Grusha awoke to find himself alone. He stretched and got out of bed, finding the house quiet and lonesome. Maya was nowhere to be found, and upon looking around, neither was Kofu. Assuming they'd both gotten up early to attend the restaurant, the ice type user took his time changing clothes and fixing himself up. Accustomed to the cold mountain, he didn't really have any warm weather wear. He was stuck in long sleeves and pants. Maybe he could drop by a clothing store later and get a few new outfits for occasions like that. Once ready, he left the house, noticing dark clouds moving in from the west. He went straight to the Kofu Lounge for breakfast, shrugging off the foreboding skies. He went inside and took a seat at the bar.

"Good mornin' to ya, Grusha!" Kofu greeted with a bright smile.

"Morning," he replied, leaning to the side to try and see into the kitchen area. "Is Maya in the back?"

"Vaultin' Veluza! You mean she didn't tell ya?"

Grusha suddenly felt a wave of dread wash over him. "Tell me what?"

Kofu rubbed his mostly bald head. "Well, uh, Maya left fer Porto Marinada first thing this mornin'. Said she wanted to catch the waves coming in with the storm."

Grusha jumped out of his seat. "What?! And you just let her go?!"

Kofu was taken aback, never hearing Grusha raise his voice like that before. He hung his head in shame. "I warned her of the dangers, but ya know how she is. She's as stubborn as a Mudbray. Won't listen to a word I say."

Grusha turned and practically sprinted out of the restaurant. He picked up some Grilled Rice Balls from a Chic Kebab stand before having a Flying Taxi pick him up. He swiftly downed his breakfast during the ride. It wasn't the most filling meal, but it was enough to sate his hunger. It didn't help that worry crept in to fill the rest of his stomach with unease. He shouldn't be so scared for Maya, but every time he thought of all the risks, the image of her laying out in the snow after her little mishap flashed through his mind. His head was flooded with awful scenarios. The waves could sweep the surfer under and drown her. A bolt of lightning could zap her. A vicious Gyarados could come up and attack her. That last one might've been less related to the storm and just a terrifying possibility.

Rain started to patter on the outside of the taxi, heightening Grusha's fear further. Fortunately, Porto Marinada was in sight. It wasn't far from Cascarrafa, after all. As soon as they landed in the small city, the Gym Leader burst from the taxi to thank the cabbie before taking off toward the beach just north. He took the walkway leading around the edge of the rocky cliff, spotting a lone surfer in the water, paddling her board farther out. Picking up the pace, Grusha reached the beach area. The little tables and chairs would normally have people enjoying the sun and sand, but today, they were all vacant. With the rain soaking his hair and clothes, the Gym Leader looked out at the sea.

"Maya!" he called, seeing her preparing to catch one of the ferocious waves heading straight for her.

She didn't seem to hear him due to a loud crack of thunder in the clouds above. He tried waving his arms to get her attention, but she was facing away, focusing on the waters. To his great surprise, she stood up on her board and caught the huge incoming wave. Even though she was far out, he could tell she was beaming. She was good - really good. He could see how she'd become a champion surfer. A bolt of lightning flickered in the dark sky, reminding Grusha of just how dire the situation was.

"Maya!" The man waved his arms and repeated her name several times.

Finally, just as Maya was skimming the waters with her hand as she rode, she noticed the lone person on the beach. "Grusha?"

With her concentration broken, she lost her balance and fell off her board. The next thing she knew, she'd been swept under the waves she'd been riding mere moments ago. In normal circumstances, she was a great swimmer and could rescue herself. But with those fearsome waves, she couldn't quite reach the surface before she'd taken a breath in. Water filled her lungs, her limbs grew weak, and her vision went dark.

Grusha gasped when he saw her fall in. Even after the wave passed, he didn't see her come up. Without giving it a second thought, he ran and jumped right into the water. He swam as hard as he could out to approximately where Maya had been. Taking a deep breath, he dove under. She wasn't far below him, unconscious and sinking slowly toward the bottom. He went after her, wrapping an arm around her waist and swimming back to the surface. A wave nearly choked him as soon as he surfaced. Almost immediately, he started heading back to shore. It was then that the effort of swimming caught up to him, making his weakened leg cramp up and ache.

Just as he thought he was going to drown out there with Maya, something emerged under them. Grusha found himself atop a strong and sturdy shell. It seemed Lapras was there to help them. He couldn't be more grateful. The pokemon's powerful flippers got them back to shore where Grusha laid Maya onto the sand. Lapras placed herself between them and the waves, shielding them as she cried softly with concern for her trainer. If the circumstances had been any different, the man probably would've enjoyed seeing Maya with so little on. Dressed in a bikini printed like the tail of a Milotic and with her hair down, she was beautiful. Lapras's poke ball hung loosely from the waistband of her bottoms, which explained where her partner came from so suddenly.

"Maya! Please open your eyes! Say something!"

Grusha held her close, holding her up by the shoulders and watching her face closely for any signs of a response. But there were none. Pressing an ear to her chest, he was relieved to hear a heartbeat. He also found the problem - she wasn't breathing. She'd most likely inhaled water. Laying her down, he pinched her nose shut and connected their mouths to try and get some air into her lungs.

"You idiot…" he mumbled between breaths. "Reckless dummy… I could kill you…for worrying me…like this…" Through his insults, he was crying, worried sick.

Maya suddenly came to, coughing up water and taking rapid breaths of air. "Gru…Grusha…"

The man pulled her up to hug her tight. "Thank goodness you're alright! I was so scared for you!"

