Reason for an Umbreon: Rubello Town Contest

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokémon

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

: Pokémon Speech :

: Pokémon Thoughts :

After an hour of going over the rules, Manami felt as if she finally had a handle on the regulations of being a Pokémon Contest judge. Thanking Mr. Sukizo for his help, the Top Coordinator made a call home and exchanged a few of her Pokémon before heading out of the Pokémon Center in search of her student and friends.

'Now where could they be?' the fifteen-year-old thought as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Hey, Manami!" a voice called from behind her.

'Speak of the devil,' Manami thought as she turned around to see Satoshi and Takeshi with the M.F.P. members walking up from behind her. "Hey! I was just looking for you guys. What's up?"

"Hey, what was up with before? You know about not being able to talk to us until after the contest." Takeshi asked as caught up to the Coordinator.

"I was actually just coming to talk to you about that. Sukizo-dono just explained that I could still talk to everyone in the contest until tomorrow night," Manami said, a finger scratching at her cheek sheepishly.

"But why do you have to do that?" Satoshi persisted, curious about his friend and old rival's behavior.

"You'll find out on the day of the contest," Manami said off-handedly before spotting Satoshi's Pikachu. "And Pikachu, I have a little surprise for you too."

: What's that? : the Pokémon asked from Satoshi's shoulder.

Guessing what Pikachu had said, Manami only smiled as she called out one of her Pokémon. "See for yourself."

When the light cleared from the new Pokémon, Satoshi's Pikachu couldn't help but jumped down rushed toward it. : Hanabi! :

: Steel-Eyes! : the newly revealed Pikachu cried back as she nuzzled her mate, who had already reached her. Electric sparks emitted from both Electric Pokémon cheeks. : I've missed you so much. : Hanabi said as she pecked Satoshi's Pikachu cheek.

"It's nice to see them together again," Satoshi laughed. "How's it going, Hanabi?" the Pallet Town asked as he kneeled down to the two Electric Pokémon's height. "Is Hikari alright?"

: Hi, Satoshi! : Hanabi waved as she and Steel-Eyes, Satoshi's Pikachu, locked their tails together. : I've been good, and our baby's finally evolved too. Sachiko-chan's been taking good care of our little Hikari. :

: Wait… Hikari evolved?! : Steel-Eyes shouted, turning to his mate in surprise at the news of his only child and daughter's evolution. : When did that happen? :

: About three months ago. I wish you had been there to see it, : Hanabi sighed as she fiddled with the straps of her blue goggles, which had remained with her throughout her years with Manami.

Satoshi's Pikachu slapped a paw to his face and groaned at hearing this. He had really wanted to be there to see his daughter evolve, but with his constant travels with Satoshi it would have been practically impossible to do so.

: It's okay, : the goggle wearing Pokémon said. : At least she still has your eyes, : the female Pikachu said in hopes of perking up her mate.

Before the two Pikachu could continue talking with each other, the members of the M.F.P. released an ear-piercing squeal. "Aww, that's so cute!"

"I can't believe Manami has one of her contest Pokémon here!"

"Hanabi's such a cutie, and she just looks adorable together with Satoshi-kun's Pikachu!"

"Those goggles just make her all that more adorable! They really bring out the shine in her fur."

The Manami and two Pokémon flinched at hearing the cries, all three having forgotten about the mothers being here. Sometimes having such sensitive ears was a real pain.

"Oh, hello again," the purple haired teen greeted as she turned towards the members of the M.F.P. that had crowded around her. Manami took a step back, to get some breathing space, before she spoke again. "I'm sorry for my earlier behavior to the six of you," she apologized while giving a slight bow to the M.F.P. members. "I was a little overwhelmed by the sudden attention."

"Oh, it's alright," Tsukiko said as she placed her right hand over her chest. "It's really our fault for surprising you like that."

"Well, if need anything over these next two day, I'd be happy to help," Manami returned.

"If that's the case, why don't you help Tsukiko-chan choose her Pokémon for the Pokémon Contest?" suggested the blue haired M.F.P. member. "She and Haruka-san are on their way to do that right now."

"Yeah! With a true prodigy like Manami helping you, there's no way you can't pick the right Pokémon for the contest, Tsukiko-chan," declared the green jacket wearing mother.

"I'd be more than happy too," Manami smiled. "It's the very least I can do, for someone who's constantly cheering me on."

"A true prodigy?" Haruka piped in from behind the M.F.P. members, being too short to see anything but able to hear everything. As her mind was still filled with the praises and compliments from the M.F.P. members her mind couldn't help but conjure up ideas that had her and Manami at the same standing. Haruka's ever growing ego became more and more inflated as she let her daydreams get the better of her.

"Of course she's a prodigy," Masato stated as he pulled out his PokéNav, not knowing that his sister was already too far into her own thoughts to hear.

