"Okay, so let's go over this one more time..." Cerise muttered to herself, checking her map.
She and Skitty were seated in a small ferry, bound for Slateport. Despite the ferry's smaller size, it was still bustling with people. Cerise sat in a booth by the window, allowing the early-day sunlight to filter in and illuminate the map she'd laid on the table.
There hadn't always been a ferry system, of course. In the past there was an elderly gentleman named Mr Briney who would offer people rides from his home outside of Rustboro to the seaside towns of Slateport or Dewford. But then some years ago, one of the young trainers he'd assisted had actually saved the world from being dried of its oceans...and somehow this led to a ferry service in Briney's name, him becoming the captain of the first of the ferries, and the business taking off. Cerise was a little foggy on the details.
She took a sip from her latte, tapping their destination with a fingertip. "So, Skitty. First we're going to Slateport to buy the Contest Costume..."
"Nya!"
"And we have to double back and head to Rusturf Tunnel, and it's a short walk to Verdanturf for our first Contest!" Cerise beamed as she leaned back in her seat. "Waaah, I'm excited!"
Just then, a chime sounded, and a woman's voice filtered over the PA system. "Attention, passengers. We are now approaching Slateport City. Please gather all your personal belongings and dispose of all trash in the proper receptacles. Have a wonderful day, and thank you for riding Briney Ferries."
Cerise quickly folded up the map and slipped it into the front pocket of her rolling bag. Then she stood up, grabbed the handle, and ran for the door leading to the deck. Skitty ran after her, just as eager as her coordinator.
The salt in the air tickled her nose a bit as she leaned over the railing outside, watching Slateport come closer and closer. "Waaaaah, it's beautiful!" she cried. A soft wind blew, lifting her hair a bit and threatening to make her hat slide back. Cerise reached up to hold her hat down, laughing a little as she did so. "It's just like the magazine photos, but better!"
At her feet, Skitty voiced her agreement.
"Hi there, please try our Sea Incense!"
"Welcome! We've a new shipment of medicine in today-"
"Does anyone wanna trade for an Eevee?"
"Protein sale! Protein!"
The ferry had docked near Slateport Market, which Cerise was awkwardly making her way through at the moment. It figured that she had to arrive during the rush...It felt more crowded here in this one area than it did in all of Rustboro, but that was probably because of how many shoppers there were in one contained location. And if she remembered right, some people would even come in from other cities and towns just to buy a rare item or medicine, so she had those people to account for too. She glanced over her shoulder at her suitcase, double-checking to be sure no one was nicking her PokeBlock Kit.
"Skitty, maybe you should ride on my shoulder now," she suggested.
Skitty, still trotting at Cerise's feet, looked up and meowed.
"I know, I know, but it's very crowded, and someone might step on you!" Cerise laughed at the indignant look on Skitty's face. "Now, come here, sweetie – that's it~!"
Despite the grumpy look on her face as she was lifted off the ground, Skitty began purring when Cerise transferred her to her shoulder. She made a small noise of contentment and nuzzled Cerise's cheek, making her laugh again.
"Drama queen," Cerise said affectionately. "Just don't make that pouty face when we're on stage; I don't think the judges would find it cute."
"Mommy, I want that Skitty!"
Cerise whirled around, a protest already on her tongue, but then she spotted another stand a short ways away. The stand was full of PokeDolls, and a small girl was holding a plush Skitty. Cerise suddenly felt pretty silly. Good thing she hadn't actually spoken up.
"Paige, I told you, you're getting it for your birthday! You can wait two weeks, now come on." The child's mother grabbed her hand and tugged her in the opposite direction. Paige mumbled a few protests, but obeyed.
Cerise made her way to the booth to take a look at the dolls, her eyes going wide. "Woooow, look at them all!" she whispered.
The woman running the booth chuckled. "See any you like, hon?"
"Yeah, all of them!" Cerise laughed. "Ah, but I only have so much room in my bag, I should only take one..." But how to narrow it down? She shouldn't take a Skitty doll, she already had the real thing. Maybe a plush Delcatty? No, but then Skitty herself would get the wrong idea...
"Excuse me, did you get the Tentacool dolls in?" a new voice asked as someone else came to the booth.
The saleswoman turned her smile towards the newcomer, a chubby girl with light brown skin, with an affectionate tone in her voice. "As a matter of fact, Lilac, I did! They're right over there," she added, pointing to one corner of the stand.