"I'm fine…thanks to you…" Maya's voice was weak and she was still coughing out bits of water.

Lapras leaned down to nuzzle them, relieved. Maya rubbed her head affectionately, at least until Grusha pulled back to scowl at her. The woman knew why, too. She'd acted irresponsibly. This was probably the worst thing she'd ever done. And to see how much she'd worried Grusha made her feel guilty.

"I'm sorry," she said once she'd gotten the remaining water out of her lungs. "This whole thing was stupid. I'm stupid. Paldea's ocean is so calm, I just…I jumped at the chance to catch a few waves again." She shook her head sadly. "All I've done since we met is cause you trouble." She almost started crying right then. "I'd understand if you…don't want me around anymore. I've always been too much for anyone to handle. I wouldn't blame you for wanting me out of your hair."

It was quiet for a moment while the woman hung her head, her lower lip quivering, until a loud sigh left Grusha. "You dummy. I don't want you gone. You're energetic, reckless, and you don't think before you act, it's true. But I also…really admire your fearlessness and dedication." Maya lifted her head to meet his gaze, astounded. "Ever since we met, you've relit the fire in me that I'd thought had been snuffed out a long time ago. And more than anything, I…I don't wanna go back to living all alone again. You may be a handful, but I'm starting to like it that way. Just please promise me you won't do something this absurd again."

Maya smiled at his words, wiping at her watery eyes. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try to rein myself in when really dangerous stuff is concerned. I'll try for you, Grusha. Or, you know, just come talk some sense into me. That might work as well." She giggled at his small smile in response. "I'll admit, you've grown on me, Sub-Zero Shredder, you and the icy cold of Glaseado.

The pink hue on Grusha's pale cheeks was made evident. "Yeah, same to you. I mean, you've brightened up my life so of course I like you. Ugh, that was so uncool to say out loud like that."

"I thought it was sweet."

Maya's hands found the sides of his face, forcing them to lock eyes. Her smile was so pretty and so full of joy. The man couldn't help himself, and so he abruptly took the plunge and surprised her with a kiss. It was hurried and rough, and Maya had to push him back slightly to halt him. She shook her head before leaning in to resume, but took the lead and kissed him slowly and meaningfully. He caught on quickly and pulled her in to hold her against him, getting lost in the moment. A rather loud thunderclap made them jump apart, suddenly reminded of the terrible weather.

"Right. The storm." Grusha pulled her up with him. "We should take shelter at Porto Marinada."

Nodding in agreement, Maya took the poke ball clipped to her bathing suit. "Thanks for your help, girl." She returned Lapras before glancing out at the sea. "Well, good thing that wasn't my prize-winning board I lost out there."

Grabbing on to each other's hand, the pair hurried back to the small city area. There was a small inn where Maya had rented a room. That's where her backpack was. Unfortunately, she only had one change of clothes, and Grusha, in his hurry, hadn't brought anything. The staff were kind enough to offer him some clothes for his stay, though. He would be spared the misery of sitting around in soaked clothes. With their budding relationship, they waited out the storm in comfort.

"Hey, Maya?" Grusha looked down at where she was huddled next to him on the couch. She hummed for him to continue. "Would you…teach me to surf sometime?"

The woman picked her head up to look at him, surprised. "Seriously? You wanna learn how to surf?" A bright smile adorned her face. "I'd love to, Grusha. However, it'll be tough to do any real surfing in these calm waters, but we can paddle out to one of those little islands, and I can show you how to balance."

"Pfft, I think I already have the balancing part down. I was a pro snowboarder, remember?"

"I know, but believe me, there's a huge difference in the way surfing feels. You'll find out when we get out on the waves." She nestled further into him. "And you've still gotta let me get Glaseado's Wrath down pat. No way I'm gonna give up when I've gotten so good."

Grusha sighed. "Alright. I can't stop you. But be more careful about those jumps." He kissed her head where she'd been injured mere days ago. "I don't wanna see you all banged up again."

"I'll take more precautions." She smirked slightly from where her head rested on his shoulder. "I think I like this Grusha better. Warm instead of cold, caring instead of distant."

"That Grusha's only for you," he jokingly replied.

The two shared a few laughs and enjoyed a meal there before retreating to bed for the night, letting the storm pass so they could head back to Cascarrafa.

~~~~

"There ya are!" Kofu cried in relief when he saw Maya and Grusha step into the restaurant. "Good to see you're both okay. I'm not usually the worryin' type, but that storm yesterday was somethin' fierce."

"It wasn't that bad," Maya dismissed. "But…let's just say it was a good thing Grusha came to get me."

The pair sat down, allowing Kofu to notice their connected hands with fingers intertwined. "Vaultin' Veluza!" Kofu grinned with glee. "Now this deserves a celebratory lunch! I want to commemorate the day I gained a nephew-in-law."

Grusha tried to ignore the redness of his face. "W-we're not married."

"Not yet," Kofu replied. "But one day, we'll see…"

"Uncle!" Maya scolded with a playful smile. "Stop embarrassing my boyfriend! Besides, shouldn't you get started on that lunch?"

With a hearty laugh, Kofu got to work fixing them a meal. It really was great news. Maya would have someone to help reel in her wild side, and Grusha earned a companion that rekindled his passion for sports. And who knows, maybe one day they could take a trip to Alola to not only meet Maya's parents, but also catch the best waves in the world.