"While Tsukiko-san and the others were talking to you, I looked up some information on Manami-san. Like you already know, she's the youngest person to become a Top Coordinator, but did you know she did it when she was only nine years old," the bespectacled boy said as he scrolled through the data on the PokéNav.

"Oh wow! It says here that she was also the runner-up at the Lily of the Valley Conference, and a winner of the Ever Grand Conference."

"What? When?" Satoshi butted in, having heard his youngest companion. "I never heard anything like that."

"You're friends with her and you don't even know that?" the little boy deadpanned.

"It's not as if we know everything about each other," the raven haired teen defended.

"Don't give Satoshi such a hard time, Masato," Takeshi spoke up. "Some people prefer to keep things to themselves rather than boasting about their accomplishments, and Manami here likes to do things at her own pace."

"If that's all, we'll be going now," the same ponytail bearing mother said as she and other mother minus Tsukiko got ready to leave. The group had finished their chat with Manami while the Satoshi and his traveling companions had been chatting. "We'll be sure to pick up everything on your list, Tsukiko."

"Good luck, Tsukiko! We'll be cheering for you! We know you're going to be great out there! Ja ne!" the group bid together before taking their leave.

"Bye, everyone; thanks for the help!" Tsukiko called back.

"What list are they talking about?" Masato asked.

"Well, you know how it is. A mother's work is never done," Tsukiko smiled indulgently.

Turning to the mother, Saotshi asked, "So what kind of work do you have to do?"

"Remember that all of us M.F.P. members are also mothers, there's so much to do. Groceries to be bought, kids to be picked up from school, housework to be done; it's a never ending job," Tsukiko explained.

"I hear ya. Running a household is one of the hardest jobs there is." "I know what you mean." Manami and Takeshi said at the same time before looking at each other.

"Wow, you're trainers that truly understand."

"I guess..." "I suppose…" the two again replied simultaneously.

"Yeah, Takeshi's good at that housework stuff, right?"

"I remember when I first met Takeshi. He didn't only have to run a Pokémon League Gym by himself, but also take care of his nine younger siblings and the entire household by himself. I don't think I can do that all the time," Manami added, remembering the two weeks she had spent with the Pewter City Gym Leader's family back when she had competed in the Kanto League. "… at least not without some sort of help every now and then."

"That's good. You know, one day you'll be in very high demand, Takeshi-san"

"Yeah, do you really think so? I can just see it all now. The ladies will love me. The domestic god… Me, the man… Numero uno."

"Yeah, you're a real household heartthrob," Masato remarked sarcastically.

Manami blinked for a little bit as she considered her friend's behavior before speaking. "Hey, Satoshi-kun, is it just me or has Takeshi gotten worse over the years?"

"Now that I think about it, he has gotten a bit worse from when we first started traveling together," the other Pallet Town native thought out loud, remembering the very first time the Rock-type Gym Leader had flirted with someone in front of him; the first time they had arrived in Cerulean City.

"A bit?" the silver-eyed girl challenged with an arched brow.

Seeing the look he was given, Satoshi quickly conceded to his good friend and ex-rival, "Alright, I get your point. He's gotten a lot worse, okay."

"What about you, Manami?" Masato asked, curious about the newest addition to their temporary group. "What's your experience, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, I don't mind, and well, unlike you guys, I travel around by myself a lot so I have to take care of everything my own," the Coordinator explained. "And when I was younger, every time I came home, I'm swamped with taking care of my Pokémon, my older brother and little sister, and my younger cousins. It's not easy being one of the oldest."

"If you have an older brother, why doesn't he help you take care of the others?" the bespectacled boy asked in confusion. "Shouldn't he be doing that if he's the oldest?"

"In normal families probably, but in my family the children that excel at the academics are placed higher than the others. Tatsuo-nii-chan is nearly constantly studying for his university classes or doing clan related duties because of his position as clan heir, so a lot of his would be responsibilities are regulated to me as his sister and the second oldest."

"But what does him being the clan heir and you being his sister have to do with anything?"

"You see, Masato-kun, my family is much more traditional than the modern day families. In my clan each person has a specific role depending on the person's birth order, gender, and family ranking. My immediate family is a part of the main branch of our clan, so my siblings and I have more responsibilities than the other branches of our family.

Like most traditional families, boys are placed at a higher standing than girls. And unlike my big brother, I was born a girl; so as the overall second oldest child and the oldest daughter of my family I'm expected to take care of all my younger relatives," Manami explained in more detail.

"It's kind of like being a secondary mother to the younger members of the clan when their parents can't take care of them, which includes everything a mother has to do. Takeshi and Satoshi-kun got to see how some of my days were like last year at the Silver Conference."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. You were practically run ragged with all those little cousins of yours," Takeshi commented, remembering the dozens of little kids running around the Ryu Clan compound in Silver Town, Johto. "And you had to take care of all those Ninetales and Vulpix too."

