Dancing at the Masquerade
Tsukasa: I decided I'd make something to cheer my friend Masqurade up! This is another Ferriswheelshipping oneshot, but it's NOT related to Don't Say You Love Me at all. It's a completely different storyline this time. Hope you guys enjoy it (Especially you Masq!)
I don't own Pokémon, only this idea!
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"Well, here I am!" I shouted in glee as I came out from my dressing room, dressed in a green and white dress, the green and black coming from the top as a spiral down to the bottom. All of my Pokémon looked it up and down before shaking their heads no. "Oh come on, I really liked this one!" I cried, officially ticked off by this never ending spree of nos.
"Do you guys even know how to shake your heads yes?" I quickly regretted this as all of them shook their head no again, "Oh, you're so funny" my eyes shot a quick but ample death glare at the team, effectively leading them all to cringe in fear as I returned to the dressing room.
We had been at this for over two hours. Thankfully, what we were getting me dressed up for didn't start till midnight, but still, this was taking far too much out of my time, especially since it was making me all "girly". I can't stand these clothes, but I was specially invited to this as champion, so I couldn't refuse.
It's been seven years since the Plasma incident. Not much has happened since then, to be honest. I'm still champion with little to no resistence (short of Caitlin trying to usurp the title from me constantly). I'm still my usual self, being a badass and all. Though I've given up my search for that one man who escaped me at the last minute. Yes, I don't really care much for N anymore. It just became too much stress on my back to take, so I just...
Let him go...
I'll admit if I found him, I'd never let him go, but unless I get severely lucky, then that will never happen. So you're probably wondering what I'm getting ready for, aren't you?
Once more I stepped out in a black gown with gold trimmings on the waist and shoulders. All of my Pokémon's jaws dropped, "Well? Is this it?" All of them stared me up and down, obviously liking it, but still not nodding their heads in approval. They just sat there, as though they had already given me the answer, "Oh come on... just nod your heads once, that's all I ask!"
At this, they all shook their heads again, signing no...
...
"You all suck!"
I quickly found myself at my mother's old mirror. Yes, when I moved out on my own I didn't have much so my mother gave me all of her old dresses and some of her old dressers and vanity and such. Not like I'd need them till now, but I respect her for taking such good care of me.
Anyways, I was adding the finishing touches to my mask. Oh yeah, the thing I'm getting all prettied up for is a masquerade. A midnight one to be exact. It will start at the stroke of twelve and last till the sun rises, when everyone will take off their masks and introduce themselves to their partner.
The reason I'm there? All of them are trainers, and all of them want to challenge me. Whoever introduces to me gets to challenge me to a full battle. "Ugh, why am I doing this again?" I asked, looking at my Samurott, who was resting on the floor. After so long I had learned to understand him just from his facial expressions and the way his nose moved, "Because I need to? Why would I need to? This is so stupid! I'm not an advertising tool!" I slammed my hands onto the vanity, nearly knocking over the mirror.
This time, Samurott growled, warning me to calm down, "I know I know... This was a gift from mom... all of this stuff... I have to be careful..." I sighed, leaning back in my chair to stare up at the ceiling. Above me was blue and tan wallpaper, special designed to look like the beach with a perfect blue summer sky. I love the summer months. The fun everyone has and the way the water cools you against that warm summer air. Oh, and the way the wet sand feels between your toes, it makes me nostalgic!
Speaking of summer, that was what I was basing my mask off of. As I resumed my work, I couldn't help but notice a few tears welling in my eyes. As I looked up at my image in the mirror, I realized why I was almost to crying. All this time, no one believed in me. The reason why they're doing this masquerade is to try to usurp me, get a new champion. Apparently five years at best is the limit, but I've lasted seven...
They don't want me around anymore... but why? Why is the elite four allowed to stay the same, but the champion can't?
I'll admit I don't like being champion anymore –the glitz and glamour making me sick. But why did they have to try to forcefully remove me from my position? "Ugh!" I slammed my fist down on my desk again, barely moving in time to catch the falling mirror, "Damn it, this old thing-!"I hardly stopped myself from flinging the mirror across the room. This had to stop... it was tearing me apart.
If they wanted me gone so badly, I'll throw the fight for them. I'll let them win.
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As my Swanna set me down, I hugged it's neck tightly before returning it to its pokeball. No one knew about my Swanna, so it was ok to let people see me ride it to the masquerade on it. Imagine if I came in on Zekrom. Hoo, everyone would be lining up. But hell, it probably threw a few trainers off of my trail... not that I needed it. I don't think a single person recognized me. Hell, I wouldn't recognize myself! My hair was braided into three tails streaming down my back, the gold in my dress sparkled like it was from some sappy chick flick. I looked so... Girly! It was disgusting!