"Ah, thank you!" Lilac said, and moved to where the saleswoman was pointing. She stopped, however, as she caught sight of Cerise and Skitty. Her eyes widened a bit, a faint pink dusting her cheeks. "Awwww, your Skitty is adorable!"
"Thank you!" Cerise said, slightly caught off-guard by the sudden compliment. "That's the idea! We're entering the Contests."
"Ah, that's neat! I know a bit about Contests; we get a lot of coordinators coming to the new clothing store." Lilac looked away just for a second to pick out a plush Tentacool. "Since it's Skitty, you'll be in the Cute category, right?"
"Right!"
"I thought so! It suits you both," Lilac said with a small smile. Suddenly her eyes went wide and she turned bright red, waving a hand in front of herself. "A-Ah, sorry-sorry-sorry, that sounded weird-!"
"Not at all," Cerise chuckled. "Thank you."
"I-I'm Lilac Ashgrove!" Lilac said suddenly, thrusting out her hand. Unfortunately, she'd held out the one grasping the Tentacool doll. Turning even redder, she pulled that hand back and held out her other one instead. "Sorry."
"Cerise Everwood! It's nice to meet you!" Cerise shook Lilac's hand.
Lilac sure was cute, Cerise couldn't help but think. She had bright blue eyes that reminded Cerise of the ocean; and her dark, reddish-brown hair was cut to her ears, but one section in front of her right ear was longer, going slightly past the shoulder. That part was braided and secured by a pink ribbon.
She wore a light purple bolero with ruffles, tied in a knot at the top over a longer, white shirt with a scalloped bottom and collar. The edges of the shirt had a pink line following the scallops. Her pleated skirt was knee-length and a dark blue color, and she wore dark gray stockings over her legs. Her shoes were the same color as her jacket, simple slip-ons that still looked like they'd take a lot of travel.
"Are you a trainer, then?" Cerise asked, wanting to make more conversation.
Lilac flushed and shook her head. "No, I can't-"
The saleswoman cleared her throat. "Girls, I'm really sorry, but it's a busy day and I've got other customers-"
"Ahhhh, sorry!" Lilac cried. She dug into her purse and pulled out some money, laying it on the counter. "Keep the change! It was nice to meet you, Cerise, Skitty!" And with that, she ran off into the crowd.
"H-hey, wait!" Cerise cried. She cast one brief look at the PokeDolls before tearing her gaze away and running after Lilac. She could get a doll later... "Wait, excuse me!"
Lilac actually heard her, slowing to a stop and turning around, face still a bit pink. "Y-Yes?"
"Uhm – you said people came here to get costumes for the Contests? Can you tell us where the shop is?"
"Nya!"
Lilac blinked, then a shy grin appeared on her face. "I c-can do better than that!"
A few minutes later, the two of them stood in front of a modest building with impeccably-dressed mannequins in the window display. Some of the mannequins had plush Pokemon at their feet, decorated with some accessories, like a hat with ribbon, or a cape. Cerise suddenly felt a little self-conscious, just looking at them. Maybe she should have waited before getting Skitty a scarf...
Skitty, who at some point in their venture had jumped back to the ground, caught Cerise looking. She sat up a little straighter, meowing and puffing her chest out as if she knew what Cerise was thinking.
"Your Skitty really is cute though," Lilac said suddenly, breaking Cerise out of her reverie. Cerise looked at her; Lilac was gazing at the kitten Pokemon with an affectionate smile. "Where'd you get her? From a breeder?"
"Well, actually-"
"Would the two of you mind stepping out of the way?"
Cerise and Lilac turned around in surprise. Cerise blushed a little, realizing they'd just blocked off a business establishment again. Oops... "R-Right, sorry about that!" Cerise laughed awkwardly.
The other girl scoffed and tossed her short, curly black hair. "Thank you," she muttered, her tone exasperated. The Azurill in her arms warbled cheerfully as the girl walked through the automatic doors of the shop, leaving Cerise and Lilac alone again.
Lilac coughed into her hand, face red. "W-Well, here's the shop...They have very reasonable prices, and lots of styles and colors. I sometimes come here myself but I haven't gotten much nerve to buy anything..." As she spoke, she and Cerise walked through the automatic doors together. Lilac blinked when she heard the chime sounding; apparently she hadn't realized she'd been moving. "Ah-"
"Welcome!" the salesman called from the counter. "Let me know if you need anything!"
