, whose spirit has been crushed by the cruel weight of reality, much like his nearly was until he met his little buddy and saved his beloved mabosstiff with their help

grusha, who has walls as high as the frigid peak he calls home up around him, keeping everyone around him out

grusha, with eyes that remind him of the way the first rays of dawn hit the impossibly blue waters of casseroya lake, a sight he was fortunate enough to see while hunting for herba mystica with his little buddy

such beautiful eyes filled with an aching pain darker and colder than the depths of the lake they resemble

arven can't believe he didn't recognize the look sooner

he'd seen it countless times in the mirror

arven needs to see him again

#pokemon #arven #grusha #trainer arven #gym leader grusha #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv #pokemon scarvi #much like arven i cannot stop thinking about the man on the mountain (and of course my dear arven)#if they don't have a ship name i'm going to coin it as #esperanzashipping #words with min

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