"Let's not forget that great dessert show Manami had put on for the victory party at the end of the Silver Conference," Satoshi added, almost drooling at the thought of all the sweets that had been floating around the Ryu Clan grounds. "I don't get how you were able to make so many desserts in such a short time. There must have been more than a few hundred dishes in that show."

Manami laughed at the dreamy look on the other Pallet Town native's face. "Well, there may have been that many dishes, but most of them had been the same desserts repeated several times over, and having an industrial kitchen definitely helps a lot."

"So you had to that every single day after school as a kid? I think that's probably worse than even Takeshi's situation," Masato stated.

"Oh no, Takeshi definitely had it worse than me. Last year had only been as bad as it had been because my entire clan had congregated to Silver Town for the Silver Conference," the silver-eyed teen corrected. "As a kid I got lucky and didn't actually go home all that often."

"What do you mean by that?" the little boy asked.

"Yeah, I thought you grew up in LaRousse City after moving from Pallet Town," Satoshi added in confusion.

"Well, I did technically grow up in LaRousse, but really for a total of maybe two years, give or take a few months."

"So where did you go if you weren't in LaRousse?" Takeshi questioned. His friend had never told him or anyone really all that much about her time prior to becoming an official Pokémon Trainer.

"Not long after moving to LaRousse City, I got a scholarship to attend this elite Pokémon Trainers Training Academy overseas; so I spent a lot of time as a kid studying abroad and as a Gym Leader's apprentice. I might not be a prodigy in academia like my siblings, but I excel at most things Pokémon related," the Coordinator smiled. "I didn't have to deal with all the responsibilities as one of the oldest every day as I only got to go home during the seasonal school breaks."

"Oh…" the three boys sounded in understanding.

"So does that mean you know all about being a Gym Leader, Manami-sama?" Tsukiko inquired excitedly from beside Manami.

Manami chuckled sheepishly. "I wouldn't say I know everything, but probably just enough to pass the Gym Leader Licensing exam," the teenager admitted. "Actually, why don't we head somewhere so I can check out your Pokémon, Tsukiko-san? It's not really a good idea to just stand in front of the Pokémon Center."

"Good idea," the boys chorused as Tsukiko suggested that they go to a nearby park.

Just as they were about to make their way to their new destination, the group was startled by sound of a high-pitched cry and its echoing vibration and Haruka's following scream.

As soon as the majority of the M.F.P. members had left Haruka took the chance to rush to the forefront to stand by Tsukiko's side. While everyone else was busy talking with each other, the blue-eyed Coordinator kneeled down to take a closer look at what a legendary Top Coordinator's Pokémon looked like.

Upon laying her eyes on Hanabi, the eleven-year-old could not help but snatch the goggles wearing Pikachu up into her arms. "Oh my god, I've never seen another Pikachu besides Satoshi's before. You're so cute!" Haruka gushed with her eyes closed in bliss, never noticing the irritated expression on Hanabi's small face or the electricity crackling from the Pokémon's cheeks.

: Who the hell does she think she is? ; Hanabi demanded as she clenched her paws tightly into fists. The female Pikachu had been happily catching up with her mate when she had been suddenly lifted off the ground taken from her mate. The goggles wearing Pikachu had always hated being touched by strangers, and she certainly did not appreciate this new girl manhandling her. : Let go of me! : she demanded, which the human child seemed to just ignore.

: It's okay! : Satoshi's Pikachu called from the ground. : That's Haruka. She doesn't mean any harm. She's an okay person, : he said in hopes of calming his irritated mate. Steel-Eyes knew that Hanabi could and would hurt any human that got too much on her nerves.

: Like I'm going believe that, Steel-Eyes! : Hanabi called back as she continued to struggle in the human girl's hold.

: It's true. She's not as bad she seems! :

: How can you be so sure of that? : The sparks crackling from Hanabi's cheeks had finally reached a dangerous level.

: Do you even know her past or even what she's done? : Hanabi demanded, her temper rising when she could not even wiggle loose of the girl's hold.

Knowing her mate could and would re-direct any of her Electric-types attacks that she had planned to use to shock the human holding her, Hanabi decided to use an attack that Steel-Eyes would least expect. Taking a deep breath, the female Pikachu began to sing a high-pitched note.

As she continued to sing strong vibrations began to emit from Hanabi's mouth, releasing a powerful Round attack right into the blue-eyed girl's face. The sound attack was strong enough to not only force the human girl into releasing the female Pikachu, but to also knock the aspiring Coordinator back several meters.

: Hanabi! : Steel-Eyes shouted in reprimand, angry that his mate attacked his friend despite his efforts to stop her.

