Type: Fire
Shipping: KalosKingShipping
One-Shot 4: Fashioning a Rocket Liftoff
Ash and his friends took today off from training to go shopping. Even more fortunate, there was a sale at a nearby fashion boutique for Serena in searching for a new dress in an upcoming Pokémon Showcase. She, Bonnie and the three Pokémon draped dress after dress to see which would fit the prominent Pokémon Princess. "Which one do you think works better?" asked Serena as she held a dress in each hand. A yellow dress shimmered with sequins above the torso, including hanging pearl beads under the upper arms. The other was dark red, streaks of rainbow glitter combing the hips and an emerald brooch attachment, almost like it was a locket. Bonnie, Braixen and Dedenne huddled to reach a unanimous choice. They broke the grouping as Clemont reached the girls.
"We say it's that one," Bonnie acknowledged as she pointed to the golden dress, believing she would wear the dark red dress.
"If that what you're choosing, then this dress will work." Sure enough, Serena opposed her young friend and the Pokémon. Clemont, Bonnie and the Pokémon laughed, accepting her decision. Ash and Pikachu waited outside. Boutiques weren't Ash's forte. If it involves battling, he wouldn't back away from it.
"I've worn enough girls' clothing for one lifetime," he admitted to his first Pokémon. "I'd rather not be in another one." Pikachu sympathized with his trainer. As he patiently waited for his friends to be done shopping, someone else appeared.
"Hey, you're one of Serena's friends, right?" a familiar voice spoke up. To his right, Airana appeared. Ash wondered if she stopped by to see Serena. No one knew her as Kalos Queen Aria.
"Hey, Ariana. What are you doing here?"
"Well, it's my week off so I thought of dropping on by to see how everyone's fairing." Aria glanced inside the boutique, spotting Serena and Bonnie moving to the dressing room. "And if I'm not mistaken, Serena's got two Princess Keys, one away from entering the Master Class. I watched the Showcases online." Her knowledge of obtaining information cleared the little fog in Ash's head.
"I gotcha." Aira had an idea for Ash.
"You know, I saw how close you and Serena were when we gone shopping near Lumiose City. She showed me that photo of you two and your other friends in Geosenge Town. What I can do for you is get you a makeover. Afterall, a Pokémon Princess would be incomplete without a Pokémon Prince, wouldn't you say?" Ash wasn't excited in the least about a makeover, especially from the Kalos Queen herself.
"Come on, Ariana. Do I really need a makeover? I'm happy enough with my appearance as of now." Aria wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"Nope. You are coming with me if I have to drag you to these shops myself." Forced to surrender, Ash had to go with the queen but wanted to leave a Pokémon to let his friends know of the situation. Pikachu had become good friends with Serena, Clemont and Bonnie.
"You think you can stay with the rest until I get back?" Pikachu accepted the responsibility and entered the boutique. This left Ash with Aria as they first stopped by a tuxedo store. "Are you sure that I need something like this?" Aria draped a black suit on Ash but not feeling satisfied.
"Yeah, you need a color more fitting. Let's see..." As she looked around and leaving Ash to hold the suit, that meddlesome trio stepped up to "help" Ash out.
"Do you need help with a fitting suit?" asked the blue-haired man in a tux and sunglasses. Ash and Aria stopped and look at him, a redhead woman and a smaller man in similar black tuxedos.
"Perhaps we have a suit that could fit the everyday needs for twerp- I mean, top Pokémon Trainers," she quickly corrected herself from blowing her cover. "Presenting, the Auto-Tux!" She hoisted what appeared as a charcoal gray tuxedo.
"It's da latest business wear from Tek-Cor Fashion!" the little character mentioned the business while he donned the curly blond wig. Ash and Aria grew skeptical about the business. Ash and Aria didn't know that the trio presenting the tuxedos were Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket.
"Tek-Cor?" repeated Ash.
"Never heard of your industry, and I'm usually on top of news involving fashion," Aria doubted.
"Funny, Tek-Cor Fashion is expanding from its Kanto roots and now itches to extend the threads to Kalos," James proclaimed. The added detail still didn't convince Aria about their practices.
"Nope. Still doesn't ring a bell."
"Well, the bells will ring with one try of our Auto-Tux," Jessie reassured. Whether it was their behavior or something indescribable, Aria wasn't budging from her skepticism.
"I don't know. The brand smells fishy." Jessie became irritated with Aria's answers.