At the counter, the black-haired girl from earlier looked over her shoulder. Her expression showed clear distaste as she saw who it was. "Are you going to block my way out, too?" she said with a scowl.
"Riiii..." her Azurill chirped. The girl quieted it with a few pats to the head.
Lilac frowned and looked like she wanted to say something, but Cerise just smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "No, no, just here for a Contest costume!"
"A Contest?" The girl accepted a wrapped dress box from the salesman, then approached the others. She spared Skitty a passing glance, noticing the pink scarf. "Ah, so you're going for the Cute Contests, too."
'Too?' Cerise looked at the other girl's Pokemon, but it was Lilac who spoke up.
"Uhm...Cute is the perfect category for your Azurill, you know! Most of their moves are-"
"Yes, I know. I know all about Ruri's moves; I made sure to learn them when Papa and I got her from the breeder," the girl interrupted her.
Cerise wasn't surprised this girl had picked her Pokemon up from a breeder. Not that Pokemon Breeders were expensive or anything, but this girl didn't look like the type to just swing by someone selling babies, or catch a Pokemon in the wild. Her black hair was curled and styled perfectly without a hair out of place, and her white lace dress looked pretty expensive. Combined with her black cardigan, black stockings, and sparkling-clean white Mary-Janes, she rather reminded Cerise of some of the rich girls from TV.
"That's not your outfit for the Contests, is it?" the girl asked, raising her eyebrows.
"No, of course not! I'm here to get one right now, actually." She smiled and held her hand out. "I'm Cerise Everwood! What's your name?"
The girl stared hard at Cerise, her own blue eyes narrowed slightly. She was making no move to accept her outstretched hand. "Why are you telling me this?"
Lilac looked between the girls as Cerise spoke, frowning lightly. "Well, we're both going to be in the Cute Contests, right? We might run into each other, we may as well know each other's names."
"You're talking like you'll even be on my level," the other girl said, tapping her foot. "But fiiiine, I'll humor you. My name is Hazel Avalon, and this is Ruri. Satisfied?"
Cerise blinked. "Ahh..."
"Now, if you'll excuse me..." Hazel said once again, and side-stepped around Cerise. The girls watched as she walked through the automatic doors without a single look back. Azurill would be heard chirping quietly, as if wishing the others goodbye.
Skitty made her dislike clear by hissing a little at the closed doors, then icily licking one of her paws.
"What was her problem?" Lilac mumbled, though not unkindly.
"Maybe she was having a bad mood...Or a stressful day..." Cerise mumbled. She then shook her head and smiled at Lilac. "Enough of that! I need to find a costume!"
"Ah, I'll help! Two pairs of eyes are better than one!"
"Hmmm..." Cerise frowned as she pulled out a yellow dress with thick black stripes. It came with black gloves and matching hat.
Lilac, standing behind her, shook her head. "Not that one."
"Oh...okay, uhm...how about this?" She pulled out a spring-green number.
"If you want to enter with a Grass-type, of course but..." Lilac bit her thumb. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be mean, but...You should really try to coordinate with Skitty." Lilac pointed at the kitten Pokemon, napping on a nearby chair. "See, you want a cute outfit, and you want to try and match her colors. Something with lots of pink."
Cerise was looking a little pink herself.
"...er...you knew that, right?" Lilac asked sheepishly.
"Well...I usually only ever paid attention to Rosetta-"
"Who?"
"Never mind. But I only ever paid attention to her, not many other coordinators...I guess I didn't notice much about anyone else's clothes but hers." And at first glance, Rosetta didn't look like she was matching with Sylveon. She had looked more like a ballerina princess on her wedding day, and Sylveon didn't look a thing like that...But then again, Rosetta had just seemed to make it work. And...Cerise thought back to that fateful day. And there had been the way Rosetta's dress had shimmered in Sylveon's own opening move...maybe that had been the purpose of it. Matching and being accentuated by a move rather than Sylveon herself?
"I'm not even in a Contest yet and I'm already messing up," Cerise sighed morosely, putting the outfit back.
"H-hey, you're not messing anything up!" Lilac protested, nearly waking Skitty. She lowered her voice, her hands balled up into fists. "F-Fashion is a little tricky sometimes, that's all. Especially for Contests, because you have to look just perfect. And we've only just started to look for outfits, we'll find one to fit you. You're not messing up..." Cerise couldn't help notice how Lilac had been saying 'we,' instead of 'you' at some parts. "Come on, let's keep looking."
