"Pusha Man"
A Song Inspired Dramatic Story.
feat. Elesa Bellemonte
as "Herself"
Chapter One:
Ten. Damn. Days...!
Wonderful, sweetheart. That was a good shot.
It's been an exhausting few days for Elesa.
Turn to the side for me...Great... We'll be using this frame too...
As if being the Gym Leader of a thriving Pokemon Gym in Nimbasa City isn't enough...
Give me-...give me "pouty"! "Angry"!
She has to double... No... triple...as one of the most photogenic models in all of Unova.
Oh! Yea, that's nice. Good stuff, Dollface.
Probably the world if the media has any say so in it... And trust me... THEY DO!
Try something adventurous, will you? ... Ah, creative!~ I like the way you think, love!
She can't say her job is all that bad, really; a lot of crazed people out there would kill to be in her shoes.
Gimme something more here; something racy, something WILD!
Supposedly shoes would be the least of her worries with today's photoshoot.
Give me shocked! You're in shock and awe and you- Ah! Perfect, Elesa! Great work! EXCELLENT Work!
She'd get all the shoes and clothes a girl could possibly dream of once she was done here. More experienced models have the most expensive designer fashions literally thrown in their FACE!
Here, you can keep this for all the trouble!
"Hey!" the young, tall and slender twenty-something blonde yelled after removing a gold and black Letterman jacket from her face. "Watch it, you!"
Uh, uhm...Sorry about that!
She really hates the way she's treated when she goes to these things. They're all exactly the same, more or less. Someone slaps her against some random backdrop or props her up on some runway, makes her do a fancy pose or a prissy little twirl...
Wash, rinse and repeat. It's all the same!
At least the clothes they give you are nice enough. But even to Elesa, whose been doing this for almost her whole life, it gets to be a little too repetitive for her tastes.
Hmmm...I think we have all the shots we need.
Yea, I bet you do...
Let's call it a day for now, guys...Great job everybody...
As if saved by some silent bell of wonder, Elesa grabs whatever belongings she's carried with her for the day and readies herself to leave. Like always, Elesa takes a moment to truly admire her backdrop for the shoot. They'd been switched out almost six or seven times throughout the whole session- so she really only got the chance to admire the one -but she was made to turn and do a pose from behind once or twice in between drops, so she managed to get her fill of most of them. The last one of the day had her pretending to be on the beaches of Undella Bay. Sand brought in from Arceus knows where was strewn all around her, mimicking the true richness of the area to a perfect degree as camera lamps and assorted posts copied the shade you'd get from underneath the palm trees and beach umbrellas.
The whole thing made her cringe a little. Why couldn't they just have flown me out to Undella like they did last time? It definitely would have been more cost effective, but she doubts the people in charge of things like that care much for price ranges when there's so many more "important things" to worry about. As she ponders this in her head, crews of cameramen and stagehands help her off set, where an assistant with an all too annoying glint to her glasses hands her a fresh towel and heads back to whatever other ludicrous tasks they'd been given.
Elesa's own personal assistant comes up to her soon after she finishes wiping off the remaining residue from the heavy lighting on set. She has some sort of electronic pad in her had, pressing away at random junk before stepping up to Elesa with a bow.
"Is our car here yet?" Elesa asks impatiently.
With a nod, her assistant responds. "Yes, Ms. Bellemonte, your driver is pulling around the curb as we speak." She turns her attention back to her pad, but speaks directly to Elesa again with a gesture towards the exit doors. "Shall we make our way outside?"
As if she really needs an answer... Elesa thinks sourly. Still her exterior persona showed otherwise.
"Yes," she says with a forced smile. "Let's, please..."
Her assistant- dressed from head to toe in a matching dark suit of a purplish reddened color -steps forward first, leaving Elesa to follow close behind. They aren't too far away from the exit doors, and Elesa takes the time to observe her surroundings. She ignores the thought of taking anything she sees as significance though, as she's been here before on multiple occasions. The sight of cameras and lights being folded away or dismantled into cases doesn't really fascinate her like it used to, anyways.
On queue, when they'd both made their way out the side emergency exit doors, Elesa hands her assistant the used towel and adjusts her eyes to the sunlight. It was dawning on noon now, and the scene at the Nimbasa City Pokemon Research Observatory was in an awkward silence.
Elesa knew better than to think it would stay that way for too much longer.
"How long until they show up?" She asks, staring with annoyed expression at the cloudless sky above.
Her assistant continues to tap away on her pad, the sound beginning to annoy Elesa even more to an extent. After finding the page she'd been searching through her emails for, she turned back to Elesa as they stood atop the steps of the Observatory.
"We incorrectly tipped of some bigmouth paparazzo fellows that we'd be coming here after noon, not leaving. While they should be here by now, they won't sit tight for long once they find out otherwise..."
This gave Elesa a reason to smile for once today.
"Good," she said. "Let's keep it that way. Tell the driver to hurry once he's here. We won't have too much longer to head out once the media swarms this place..."
"Understood, ma'am." Her assistant said as she quickly flips open her cellphone to relay the message to the appropriate driver.
Their wait luckily wasn't very long. As they paraded down the never-ending steps of the Observatory, said driver etched up to the curb, coming in with a screeching halt. The limousine he'd pulled up in smoked from underneath as the trail of burnt rubber on pavement created a foul stench that sent Elesa's nose up almost immediately. Over the noise this driver and her assistant were making, Elesa was praying she'd at least be out of the parking lot of this place before the magazine and newspaper crews showed up.