"No one asked for your opinion! This is for the twerp!" Despite the criticism, Ash came to see the Auto-Tux for himself. "See? Leave it to the twerp to decide!" James handed Ash the tux where he peered inside. Something looked wrong when he saw the tag of the tux with an "R" and not a "T."
"Excuse me but why is there an 'R' on your brand?" he questioned. "I believe Tek-Cor would've started with… 'T'?" He pointed to the tag which James and Meowth fumbled to explain the labeling. Jessie ignored the dubious evidence that exposed the truth.
"Who cares what the tag says? Try it on!" Ash made his decision after the evidence came to light.
"I'll pass… Team Rocket!" he chose as he flung the Auto-Tux back at Jessie and retreated back to Aria, a Pokéball in her hand.
"Now it makes sense," she studied. "Clever use of spelling your organization's name backwards. Had me fooled for a little while." Forced from their disguises, Team Rocket tore off their tuxedos, their Rocket uniforms underneath.
"This would've been an easy grab for Pikachu," Jessie scowled.
"But it will be nice just to take care of you!" rhymed James. "Okay… Inkay!" James summoned Inkay.
"You too, Gourgeist!" Jessie brought out her Gourgeist. A Pokémon battle and Ash and Aria couldn't escape from.
"I choose you, Frogadier!" called out Ash as Frogadier showed up.
"It's two-on-two, huh?" smirked Aria. "If so, let's go, Delphox!" When the final evolutionary form of Fennekin appeared, Jessie gave the first command.
"Gourgeist, Bullet Seed!" she ordered. Gourgeist shot Bullet Seed at both Frogadier and Delphox, but Ash had the easy counter.
"Frogadier, use Cut!" he commanded. Frogadier pulled a kunai from the Frubbles and slashed away, not one seed reaching either Pokémon. Aria saw a problem with their location, importantly the clothing.
"Ash, we can't damage the clothes on the racks," she pointed out.
"Right. This way!" Ash, Aria and the Pokémon got outside, Team Rocket giving chase. Now there wasn't anything to ruin.
"Delphox, Flamethrower!" Delphox pulled a stick from within its fur, a small ember burning on the tip. A stream of flames zipped at Team Rocket but Jessie wasn't phased. Wobbufett burst out of its Pokéball and performed Mirror Coat. Flamethrower bounced off Wobbufett and back at Delphox. Frogadier leaped in between the burning attack and the Fox Pokémon, taking the blast in belief that its type can take the heat. The power bulldozed Frogadier on contact, launching the Frog Pokémon into Delphox then barreling down Ash and Aira, knocking their headgear off and the two trainers to the ground. Frogadier and Delphox got up before Ash could react.
"Ariana, you okay?" That's when he found the hatless Aria, the sky blue ribbon taking place of the bowl hat she wore in public. Aria started to stir and as she came around, she found Ash glaring at her. "Aria!?" Looking straight at him, she realized her glasses came off. The mentioning of her name forced her to reach her head, no hat on and the ribbon in touch.
"Oh no..." She couldn't believe what occurred. Ash had to get Aria back on focus.
"Blame them, not me." With a hand, Ash pulled Aria on her feet. Now Jessie saw the Kalos Queen for herself.
"Isn't dat Aria, da Showcase Queen?" stuttered Meowth.
"What's she doing with the twerp?" asked James. Jessie didn't care about Aria's title.
"I don't care if she's God," she spat. "And besides, you can give your crown to me once I'm done with you. I deserve to be Kalos Queen!" Aria stood by her Delphox, not willing to lose the battle, let alone her title.
"A real Kalos Queen needs to be young, energetic, smart, charming, beautiful and kind," she listed.
"Exactly, and power to dominate the Pokémon!" Aria scoffed at Jessie's misdirected addition.
"What I see is a scorning old hag who has no respect for others, a spoiled grown-up who only feeds on greed and a coward who attacks children out of spite." Each derogatory statement angered Jessie to the point steam billowed from her head. James and Meowth backed away from the boiling seethe of the redhead.
"Old… hag?!" Not willing to accept Aria's description, Jessie pulled out a bazooka from out of nowhere. "You're no Kalos Queen! You're a twerp!" Ash wasn't going to let Jessie fire a round.
"You just proved her point," grinned Ash. "Frogadier, Aerial Ace on the cannon!" Frogadier leaped high and aimed at Jessie. Wobbufett retreated to line Frogadier and use Counter. He activated the red veil but Frogadier vanished and reappeared, striking the bazooka and cutting it in half.