: If you take her side, I don't want to be anywhere near you, Steel-Eyes, : the female Pikachu hissed, glaring at her mate. : And you can forget about seeing Hikari again too! I don't want my daughter being anywhere near that murderer! :

Seeing how serious his mate was, Satoshi's Pikachu prepared himself for a difficult argument. : You can't be serious, Hanabi! Hikari's my daughter as well. And you can't just attack random people while throwing accusastions. :

: And you don't know her! You've only known her for a few months, but you don't even know what irrevocable damge this brat has done to Manami, Nokoribi, Yoichi, and Megumi! She's not even supposed to be a Pokémon trainer! : Hanabi screamed, severely upset and beyond irritated.

: Hanabi, just calm down so we can talk about this, : Steel-Eyes pleaded, becoming more upset over his mate's obvious distress than with her attack on Haruka. : And please explain to me why you hate Haruka so much. :

Huffing, Hanabi placed her paws together and formed an orb of electricity for Volt Switch. : Forget it. You obviously care more for that brat than about Hikari and my safety. : The female Pikachu stated before throwing the orb at the male.

Satoshi's Pikachu was momentarily blinded as Hanabi rushed back to her trainer. : Hanabi… : he whispered when saw his mate was nowhere in sight . The female must be hurting a lot more than he thought if she had returned to her Pokéball in order to get away from him.

Having heard the commotion between the Pokémon, everyone turned to see what was happening only see Haruka sprawled across the ground and Satoshi's Pikachu staring sadly up at

"Ow…" Haruka groaned as she pushed herself up.

"What's going on here?" Takeshi was the first to ask.

"And where did Hanabi go?" Satoshi added.

"I don't know," the rookie coordinator groaned. "But that Pikachu attacked me for no reason!" she complained.

Despite Hanabi being in her Pokéball, Manami could still feel one of her closest Pokémon's emotions and how much turmoil the electric mouse was in.

"Maybe if you didn't manhandle her without my or Hanabi's permission, maybe she wouldn't have attacked you," the Top Coordinaor snapped coldly, her eyes narrowing on the bane of her and Pokémon's existence.

"Don't you know anything about respecting personal space, or have your parents not raised you properly? You can't just go touching anything and everything just because you think it's cute or interesting. Pokémon are living beings just like humans, and they thoughts and feelings just like we do."

Addressing the rest of the group, Manami called Hanabi back out from her Pokéball and quickly collected the small Pokémon in her arms. "Because of their little quarrel, Hanabi went back into her Pokéball. And Tsukiko-san, if you would still like help with your Pokémon, would you like to do it now?"

"Of course! Thank you, Manami-sama!" the M.F.P. member agreed.

"If you don't mind, we can do it at one of the training fields the Pokémon Center has instead of the park. There should be a few open still. That way we can also see which Pokémon is better suited for which round," Manami suggested while cuddling Hanabi to her in an attempt to comfort her Pikachu. She could feel how her Pokémon buried her face against her neck as Hanabi continued to refuse to look at anyone.

"Oh please!" Tsukiko accepted, following the veteran coordinator as Manami led the way.

Before they were out of ear shot, the silver-eyed girl called back to the others as they made to follow the two older coordinators. "Satoshi-kun, Takeshi, and the Touka siblings, don't follow us. Hanabi doesn't want to be near you people at the moment."

"Manami!" Takeshi called out in protest, but it was already too late. Manami and Tsukiko were both too far out of sight.

"Ne, Haruka, what did you do to make Manami and Hanabi dislike you so much?" Satoshi asked while looking down at the brunette. "I've never seen them act like that before, not even when we met."

"How should I know?" Haruka snapped in frustration before heading off to where the two older coordinators had gone, not at all teetered by Manami's warning. She was determined to get some lessons from the Contest Queen even if the Queen didn't want to give it to her.

"Nee-chan!" Masato protested his sister's action. He knew how his big sister was like, and knew this would only end in the girl's embarrassment.

"Well… we tried," the younger Touka sibling sighed to himself in defeat as his sister didn't heed his or anyone else's warnings. "She must have gotten a really big head from all the things those M.F.P. members said about her."

"You can say that again," both Satoshi and Takeshi said at the same time.

Well, when she gets caught, Manami's definitely not going to be happy with her. She's going to get a lot worse than being blasted by a Round attack," Satoshi sighed as he felt his Pikachu climb up his side. "Right, Pika- What's wrong Pikachu?" he asked upon seeing how glum his starter Pokémon was.

AN: And here's chapter 3. It took awhile and came out a bit different from what I was expecting, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Manami's Pokémon Mentioned:

Ninetails—Nokoribi [F]

Ninetails—Yoichi [M]

Vulpix—Megumi [F]

Pikachu—Hanabi [F]

Pichu-Pikachu—Hikari [F]