Just as soon as her prayer ended though, did the chatter and dreaded excitement of the paparazzi emerge. They were ironically perched on the other side of the observatory, waiting on Elesa to exit from the original way she'd come in- only really buying her a minute or so of peace. Her assistant trampled down the last few fleets of stairs and swung the back limo door open, pleading with her over the clamor to get inside.
"It's been ten. Damn. Days!" she says to herself in a fit as she jumps inside and reclines in the plush of the limo seat.
Her assistant stayed outside to await any oncoming press that would try and overcome her, so Elesa ordered her driver to pull of as swiftly as possible. With a hard thud, Elesa is pushed back into her seat before she even has time to properly strap in.
She scans over the surroundings of her limousine closely, observing her current inventory with a look of profound distaste. Perfume bottles of imported origin, designer shoes of the same unknown region, clothes by designers she's never even heard of, and mock photos of herself that were more than likely going to be edited into some disgusting version of her that's hardly recognizable from the real thing. It's all just stupid little gifts given to her by some old crooked businessmen who're only making sure Elesa remains as the go-to girl should they ever need a local model to mess with. She picks up a pair of shoes that she admittedly seems to like, but even they don't stop her from cringing up.
"...And all I've got to show for it are these shoes..." Her gaze shoots back to the building she'd just stepped out of, the observatory being shut out of view as the crazed paparazzo surround her vehicle and obscure her vision. "And these stupid shows..."
As she contemplates what to say next, her driver veers out into oncoming traffic. The result of his destructively dangerous move almost causes an accident, and receives angered comments and death threats from many passerby as he does. This throws Elesa into a rage, and as she finds the switch that raises the driver window, she throws out her finishing comment:
"...And chauffeurs with road rage!"
Her driver, who from as far as Elesa could tell was an older guy of about forty with gingering short hair, slumps a little at the driver's seat from Elesa's comment. That was definitely coming out of his pay, and he knew it. As the window separating the driver from herself finally seals closed with a whirring click, Elesa pushes all of the dumb trinkets, accessories and clothing to the limousine floor and inches herself comfortably towards the window on her left side. From the direction they were going, the bulk of the city skyline would be coming up on her left in a few moments, and she didn't want to miss her only real chance at some pseudo "alone time". Even if only for a short while, there's nothing she really likes more after a long day of work or in between shoots than to watch the bustling cities pass by as she rides along their streets. Just that sentiment alone at least manages to calm her down enough to where she can be her usual sweet, all-around lovable self.
...But it all still just gets so repetitive!
It all starts to feel unfamiliar yet so recognizable to her at the same time. Elesa's lifestyle is no walk in the park by any means. If she had any free time to herself, it came in the form of a Gym Battle, or hosting a fashion show, or even looking after the rides that support the finances of her facility: there really was no place for rest for "Elesa, the Shining Beauty".
She longed for something new. Something...different. When was she going to find that certain something that would make all of this day-to-day garbage start to seem worth it again? Unbeknownst to the feminine Electric Gym Leader, her answer was about to come in an all too routine form.
With an electronic pinging, the cellphone she'd brought with her to her photoshoot began to ring.
Apprehensively, she tore herself away from the views of the city to force herself to see who it was.
*Incoming Call*
/Angelica - Assistant/
With a sigh, she musters up enough of a professional tone to speak with the assistant she'd left behind at the Pokemon Observatory.
"Elesa Bellemonte, speaking." She said cutely. "What is it, Angelica?"
Cordially, Angelica professionally chimes back.
"Ms. Bellemonte, your presence at the Limelight grand opening is still scheduled for tonight at seven thirty." Once Elesa heard "your presence at", she knew exactly when to roll her eyes. "Will you still be able to attend?"
"Of course, Angelica. Tell them I wouldn't dare to miss it." Thinking to kill two birds with one stone, she prods the conversation further. "Do I have any other pressing engagements for the evening?"
There was a pause on the other end, but the audible rapping of Angelica's fingers on the cellophane cover of her pad could still easily be heard. See? Repetitive... Elesa thought.
"As it stands, you'll be booked for shoots with fellow Gym Leaders for the rest of the day. Also, your three o'clock appointment with DJ Mary is being set up, and your driver has been asked to take you there at the earliest convenience."
"And will that be all for today?"
"Yes, ma'am..."
"Fine, then. Thank you, Angelica."
"You're very welcome Ms-"
And with a quick press, the call was ended, with Elesa left to finally enjoy the rest of the cityscape...for however long that lasts...
Author's Note:Wow, it's been a minute since I've actually written one of these!
For those of you who are unaware, the first song of this story is called 'Pusha Man', a song from artist Chance the Rapper's second mixtape titled, Acid Rap.
Don't ask me what the song is about, because I'm terrible at describing stuff like that, but I liked the song enough to write a story about it, and the idea to have Elesa as the protagonist came to me soon after I had the idea to turn the songs on my MP3 that I liked listening to into full length stories.
I have plans for this song to span into the rest of Chapter Two and maybe into Chapter Three if I get too wordy and I can't get my whole plot in by the second go-round. As for right now, I have two songs in mind for this fic, and if I can't think of anymore that fit with what I have in mind, I'll end it there once I've finished with those two.
I'd love to know what you think of the story so far though, so feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think. Also, if you can get an idea for another song I might know of (or need to listen to) that would fit into this than by all means feel free to leave it in a comment too! I love hearing from people on FF a lot, for some reason haha.
Hoped you liked this first chapter nonetheless!