Cerise hesitated for a moment longer, then smiled. "Alright," she said simply, returning her focus to the racks of clothing.
"Remember. Call me if you need help~!" the salesman's voice drifted over the forest of clothing.
The next half hour was spent looking at various outfits. After Lilac's suggestion, Cerise tried to focus mainly on pink articles of clothing, but even then it was tricky to find the right look. There was a pair of overalls with short, poofy legs that, on second thought, both girls agreed would work far better for a Jigglypuff partner. There was a slim, evening dress that was far more suited to Beauty than Cute; a tutu with long white ribbon cufflets; Cerise was rather ecstatic to find a replica of Rosetta's own costume ("Too busy for a Skitty," Lilac said with another headshake. With a heavy heart, Cerise put it back), but finally, they seemed to find one.
Cerise stepped out of the fitting room, arms poised slightly away from her waist, ankles together. She smiled as if she were stepping out on stage, and did a small twirl. "Well?" she asked her audience of two.
"I think you look great," Lilac said with a smile and another light blush. "Skitty?" she asked the kitten.
"Nyaaaaa!"
"Guess that's a 'yes,'" Lilac chuckled.
Cerise took another look at herself in the mirror on the door. She looked...She looked...
She'd removed her hat for this, and had replaced it with a frilled white bow with a pink heart in the middle. The dress had short, puffy pink sleeves with a square, ruffled collar. Two rows of yellow lace went down the middle and towards her waist, which was encircled by a yellow ribbon and bow. The fabric between the lace was white, and below the ribbon belt, the dress split and flared out, its edges scalloped. The skirt was three layers of white ruffles that ended above the knee, and she wore ankle-height socks with lace. She'd swapped her boots out for pink Mary-Janes, a white lace cufflet was on her right wrist, and pink heart-shaped earrings finished the look.
She looked...
"Cute~!" both girls sighed.
"Nya~!" Skitty agreed.
"Thank you, come again please!"
"Thanks for shopping with me, Lilac! I really appreciate it!" Cerise said, looking at the other girl over her shoulder.
Lilac started, blushing again. "Ah, I didn't do much of anything though."
"You did!" Cerise smiled even more. "Your input was really important! If it weren't for you, I would have grabbed the wrong outfit altogether! And then I'd look like a real idiot up on the stage...You really saved me, you know that?"
Lilac stared for a few moments, then lowered her head, a shy smile on her face. "Well...if you say so...I hope I'll see you on TV sometime!"
"Oh, you definitely will!" Cerise laughed. She patted Skitty on the head lightly. "I'm hoping we can get to Verdanturf and our first Contest in the next two days or so. It might take longer if a wild Pokemon attacks us."
"Why's that?"
"Well, if we're attacked, Skitty is the only one who can defend us," Cerise said. "The other option is to run, of course, but that doesn't always work..."
"Wait." Lilac held up both hands in a 'stop' gesture. "Skitty...is the only one who-? You mean...you don't have any other Pokemon than Skitty?" Lilac's eyes were going wider and wider with each word. At Cerise's and Skitty's nod, she couldn't help but squeak in alarm and cover her mouth. All of a sudden, a barrage of horrible images came to mind. Cerise losing her footing in a cave and falling to certain doom, Skitty succumbing to poison and leaving Cerise unprotected, the two of them attacked by a Groudon of all things...
"Th-Then I'm coming with you!" she declared, pumping her fist in determination.
"Eh?" Cerise blinked.
"I have one Pokemon already!" Lilac reached into her pocket and withdrew a Pokeball as proof. "And he's more than capable of protecting all three of us if need be! Until one of us can get more Pokemon, anyway... But anyway! I can't, in good conscience, let the two of you go all alone. It helps to have someone watching your back..." she finished weakly, smiling a little. Now that the heat of the moment was gone, she was feeling a little embarrassed...
But regardless, Cerise and Skitty only had to exchange one look before nodding as one. "I would love to have you with us," Cerise said.
"Nyaaa~!" Skitty sang out.
Lilac blinked once. Twice. Then, slowly, another grin worked its way across her face, her eyes growing shiny. "A-Ahhh...thank you~!" She saw Cerise hold her hand out, and gratefully accepted it. The girls cemented their partnership with a firm pump. "Let's make great memories!"
The joyous atmosphere lasted all the way til the girls were on the ferry again, when Cerise suddenly let out a loud wail of horror.
"What is it?!" Lilac cried.
"I totally forgot to call my mom!"