Ugh, but I had my chance to go against my Pokémon's opinions earlier. Now, I'm stuck like this. With my mask firmly in place I stepped into the ballroom, chandeliers decked with giant lights to add to the midnight ambiance filled the ceiling, the lights changing colors to highlight different places in the room. Gentle strums of guitar and bass filled the room as a live band began its first song, dancers already taking their places. It seemed that there were many women here to act as decoys for me... I felt kind of sad for them. Even if they wanted to, they weren't going to be able to dance with me, meaning they couldn't battle me for champion. I guess the board was picky about their next champion being a male.
Bah, it wasn't my problem. It's not going to matter for much longer. Soon I'll be free!
I quickly found an empty seat, and noticed, all around me, women who were dressed far less girly than me were being picked out by the men in the crowd. I guess my dressing like this was a blessing, because as the last man and woman found their way to the dancefloor, I found myself all alone. Perfect, now I was alone...
Wait, that's bad! Now I can't get rid of this blasted title!
And then, something happened. I looked up to see a silver mask with red eyes staring down at me. They looked like insect eyes... yet so familiar. Behind his head my hopes drained as his hair was indeed long, but it was so well kept that there was no way it could be N... right?
"Well, well, looks like I got here a little late..." a calm, collected, and definitely not fast spoken voice rang out from behind the mask as his insect like eyes took in the surrounding dancers, "I suppose I have no choice but to dance with you, milady." He said, his smile pervading through my soul as he offered me his hand. Definitely not N.
"You almost sound like that's a bad thing" I laughed as well, taking his hand and standing, my dress gleaming as the chandeliers light reflected off the hanging gold strands. "My, you're certainly gorgeous, aren't you?" He complimented me! N didn't even know the first part about humans, so there's no way he'd be so kind to me...
But wait, he was always kind to me, wasn't he? Not at first, but as we continued to meet, he... no, it's not him. It can't be... right?
It took him a few moments, but the man eventually walked me onto the dancefloor, quickly making it obvious he had two left feet as he trimmed around me as carefully as possible, "Not much of a dancer, are you?" I teased the man, laughing as he looked me in the eyes.
"Honestly, I've never had to dance before, and have only learned from reading books and looking at pictures." I laughed at this, "I've never met more than one man who learned only from books."
"Yes, well it's rather difficult when you've been sheltered all of your life" He chuckled, taking note of what the other dancers were saying. "Not very cheery about us, are they?"
All around us, people were sneering and laughing at how unlucky the man was for being with me. Snide remarks about how girly I looked were dominant, but there were also remarks that the Champion couldn't dance... and neither could the man I was dancing with.
Of course, they were wrong. Not just about me either. Before I knew what was happening, the music changed to the Tango, and I was quickly moved all about the room, our dance forcing others to step out of tune just to dodge us as we dominated the dance floor. "Amazing...!" I whispered to the man as he leaned me back almost to the floor, "I thought you said you learned only from books...!"
The young man couldn't contain a nervous chuckle, "Very descriptive books, my dear. Very, very descriptive."
"You dance like a grade A star!" I laughed as he brought me up, though both of us stumbled back after coming a little too close face to face. Though I had to admit, we both got a good laugh as we straightened up for the next song.
As we continued, I decided to tease the man a little, "You know, I am Touko White, the girl who defeated Team Plasma and saved the region with her legendary Pokémon."
It didn't work too well, "I'm certain all of the decoy women here are told to say that. Why don't I quiz you a little to see if you're the real one?" He asked, his smile seeming... fake...
I didn't quite understand how he would know any details about me, but I couldn't help myself, "Alright, mystery man, quiz all you like!" As I spoke though... I saw it. I didn't hear it, but I definitely read his lips right. He said God I hope not... does he not want me to be the champion? How does that make any sense?
I continued to wonder as he asked the first question. "Well, what was your first starter Pokémon?"
"Oshawott of course" I replied. A little too easy, don't you think?
"Well, that one was too easy. How about this? What day of the week did Touko start her journey?"
"What day of the week...?" I had to think about this one for a second, for two reasons. How would he know? I only told a select few people that, and not even the media knows the exact day... "Thursday. I started Thursday at nine thirty in the morning."
The young man tripped for a split second before catching himself, "Excuse me, sorry for that. I wasn't expecting you to get that one right, let alone tell me the time of day..." He coughed before resuming,
"I think I'll wait on this last question" he decided to tease a bit himself, "Let's just enjoy the dance."