"Delphox, wrap it up with Mystical Fire!" smiled Aria. Delphox breathed an intense flame that surrounded Team Rocket, some of those flames licking the damaged bazooka. Wobbufett couldn't pick what flame to use Mirror Coat on. The flames, as if controlled by a mystical force, dove at Team Rocket, burning them and lighting the gunpowder in the barrel. KABOOM! The explosion propelled the Rockets to the sky.
"We're blasting off again!" they cried loudly in unison as they flew away from the scene. Frogadier and Delphox returned to their trainers with Ash being the first to greet them.
"That was awesome, Frogadier," he praised. Frogadier pumped its fist in quick celebration. "And thanks for your help, Delphox!" Aria's Pokémon shrugged its shoulders rather nonchalantly. Aria recovered her glasses and hat, yet didn't dress them to her head… at least not right away.
"That was quite a workout," she huffed. "At least no one else knew of my secret." Seeing Aria for her true self, Ash felt an obligation to keep her identity a secret. "Thanks for stopping Team Rocket. Now that I remember that hag with Serena, I'll have a picture sent out to the committee to be on the look out for her. She won't be entering anymore Showcases." The news would bring great relief to Serena now down a Showcase rival.
"Well, you and Delphox were the big help, Kalos Queen." Aria giggled at the compliment.
"Yeah. Anyway, Don't tell Serena or Bonnie about who I am, okay… Kalos Prince?" Ash shuttered at the title Aria awarded him.
"I'll keep my mouth shut." Aria looked satisfied but just to be certain…
"Okay, but let me seal that mouth." She leaned in and gave Ash a solid kiss on the lips. The kiss lasted only two seconds but now royalty blessed the young trainer. Delphox and Frogadier snorted in laughter to the scene.
("Isn't the queen suppose to fall for the king, not the prince?") questioned Delphox.
("I don't know,") croaked Frogadier. After the moment, Ash and Aria returned to the store, Aria still insisting on Ash's makeover. Serena, Bonnie, Clemont and the Pokémon found Ash coming out of a fitting room, wearing a sea blue tuxedo without the necktie or hat. Aria studied the wear on Ash as his friends entered.
"Aside from… perhaps a different undershirt, you look sharp!" she surveyed. The undershirt was more of a sky blue than a regular blue.
"You think so?" wondered Ash.
"He actually does!" awed Bonnie. Hearing the young blond, Ash and Aria turned to meet them.
"I had no clue you had plans to get something fancy," Serena gawked. Aria, back in her disguise, risen her hand.
"He didn't," she spoke up. "It's my treat. After all, you two have been there for each other, as well as Bonnie." Dedenne shared Aria's praise to Bonnie as well. "Besides, for an upcoming Pokémon Princess, she might need a prince by her side." Serena's face morphed red in embarrassment from Aria's tease.
"You, uh… really think so?" The daydreaming girl from Vaniville Town, flushed in the face, put her hands on her cheeks in thoughts of her being crowned the new queen aside Ash. Meanwhile, Clemont found the Auto-Tux on the floor.
"Doesn't this store know how to make sure it's cleaned?" he criticized before feeling the inside. He chose to try the suit out. Once on, the Auto-Tux shrunk to fit Clemont, much to his surprise. "Hey, what's up with this tuxedo? It shrunk!" Hearing the shock, all twisted to see Clemont in the suit. That's when the arms started moving on their own, locking to the sides. Clemont couldn't move as he struggled to get his body free. "Guys! Help!" Ash and Aria sighed, mostly in relief that Ash didn't put the suit on, otherwise he'd be trapped.
"So that's Team Rocket's plan," he concluded. Everyone joined and helped remove the Auto-Tux from Clemont.
"You and Ariana were attacked?" thought Bonnie.
"Yeah, but we're good," Aria replied. "And I've also warned the Showcase people about Jessie now that I recognized her in the earlier contests. No disguise will fool security." Finally removed of the trapping wardrobe, Clemont stretched himself loose.
"So I'll have one less rival to deal with?" guessed Serena. "At least now I won't have to hear her complain, 'I should be Kalos Queen!'" Braixen and Pikachu laughed at Serena's attempt to act like Jessie.
"Yeah, she was never suited to wear any crown at all," Ash punned. Aria and Bonnie chuckled to the fun Ash poked at. Aria did want Ash and Serena to be together. After all, this is the Kalos Queen's bidding.
END of FIRE