"But now I'm curious..." I cooed, a little anger in my voice. Now he was trying to mess with me! Ugh, I hate men who are too direct with their actions!
As the night continued on, and hours passed, the mask once more came to my attention, "That mask..." I whispered, leading the man to perk up, "Did you say something milady?"
"Yes, that mask... It's so familiar to me... where did you get it?"
The man hesitated for a moment, as though he was about to give out important info, then replied, "My father gave me this idea. He had something very similar once."
"You're father..." It was as though turning cogs were jamming in my head. Damn it, I can't remember!
"I suppose now is the time to ask you the final question" He smiled, both of us noticing the sun beginning to slowly rise. "Alright, quiz me again, mystery man" I giggled. This was almost fun!
"Now for the really difficult one... how many times did she meet Natur-" He coughed, "Excuse me, N before she defeated him?"
Now it was really bugging me. This man knew too much. Who could he be? That hair... and he knew N's real name! Could it really be N? Or someone else? Ghetsis? Ghetsis... wait, why did that name suddenly sound so important again? As though I was slapped in the face the gears in my head finally started turning again, "Ghetsis! That mask... It's based off of the visor he wore on his right eye! But I destroyed it when he ran off!" I burst out, not caring that everyone could hear me, all of them immediately realizing the girls they were with were fakes.
The young man stumbled backwards, barely catching his mask as it began to fall off, "How... could you know about that when..." the young man quickly realized his situation, "You really are Touko..." as he turned to the rising sun, "No... No, it can't be!" He shouted before running out of the room, leaving me all alone.
As I fell to my knees, the vision of his face with his mask falling off flashed through my head. It really was him... "N... It was you all along...?" I sobbed, my tears forcing their way out. "Why... why didn't you want to dance with me... to be with me...?" And as everything fell apart around me, I realized I was stuck in my nightmare once again... because I was all alone... no one to challenge me for my title.
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I'm still champion. No one has challenged me yet. They're too fearful of me... that or they just can't beat the Elite Four. Hah, how did they expect someone to beat me after that stupid dance when they couldn't even beat Marshal or Grimsley?
But now, I was retired to a new home just west of Driftveil City. It was late summer... my favorite season of the year. Even though I was out sunbathing on my front lawn, I could see in every tree around me that the leaves were beginning to slowly change colors... Fall was coming, and just as the leaves will soon fall, it was only a matter of time before the higher ups got what they wanted...
Everyone in the neighborhood knew who I was, and everyone had gotten used to having the champion live nearby... but still I found it odd as I heard someone talking to himself as he walked by my house. He didn't stop and say hi like everyone else did, he just walked and talked to himself. I didn't have time to look up until he was already passing my hedges, but I saw a distinct color green as he tossed something onto my yard. At first, I thought it was an accident, but as he continued to walk and talk, I walked up to the item, taking a look before gasping. It was the mask! I ran into my house, grabbed my own mask off of my vanity –I never had the guts to throw it away after how hard I worked on it—and then took off after the man and tackled him into my neighbor's yard. He rolled over, quickly shouting, "What, What the hell was that... for..."
He stared up into my eyes through the mask, realizing quickly who I was from the mask, "You... You're... Touko..."
I quickly smiled as I held out his mask to him, "You weren't supposed to take your mask off yet..."
He sighed then smiled, taking the mask and putting it back on, "Alright... ready?"
"Ready" I purred as we both took off our masks. And then he... Well, he resumed talking as though nothing happened.
He never would have guessed that when throwing his mask away he'd throw it on my doorstep.
The following autumn wasn't as lonely for either of us. N had been traveling all this time trying to come to ends with how all of his dreams never came to fruition because of me... and of all luck, he began living with me in my extra bedroom. Staying up all night with his equations and hypotheses he sleeps in every day till noon or later. But that's fine with me. I still get to see him at night...
But I've noticed something. He's slowly starting to come out of his shell and talk to me a bit. He's sharing his thoughts, all the things he's trying to work out... I don't understand half of the things he tells me (like the menger sponge explanation. Fwoosh! Right over my head!) but I think I know half of what he's trying to say. He never gave up with his dream till the very end... when I showed up, I challenged him and took his dream and destroyed it... What he's trying to tell me is...
I can't give up on my dream yet.
I'm league champion, and I'm stuck that way until someone takes my dream away from me. And I have to stand by my dream until that someone comes to take my dream away from me him or herself.
I can't stop following my dreams... not when I've got people rooting for me. Mom... Cheren, Bel, Professor Juniper... Natural... I can't give up with all of them backing me up.
I'm at my decision now.
I'm staying champion!